37 weeks pregnant

I'm now 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant. Baby continues to be very active and is now head down after being breech at my ultrasound last week. We're about as prepared as we can be. Bags are packed, car seat is in the car, fridge and freezer are full, and laundry is caught up. We do need to agree on a boy name. Now we just wait for baby to decide it's time to come. I'm under orders from my family that baby can't arrive until after Monday afternoon. Clare has a dance recital on Saturday that my parents are planning to attend, and my dad is needed to work on Monday. Any time after that is fine with them. :) We'll see what baby has to say about that. Stephen is still very insistent that it's a baby brother. His name suggestion is "Crucifix." Thank gooodness we're not leaving it up to him. :)

As apprehensive as I am about adding a third blessing to our family, I'm excited to meet this little one and embrace the grace and joy he/she will bring us!

37 weeks

34 weeks

We've made it to 34 weeks, 3 days. If baby is like his/her big brothers, he/she could arrive in just 3 short weeks! Or, since I'm planning on an early arrival, he/she will probably decide to wait until the scheduled c-section on May 8. I'm slowly getting things crossed off my to do list. Next up is to pack the hospital bag. Baby is still very active throughout the day. I've think I've actually been getting the best sleep of any of my pregnancies. My hips haven't been bothering me which is a definite positive. Trying to enjoy all the sleep while I can. Stephen has now decided that baby is a baby brother. I have a feeling he will be excited regardless of the gender. Paul loves to say "baby" and kiss my belly. Hopefully, he will be okay with sharing mommy with baby.

For fun, I thought I'd do a baby bump comparison. I think I'm bigger with this baby.

37 weeks

37 weeks and 2 days...this is when Stephen was born. Luckily, baby #2 is deciding to stay put for now. I've definitely been having more Braxton-Hicks contractions lately but not consistent enough for me to get too worried. Our bags are packed; we're ready to go. I've been crossing things off my to-do list, but there's still several items I would like to get done. At my appointment yesterday, baby's heart rate was in the 130s. Baby moved and the heart rate accelerated which Dr. L said is a sign of a healthy nervous system. So, hopefully, baby will be happy hanging out in the warmth and darkness for 13 more days. Although I'm ready to be done being pregnant and meet our new little one, I will also be less stressed if things go according to plan. Keep praying!

37 weeks

Thoughts at 30 weeks

Two months from today, I will be holding a newborn baby in my arms. Am I ready for that? Not quite yet. There are still quite a few things I want to accomplish before we have two little ones. We have several other things that need to should get done around the house before we add a baby. I want to spend as much time enjoying my precious Stephen while he's the only one to love on. Emotionally and mentally, I'm not quite ready for another newborn. I know there's really no way to be completely prepared and that I'll deal with whatever comes my way as it comes; however, I do at least want to feel a little more ready. Definitely something I need to take to prayer. Despite my unreadiness, I am very excited to welcome baby #2 and can't wait to meet him/her. I am also looking forward to seeing Stephen's reaction and watching the sibling relationship as they grow.

28 weeks

Here I am at 28 weeks. I feel huge, but I know I have more growing to do. Baby is very active, and I think he/she likes to stretch out from top to bottom...at least that's what it feels like he/she is doing.

Last night I had a dream that I had twin boys. I remember thinking, "3 boys, 18 months and under, how am I going to do this?" Luckily, that's not going to happen, unless there's a twin who's very good at hiding. :)

After much prayer, discernment, and talking to others, I decided to have an elective c-section with this baby. So, as long as baby doesn't decide to arrive early like his big brother, he will make his arrival on Tuesday, June 5. We have lots to do before then!

21 weeks

I finally got a belly shot taken. Still feeling good. I've been feeling the baby move a lot more which I enjoy. The kicks are definitely getting stronger. I think he/she might be taking karate lessons. :)

21 weeks pregnant

19 weeks pregnant

I'm almost halfway through this pregnancy. I can't believe I'm this far along, but I also can't believe I still have about 20 weeks to go. So far everything has been going very smoothly, much like it did with Stephen. The nausea is gone, as long as I don't go too long without eating. I finally have a baby bump which I'm hoping to get a picture of this week, and I'm wearing maternity clothes. We had the anatomy scan ultrasound yesterday. Baby looked great! Everything is normal. Baby is measuring at 20 weeks with long fingers. He/she really likes their hands and kept covering his/her face. As with Stephen, we are not finding out the gender. Here are some of the pictures we got.

Side profile

See that little hand?

What cute little feet!

No more pictures!

Another thumb sucker?

What a cutie!

A Fun Weekend

Steve and I enjoyed a fun weekend. It started Saturday morning with the first basketball game of the season for the team Steve coaches. It ended in a 16-16 tie. (They only go into overtime during the tournament.) His team looked pretty good for their first game.

Saturday evening we ventured up to Boulder to watch the NU vs. CU volleyball game. The Huskers got off to a slow start but eventually swept the Buffs. The arena was definitely dominated by Husker fans. The picture is not the greatest because it was taken on my phone.

On Sunday night we decided to go see a movie. We have several movie gift cards but haven't been to a movie in quite awhile. We saw RED. It was pretty good. It's filled with action, some suspense, and a lot of humor.

It was great spending time together and enjoying being us before we add a baby to the mix.

36 Weeks

The first snow of the season is falling outside...nice big snowflakes. It's very pretty. I don't mind the first snow, especially when I get to stay inside and drink some nice warm peppermint tea and contemplate the fact that I'm having a baby in 4 short weeks, give or take a few days. Craziness! We packed our bags for the hospital last night. I still have a few things to pick up which I will hopefully get this week. I almost have my Christmas shopping done. Most of the gifts are wrapped as well. I've got my Christmas letter started and the address list almost finalized. I'm hoping to finish the curtains for the baby room today or tomorrow. Things are starting to fall into place. I know the nursery most likely won't be perfectly ready when the baby comes, but I'm hopeful that it will be really close. Here is my belly shot from today:

According to my 5-year-niece, Clare, who saw me via Skype last night, I'm really fat. :)

Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to eagerly anticipate the arrival of our little one.

33 weeks

Time continues to fly by. My belly continues to grow and baby continues to kick and stretch. At our doctor's appointment last Friday, Dr. A. said the baby's head is where it needs to be, so hopefully Shelby doesn't decide to perform any somersaults between now and delivery day.

I'm continuing with my Christmas preparations. I even have some gifts wrapped already! My next sewing project is to make curtains for the baby's room. I have the fabric, just need to get going on them.

We took a childbirth class and had a hospital tour a couple weeks ago. It was definitely a very interesting experience and made everything seem much more real. I'm going to start working on packing my hospital bag. The hospital we are going to is VERY nice. It's only 6 1/2 years old and has many nice features. The worst part is the 25 minute drive (in good weather and traffic) we have to make. My prayer right now is that I will go into labor when Steve is home - not delivering cookies an hour or more away from home - and that we are not in the middle of a blizzard or morning rush hour. Not much to ask, right? :)

Some pictures to share

Here we are at 30 weeks. Shelby remains very active with frequent hiccups. Luckily, the movements have never kept me awake at night which is a blessing. We have so much to do before Shelby's arrival, but we're slowly chipping away at our to-do list. No, the nursery is not set up. We have the furniture for it in the basement; however, there's a bit more to do before we can bring it up. I have faith that it will all get done.

I have a few pictures to share today. The first is a new belly shot. As you can tell, I definitely look pregnant now. I've had a couple people tell me I look too small to be due in December, but I feel plenty big. :)

30 weeks

This is a picture of one of the stockings I made. I got enough fabric for 4. They are all done and sitting with our Christmas stuff. They went together pretty easily, and I'm looking forward to hanging them up every year.

This is a picture taken by Steve of 4 fighter jets flying just west of our house on September 19. They frequently do flyovers for the Broncos home games. The jets go right by our house. It's a pretty incredible sight. They did another one this past Sunday with only 2 jets. They were flying around for quite awhile before they did the actual flyover. With a major road and railroad and light rail tracks behind us, we get quite the views of plenty of planes, trains, and automobiles.

Pregnancy thoughts at 28 weeks

28 weeks down...about 12 to go! Wow, where has the time gone? December seemed so far away when we found out we were pregnant in March...now it's just around the corner. There is still so much to do. I definitely need to be making better use of my time. I've subbed a few times at my former school which is fun because the kids and parents are excited to see me. It also makes me thankful that I'm not teaching full-time. I get worn out much quicker and appreciate not having to deal with all the other stuff that goes along with teaching...parents, discipline, grading papers, paperwork, etc.

I'm still feeling good which is definitely a blessing. I'm starting to feel huge, but I know I'll probably getting bigger soon. Hopefully, I can get another picture up soon. Shelby seems to be doing well and moves around quite a bit at times. I can tell he/she is running out of room as I feel body parts seemingly trying to push through my belly. I love feeling the movements and seeing my belly move. It's such an incredible thing to experience. I have my next doctor appointment tomorrow. I'm going every 2 weeks now. Dr. A. is a great Catholic doctor and is very good about answering any questions we have. He's a family doctor so we will continue seeing him after Shelby is born.

Besides feeling good, I have not had any food aversions. Pretty much, if it's food, I'll eat it. I really need to work harder at eating the things I should, like fruits and vegetables. We have them in our fridge washed and ready to eat; however, the chips and crackers on the counter are always more appealing. I haven't really had any major cravings at this point either. Steve seems to have more cravings and tries to help me out by saying he's more than willing to go to Dairy Queen or to get a breakfast burrito if I really want one. The one thing that has sounded really good is root beer floats. I haven't been drinking my usual Dr. Pepper while I'm pregnant (except for a few sips here and there when Steve has one), but I've been enjoying root beer.

Steve and I are both eagerly anticipating the arrival of our son/daughter. Every once in awhile we'll make a comment about how different a particular activity will be after we have a baby. There will definitely be some adjustments that will have to be made, but our life will be so much more blessed when that time comes!

One year ago...

August 22, 2009 - Steve and I had been dating for 18 months. We ventured up Kenosha Pass for a picnic. The rock we had picnicked on a year before was already occupied, so we hiked up a ways. Steve kept saying, "We'll come back to this spot if we don't find something better." We finally found a nice grassy area with a couple rocks to sit on. We enjoyed our lovely picnic lunch and then headed back towards the water to hike back down. After a little bit, Steve said, "Do you think you can get out to that rock?" and pointed to a rock in the middle of the stream. As soon as we were both on the rock, Steve handed me our backpack. He took something out of his pocket and got down on his knee. As soon as I realized what was happening, he asked, "Will you marry me?" with a beautiful ring in his hand. I, of course, said Yes! We then sat on the rock for awhile and talked. He told me all of the planning that had gone into the special moment...asking my dad when they were visiting at the end of June (I later found out that my whole family knew he was proposing that day.), talking to people about engagement rings, buying the ring on his own, and finding the perfect spot. We took a couple rocks with us as a reminder of our special spot.

August 22, 2010 - We ventured back up Kenosha Pass for another picnic. I wasn't sure if I would be able to hike up to our spot, but I made it. It took a bit to find "our rock." The water is flowing differently, trees have fallen/grown, etc. But we're pretty sure we found the special place. Of course, we took more pictures and grabbed a couple more rocks. I'm glad we have our own special spot to visit. I'm pretty sure that we are the only ones who have gotten engaged on that particular rock. I love you, Steve!

25 weeks pregnant

Miscellaneous Ramblings at 23 weeks

Sitting here on my couch looking out our windows at the beautiful mountains. I should be getting ready for the day and packing for our trip to Nebraska, but the couch is pretty comfy right now. I can't believe I'm over halfway through my pregnancy. The time has flown by! One thing I'm relishing right now is that it's mid-August, and I'm not having to prep a classroom for the new school year. It's a little odd, but I'm okay with it. I'm looking forward to subbing. It will be fun to have the experiences at different schools and see different classrooms.

Shelby can be very active sometimes. Steve got to feel his first real kicks the other night. He thought it was pretty cool. Luckily, the movements are not keeping me awake at night yet. We had a doctor's appointment on August 6. The heartbeat was at 140 bpm. We need to figure out when we're going to take childbirth classes and a tour of the hospital. The hospital we'll be at has a variety of dates offered; we just need to decide which ones work best for us.

A couple weeks ago, Steve and I went on a 3 hour hike on a trail just south of town. It was a pretty easy trail with some beautiful views. We were even lucky enough to see some bighorn sheep. They were right by the trail and were obviously used to having people around.

Steve and I are heading to Nebraska sometime this afternoon for the weekend. We'll be celebrating my mom's birthday, going to Platte River State Park (an old family favorite), spending time at the Cass County Fair, and going to a baby shower thrown by my aunts on my dad's side of the family. It will be a busy but fun weekend. It will also be Steve's first time in Nebraska in the summer. We'll see what he thinks of high humidity.

I made a car seat cover similar to this one this week. My top has a white background with orange, brown, blue, and green polka dots. The bottom layer is brown with cream polka dots. It was pretty easy to put together and will be great to use! I also bought some fabric for making Christmas stockings which is my next project. I'm hoping to get as much done for Christmas as I can before Shelby comes. I don't think I'll want to take a 2-week-old shopping for Christmas presents.

This is a picture of a sunset seen out of our living room windows sometime recently. Definitely an image of God at work in our world.

Shelby's First Pictures

We had an ultrasound today. It was fun getting to see our baby. He/she was moving all over the place. The technician said everything looked good. In my unbiased opinion, I think Shelby is pretty cute!

What a cute little baby!

Looks like Shelby's holding on to the umbilical cord

Profile of face

Leg and foot

20 weeks...

I finally have a belly shot to share. This picture was taken on July 11. I would have posted it sooner, but our camera was lost for a few days. Thanks to St. Anthony, I found yesterday! So here I am at 19 weeks...

We have our 20 week ultrasound tomorrow. We are looking forward to our first glance at Shelby.

I am still feeling good. I definitely get tired more and typically fall asleep on the couch at night before finally heading to bed.  A couple days ago was the first time someone I did not know asked when I was expecting. Yay! I actually look pregnant and not just a little chubby!

18 weeks...

Well, I still don't have the "belly shot" I have promised, but I will get one taken this weekend. I'm actually starting to look pregnant! My regular clothes aren't fitting quite right, so I need to go shopping for some new ones.

We had a doctor's appointment yesterday. The heartbeat was at 150 beats/minute. I've been feeling Shelby move every once in awhile. It's a pretty neat feeling. We will be scheduling an ultrasound in the next few weeks. We are not going to find out if Shelby is a boy or a girl. Steve is convinced it's a boy. I had one dream at the beginning of the pregnancy that it was a girl, but I really don't care. I just want a happy, healthy baby.

It was great having my family here last week. We did all kinds of fun things...the  Children's Museum, a hike in the mountains, playing in the backyard, swimming in a Goldfish pool (made by Pepperidge Farm, of course), going to a park, laughing, reading books, and so much more! I wanted to share some of my favorite pics from the week.

Clare and Jacob made sure to include Steve in the water fun!

I love living in Colorado! This site is only about 20 minutes from our house.

Clare and Jacob both love having books read to them. They enjoyed having a different selection to choose from at our house.

Accumulating baby stuff...

A baby needs a lot of stuff! I'm slowly working at gathering the needed items as cheaply as possible. I found a Boppy at a garage sale for $1 a couple weeks ago. Yesterday I brought home a crib, changing table, Pack & Play, and swing from one of the families I give guitar lessons to. She bought the crib and changing table used for their first daughter who is 13. Their other 3 kids used them as well, but they are still in great shape. AND she gave them to us for free! I also had a friend give me a play mat/grocery cart cover because she had received two. Having all this baby stuff around definitely helps it seem more real that we are having a baby!

I'm hoping to have a picture to post soon. I'm starting to get a bit of a "baby bump." It basically just looks like I've been eating too much junk (which I maybe have as well). We've been pretty busy the last couple weeks cleaning and organizing in preparation for my family to arrive today. There will be 10 people staying at our house for the next week! I'm looking forward to having them all here.

14 weeks and counting

I've made it through the first trimester. No more nausea...not feeling completely exhausted...things are going well. We heard Shelby's heartbeat again on June 7. It was 160 beats a minute this time. A friend claims that means Shelby is a boy because it's a higher heartrate. We'll find out in 6 months!

I finished cleaning up my classroom yesterday. Kinda strange knowing I won't be going back full-time, but it hasn't completely hit me yet. Right now our living room is full of the stuff I brought home...including about 270 books! One of my goals for today is to find a place for most of it and start trying to sell the rest of it on Craigslist and an Yahoo teacher's group. I will definitely miss teaching, but I'm looking forward to having this time to prepare for Shelby's arrival.

A little heartbeat

We heard Shelby's heartbeat for the first time on Monday, May 3. It was very exciting and relieving. It is wonderful knowing there really is a baby growing inside of me, and that all of these symptoms are not for nothing. I have been feeling pretty good overall. No major morning sickness...there's been a bit of nausea here and there, but it usually goes away once I have some food. The worst part is that I've been extremely tired. That sometimes makes it hard to get through the school day. But I'm at 10 weeks now, so hopefully, only 2 more weeks than a break.

I told the other teachers on Friday, May 7 that I will not be coming back next year. They are, of course, very excited. It is definitely a little bittersweet to know that I will not be teaching next year, but I am really looking forward to being able to stay home with my little one and also to have the time to prepare before he or she arrives!