Our bags are packed ...

Looks like in the chaos we missed posting about week 38! We are now at 39 weeks and are just waiting ... our bags are packed and ready to go. All of our major "to-do's before Claire gets here" have been done. Her clothes are washed and her drawers and closets are neatly organized. We need to figure out how to secure the car seat into my car ... everything is ready for her ... and we are dying to meet her. She's got a few little friends who've arrived over the past couple of months who she'll get to meet soon!

We went to our weekly appointment this morning. Everything is going well and I'm dilated just over one centimeter and still about 50% effaced. So there has been little progression since last week but not much. The doctor is estimating that Claire could very well be about 9 lbs, but at least 8.13.! We'll see ... Ethan is praying for a little chunker so that news made him happy today.

Her due date is next Thursday, July 9th - just one week from tomorrow! We have an induction date set for July 14th/15th but we are praying she decides to come on her own before that time.

I'm slowly phasing out of work little by little. It's just gotten to be too exhausting with so much going on. Luckily, during the month of July the church cuts our office hours back to 24 a week and I'm planning to work most of those from home until she arrives. It's a wonderful gift to go part time in July but continue to be paid our normal salary- on top of that we got a raise that starts this month as well!

Ethan and I are cherishing our weekends and moments together. Our time has been so perfect these past few months. Missing each other during the day and so ready to spend time together when the weekend rolls around. God has truly blessed us with so much joy and laughter ... it's been such a sweet time in marriage. Sometimes there is nothing else to say other than to look at each other and talk about how happy we are - that is such a peaceful feeling that can only come from the Lord.

We often find ourselves laughing at my "condition" as Ethan like to call it. It does seem that I've managed to go through just about every possible side effect of pregnancy. Right now there is just a ton of swelling in my hands and feet and normal pains. I haven't had feeling in my fingers for about 3 weeks now as Claire has managed to wedge herself on top of some nerves. It's a weird feeling.

My emotions have been fairly normal with a hiccup about once a trimester - Sunday afternoon I found myself bawling in the middle of Panera. Poor Ethan didn't know what to do other than comfort me and pray that everyone sitting around us wasn't thinking he was some jerk making a pregnant girl cry in the middle of a restaurant. I think I finally had my moment of reality realizing the huge changes about to take place in our lives. Each new chapter in our relationship has been sweeter than the one before - but there is something about closing this chapter of things being "just us" that we find a little scary.

We are both excited about having a three day weekend starting Friday! My parents were planning to come to celebrate the 4th with us, but plans changed and we are sad we won't get to see them. We spent last July 4th boating with friends and we are sad to not get to do that this year - just doesn't feel like summer without getting to water skiing and go boating.

Claire's nursery is finished and has been for awhile. We have a mattress that needs to be moved out so I can take some final pictures and get them posted.

On Father's Day, Ethan steam cleaned our carpet and the place looks amazing. He got really into it after seeing the dramatic difference between clean carpet and the carpet that we've walked on for the past year and a half. It was funny to watch him get such a kick out of it! It's amazing how dirty your carpets can get after only a year and a half! Yuck!

This past week we enjoyed time together and with friends. Sheryl and Josh had baby Sophie Kate just under two weeks ago. We've enjoyed getting to know her and watch them transition into parenthood. It took Sheryl and I about 15 minutes to change her diaper last Tuesday and I learned that babies shoot poo at about 100 mph. I'm realizing we need some kind of "shield" at the end of Claire's changing table. We got to go swimming with the Wyrtzen's on Saturday, have dinner with church friends Saturday night and we met Hal and Laura's baby Ella Ann on Sunday evening. Our friends Jeff and Amanda are meeting their little guy on July 6th, and then we're up!

At work - all our interns were back this week which makes me happy. I can't even begin to tell you how much we love our interns and how much Ethan and I love hanging out with the college crowd. Ethan wants to start having the college guys over once a week and we're looking forward to that.

Ethan's looking forward to a song writing and jam session tomorrow night with some guy friends! I'm so thankful he's found some musical friends here in Austin - not that it's hard to find musicians in this town. :)

A couple of sweet ladies at church made us four amazing meals this week! They said they wanted to go ahead and start the meals now knowing that I'm tired and not wanting to cook much already. Ethan was really excited that I had something to offer him other than grilled cheese or a chicken sandwich when he got home. :) Poor guy!

All in all we feel blessed and surround by happiness as we wait for little (or not so little) Claire!