I’m sorry we are so slow with all the birthday wishes! What a fantastic birthday week, we are hoping to add one more to it!

Jane: You are fantastic! We are so lucky to have such a great niece and cousin! You are so much fun and so sweet! I bet you’re taller than me now!! Happy Birthday!

Isaac: Wow! Hayden is going to die with excitement when I tell him you are twelve because he walks around all the time telling everyone about his cool cousin Isaac that’s 11...he just idolizes you! Thanks for being so awesome! Happy Birthday!

Brooke: I don’t even know where to start with you! I am trying to blame my emotions on the pregnancy hormones but I am constantly amazed by you and Mike and all that you do for the rest of us. I have such respect and admiration for you as a person and a mom and for the sacrifices you make for our country! Thank you for being you and for all that you do for us as such a fun sister-in-law and aunt, as an army wife who gives so much, and for the inspiration you are to me. I know it all sounds cheesy and Tom would insist I delete it if he were home but I really do mean it. Happy Birthday!

Lastly I would love to say Happy Birthday to the new baby, we are hoping for Friday, it would be perfect timing for everyone...yeah, as if we can choose! There is good news though: we decided on a name. At this point it seems we have drawn out the process for so long we might as well wait and make the announcement when she is actually born. The other good news is that things are progressing! I decided to go to the appointment on Tuesday and took Danica with me while Hayden played at a friends. Well of course, this is the only time I didn’t wait in the waiting room at all and actually spent a lot of time with the doctor while he discussed not having another C-section and such. He was really nice and made me feel like he was actually paying attention to me as a patient and not simply on his way to the next room. It’s best if I go into labor on my own to keep the risk of c-section as low as possible. I’ll spare you all the graphic details but I am dilating and he wants me to come back tonight while he’s on at the hospital to try to push things along further. So hopefully that will work and I’ll go into labor and he can deliver her tomorrow!
Well due to my plans of being busy tomorrow I have a ton to do today and better get going! Brooke, I know what you mean about them supposedly being easier when they are on the inside but I’m definitely done with this and just can’t wait to me meet her and hold her, see what she looks like and have so much fun! (And it will be nice to be able to breath again, walk, bend over, not have hourly practically useless yet painful contractions, etc. etc. etc...)

Take care!
Tracey