As December Fades

As December comes to a close, I am reflecting on the holidays we have recently celebrated with family and friends: Thanksgiving with my Mom, the Ingrams, Whitney, the Trifiros and Daniel; Hannukah with the Christensens, Shana and the Cravens; Solstice with the Ingrams, Whitney, Ma V, Ricardo, Ivy; and Christmas with the Galvans and the Yeagers. I am so grateful that Aurelia will grow up surrounded by such wonderful and loving people. Wow, what a lucky girl.

I am 39 and a half weeks pregnant now. Here is a picture Jonathan took of me on the 25th (39 weeks, 1 day).

In addition, here are some pictures that Shana Berenzweig took of me and Aurelia a couple of days after Thanksgiving. You can check out Shana's amazing work at http://ideallightphotography.com/idl/home.html.

We wish all of you a safe and wonderful end to 2009 and look forward to updating you once Aurelia arrives!

~ Happy New Year ~

Room to Grow

I am 37 weeks pregnant today. That's full terms folks. Woo-hoo! Here are a couple of pictures Berry and Whit took of me yesterday.

While there seems to be little room left for Aurelia to grow in her current space, her room here at the Kaplan household has more than enough room for her to stretch her legs and spread her wings. Jonathan and I are simply amazed at how beautiful the nursery is. Ian did an amazing job creating a wonderland within her four walls. Marcia and Henry got us a Flip video camera (thank you!!!), so you can see for yourselves . . .

All is well

 Jonathan and I went to my 36 week check-up yesterday and the doctors confirmed that everything is going smoothly.  For those of you who might be worried, I also got the H1N1 vaccine (without the mercury in it).  We had an ultrasound to confirm that Aurelia is in position and, yes, she is head down and ready to go!  During the ultrasound the technician switched the viewer over to 3-D to try to get a clear picture of her face, but Aurelia had her hand in front of her face, foiling any attempt to catch an early glimpse at her.

 I am very relieved in a way.  I was not at all prepared to see what she looks like yet because it would make waiting to meet her that much more difficult.  No, I want to meet her face to face.  So a special thank you to Aurelia for playing peekaboo or hide and seek, or just being shy at just the right moment yesterday to keep us in suspense!

 The nursery is even closer to being complete.  Ian put some lovely grass on the rolling hills in the foreground, and an inviting little beach along the waterfront cliffs.  He will return to fill out the canopy of the tree with lively green leaves and then I think we will set up the furniture.  Once we have it all arranged, he will return to fill in some wildlife to further enchant Aurelia and, frankly, everyone who enters her room.  What an incredible gift - thank you Ingrams and Daniel!