He's almost here!

I can't believe the day is finally here. Tommorrow at noon, our son is scheduled to arrive into this crazy world at Baylor-Grapevine Hospital in Grapevine, Texas. We'll be there through Saturday when I'm told we'll be released to come home. (Visitors are welcome at the hospital on Thursday and Friday.)

Holy cow... has it been a long ride or what? I knew I was pregnant from the start (as in 2 or 3 days from the start of my missed cycle), so the last 40 weeks (or so) seem to be dragging on forever - especially the last 4 or so.

I can't wait to see what this little guy looks like. Wait... he probably won't be so little. From what I understand of the Ales side of our family, he's right on target for being a little toddler. At last measurement, the doctor predicts he'll weigh anywhere from 10-11 pounds. The sonogram technicians are flipping sides between 9 pounds and 11 pounds (two different sonogram techs). I'm told Steve was a big baby at 11 pounds 3 ounces - so it looks like our son is following in his father's (big) footprints. The only thing I know for sure is that his hands seem to be most comfortable in my hip bones and his feet in my arm pits. It.is.not.comfortable. His size is a huge contributor as to why my doctor has recommended I have a c-section. The other reasons are due to my own "female" issues, of which I'll spare you the details.

The nursery is set up and ready to be used by the baby. The linens have been washed in perfume free baby friendly wash detergent and fabric softener. All of his clothes (save a load or two) are clean, folded, and put away. His car seat has been installed and waiting for him for a few months - you can't be too prepared you know!

My mother, the saint she is, is scheduled to fly in this afternoon to help us out for a bit. I'm looking forward to having her here. There is no one in this world who knows what it takes to get me moving and onto the path of recovery.

The freezers are stocked with food - Steve says too much food. I've been working dilligently to make sure that I had enough meals stockpiled so that when the bean arrived I wouldn't feel stressed about getting dinner onto the table. Mission accomplished - that's for sure!

Names? You want to know his name? Well, we've been flipping around 3 different names for months now. I think Steve and I both have our favorites. The only common denominator is what his middle name will be... Russell - it's an Ales tradition you know. Steve loves to give people a hard time (his mother mostly) when they ask what our sons name will be. One thing I can guarantee is that his name is NOT going to be Oscar, Winter, Fall, Pale, Ginger, or Cosmo Ezekial. We'll know his name for sure when he arrives. We'll be sure to share his name once he get's here tommorrow.

This hasn't been an easy pregnancy for me, as you may likely know (though not as difficult as others have had to go through - I know I am blessed). Among other things, with my anemia, I've had to have loads of transfusions. This has been an interesting experience for me as the treatment center I go to for the transfusions is also where cancer patients go for their chemo treatments. How grateful I am that I've not had to have chemo treatments and that I have my health and that overall, my body is holding up quite well.

I can't believe that tommorrow is it! Our next post will include photos of our son! Holy cow... it's already here!