Still waitin...

As of 5 p.m. on her due date, there are still no signs of Abby. We continue to wait impatiently and appreciate your prayers that she'll be joining us soon.

Week 39

It's just a matter of time now until Abby makes her big debut! With all her major development completed, she's just packing on fat now until she's born. She's probably reached what will be close to her final birth weight and length and really doesn't have any big milestones left until her birthday!

Meanwhile, we're anxiously waiting for the day when we'll be able to climb into the car and head to the hospital. The Braxton Hicks contractions are getting more intense as they prepare Christina's body for the real thing, just like the doctor said they would, and will continue to do so until Christina goes into real labor. Sleeping is getting more and more difficult for both mom and dad as Christina's increased weight and girth make it harder for her to get settled into a comfortable position at night. (And the frequent trips to the bathroom certainly aren't conducive to a good night's rest, either. She did set a new record this week, though: 11 pit stops in 10 hours!)

All signs were good at our most recent doctor's appointment--praise God for nine months of good reports! Christina's body is showing signs of progressing towards labor, so it's just a matter of time until we get to meet our little girl. We'll return to the doctor this afternoon for another weekly appointment. It's hard to believe in just a short time we won't have to wait a week at a time to hear a little heartbeat--we'll actually be able to hear Abby cry, coo and make all the little noises that babies are famous for!

Thanks to everyone who has been following our progress and praying for a healthy pregnancy. Christina has to remind herself that even though these last few weeks have certainly been the hardest, this pregnancy has, overall, been a very pleasant experience. We are so blessed to be able to be a part of the miracle of God's creation and look forward to raising our daughter up to know and love and be in awe of His great works--of which she is certainly one! Please pray for the doctors, nurses and midwives who will attend Abby's delivery and for patience for us as we continue to wait on Abby.

Still waiting,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 38

Abby and her mom are still packing on pounds as we near the end of this pregnancy. Christina's netting a total gain of 24 pounds now, and Abby probably makes up about 6.5 to 7.5 pounds of that and could be about 20 inches long by now. Of course we won't know for sure until she comes out, but Christina assures everyone that she certainly feels that big! Abby's major organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb at this point, and she's probably busy exercising her firm grip and practicing sucking her thumb in the womb while she's waiting to be born. She also spends a considerable amount of time simply rolling around and trying--though often unsuccessfully--to stretch out. Christina now understands what moms-to-be mean when they say they feel like they're about to pop!

Our bag is packed for the hospital and now we're just playing the waiting game and counting down the days until Abby gets here. The false contractions that are preparing Christina's body for the real thing continue to get stronger--a very good sign, but an uncomfortable one at times. Sleep seems to be eluding the mom-to-be for now, as frequent trips to the bathroom and the basic discomfort of carrying a 24-pound bowling ball on the front of her body do a good job of waking her up at night. Justin continues to try to tell our little girl how great life will be after she's born (benefits include, but are not limited to: being able to stretch out all the way, breathing, and finally getting to wear all these cute pink outfits everyone's bought for her). But Abby's taking her time, and so we continue to wait...

Please pray for a restful remainder of the pregnancy for both Justin and Christina and that we would find ways to enjoy our time with each other while it's still just the two of us. And continue to pray that our little Abigail Jean would make her grand entrance soon!

Still waiting, quite impatiently,
Justin, Christina and Abby :)

Week 37

Forty inches around and weighing in at 22 pounds heavier than she was 37 weeks ago, Christina is officially tired of waitin' on Abby. Even though our due date is still three weeks away, Abby is considered full term now! She probably weighs about 6 pounds and is around 19-20 inches long, head to heel, at this point. Unless she's going to be a baldy when she's born, she's probably sporting a full head of hair by now. Her movements are slowing as she's run out of room inside her mom, but she still finds ways to turn over and stretch a little foot out of Christina's right side on occasion. Abby's powerful hiccups are still a daily occurrence, and as big as she is now, they do a number on Christina's bladder!

We'll see the doctor weekly from here on out, and all reports from this week's visit came back positive. Abby remains in her head-down position, but doesn't seem to have "dropped" much yet--she'll descend lower into Christina's pelvis as she gets closer to time for delivery. The false contractions that serve as a precursor to the real thing are getting more powerful, a good sign that Christina's body is doing what it should as it prepares for labor and delivery.

The parents-to-be, meanwhile are getting ever more anxious waiting for our little girl to arrive! We can hardly remember what it felt like to be 30 weeks away from delivery--the suspense of 3 weeks is driving us crazy! We talk to Abby daily, and have recently taken to telling her more about how great life outside the womb is, hoping to coax her out with promises of cute pink onesies and breathing real air.

Please pray with us that Abby and Christina would enjoy a safe and healthy delivery when the time comes, and for wisdom for the doctors, nurses and midwives as they coach Justin and Christina through this big event! (And if you want to pray that Abby would arrive in time to prevent a Week 38 update, that would be okay too!)

Just killing time 'til the time comes,
Justin, Christina & Abby :)