37, 37, 37 weeks!! Not too much to add since the update. I have anywhere from 3 to 8 contractions a day depending on how much walking or working I do. I'm working on cleaning up and cleaning out. With our upcoming move in October, I'm trying to clean out and throw away junk that I don't want to move. A friend came over one day to help me in the attic and we got so much done! Mike was a trooper yesterday and cleaned out 2 closets. Now we just have a ton of stuff to drop off at the thrift store. The "to do list" is getting shorter. Thank goodness, because when the baby comes, I'm sure I will have even less time to do all that needs to be done.

Ezra is slowly but surely starting to say some words. Ezra is 15 1/2 mos. He understands so much, but his actual vocabulary is relatively limited. His favorite words right now are burp and lights. He's so much fun. A few minutes ago, he was spinning himself in a circle and laughing at how dizzy he was getting. What a silly boy!

We're really hoping our new car comes on Tuesday. The car guy keeps getting our hopes up, only to be dashed against the rocks when the car continues to NOT arrive.

If anything exciting happens this week, we'll blog it as soon as possible.

Happy Memorial Day. We're celebrating with burgers.

The Official Update:

I had a Dr. appointment today and the news was fairly encouraging. The Dr. said I was 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. Women can stay at 1 cm for a while, but she said I was "pretty soft", which I suppose indicates that things are moving along. She also said the baby was still pretty high, which with Ezra meant "no time soon". But she said that doesn't matter so much with a second baby. However, all that being said, she made my next appointment for 2 weeks from today (instead of 1 week). So she obviously thinks I will still be pregnant in two weeks. I was just happy to hear that things are beginning to change in preparation for labor and delivery. My main concern, as it was last time, is having to have a C-section. Please pray for a natural delivery and a healthy baby!

Ezra also had an appointment today. It was a follow up from a month ago when he was sick and had an ear infection. He actually had fluid in his ear canal, so the check up was to see if that was still there. It was. So he has another appointment in 3 or 4 weeks to check again. The Dr. said if the fluid remains for 4 months or longer, they have to put tubes in his ears to drain it. I asked if there was anything we could be doing to try to get the fluid out/dry it up etc, and he said no. His other ear is really full of wax though. So much so, that the Dr. can't even see his ear drum. So we are supposed to be trying to get that under control so the Dr. can better assess both ears. Please be praying that the fluid magically disappears by the next Dr. appointment. We DO NOT want to have them put tubes in Ezra's ears. The only good thing is that it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain or annoyance. Ezra's his usual, happy self.

I'm 36 weeks! Hopefully anytime in the next 4 weeks, we'll have 2 boys to cuddle instead of one. I can officially deliver on base if I go into labor. I did have my full body, pre-natal massage last week. Thank goodness for a last minute cancellation. Otherwise, she was booked for 2 weeks. Yikes! My back still hurt after that, but I could tell a difference the next day. I'm not without pain, but it's a lot bettter than it was and I'm happy to be on the mend. I have a Dr. appointment on Wednesday. I'm trying really hard not to get my hopes up, but I'm hoping for at least a little bit of good news.

I decided to go against my better judgment and take some naked belly pictures. Pretty huge huh? Mike said I got a little carried away. :) A week or so ago Mike said, "This is the fun part because you actually start looking deformed instead of just fat." Wow, right? Lucky for him, I'm not able to get to him very quickly these days, and so he was able to avoid having his head knocked off. Just kidding. He knows I can laugh at comments like that because I'm completely comfortable with my pregnant self. It will be over soon and I can get back to "normal". It's ALL worth it.

Mike tests for a Staff Sargeant promotion on Wednesday and we're hoping to get our new car this week. It's a 2009 Dodge Journey that we had to have shipped from the States. We learned that there was one that had already been shipped to Germany a few weeks earlier and so instead of taking 6-8 weeks to get it, we're getting it a little sooner. We did have to pay a little more for a few more options, but I suppose a rear DVD player will come in handy sometimes as well has the back up camera, etc. We really just wanted to make sure it was here in time to accomadate our company arriving June 6th. We're so excited to have BOTH my parents coming out for the birth of their second grandchild and to visit their rapidly growing first grandchild.

I'm putting this blog together as Mike fixes my Mother's Day dinner of chicken strips. I'm 35 weeks pregnant on this, my second Mother's Day. I had a lovely day celebrating with my husband (for the first time, since he was deployed last year at this time) and son. My gift is a much needed back massage I hope to take advantage of this week. I have pulled a muscle in my back. The Dr. says I shouldn't really be lifting anything--yeah right. A heating pad has been my best friend. No Dr. appointments this week. My next appointment is the 21st, when they will do a test and check to see how effacement and perhaps dialation is going.


Mike is home this week studying for his advancement test on May 21st. We won't know the results for probably 6-8 weeks and even if he passes, he won't promote for maybe up to a year. But we're praying he does well!

These irises are in my neighbors yard. We had a few in our yard, but they're already done blooming. The pink peoni however is our yard.

Ezra wasn't very cooperative for pictures, as he rarely is these days. He constantly on the move. I tried to get him to make his "fishy" face, but a very blurred picture is the best I could manage.

The last picture is of Ezra and Lori (4 hours apart in age) playing at the birthday party a couple of weekends ago. I thought it was cute.

34 weeks!

I read that this week, our little Jonas Andrew should be making his move more south. Hopefully, it will be evident in next week's picture...

We attended a lady bug birthday party for one of Ezra's friends from church. The weather was awesome! Sunny and 72. Daddy stayed home to study so I seized the opportunity to dress Ezra up like a ladybug. I think my friend Cheryl got a few super cute pictures of Lori (her daughter that's a few HOURS younger than Ezra) and Ezra playing, but I'm waiting for her to email them to me.

In other news, Mike got rear-ended at a stoplight as he was coming home from class Wed. night. It didn't do very much damage--just crunched the bumper/trunk a little. His neck was a little sore, but nothing a couple of Tylenol couldn't take care of thank goodness. Dealing with insurance companies in the States is bad enough, but when you factor in a language barrier.... So we're going through an Italian third party that will take 10% of whatever we get for the car damage. They said it would be a couple of weeks....we shall see.