aversion to version

Alex and I spent yesterday in the hospital, my first time ever being a patient. We were there to try version, a procedure where the doctor pushes on my stomach in an attempt to move the baby from a breech position to a head-down position. I was given a shot that relaxes my uterus, but it also causes heart palpitations and anxiety. Unfortunately, the procedure was very painful and unsuccessful. So unless our baby flips on his own, it looks like I will be facing a C-section in the upcoming weeks, which saddens me greatly.

On the bright side, we were able to check out the hospital (Howard County General is a division of Johns Hopkins Medicine) and see the types of rooms where we will stay. We were pleasantly surprised with how nice they are and how wonderful the staff is.

And because I had to be prepared as if I was having a C-section just to be on the safe side, Alex got to try out his OR outfit.

belly x 2

So I'm feeling like my belly is twice as big as it was recently, but the title of this entry is actually refering to the two pictures. The photo of me in the white shirt was taken Oct. 11 (35 weeks and 7 days) and the one of me in the brown shirt was taken on Oct. 16 (36 weeks and 5 days). Nine months. Women keep telling me that my belly is small for nine months, which is hard to imagine when I'm feeling rather round right now!

room in progress

The weekend following the showers was a busy one. We made the big push (no, not that one!) to make significant progress on the nursery. We picked up our crib, crib mattress and bedding. We installed the curtain rod and hung the curtains. The glider and changing table/dresser are in place. You can see lots of items such as burp cloths, diapers and clothes from the shower strewn about the room. The room is getting there! And of course Daisy is hanging out in the room - her new favorite place.

shower the dad-to-be

Early October was the week of showers for the Campbells. This time it was the dad's turn for some pre-baby attention at a Johns Hopkins University shower hosted by his boss, Christine S. Alex feigned surprise for the camera's sake and then opened gifts with not-quite-accurate descriptions (an incline sleeper for the crib received the comment "Oh, look it's a baby holder!"). Check out the cupcake cake and another adorable diaper cake! (Thanks Jennifer K. and Jennifer S.)

shower the mom-to-be

My "surprise" baby shower was Oct. 1, hosted by Joy Johnson, Stacie Howes and my mom. Unfortunately, my mother wasn't able to attend the shower because she was recuperating from surgery, but she was there in spirit and made the beautiful diaper cake!

It was great to see so many of my friends and family, especially those who made the long trip from out of town. We shared baby stories, guessed the diameter of my belly, and opened LOTS of gifts. Thank you so much everyone! I finally feel as prepared as possible for our son to arrive soon.

even bigger belly

This picture was taken Sept. 25, 2006 (33 weeks and 5 days). Getting bigger!