Our newest addition...

... unfortunately, I'm not talking about our baby.  Sorry... didn't mean to get anyone's hopes up :)  

Jon and I finally got a new camera this week!  Our other one (which we've had for over 5 years now) has been on the fritz for a while and has been completely unpredictable.  I'm never quite sure how the pictures will turn out, regardless of how clear they may look on the camera's screen.  And for the most part, they always seem to be blurry and out of focus.  A camera wasn't exactly something we had been planning on investing in any time soon, but with babe's due date quickly approaching, we wanted to be sure that we'd get some good shots of him/her when we welcome them into the world.  So, we started doing some research and finally decided on the Canon SX110 IS.  We've been watching the flyers and checking the stores for sales, and finally, we found it for a great price at FutureShop on Thursday night.  We haven't really had a chance to play around with it much yet, but are very impressed with the little we have seen so far.

One of the biggest reasons we rushed out to hunt for the camera on Thursday night, was due to the fact that things seemed to be progressing in the way of labour.  I use the word "seemed" quite strongly because unfortunately, things came to a halt fairly soon after that.  But none the less, we thought that "little kicker" may be joining us sooner than we had expected, and figured we'd better get the camera before it was too late :)

I had my weekly doctor's appt. on Tuesday.  They told me a while back, that they would start sweeping my membranes at the 38 week mark, in hopes of preventing induction.  The idea of having things start naturally sounded great to me, and of course, the thought of not having to go overdue seemed perfect as well.  So Tuesday's appt. marked the first attempt.  To my disappointment (even though it wasn't that surprising), the doctor wasn't quite able to do the sweep, as my cervix was still hard and tough to reach.  He and the nurse tried to encourage me that "things change very quickly" and I shouldn't lose hope.  They'd try again next week.

So off I went, a bit discouraged, but trying to tell myself that it wouldn't be much longer.  Well... by the next day, I started to feel "different."  I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I knew that I was feeling somewhat out of the ordinary.  And sure enough, I lost my "plug" later that afternoon.  Then, throughout the night, and into the afternoon on Thursday, I felt incredibly crampy and uncomfortable.  After talking to my friend's mom (who is a maternity nurse), it became clear that I most likely had lost my mucus plug and could very well go into labour at any point.  Or.... it could still be a matter of weeks :(  But, none the less, Tuesday's exam had obviously progressed things to some degree, and that was encouraging.  

So as soon as Jon got home from work on Thursday, it was quickly decided that we'd grab something to eat at the mall and do a lot of walking, in hopes of starting labour.  Plus, get the camera while we were at it ;)  But... much to my dismay, all cramping & mild contracting completely stopped by the time evening hit and I had a strong feeling that there wasn't going to be any action that night. 

Turns out, I was right.  So... we went for a LONG walk at the river trail last night, hoping that maybe, JUST MAYBE, it would be enough to get things going.  Jon and I both agreed that having the baby on the weekend would be fantastic because then he wouldn't have to miss as much work during the week.  But, we all know that these things are out of our hands :)  

I did have some mild contractions while we were walking, and a few in the middle of the night, but again... no real action.

So... I guess Jr. isn't quite ready to make his/her appearance just yet.  I know I'm still a week away from my due date, but my brother & sister-in-law arrive for a visit from SK, on June 29 and it would be SO nice to be somewhat "on the road to recovery" before they get here.  I only get to see them once a year so I'd really like to be able to enjoy our time with them, and think it would be so much easier to do so, if I'm not just getting out of the hospital when they arrive.  But again, I realize that its all in God's hands and His timing will be just right, even if its not my timing.  

My doctor will be sweeping my membranes every week now (or as many times a week) as is necessary to avoid going overdue so hopefully, this Tuesday's appt. will be successful.  If not, I guess we'll just keep waiting, as patiently as is humanly possible at this point, and going for more river walks :)  I'll be sure to keep you all posted...