Well my love.

      We've had you on the outside for 29 hours, and you're just as fantastic as you were when you were born.  You've hardly cried at all... even when they gave you your shots and drew your blood, you didn't even whimper.  I know you can cry though, because you scream  when we change your diaper and you get cold.  It's still cute though... it's more of a squeal than a cry.  Everyone is so impressed with how good you are.  Daddy and I are just so blessed.
      Jason and Elizabeth Williamson came by last night and Jason took pictures...
                                                                                                        how much I love you is beyond words...

Dear Aidyn,
       YOU'RE HERE. 
       Everything went really quickly... you were born today at 1:19pm.  You weigh 6lbs 11oz and you're 19 inches long.  When I saw you the first time I thought my heart was going to explode.  I had no idea I could love someone so much...
                            

       Sweet dreams, my sweet, beautiful, precious baby girl.  I'm so glad I can hold you in my arms...  and I don't think there has ever been anything sweeter than how your daddy holds you.  ... like you're the better than the most precious treasure on earth... 
                                                         because you are...                    

  Dear Aidyn,
      Your daddy and I have been dating 2 years today!  We went stargazing for a little while and just talked because that's what we did on our first date.  This year we had Snoopy snuggling with us and next year we'll have you to join in the tradition.  It was such a good night... God opened up a hole in clouds so we could see the stars.
      Melanie is on her way up here right now- she should be here in just a few mintues!  We'll be in the hospital in 24 hours and you should be here in less than 48 if things go well!!  Daddy and I both started feeling the incredible urge to throw up today... just being nervous.  Way more nervous than when we got married...
      We had communion in church today and it was fantastic.  The whole congregation was singing, praising God, daddy put his arm around me and you started kicking... inexpressible joy.  I'm tearing up right now thinking about how wonderful our lives are...  You are so amazing, sweet pea.  God is so good.  I love you.
      We started a list of guesses on how much you'll weigh.  The biggest was PawPaw Phil- he said 8lbs 8oz.  I told him I was going to come after him if you were that big...  Daddy guesses 6lbs 15oz.  I just want you to come out healthy.  ...emphasis on the "out".  
      Well.  I'm going to go clean up a little bit more since I'm so excited I can hardly sit still...
      My two best friends here with me in just a few minutes and you in my arms in just a few days...
                                                                                    I love you.
Oh, the difference 8 months and 18 pounds can make...      Here we are at 39 weeks!
      

Good afternoon, sweet baby.

      We are scheduled to be admitted to the hospital around 8pm on September 29!  I'm SO excited.  I'm getting a little stressed though... and incredibly tired all the time.  I need to clean so much... but I'm going to the grocery store and CVS first to stock up on groceries and get a few more pictures printed for your baby book.  Aunt Melanie is going to be here around 10pm on Sunday and she's going to help me get things really clean before we go on Monday. I'm so glad to have a best friend that enjoys cleaning because I sure don't... Snoopy needs a bath too but I think I'll wait til Monday to do that and change our sheets since we'll have you in our bed after Monday night!!!
      Snoopy is such a stupid dog.  He just about put me into labor on Sunday... we like to roll the windows down in the car on the way home from MawMaw's so he can bark at other dogs and random things.  So, he was leaning out the back window on my side and started barking at 3 or 4 dogs and I guess he got really excited... I saw him lurch and teeter on the windowsill for about 2 seconds and I started screaming for Daddy to slow down... then the next thing I knew Snoopy was rolling in a gravel driveway and the dogs were headed straight for him.  We had been going about 30mph... he's ok, but he skinned his right front leg up pretty bad.  I cried and held him in my lap the rest of the way home.  Needless to say, he's lost his window-barking priveledges.
      I love you, Aidyn.  It's crazy to think that I'll be holding you in my arms in 5 days.  I've been looking forward to this for 9 months and now it's less than a week away.  I don't think you'll ever really know how much I love you, want you and been looking forward to you my entire life...

120ish more hours...
                                                   

Dear Aidyn,
      We're at 37.5 weeks and you'll be here in 10 days!!!  I'm totally stoked.  Saying "ten days" makes me so happy.  Just a week and a half! Our last doctor's appointment is scheduled for next week and we're set to go into the hospital on the 30th unless you come before then.
      Billy left for Iraq yesterday with the Marine Corps.  I can't imagine what it would be like if your daddy left for 10 months.  I don't think I'd be able to function.  Your Aunt Melanie is so strong though.  I've been praying for her a lot this month.  She keeps telling me "keep my niece inside 'til I get there!"  She's planning on driving down the 28th and staying until the 2nd of October.  It's been a good six months since we've seen each other... so I'm pretty excited about seeing her.  It's going to be a fantastic week.  I get to meet you face to face for the first time and spend time with my other best friend in the world.  (Your dad's the first)
      Today is uncle Nathan's  birthday- he's 17.  I went to Hallmark to get him a card and spent way too much money on a baby book and scrapbook for you.  I really like them though.  I've had such a blast with the book and I'm going to get some pictures printed today or tomorrow for the scrapbook. 
      I signed up to work Sunday-Tuesday and those will be the last days I'll work until the end of December!  I'm so excited to have you with us for Christmas.  We're hoping to start building our fireplace in the next month or two so out little family can snuggle in front of it when it starts to get cold.
      My back has really been hurting a lot lately.  I haven't been to physical therapy since the end of August... we didn't want to schedule any appointments because we thought you were going to be here before now!  I wake up about every hour or two now because I'm so stiff and sore.  I hope you realize I'll never let you go hiking around a waterfall.  Having a broken back is not something I want you to experience, my love.
      Uncle David, Susan, Max, Owen and Morgan are supposed to come up sometime soon after you're born.  Papa and Nina will come up pretty soon after we go to the hospital I think... and I know all Daddy's side of our family will be there the whole time.  You're so loved and everyone is so excited about you.  I think I'm the most excited though.  I dream about you almost every night now.  Good dreams.
      I'm nervous about being your mom.  Sometimes I feel like throwing up because I'm so scared.  I don't want to mess up... you're so important to me.  I promise I'll do my best and pray a lot.   I love you.

                         See you soon, sweet baby.
                                                                         

Dear Aidyn,
      37 weeks.  It just hit me what a short amount of time that is in the grand scheme of things... but it feels like forever at the same time.  I mean, it's more than 70% of a year!  (sigh)  I want to meet you.  As of right now, I am 14lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight.  Everyone seems surprised that we're so far along...  I've gained some weight other places, but the majority is in my belly for sure.  You should be about 6.5lbs now!
      Daddy was so sick last week that he asked  to go to the doctor on Thursday and he stayed home from work two days.  Wow, huh?  The doctor said he had a virus and that he should take it easy for a while.  It was so nice having him at home.  I just enjoy his company.  Even when he's sick... It's been nice to take
care of him since he's usually the one taking care of me and my
whiny, pregnant self.
      You're stubborn already I think.  I've been eating pineapple and spicy foods (stuffed jalapeno peppers!  ew.) and walking around the block trying to get you to come... still no dice.  I guess you figure we didn't want you to come when you were ready, so now you're just gonna hold out.  I did meet a really nice couple on a walk with Snoop though.  They have a 3 month old little boy named Cooper and he weighed 10lbs at birth!  I'm so glad you're not that big!  Snoopy had a blast looking at Cooper- he licked his feet a few times before I got him off their porch.  I can't wait to see you and Snoop together.  I'm going to wear my video camera out.
      I've been so silly this last week.  I even started second-guessing your name, but your dad nipped that in the bud.  You're still Aidyn Lane.  Hope you like it.  We're not changing it.  I cleaned  the house Saturday.  Vacuumed, swept, dusted, and mopped the whole house.  I even scrubbed the bathrooms.  JJ thinks I'm "nesting" and that you're coming really soon.  I don't know when you're going to come... I just know I was tired of our house being dirty, though I swear I could vacuum all day long and it would never look like it.  Snoopy's hair is the most stubborn thing in the world.  It's even more stubborn than you.   

      I love you, Aidyn.
      15 days at the most!                        --   mommy

Dear sweet baby girl,

          18 days.  Eighteen.  Two and a half weeks at the most  until we meet.

                                           Less than 3 weeks 'til I get to hold you in my arms.

                                                                                          That makes my heart race.

                                                                                                           --

Dear Aidyn,
       Happy 36 weeks!  We're officially in month #9 and it's been a week since we were discharged from the hospital.  I've been awake for about 45 minutes with contractions... It's probably nothing, but since you have me awake, I thought I might write you.  I measured my belly a few days ago... You've added 17 inches to my waistline since January.  Pretty impressive, Sweet Pea.  Your room is completely finished!  Here's a picture of you and me today- this is what a 42 inch waist looks like... yikes.
    
      You've been so active lately.  The doctor said that you're facing my right side... I completely agree because I can feel your little feet rolling around way in my side.  It's such a funny feeling... and it looks weird too.  It's exciting though, knowing how much bigger you've gotten in just the last few weeks!  Your butt is wedged up under the left side of my ribcage, and even though people say you look like you've dropped some, it's still not too easy to breathe lately.  Oh well.  You're worth it.
       I've had a bad attitude about still being pregnant for about a week now.  I feel like you were ready to meet us face to face and while it was really good that the doctors were able to stop my labor, now I'm really ready to meet you.  I want to see you so bad, sweet pea.  Plus I'm pretty tired of being pregnant.  It hasn't been too much fun.  It's really neat in theory... God knitting you together inside of me... but I still feel sick a lot of the time.  And I'm ridiculously tired.  Oh- You're stretching my stomach around right now... that's a cool part.  
       I love you so much.  I know I need to be patient... but Aidyn, I want to hold you so much it makes me want to cry.  You should weigh just over 6lbs today.... and we're in week 36.  It's not too much longer.  I'll be induced in exactly 3 weeks if you're not here yet....  (but baby, please let's not wait quite that long...)
       Well, contractions have pretty much stopped, so I'm gonna head back to bed and try to get some sleep.
                        You're my favorite.
                                                             

Good Morning, Aidyn.

Our appointment yesterday was fantastic!  You're growing right on schedule... They say you're five pounds nine ounces right now!  Everything measured perfectly and the placenta seemed to be in great shape.  It was so great to hear that... We got a few pictures of you too...

The jagged white lines are your hair... the ultrasound technician said that you have more than just peach fuzz... which is fantastic because I was bald til I was about two years old..

                      I love you, sweet baby.
                                                                  forever and ever.  
                                                                                                    mommy

Home, sweet home.
      It's so GREAT to be home.... and still have you inside cooking a little while longer.  I got a week off of work though, so that's nice.  I suppose that kind of makes up for the torture you put me through...   After sleeping most of the day yesterday, Daddy and I finished cleaning out your closet and got our bags packed for the hospital.  We were so not ready on Saturday.  I sincerely thought they were going to send me home with gas.  Funny huh?  Everything is washed and packed and ready to go... in case you decide to get things going in a hurry again.
      Your dad is fantastic.  He is the best husband and future daddy ever to walk the face of the earth.  When I couldn't move my legs or even talk without slurring from the drugs they had us on to stop contractions, your dad never left my side.  He was holding my hand, emptying my bedpan, and telling me all along how beautiful I am to him.  He helped me not be so scared... which was great because I was pretty terrified when we first got to the hospital and they told me I really was in labor.  It makes me want to cry, Aidyn.  I don't deserve such a wonderful man.  But God gave him to me anyway.  So wonderful...
      We have our 35 week appointment scheduled today... They're going to do an ultrasound to make sure you're alright and that your placenta is still in good shape because I was bleeding a bit more than I should have been over the weekend.  I'm so excited to see your face again... and to think... it won't be long at all now until we get to see and touch your precious face.

      Just hold on another week or two, Sweet Pea.  I want to see you and hold you so much...
                      but I have the rest of my life to do that.  We can wait... you're worth the wait...

                                                   I love you.
                                                                                     mommy