Long Awaited ANNOUNCEMENT

Before I get to the "BIG NEWS" I have to start with a bit of an update (you know, 'cause it's been over a month since I posted... again... sorry about that....). But don't worry, it's all tied in to the baby's arrival. So, on my due date (Saturday February 4th) we took Andrew to a local park and did some metal detecting (Scott's new hobby) as well as spent lots of time playing on the play-scapes. Andrew loved the slides and Daddy even took him up to the bigger tunnel slides, and sent him down to me. He had a blast, as did we!!! Oh right, it was my due date... nope, nothing was going on as far as signs of baby coming. But we thoroughly enjoyed what we hoped was our last family day as a family of 3. Oh, and in case you were wondering how we could spend 3 hours at a park in February, in CT... well, we haven't had much of a "winter-wonderland" winter this year. It was about 50 degrees the weekend I was due.

Here I am at 40 weeks, 1 day in the dress that I wore with the same sweater 7 sundays in a row. I seem to recall mentioning something in my last post about being down to 2 outfits that fit nicely. I also had this one lovely dress that I am very happy to not be able to wear for a good long while now due to the fact that it isn't nursing friendly (I have plenty of other dresses that are though... :) ).

Me and my handsome little buddy. This was the first time he got to wear a real suit for church (a gift from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas). He looked so handsome and even left his tie on during church! I was very impressed since I don't know what I would think of a clip-on tie. It looks uncomfortable. Maybe it isn't, but it looks that way.

Now for the BIG announcement!!! We are very proud to announce the birth of our daughter, Natalie Rose on Saturday February 18th, at 1:54 in the afternoon. She weighed 9lbs. 14oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long! Yes, we got our little girl, and yes, she was born at 42 weeks to the day!

She had a bit of bruising on her face which contributed to the redness in the above picture (plus the fact that she wasn't even 2 hours old yet). She is beautiful and we are all so in love!!!

That Thursday I had an ultra sound to check on Baby, the fluid levels and the placenta since I was almost 2 weeks past my due date. We wanted to make sure it was safe for baby and me to continue to wait for her to come on her own. Everything was great and I knew I'd have the baby by the end of the weekend due to some other signs I was having at the time. By Friday morning though I was convinced I wasn't going to have the baby until after Saturday as Scott was scheduled to be in Albany at a book signing that day (which he did have to postpone after all). About mid afternoon I started to have some serious, real, contractions! They were few and far between (about every 45 minutes) but I knew something was going on. I decided to still go to a baby shower I had hoped to go to that night and promised Scott and my Mom to come right home if I "started" having contractions (I hadn't really mentioned the ones I was having as I didn't want to get excited if I wasn't going to actually go into serious labor yet). It was about a 40 minute ride to the shower and I had 2 contractions 30 minutes apart during that drive. I was starting to think things really were starting. The next one was 30 minutes later, and then they started to be every 20 minutes. It was during the devotion time and a game (at the shower) that I had 3 contractions 20 minutes apart and decided that maybe I should start thinking about going home since while I was having the contraction I couldn't talk and felt like I wished I had stayed home (but I did so enjoy the time that I was at the shower). So I said my "good bye's" and headed home. Especially since standing up had given me another contraction not 10 minutes after my last. I made it home and spent the next 8 hours relaxing and trying to rest in between contractions. A couple hours after I got home the contractions moved to 10 minutes apart and so I went to bed, not to sleep but to just try and rest as much as possible and let my body do what it needed to do. Natalie's labor and birth was so much better than Andrew's because I worked with my body, letting it do it's job instead of fighting every single contraction that came along. I was in labor for about 20 hours which is just over half as long as 37 hours (my labor with Andrew). I only pushed no more than 10 times total (not what I had prepared for because I pushed for 2 hours with Andrew, but oh, such a nice surprise). When she was born I just couldn't stop praising God. First that she was here and then after I took the time to check and see if baby was a girl or a boy, I was just praising Him all over again!!! She is such a joy and a blessing!

She loves her Daddy, and as you can imagine, he loves her too!!! I told Natalie that from birth she's had him wrapped around her little fingers. :)

Andrew didn't know what to think of her at first. I think he wondered when she was going to leave and he'd have my full attention all to himself, 100% of the time again. However, he has since seemed to change his mind. He is always checking to see that she has her hat, and he also likes to come take he hat off and touch her hair. He has become much more interested in her and I know that within a matter of weeks he will be loving all over her and I'll have to keep an even closer eye on the two of them. :)

Natalie at 1 week old. As you can see she is very alert and sometimes seems interactive, which just doesn't seem right for an almost 2 week old. I guess being 2 weeks late has it's perks. She is nursing well and definitely seems to be growing and changing very quickly. I love my little family of 4!!!! God is so good!!!

Life

Well, if you're reading this, then I'm impressed... I still have readers. Incredible considering that I have not been good about writing on here over the past year. Why? Well, put simply... Life. Just life happening and blogging not being a part of that. I still check up on all my followers, not that anyone knows it because I never comment, but I want to. Sometimes I do go to comment and my computer or internet "hick-ups" and then before I can fix it and actually leave the comment I was going to, something happens (life) and my computer is put back away for another time. I do get online to check my email at least once a day, and usually more than once a day, but getting on long enough to do more than check my email (even reply to emails or comments of facebook) is more of a rare occasion. With the baby coming soon I wonder if I might get more of an opportunity to blog (while nursing) or if I'll be too busy keeping up with Andrew while nursing. But either way, that's okay. It's life, and life for me right now means spending time with Andrew, keeping my apartment in good order, and doing whatever else comes up (crocheting, visiting with a friend, reading, making tinctures and lotions (inspiration from Shoshanna Easling's Making Babies series which I highly recommend), eating (being pregnant means frequent small meals for me every 2 hours or I start feeling sick), napping (being pregnant with a 16 month old means I nap when he does, especially in the third trimester), etc.).

Andrew is growing, growing, growing! A year ago I remember remarking on how neat it was to see his personality coming out more and more. But now? Now, we are even more amazed by his personality and we are loving learning about him and learning how to communicate with him. He says lots of "b" words (ball, book, buzz) and anything that starts with "m" (mamma, more) and even though his first words included "da" for Dad, he refuses to say it now. Once in awhile we'll catch him saying "daddy" but whenever he looks at pictures (we have lots of pictures from our wedding, and few family pictures around our house) he always points out "mamma" and laughs when we say "and Daddy..." He seems to be connecting pictures of babies and babies we see with my tummy. But he calls babies and my tummy "muh". He will see a baby and start pointing and saying "muh, muh" and then come over to me and pat my tummy saying "muh, muh". It will be neat to see what he thinks of the baby once it is here.

Speaking of Andrew.... we went outside for a short bit this afternoon as it's been snowing all day and I figured it was time he got to out instead of standing at the window watching all his aunts and uncles playing in the snow. He was more interested in watching the four wheeler plowing the driveway than he was in the snow, but once we came in he got very interested in the snow that was coming off his boots. So I got a bowl of snow for him to "check out" and captured a few pictures.

Here he is pausing in his enjoyment of the snow to "pose" for me. It was so funny.

And then he got very interested in testing the snow....

I am now 38 weeks along which means that I could have the baby anytime in the next 4 weeks I figure. I'm not counting on going close to my due date since Andrew was 12 days late, and of course if the baby isn't ready yet, I don't want to rush it along. However, I am super, super excited about meeting the baby and being a family of 4. I can't wait to see how Andrew interracts with the baby. The pregnancy has been going well. I've discovered that cutting out wheat from my diet means much less heartburn and acid reflux which I do have a hard time with. I'm also doing much better this time exercising and will probably end up gaining only half as much weight as I did with Andrew. Exercising all the way through pregnancy is SO much better than waiting until the third trimester to start thinking about it. My flexibility is so much better and of course, I'm sure it helps with keeping up with Andrew.

Long time

I know I'm doing a horrible job keeping up with this blog. I've been very busy. I've finally gotten into a good routine with Andrew that includes doing Laundry, cleaning our apartment, and staying on top of it all. For the longest time everything was just once in awhile, when I'd get the chance... :)

Andrew is growing and growing. He's calls my "mom" and that's the only word he seems to say regularly. I think it's because he has so many aunts and uncles to talk for him. :)

I'm now 29 1/2 weeks along. This baby is so different from Andrew. It is more active, and definitely has a stronger personality. I'm so curious to meet this Little One and see if it's a boy or a girl. I had a dream it was a beautiful little girl we named Bethany (which is one of our top 2 girl names) and so I'm thinking that somewhere in my future is a little Bethany. :) I really don't care whether we have a boy or a girl. I'll be excited either way. I want a girl mostly for Scott because he really wants a girl, but either way, we'll be super excited!!!!

Thanksgiving is in two days and last Friday we decorated for Christmas. Before you go judging me, we are leaving in 10 days for a 2 week book tour getting home 1 week before Christmas, so we decided that we wanted to enjoy our place decorated for Christmas, especially since I won't be leaving everything up until the end of January like last year because once New Year comes, I'll be kicking into high "Baby Prep" mode. :) Less than 11 weeks until my due date, I'm so excited!!!!

Just a little "tid bit" for you....

I've been studyin Proverbs 31 and this verse just keeps popping out at me.

"She seeketh wool, and flax and worketh willingly with her hands." Proverbs 31:13
A virtuous woman works willingly with her hands. How often do we do what we need to do because we need to do it without a willing heart? I've noticed that the more I look at what I need to do with a willing, cheerful, eager attitude, the easier it is to do it. It also usually turns out to be more rewarding as well.

I know this wasn't long, but it's something. :) Now I need to get off the computer and go work on Christmas gifts. I'm trying to finish everything (as much as possible) before we leave for our trip.

The Shortest Post Ever

I love hearing the "pitter-patter" of little feet on the kitchen floor as my little guy walks by me!

In other news, I can now officially feel the baby moving (18 weeks and counting) and we were out of power for 6 days last week thanks to (what was then) Tropical Storm Irene which was actually a lot of fun!

I know this is a short post, but hey, it's better than nothing right? :)

News

No, I have not forgotten about my blog. I have been just living life, and not taking time to document it (I know, shame on me!). There is so much to share, and as always, so little time (it's only a matter of minutes before Andrew realizes he needs a nap). So, I'll just do a list of updates...

Andrew:

• is now walking, and really walking. He's been taking multiple steps very frequently for a couple weeks now, but in the past few days he's gotten to the point of just walking (although he still has his cute little "toddle")
• has peed on the potty twice in the last 2 days. I bought him a potty chair just to have on hand, and then decided that I'd try to put him on it every time I change his diaper. The third time he went on it Saturday, he went (I didn't even check at first, just closed the lid and then thought, I should probably just get in a habit of checking, and low and behold, he had gone pee!). Then he did the same thing yesterday. So now I'm thinking that it's possible he could be potty trained at least during the day by February (I'll let you know why February in a moment).
• cut his first tooth at 9 months and at the same time decided that he was finally interested in solid foods. (Praise God!) He is now 11 months and prefers only table food, and especially whatever any of the rest of us are eating! I can't give him enough food!
• loves music and any time anyone starts singing or playing music, Andrew gets all happy, nods his head, and then just gets this big grin on his face!

Me:

• I am pregnant, again!
• I'm due February 4th, which makes me 15 weeks, 2 days.
• I know, by this point with Andrew's pregnancy, I had several baby bump pictures for you, and even though now, I have quite the baby bump compared to Andrew's pregnancy at 15 weeks, I haven't taken any pictures.
• Andrew and the baby will be 18 months apart, which I think is perfect! I'm so excited!!!! One year from now I'll have 2 adorable little kids to keep track of, and I can't wait!
• One thing is for sure, this pregnancy seems to be going much faster than the last. However, I'm sure that the fact that I have a little guy running all over the place that I must keep track of, is the "culprit". :)
• The first trimester, I seemed to be more sick compared to the last pregnancy, and thankfully it mostly died out about 11-12 weeks instead of 14 weeks like with Andrew.
• Apparently, it's going to be tradition, but just like with Andrew, at 9 1/2 weeks I woke up with a terrible migraine and was vomiting by mid morning. Of course it happened to be the day before we were leaving for the International Christian Retail Show in Georgia. I somehow managed (with lots of help from my sisters and mother) to get us all packed up and get everything ready to leave at 4am the next morning. I knew I was only sick from the pregnancy, and it wasn't a virus, so I determined that as long as I was not vomiting when we were getting ready to go, I was still going to go. By about 7 or 8 hours into our drive I was feeling much better and even ate some Mexican food for dinner. Only, pregnancy! :)
• Since that lovely day of being sick, I've been dealing (joyfully) with headaches that usually turn into mini to full blown migraines every day.

So, there's an update, and now you all know that I haven't fully disappeared from cyber-space! :)

I will leave you with a picture from the ICRS we went to a month ago. Andrew was sleeping for this picture, but we were pretty excited to meet Roma Downey (mostly known for being in Touched By An Angel). And yes, I was already showing at 10 weeks.

Our Little One's Story (and some pictures)

I enjoyed getting everyone's comments with their guesses. Everyone who didn't already know the weight were pretty off. Keep reading for the details...

On Friday September 10th I was having strong contractions throughout the day and by 3pm they seemed to be getting closer together. Scott had gone to work and I called my Mom and asked her to come at 3:30 as the contractions were becoming 7-10 minutes apart. I kept myself distracted by doing laundry, straightening the house, cleaning the kitchen, making Taco Salad, and then cleaning the kitchen again. All that in an hour. I called Scott at 5 and told him this was it and I needed him. By then the contractions were 5 minutes apart. Mom and I started to fill the birthing pool as I was planning a water birth. We let the midwives know what was happening and by 7:30/8:00, they were here. By that time I was finding some relaxation (but no relief) in the pool. To make a really long story/post, just long, I spent about 7 hours laboring in the pool. I did get out for a while and walk around, but then I was back in the water.

However, the water, although it felt nice, didn't seem to be helping move things along so I got out and didn't ever end up back in it. Saturday morning came in went and right about the 24 hour mark my Dad and siblings brought us over some dinner. My sister came over to me and asked me how I was doing and at that moment I said "I don't know why I ever wanted to have a baby!" Now, I can't even fathom how I could have said that (and that was not the first time I had voiced something similar) but that's the stage I was at. The contractions were still raging strong, but they didn't seem to be doing anything and it seemed like they were just going to go on forever.

Again, to keep this semi-long (instead of really long)... Around 9:30ish, my midwife told me she had a prescription for me that I was not going to like. She wanted me to put my shoes on and go stomp up and down our driveway for 30-45 minutes. Now up to this point any "walking" (if you could call it that) I did was very small steps as I was in so much pain and so uncomfortable. I asked her "can't I stomp around inside?" She told me that if we didn't really get things moving we were going to have to seriously consider going to the hospital. That thought scared me so much (I'm not afraid of doctors or hospitals, I just didn't want to have my baby in a hospital), that I immediately became a changed, determined woman. No more trying to make it through each contraction so I could rest for a few minutes, I was going to work as hard as I could to get this baby moving. So Mom, Scott and I went outside (after a prayer) and started STOMPING. Not only were we stomping, but we were praying and praising God and with every contraction, as I hung on my Mom, I prayed "Lord, move this baby dddoooowwwnnnnn." After a good 30-40 minutes of that we came back inside and I tried to rest between a couple contractions as I was way past tired and exhausted. During which time I was praying and asking God to just fill me with His strength to birth this baby. After about 20 minutes the midwives turned all the lights back on and said, "come on, you don't want to stop now." (The contractions were finally changing and things were moving.)

God gave me the strength I needed and the endurance to keep going and to make every contraction count. I don't remember when I started pushing other than that it felt like I was pushing for hours (although I wasn't really, at least not for more than 2), but at 4:46am (making it 37 hours of labor) on Sunday September 12th, my Little One was born. Throughout the entire pregnancy I kept thinking the baby was a girl, but trying not to focus on that in case it was a boy. Even Friday, the day I went into labor, I was convinced the baby was a girl, but when the baby was born and I saw that it was a boy I said "it's a boy! Oh, I love him, I love him!!!" Scott was thrilled to peices as he desperately (I hadn't realized just how desperately) wanted a first-born son.

Now remember, we still didn't have any boy names picked out. There were names I liked, names he liked, but not a single name we both liked! After he was born and I was sitting on the couch with him, Scott said, "you can name him" he was just so thrilled it was a boy. My first thought was "what?" and then I knew, "Andrew?" I asked. He said "yes!" I asked him "are you sure?" and he said, "yes, I like Andrew. How about Stephen for the middle name?" (After my Dad) and I said, "Perfect! Andrew Stephen, our little Andrew!!!" Just as I had hoped and prayed, God gave us the perfect name when he was born!

So Andrew Stephen was born on September 12th, and he weighed (are you ready???) 9 pounds and 10 ounces! He was also 21 3/8 inches long! He is the darlingest little boy and I love him to peices!!! I am so thankful for him and so thankful that God would choose to entrust him to our care. I know that he is just a gift for a time as faster than I know I'd like, he will grow into a man and have to go his own way (hopefully, prayerfully) following after God's Will. So I am trying to make the most of every moment I have with him now (hence why it has taken me a week to do this post) especially as I know he is constantly growing and every day brings little changes that I don't want to miss! Here is a picture of our little Andrew (or Andy, as Scott nicknamed him) in one of his favorite sleeping positions (doesn't it look like he's thinking, or something?).

And here is the first nice picture of Andrew and I!

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures so far. This was when Andrew was only a few hours old. Look at that happy, happy look on Scott's face!!! He is such a proud Daddy!

My Mom finished making me a sling (by Elizabeth Lee Designs) this week and so today I tried it out for the first time (I didn't go anywhere, I just tried it out). I love it and I love the brown material with little hearts all over it!!!

My Mom was invaluable to us over the past week and a half! She came on Friday and stayed all the way until Wednesday morning only going home once for 3 hours on Monday. She was so helpful with everything and we are so grateful to her! I am not allowed to leave the house for 2 weeks and must continue to take things slow and easy (which is harder than I thought!).

I must say, it is nice not being so pregnant anymore! I can now lay on my back for more than 2 minutes, and it doesn't hurt at all anymore! :) YAY!!!!! I have already lost 28 pounds and am beginning to wonder what non-maternity clothes I will be able to fit into soon. In the meantime however, my maternity clothes are nice and comfy and I think look nicer on me now than they did before! :)

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I will stop here for now and give all my readers a break! :)

NOTE: I started out this post typing one-handed while Andrew was nursing, and now this is where he is, sleeping peacefully on my lap! He is just so adorable!!!! :)

41 Weeks, 1 Day

I wanted to update all my readers real quick. There is still no baby. However, I am thankful the baby hasn't come yet because Monday night I started getting a sore throat and by yesterday, it had turned into a full blown cold! So, now I'm taking herbal tinctures around the clock and eating lots of homemade Chicken Noodle soup (that my sweet sister made for me) and trying to get as much rest as possible (which isn't easy when the only comfortable position to sleep is sitting up on the couch)! I would appreciate any and all prayers that God will heal this cold quickly and that Baby will come shortly after! Thank you!!!

40 Weeks, 4 Days, and counting!

As you can see by the title of this post, I am still pregnant. Earlier this week I was on an emotional roller coaster ride, it seemed as I just so badly wanted this baby to in my arms. But over the last two days, I have been the opposite and am fully determined not to have this baby until late Saturday night, or anytime thereafter! You see Scott is photographing a wedding this weekend and obviously I don't want to go through labor and have the baby without him here, so baby and I are content to wait until after he's done with the wedding! In the meantime, we've gotten much accomplished over the last couple days.

We finally got a bed frame for our bed! If you recall this post you may have noticed that our mattress and boxspring was on the floor. They have been like that every time we've used them (as there were 4 months that we didn't use them/during our trip) since November of last year when we left our apartment. You see we somehow decided to throw out the old frame (why, we can't really remember) when we left our apartment and so have been living without ever since. As you can imagine, it is not easy for a 7, 8, or 9 month woman to get out of a bed that is lower than her knees, especially when said woman has to get up 3-6 times a night! I had finally let go of the thought of getting a frame for our bed, but then Thursday morning I was sitting in bed reflecting on the near future and all of a sudden I realized that once this baby is born, I will be spending most of the first 2 weeks in my bed! And seeing as that puts the cradle so high up, I'd have to get out of bed just to put down or pick up the baby, and let's remember, that that will be just after giving birth, which means my body will be doing some serious recovery! So after mentioning my thoughts to Scott, my darling husband and I decided to go out in search of a frame. Just a metal frame as our room isn't big enough for (and we're not ready to invest in) a real bed frame.

However, as a result of the new bed frame (which is AWESOME! We finally are sleeping in a "real" bed!) my Kleenex, water, crackers, etc. (a.k.a. anything else I need) could not be reached if left on the floor as they had been before. So temporarily we put a chair beside the bed for my "nightstand". See picture below:

As you can see, we also have a LOT of pillows! Eight, to be exact (one of which is a full length, body pillow). I generally use between 4 and 5 to sleep and then Scott uses what's left to prop himself up to write when I go to sleep at night!

So, back to what we've been up to... Friday night Scott and I went on a mission to Walmart. We needed: some produce, Rice Dream, water crackers (my favorite), batteries, a travel case for wipes (you know, the flat cases that go in the diaper bag) - as we didn't have one and I hadn't even thought of it until a few days ago - diapers (I've been stocking up whenever I get hold of a $3.00 off coupon), and an end table! We found all that we needed (including a table for under $50) and Scott started putting the table together as soon as we got home! Here he is getting down to the end of putting it together:

Then something was wrong with the drawer, so he had to do some more work on it... I just love watching him!!!!

Not to interrupt, my story here, but you may notice our Pack 'N Play all set up behind Scott with the Winnie the Pooh mobile! It's so cute, we just love it (and can't wait to put it to use)!

Here is the table all done and in it's "rightful" place! I'm sure I'll find more things to put on it, but the drawer and shelf will help keep everything organized! :)

I'm signing off for now. Must get some much needed rest!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting...

Right now we are playing the waiting game. My due date is on Tuesday and we are so ready for this baby. Not to mention, I'm looking forward to not having a big hard belly again. I mean, I know it will take time to get back to "normal" (that is, whatever my new normal is) but when I'm doing dishes or cooking and I need to get something from the upper cabinets, I am constantly reminded of the fact that I'm 39+ weeks pregnant! As you can see in the pictures I've gotten quite large and baby is ALL in front now (and a little lower). I am praying and praying that if it is in accordance with God's will He will allow the baby to be born sometime in the next few days. But, for all I know, I may not have the baby until September 10th, or sometime around there! (Oh, what a dreadful thought that is!)

Thanks to the shirts my Mom gave me (they came at JUST the perfect time) I still have 3 shirts that I can alternate with, two of my new ones and a size XL maternity shirt that I had bought just before my shower. I don't know where expectant mothers of twins find shirts to wear when they get close to the end of their pregnancy! As it is, I never thought that I'd fit into a size XL, never mind an XL maternity shirt! Anyway, enough about me and my clothes!!!! :)

I've had a nice, relaxing weekend. Yesterday I got some cleaning done (I'm hoping the next time I need to do the vacuuming, will be after the baby is born!) and started on a new baby blanket for my Etsy shop.

Today I took a short nap after Church and then later this afternoon, we went out to dinner at a Thai restaurant. It was very good and close by so we were back home before 6. Now I'm writing a blog post and Scott is working on writing and the likes. :) Check out his blog post about his short stories here.

I don't have many plans this week. Actually, I don't have any plans this week other than my weekly prenatal appointment (which I'm hoping will be something different...). I don't know if that's a good thing because the baby will come, or if that's a bad thing because I'm going to end up finding myself rather bored. :)

It is so strange to think that Summer is practically over. I have many friends who have already gone back to college and I know that even the high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools are starting as well. I am very thankful though that we are at the end of summer because that means the baby will be here very soon as well as the fall weather! I love fall, the leaves changing and cooler weather! Of course, I have other reasons for wanting fall too. September marks the first month that I'll be a Mommy and we have company coming at the end of the month that we are greatly looking forward too!!! I'm also looking forward to after I have the baby and getting things a little more settled and organized as right now we have all we need for the birth and everything taking up a lot of space in this (while larger than our apartment was) small, house!

So, what are you looking forward to in Fall?

Stuff... Update

As I sit here starring at this blank page I am trying to decide how to start off my new post. I am posting because it's been awhile since my last post, baby could come at any time (which would most likely mean some more time would pass before another post), and I have some time on my hands.

I was very pleased with myself for finally clearing off my kitchen table (it's needed it for, oh about 3 weeks now) and then moving the table lengthwise along the wall to give us more room for the impending water birth. I also swept and mopped the kitchen floor and did some laundry. I must say, it always feels so good to get my house in good order!

This week we also moved Scott's desk from our bedroom to the baby's room to make room for the Cradle in our room. Everything fit just perfectly, and now we really feel "ready" for the baby. That is, as ready as we'll ever be. It is only by God's grace that we will be good, godly parents.

Now for an update on the pregnancy....

The day of my prenatal appointment this past week, my feet were more swollen then they'd ever been and I had gained 7 pounds in 1 week. (Yes, that freaked me out!) So as a result of that (and other things) I went and got some blood work done to check my iron, blood cell counts, etc. Everything was right where they should be which was very nice and since my appointment I went down a pound, and have stayed just below that initial amount the past 5 days instead of climbing over the course of the week. Of course, I have also been doing more exercising this week (as in daily) compared to last week (which was once or twice).

Now on to the baby... :) Baby seems to be posterior, which means it's facing toward the front instead of toward my back. However, it is also very active and a lot of the times feels like it lying on my side more then anything. So, we will just wait and see. When a baby is posterior that means that you have a lot more back labor (which is more uncomfortable than normal labor).

On Thursday night I had a good 3 1/2 hours of contractions that were more than the normal braxton hicks, but as you can see (due to lack of pictures, etc.) although they were close together, they weren't very consistent and eventually died off. Even though I was very disappointed that they didn't get more intense I know my body is prepping itself for labor (which is coming since I am 38 weeks, 4 days along now) and as my midwife encouraged me, I am enjoying my last days of just me and my Hubby. :)

Another exciting thing for me this week was that my Mom found me a three maternity shirts (sizes M, L, and XL) on clearance that she surprised me with! Everywhere I've gone I haven't found anything, and I was refusing to spend more than $15 on a shirt that I'd only wear for a few short weeks. The size M shirt is a little short (although longer than all my other maternity shirts) and so I will no doubt get more wear out of it over the first couple months after the baby is born and then save it for the next pregnancy. The other two shirts are nice and long and look nice (of course the fact that they don't have any stains on them... yet.... is very nice) and it just totally made my week to be able to have 2 new shirts in particular that are comfortably loose, and don't look so "drab". :) My Mom is so great!!!!

Head on over to my Etsy shop: HandMaidGifts and check out the new baby blanket that I added here.

Okay, I think that's about all for now. Don't forget to do something special for your spouse (or a family member) today, "just because" and enjoy your weekend. :)

Pictures!

As promised (for once) I am back with new pictures. I am now 37 weeks, 1 day along in this pregnancy...

And for a close up:

The baby has been moving a lot and still having those lovely braxton hicks contractions! :)

We picked up the bouncy seat and the Pack 'N' Play today and so now, I must go put them together while my darling Husband gets some writing done. Why isn't he putting everything together? Because he's writing and I find great enjoyment in putting them together. :)

Update

Okay, so I know it's been too long since my last post! I really didn't mean for so much time to go by! But I will try to make it up to you and fill you in on all that's been happening (which isn't too much) over the past 2 weeks!

For starters:

• I am 37 WEEKS!!!!! That's right, only 3 weeks left until my due date! 37 Weeks also means that I am "Full Term". I am getting more and more excited as each day passes to meet this precious Little One!
• I have gained over 40 pounds, I am sorry to admit and I'm just praying that with T-Tapping and Nursing, those 40+ pounds will roll away faster than they came! (Along with all stretch marks.)
• My headaches/migraines from the first half of the second trimester have been threatening to return over the past 2 weeks, but as long as I keep my stomach full of food (and lots of protein), they seem to be staying at bay.
• My feet and ankles have had some swelling over the past month and even when we have "cooler" days, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. So, I have been trying to be strict with myself and take frequent breaks throughout the day, but... um... well... that hasn't exactly been working out that well.... It's a little hard to take a break when I have so much I need/want to get done!
• My clothes seem to be shrinking as almost every day it seems I find something else that doesn't fit anymore. I have had to console myself to the fact that no matter how hard I try, the 3 maternity shirts that are still wearable (even though 2 are getting a bit short) are not going to change. Oh, and as for finding something "different" to add to my wardrobe, not happening! The only shirts that would fit and look nice are just way too expensive considering that I only have 3-5 weeks left, and I was blessed enough to find the 2 skirts that I have now! But, that's okay, pretty soon, there will be a beautiful little baby in my arms and practically immediately after that, my wardrobe will start growing (without having to put out any extra money)! Isn't that lovely? :) I think God arranged everything just the way it is, on purpose! :) Over the past week in particular, God has been re-teaching me that lesson of contentment, and reminding me that yes, although it may seem like I don't have much to wear now, very soon I will be able to wear all the other things in my closet and in the bags in storage again, so don't get caught up in the worlds way of thinking "I need more clothes" because really, I don't! Back to update:
• I have been having more Braxton Hicks. Which is a "fancy" name for feeling the contractions that have been going on for the past 9 months but that still aren't intense enough for me to be in labor. But, as you can see, the explanation is longer than "Braxton Hicks" so that's what has stuck, I guess. :) Anyway, the other night (careful, I might go off on several "rabbit trails" as I haven't posted in so long) my darling husband went grocery shopping with me and I had about 5 "more intense" contractions over the space of about an hour. Even though I knew it wasn't (hopefully) the start of labor, it did get me thinking. That particular night I was in NO WAY ready to have this baby! I mean, I am just itching to meet this Little One, but I was not ready for it to actually be here yet (and I'm still not quite ready). Little by little we have been working on getting ready for the baby. I mean, we have everything (including the birthing pool) we need for the labor and delivery part of this baby's entrance into the world, but the baby's room isn't ready (as in the baby's things aren't quite fully organized yet) and we have yet to move stuff in our bedroom to make room for the cradle to go in there. I am the kind of person that likes to be prepared. I'm flexible, but I like to be as prepared as I possibly can be and those contractions the other night gave me a little bit of a scare. :) I told my Mom the other day that I am going to have to get my house into perfect order and then keep it that way, because I am not ready for this baby, just yet, but I really want to be. :) Of course, God may have other plans, but in the meantime, I am (little by little) working on putting the house in good order (finishing organizing things and finding homes for several items) and particularly making sure our room is ready for Baby. :) Okay, back to update....
• The crib is all set up in the baby's room and we bought a swing and bouncer seat (swing is all set up, and the bouncer seat is on it's way). The only thing we really need to get still is the Pack 'N' Play. I've decided that I'm going to set the pack 'n' play up in the Living Room for the first few weeks at least so that way when the baby takes it's naps, it can be close by instead of being all the way down the hall.
• I have also been working on stocking our freezer. I have frozen Ravioli (and sauce in the cupboard) and this week I put 3 containers of Chicken Pot Pie filling (just need to be thawed and get some biscuits on top) and 1 Apple Pie in there as well. I know people will be bringing us meals, but I figure even if we don't touch this food until 3-4 weeks after the baby is born, it will no doubt come in handy to have something that doesn't need too much work after a tiring day or when I don't have anything for Hubby's lunch and I don't have enough time to make a full meal. If anyone has any other suggestions of meals to freeze, please pass them on!
• The past week I've been working harder on exercising more as for a couple weeks I wasn't doing too good. Thankfully my parents have a pool, so I can do lots of exercising in there (which is so nice because it takes all the weight off of my feet for the time I'm in it) and I've been trying to take more walks and do more T-Tapping! The past week I exercised 5 out of 7 days, which is a big difference from 2 days the week before, and 1 day the week before that!

So how's that for a longer update? I'm sorry I don't have a picture, but I will try and take one over the next day or so and post it immediately. :)

Baby Shower

Today my Mom and Scott's Mom threw me the loveliest baby shower! :) Here is a picture of the cake, made by my sweet Sister-in-law. She did a lovely job on it and it looked just lovely! From the what was left, it looked pretty good too, but I was so hot and exhausted that I didn't think it would be very wise to have that much sugar. So I have some sitting in my fridge for tomorrow. :)

The shower was at my Mom's house and it was so nice to be able to do it in an air conditioned house! I'm so glad that we've had to add on to their house so many times. :) Yes, it was a little crowded with some 60+ people, but it would have been so hot to do it outside. And they set it up so nice that there was plenty of room for everyone (of course some of the younger girls did take advantage of the pool....)

Here are a couple pictures of my Mom and I as I was opening gifts. She very lovingly was my "lap" as mine is so quickly disappearing!

Here is a picture of everything sitting in my living room, waiting for me to go through again, but this time with Scott. We received such wonderful gifts, and we are very grateful!!!!! :) God has richly blessed us!

As you can see, we got a car seat and stroller set (from my parents). I particularly love the stroller because the handle can switch sides so that I'm facing the baby. It is very versatile and I can't wait to use it!!! Behind the stroller, on the floor is a very nice high chair that Scott's parents surprised us with! You see, the high chair I put on our registry, I didn't care much for, but it was not as big and bulky as all the other ones I saw. One day my Mom and I were at another store and I saw this high chair there, and loved it. But I didn't think of it again. However, since my Mom and my Mother-in-law are such good friends, when my MIL told my Mom that she wanted to get us a high chair but didn't care for the one on our registry, my Mom told her about the one we had seen. It is just perfect, and still takes up much less space than the big bulky ones, and I'm so excited to use it!

In case anyone was wondering, I'll be 35 weeks on Tuesday!!! That means I only have 1 more week to get everything ready for the birth as it is recommended to be prepared by 36 weeks. YAY!!!! :)

Wedding

I love weddings and today we attended my cousin's wedding. Unfortunately, my camera does not take very good indoor pictures and so I didn't get any of the lovely bride and groom. I just love seeing two people so in love and with every wedding I attend I also offer a prayer to the Lord on their behalf. Marriage is not easy, but it wasn't meant to be easy. Our culture is such that it not only looks at divorce lightly but applauds it. No one is encouraged to work for their marriage, especially if it has gone down a rocky road. The truth is (if only people would see it!) that marriage is well worth the work! Marriage is not about what *I* get, how it effects *me*, how happy *I* am, it's about the other person. What can I do for *him*, how can I serve *her*. When we are putting ourselves first and are only happy if everything is going "my way" then we are not trully happy. Just like we can only be fully satisfied if we are putting Christ first in our lives, we can only be "happy" when we are looking at our marriage with a Servant's heart.

On a different note, here is a new "pregnancy picture". I am now 33 1/2 weeks along! That means less than 7 weeks until my due date! I'm so excited! I have come to love this Little One so much, and every time I feel it move it just fills my heart with joy and I can't wait to hold it in my arms!

And here is a picture of my wonderful husband! The most amazing man in the world!!!! :) (No, I don't care if anyone disagrees with me... (-; ) While we were waiting for the Bride and Groom we had passed the time taking pictures!

32 weeks, 1 day

I just realized that a good amount of my posts are done on Wednesdays, very strange, it seems. :)

Anyway, I have 6 weeks and 6 days left until my due date!!!! It is coming up so fast now!!!! We are still "more excited than ever"! :) We can't wait to have this baby be a part of our every day life. Although technically it already is. :) Of course it will be nice to hold the baby, watching it move and grow instead of feeling the baby trying to stretch me more than I knew my body could handle. During my appointment yesterday the baby kept moving away while the midwife was trying to figure out where it's lying and listen to it's heartbeat. This baby seems to be very active!

Today I went shopping and found a navy blue skirt that fits me seeing as I only have one other skirt (which is getting worn out very quickly) and one dress that I wear CONSTANTLY because they are cooler than everything else I own! Now I have two skirts to choose from, and that is SO nice!!!! :)

The summer seems to be going by so quickly. We're already half way through July!!!! So crazy!!! Although we are having a very HOT summer it has been a good one too! Next summer we'll have an almost 1 year old toddling around. I am praying that I will take advantage of every moment I have as I know that time will only feel like it is speeding up.

I guess that's about it for now. Keep an eye on my etsy shop: www.handmaidgifts.etsy.com as I'll be adding new items within the next couple days!

It's Official

It is official! All but one box of Scott's is unpacked and out of my house!!!!! I am definitely in a nesting mood. Today I took care of all the stuff that was still in the Baby's room (in the middle of the floor, no less), took care of the boxes still in our room, brought all the boxes and such that was in the kitchen (waiting to go to the garage) to the garage, cleaned my kitchen counters (and re-arranged them), did dishes, washed my floor (even though I did it 48 hours earlier), did 2 loads of laundry, went through my boxes of candles and the like (re-organizing as I went), and now I'm wishing that it was after the baby shower that my two sweet mothers are throwing for me just so I could go through and organize all that stuff! Yep, definitely in a nesting mood! By the way, just to clarify, I've only been up for 10 1/2 hours (slept in this morning) and I spent 4 hours at my parents house swimming! (and visiting too)

Well, that's about all for now. I'm 32 weeks, 2 days and counting! I love how all I have to do is touch my belly and I can figure out where the baby is! I can't wait to be able to hold this Little One!!!!

Warning: Long Post

Well, I'm a little late seeing as I planned to do this post 5 days ago, but oh well, that's life. :)
I am now 31 weeks, 1 day along. KallyLyn was correct last week when she guessed that I had 9 weeks, 6 days until my due date. Of course, today it's only 8 weeks, 6 days until my due date. But who's counting, right? :)



The baby's movement has certainly stepped up! I think I talk about the baby's movement every time I do a post. :) But every time I'm updating, everything is more than it was before, and I just have to take notice! I have been able to feel arms, legs, it's back, it's bottom, (not so much it's head anymore as that seems to be staying down more, which is a good thing....) all with just the thin layer of skin between us. It is so neat! Today the baby's knee was poking right out and when I touched it, it moved over a couple inches before pulling back in. Baby's are just so neat! God's design is just incredible!!!!!!! I can't wait to meet this precious, Little One!

As you can see, I am definitely "popping out". I can not see my feet anymore, and it is getting a bit hard to pick things up off the floor. If it is just one item, and I have nothing else in my hand, then I can usually do it, but if I'm holding something else or I need to spend more than 2 seconds down near the floor, it's hard! :)

And now, for a tour of our new home. However, please keep in mind that even though we've been here for 3 1/2 weeks now, we are still in the process of figuring out where things should go and getting everything set up just how we want it. But, if I waited until we were completely done and I had enough time to do it, then I'm sure I would have no readers left because everyone would have given up on me. :)

Here is our bedroom. As you can see there are still some boxes to be unpacked. The towel over our window is because this room has 3 windows and as soon as the sun starts coming up, it is streaming into our room while we are trying to finish off our night's sleep. Here is a full view of our bed (and Teddy) and the lovely quilt that we received as a wedding gift.

Moving down the hall..... Here is our bathroom.

And a view of our hallway:

And now we enter the beloved, Baby's Room. However, as you can see it is not fully the "Baby's Room" just yet. :) Just the other day I finished the curtains in their. If you click on the picture you can see that they are Winnie the Pooh themed. You can also see here what we have left to take care of and get out of the bedroom before my shower which is in 2 1/2 weeks. We've also been "throwing" stuff on the shelves and I plan on reorganizing them (and the books on them) once we finish emptying our last boxes.

This is the one area in the baby's room that is obviously "baby" at the moment. I have diaper and wipes samples from when we set up our gift registries, along with the diaper bag (and some little girl outfits and a Winnie the Pooh "blankie" (as in, Pooh-head attached to a mini blanket) that are inside) and our first cloth diapers which came in today! I was so excited to get them!

Here is the wall right next to the door with more things to be organized. :)

Here is our Kitchen table and you can see my first curtain that I made.

A full view of our kitchen. I also made the valance curtain for this window as well.

Here is Scott in our Living Room writing on his day off! :) From what he's told me, he's gotten a lot of writing done on his third book! The purple yarn on the side of the couch is the beginning of my second baby blanket. (Come back later to find out what happened to my first baby blanket.)

And here is where I've been sitting today, working away on my computer as Scott has worked on his.

Big announcement coming soon!!!

But first, I must go finish dinner so my darling Husband and I can eat. Oh, how I love Crockpots!!!!

Missing my Hubby (and a challenge)

Well, it has been over a month now since my dear, sweet, wonderful, loving, kind, amazing, incredible, serving, caring, giving, hardworking husband went back to work at the factory. Oh, how spoiled I am!!!! I knew before that I was spoiled but didn't realize just how spoiled I was until the past month. I mean, I figured that since we only needed one cell phone because we were practically ALWAYS together and because we only needed one car because we were always together then I was no doubt getting to spend a whole lot more time with him than other wives get with their husbands. I knew I had much to be grateful for, but still, I didn't realize just how much! Having him gone for 9 hours a day definitely brought that realization full circle! (Please note, I'm not complaining, just sharing from my heart....) I mean, I have been greatly enjoying my time at home, at OUR home, but it's not so much because I'm by myself as it is because it's "our home". Oh, I am cherishing and treasuring my time with him more than ever these days! (Hence my lack of posts and pictures.) I love my husband so much and my heart just thrills at the sound of closing doors as he heads for the front door when he gets home from work. I know it seems so silly because he was working at the same factory the first 3 months of our marriage. But remember, we've been married for 12 1/2 months now and that means that for the past 9 1/2 months I've had my Hubby all to myself. I mean, when he's home he's always working on something book related, but when he's home I can get a kiss in much more frequently throughout the day than when he's gone for most of the day. :) Besides, just his presence in the house makes me so happy. I love knowing he's working on the couch while I'm doing dishes, cooking, cleaning, organizing, going through boxes (the baby's room is still 1/3 full of boxes). It's nice just to see him as I pass through the room. '

Over the past few weeks in our own place, especially since Scott is working 2 jobs (writing/being an author is always a full-time job) God has been reminding me of all the sweet aspects of being a housewife. I mean, I was still a wife for the 7 months before now but we didn't have a place of our own. It was challenging because I had to work hard and be creative to make wherever we were feel relaxing and restful but nothing beats having a home of our own that I can make a "haven of rest" for my Man (and soon to be, family). It is nice to have pictures up (even if they are mostly of *us*) and to have my candles and all the familiar things that were in our first place of residence as "husband and wife". I know Scott would say (and I agree), "it's nice to have our books out again!" :)

I love being married. I love having my own place to cook and clean in. I love learning all that God is continuously teaching me. I love planning snacks to surprise my Hubby with when he gets home. I love being pregnant and thinking that one day very soon I will have a little baby keeping me very occupied while "Daddy" is at work. :)

I don't know if any of this mumble-jumble has made much sense. But to change the subject I now have a challenge for all of my blog-readers:

I know I have not posted in almost 2 weeks and am planing a post with lots of pictures within the next week. But how about a little trivia in the meantime?

Can anyone guess how far along I am in my pregnancy and how many weeks and days are left till my due date? Rate how far along I am (weeks+days if not exact) as of today, June 23rd. If you can guess that correctly, than you'll have no problem figuring out how many weeks and days it is until my due date (that is of course, if you remember how many weeks a full-term pregnancy is). Sometime in the next few days (as long as someone has guessed correctly) I will do a Pregnancy update post as well as a "new home" post with lots of pictures.

Update - 27 Weeks

I am sure all of my readers have been wondering where I have gone. The worst thing is that in another week, I won't even have daily internet access. But, for now I thought I'd give you all an update.

The past four days have been filled with lots of painting (only a little done by me) and cleaning as we prepare to move into a place of our own once again. To say we are excited would be an understatement considering the fact that we have not been in our own place in over 7 months! The best part about God's timing for everything is that we should be in our new place for our 1-year Anniversary which is this Sunday! We are renting a lovely old trailer (that we are painting inside to look nice and new, to the best of it's ability) that has a nice yard, a deck, and my favorite, a spot for a garden!!!! I plan on planting some Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Yellow Squash next week once we're in there! I also bought seeds for Basil, Parsley and Scallions! We're even going to be able to bring Scott's dog over which will be nice for me as she will need exercising and seeing as I'm supposed to be walking every day, we can go for a walk together. :)

The pregnancy is going very well. I am 27 weeks today which means that the baby weighs 2 lbs. and is at least 15 inches long. This Little One has been moving around a LOT lately. I just love feeling it move!

Well, that's about all for now. I am getting hungry. :)

25 Weeks

(24 weeks, 4 days)

As of today I am 25 weeks along. That means that the baby weighs approximately 1 1/2 pounds and is approximately 13 inches long. Being 25 weeks along also means that if for some reason the baby was born now, it has a very good chance of survival. Although I don't think I'll be having a preemie, it is just amazing to think that that is how fully developed this baby is! As you can see in the above picture, I am really poking out now. You may remember the post I did at 20 weeks. I have not been able to wear that shirt for 2 weeks now! Even when I try on maternity clothes, some of them just barely fit me or I can tell that I'd only get about 2 weeks out of them, if I'm lucky. So when I do go shopping I have to take LOTS into consideration. :)

Scott has started working at a chip factory for the summer as we won't have any other source of income from now until AMG publishers re-release his first book (should be November 1st). I admit that I am VERY spoiled! I miss just knowing my Hubby's in the other room all day. But it means I also get to get creative and think of special snacks to have ready for him when he comes home. We will be moving into a place of our own in June, and we are so excited!!!!! :)

Scott and I discovered while we were on our trip that we enjoy watching cooking shows. So, while Scott is at work, and I'm waiting for him to come home, I have decided that for now, while we have access to television (we won't have cable/satellite at our place) I will watch cooking shows for inspiration instead of one of our movies or the other shows that we own. It has been lots of fun and very educational! Last night I learned a new recipe for Egg Salad (it's not your traditional egg salad, and it looks really good!). I plan on trying it within the next couple days and I will try to remember to take pictures so then I can share it with all of you.

One more week to go and I'll be entering the third and final trimester. I'm so excited to meet this Little One. Yesterday it was moving around a LOT all day long!!!!!! That is to say, I could feel it moving all day long yesterday!

I think that's about it for now.