7:30 p.m.

Still pregnant :-) Thank you for thinking of us. For those of you who trust the power of prayer, PLEASE keep up in your prayers. For those into other spiritual arenas, PLEASE think of us :-)

Our ultrasound on Friday was great! Sammy is really active and all looks good. We were able to watch the heart beat AND watch the spine wiggle! As it stands now, I'll be at Toronto East General Hospital on Monday for a non stress test (to determine the health of the baby) in the morning, then a gel on Monday night in preparation for induction on Tuesday.

We'll be sure to keep you posted! PEP

9:20 a.m. Quick update

Sammy is quite comfy where s/he is so we're still waiting for Baby Szala! I had a Dr's appointment yesterday and the heartbeat is excellent and the baby is still playing soccer with my organs so all is well there. I have an ultrasound this afternoon to make sure the Baby is doing well and that it is safe to wait to induce labour. Should I not have the baby this weekend, I am scheduled to be induced on Tuesday, August 1st. FYI - My 7 year old niece guessed July 30th, Mike's cousin Shannon guessed August 1st, and our friend Chris Benjamin guessed first thing on August 2nd. The belly photo is from Father's Day.

We'll be sure to keep you posted! PPS

6 p.m. July 24th

We're almost through the due date that the ultrasound technician cited when we had our first ultrasound back on January 2nd. Sammy has decided to defy both dates - this just confirms my suspicion that a fetus doesn't have access to clocks or calendars! I'm doing quite well today having had a productive day of work. I've been spoiled by Skills Canada - Ontario (www.skillsontario.com) as they've allowed me to continue working as long as I'd like AND I get to work from home. I find that it's really helped me these past few days especially to be able to focus on something other than 'waiting for baby'.

Last month we asked some friends and family members to submit guesses of Sammy's stats. Of the 52 people who submitted their guesses for Baby Szala, here are the results:
GENDER
31 guessed girl
21 guessed boy
DATE
31 guessed sometime between July 1 and 24th
5 guessed July 25th
2 guessed July 26th
4 guessed July 27th
2 guessed July 28th
1 guessed July 29th
1 guessed July 30th
1 guessed July 31st
5 guessed August 1st to 4th
TIME
18 guessed the baby will be born between midnight and 6 a.m.
10 guessed between 6 a.m. and noon
6 guessed between noon and 6 p.m.
18 guessed between 6 p.m. and noon
WEIGHT
20 guessed the baby will weigh less than 7 1/2 pounds
7 guessed the baby will weigh between 7 1/2 and 8 pounds
18 guessed the baby will weigh between 8 and 8 1/2 pounds
3 guessed the baby will weigh between 8 1/2 pounds and 9 pounds
2 guessed the baby will weigh between 9 and 9 1/2 pounds
0 guessed the baby will weigh between 9 1/2 and 10 pounds
2 guessed the baby will weigh over 10 pounds (this includes my 8 year old nephew who thinks 15 lbs is a good weight for a healthy baby :-)

We'll keep you posted :-) PPS

Baby Szala is still Sammy as s/he has decided that despite the original due date of July 21, 2006 they are comfortable just where they are for the moment.

I've really enjoyed being pregnant. I've loved the shape my body has taken and the poetic movements that the baby makes. It has been the last two or three days that I've found it challenging to be 9 months pregnant in the heat of the Toronto summer!

In celebration of Sammy's (name we use for the baby in utero - will likely be either Lily or Zachary when they are born) due date this past Friday, Michael and I went to the Beaches in Toronto and walked along the boardwalk and enjoyed a wonderful meal worthy of bringing back memories from our honeymoon in Paris!

I look forward to keeping you posted of our family's growth and the birth of our little one! PPS

While Pamela's gone off to get a chocolate cookie (known for its ability to soothe the savage beast), Dad's now at the controls. We've been waiting over 9 months for this now, but it just doesn't seem like anything's about to happen. Sammy appears to be very patient. Doesn't get that from his/her mom!

We've been inspired to write a blog about diving headfirst into parenthood from our good friends Chris and Miia, who are writing a blog about their travels to Finland, Russia, and beyond over the past few months. You can catch them at www.suokojamin@blogspot.com (gracious product placement moment!).

This blogspot will be in lieu of individual emails to all of the people who are interested in following in our travails, and we don't want to clog people's inboxes with pictures you may or may not want to see (you've seen one Winston Churchill, you've seen them all!). Please feel free to check up on us at any time, we'll hopefully be updating the site often, but that all depends on the new boss, I suppose! MS