New Sonogram Pics...in 4 D!

The Nursery is FINALLY Ready!

We finally finished the nursery tonight...with a Wizard of Oz theme! Liz has collected Wizard of Oz stuff for years and wanted to use it for the baby's room. I think it turned out pretty nice. We've had the furniture for some time, but decorating and cleaning has taken awhile. Below are several perspectives:

Liz and Teaching...

She's done!

Liz finished today and will have a couple of weeks off before the baby gets here. We had testing this week and she stayed for it, even though the doctor was pressing for her to be off this week too. She's having a great difficulty walking and standing...in fact, comfort and relaxation are really not in her realm right now. Hopefully these couple of weeks will give her some much needed time to rest before the bambino arrives. We met her sub, and she seems nice. Liz felt confident leaving her kids in the subs hands. I guess the countdown really is on now!

By the way, Lily is kicking so hard now you can see her rolling around in Liz's belly. She rolls from one side to the other and has been kicking Liz so hard it feels like she's coming out! I'd videotape it...but Liz already put the kibosh on that!

Shower at Maureen's

Liz had a shower this past weekend given by Maureen with help from Aunt Patty and yours truly. (I made a breakfast casserole and also did quite a bit of taste-tasting...) Almost everyone who was invited came and we got TONS of stuff...including clothes, a diaper genie, a carseat and stroller, and much, much more! In fact, we don't know where to put all the stuff and are a bit overwhelmed. Everywhere you look in our house now, there is evidence of the baby on the way. We're getting excited!

The Countdown...

1. Last sonogram at the end of January...Free (with insurance)
2. Amniocentisis on Feb. 5th to check lungs...$10 copay (again, insurance)
3. Lily's arrival around 9:30 am on the morning of the 6th...PRICELESS (though insurance will still be at work...)

Barring no trouble with her lungs, Lily will make her grand appearance on February 6th.

Liz is ready to deliver now. It's hard to walk, sleep, etc. Her sciatic nerve is killing her and she hasn't had any feeling in her hands in weeks. She's looking forward to things like regaining her sense of touch and rolling over without pain in the coming weeks.

Baby Face!

We got to see a really good picture of her face today, but unfortunately, the sonogram technician didn't capture the good shot in time. We got this one, where you can make out the eyes, the big cheeks, and her lips. What you can't see is her tiny little turned up nose. The nurse tried to get a better shot, but little Lily was VERY active today, seeming to "swim" around from side to side, keeping us from getting good shots. She'll be out in a month though, and we'll take bunches of pictures then!

Kicking Like Crazy!

I was lying with my back next to Liz's belly last night and Lily was moving and kicking and punching! It's still hard to believe that in a month or so she'll be here. Liz and I don't think she sleeps at all. She seems to kick all day long and only stays still when we're in the car. She is particularly active when we lay down to go to bed. We're hoping that she will sleep through the night at birth, but it's beginning to look like that may not happen for a couple of years. We'll just have to be happily exhausted!