The start of 35 weeks!

Ok, I have a pretty long blog entry today but it is filled with cute pictures! Most importantly I had my doc visit yesterday and was given pretty good news. If you follow this blog you will notice every week I am given completely different information. The reason for this is that I belong to a big practice and because I go so often I don't get to see my OB every time and every doctor is different I am finding out. Yesterday I met with my favorite of the OB's and he was very positive about me, the baby and the pregnancy. What I found out is that my cervix is shortening which it is supposed to do but it isn't as short as the doctor last week reported. My OB yesterday said he was very happy with the length and hopes that it keeps shortening every week. He told me that I am 40-50% effaced and he was happy with that too and hoped that each week I would continue to efface. The doctor also told me it is ok to move around a little more than I have been. He said I am still on bed rest but he wants gravity to take place with the baby so moving around is good for natural labor. He even said I can go on walks and be up an hour at a time. Unfortunately he said I can't go back to work which sucks but I guess he knows best. The baby also looks great and for the most part I am feeling pretty good. He even said that I am turning into a pretty normal patient!

Baby Ketcher had another friend born this summer and her name is Madeleine Elizabeth and she was born on June 13th. She is the 2nd daughter of our good friends Elizabeth and Chris Allen. I just know that our baby and little Maddie will be great friends as they grow up with each other just like their mommy's!

Madeleine Elizabeth Allen
Mommy Elizabeth and Maddie

I had three beautiful showers this summer to celebrate my pregnancy and our little princess to be. The first of the showers was in Naperville on June 27th and thrown by my mom, sister Jill, sister Cara and niece Ella. The food was great and the house was filled with family and family friends that were generous to baby K. The second of the showers was moved to the party room where I live because of the bed rest situation. This shower was on July 18th and thrown by my girl friends that I met while working at Billy's, Elizabeth, Katie and Nicole. My mom was even able to come up for the shower which was great! It was funny how things have changed so much with these girl friends because just three years ago at one of our baby showers we drank all day and were out until 2am (not the mommy of course). My shower was filled with babies and the wine wasn't even finished. I guess we are all getting old! The third of my showers was moved to my apartment July 25th again because of me. This shower was thrown by Scott's mom and sister, Bonnie and Jesse. They threw a couples shower so that Scott could be a part of it too. It was so fun to have all of Scott's family over to our place because we haven't had an opportunity to have them all over before. We were all entertained by baby K's cousin Claire who was 3 months then and talked babies all night because two of Scott's cousins are also pregnant, Bethanie and Gina. Below are pictures from all three showers.

Chicago Shower: Ami & mom

Grandma Hepler and Ami

St Mary's girlfriends Sheila and Frannie

Hepler cousins

Schumacher girls: Jill, Ella, Ami, Cara and mom

Childhood friend Kim and her daughter Keira Noelle born May 13.

Aunt Ami and Ella

Girl friend shower: Katie, Nicole, Ami, Elizabeth and baby Maddie.

Ami and Nicole showing off our baby bumps. Nicole is due 3 weeks after me.

Ami and mom

All the Billy's girls from the shower.

St Mary's girl friends Kelly with baby Avery and Laura with baby Finley.

Scott's family shower: Ami and baby Claire (Scott's cousins baby)

My favorite outfit for the baby from Grandma Bonnie.

Bonnie, Ami and Jesse

Scott and Ami

Last week I was having a bad week feeling pretty lonely and sad. Thursday I was sitting on the couch watching TV again and my door bell rang. And there before my eyes was my sister Cara! She said surprise I am here for a week! I instantly burst into tears because she will never know how much I needed her. While here she worked like a dog by cleaning my house and getting all the baby stuff organized, washed and put away. She took care of so much that needed to be done I will forever be grateful! She left this morning which was sad but I feel so good about everything that was done.

I haven't taken a profile picture since the one my aunt took of me at 29 weeks so Cara took one of me next to the baby's bed. (Pictures of the nursery are still to come as soon it is finished.)

Ami @ a full 34 weeks!