well....

Carter has 2 hours and 13 minutes to arrive before his due date is over. After that, he's grounded. We're not messing around any more.

Okay, maybe we'll cut him some slack. After all, he's young. But seriously, how long do you have to wait to get this show on the road?

Michele is doing well, and we have plenty to keep us busy (Friends on DVD), so it's not like we're in dire straits. But we are ready to meet this little guy, and Michele is ready to see her toes again.

Carter was pounding on Michele's tummy this evening. Grandma Marnie and Great-Grandpa Mel we're there to witness it.

We think he was pounding to get out. Or he was shaking his fists in defiance - "Heck, no. I won't go!" We're praying it wasn't the latter.

There's not much more we can do than grab a good book, a bottle of hot sauce, and wait.

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow. After that, we'll know more ... hopefully.

the waiting game continues

No, nothing yet....

Little Carter is still keeping us guessing. Michele had a doctor's appointment today. Not much progress (1.5 cm dilated, 80% effaced).

It was actually a relief for us. With the anticipation that little Carter could come any day, it makes it somewhat hard to focus on anything else. (Everytime I got a phone call yesterday I was sure it was Michele saying she was going into labor.)

Sure, the little guy could still come at any time, but it seems for the next few days the pressure is off.

So, that's the word. Sorry it's not very exciting. Carter has decided to chill out for a while and give us a few more nights of somewhat uninterupted sleep. (We're very much appreciative.) And Michele is doing great, so there's really nothing to complain or worry about.

Just hanging out, waiting.

We'll keep you posted. And just figure for now, no news is ... well ... no news.

calling in the troops

Welcome Pater!

No, we're not in labor. (At least I'm not. I haven't checked with Michele in the last few minutes.) And no, we didn't rename the little guy Pater.

Pater is Michele's friend Sarah (Pate) Garcia who arrived in Portland today!

We thought it would be great to have Sarah come up for the next few days -- helping Michele get ready, having some fun, and just relaxing until the Big Day. Sarah is hoping Carter decides to make a break for it on Monday. (That works best into her schedule.) We'll see what we can do.

Until then, there are only so many walls you can paint, rooms you can clean, and projects you can finish. (I must say, our fridge looks extremely clean and our pantry is quite orderly.)

Keep praying, and stay posted.

mama mia

Yesterday, a friend told us about a mexican restaurant in town that guarantees their food will put a woman into labor. (I'm assuming they are only referring to pregnant women.)

I guess they have a wall that each woman signs -- a testament to the legend.

We didn't get the name of the place, and didn't hear if the food was any good. (I guess it doesn't matter when you get to that point.) We might have to look into it if little Carter holds on any longer.

Some have also been saying that earlier pictures of Michele don't do the tummy justice. (They shouldn't. Carter has grown since then!) Nevertheless, we felt the need to give you an update -- a visual reminder of the tummy that is Carter.

(Let me just take this time to say how stinkin' cute my wife is!)

We're not quite sure how much more the little guy can grow, but as of today, he's hunkering down.

Keep checking in. It can't be much longer. Can it???

counting down the days (your friends are waiting)

Officially, we have 12 more days.

Mentally? Well ... mentally, I'm not sure if we're ready or not. We think Carter is ready (or at least that is how we are interpretting his nightly jumping jacks). But we won't know for sure until he makes a move for freedom.

Michele had her 38 week appointment today.

The update: 1 cm dilated, 60% effaced.

We're in the home stretch! So this weekend, it's an all out, last ditch effort to get ready for this NEW ADVENTURE! (How do you change a diaper again? I think I need a refresher course!)

Hurry up, Carter. Your room is ready and your friends are waiting.

the waiting game

Sure, the due date is still weeks away - 21 days to be exact. But we're ready now!

Carter, feel free to come at any time.

The room is finally put together ... for the most part. We made our friend Nathan help lug the exercise equipment downstairs and the crib upstairs. I felt kind of bad. We enticed him with food and then put him to work. (That's probably the last time he agrees to come over for dinner.) But hey, we got some good work out of him. (Thanks, Nathan.)

Our doctor's appointment last Thrusday was a weird one. The quick version: Baby is healthy, in position, and - in the doctor's terms - "Wow, you have a big baby." She said that right as she walked out the door.

As you can imagine, we had some unanswered questions.

It turns out, although Michele is at 36 weeks she is measuring at 38.5 weeks. So really, Carter could come at anytime. Michele is really hoping he comes sooner rather than later. (Not that we really have much to say about that.)

It seems babies are showing up all around us. Our friends Heidi and Brian just gave birth to cute little Gabriel. My brother and sister-in-law, Scott and Megan, just welcomed Ruby Grace to the family. And friends Eric and Ashley received beautiful Audrey on the 4th of July. Needless to say, our lives are pretty baby focused at the moment. I can't imagine holding one of these cute little guys and knowing he's our own.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement. Keep praying that Carter Andrew Fordice arrives healthy and happy - and that mom and dad are ready for this new stage in life.

Is anyone ever fully ready for this?