Lauren made her way into the world on Wednesday, December 5.  She weighed 5 pounds 14 ounces and is 20 inches long.  She is doing great at home and keeping her mom and dad very busy these days. 

Here are just a few pics at the hospital.  We hope to get the website completely updated soon and of course there will be many more pictures to come over the next several weeks.

We had our weekly appointment today.  The doctor says still not major changes although she has moved down a little more.  I asked him if I should schedule my next two appointments and he told me it wouldn't be a bad idea.  My due date is Sunday but it looks like Lauren is going to be fashionably late.

Another week has come and gone and so has another doctor's appointment.  It was a very disappointing visit because it seems I haven't progressed from the week before.  The doctor says not to get too discouraged because things can change quickly.  Oh well, I guess we will see him next week...

I had another baby doc appointment today.  My belly measurement is still at 36 cm and a little over 1 cm dilated.  Lauren has dropped a little bit more than last week but she still has a way to go.  Basically, I will see the doctor again next week but at least she is making progress.  We will keep you posted....

We had our final baby class last night and we graduated!  We learned about postpartum days and what to expect after delivery in the hospital.  We also had some treats and received our diplomas.  The guys had an opportunity to try on a pregnancy empathy belt.  It was funny to see them get a taste of what the women have had to deal with the past nine months. 

We enjoyed going to our classes each week and meeting up with the other couples.  We learned a lot so I am sure we will take our knowledge to the delivery room to make Lauren's arrival a smooth one.

You can get a full size version of the group picture by clicking on the picture.

Tonight was our 4th baby class.  We learned about cesareans and newborn characteristics.  We also learned about what happens to baby in the nursery and some tips on how to quiet a crying baby.  Lots of good information that I am sure will be put to great use.

Derek and I went to our third baby class this week.  We learned about pain medications, interventions and breathing techniques.  The highlight of the evening was the tour of labor and delivery and the postpartum rooms.  Vandy has a really nice set up.  It looks like a very nice place to have a baby.  We also got to see the new babies in the nursery.  They were so tiny and adorable.  Just five more weeks until we have one of our own!

Today was a busy day at Vandy.  I had a doctor appointment and we had our second baby class.  My appointment went fine and Lauren is still doing great.  My belly measurement is at 35 cm and she has a very strong heartbeat.  We watched the birthing movies in class.  They weren't too bad.  Derek held it together pretty well.  We also learned some breathing and relaxation techniques.  Hopefully those will work as well as they did in the film!  Time is moving faster and faster.  Our next appointment is in two weeks!

Derek and I started our childbirth classes at Vanderbilt this week.  So far it has been very informative and several of our questions have already been answered.  The class is every Monday for 5 weeks.  Next week we get to view the "scary" movie.