Good News....we've made it to Thursday! That means that we won't have to rush around in the middle of the night to find someone to come over and watch Jack if we have to make a run to the hospital. Amy's parents are arriving this evening. That is one less thing for us to stress about.

Last night was our last 'date night' for a while. We have had a standing baby sitter night on every Wednesday for more than a year. I think for the next month or two we won't be going out alone too often. I think it will be a while before we are comfortable with leaving both kids home with a babysitter.

It wasn't too exciting. We went and looked at a new car for Amy then went out for dinner. Its hard for Amy to enjoy a nice meal since she's uncomfortable sitting in one position for very long so we just went to a local mexican food place, The Salty Iguana. We actually got home an hour early.

The curtains, pillows, and table skirt actually arrived for Baby Sisters Room, although the guy isn't coming until Monday to install it. We will likely be in the hospital so we won't get to see the finished product until we get home.

We ordered a piece of art for her room too, but that won't be here for quite a while still.

As soon as we get a chance, I'll post some pictures of her room.

Amy and I talked a lot last night about Jack. We are both a little sad to see this phase of our lives come to and end. We are excited for the arrival of Baby Sister, but nervous about the impact this is going to have on Jack.

These last two years have been wonderful. He was a great baby and has turned into an even better little boy. When the three of us are all together on weekends he seems the happiest. He and I have had some great one-on-one time too. How will the addition of another baby change that dynamic? Will he be angry? How do you ever love two kids as much as you love this one?

As always, Amy and I have done a bunch of reading. One of the books we read was called "From One Child to Two". Its a good book because it makes you realize that the feelings we are having are normal. It also gives some good strategies for easing the transition.

There is a whole chapter dedicated to whether you should bring your first child to visit in the hospital and if you do, how to do it best.

We definately want Jack to come visit us. I think we'll miss him more than he'll miss us! The book suggests that you have the dad bring him and take him home afterwards. It warns that having someone else bring him and then take him away (leaving mom, dad, and the new baby behind) is very traumatic. I guess this makes good sense. It also suggests that you don't overwhelm him with too many visitors there at the same time. I think when I go get him, we'll just have some time with Jack, Amy, Baby Sister, and me alone.

Another discussion we had last night surrouned the whole topic of 'induction'. As I mentioned in a previous blog, we are scheduled for an induction on August 4th which is technically just a few days before our 40 week due date. Statistically, induced labor results in c-sections more frequently than non-induced labor. Amy REALLY doesn't want a c-section. Statistics can be misleading though. In 2004, 20% of all labors in the US were induced, but only 25% of those (about 5% of the total) were induced for convenience. That means that 15% of all labor was induced for medical reasons. Would those reasons have led to a c-section anyway? I think the key to a successful induction for convenience is that the female is ready. Our doctor has always said he would induce IF the cervix was 'favorable'. We are seeing him this Thursday, so we will know more then. As of last week, Amy was 50% effaced and 2 cm dialated.

Today is Monday, July 28th.

Baby Sister's original due date was 8/8/08 which would have been a pretty cool birthdate, but we are scheduled for an induction in one week on 8/4/08 if it doesn't happen sooner.

Unless something happens early, Amy's parents are planning to come to KC on July 31st and my parents are heading back to KC on August 3rd. It will be nice to have both sides of the family here to help with Jack and the new baby.

We've had some great friends volunteer to help with Jack in the event the big day comes before July 31st. When someone volunteers to come to your house in the middle of the night, sleep in your guest room, and then get your kid up the next day and take them back to their house - thats a big deal! If you are one of the people that has volunteered - THANKS! If not...i'm sure it was just an oversight on your part ;-)

A new blog for "Baby Sister"

When our son Jack was born in 2006, I started a blog about 1/3 of the way through Amy's pregnancy. I blogged about strollers, other baby gear, our doctor's appointments, and other things going on in our lives.

In the end, the blog turned out to be a fantastic way to update friends and family about the actual delivery. I could just send a quick email to my blog from my Blackberry and everyone following the blog could read about where we were and how things were going.

As we approach the birth of "baby sister", I decided to do something similar. I tried out Twitter (a simplified blog-like software), but it wont work for this application. In order to follow my "twitter", each follower would have to set up their own account. I don't want people to have to do that. With a traditional blog like this one, you can just pull it up on your browser whenever you want.

Soooooooooo .... here it goes.