Things are moving right along here. Everything looked good at my last doctor's appointment and Jonah is definitely growing. We'll have a sono in two weeks at our next appointment. The girls at work had a baby shower for Laura and I today. She's having a girl so there was a mix of pink and blue. I feel so blessed to know such a wonderful group of women. They were always so supportive while I was trying to get pregnant and throughout the pregnancy I have felt their joy for us. Little Jonah will be a handsome little guy in all his new clothes and won't get cold this winter with all the blankets the girls bought or made for him. I have spent the evening sorting things and trying to find a place for them. As you can see from the picture, the nursery has been our storage room and is a long way from being ready for baby.

I am studying tonight (well, I'll get to it eventually) and Matt took a break from studying to go play poker with the guys. The dogs are barking every 30 seconds because they hear the kids from the church next door playing outside. I guess Jonah will be used to that barking by the time he arrives. I went on my first solo transport last week (well Sara came with because she's still on orientation). It didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked but I feel completely supported when I'm in the field.

Making room for baby!

We know that a baby means lots of extras to feed/bath/change/entertain baby so we're making room in our house for all of those things. Our couch, although not that old, has taken a beating by the dogs. They enjoyed sitting on the back cushions and looking out the window. Unfortunately the cushions started ripping and it was all downhill from there. Matt's dad, Tom, came today to haul the couch back to their house for storage (as Matt doesn't want to get rid of it completely because what if our next house has a basement?). It already feels so much more spacious in here (for now). And since no one ever visits us, Matt and I can make do with the love seat and recliner. The picture is of the sad couch sitting on the lawn ready to be loaded up. You can also see the tree limb left over from the last storm. Matt and Tom are currently reinforcing the posts for the gate on the fence with concrete as there was some shifting during the winter months. When they're done they will move the armoire from the old office/new nursery so that one day we can actually start/finish making it Jonah's room.

I on the other hand am doing nothing. I know that the bathroom walls could use a good cleaning and the kitchen floor needs washed but I'm still recovering from the flu. I started feeling sick on Tuesday evening and felt worse through the night (because apparently I'm never going to sleep during the third trimester...or ever). I was in bed all day on Wednesday and thought I would be okay to go to work on Thursday. I was completely worthless at work and felt worse as the day progressed. I stayed home from work Friday and stayed in bed again. I'm still not feeling 100% but the whole body aches are gone. My summer semester officially starts this week and I've gone as far as reading the syllabus. I know tomorrow I need to buckle down and do some reading. I'm also trying to get some projects at work finished up that I'm in charge of but things aren't moving very fast. I'm on a deadline as little Jonah could make his appearance in a little more than a month.

Anyone who has talked to me know that I don't know what I'll do with myself if I go all the way to my due date. I would like to deliver on 8/8/08 but that is also the day of my final so I would have to take that first. Jonah is definitely running out of room and is making me very uncomfortable with his movements (the flu doesn't help either). I feel like I'm going to burst. He is supposed to be 3 to 3 1/2 pounds at this point but I think he's at least 4. I mentioned before that I'll have one more sonogram to check his head circumference (very scared he'll have his father's head). I have to stop flying at 35 weeks so I'm good if he comes then or shortly after. Well I should stop procrastinating and do some work.

Summer has arrived!

It is hot! I finally broke down and turned on the AC today. It makes it easier to get things done around the house when it is a little cooler. Matt and I have been busy (as usual). I think we saw each other two days last week because I had work and meetings at work and he had school and was on trauma call for two nights. He will finish up his surgery rotation next week and then will have a two week break before starting radiology. He is supposed to get things crossed off his "Daddy To Do List" in that time. We did buy a video camera so we can post videos of the baby when he's born. His birthday is fast approaching! I start the summer semester in less than 2 weeks and hope to finish it out before Jonah arrives.

We wish we had good news to share about Caleb but unfortunately his year long health problems continue. He went in for a repeat CBC after being on antibiotics for a month and his platelets were dangerously low. If he was human they would be giving him a transfusion but unfortunately that is not an option for dogs. So more tests were run and they are thinking it is another autoimmune problem. His steroid dose was increased and last week his platelets had gone up a little. Until we get the okay from the vet we have to keep him as calm as possible and prevent any trauma. So that means we can't allow him and Jo to play together and he can't travel anywhere. So far he's had a little nosebleed and some bruising but nothing major. We are hoping he'll be able to be weaned off the steroids at some point.

So things continue to go as planned here in Peoria. Jonah is getting big hence I am getting big as a result. Matt walked through the door yesterday and the first thing he said was "You're so big!" I've tried to squeeze into my flight suit and it is not happening so I've had to wear a maternity suit that could probably hold a small child in addition to me. I've had the opportunity to go on a few transports lately and received my wings pin which means I have the go ahead to come off orientation. Well Matt needs the computer to do some work and I need to things ready for work tomorrow. If you've tried to send an e-mail to my illinoisalumni address I apologize. I hadn't checked it since January and my inbox was full.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Things are sailing along smoothly. We hit the 24 week mark last week. That is a very big deal because it means if he was born now he would have a chance at extra uterine life. He gets bigger and stronger all the time. His little flutters have become full fledged kicks and punches.

Matt started his surgery rotation a couple weeks ago. He spends a lot of days and nights at the hospital. I'll be happy when he moves on to the next clerkship. I have been at the hospital an additional day each week as the nurse practitioners are being nice enough to offer us a review to prepare to take a certification exam. I don't think I'll ever be ready but I'll have to take the dive sometime.

We're slowly getting ready for the baby. We registered over the weekend. The changing table arrived today and I hung his growing wardrobe in the closet. I also made a little sign to hang in the nursery. As you can see we decided on a name and our trip to the zoo inspired a little bit of an animal/nature theme for the nursery.

And we're having a....BOY! I had a sonogram on Monday and everything looks good so far. The baby weighs 9 oz. It is crazy to think that I've taken care of babies only a little bigger than that. The pictures they printed are not clear so I didn't scan them. We did receive a VHS of the sonogram. Now we just have to find a VHS player. Laura and I went shopping after my appointment and bought some cute boy clothes. Now Matt and I just have to agree on a name! Sorry we haven't called anyone. We called the Moms and figured they could disseminate the information.

I have been able to go on three transports thus far. Unfortunately two of them have been by ambulance. I would rather spend 30 minutes in the helicopter than an hour and a half in an ambulance. My friend Sara has been so nice about letting me go on transports when we're both there because I'm under a deadline to finish training. I know she's itching to go though.

The pictures I posted are of our trip to the zoo the Saturday before Easter. It was quite cold but we had a good time. We're looking forward to bringing our little one there one day.

Spring is coming...I hope!

I think we're all ready for the warmer months ahead. The picture is of Caleb stopping to smell the flowers at Allerton a couple of years ago. It will be a fun summer in our family with the baby due in August. I'm hoping for a mild summer as I'm a little cranky in the heat. We have a lot we would like to finish with the house before the baby arrives so Matt has been trying to do little projects here and there. The power tools he received for Christmas will come in handy. The dogs and I are just hanging around the house today. This is my 4th day home this month. I've picked quite a few extra shifts because I've felt so much better in my second trimester and I've had to go in for flight and skills training a few days. I went on my first transport yesterday. Unfortunately, the helicopter was grounded due to fog so we had to take an ambulance. Besides that I couldn't have asked for a better first transport. The baby was stable and there wasn't much to do except bring it back to Carle. I've had a pretty easy pregnancy thus far. I've had some nausea but nothing major. As the doctor said at my last visit, it must not be too bad since I've gained 5 pounds. I pampered myself today and went to the salon. I fell asleep while they were waxing my eyebrows and highlighting my hair. They play soft music and the lights are dimmed. I don't know how they don't fall asleep! Matt and I are going to St. Louis on Friday and Saturday to have a little weekend away. We haven't spent much time together lately and I'm looking forward to a fun and relaxing couple of days. So, in case you're wondering, we find out the sex of the baby on March 31st.

Introducing...