It was an interesting weekend.

Melissa had an appointment for another non-stress test on Friday and I actually got to go this time. Melissa hadn't had very much to eat and so she ate a bag of grapes right before she got there. Apparently, Lily is a fan of grapes because she was doing all kinds of gymnastics. I think she was doing some form of fetal Tae Bo. Master Blanks would've been proud. Unfortunately, that much activity makes the NST pretty difficult. The heart monitor had to be adjusted quite a bit to keep it where it could read her heartbeat consistently. The thing about that is that Lily has a problem with people jamming stuff into her personal space. So, the nurse kept shoving the monitor into Melissa's stomach and Lily kept getting more and more ticked off. This went on for about an hour and a half. No luck. It appears as if Lily is somewhat obstinate. (I have no idea where she gets that from - must be her mom.) Fortunately, it wasn't too big of a big deal. The nurse said that she would have to consider that part of the test inconclusive, but that she could see that everything was fine. Dr. Terry also looked at the results and said the same thing. The other things that they are looking for with the NST looked very good, according to the nurse and Dr. T, so the test was considered a success.

In other news, Dr. Terry offered to induce labor a bit early for Melissa. September 6 is the new due date. Unless we get to the hospital on the 6th and it doesn't look at all like Melissa is ready for labor, that will be the day that Melissa will begin (and hopefully end) labor. For those of you scoring at home, that is only 3 weeks and 2 days. That seems pretty soon from where I'm sitting. In fact, the decrease in the span of time that remains before Lily's arrival seems to correlate quite closely to the increasing anxiety that I feel. Of course, my excitement is increasing exponentially at the same time, superseding my anxiety. So I've got that going for me... which is nice.

Two appointments later, everything is still on track. We went in for an appointment with Dr. Terry on Thursday of last week (the 27th). The assistant who took Melissa' blood pressure initially came up with about 135/80. The 80 was a minor point of concern, but Melissa has never had blood pressure quite that high. So, when the assistant noticed our surprise she said that she might have done it wrong and would look again. Two minutes after the initial try, Melissa's blood pressure had dropped to 125/70. Better. Unfortunately, all of the numbers go into her chart and so are seen by Dr. Terry. He told us that he wasn't worried, but wanted to be on the safe side and told us to schedule a "non-stress test" for Melissa. The test is basically to check on the health of Melissa and the baby. Particularly, they are looking for a strong heart rate from the baby and to make sure that there is enough amniotic fluid.

Melissa went in yesterday (the 31st) and had the test. Her blood pressure was 116/63. Lily's heart beat was strong and the amniotic fluid was right where it should be. Apparently the assistant who took Melissa's blood pressure needs a little practice. We are going to go back in next Friday for another test, but it's pretty much just to double check.

The time is getting shorter and we're looking forward to our first family addition. The nursery is painted and we're working on decor. I've also painted part of the fence. Home Depot is about to break ground on a new nursery wing, which will be named after Lily and Griffin and the contribution that their birth is making to Home Depot's bottom line.

Finally, Melissa had the first of several showers this last week. Lily and Griffin made out like bandits. We're very appreciative of all of the support that we have received from our family and friends. It has truly been overwhelming.