Still on the inside...

Just wanted to provide our readers with a quick update. I am still pregnant :) Went to the doctor on Tuesday, he says I am 38 1/2 weeks and am not dilating as of yet. I go back again on Tuesday 5/6/08. Hopefully whoever I see then will have better news. We are anxiously awaiting Madison's arrival! I have been experiencing "lightening" where the baby is desending downward in preparation for birth, and can only describe this as the sensation of feeling like the bottom will drop out any minute. Gross huh? She has been hanging out upside down for weeks now. Amazing! We can only hang upside down for minutes without getting a headache she seems pretty content.

I am planning to work as long as possible now, even if I go past my due date. No real reason I can see to stop working to come home and just wait on her to get her. I am loving my job, and are able to sit down whenever I need to put my feet up. The kids are great too, and love to ask questions and feel my belly. If one more person asks if I am having twins though I might explode. Have they not ever seen a fat lady? Would you ask that of a skinny pregnant chick? Anyway that and the carpal tunnel in my hands have been my only compliants!

Michael is doing great! Work is keeping him busy as usual. He is preparing for the busiest day of the year in his business, Mothers Day. We are praying Maddie comes either before or after that day to arrive.

Michael most recently surprised Maddie and I with a trade in on the little Volvo I drove, for a more family friendly Chrsyler Pacifica. It was a nice trade that we can all fit in comfortably and will allow room for our growing family over the next years.

Thats really about it for us New Bern, Wilkerson's. I am posting some baby shower pictures finally.

Please give us a call if you are going to be down here at the coast, we would love some vistors!

Here I am again!

1st pic is of face
2nd pic is of girl parts
3rd pic is of all that hair on her head!!
4th pic is a facial profile


Lots of crazy stuff has happened this week. On Tuesday I was rear ended on my way to work. When I stepped out of the car the man that bumped me was shocked to see such a big mama getting out the car. I think he knew he was SOL. Anyway, all is well though. The Volvo is a tank and not much damage done. I went to the ER at my doctors request for a few hours of baby monitoring. Everything was fine we came home in a few hours with clean bills of health, minus a little back ache.

On Wednesday I went to back to the doctor for a routine checkup and my 4th ultrasound. The ultrasound technician says that Maddie is measuring 6lbs15oz give or take a pound. She says Maddie has chubby cheeks and a full head of hair already. I think that's why I have all the heartburn and indigestion!!!

Anyway, my due date is still the same. The doctor attributes my large abdomen to excess but not dangerous amounts amniotic fluid. So Maddie must be real comfortable floating around in there I figure. She is head down so I guess we are still just playing the "when you gonna get here" game.

I will keep you posted!

Baby Shower

Well, Maddie and I had our shower last weekend. Man it was awesome! We had a great turn out of ladies and an overflowing table of food and lots of baby gifts. I will post pictures as soon as I get them from my sister.

Thank you everyone who is reading that got to come! It was really an awesome day!

Michael is doing great! Working like a busy bee. And I am still trying to wrap up things at work for my absence.

Maddie is doing great! No signs of impending labor in the immediate future. I return to the doctor on Wednesday for another ultrasound and visit, so I will keep you updated!

Orlando

So Mike and I just got back from Orlando yesterday. We went down for the annual partners conference with OSI (Outback Steakhouse, Inc.) There were a few thousand OSI employees there, from various OSI companies, like Outback, Outback International, Bonefish, Flemmings, Roys, and Carrabbas. Each concept was housed at a Disney World resort. We were spoiled with airfare, lodging, transportation, food, alcohol, motivational speakers, gift bags, and a Dave Matthews Concert.


Our first day there was super long! We flew from Raleigh Durham to Orlando and were almost immediately scheduled for a 5 hour long meeting. The meeting itself was super neat, because every managing partner from all national and international Outback was there, and most with there spouse. Can't tell you about the top secret ;) material covered but it was super cool! That night we walked across the resort to Disney's Boardwalk and had dinner with some friend from Virginia whom Mike had worked with before.


Day 2 I relaxed while Mike attended another business meeting, and then we met up afterwards and headed to Downtown Disney for some shopping and lunch. That night we had hourdervs and drinks with the partners/wives from our region (North and South Carolina) before heading over to Hollywood Studios, were the company had a great casino night. The streets at Hollywood Studios were lined with blackjack tables, roulette, poker, etc. They also had more food and drinks, stilt walkers, break dancers, a band, and lots of free gifts. I opted for a poker table were I proved to be a poker natural. I cleaned house. Unfortunately the winnings weren't for real. But I love playing cards!

Michael got to meet a great American Cajun Chef, Paul Prudhomme. He is famous for is cajun flare, especially his spices that he has blended for the Magic Seasoning brand. His picture is the one with Michael and the older gentlemen,

Day 3 was a free day for us. Mike and I rented a convertible beetle, and decided to drive down to an outlet mall to do some shopping. Once done there we decided to drive a bit farther and landed at the Kennedy Space Center. Lots of interesting stuff there. The best part was Mike pushing me around in a wheelchair because of my edema. He is the BEST husband ever! Once back to the resort we caught a cab out to the Fantasy of Flight center. Here they had tons of old airplanes for us to checkout,and even better, Outback surprised us with a Dave Matthews concert, free drinks and more buffets!

We all had such a great time! Tired and ready to get home, we flew back on Wednesday morning. We were both so tired we had to take turns driving several times from Raleigh to New Bern. None the less this trip was wonderful and did nothing for my edema. But who could pass up one last couples trip with no parental responsibilities?

Stay tuned for more next week, when I report on the baby shower.

Stay Tuned...

Wow! Everything is changing fast!Went to doctor on Thursday. He says I am 36 weeks along, which means not to much longer until Maddie gets here. He asked how long I planned to keep working, which I replied as long as possible. He says I have mild edema, which is swelling in my legs and feet, which I have noticed for a couple of weeks now. He told me to try and stay off my feet as much as possible and asked me to come back on Friday to revisit the idea of leaving work for the rest of the school year. I can definitly tell that Maddie has already dropped her position in the womb. Who knows she might be an April baby after all.

Upcoming events that you might want to check back in on are our trip to Disney World and the baby shower. I am sure to have lots of pictures in the next couple of weeks.

31-32 weeks

Can't believe that this pregnancy is almost over. Maddie is somewhere between weeks 31-32, depending on doctor or sonogram. So far, everything about the pregnancy as been great for Michael and I. No sickness, so sluggishness, no terrible mishaps of any kind. The only hard part has been the weight gain. But for those of you who know me, you know that putting on the pounds has NEVER been difficult.

In other news...
Mike and I are currently planning a trip to Disney World later this month. Outback is having its annual partners conference down there this year and this will be the first of many to come for Mike and I. We are soooooo excited! There will be a cocktail party, motivational meetings, a ball/costume gowns, oh and a free day to visit any park of our choice. One last children free vacation...who knows what will happen.

Well, enjoy the fat girl pictures, hahahaha. Madison these are just for you, the only record that I was really pregnant. (sorry no skin shots from this lady)

Just hanging out

Just hanging out this weekend. Hope everyone is doing great! Mike and I are doing fabulous! We are getting so excited about Madison's birthday closing in. I am getting big (will try to post a pic if you remind me), and are feeling great. Mike is really loving this pregnant wife thing. He is excited and often talks about having a BIG family. I keep saying chill out, let me lose this baby weight first. But I am looking forward to doing it all again too.

Work lives are good. Mike had a busy Valentines Day! We celebrated the day before, with dinner out and a movie at home. School is going great too. I am learning a lot about Exceptional Children process (legal paperwork, etc.)

Well thats about it, check back for more updates another time.

Oh yeah! I am looking forward to seeing all you ladies in April at the shower!