35 Weeks

I had an appointment today, so here's a little update on our  Monday milestone:

 

35 Weeks

Maternity Clothes:  I still think she must be awfully high b/c regular jeans are still fine... sometimes I don't even feel like I need the rubber band trick going on.  I am enjoying my maternity t-shirts though (regular fits, but it's nice to have more selection now that the maternity ones don't swallow me whole). :)

Movement: Anna Reaghan has had some very active evenings.  Several times her movements were SO big and so stretching they hurt and catch me off guard.  I've had to remind her she can't push her way out of the front of my stomach.  No can do.  Thankfully, she is still head down even though she's moved so much and switched which side her back is angled toward.  The doctor said Anna Reaghan has her spine out also which is the most optimal positioning.  Please stay that way!

Sleep: With both of my pregnancies, sleep hasn't been a huge issue.  I have nights now and then of pregnancy insomnia (more this time than with Asa), and I have to move around to find a comfy spot but it doesn't take terribly long.  If I have to get up in the night for the restroom, it's usually just once and not until 5 or 6.

Preparation:  Her room is soooo close to being ready. That is VERY exciting.  Today on the way back from my appointment, I picked up what I wanted to make a bow holder for Anna Reaghan's hair clips.  I think I'm mostly done prepping her room and need to move on to Asa's birthday party.  I just have little details left for her:  washing her bedding, sterilizing pump parts and a few bottles just in case, finishing touches in her room, and making sure my pack and play plan for our bedroom will work. :)

Prayer requests:  Please pray for the transition to a family for 4 for all of us!   And the usual labor and delivery things:  quick enough (hopefully faster than Asa's), smooth, no complications, nursing goes well, going home fast, speedy recovery, that my doctor would be in town :), and especially that MY HUSBAND would be in town (he has business across the country just before I turn 37 weeks and again just before I'm 38 weeks).  In MY mind, the optimal time is 40.5-41 weeks (my mom will be here by then to wait with us and would be available for Asa--she'll come whenever I go into labor if it's before then).  But I know God's timing was perfect with Asa, so I'm *trying* to trust that it's just as perfect for Anna Reaghan's arrival. :)

(Not Quite) Wordless Wednesday

I have been meaning to take a picture since Anna Reaghan finally popped out in earnest (i.e. I started showing) to compare to my pregnancy with Asa.

Here I am 27 weeks pregnant with Asa:

vs.

And here is last night, 31 weeks and 1 day pregnant with Anna Reaghan.  Note:  I am wearing the same dress in both pictures, my hair is much longer (probably hasn't been cut since the picture from Asa's pregnancy!  I'm hoping to remedy that SOON!), my eyes are still bothered by contacts this pregnancy so I'm wearing glasses, and I look TIRED as we took this right before bed so I would not procrastinate another day. :)

So what do you think?  I think for the Anna Reaghan picture being actually a month more pregnant than the Asa picture, I'm actually showing kind of comparably (?)  But maybe I just need my glasses prescription checked. ;)

p.s.  I am laughing out loud as well at how PALE I am in Anna Reaghan's picture.  Ummm, can you tell we don't live in Florida anymore?  Too funny.

31 Weeks

Instead of doing the weekend rewind today, I thought I'd do a pregnancy update.  Watch for the rewind tomorrow. :)

So here we are at...

31 weeks!

Growing, growing, GROWING: Anna Reaghan should be over 3 pounds now!  I can feel it. ;)

Maternity Clothes: I'm still my weird pregnant self--I can wear some of my smaller maternity clothes, but a lot of them still look ridiculous on me.  I also still wear my regular jeans.  The ones I wore at the end of Asa's pregnancy (just 1 size up) are WAAAAY too big.  I accidentally put a pair on the other day, and they kept falling off--good thing we just stayed at home that day. :)

Movement: Anna Reaghan gets hiccups regularly and I feel her moving every day.  It seems like her movements are becoming "larger" as she takes up more space and does her somersaults and pirouettes. :)

Cravings: occasionally something sweet and/or chocolatey

Aversions:I can now eat tomato based things more regularly, but I CANNOT smell the leftovers.  Ugh.

Symptoms:  Heartburn is here to stay and Tums are my friend. :)

Other updates:  We found Anna Reaghan's coming home outfit!  We had one possibility, and I think she'll probably wear it at the hospital at some point, but I wanted something just a smidge dressier for coming home.  As soon as I saw it, all the bells and whistles in my head went off.  I considered trying to copy the design and make one myself, but I didn't like any of the fabric at Joann's and the outfit WAS on clearance, so I got the green light to buy it.

I found a basket to hold diapers, bibs, diaper cream, etc. on sale at JoAnn's and made a liner for it that matches the flowered part of the curtains in Anna Reaghan's room (the JoAnn's HERE had a remnant the same fabric we bought in TN!).  It adds JUST the right splash of bright colors to that area of the room.

We have Asa's new reading chair (it was delivered on Saturday), so now we just need to move the glider to Anna Reaghan's room.  Her door is a smidge more narrow than the other bedroom doors, so Matt would like to take the door off before we try to move it in just to make sure we have as much clearance as possible.  I have set her quilt on the back of the glider where it waits in the loft for its new home, and it looks so sweet!  I can't wait to see it all put together!  The last big steps are getting the chair in place and hanging Anna Reaghan's name letters.  Matt is working on CAD plans to make specialized bookshelves for each of the kids.  Asa's new bookshelf will be themed as a firehouse and Anna Reaghan's will be like a dollhouse.  He'll make Asa's first (while it has some REALLY cool details, it will be more simple and faster to construct), and then Asa's current "plain" bookshelf will move to Anna Reaghan's room until he makes the dollhouse bookshelf at some point.  Other than that, I'm deciding what I want to make to store/display Anna Reaghan's bows and any other wall art I want for her room.  It's REALLY coming together which is REALLY exciting to me. :)

I have started taking an iron supplement for the anemia that showed up through my lab work.  I am hoping it might give me a little energy boost!  But that might be wishful thinking this far along. :)  I'm working on a few more sewing projects for Anna Reaghan (becoming more comfortable sewing from "real" patterns is making it kind of hard to stop.making.new.things).  I have a few more dresses, shirts, and pants I want to try.  And I'd like to make some kind of lacy or more feminine/dressy sweater to go over our baptism gown.  And I still want to try some hair clips and maybe little baby booties.  So many crafts, so little time. :)

We are so thankful for another pregnancy that is smoooooth and uneventful thus far and praying it stays that way!

Pregnancy Update: 29 weeks

I can't believe we're just a week away from the "30s."  It is unbelievable!  With Asa, hitting a 3 in the tens place really felt like we were on the home stretch.  I can't quite wrap my head around already being that far with Anna Reaghan, but I can feel that we're getting closer. ;)  It also makes me tear up just to peer into her room and imagine a tiny baby in our home, hearts, and lives again.  What a gift!!

Here's the down on how things are going...

How Far Along: 29 weeks

Maternity Clothes: I can wear some of my smaller maternity clothes without looking like I have a tent on, but I don't *have* to wear them.  I'm using the rubber band trick on my regular jeans (as of 2 weeks ago)... it makes them a smidge too big when I'm standing and walking around but just right for sitting. :)  Regular shirts.  I was the same way with Asa. :) (I wear maternity shirts/dresses when I want to accentuate Anna Reaghan's presence, like at her baby shower last weekend). 

Movement: Anna Reaghan is moving more and more.  She made me eat my words and gets hiccups frequently--I had previously commented that Asa had them all the time (at least twice/day at this point) and she never had them.  Ha ha.  She continues to be shy and stops moving the minute I put my hand on my stomach to feel her acrobatics from the outside.  But she is moving aplenty!
Position:  judging by the hiccups, I THINK she is head down, but I'm not sure.  If she is, hopefully she'll stay that way! :)

We heard the heartbeat again at our appointment on Friday.  It thump-thumped loud and strong at 145 bpm.  I get the impression our doctor does not think she'll be bigger than Asa (especially since he "cooked" 2 extra weeks).  So the current guess is that Anna Reaghan will weigh in the mid- to high 7s.

Heartburn has been present since earlier on than with Asa and it has taken up residence full time. :)  How fun if she has as much hair as Asa did--hairbows from the very start!  But we have some stretchy handbands to clip bows to if she doesn't have enough/much hair. ;)  We're bringing the Southern bows to NE Ohio either way!  I can now occasionally eat spaghetti (I never know ahead of time if it will sound good, but if it does sound palatable it's yummy)--Matt has rejoiced about that.  I am loving seeing Anna Reaghan's room coming together and can't wait to post pics to share with you.

We're all doing fine and praising God for no complications--easy and smooth so far, just like Asa.  I'm starting to slow down a smidge and trying to listen to my body's nudges to sit down when I need to and get back to taking a short nap while Asa naps.

Thank you for your excitement and prayers as we prepare to welcome Anna Reaghan into our arms and family.  We can't tell you how much we appreciate it!

18 Weeks

Yesterday marked the completion of 18 weeks of this pregnancy!  I had always heard subsequent pregnancies fly by, and that's certainly proving true!  I can't believe we're almost halfway through.  It's just amazing!  I am feeling the baby more and more, and Matt has even felt a few little kicks. :)  Next Thursday is our big ultrasound.  I have a confession:  I am still voting boy, but for about the past week when I talk about the baby, the pronouns that immediately come out of my mouth without even thinking have all switched to feminine and I keep "seeing" a little girl. The same thing happened but in reverse with Asa.  Last time, I had a "gut" feeling the baby was a girl, and a month or so before our ultrasound I flip-flopped and was pretty sure it was a boy.  Gah!  I just hope it is glaringly obvious on the ultrasound either way! :)

Pregnancy Update:

How Far Along: 18 weeks

Size of baby: the size of a bell pepper (about 5.5 inches and almost half a pound)

Maternity Clothes: Not yet.  Some of my dress pants for church aren't feeling so roomy when I sit, but I'm still wearing all regular clothes.  Maybe JUST starting to show if you know me well and look closely. ;)

Food: Still not much of an appetite most days.  Starting to have less nauseous days, but they are not exactly the norm yet.

Asa is great. :)  He is still talking tons and starting to try more and more to put two word phrases together. :)  He recently started understanding "where" more, so we are hearing, "Where Dada?  Where car?   Where go?"  It's very sweet. :)  His left 2 eye teeth have really made it through the surface of his gums, so we had a few days' relief from fussiness.  Now the right side has started. :)  I'm hoping he'll get them all through and can take a break from teething in time for Tyson's wedding March so we'll have our usual happy camper for that weekend adventure!

We have an ice storm going on right now.  I ran my necessary errands yesterday--yea!  The forecast called for up to a foot of snow, but as the system approached our area of Ohio, it turned more and more into an ice storm.  I think we have 1/2 inch of ice right now with another 1/4 to 1/2 inch expected on top of that!

I am working away on Asa's first year scrapbook.  I made photo books for each quarter of his first year through sites like Shutterfly and Picaboo, but I also wanted an overview of his entire first year.  I'm in December, so I'm about halfway done.  I think once I get past documenting his first Christmas in it (3 layouts--1 for each location), I should be able to move pretty quickly through early 2010.  I would love to get caught up to present day so I can just do a layout or 2 a month.  That would be GREAT!!  And I actually have a Shutterfly code I need to use to make a photo book of the last 4 months of Asa's first year.  We have one well-photographed little guy. :)  AND I want to make an appointment at Penney's for 18 month portraits.  He's 19 months old, but we'll let that slide, right? ;)

That's about it for us!  I'm hoping to do some more sewing soon, so stay tuned for HOPEFUL crafty updates. :)

Hindsight

I have decided hindsight is going to be a very big part of parenting. I think we'll realize so much looking back that we question in the moment.

How many more pushes til this baby is born? You only know looking back.
How many hours of labor will it take? You only know once it's done.
Why is my baby doing ______? Is it ______? We'll only know on the other side.

What brings this topic to mind? Asa has been topsy turvy today! I guess it really started some yesterday, but today he's woken up from every nap 10-15 minutes early. He's gone from 9 feedings (on average) during the day to 11. He is impatient nursing, gulping for milk and pulling off once he gulps all the initial let down. If I offer the other side then, he gulps that down and then pulls off/nurses (back and forth). So we switch back and forth a few times. All this when he HAD settled into a little routine of eating every 2-2.5 hours during the day and being woken to eat every 3-3.5 hours at night. We were so looking forward to him achieving birth weight so we could let him sleep longer at night and all get some rest. Ha. Rest? Not looking likely right now, Mr. I-want- to-eat-every-2-hours-or-less-no matter-what-time-it-is. He's just fussy and not himself! I know babies change all the time, especially just when you think you have them figured out. But it's so hard not to know for sure what's going on with the little guy! I'm so thankful Mom is here to reassure me. :)

We have no reason to think it's a supply issue. On top of Asa's symptoms, I drank 2 liters of water in less than an hour and was still thirsty and I've been hungry all the time the last two days. Lastly, Asa is 3 weeks old. The lactation consultant said to be on the lookout for a growth spurt around 3 weeks.

So, nursing mamas, does this sound like a growth spurt to you?? I have to add one last thing. At the doctor last week for his 2 week check-up, the nurse said he was 21.5" long and that his head shape probably rounded out more causing the discrepancy in length from his birth measurements (22"). I measured him today, and he is definitely 22.5" at least (he was a bit squirmy).

Alright, so if you have any input, that would be great. I think this is one of those things we won't know for sure about until after it's over. If he settles back down in a day or two and his voracious appetite slows, we can most likely check off growth spurt. Please pray for our stamina in the mean time! Also, according to our scale, he is 8 lbs. 3.5 oz. We are hoping to take him Thurs. to be weighed for the official okay from the doctor (have to go this week). Please pray that the scale we have is accurate and that theirs is too, so we can stop being pestered about his weight! :)

Thank you!

Praise the Lord!

Today we had 2 big events. Asa had his newborn photo shoot, and we went to see the lactation consultant. Both went really well!

Asa tends to have some tummy rumbles that make him quite uncomfortable. You never know when they will strike, and they can wake him out of a sleep. He certainly sleeps well otherwise and most of the time, and he has happy awake times, too. There was just no telling how his tummy would do during the photo shoot. Sheli, the photographer, is great and so patient. She took some shots of him in his room, set up a black backdrop in the den and took some of just me with him, just Matt with him, both of us with him, and close-ups of just Asa. Then she set up an adorable "set" with an awesome basket surrounded by little boy things. She brought a bunch of her husband's hunting things, remembering that Matt likes to hunt. It also had touches of woodland creatures to reflect his room, and even a UT blanket incorporated. She showed us a shot on her camera, and it looked straight out of a magazine. I cannot WAIT to see the proofs! They should be available for viewing in a couple weeks.

Then we stuffed our faces with sandwiches so we could be on time for the lactation consultant. It was such a blessing and answer to prayer! She said my positioning of Asa, his latch, and his suck are perfect! PRAISE GOD! We had been praying the whole pregnancy that Asa would be a champ at nursing, so that I would be the only one between the two of us with a learning curve. ;) He seems to be on track for gaining an ounce each day and took in two ounces of milk during the feeding, which is just right. She said to keep using the prescription ointment I got on Monday for the cracks and that they're not infected or anything which was reassuring. It was all positive, which is such a God thing. We are using a friend's kitchen scale to track his weight now, and we'll take him back next week when, Lord willing, he's at 8 lbs. 3 oz. to be released until his 2 month check up!

Mom and I also had a mini photo shoot with Asa this afternoon to get some more shots to choose from for the birth announcements. Now it will be hard to choose--but that's a good problem, right? I'll leave you with a sneak peek...

p.s. Thank you for all the prayers! They are such a blessing to us!

Game On

The hospital just told us to come in and be admitted at 11:00--that's in one hour! Just wanted to let you know it's really happening! Stay tuned.....

No later than...

...June 22 (probably). :)

We did indeed keep our 41 weeks appointment! I was realllllly hoping we wouldn't need it or we could tell them I was in labor and they could just check how far along. But, GOD is in control! And He saw fit for there to still be no progress.

Asa looked great on the ultrasound. Since my mom is in town, she got to come in and see him for that appointment, too! We saw his sweet, filled out cheeks, his hand resting under his chin, his chest rising and falling, his heart beating away, and his lips as he pursed and unpursed them. :) He got 8/8 on the biophysical profile again (my fluid was down 1 cm from last week, but that's still higher than it initially was 2 weeks ago). So, they are saying he is set and doing great. They also said he has LOOOONG legs that he has stretched way out and they're still guessing at least 8-8.8 for his weight.

As for me, I am a grand total of......... 1 cm dilated! HA! She said she could maybe count it as 1.5 cm with stretching. I am basically NOT effaced, though the cervix is medium in softness (at least it's not really firm). It's midline, so starting to become anterior, and Asa is around -2 station, so at least not alllll the way up at -4 or above. :) In my favorite birth book, The Birth Partner, it said -2 or -1 station is average and normal for a first baby before labor begins. At least something about his current status is as hoped/expected. :) We got "4 points" for cervical readiness, and they would like to see 7 points if we were miserable and wanting to induce by the end of the week. Though Matt is going crazy and I am finally feeling more and more pregnant, we are by no means miserable and we reallllllly want him to come on his own. So, he gets over the weekend for things to get started. If he's not here by Sunday night, we are scheduled to go in at midnight for an induction. We'll actually call at 10:30 PM to see if they have enough anticipated beds for us to come. They could push it to later in the morning or the next day. Basically the latest we could get pushed back is Tuesday night at midnight. We'd be top priority then because I'd be 42 weeks. Monday and Tuesday, our 2 favorite midwives are on call, so I am really thankful for that. Wednesday my least favorite is on call, so I really hope it doesn't come to THAT.

Matt was really disappointed in trying to figure out how to process where we are. I thought he'd be so glad to know an "end," but I think as much as I told him the dilation/effacement numbers can change (go from low to high) or stay steady (at a high number) and therefore don't have to mean tooooo much, he really was hoping for "bigger" news. I know he could still come on his own, and I will be praying that God would allow that. Thursday is Joy's guess for his arrival and Matt's dad's birthday--how fun would that be? And then I guessed the 20th, which would be Saturday. God can still make it happen. :) I am not at all excited about an induction, BUT I know that if that's what it comes to, God has always known that's what it would come to. It's not a surprise to Him, and He has no plan B, only plan A. I can trust that. I admit I was awake most of the night last night wondering and worrying about an induction. But this morning, through some tears and talking to Matt, Mom, and Dad, I am doing better. :)

So that's us for now. PRAY PRAY PRAY he comes on his own!!! :) Mom and I are taking Kim J's advice, and she is helping me get started on the muslin "practice" baptismal gown for Asa that I want to sew. You know the whole "right when you start a project, it will get interrupted" idea. So far, he doesn't seem interested in interrupting our industriousness. :) But we are having fun, and I am excited to know I can do this when I buy the real fabric. :)

Praises: Asa is doing GREAT and showing every sign he is ready to thrive outside the womb.

Prayer Request: for peace no matter when/how he is delivered, for a safe and smooth delivery, and if we had our choices, for it to be either be spontaneous before the induction or at least with one of our preferred midwives if induced

Love,
Becca

Twiddling Our Thumbs

Asa is still not budging. :) I know 4 days overdue is not a big deal, but it does kind of make you think about things differently. I was all psyched up for labor before his due date, and now even though I know in my head he WILL eventually come, it's just kinda weird to process it. Really? What will it be like? How strange. It will just happen? If you say so...

It has been GREAT to have Mom here to help us pass the time. We have decided the only down side to having everything for Asa ready weeks before his arrival is that now we have to make up/think up things to do to pass the time. :) That has included errands, every last piece of laundry in the house, mowing the yard (Matt, not me), watching movies with our free trial of Netflix (does anyone have issues with it decreasing the quality of the streaming video as you watch if you do the instant movies over the tv??), and today we went and saw UP! in 3D at the theater.

Today 2 people asked the question I've been hoping (humorously) that someone would ask, "When are you due?/How much longer til the big day?" I get to smile, laugh, and say, "It was supposed to be Wednesday." It's fun to see people's reactions to that news. :)

Brad voted for tomorrow, and we would be THRILLED for him to be right! We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Ha--like we have a choice. But as Rob (our pastor) underscored in his sermon today, God's timing is mysterious but/AND perfect. Thankfully, it--and we--are not a mystery to Him. :)

We'll continue to keep you posted!

Whew!

Asa was breathing, moved enough (just enough.... he was sound asleep), and my fluid level was up so we are good to go on the waiting game... no one's talking induction or any complications for which we are SOOOO thankful!

Mom arrives tomorrow and my favorite midwife is on call all weekend, so we'd LOVE (and I will be praying) for him to arrive anytime between tomorrow and Sunday. A midwife we really like is on call Monday, too, so that would work. :) Then our next favorite is on call on Wednesday. I think I'll be talking to Asa a lot this weekend to convince him it's time! :)

Most of all, we're so thankful everything checked out okay so he can have some more time to decide on his own he's ready. We are SO thankful to be back home and not at the hospital beginning an induction! Praise the Lord! :)

June 10

came and went. :) I'm honestly not surprised and not worried by it. Matt, on the other hand, texted me 5-6 times throughout the day asking if I was having contractions. :) He is so ready to meet his little man! :)

Today we have the biophysical profile at 3, followed by an appointment with the midwives. We're taking our bags just in case, but hoping we won't need them (in other words, hoping everything is okay to give him a few more days to decide on his own to come!).

My mom is driving down tomorrow (or sooner if something happens), and it's so nice to know she'll be here tomorrow either way. Either to meet Asa or to help pass the time while we wait to meet Asa. :)

I'm really holding up fine. It's funny that you get "past" your due date and everyone gives advice on how to get labor started. Whereas I'm totally calm about it--it's only 1 day late! I am NOT going walking (it's been suggested by many) in 90+ degree FL summer heat by myself (don't think Asa--or the doctors--would appreciate the dehydration either), so that's out unless/until Mom is here to go walking at the mall with me (since Matt is at work). I'm really okay with it. I thought he would be late, so really he's still on time according to what I expected. :)

We'll let you know as anything develops! For now, we're just taking it all in stride and trying to stay cool. :)

You're Only a Day Away

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!

Well, maybe or maybe not. :) We don't know if Asa really will make his grand debut tomorrow, but that's his due date. :) We'll just have to wait and see how punctual he decides to be. :) Either way, it's pretty amazing that tomorrow is the day we've been counting down to for 9 months!

We have a countdown on my google homepage that's been counting down to June 10 since we found out we were pregnant (Sept. 30), and actually before that we had a countdown for over a year when we were wanting to try but God was telling us to wait. That countdown started at 408 days, then we had the pregnancy countdown when He so graciously created this little life, that was 280 more days. And now we're down to ONE day!!! Almost two years of praying for and anticipating this one special day (and a lifetime of days to follow). Wow.

I am still feeling amazingly well. I honestly do not feel like I'm "supposed" to have a baby tomorrow! Sure Matt giggles when I (try to) get up off the couch or out of bed :), and yes my back aches a little by the end of the day. But I'm still up and about, running errands, going to church, cooking dinners, going grocery shopping, doing laundry and dishes, vacuuming, etc. Oh yeah, and sleeping..... a lot...... whenever I can! I am still sleeping really well at night, overall. Sometimes I have a night when sleep just doesn't seem to come (like last night), but I am still able to rest all night, just without dozing off too much. And God graciously gives me energy the next day--I even got up and had breakfast with Matt before he left for work this morning. :) I'm sure I'll take an early nap today (or two), but we are both in awe (and OVERFLOWING with thanks) that I am feeling so well! No complaints, here! Really! :)

The bags are packed, cameras are freshly charged, lists of people to call have been prepared, and birth announcement envelopes are addressed and ready to roll when we actually have a birth to announce. :) Our next appointment is this Thursday. They will do a biophysical profile (an ultrasound and they'll use external fetal monitors to measure if I'm having any contractions, how he responds to those (heart rate), track his movements, breathing, muscle tone, and a detailed look at how the placenta is holding up) of Asa to see how he's doing in more detail, then I imagine we'll either be back because he's coming or not until the following Wednesday at 41 weeks. My gut is by the 14th or 15th, but who knows how in tune my "mother's intuition" is at this point. :) We have not had the midwives check for dilation or effacement. We know you can walk around dilated for days or weeks without going into labor or even any change. Or you can show no signs and go into labor the very next day. For our sanity at this point, we have chosen not to be checked. If we get to 41 weeks, then we'll see if there's ANY sign he's budging :), but for now we're content to wait a little longer.

I made a shutterfly photo page for all things Asa. I know not everyone is on facebook or cares to be, so I thought it would be an easy way for you to access pics of our little guy whenever you want. So for instance, you'll see plenty of pictures of Asa's first day here on the blog (once we're settled) , but if you want to see the full paparazzi haul of pictures from Asa's first days, you could go to the shutterfly site. :) The address is http://babykubo.shutterfly.com/ and I'll add it as a link on the sidebar here on the blog as well so you can find it easily. :) Right now it has albums with pictures from a school baby shower thrown by my coworkers, things my students made for/gave Asa, and pictures of the nursery.

That is about it for now. We'll keep you posted of course. If you *are* on facebook, Matt can update it from his cell phone to let you know how things are progressing. Check our status updates on facebook. :) If you are not, we are trying to set up mobile updating of the blog, too, so he can text short updates to the blog and let you know what's going on. I considered doing Twitter just for labor updates, but I think we can keep most everyone up-to-date through facebook, the blog, and phone calls. Amazing how technology has changed such things, huh? :)

We hope you are well and can't wait to introduce you to Asa... whenever he arrives!! :) Thank you for all your prayers--we REALLY appreciate them!

Love,
Becca

39+ weeks

We have made it less than a week until the due date! How amazing is that?! :)

Today we had a regular appointment plus a growth scan. Apparently Asa's decided to jump on the family growth track, as he's gained (all approximations which are notoriously known for being off in the 3rd trimester) over 2 pounds in 3 weeks! He is now estimated at a whopping 8 lbs. 8 oz. (which is what I weighed at birth). He was 6 lbs. 3 oz. at our last ultrasound at 36 weeks. It's interesting though, the breakdown of measurements leads me to believe the weight is distributed over some long legs (measuring over 2 weeks "ahead" at 41 weeks 2 days) more than over a big belly. ;) His abdomen measures much closer to average than his legs do. :) The ultrasound tech also sounded SHOCKED (seriously! which surprised me, because you know they see ALL sorts of babies) at how much/how long his hair was. Her jaw dropped open--I'm not kidding! :) So we have a long, hairy baby, just as we suspected. :)

Here he is sleeping (you are looking at his face, face on). He slept the entire ultrasound.

(chin on the left, forehead on the right, closed eyes, little nose, and sweet mouth in between)

I lost 4 lbs. since last week. Who knows what that's about. Probably a mix of his rapid growth and random factors, like maybe I was wearing jeans last week. They're not worried--he's obviously growing! :) My blood pressure was still low, but my normal (110/64). We go back next Thursday (the day AFTER our due date) for another check-up if he's not here, and they'll do a biophysical profile. I've read that's common if the baby becomes overdue, and my amniotic fluid is on the low side of normal. It decreased 0.4 cm since last week, so I think they want to know if that is a trend (in which case, it looks like we'd be scheduling an induction sooner than later) or just normal fluctuations. I have been trying to drink 2 liters of water every day, but Matt and I have now made it our goal for the first liter to be done by noon and the 2nd liter to be done by 4, so anything I have during the evening is even extra fluid (the amniotic fluid level is determined by the efficiency of the placenta, my fluid intake, and his urine output), like icing on the cake. I appreciate that they are not worried, but they keep close tabs on things. :)

I also had a handful of questions, and I was SUPER DUPER glad about one of them (actually, all of them had the answers I hoped to hear)! I can wear my contacts during labor! Of course, I'd have to take them out if we ended up in a c-section situation, but I am really thankful I can at least start out with my contacts. Silly, but it's the little things, you know?

We'll certainly keep you posted! He seems awfully snug in there, but we know that can change in the blink of an eye. :)

Projects

Now that I am home, I am beginning to work on our final projects for Asa's room. The two main ones are the tree mural and curtains. I began the tree mural this week. So far, we just have a tree trunk, but leaves should be on the wall by the end of the week. Then I will turn to the curtains. We're almost there!

This is the tree mural we are roughly basing ours on.

Here's what our trunk looks like (except I went back and smoothed out the edges of the trunk some, so they weren't so bumpy. And we tried lightly adding a darker brown on top of this coat trying to give it some dimension. The verdict is still out on whether we'll keep our 2-tone trunk OR just paint it all the darker brown--it's just a shade or 2 darker). Matt says it looks kind of like sea coral right now :), but hopefully the leaves will fix that!

Quick Post

Just an update to let you know our 34 week appointment was GREAT! My blood pressure is still low (110 over 60-something), I'm just now officially back to pre-pregnancy weight (I never realized you could leave the hospital with your baby and weighing less than before you got pregnant, but that's the most likely scenario at this point!). We are SO thankful to God that this has been such a smooth and "easy" pregnancy. I'm starting to feel like my stomach is awfully cramped quarters for our little guy, and I've noticed I'm really slowing down physically. But my goodness, I can't imagine it being much less eventful than it has been. I measure exactly 34 weeks on the dot (they measure the "fundal height" of the uterus, and it was 34 cm on the dot--it's been ON THE NOSE or a fraction under at every appointment since they started measuring it). I honestly don't feel like I stick out in front as much as other women this far along (though I do realize I'm sticking out more than I did), so it always surprises me that I measure right on. Today the midwife said it's because of my height---it's all just stretched out more vertically. The centimeters are there, but they are not as prominent. Because my weight gain has been, well, not really existant, they are estimating he will be long (I wonder where they got that impression??) and about the size I was when I was born (8 lbs. 8 oz.). The midwife tried to size him up through my stomach today and said, "Yup, I think he'll be right around 8." She said it'll be a long 8, not a big 8. :) hehe That's all great news, and so is that we will SEE him again on May 13! That is our next appointment (36 weeks) and we'll have an ultrasound that day to estimate just how big he is. That's also our last "2 week" appointment. From that point on, it's every week! How did we get to this point already??

Lastly, we checked with our first choice pediatrician, and she IS accepting new patients (praise the Lord!). We will meet with her in May also for a consultation just to make sure we feel comfortable with her and talk over a few things (like vaccine schedules--which we know from other patients she is amenable to stretching out). Now we just need to install the car seat (not quite yet though), and we'll have all the bases covered.

Alright, I need to go put more grades in the computer. Three days left..... (please pray for us and for my class!). :)

Love,
Becca

The final countdown....

... of teaching, that is.

I'm about off to bed, but I thought I'd stop in really quickly. :) I haven't been around much, because we've been out of town a lot! We spent a week at Hilton Head with my family over spring break. Then we were back a week before we drove back to SC for Matt's sister's wedding. Stay tuned for pictures from both events. :)

Now I'm in my last week a teaching--what a strange feeling! Matt kids me about quitting work, but we both realize this is more like a job change than becoming unemployed. I thought teachers worked long hours.... just wait til Asa gets here! :)

Anyway, it's an exciting week, because I'll soon be able to focus more on the house and family. It's also a really emotional week as I transition my class over to a new teacher (she is with us all week which is great!). Matt and I realized that he will be out of town most of Friday, and I had a little mini-breakdown thinking I'd come home from my last day of teaching to an empty house and completely fall apart for the rest of the night. We realized we'll get to see each other after I leave work that day, before he heads to Orlando for a meeting (thank you, Lord!). I know I will really need a hug at that point. :)

All that to say, the first steps of the REALLY big changes are underfoot, and hopefully I'll be back soon to update you more on how they go and what we've been up to. :) We also have our 34 week appointment tomorrow, so I'll be sure to update about that when I can. We should get to see Asa next week or the week after, too (growth scan)! We'll let you know what we find out!

Thank you for your prayers and support, especially as we draw nearer to Asa's arrival and with my final week of teaching. :)

Much love,
Becca

Pop!

I think Asa finally popped! I wore a (my only) maternity dress on Sunday (WHY in the world does everyone make maternity dresses and pants so short? Are tall people not supposed to get pregnant or something??), and I think he was really showing! What do you think? ;)

Hehehe And it only took 6 months to finally look this way! :)
Happy 3rd trimester to us, starting TODAY (27 weeks)!

I have a post "developing" that I'll put up really soon that will give you a glimpse into life in our little town. :) It's even hardly baby related! :) Matt took some great pictures of the Azaleas blooming in our yard (we have a dogwood blooming, too, and TONS of pollen to go with them all :)) that I'll post also. We are doing well--both busy with work. I have to admit, when Monday mornings roll around, it's getting harder and harder to drag myself out of bed and get ready for work. The kids are the reason I go! I only have 6.5 weeks left with them. Please pray that they will adjust smoothly to the sub in May and just that I would soak up every second with them and make the most of this time I have to touch 20 lives on a daily basis. I think as a Christian in a public school, it would be easy to take for granted what easy access I have to (hopefully) shaping these little lives and hearts. It's been such a blessing to truly cast the vision for them (thanks for the idea, Dad) that this little life inside me is ALIVE, fully HUMAN, and a PERSON. Not some blob, not tissue, not a mass. He is a person, and they KNOW it and totally see him/accept him as that. I hope that "seed" stays planted with them as they grow older. What a privilege it has been to teach! This is my 4th class, and I can only imagine the lives touched by some of my mentors, like Libby Hamel. Wow. Can you imagine the stories in Heaven that will come about as a result of her years of ministry and work in the classroom? I am so thankful for her and many like her who are in the classroom, especially as I have been called in a different direction for a time.

The only other "big" thing going on is actually almost over! That's right, the lovely FCAT. FCAT is the standardized test students take in Florida. In third grade we have the additional pressure, I mean pleasure, of knowing that our students' performance on the reading FCAT determines whether or not they will be promoted to 4th grade. What a load those little shoulders carry! The reading portions were yesterday and today, and the kids seem to have done an amazing job. I'm not allowed to know anything about the test I admininster and monitor, BUT I can tell you they have worked hard, with diligence, checked their answers in the passages, checked their work when they were done, and I am SOO proud of their effort! Tomorrow we have 2 math test sessions, and then we are DONE! WOO HOO!! They are all feeling MUCH more relaxed now that the first day (Tuesday) is over, they know what to expect, and as they said, "It's easier than I thought!" "I'll die of boredom by Thursday." (no, I do not have cocky magnet kids or anything ;)) I told them it's like a batter warming up. Practice with extra weight and making it extra hard, so the real thing feels like an easy homerun. :) All the work we have done this year is what makes them able to not be anxious now. :)

Alright, I must close and decide what's for dinner. My appetite has disappeared again in the last week or two, so poor Matt has had an adventure as far as dinner is concerned. :) He's such a good egg! We hope you are well and appreciate your care and prayers! :)

Love,
Becca

You know what they say...

... a woman can change her mind a thousand times, right? Well, after more thought, we realized we've basically kept this blog's address to family and friends, and it's hard to find otherwise because I have not linked to it in my Blogger profile. Also, it is a hassle to ask people without google/blogger usernames and passwords to create them. So, that being said, the blog is still free and clear afterall (unless I change my mind again--ha!). :)

Now, moving along to more important things like.... Asa's room!! There are still come touch ups to do and some decorating to come, but it is painted and has a crib and changing table in it!!!

Matt worked SO hard the past two weekends on the room. Last weekend he put Kilz on the walls and painted the base coat. This week he measured out the stripes (400 in. of wall divided into 8 in. stripes = 50 stripes!)--which was an involved process--then I taped the stripes and he painted them. Whew! Last night, he and mom lugged the changing table into the room and assembled the crib. Thank you, thank you Mom and Dad for sending down the furniture! And thank you Mom for all your help and Dad for your instructions and sharing her with us. :) While Matt painted stripes (we weren't "allowed" to see until he was done), Mom and I cleaned out a lot of the garage and made space for the twin mattresses to be stored out there until Asa is older.

Alright, without further ado, here are our pictures of the process!

The worker bee himself when the stripes were finished!

Showing you the bedding stripes as our "color inspiration" :)

Taking off the first strip of tape!



Moving right along... removing more tape



Look at those stripes! :)



He is WORN OUT after painting all day, moving the dresser, and assembling the crib... but here's a glimpse of the room!



This is what you see when you walk in and look to the right



Moving counter-clockwise around the room. There will be blinds and curtains for the window. I think (edit: change!) the rocker will go next to the crib here (at the end of it). :)



Still going counter-clockwise... now you can see the crib and changing table.



This is what you see straight ahead when you walk into the room. Also, I must say these pictures were taken after midnight.. the colors look lighter and brigher in daylight. :) And again, there will be blinds and curtains. :)



On the unstriped portion of the wall here, I will be painting a (simple) tree mural to go with our forest theme. :) (edit: change!) The raccoon beanbag will go under the tree. :)



Working our way around the room....



Almost back to the beginning



And there you go!



Asa and me with the crib. :)



A close-up of the crib.
edit: change! We flipped the bumper pad so the stripes face out and all the cute animals face in-- basically so that we can see them all instead of them being hidden facing the back wall or the head/foot board. ;)



A peek inside the crib (thank you for the blankie, Kerry and Preston!)



Some of Asa's clothes



Our beaver in his ever-increasingly forest-y abode :)

Big and Hairy

Those two words about sum up our monthly appointment with the midwives today.

Thankfully, they didn't use those words to describe me. ;) They were talking about Asa! We had a follow-up ultrasound today, because his positioning last time didn't allow them to measure his spine, observe all 4 chambers of the heart close-up, or see him face-on to check for cleft palate. They checked all of those things today, and everything is great! :) They also told us he's estimated at 1 lb. 13 oz. already. He's already almost TWO POUNDS!! No wonder random strangers are starting to notice my little baby bump. :) The tech also commented about him having quite the hair on his head. I noticed the top of his head looked fuzzy and had heard that's how hair shows up on ultrasound. Before I could even ask she commented on it... the top of his head looks quite fuzzy. :) He's still head down. While that could change of course, we are thankful he's still in the "right position" so far. :) Lastly, Asa is definitely still all boy. ;)

We go back in 4 weeks exactly. Then I think we'll be moving to appointments every 2 weeks. I have to do the glucose test sometime before I go back. Last time I passed with flying colors, so hopefully everything's still the same. :)

In other news, Matt has been a BUSY BEAVER painting Asa's room! He put Kilz up on all the walls and painted the base color--2 nights in a row! We finally settled on colors. They are two shades of a nice, warm caramel color. Of the 4 walls in the room, one will be a solid wall of the lighter caramel color (and I'm painting a tree mural on it later... but no, I didn't copy Brad and Joy! I didn't know they were doing that in our niece's room), the other 3 will have vertical stripes of the two colors. I LOVE the way it looks so far. It's just such a nice, rich color without being too dark. And this Friday Mom drives down with Asa's furniture--his crib and changing table! I just can't quite imagine the feeling of seeing everything in place in the room with his bedding and furniture. Exciting but surreal!

I will be sure to post pictures of the nursery as it progresses. :) Stay tuned!