The wait continues...

Well, unless I go into labor right now :) it looks like all those October 18th guesses have no promise either:( Sooooo....we'll see what tomorrow brings.....nobody guessed the 19th ;) maybe that'll be the day!!!

Either way, we'll have this baby by next Thurs. Oct 23....that's my induction date if she doesn't come sooner ;) So this time next week our lives will have changed forever and we will be parents!! It's more reassuring to think of it like that....I have to remind myself that I WON'T be pregnant forever ;) hehe

Due date has come & gone... :o(

Still pregnant... boooooooooooo! Just wanted you all to know ;) We get so many phone calls and emails asking the big question and I know everyone's curious if it happened yesterday :) Nope!

Oh by the way, Eric is SOOO not blog-savvy but I will do my best to teach him so he can be the official updater while I'm a little preoccupied :) We'll definitely take our laptop to the hospital...someone will be able to do some updating!!

OH Karina, have I ever been trying to sleep!! Even that's not going so well anymore... I lied awake from 2:30-4:15ish last night after my nightly trip to the bathroom:( This is getting old..... ;o/

We're going mattress shopping today (gotta get that spare bedroom squared away!) .... and maybe to the Circleville Pumpkin Show. I'm over trying to relax and take it easy... this is getting just plain boring!! I need to get this labor moving!!! I am off work now ... with no baby to occupy my time ... I NEED to go in labor. OKay, enough with my rantings.... hope you all have a wonderful day!!

No baby yet ...

Still patiently awaiting our little ones arrival.... where's the jeopardy theme song :) Hope that full moon last night created some good gravitational pull that will help move things along! hehe :)

Thanks for all the guesses by the way :) This has been a fun & cute way to make the waiting game a little more bearable....Eric & I's guesses (as well as a few others':) have now come & gone...will I be pregnant forever? :)

Taking Bets :o)

So, just for fun..... let us know your guesses on when Baby Ava will grace us with her glorious presence!! Throw in your best weight & length bets too!!

Here's a start...

My Guess: October 15th.... 6 lbs 10 oz, 20 1/2 inches
Eric's Guess: October 14th... 7lbs 3 oz, 22 inches

Buckeyes Party

Last Saturday, Eric & I went to the ULTIMATE backyard buckeyes party with our friends Christy & Kurtis. It was held in Christy's Aunt & Uncle's neighborhood. It was such a hit even channel 6 ABC news was there :) The hosts had a projector screen (about the size of a movie theatre screen!) set up outside with picnic tables and chairs spread all over the lawn and everyone could bring their own chairs too if they wanted! They had a hog roast and ALL the food you could imagine!! Movie theatre popcorn, desserts, apple cider, appetizers, you name it! Literally their whole garage was filled with nothing but food and drinks!! I guess the neighborhood deal was everyone who wanted to be invited gave the hosts $100 which covered a share of the hog and they could invite 5 other couples as well. It was such a fun idea and even though we had no idea who everyone was (it was dark by the time the game started!) we had a blast watching the buckeyes on this huge projector and socializing!

Here's some pics of our fun evening...

Still Hangin' On :o)

6 days to go and I'm still going strong:) I know a lot of you have been wondering what has been going on these last two weeks & I'll tell you they've just flown by! I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last updated :( ... sorry!


So anyways... I have made a little progress lately, or should I say Ava has made a little progress :)!! At my OB appt this week she said I am about 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced... so that's good news!! At least I'm getting somewhere....slowly but surely:) I'm getting to the point where I just want to be done being pregnant. One of my doctors this week told me that they'd let me go a week past my due date before they induce me....which I think is just plain RUDE:) But hopefully we don't get to that point!! At this point I really do feel like I'll be pregnant forever... as irrational as it sounds ;) It's funny how these last couple weeks have felt like a LIFETIME waiting for our little bundle of joy to get here. But we're down to the final days so I'm trying to take advantage of my free time. Work, however, is really becoming a DRAG! I keep talking to Ava & telling her she needs to come out before my next string of days in a row at work...which is this weekend...but I don't think she'll listen:) My last day of work is next Thursday the 16th (my due date:) ) so I'll be sure to pack our bags in my car in the morning and be ready to just take the elevator down a couple floors and check myself in when the time comes :) Guess I couldn't be working up to my due date at a better place! I like to remind myself that I have 4 more days of work and then I'm off until next year!! Wooohooo!! I love that I'll be off over the holidays with our new baby and will have lots of opportunities to hang out with our families over the most family oriented time of the year!! Now that's a blessing :) I couldn't have timed that better if I had planned it !

Well I suppose I better stick one last belly picture on here.... this was taken last week.



** You're probably thinking that my belly doesn't look so big...but trust me, I have to literally roll myself out of bed in the morning and catapult myself out of any sitting position....it's big enough ;) **

Hunny's home!!

Sooo relieved that Eric said he would be able to fly home tonight!!! Looks like this job is going to take longer than planned and he needs to be home... for obvious reasons :)... so he's flying in tonight and I'm picking him up!! It feels like there's been an enormous weight lifted off my chest just knowing he'll be home tonight! No more worrying about when this little one will decide to be born and whether or not daddy will be able to make it! Every little new pain I get....and there have been A LOT lately.... I think, "oh boy is this it? should I call him now!?" Don't get me wrong, I have all kinds of support around me that I'm thankful for, but nobody can replace my hunny's presence. :) Not to mention it would just be nice to spend our last couple "just the two of us" weeks with each other. We've got a lot to cram into these last couple weeks...deciding on a pediatrician, meeting the babysitter, going out for a fancy dinner one last time before baby! Did I mention I'm sooo relieved Eric's coming home tonight? :)

Oh & one more thing...

Happy Birthday Braden!!!! The big 2-1 ;o) !!!

3 weeks, 4 days to go!

Pretty eventful week around here!! First of all, Eric's side of the family threw a baby shower for me last weekend so I made a trip down there Sunday for the day to spend time with family & friends. Eric left Sunday morning for his loooong trip so he couldn't go along.... bummer :( Yep, he left just in time for this CRAZY wind storm!!! I had no idea this thing was coming until I left my baby shower Sunday evening & my entire 2 hr drive home felt like I was driving through a tornado!! Then I came home to no electricity, which was even more fun ;) Just me, portia, & kitty -- there's entertainment. :) I felt like a pioneer trying to get ready for work the next morning with nothing but candlelight;) Electricity... what a luxury:) Thankfully, there wasn't too much damage done to our house or surroundings... just minor branches down & leaves/twigs all over the place. But I survived Ike's wrath!! :) hehe


Eric should be home sometime middle of next week. Luckily, he works with his dad & uncle, who are the ones who go with him on out-of-town jobs, so that's nice. They started out in Massachusetts last Monday & were working at a huge marina. He said they spent half their time gawking at fancy million dollars yachts...waiting on someone famous to walk off one of them. ;) Actually, the jobsite wasn't ready for them yet on Monday, so they took a ferry over to Nantucket and spent the day there. A couple times this week they've gone to Cape Cod to enjoy some "awesome" sea food for dinner. They've since finished the job in Massachusetts and are now in Connecticut. I told him this sounds more like a vacation than work!! While I've been suffering through no power and being 9 months pregnant, he's enjoying "awesome" sea food dinners at Cape Cod & ferrying to Nantucket!! Bitter? Not me.... hehe;) And by "suffering" I mean, I went less than 24 hrs without electricity ;) But Still!! hehe. Oh & Eric assures me that their hotel is minutes from an airport in case he's needed ;)


Well anyways, that's what's been happening around here for the past week. Oh & I just have to mention....we lost two of our goldfish in our little water garden:( Eric & I think Bobby (the koi) might've eaten them....he's a piggy like that, and he's had a growth spurt in these last couple weeks! So it's just Bobby & Chloe now... funny how you get attached to these little creatures:)


Oh & I've been feeling great lately! Just the usual...Big & Tired:) My doctor would not check me at my appt this week to see if I'm dilating yet because she didn't want to "stir anything up" since Eric won't be back for about a week:) I said, Very good idea Doc:)


Here's a few random pictures... Enjoy:)

~~* Handmade Gifts by Our Very Talented Friends & Family *~~



**Blanket quilted by Ava's Great Aunt Deb**




**Blanket crocheted by Ava's Great Aunt Cheryl**





** Hats knitted by friends of our family **





** Blanket crocheted by another friend of our family **



** Our 2 remaining fish...Bobby & Chloe **


**Yes, I took a picture of our fish... feel free to call me a goof;) ...but you gotta admit Bobby is HUGE :) **

Baby Shower

Unfortunetly, I didn't have my camera handy at my baby shower this past weekend so I have no pictures to post at this point:( I know, can you believe that! My mind was elsewhere I guess...I'll blame it on pregnancy fog :) My mom has plenty of pics though so at some point I'll share some of those with everyone. It was the perfect day for a baby shower that is for sure! I'm so happy I got to see so many of my family members and friends. Thank you to everyone who was able to make it...that Really meant a lot to me!! Ava is going to love all her goodies...I just know it, hehe :) Our house is officially baby-fied:) I put together her swing & pack-n-play this week and they are now sitting in our living room...just waiting to be occupied by this cute lil munchkin:) I'll give it another week or so before I install her car seat into my car....although it might take us a week to figure out how to install the thing:) Her nursery is almost completely ready...just need her crib bedding! Portia knows something is going on around here...hehe...she just smells all of Ava's things & closely watches me put her things away. She's thinking "oh boy, now what are these two up to!" : )


Here's the goofball watching me put together Ava's bouncer:)











Oh & I'll stick a picture in here of my most recent belly shot. As much as this big 'ole belly drives me crazy sometimes I think I will miss having Ava all to myself. Ya know, its great right now b/c I can take her everywhere I go...hehe...she's so portable :)


















Some of Ava's goodies from our wonderful family & friends!

34 week update :)

I had an appointment with my OB this morning...everything is looking great! The only bit of advice she gave me was to eat more! Haha! Since my appt 2 weeks ago I have lost 1 pound, which she said isn't totally uncommon being that I'm nearing the end of my pregnancy I may continue to lose. She says my belly is measuring perfectly so she isn't worried about it. She just suggests that I eat more to make up for it. I feel like I eat all day long as it is, especially with this heartburn I can't eat too much at once! My stomach has gone from the size of my fist to what I feel like is the size of peanut..hehe...okay maybe it's not THAT squished in there but the smallest bit of food fills me up! So I'll have one more 2 week appt and then I'll start seeing her every week! Hallelujah its almost over! I'll soon be able to reach my feet again...who am I kidding...I'll soon be able to SEE my feet again :) I am just so excited to meet our little lovebug:) We are so thankful that my pregnancy has been a pleasant one and Ava has been healthy and developing right on track! She is a model child already:) I can only hope for a textbook delivery as well...


Eric is about to leave for his last out-of-town-trip before baby comes:( I'm just a tad nervous...this will be close to a two week trip for him. I figure if we plan for me to go in labor while he's gone then it won't happen:) So, we've packed a bag with a few necessities and told neighbors & family/friends to be ready just in case. You know it always works that way....when you're most unprepared something will take you by surprise! Eric says his work already knows to put him on the first flight home if I do need him....very reassuring! Because our little Ava has done everything by the book so far I'm sure she'll only come when she's absolutely ready, which isn't for another 4-6 weeks... *cross your fingers* I guess I'm due for my 8 1/2 month belly pic already too...I'll get that before Eric leaves town, by the time he gets back I'll be 9 months along! Very strange how you're actually pregnant for 9 1/2 to 10 months....nobody told me that in the beginning:)

Labor Day Cookout

I had to work on this beautiful labor day weekend, but we had some friends & neighbors over on Monday for a little cookout & a couple rounds of corn hole to celebrate labor day! It was a good time! Eric has really been getting into this corn hole game lately. He even brought the flood lights out when it got too dark to see where you were throwing...because the game must go on :o) In case you've never heard of corn hole, its basically like horse shoes only instead of trying to loop your horse shoe around a stake you try to throw your corn-filled bean bag through a hole on a platform. Here's a couple pics...
















Of course Portia had to get in on the fun too... :o)

Picnic at Mom's

These are pics from a family picnic at the Covered Bridge in Loudonville that we had last week. Its really nice to get away from our suburban lives and hang out in the country once in awhile! I never thought I would miss the bugs, birds, and other wildlife of country living:) But I still love my Target store 1 mile down the road and my fancy fitness center...hehe... not ready to trade those in anytime soon:)

The downhill stretch ...

Well, we're almost there... October is just around the corner and Ava's arrival is almost here! I'm 32 weeks (8 mos) today! We are so excited! I'm so amazed at how my body (and mind!) have been able to accommodate such a huge transition! She's been moving around like crazy in my belly these last few weeks...I guess its getting a little cramped in there so I've been feeling and seeing her little elbows, knees, feet, etc poke out of my belly all over the place!! It's a little weird I have to admit :) And she has the hiccups CoNsTaNtLy!! It's funny how she always gets them after I eat something or drink something cold like ice water. Amazing how this little person grows inside of you. I've been taking the advice of my fellow & experienced mothers lately ... sleep, sleep, sleep:) I take about 2 naps a day on my days off! I love it:) That's probably the one thing I will miss most when she gets here...I really value my sleep:)

My growing belly! 7.5 months...

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Ava Gabrielle---25 weeks...... she's so precious :)

More pictures....

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My latest Vogue photo shoot...hehe....my shirts are getting a little too small ;)

It's A Girl!!! You can't tell from this picture but we're told we have a girl on the way :) So precious....! We didn't care either way....of course Eric was rooting a little more for a boy....but since we've been told it's a girl he's been on cloud nine:) It's very exciting....now lets hope she comes out a girl:) Otherwise our little boy will be living in a little girls world for a while...hehe. Anyway, that's whats new around here!

More Exciting News.....

Guess What.......there's a baby Williams on the way!! Since we're now 11 weeks along and just about out of the most uncertain time of pregnancy we thought we'd spread the news to ALL our friends and family that we're expecting! It would sound better if we said we hadn't planned this pregnancy, since every woman dreads the unthinkable...not being able to fit in her wedding dress on her wedding day...but truthfully this was semi-planned! Didn't think it would happen so quickly for us but sure enough we were blessed to discover that we were pregnant on February 14th :o) What a perfect Valentines Day! It's been an interesting adventure so far...morning sickness (really more like evening sickness for me), mood swings, awful fatigue, food aversions--the whole nine yards. I really can't wait until my 2nd trimester (only a couple more weeks!), hopefully I'll start looking and feeling more pregnant instead of just sick! Eric has been on cloud nine lately....he bought some daddy books and has been reading up on diaper changings, baths, etc. I think the most exciting book for him is the name book...because OF COURSE we're going to have a boy so he's been searching for the perfect name. Still about 8-9 weeks before we can find out the sex of the baby though. Can't Wait! We had our first ultrasound 2 weeks ago. Such a touching moment...tears were streaming down my face as soon as we heard this little miracle of life's heartbeat for the first time! It was an inch long already...Eric & I were amazed! Life has been a bowl of fruit loops lately for us:o) Speaking of fruit loops, those have been my number 1 craving for the past month or so...just about the only thing I will eat no matter what time of day or night! To see a pic of our little ones development this week, click here--> http://www.babycenter.com/fetal-development-images-11-weeks