10 freakin centimeters!!!

Last night was our first "Birth and Babies" class at Teddy Bear University. I don't know if I feel more or less anxious as I learn more about the birthing process! :) Last night we reviewed the warning signs of preterm labor, introduction to relaxation techniques, and had a tour of the birthing facilities at Parkwest. I really enjoyed watching Jay squirm during discussions of vaginal discharge and anatomy changes during pregnancy and birth! Luckily, he is not alone in this discomfort... there are 9 other couples in our class and most of the men are similarly overwhelmed with what their partners are experiencing. I actually went to highschool with one of the other mom's to be... Heather Taylor White. She is due at the end of April and is having a little girl... Cooper Paisley! There's also a couple from Oliver Springs so Roane County is well represented! Just some things that stuck in my mind from the class:

1. I thought Eli was stretching a lot.... it's contractions!!! Luckily, this is completely normal!

2. 10 cm is much larger than I thought!! The chart above is not even accurate. 10 cm is much larger than what is portrayed!

3. We now know exactly where to go when labor starts and what to expect when we get to the hospital.

4. At Parkwest, we will actually be in a birthing suite which means we will labor, deliver, and recover in the same room. They even have c-section rooms that are set-up as suites.

5. All 1st time moms are afraid of "D-Day"! I am not alone! :)

Cole - 5 months!!!

Today Jay and I went to Crossville to visit the Hinch family and watch the Vols/LSU men's basketball game. What a game it was too!!! Too close for comfort for me! Here's some of the latest pics of Cole. He is starting to eat baby food and today was PEA day! Isn't he a ham! He is just getting over a cold and I know Kellye can't wait to have her baby boy well again.

Check out Cole in his Rainforest Jumperoo! We don't know what the one legged jumping is all about, but I like to kid Keith that he is training for River Dance! :)

One more trip BE (Before Eli)

One last long weekend together before ELI!! Jay and I spent the weekend in Gatlinburg with Donnie and Kelli Lawson, Susan and Mitchell Daugherty, Tiffany and Chad Webster, and Thomas Walker. The boys bonded over skiing/snowboarding and Go-Kart racing, while the women enjoyed one last long weekend before kids and maternity clothes shopping! Susan, Kelli, and I are all pregnant and spent a lot of time discussing the changes in our bodies (UGH) and all the emotions that go along with being pregnant. It was very therapeutic!

Here is our cabin: the "Look Again" We had a beautiful view of the mountains!
What happened to the solitude of the mountains?
Go-Kart racing was off-limits to us preggo's, but Tiffany represented us well and beat all 3 boys!! Watch out Jimmy Johnson!

I'm so glad I'm having a BOY!!!

Funny story!!! Today we ate lunch at Mountain Edge Grill at the Tanger Outlets, Pigeon Forge with the Lawsons, Websters, Daugherty's , and Thomas. We'd pulled 4 tables together to fit us all and had several extra chairs. Jay and Thomas were on the end when this little girl (probably around 5 years old) came over to ask if we were using all the chairs. When Jay told her no, she started arranging extra chairs around the end of our tables like she was going to join us! Jay asked her "Are you going to sit right here?". She replied, "Okay"! :) Soon, her sister joined us too! But that's not the funny part.... Her younger sister sat down next to Thomas, and started laying out her new purchases on the table - about 7 new pairs of panties!! She must have been very proud of the dainty new panties, maybe they were her first? Now where are the parents? Still in line to order food! :) I don't remember too much about Jay's continued conversation with the girls because I was laughing too hard! Finally, the girls father came over and suggested that the girls help him find another table for their group. The littlest girl carefully stacked her new panties in a neat pile and they found a new table. The girls were very entertaining and helped create a memory we will not soon forget.