Home Stretch: Week 36

Today is a big day in the land o' pregnancy. 36 weeks is when the doctor is kind enough to add extra pressure to your already achy lady parts. There was definitely a bit of discomfort (and by bit I mean I demanded an epidural) at today's appointment. During the exam I was thinking, "I don't remember feeling like this when I was pregnant with Addison...hmmm...owww...son of.....owww."

Then the doctor proceeded to explain how low the baby is and that I am currently 2 cm dilated. AHHH...HA! That explains it. I didn't feel like this with Addis because I never dilated. I went two weeks late and was induced. Needless to say the discomfort flew from my brain and I immediately began a pregnancy dance. I was not wearing pants and I am also not very agile so the dancing was in my head but I was BREAKING IT DOWN!

This was refreshing news. The past few weeks have been full of all types of pregnancy related "things" (just in case you are about to eat or want to eat in the next week) that I was sure meant labor was progressing. Even though this is not our first pregnancy many of these labor signs are brand new to me. These signals, aches, pains, and moments of "What the hell was that?" are all great signs that point toward the arrival of our sweet girl.

Today is my birthday. Today I spent the morning listening to Coralyn's heartbeat with Eddie and Addison. Pretty spectacular way to celebrate life. Mine, hers, and all of ours. Now we give thanks, pack bags, and wait.

35 Weeks

Only four or five more weeks as a family of three. It's just as strange to think about that now as it was 30 weeks ago. I'm not sure if this will make any sense, but I still haven't completely come to terms with the fact that I will be getting to know Coralyn in one month. The idea is there and I understand the concepts of what is about to happen, but I still can't wrap my feeble little mind around it.

That being said we are surprisingly well prepared to welcome Coralyn into the world (Brandy can take full credit for that). There is still much to do before she get's here, but we are well on track. I could burst with excitement!

Here's Brandy and Addis at 35 weeks.

Almost There

Today was a big day. Every day is a big day when you are trying to get a pregnant woman and toddler to leave the bathroom and get to a morning appointment. We all loaded into the car and headed off for a doctors visit. I am sure the staff was thrilled to see us arrive with a plethora of paper work and activities for a two year old. (Insert Eye Roll) Today was the day to discuss our birth plan. I must admit I was a bit nervous. I joke that the difference between my birth plan with Addison versus my birth with Coralyn is that Cora's can fit on a post it note. After 36 hours of labor one learns to be a bit flexible.

In a nutshell the appointment went great! I have an awesome doctor who is open to me not only attempting but also achieving the type of labor experience that I desire. That may sound like a no brainer but not all doctors have this approach. He rocks!

We have discussed the birth plan with the doctor and have discussed the care of our sweet Addis with a few of our favorite folks. Critter care is covered. Consent forms are signed. The nursery is complete. It is better not to discuss the rest of the house....oy vey! But all in all we are gearing up and marking things off the constantly growing to do list.

In a few short weeks we will be checking in and checking out and heading home. Then we can move onto calling our girls by the wrong name and fearing the day when all our cycles sync. (Insert tears, eye roll, scary face, etc..) That is another blog for another day.

Did you notice that I typed our girls? GIRLS!!! Two girls....

Belly!

Our girls!

My beautiful sister-in-law who is expecting her sweet girl a month after us. WooHoo for girls!

Names Names Names

There have been many names floating around the Gillot household the past month or so. The name "G2" made us feel like we were going to birth the latest transformer or the next software package to be released by Google.

Many of you know that Addison has been pulling for the name Abby Cadabby. This was a constant theme in Addison's naming convention. At the last sonogram when we found out we were having a girl Addison gazed at the screen and asked just one question. "Where is Kermit and Piggy?"

There was one name that kept rising to the top of the list. It was important for us to pay tribute to someone that is near and dear to this family. At first we thought that G2 would share the same middle name as this lovely lady. Then we had that magical WOOHOO moment and decided to combine the two names. Our daughter's name is......

Coralyn Grace Gillot

My aunt and dear friend provided us with the inspiration for this name. Kellie Lin is one of the most inspiring women I have had the privilege to spend time with. Although the "Lyn" in Coralyn is spelled differently the name is a tribute to this amazing woman. It was also kismet that about a week after we discovered that we LOVED the name Cora that Kellie showed me a picture of the name and stated how beautiful she thought is was.

Coralyn is without question an original just as we all are. Sweet Cora can be sure that her name is a combination of beauty, love, and inspiration.