Inspiration

As I sat in church today, I had some time to think about all the hopes and fears, dreams and worries that are about to come my way. Sleepless nights and overpowering pride that is going to make up my relationship with Claire. Only two more days until we can meet one another. Pastor Ron had a video that he played before the sermon to give inspiration on Father's Day. It is the story of Rick and Dick Hoyt. I have posted a link at the end of this blog so that you can see what inspiration truly is. Watching that video made me realize that I must make a commitment to Claire and I must stick to that commitment. I'm not sure if this blog will be around when she is old enough to read but in case it is:

Claire, I promise to remember that to you, my next promotion is not nearly as important as your next dance class. To you, my lack of sleep is no reason to not play one more game of chutes and ladders. To you, tea parties are like birthday parties that you have everyday. To you, warm hugs are more important than the Super Bowl. To you, a listening ear will last longer than a new cell phone. To you, your blanky is more than something to keep you warm. To you, bedtime stories are more than just a routine. To you, and me, the Hoyt story is how it should be! To you, and me, the Hoyt story is how it WILL be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flRvsO8m_KI&feature=related

Last Days of Freedom

Since Sheila is way too fat to type, I am having to do all her blogging. If anyone has seen Duece Bigalow they will know how I feel when I hear "Cakes and Pies" coming from the bedroom. Luckily she is a good sport about all my teasing. I can honestly say this has been much better than I thought. I was sure she was going to be crabby and overly needy but she has been a real trooper. I have had to make her slow down and take it easy. With only a few days left until we can meet our daughter, we are double checking the batteries on the camera and making sure we have everything we need. Sheila has a doctor's appt. on Friday and we will determine what course of action we will take. She is penciled in for an induction on Tues. I think she would like to go before that but that is our plan for now. I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not but Sheila wants me to check the batteries in the camera. We are planning on having a web-cam at the hospital for anyone with Skype. No we are not broadcasting live but will be sharing video after Claire is here. This picture of Sheila is one that I will look back on with fond memories. She has done so good with this pregnancy. Did I forget to tell you that Sheila wants me to check the batteries in the camera. I hope you have enjoyed my odd sense of humor because I plan on passing it on to Claire. Wish us luck as we enter the last week of freedom and begin the most important job of our lives. One last thing; SHEILA THE BATTERIES ARE CHARGED!!!!!!!!!

2 weeks to go!

Today we reach our 38 week mark. Not much has been happening this past week unfortunately. I had 4 days off of work and spent one of the days "nesting"...cleaning the apartment very, very well and washing all of Claire's clothes. It is so fun to look in the closet and see her little outfits hanging up just waiting for her to wear. She continues to move lots, mostly in the evenings. I have noticed less movement during the night which has helped me to sleep for longer periods of time...I am now up to sleeping 3 hours at a time instead of 2! I continue to be able to work full-time which is nice.

Now we are just waiting for her to drop into my pelvis. We see

Dr Russell on Friday and will find out if I am dilating any more.

Wish us luck! When the big day comes, we will be sure to notify

family and friends and post some pictures on here so we can show off our beautiful baby girl!

We hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the summer. I hear in MN the summer hasn't started yet and it has been chilly...we hope that it starts getting nice for y'all soon! Down here it is almost too hot to even go outside...we are already in the mid 90's and I bet mom and dad can't wait to get down here to hang out in the heat!

My new table

Here we are at 37.4 weeks today. I have found a new use for my belly...it now works as my table! I cannot do a plate yet (and hope I don't get that big to be able to balance a dinner plate!) but a bowl fits just fine and stays in place. That is if Claire doesn't decide to kick it off while I am eating!

Things continue to go very well with pregnancy. The girls from work threw me a baby shower on Thursday and we had lots of fun. We got many practical things which will come in handy when Claire makes her arrival. On Friday, I saw my doctor and there was no cervical change. Kind of a bummer, but I have to remember this is my first baby and we are not even 38 weeks yet. He did a portable ultrasound to confirm she is head down, which she is. She was looking to my left side with her back on my right and her butt in my upper left quadrant. Dr Russell said it looks like she has a petite face and her cheeks don't look too chubby...we will see when she comes out! I am able to hear her heartbeat with my stethoscope so I find myself listening to it often. Claire still needs to drop into my pelvis and I have been taking Presley for walks on my days off trying to help that happen. So, no news yet other than the pregnancy continues to go well and I am still loving being pregnant. I will keep you all updated on our status and post some pictures with the delivery information after the big day comes! Please keep us in your prayers for a good labor and a healthy little ( and I stress "little"!) girl!

We are now full term!!!!

Today marks 37 weeks for us. We are now considered full term so anytime that Claire decides she wants to come is safe. I am starting to get a bit anxious about labor...I think I know too much from working labor and delivery for over 9 years now. Jeff is getting very excited and I feel he is ready to be a daddy. I had my first Dairy Queen blizzard for the pregnancy last night and enjoyed every last bite of it! I am starting to feel more back discomfort after my 12 hour shifts of work, but nothing too terrible yet. I am guessing each day will become a bit more difficult and I hope that working so much will maybe put me into labor. My desire it to go into labor on my own and not have to be induced. We will see what Claire has in mind! We see the doctor on Friday for our 37 week visit and I will find out then if I have made any cervical changes. Last week I was dilated 1cm which made me happy. Let's hope this week brings more dilation! I am excited to meet Claire but will definitely miss being pregnant. So far, no signs of labor. It is exciting not knowing when the big day will arrive. My parents are ready in MN to make the trip down...they even have their clothes picked out so all they have to do is put them into a suitcase and head south. I can't wait to see them with Claire! As you can see in the pictures, we are growing quickly these past few weeks. Jeff cannot even hug me normally anymore!