Well, I am closing in on my 37th week of pregnancy and my 17th week of bed rest here in the next few days. I can't believe I have almost made it to my goal! God has been so faithful in taking care of me and the baby and our entire family throughout this pregnancy, and I am so grateful. I pray he continues to take care of us, although I am sure he will.

On Wednesday, I found out that the baby was measuring a bit on the small side, so I've been going in for non-stress tests (NSTs) and monitoring this week. My doctor also ordered another ultrasound for next week to see how much the baby grows in the two weeks between the ultrasounds. I'm hoping she'll grow enough and that it will have just been an error that she was measuring small. But we'll see... I'm being monitored closely, so I'm sure the doctor will catch any issues that arise. I have an NST appointment on Friday, an ultrasound on Tuesday, possibly another NST appointment on Tuesday as well, and a regular doctor appointment on Wednesday.

Of course, I may or may not make it to any of those appointments. It's crazy to think that I could go into labor anytime now and it would be pretty much okay. I'm anxious to meet my little girl but would still like her to stay inside for a little longer, especially now that I know she is measuring small. I want her to grow as much as possible before she arrives!

34 weeks

Well, we've reached our big goal. Yesterday marked 34 weeks in this pregnancy, and I have yet to go into labor. Yay for us! Although the baby's lungs are not quite mature yet, my doctor said that this was the point where we could all breathe a sigh of relief that she would be fine. To celebrate, I have been having contractions and cramps all day long. Er, I mean, to celebrate we had some yummy chocolate cake, but I really have been having a lot of contractions today. I don't think they are progressing me into labor though--more of an annoyance than anything, I think. I am still on bed rest and hoping to make it another two or three weeks before delivering. Even two more weeks would be longer than I carried Ashlinn for, since she was born at 35 weeks and 5 days. Anyway, that's the update there... On to other exciting news now...

Today, Ashlinn said "I love you" back to me when I told her that I loved her. Oh my gosh, it was the greatest moment ever. I've been trying to get her to say it back to me for months! She also showed off her intelligence when my mom said, "Okay, Ashlinn" and she answered back, "Okay, Gramma." She didn't just repeat what my mom said but actually replaced "Ashlinn" with "Gramma." Smart girl. She's also added "hippo" and "necklace" to her repertoire of words she knows and uses. I'm pretty sure her vocabulary is at about 130 words now--probably more. She amazes me every day! Yes, I know, I'm a proud mommy. :)