Baby Update - Month 9

OWWWWW! Today is the first day that I've been having wild ouch-like contractions. They've been quite irregular, yet, prevalent enough to get my Mom and Step-dad in a car and on their way to Texas! (By the way, I'm about a week away from the projected due date of the 30th.)

So far, it's quite funny to compare what people tell you to what you actually feel. For example, today I had the Walmart cashier tell me, "your stomach doesn't look ready." Last I checked, the baby doesn't come out of the stomach, (birth canal, right? :) but thank you for your medical expertise...
And then there are some that tell you just exactly how contractions will feel: tense, tightening, ouch. All mostly true, however, this is how I would describe it: premenstrual cramps mixed with 2 large inner tubes pushing around my hips, lower back and stomach from the inside and the outside. Yes, it may make no sense, but I do know that my body is preparing for something big sometime soon! And despite all the well-wishers and rando grocery store "doctors", I know this experience will be a force that makes me distinctly female and united with women before me, yet, it will also be a force that is totally unique to me - cause God is cool like that and he designed it that way.

So, will she come tonight? Tomorrow? With Jesus on Christmas? The first baby of 2011 a week or two from now!?! I feel like a little kid awaiting gifts on Christmas with anticipation, allure and maybe a tinge of restlessness. Without further ado, I give you my last goofy Belly shots in my final month of pregnancy...

Thankful 2010

"You are approved for leave" is music to a military family's ear. A day before we wanted to leave for Thanksgiving in Kansas City, we were finally approved to go. Typically, the military doesn't grant that much time off over Thanksgiving, however, due to the fact that we aren't leaving town over Christmas, we wanted to get a little more Thanksgiving vacation - and we got it!

Due to doctor's recommendation, we took our time (driving 2 days) to get up north. We were instantly greeted with cool fall weather and beautiful extended family. By the way, for someone that grew up in the Midwest, it is quite odd to celebrate the seasons without the accompaniment of inclement weather. I won't complain about the southern weather (now) but I'm just saying...it's weird when it's not cool over the Holidays!

Anywho, here are some photos of our trip. I wish that there were more, but we were simply having too much fun for me to remember to get out my camera. Oh shucks

The Thanksgiving meal preparations at the Hibbard Household in Paola, KS.

The boys are Turkey Detail...

Smile you handsome Brazilian, Kentuckian, and my personal favorite, my husband the Kansan/Georgia boy...

This was the after-meal Clements kid jam (Lisa, Tyler and I) where every song we sang ended up having a reggae-type "wasting away again in Margaritaville" feel...my stomach got a great workout from laughing way too hard..

To cap off the weekend, we had a baby shower with the Megee's! (Brian's Mom's side of the family). Yay - much needed baby goodies!

Would you believe that the gal that did our wedding cake 3 and a half years ago would also make us a beautiful baby cake!? Thanks, Aunt Ethel!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, (and boy were we Thankful for our time in the midwest), this means that Christmas is soon to come! Not much stands in the way of the Sullivan family receiving a new family member in a month er so!