This is the last time________(fill in the blank)!

This seems to be the start of most of our sentences lately, ended by..... without a baby. It is SO much fun to think about how drastically our lives will change. I stopped for a moment over the weekend just to enjoy the peace and quiet of our empty house.

We have been in constant contact with the Docs, just in case KT goes into labor. She has been resting lots at the clinic and being taken great care of. She is anxiously awaiting our arrival in Mumbai.

Yesterday, I truly learned how I think it feels to be an impending mother. My cell phone rang at work and it was the Docs. They NEVER call my cell phone. I immediately began to panic and a million worse case scenarios ran through my mind. I tried to call Gerry and he was on a call at the fire department and couldn't answer his phone. I started sending message after message after message to the Docs, and finally got a response. It was only a short while, but it truly felt like hours with my stressed state. KT was at the hospital and had a scan. It showed her amniotic fluid was low and so they did a nonstress test (NST) on our baby. All was normal. Thank goodness!!! Dr. Soni decided as a precaution and KT being 37 weeks along, that she would admit KT to the hospital for closer observation. A NST will be done everyday, until delivery and hopefully KT and baby will remain healthy and can possibly wait for Gerry and I's arrival. We know she is in great hands and if at any point KT or the baby are in any danger they will go ahead with delivery. We wouldn't want to compromise either of them. OH the stress of being so far away and a mother-to-be. We are litterly days away from the big moment and I truly cannot believe it has arrived. God, help me to be patient and take many, many deep breaths (right Dr. S?) over the next few days.

We have completed our last minute shopping for gifts and a few odd additional baby things. We are packed and ready to go.

There is ONLY one thing that I am so very sad about. That is leaving my Frankie girl. She has been doing better (touch wood), but I still worry about her constantly. The great news is that our wonderful neighbours who usually take care of her, have their granddaughter Lauren staying with them and she is going to house/Frankie sit for us. Now, that doesn't mean I won't miss my whitey dog like CRAZY! ( I can't wait to see how she will react being a big sister) I am thinking she will be very protective of our newest family member.

Gerry has already been in contact with the US consulate to make our appointment. They definitely help our men in uniform as we have an appointment this coming Thursday and will have our little one's passport the following Tuesday morning. We are going to be heading out with Amit (our SI friend and old friend from the VITS) to look at a few places to stay. We still have the VITS as a back up, but Gerry wanted to 'try something new.' maybe the Sahara Star.

I am finding it harder and harder to sleep. My mind is going a thousand miles a minute with last minute preparation and 'what if's' and excitement of the coming weeks.

We had a great weekend visiting new and old friends. We even got to FINALLY meet up with Jax our surrogate friend who was in town visiting for a few days. Her little one is due with SI in November and so we had lots to chit chat about. It was nice to do this outside of Mumbai for a change.

We both said our good-bye's today at work and we were showered with hugs and sentiments of love. It was a wonderful feeling to have so much support.

I suppose as the title of the post states, this will also be our last post till we arrive in Mumbai late Saturday night. Fingers crossed and legs crossed (that one is for KT) for safe and uneventful flights. WE CAN'T WAIT!!!!! See you in Mumbai.....

Gerry came across this quote quite some time ago when we were doing our research into surrogacy in India, and I believe it explains why someone half a world away would carry another persons child that they don't even know.

"There is a social dimension to their service, an empathy with the childless in a society that views reproduction as a sacred obligation and believes good deeds performed in this life are rewarded in the next one."

Your Baby at 37 weeks:

Huge news this week: You're carrying a full-term baby! If KT were to go into labor today, all systems would be a go. Woohoo! Even though you can't wait for the little bambino to quite literally rear his head, keep in mind that your bun benefits from every day in the oven.

Other ticker-tape-worthy developments:

Baby's growth slows down dramatically this week, which is great news for your birth canal. His bones are still soft and pliable and will solidify after he's born. More great news for KT's birth canal.

So if he's all cooked and ready to go, what the heck is he still doing in there?! He's busy practicing for "life on the outside," working on his breathing, sucking, sleeping, gazing and peeing abilities. The only thing he can't practice yet is his ability to scream at the top of his lungs when he's hungry—but he'll do plenty of that in a few weeks.

At this point babies vary in size, but the average length is between 19 and 20 inches and most babies weigh approximately 6 pounds. About the size of an average largemouth bass.