37 Week Update

Alright, we're almost there!  We've got three weeks to go, and we're making the most of the short time we have left before meeting our beautiful girl!  Here's my belly picture from last week --

She's definitely dropped, and I'm making good progress as of my last OB appointment.  I now see the doctor weekly and was told to get my hospital bags ready -- so we are coming to terms with the fact that we will be holding Little Miss very, very soon!  We still have SO MUCH to do in preparation -- fan installation, carpet cleaning, whole HOUSE cleaning -- but somehow we'll make it all work.  Gavin is busily preparing to meet his baby sister as well --

Heartbreakingly cute, right?

In other baby news, our niece Eva Capri arrived last week!  Doug and Mindy welcomed their daughter on June 6, weighing 6 lb 10 oz and 18" long.  She's a peanut -- a gorgeous little peanut!  We were able to visit her a few days after her birth, and while we are terribly sad they now live in New Albany, Indiana, we feel so blessed to have welcomed a precious new baby niece into our growing family and can't wait to snuggle with her more.

Gavin, meanwhile, has been enjoying daily playtime with lots of other kiddos.  Whether playing with his cousin Quinn or splashing around with his many, many neighborhood friends, he's definitely wearing himself out during the day -- this kid is PASSING OUT by the time bedtime rolls around!  Here's hoping he continues to sleep this well when his baby sister arrives!

TROUBLE.

We also started Gavin in BabyBees at Kids First this past week (a gym class for toddlers).  We were hoping that there would be lots of other kids Gavin's age and that he'd get to work on his social skills (i.e. SHARING), but as it turns out, he's the only kid in the class!  He doesn't mind -- he loves the extra attention and it's a great way for him to run off some energy when it's 90+ degrees outside and his pregnant mommy can't chase him around at the park.

And that about sums it up for the Linford Dowds!  We have Father's Day coming up this weekend, and then prep prep PREP for baby girl.  I know things seem super crazy now -- but in July, we will have THREE BIRTHDAYS in this household to celebrate!  Holy smokes.  Game on.