Home Stretch!

Yes indeedy, I am now 9 months pregnant and officially full term. If I went into labor, they wouldn't do anything except help me have my baby. So that's a nice feeling. However, I would like her to live inside me until at least next Sunday. I don't want her Grams to miss meeting her right away, and I don't want her to try to attend the baby shower her Grandma is throwing for her on Saturday. I would like it if she made her appearance on a Sunday though - then I could watch football in the delivery room. It would give me something to do.

I think she'll be awhile though. I'm still carrying very high and don't have contractions unless I'm dehydrated (and even then, a glass of water and it's over.) Babycenter.com says that I may start noticing less action out of her as she runs out of room to grow, but I think she must have figured out a way to build an addition inside my abdomen, because even at six pounds, she is still moving and shaking like a jumping bean. The other night Tim was feeling her move and he was like, "is this normal? Is this okay?" and I said, "honey, this is my life. Feed her a meal, feel her bang around in three separate locations. Get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and wake her up, and then feel her dance around for 15 minutes until I convince her to go back to sleep. And this isn't even counting hiccups!" Of course, she is still terrible at performing on command and kicking when someone wants to feel her kick. And I realize that most people don't want to sit around with their hands on my belly for five minutes straight like I do.

One of the things that amuses me is how much she seems to like church. Tim and I have been going to the Methodist one just down the street from our house since July-ish on a semi-regular basis, and the baby goes bananas throughout the whole service, every time. I don't know if it's because she likes me singing, or likes the acoustics of hearing the choir or even just the amplified voice of the pastor, but she spends most of the service moving and shaking. Insert joke about holy roller.

Yesterday mom's friend Jackie hosted a shower for me and Sequins, attended by the gardening angels and a few of my girlfriends. We had a really wonderful afternoon and Sequins and I were truly spoiled. Tim was very excited when I showed him the new "slug costumes" that Sequins had received. Mom and Eileen were the two top contestants in the "how big around is mom?" contest. Sara got a bit overeager and had a string that was almost three times the diameter of my actual belly.

Today Tim's over at Jake's watching a triple play of dumb video game movies, and I am watching the Manning Bowl. Personally, if I was Peyton Manning, I would use my older sibling powers and twist Eli's arm in the locker room until he gave up and screamed, "fine, you win, you win!" I mean seriously. CONTROL YOUR SIBLING, PEYTON.

Here's a few pictures from the last few days:
It's turning to fall around here, so Thory is trying to tan his white parts when he can (yes, we still have the newspaper up on some windows in our house. We should probably take it down though. Jonesy rarely comes by lately.)

Lulee says "yes, I enjoy this new cat carrier you have bought for me. I will ride in it. I suggest you use my former cage-like cat carrier when you have to take your human baby to the vet."

Mom and Tillie at the shower, looking cute.

Sara with the knitters, and the talking baby doll that Jackie bought to use during one of the shower games. I was amazed at how much time Jan and Tillie spent taking care of the fake baby. I think they are lobbying to win more babysitting time.

My coworker Trena and I, who are due within days of each other. She is having a boy (her second.) She has been bigger than me in the belly area the whole time, but I am finally starting to catch up.