The Countdown Begins!

Today is the first day of my third trimester...weird. I still don't feel like I'm all that pregnant-- mostly because I've been blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy and apparently (according to the doctor), the reason I'm not HUGE at this point is because of all the running and cycling I was doing right up until I found out and even some in my first trimester (until we had that whole dehydration issue).

Incidentally, we did have another little dehydration scare, but when we went to the doctor about a week and a half ago we were told there is nothing to worry about. They did another ultrasound just to check fluid levels-- it's all normal. I'll post pictures once I get a chance to scan them in somewhere.

Cate is measuring average size for how far along I am. She is also moving around like crazy! If I'm still for more than 10 minutes, she starts wiggling around in there. It won't be too long before she's out of wiggle room and has to wiggle her way out.

The reality of becoming a mom is definitely setting in. In a good way though. I'm excited for her to be here and I'm ready for the awesome responsibility that is being a mom. In the beginning, I'd go back and forth between being ready to be a mom and thinking that I was way too young and immature for this. But in the past 7 months God has blessed me with a peace and understanding that everything is going to be fine. There is no perfect parent, but with His help and guidance, Eric and I will do our best to raise our little girl.

We received another blessing not too long ago as well. As many of you know, Eric had been sort of casually looking for another job. He loved where he worked, but retail hours aren't exactly the best when you've got a family at home. Back in August he gave his resume to the Executive Director of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (both of us have run marathons through their Team in Training program and I was training for a century ride before I found out about Cate and had to quit about halfway through-- apparently crashing at 25 mph isn't so great for baking a baby). He knew there were some openings with Team in Training and figured it couldn't hurt to let someone know he was interested. As of Wednesday, Eric will be a Campaign Manager for Team in Training with his primary focus being on the cycle program. And he couldn't be more excited. He even gets to go with the cycle team to the century ride in Tucson in a couple of weeks! Aside from some weekend travel and some evenings during recruiting periods, he'll work mostly normal 9-5 hours. And he won't have to miss a Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter again!

So as we countdown these last 12 weeks, we continue to thank God for everything he's blessed us with and the blessing of our daughter to come. At this point we're just a couple of baby showers, a labor and delivery class, and a little under 3 months away from becoming a family of 3!

~Melody :-)