The Final Countdown

I'd like to say the past few months pending parenthood have gone quickly...but that would be only slightly short of completely inaccurate. "Painfully slow" about covers it from my perspective.  We've made it through some pretty significant milestones, but I've discovered that when babies are involved (especially when it's YOUR baby), you never really stop worrying.  Quite the lesson in surrendering control...

According to the doctors, Josephine is growing and developing well.  Over the past month, she has aced all of her biophysical profiles with a perfect score - 8 of 8 - each time.  The heart issue is still there of course, but we're encouraged by the fact that she has made it this far and they've not identified any other areas of concern.

A few things we now know about our sweet little girl:
1.) If ultrasound is to be believed, she has precious, pinchable chubby cheeks and beautiful full lips. As of three weeks ago, she was right around 6 pounds 7 ounces.
2.) She hates speed bumps. Even when I warn her they're coming, she flails about dramatically whenever we hit one.
3.) She's a bit defiant of authority.  During one of our more recent ultrasound check-ups, she stuck her tongue out at us, then kicked at the ultrasound technician. (We're gonna credit her daddy for that trait. :) )
4.) She loves Mexican food and sugary treats...although too much sugar gives her hiccups.
5.) She's really flexible and loves her feet.  She almost always positions her feet right up next to her head...practicing ninja moves, I can only guess.
6.) 1/2 a heart...but twice the kidneys!  You read it right...she has a bilateral duplication of the kidney system, which basically means she has one fully functioning kidney on each side with a bonus mini-kidney positioned just above. A pair and two spares.  Can't beat that. :)
7.) She loves having her back rubbed.  Several times a day she pushes her back up into my side for a quick massage.
8.) She doesn't like the sound of the blender or the noise made when paper is being ripped.  The blender I totally get (way too loud).  The paper is a bit of a mystery.  Perhaps she's already a writer/book-lover at heart. :)

The news of the day is that we're going in for a "trial induction" on Monday, May 26. (I'd never heard of such a thing, but basically it means they're going to "set the stage" for her debut.  If she shows signs she's not yet ready to make her appearance, they'll send us home and try again - probably more aggressively - the next week.)  Honestly, my hope is that she'll decide to come on her own before any intervention is started...prayers to that end would be much appreciated! 

No matter the exact details of her entrance, our precious little pea (who I've taken to calling "Pheeny") will be here soon.  We can't wait! :)