DIRECTIONS TO MEDICAL CENTER OF MCKINNEY

DIRECTIONS

It's getting closer to time, so we thought it might be a good idea to post some directions to the hospital. Of course, Randy will have his cell phone if anyone needs to get in touch with us:

FROM TULSA
Take HWY 75 south about 20 miles. Take the Indian Nation Turnpike south for 40 miles. Merge onto HWY 69. Take HWY 69/75 south for about 130 miles. Exit Eldorado Parkway in McKinney (around 40 miles into Texas) and go east. Go south on Medical Center Dr past HWY 5/HWY 399 (about 3/4 mile). Arrive at the Medical Center of McKinney. Labor and Delivery is on the second floor.

FROM OKC
Take I-35 south to Texas. About 35 miles into Texas (in the city of Krum) will be an exit for Loop 288 (when you exit, be sure not to take your first right onto 1173). Take 288 east/south to HWY 380. Go east (left) onto 380 for about 25 miles. Take 75 south for about 3 miles. Exit Eldorado Parkway in McKinney and go east. Go south on Medical Center Dr past HWY 5/HWY 399 (about 3/4 mile). Arrive at the Medical Center of McKinney. Labor and Delivery is on the second floor.

Beginning the 33rd Week

I am now around seven- eight weeks away from my due date, and even less from the birth if little Jack continues to grow at the rate he has been. I can't believe it is getting so close!

I went to the dr. yesterday and everything continues to look perfect. We are just so blessed to have such a healthy pregnancy- I keep praying that Jack will be as healthy as he seems to be. He is moving like crazy now and as of a couple of weeks ago has already settled into the "head down" position and is ready for birth. So we don't have to worry about him being breech.

We have scheduled a 3D Ultrasound for January 9 (also my dad's birthday!) to reevaluate his size, so we will get to take a closer look at him and see if he really looks like his daddy- Randy is just positive that Jack is going to look exactly like him- we'll see... Check back for those pictures!

We have also recently finished our childbirth class, visited with several pediatricians (we're still trying to decide who to go with but we have some great options and several within 2 miles of our house!), and preregistered at the hospital. We spent some time decorating the nursery and finally purchased some basics- diapers, wipes, baby soap and shampoo, etc.- in case our guy decides to come early.

I am still feeling really good- ever since I got over the morning sickness in the first trimester, my pregnancy has been really phenomenal. I am getting tired a bit more easily, though. And after working out, I have contractions that last for about 10 minutes. But then they go away and my doctor said that they are perfectly normal and fine- she's just happy that I'm still working out!

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone and check back for the U/S pictures in January!

Jack's Nursery

Well, we have finally made some more progress on the nursery and it is pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself! We still have a lot of work to do but at least the basics are there. Here are some pictures... Only 6-8 more weeks to go!

Oh, yeah, and I just wanted everyone to know that Randy has become an expert swaddler. He practices on a little doll we have. He also put a diaper on the doll just to make sure he knew how to do it- he is definitely going to graduate valedictorian of our childbirth class tomorrow night!

Getting Prepped

Well, we officially went to our first childbirth class Wednesday night, and it was pretty interesting. We got to (or had to... still haven't decided) watch a DVD on the miracle that is delivery. I think dad-to-be may be a little more apprehensive now than mom-to-be is. There were three women featured in this particular video and each of them opted for the all-natural way. It was like 40 minutes of screaming... first the women, then the kids. On the plus side, over the next several weeks, we're supposed to learn CPR and other useful stuff. Kristin is getting a little uncomfortable now, and starting to feel the fatigue factor. I think the second trimester is going to look like a picnic compared to the third.

One cool note... we got our first gifts dropped at the door the other day. Cord and Joanne Fitzgerald sent us a great little miracle crib sheet from the registry along with a mirror that their little son, Reed, apparently went nuts for. It's easy to see why: we played with it for a while ourselves; it crinkles and squishes and spins and... okay, sorry. Anyway, it was pretty cool. It just makes it seem a little more real.

It's funny to have something in your life that is such a huge event and that you've just never experienced before. Now that we're entering into the period of time in which it wouldn't be shocking to actually make that drive to the delivery room, it's just making us that much more anxious and excited. Add to that the fact that we'll both be out of school for a bit, and there's a lot of extra time to think about things too. Keep us in your prayers, and little Jack too. No real big changes to report, but that's probably for the better.