So, about these birthing classes... We went to our fourth one last night and we have enjoyed every single one. Next week is our last class and then it's go-time. The nurse who runs the class is very helpful and while she definitely has an agenda (she wants us all to deliver naturally), she makes a lot of sense. We've spent a little time on what kinds of medications are available to us, but most of our time is spent on pain management techniques. I'm really going to do everything I can to have this baby naturally. I've learned a lot of good techniques and I have confidence this is do-able. However, I'm not so cocky to think that I'll never need the drugs. If the pain is more than I can handle, I'm all about 'em. It's scary to think about how close we are.

Last night, we toured the labor/delivery unit - talk about a surreal experience. In just a couple of weeks, I'm going to bring a baby into this world in one of those rooms we saw. It's a small hospital with a very attentive staff and I'm completely comfortable working with these people. Plus, they have the coolest baby photo studio. They don't just snap a photo of the baby in the nursery tray - it's an honest-to-goodness studio with backdrops and props and such. We saw some of the pictures and they are so cool! Just 25 days until the due date......

We've been home for a couple of weeks now, but it's amazing how projects stack up. Classes at the Staff College have started up again and Brad's at the junior college teaching an American history class as I type this. Yep, he's basically taking over my spot at the JC since I'm not teaching this fall. It's good for making up for my lost pay and he really enjoys teaching US survey.

We've also started birthing classes - three down so far, two more to go. I'll blog about those in detail a little later. All in all, they're going well and we're learning A LOT!

The big project we've been working on is the baby's nursery. Last weekend, Mom, Dad and Aunt Nita came into town to help us get things going. **Side note - my cousin, Brian, and his wife, Michelle, just moved to town b/c Brian is attending the Staff College this year. It'll be nice having them around. They came over for dinner one night and hung out with everyone.**

We worked our little tushies off and Mom even had to extend her trip by a couple of days so we could finish. We had such a good time and the nursery looks fabulous. I'm so happy with how it turned out. Hope you enjoy the pics! As always, I encourage you to click on the picture to make it bigger - you'll see the details better.

Here's the view as you walk in. It's clear this is a Mickey-themed room right away....

Here's the glider my sister-in-law, Jill, lent me. Mom made the quilt that's draped over the ottoman. I love the wall-stickers!

I bought the letters at Hobby Lobby, Dad sanded and primed them, and Mom painted the extra colors on the sides to make them "pop" off the wall. It was a pain to do, but they look so cute....

Dad made this shelf! I love all the characters looking down on the crib...

I've had this bookshelf since college, but with a fresh coat of paint, it matches the nursery perfectly. Add a personalized clock and the Guardsman/Beefeater bears I bought in London last March and viola!

Let's see.....So, after the wedding we headed back to Virginia, stopping to see a couple of friends along the drive back. Due to the wedding festivities, I didn't go to a Harry Potter midnight party. Bummer, but I got my book just the same at a Target on Sunday. Side note -- while in Lexington, I had a round of practice contractions that made me a little nervous. I had great plans for my final week in Virginia - I was going to spend every day in DC - but I took the contractions as a warning that I needed to take it easy and remember that I was 8 months pregnant. So, I spent almost every day of the last week on my friend, Susan's, couch reading Harry Potter. She'd finished it by the time I arrived and was so good about not spoiling anything. I loved the book so much and cried and cried when it was all over. Such a sissy.... :)

Besides reading, I had a blast. I went into DC for one day and got to see a lot for someone in my condition. I walked through a couple of monuments I'd never seen and FINALLY got to the Holocaust Museum. It was an amazing display and I even bumped in to a survivor who came to the junior college where I teach to speak this past spring. I got to spend an evening with my good friend, Mike, who's wife is newly pregnant (there's something in the water, I think) with their second. That makes 4 friends pregnant with me right now - how fun! I also had dinner with an old friend, Stephannie, from grad school. It was wonderful to get caught up with both of them. I also spent a couple of evenings just hanging out with Susan and her fiancee, whom I'd never met before. Good food, lots of ice cream (*grin*) and a couple of rounds on the Harry Potter Scene-It game. Life is good.

By Friday, it was time to leave. I picked Brad up a little early Friday afternoon and we walked through the new Marine Corps Museum there at Quantico - it's really well done. After that, we started driving west. We stayed in Lexington Friday night and then began the big push back on Saturday. That afternoon, we arrived in Louisville, KY to see Brad's old roommate, Greg and his family. After visiting for a while, we drove up to Cincinatti to see the Reds get stomped by the Cubs. Brad and I even got to try Skyline Chili. Interesting... You can tell how hot and yucky I felt from this picture, but we had a great time.

Sooo....... I've gotten behind before, but never quite like this. I'm going to have to post in installments here to get everyone caught up. Let's see, I left off last time with me about to spend the week in Lexington....

It was fabulous. I really miss the community, the church, and all of our friends. I got to see a few former students and lots of friends - it went by way too quickly. I was delighted to discover two friends there are pregnant, due in the winter! If we move back to Lexington someday, our kids will be in the same grade - how fun is that??!!!

The week was fast and before I knew it, I was back in the car to pick Brad up and drive to New Jersey for his dad's wedding. The wedding was amazing! It was very small - just immediate family and a couple of friends. There were 30 people there, 8 of whom were Judy and Dave's grandkids. It made for a fun, relaxed atmosphere. The ceremony was lovely, but the reception was the bomb! They rented out the upper floor of a restaurant (with views of Manhattan) and we spent the next 4 hours eating a 7 course meal! They interspersed each course with dancing so we didn't get too stuffed, but man did we eat a lot! It was all very gormet and fancy - YUM! Here's a pic of Brad and me all dressed up. He was the Best Man and so he got to wear a tux.