Good morning... Hurry up and wait.

Ah, hospital sleep is so interrupt driven!    Heather and I enjoyed medical checkups to awaken us every 10 - 15 minutes as we powered through our first night.    Of course, we were very happy to have the attention for Baby Will.

No big news on the baby arrival ... Heather is contracting every two to three minutes (which is good), but it may be tied to the Cervadil treatment to prepare the cervix for delivery.  We are waiting until 9:00AM, when the Cervadil treatment ceases, to see if the contractions continue.  If not, then we are expecting induction.

Heather has been hooked up to wireless equipment, so she is up and about, pushing her "rack" of equipment up and down the hall.

On the lighter side, looks like the CHOP Special Delivery Unit comes with gifts (smile).   Heather has a robe (pink, her favorite color), a picture frame, and they are going to prepare a dinner for her after Will's arrival.

Here are some pictures of this morning.... updates soon!

All checked-in for Delivery...

Quick blog entry this time.... so much going on!

We had dinner at Champps restaurant in downtown Philadelphia for Heather's last official meal before we headed to the hospital.  We arrived at CHOP on schedule at 6:00PM, and toted everything we needed for William's arrival.

List of goodies included 1)   Four pillows (including two body pillows),

 2)  Four days worth of clothes for myself and Heather, 3)  Laptops (crazy eh?  How else would you expect to read this update!!), and 4) William's first diaper bag, first teddy bear.

I will be staying with Heather at CHOP for the next 4 days (and nights)

Heather and William had a quick "non-stress test", and we are waiting for the Doctor to visit us at 8:00PM tonight to begin to process of bringing William into the world...

Some pictures are below:

More updates soon....

Stork planning for Monday delivery

Good News. Baby Will received another perfect 10 on his Ultra Sound and Non-Stress Test. Our OB Team at Chop (after extensive deliberation) has decided to induce on Monday 8-18-08. Matt and I are so happy. Many of our family members are coming from Georgia and Louisiana to be here for the big day. I will actually go into the hospital on Sunday night and begin the process. Of course, there is still a high probability (40-50%) that we will move to a C-section based on Will's ability to endure my contractions but it feels much better aiming for a natural delivery as our first option.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

Our sweet baby boy is ready for his debut. We will let you all know as soon as he arrives.

The Final Countdown

Today's appointment went well. Perhaps because we are so close to my due date (8-17-08), we met with the OB today. He completed both the Ultrasound and Non Stress Test. Will received another 10 but there was no sign of impending labor. I ask when we would stop waiting and intervene (thinking induction) and I was told that we will be waiting until next Monday. If Will does not decide to come on his own before Monday then they may determine to move forward with a C-section. This is not my preference but the doctors believe that if Will continues to grow at his current pace and does not naturally move into labor then we should proceed with a C-section.

Although a C-section is not my preference, I want to do the best thing for Will no matter what. I know that the Doctors are the professionals here so I try to keep my opinions to myself. That is not easy for someone at 39 weeks. I am so emotional. I thought by now my body would be accustom to the hormones but I seem more sensitive and moody now than ever. Poor Matt!!! I really am blessed to be married to someone who can love me even when I am crazy.

I have not been 100% the last couple of days. I have a yucky feeling in my tummy and I am a bit dizzy. One of the mid wives told me that she has know that yucky feeling to be a sign of impending labor. I hope she is right. I was beginning to think I was coming down with a cold or stomach bug. Natural labor would be great. This may just be wishful thinking but I am OK with that.

I have mentioned that Matt's parents are here awaiting baby Will's arrival with us. It is really overwhelming that they are here to support us through this experience. Now all we need is baby Will. I am not rushing him but I must admit I am ready for him to come at a moments notice.

Matt packed our overnight bag this morning. I got my maternity leave form completed by the hospital. I still have a few things to do for work but nothing that my team could not manage without me. Matt is trying to wrap up his work too but it is tough. Tomorrow he is planning to sign a lease for office space within 2 miles of the hospital. That should help him balance work and daddy duty most efficiently. He is going to be the best daddy. Will is one fortunate little boy.

We will let you all know as soon as we get any new information. For now we ask that you continue to pray for us and especially Will.

It is not going to be 8-8-08

We had been trying to convince Will that 8-8-08 would be a really cool birthday but it seems he has other plans for us :-)

Great news to share. This week Matt and I were able to meet with Will's surgeon. We learned that over the past 6 weeks baby Will has not only impressed us but the CHOP surgical team sees his progress as promising. That is the word the surgeon used - promising. After weeks of working with my Dr.'s and the wonderful mid wives it was such a treat to meet Will's doctor. We knew all along that they have been keeping a close eye on our weekly visits but it was fantastic to get to sit down and discuss what we might expect once Will arrives.

Will, as you have all come to expect received another perfect 10. We do not want to forget to celebrate each of his accomplishments. We are no closer to knowing when he is going to come but after Thursday's appointments we are feeling a little more prepared. That might be an overstatement but perhaps we are feeling more comfortable not being prepared because the medical team at CHOP is definitely prepared.

Matt's parents arrived safe and sound. We are enjoying having family close to not only support us but also to enjoy Philadelphia tourism. We do not have any definitive plans for the weekend but I am sure we will have some fun stories to share with you soon.

Today Matt took me to have some professional maternity pictures taken. It was really nice and we now have a keepsake of our pregnancy to share with Will. It was emotional for both of us. We are so excited to be parents but took a moment today to really think about how much we have enjoyed this pregnancy. Will has blessed our life with so much love even prior to his formal entrance into the world. God has been so good to us and by far Will is the greatest gift of all.

No News = Good News

We went to our Doctor's appointments on Monday expecting to get an induction date. Well it looks like baby Will is not anticipating his arrival as much as mommy and daddy. Since they see no cervical changes, we are just waiting until next Monday to check again. That being said, the doctors were clear that baby Will can arrive when he gets ready so although we are not expecting him to come this week there is still a chance. For those of you keeping score, our sweet Will got another perfect 10 this week. He is stronger than ever!

Matt and I have been taking it easy. We both know that we are going to need our energy for baby Will's arrival. Matt's parents will be arriving on Wednesday. My family will be joining us as soon as we get some signs of labor. Will is going to have a large fan club here in Philly when he arrives. I also know that everyone following Will's journey from around the world will be pulling for him too!

Thank you so much for all of your thoughts, prayers, and support.

We made it to August

No surprises this week. Will got another perfect 10 - he is quite the over achiever. Sadly, I was not able to see his luscious little lips this week but I got some great action shots of his beautiful little baby feet. I have been feeling those little feet for months now but during the Ultrasound we got the best view. Nothing much is cuter than baby feet :-)

This week has been pretty uneventful. Matt and I got some great belly photos which we will upload.... It is pretty amazing how much less modest I have become with my body now that it has a greater purpose. When I first got pregnant I wanted to only have clothes that hung loosely on my belly so that no one could see. Now I find I love my belly. I love to rub it and to look at it in the mirror. I know it seems odd because it is my body but it is quite surreal that I actually have a little baby boy inside.

Highlights from this week also included getting a very special letter from one of our Host Family's daughter. Can you believe that while away at camp this precious little teenage girl took the time to write Matt and I??

She not only wished us and (especially) baby Will well, but she also shared some of the fun she is having at camp. I just started to joyfully cry when Matt brought me the letter.  Last night, the Host mom invited Matt and I to join her and a friend for an evening of girl talk. Matt lasted for about an hour and then went back to work (finishing up some stuff before he unplugs for the birth) but the three of us were up late into the night.  It was so much fun. It has been a while since I was able to have quality time with my girlfriends and so this was really special. 

I also receive a lot of parenting/wife advice. With all of the abnormal things we are dealing with last night felt extremely normal. It is so wonderful to be accepted by this family in such a genuine way. I still think they are angels on earth and I really look forward to the relationship that we will maintain with our host family when we return to Atlanta. I also look forward to see how many ways Matt and I are changed by knowing them and being cared for by them.

Matt and I will never really will be ready for our little one to arrive. We both have our hesitations but I must share that we know we are getting closer. Everyday we talk about all of the wonderful things we are looking forward to enjoying as parents. I have been dreaming and day dreaming about baby Will on a regular basis and really psyching myself up for the battle ahead. I know baby Will is ready. He has shown so much growth, strength,  and determination over the past few weeks here in Philly that it is evident he is up for the challenge.

With all of that said, the doctors are still not making any predictions regarding Will's arrival. They plan to check my cervix on Monday and then we should know if my body is actually getting ready for delivery. I think if we are far enough along they will give us an induction date. Then it will be up to Will to come on his time frame or wait on the induction.

As always, we love you and thank you all for supporting us along the way.    Please keep your thoughts and prayers coming.