As promised, here are some photos from my recent baby shower. Enjoy...I sure did!!

Me and my old college roommate Jen...can you believe I used to borrow clothes from this girl?!?


Me wearing my "Mom To Be" sash...I felt like a bloated, uncomfortable beauty queen with a backache and a bladder control problem!!

A sign for my Babin!!

Cutting my cake...the last cake I will get to have for six months or so while I lose the baby weight!

I should hold a caption contest on this one...my entry would be "Dear God, if you're listening, PLEASE end my suffering and put me into labor right now!!"

Baby Shower Photos

PRESENTS!!!!

Opening Jen's present -- the entire thing was giraffe themed, and this stuffed animal was TOO CUTE!!


My sister couldn't help herself...the desire to shop for the baby got the best of her!! She even bought me this adorable polar bear stuffed animal...I explained to her that polar bears are not often seen while on safari (the theme of the baby's nursery), but she had to buy it anyway! It's really sweet and soft, and our baby doesn't discriminate...animals of any kind are welcome on his/her safari!!


Melissa bought me the cutest little baby robe...I can't wait to post a picture of him or her all wrapped up in it after a bath!

More presents from Melissa...he or she is definitely going to be a little baby Gator!

37 Week Doctor's Appointment

Well, what do you know...I was right all along (as usual)! I had my 37 week doctor's appointment this morning (I'm going once a week now), and due to the fact that I'm measuring rather large for my gestational age (like four weeks ahead), they ordered an ultrasound to measure the weight of the baby (to make sure he or she is not a GIANT).

Now, to give you a basis for comparison, the average baby weighs nearly 6 pounds at 37 weeks gestation. Mine, on the other hand, is already a little more than 8 POUNDS! Holy moly...he or she is measuring in the 93% of babies in terms of size/weight!! When they told me that, my first question (other than "Can I get the epidural now?!") was "So from here on out, how much more weight will he or she gain?" They said the average is about half a pound a week, which would put the baby at about 9.5 pounds at 40 weeks...thank goodness I'm planning on being induced a week early!! I guess I shouldn't be that surprised...David was a plump baby, and I was no slouch myself (over 9 pounds). Looks like we'll have the fat little baby we were hoping for...you should've seen this little one's cheeks on the ultrasound screen (he/she looked like a little chipmunk).

In other news, the doctor says that the head is down (which we already knew), and I am 75% effaced and 1 cm dilated...so things are progressing! I probably won't efface much more before I go into active labor, but hopefully I'll dilate another centimeter or so before my next appointment (Thursday, Aug. 28) so that I'm presenting all the conditions necessary to formally schedule an early induction. The doctor thinks this is very likely, but keep your fingers crossed for me just in case! The scheduled induction date would be Tuesday, Sept. 2...which gives me just 13 more days! I try not to think too much about that, because if I do I start going into super-planner mode, stressing out about all the things I still need to do before the birth (get the car seat installed, pack my hospital bag, create a "birth plan," finish my master's degree, travel the world...you know, the basics). I figure...it'll all get done, and everything will be just fine (at least, that's the lie I'm telling myself right now...all you parents who have been through this before, just leave me to my delusion!).

Well, that's about all for now...I'll post the baby shower photos as soon as I get them, and will update you after my appointment next week. Thanks to everyone for their concern about Tropical Storm Fay...so far, we're doing just fine. Just say a prayer that I don't go into labor during the worst part of the storm (sometime in the next two days)! Love you all...

Baby Shower!!!

I wanted to write a quick post to thank everyone who came to my baby shower on Sunday, August 17th...everyone was so generous and I had an awesome time! I got tons of stuff I really needed (diapers, onesies, blankets, my baby bedding!) and some really fun stuff too (books, bath toys, stuffed animals, and even a camo patterned onesie/hat/bib set!).

I really want to thank everyone who helped make such a special day possible for me, especially my mom and sister, who went out of their way to plan everything -- sending out invitations, getting the menu put together, ordering the cake, ordering special signs online (like the one in the photo above), the list goes on and on and on. It really meant a lot to me...and to "tiny"/"babin" (the silly nicknames we call the baby)!

I have more photos, but they're on someone else's camera, so as soon as I get them I promise to post them. Thanks again to everyone...love you all!!

A Clean Bill of Health!

Great news...I went to the doctor this morning and, after two days of bedrest and much worrying, was given a clean bill of health! All my tests came back completely normal, and my blood pressure (which reached nearly 170/110 on Wednesday) has stabilized and come back down. So no more bedrest for me...I even got to go back to work this afternoon!! Basically my doctor said that they are just going to watch me and be a little more vigilant, and that I should try to take it a little easier than I have been and try not to get too stressed out (about, oh I don't know, things like the fact that I have a new job, or that we're building a house, or that my husband doesn't even live here!!). Those of you who know me well know that won't be easy for me, but I promised them I'd try.

My next appointment is on Monday, August 11th, and that's when they'll start checking me to see if I'm making any progress toward labor. Keep your fingers crossed that I at least present the conditions necessary to schedule an induction around 39 weeks, which would make the baby due on Sept. 2nd. An induction would be so much better for us, since it would allow us to plan in advance so that there's less of a chance that David will miss the birth (which is a pretty huge possibility if we wait until I go into labor naturally!).

Thanks to everyone who was thinking about me and praying for me. I love you all and promise I'll keep you posted!

Caitlin

PS -- On the bad news side, I finally got a stretch mark on my stomach. Cocoa butter sucks and is a major lie. It is a sad, sad day. Feel free to mourn as you see fit.

34 Weeks and counting...

I know, I know...it's been forever since I posted...I'm the worst blogger in the history of the world. People have been on my case to post some new belly shots, so here they are! I can't believe that it's already been seven weeks since I posted my last photos...today I am 34 weeks exactly, and it's starting to get pretty real that I'm getting closer and closer to actually having a baby. What a trip! I'm getting SO big...I'm a little bit worried that my uniform might not fit in a few weeks...I'm not sure exactly what I'll do if that happens, so I'll just have to cross that bridge when I get to it. At least I don't have any stretch marks yet...fingers crossed my poor tummy can hold on for 30 more days or so!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning, and the doctor said the baby looks great. I'm measuring right on target, weight gain is still good (well, by "good" I mean not completely and totally out of control), heart rate is right where it should be and he or she is already head down (hopefully going to fully engage in the pelvis soon...I could really use the extra breathing room, and I'm pretty over getting kicked in the ribs all day long!).

A little bit of bad news -- the doctor thinks that there is a possibility that I have pre-eclampsia, a condition in pregnancy that is characterized by high blood pressure and can be pretty serious if left untreated. I'm exhibiting a few of the symptoms (high blood pressure in a person with no history of that, protein in the urine, mild swelling, etc), and my mom had it while she was pregnant with me, which increases my risk. So basically, they're going to do some tests Wednesday to find out for sure, and after that we'll go from there. If I do have it, I will have to be monitored more closely (probably at least weekly visits), and may have to be induced early (since the only "cure" for pre-eclampsia is delivering the baby). So please keep me and the baby in your thoughts and prayers for the next few days. Hopefully the tests will all come back fine and everything will progress normally, but if not maybe Baby Brown will be making his or her debut sooner than we thought!

That's it for now...hope everyone else is doing well. Love you all!!

PS -- My good friend (and cyber-stalker) Jessey actually crocheted me a baby blanket, which just blows my mind because (as a completely un-handy/crafty person myself) I am totally amazed by anyone who can actually make something useful and beautiful!! I've pasted a picture of it below, because it is SO cute, and it's also her first baby blanket, so she is rightfully proud of it! Thanks so much, Jessey...Baby Brown will love sleeping under it (and, as you can see from the photo, Chloe is a fan as well)!!

No Real News...

Happy Belated 4th of July to everyone!!! I hope you all had a fabulous holiday weekend. Even though I have no real news, I decided to go ahead and post anyway, since everyone keeps asking me when the next post will be up!! Geez, who knew that I had so many cyber stalkers?! ;)

So to get everyone caught up, I've been at my new job for exactly 17 days (if you count today), and they're finally starting to figure out what to do with me! I've been pretty useless and bored for the past couple of weeks, but it looks like I'll be pretty busy in the future, which is great if you're me (because nothing is harder for me than being extremely bored). I've been trying to put in the hours even if there really isn't much going on for me yet, since I feel a little guilty about the fact that I'm going to be leaving for two months of maternity leave when I've only been there for two months total! Either way, the people are really nice and the job seems easy and low-stress (if a little time-consuming), which is exactly what I need right now with a baby on the way!

David was here visiting all of last week, which was amazing. I hadn't seen him in twelve weeks, and he couldn't believe how huge my belly has gotten! We spent a night in Orlando and went to Sea World and Pleasure Island, and we got to eat at one of our very favorite restaurants (Texas de Brazil). The rest of the week we just spent fishing, hanging at the beach and lounging by the pool...it was fantastic. I miss him so much when he's away, and (as cheesy as it sounds) seeing him again is always a little like falling in love with him for the first time. He had so much fun feeling the baby kick and move around, and he talked to him (or her!) every night before we went to sleep. Needless to say, it was horrible to watch him drive away on Sunday...I feel like we're always saying goodbye. I might not see him again for eight weeks (until the baby is born)...but at least after that we'll be together for weeks and weeks!

Baby is doing great...kicking a LOT, and starting to actually hurt me. He (or she) is always trying to squirm up under my ribs, which is even more uncomfortable than it sounds. Sometimes I get kicked so hard that my whole stomach jumps, which makes the whole "there's a little person in there" thing much more real! Other than that, I'm feeling great...starting to get a little tired but nothing unmanageable. Unfortunately, I think I've started to waddle...which I was really hoping to put off until at least 35 or 36 weeks. Oh well...it could be worse I guess! We've pretty much settled on our two names -- Samuel Patrick for a boy and Fiona Susan for a girl. And don't any of you worry your pretty little heads about giving me "ideas" or "suggestions," because we are a little past that point now...and we did it that way on purpose! ;) I'm starting to get excited about meeting this little person, and I'm ready for the day to actually get here already!!

Well, that's all for now...in a week or so I will post another belly shot, so that you can all point and laugh at the enormous circus freak that I've become ;). Love you all!