We are happy to announce that Graham Edward Whitaker arrived at 5:09 pm Friday, September 29, 2006, right on schedule on his actual due date! He weighed 7 pounds and one ounce and was inches long. We are still at Roanoke Community Hospital and doing well (and in case you were wondering, the hospital has a wireless network!) Enjoy this first picture of little Graham Edward Whitaker and of course many many more will follow!

Love, Dean, Shelly and Graham

So, here I am at the hospital on my due date, leave it to me, ha! As you can see by these pics of me (the one on the phone is from Thursday night and the one of me standing is from Friday morning), I am not in a lot of pain yet! I had contractions throughout the night (most of which Dean slept through, ha!) and was dialated to 2 cm at about 6am. They are gonna let me eat breakfast, (I also got supper last night) and then they will start the pitocin and let the fun begin. I will post when I can! I am still hoping Graham will be in my arms by this evening. STAY TUNED!!!!!!

Long day today. My Doctors appointment today was at 9:30. I had dilated 1cm and was 50% effaced. She had me go for a non-stress test and then an ultrasound. On the non-stress test, there were a couple of dips, but on the ultrasound, all looked good and he was 7 pounds, 3 oz. She was a little concerned about the dips and sent me to the hospital for prolonged monitoring (4-6 hours).

I checked into the room at noon and after a couple of hours, saw the Doctor on call. He said the baby looked great, but since I was due tomorrow, he wasnt crazy about the idea of sending me home. So he checked the cervix and told me to walk around the hospital for two hours, with hourly monitoring.

Dean was sitting tight at work and Momma and Daddy came on to the hospital. At about 6:30pm, the Doctor said I was contracting, but still had not much change in my cervix. So, he gave us the option of admitting me into the hospital overnight and inducing labor. So here were are.

He started me on Cervadil around 8pm and by morning, I should be ready for Pitisoin, and hopefully Graham will be here by Friday evening.

39 weeks and what a week we had! Just a quick recap for anyone who I haven’t talked to this past week, on Tuesday morning, as I was on my way to my weekly doctor appointment, I got word that Dean had been in a car accident. He was struck in the driver’s side door and had a head injury and was taken to the hospital. I diverted from my doctor’s appointment and met him at the ER. He had a severe concussion and so they kept him overnight for observation. He came home on Wednesday and has several sets of stitches for some cuts on his head, a black eye and some bruises and cuts. Overall, we are very very lucky!

Once he was settled into his room, I did go on to the doctor, however, once I told her what all had happened that day, she decided to only listen to the heartbeat and measure my belly but NOT check me internally. She didn’t want to stir things up, as we certainly didn’t want me going into labor while Dean was in the hospital. So, I go back next Thursday and she was pleased to hear his movements are still good and seemed to be fine with not seeing me again until then, unless of course, something changes. So, as of right now, I go back Thursday morning at 930am.

As it turns out Tuesday was going to be my last day of work and I was going to use some vacation days to take it easy, etc, before Graham’s arrival. So, I ended up not working on Tuesday and Dean and I were both off the rest of this past week. So, we rested and re-cooperated and he can go back to work Monday and also gets his stitches out. So, I am gonna go ahead and go back in and tie up the loose ends that I was going to do last Tuesday. Then, I will be off the rest of the week and then my FMLA time starts on my due date, this Friday. We finally decided that I am going to take the full 12 weeks off, so that will put me going back to work right at the end of the year, so that will be nice and I am definitely looking forward to that time with my new baby boy!!!!!!

So, I guess there was a reason that Graham has not made his debut yet. And, after all the wishful hoping that he would come on early, now I am very content to just let him come at or even after his due date! That will give me a little time to rest and Dean a little time to get back to 100%! Thanks for all the love, support, prayers, cards, etc that we have received this week and please continue to keep all three of us in your prayers!

So, still pregnant! Ha! It seems like I am so close, yet so far away! I am constantly being asked how much longer I have to go, etc. I really thought I would have progressed more at the doctor appointment this past week. Oh well, maybe this coming Tuesday will be better. I am starting to get over the sinus infection though, so that is good. I would have been miserable if I had gone into labor earlier this week when I felt so very bad.

I went this morning (Saturday) and had a manicure and pedicure, so I will be all pretty for Graham! Ha! It was very nice and relaxing. The girls in the salon actually said pedicures have been known to send women into labor, so we will see! Then, we went to Kabuki (the Japanese steak house) for dinner, that was yummy. I went for a nice walk when I got home too, so that felt good. I have gotten back to walking a couple evenings a week, but we have changed it a bit and are mainly just walking the flat part and not walking the hills, so it isn’t so hard on me.

I am trying to rest and take it easy and also stay caught up around the house and such too. Just trying to be prepared! Dean has been working a lot in the yard and the grass is finally starting to really fill in so that is nice. Otherwise, we just have been doing some odds and ends and continuing to get all settled in. And, yes, I still just love to go in the nursery and just sit! Well, I go to the doctor at 950am on Tuesday, so stay tuned!

Long appointment at the doctor this morning! Dr. Keene was running behind, so I waited in the exam room for her for about 30 minutes. She finally arrived and said I had not progressed any from last week, still 50% efaced and not dilated any. I told her I had to go to my family doc on Monday for the sinus infection and about the antibiotic that they put me on and she said that was all fine. She asked how the babys movements were and I told her that he was really super active all weekend and then kinda slowed down these last couple days, so I wondered if he had moved into a funny position or something. She said she would like to go ahead and hook me up to the monitor for a non-stress test to check his movements.

So, the nurse took me to a little room with recliners and monitors and a technician and she strapped a couple things to my belly and gave me a little button to push every time he moved. At first he wasnt moving much, but she said she was picking up all kinds of movements that I just wasnt feeling them. And, his heartbeat was good and strong. Then, I started feeling some movements too. I was monitored for about 20 minutes and then she took the report down to show Dr. Keene, then she came back and got me and took me to see Dr. Keene. She said he was the best baby she had seen all week. He moved the entire time! The placenta appears to be in great shape too. So, I guess it is good to know that even when I am not feeling him move, he can still be moving around! She told me not to be depressed that my cervix had not done anything else, that it is perfectly normal to go to 40 or 41 weeks!!!!!!!!!! UGH - 41 weeks!

Guess he might be an October baby not a September baby! So, I asked if I could also go anytime, and she said, well, yes. Dean said she was humoring me, ha! So, the waiting game continues! I am 38 weeks on this Friday and go back in next Tuesday!

Okay, we are officially full term now, so if Graham decides to make his arrival, here we go! I was excited that we had a little progress at the appointment this past week and will be most curious to see if there is even more progress this Wednesday. I go again first thing Wednesday morning, so watch for a report!

We got the cradle/bassinet this past week and Dean got that assembled and it is sitting in our bedroom. It is really pretty and has some storage room underneath, plays music, rocks, etc. So, hope Graham likes it! There are definitely signs of baby all over the house now! I zipped up the suitcase and we just need to stash it in the jeep. Dean worked on getting the carseat installed and I need to take it by the police department and have one of the certified technicians check it out for us. It probably could stand to be a little tighter. It was kinda funny driving around with it in there this past week!

My allergy / sinus stuff has flared back up in full force and has just about got the best of me the past few days. Sleeping is not very comfortable and it is really hard to breathe between my lungs being squished and all the congestion. I wake up in the mornings with tremendous pressure in my head and my nose is just running constantly. I have lots of drainage in my throat too. You know I don’t like to be sick, so at almost nine months pregnant and sickly, I am a little whiny to say the least! Hopefully it will ease up in a couple days, but I am not counting on it!

I still have lots and lots of pressure from where he has starting dropping down. And, he is on the move almost constantly, big, big movements that make my whole stomach go up and down and such. We think we can feel his arm or leg or knees or elbows or something, he is definitely trying to figure out how to get more comfortable. He is supposed to be well over six pounds now, so I guess he is starting to get a little cramped! I love feeling him move around so much though, very reassuring. I can’t imagine what it will be like to not feel all the movements anymore, of course, then I will have him moving around in my arms!

Well, should anything exciting happen this week, I will post as soon as I can and should the really big development of labor happen, I will try to get word out via phone and email as soon as we can. Please keep us in your prayers that all goes smoothly these last couple weeks and that Graham makes a smooth arrival into our world!

I had my weekly doctors appointment this morning. Everything went well. She said that I am about 50% efaced this week, but still not dilated any yet. So, a little progress. She also confirmed that he has started to drop, so that is why I am feeling so much more pressure now. He still has some more to drop too, she said. My strep B test was negative, so they dont have to start me on antibotics when I get to hospital, so that is good news. Otherwise, everything was good and normal and she said she would see me next week! So, I go back next Wednesday morning.

Well, the highlight from this past week was Wednesday’s doctor appointment. Everyone is just amazed at the quality of the photo and how clearly you can see Graham! A few said that he has Dean’s mouth or just looks like Dean, so I guess we will see! I go back to the doctor again on Wednesday. I feel like he has dropped down a little bit, so I am anxious to see what she says. She says our target delivery window is Week 37 – Week 42, so we are quickly approaching that as I hit 37 next Friday. I CANNOT imagine going to Week 42!!!!! Can any of you imagine me going to week 42??????

I started washing all of Graham’s things this past week. I bet I did about 8 loads of laundry, loads of towels, blankets, onesies, hats, socks, bibs, and the 0 – 3 month clothes! I stopped with those and figure I have time to wash the bigger stuff later. I picked out a few things to take to the hospital to bring him home in and I have most all of our things packed as well. I think later today I will be able to zip the suitcase and get it in the jeep! (Yes, if any of you have ever traveled with me, I am overpacking a big ole bag, just likke normal!)We still need to get the carseat installed, but need to clean the jeep up from the move first. So, hopefully, we will do that this week. So, if Graham does decide he is ready to come join us, we will be all ready for him.

Dean is still in assembly mode like crazy. He put the swing together this past week. And, we are starting to put batteries in everything. The cradle for our room is on it’s way too, after FedEx loosing the first one we ordered and having to order a second one, that was another fun project to deal with this past week! So, those are the last couple big things that we need, otherwise we are all ready and waiting. And, I still just love to go in Graham’s room and just sit in my glider and look around at everything. It has turned out so pretty and colorful!

I will try to post a quick update about the doctor appointment on Wednesday, hopefully, there will be something worth sharing! I like going every week now!