40 Weeks and Saturday Night Football

Friday the 23rd marked forty weeks of baby-growing time, so we took a few pictures to remember these very last days of pregnancy. It started raining soon after we finished up, but James managed to snap a few shots of the fun that commenced afterward:

The next evening, it was off to Aloha Stadium. James's command was asked to participate in a halftime event at a University of Hawaii football game last weekend. Someone else was on standby in case baby decided to show up before then, but since baby was still baking we were all free to go. UH provided tickets to all of the service members and their families, so we excitedly took AJ to his first college football game:

He had such a blast, talking about what was going on with the game the whole time we watched. But his favorite part, by far, was watching Daddy on the field during halftime:

We left after halftime since it was already after the kids' bedtime, but were approached by Jack Ingram (former UH and Patriots long snapper) and another UH guy on our way out to take a photo for us:

James got AJ's ticket signed, then we made our sleepy way home. We weren't sure about all of us going to the game at first, but we're so glad we did; it was a really good time.

Technological Problems

Well, I've been trying to post for a couple of days now, but Blogger says we're out of photo storage space. We're not quite sure how to resolve this issue, so until we can figure it out we'll be limited to text only. Bummer.

We had a great Thanksgiving with Nikki, Chloe, and our awesome neighbors, and James and AJ have already gotten the Christmas tree all set up this morning. Someone's been running around excitedly yelling "CHRISTMAS!" since he saw the box with the tree in it. Love that boy.

Today is 40 weeks; Dr. Lori stopped by this morning, and the belly is measuring about 38 cm (sitting down) and baby's heart rate was between 120 and 140 bpm. Sitz bath herbs have been brewed and stored, everything we need is upstairs, and we're feeling pretty well prepared. Now, we wait!

39 Weeks

Wait - 39 weeks? This pregnancy is really almost over?! Somehow, I still can't believe it...

Dr. Lori stopped by Thursday night to check in on us again, and the mystery of the tiny belly measurements was solved... Nikki mentioned measuring my belly while standing instead of lying down, and wouldn't you know that instead of measuring 31-32 cm, it measured 37 cm standing. It was so odd to watch my belly sink down after I laid back on the couch; it was pretty obvious then why my belly has seemed so much smaller all this time!

AJ enjoyed our visit, as always. This time, he got to help measure, listen with the Doppler, and use the blood pressure cuff:

Then yesterday, Nikki took 39 week pictures for us:

Baby #3, we're so excited to meet you!

{this moment}

{this moment} à la SouleMama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Family of Three

On Saturday, after spending the morning checking out a craft fair on base - and a live band, much to AJ's excitement! - we headed back over to the Aloha 'Aina Park where we took our 31 week photos to try to get one last family shot before baby arrives. Our family photographer (James + a tripod) did such a good job at getting us a few really nice photos together, but unfortunately we only have one left to show for it:

We think that our memory card might have somehow gotten corrupted when we lent it to someone, because the other twenty or so photos are no more. And, of the three that did survive (all of the same shot, since we were using the auto-timer), one is corrupted to the point of not being able to use it and the one above can't be edited. Huh? We're not sure what is going on, but we don't love it. Our Time Capsule seems to have technically backed up all of the deleted ones, but it won't let us open those, either. Oh, technology... Sometimes, I'm not so sure about you...

In any case, at least we've got one good photo of the three of us, and maybe we'll eventually figure out how to get the rest of them back, too. If you have any advice for us, by all means, please share!

38 Weeks

Our midwife stopped by our house yesterday evening, and my belly is still measuring 30 cm. How that's possible, I have no idea, but because we already checked on things last week, she isn't concerned.  Baby's heart rate was a calm 130 bpm last night, and for the first time baby was on the right side of my belly instead of the left. Other than that, there's not much else to report... The days continue to pass by much too quickly, and one of these days we'll all be meeting our sweet little baby!

37 Weeks

Full term!

What a day!

We were up early this morning to go to get James's shoulder evaluated (again) - he can't drive while taking the pain medication from his appendectomy, so, it was a family affair. Then, as we were pulling into our driveway, we got a call from our midwife letting us know that she was able to get an ultrasound appointment for us in less than two hours. She met us at the OB's office, and after a few quick questions (and a hour or so of waiting), he took a look at baby for us. Everything looks good, and baby isn't measuring as far behind as my belly is; the ultrasound measurements estimated the baby to be between 33-34 weeks. Since ultrasound measurements can be off by a lot, that's close enough to reassure our midwife that everything is fine in there. So, she'll be back at our house next Wednesday to check in on us. Until then, hopefully we'll have a couple of slower, more restful days so we can all recuperate from the craziness of the last few. We hope that things are a little more calm in your neck of the woods!

Helping bring in the laundry: Still going strong after 9 hours sans nap.

Adios, bedrest!

We made it to thirty-six weeks - that means no more being couch-ridden for this mama. And just in time, too, because otherwise Friday evening might have been much more crazy than it already was...

James ended up with an emergency appendectomy early (as in 2am) Saturday morning after several hours in the ER. What a surprise that was! He didn't present with typical appendicitis symptoms at all, but following surgery we learned that his appendix was so inflamed that it could have burst at any time. Fortunately, he had a couple of great nurses, a great doctor, and really good surgeons. All went well, and we were able to bring him home after lunch on Saturday. Lucky for James, he was able to share his lunch with the moocher:

He's out of work for a couple of weeks and will be limited in what he can do for the next month, but he feels pretty good except for feeling sore. And now his schedule is clear for another unexpected (and not particularly wanted) appointment: We're likely going in for an ultrasound early this week.

Let me back up a little. Before James's whole ER adventure, we had our 36 week visit with the midwife and her assistant at our house. Everything looks good; baby's heart rate was about 160 bpm, and baby feels like he or she is getting bigger. But, my belly is measuring 29 cm, (instead of somewhere in the neighborhood of 36 cm) just one centimeter bigger than last time, so baby hasn't had the growth spurt we were hoping for. To be on the safe side, our midwife would like to get a little bit more information about what is going on with baby in there. That's why we'll try to go visit an OB for an ultrasound on Monday or Tuesday. We'll let you know how it goes, and if we learn anything helpful. Until then, we're enjoying each day baby stays inside growing a little longer! It can't be almost time yet, can it?

AJ helping Dr. Lori measure Mama's belly on Friday.

36 Weeks!

Bed Rest Care Package: Take Two

AJ came back in from grocery shopping on Saturday carrying a big ol' box with a big ol' grin on his face. He and Daddy had stopped at the mailbox on the way in, and AJ's amazingly sweet godmother had us sent another package. Someone, of course, was very excited to open it!

He tore right into the first (homemade!) gift, and Daddy helped him get suited up. Because someone was being chased by his daddy and is way too fast these days, not a single good-quality photo was to be had. (Well, and because I have yet to learn how to actually use this camera properly. There's also that.) But, the laughs were plenty all around!

A little later on, we gave him the green light to open the second (also handmade!) gift. Someone was more than a little excited!

How amazing is this?

What a sweet, wonderful surprise to find such love hidden away in our mailbox this weekend; we're still smiling at how much we're loved and blessed by our amazing friends. Thank you, Titi! We love you!

35 Weeks & Thankful

35 weeks: The milestone we've designated as the point at which we'll stay home when labor starts. We'd still like baby to stay put for a few more weeks, and we'll continue with bed rest for another week, too, but it's comforting to know that we've gotten this far. You know, last week I'd briefly thought about asking for prayers that baby would be content to keep growing and not make an early arrival, but something felt not quite right about asking for that. Not because I don't think we could use your prayers, but because I really believe that God already knows the exact moment that this baby will be born, and the exact amount that this baby will weigh. If He knows these things, do I really need to be concerned about them? While I've been tempted at times to worry and stress and try to plan and influence and control, I've been trying really hard to remember Who has dominion over all.

And then I came across these words:

"Every time fear freezes and worry writhes, every time I surrender to stress, aren't I advertising the unreliability of God? That I really don't believe? But if I'm grateful to the Bridge Builder for the crossing of a million strong bridges, thankful for a million faithful moments, my life speaks my beliefs and I trust Him again. I fearlessly cross the next bridge" (Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts, p. 151).

I don't for one second believe God to be unreliable.
I don't for one second believe Him to be unfaithful.

And so, while we walk this bridge between preterm labor and safe, healthy birth, I want to do so with a smile on my face and with no worry in my heart. I want to do it content in the knowledge that I, along with baby, are being held in the hands of One who knows so much more about love than I ever will. And what is there to fear in the hands of Love Himself?

And so, just as I did when we sat in the ER twenty-six weeks ago, I'll rest on this truth: The Lord works out everything to its proper end (Proverbs 16:4a NIV, emphasis added).

Would you give thanks with us? Thanks that God has carried us so lovingly during this time, and thanks that in Him, we have nothing to fear? I am so grateful that we can rest instead in thanksgiving, trust, and rejoicing. What a beautiful place to be...

34 Weeks

And bedrest is halfway over! It's been made a million times easier this week, too, with the arrival of the sweetest "bed rest care package" from our absolutely amazing friends. You got a little glimpse of one of our surprises this morning: window markers for the boy (and sometimes his daddy)! What a hit they are!

We went to check in with our midwife on Wednesday evening, and had a pretty good visit. The belly is measuring 28cm, and baby is definitely growing, so that was good news. Baby's heart rate was in the 150s, as usual, and baby was head down with his or her back to the left side of my belly again. We cracked up at baby's positioning, because at home baby is almost always transverse or breech, but as soon as we got in the car to go see Dr. Lori, baby flipped right back into optimal position. I'm sure I don't know where baby could already be getting this need to overachieve... No idea! ;)

Somebody loves hearing baby's heartbeat, and his reaction always makes us grin!

So, we'll continue with the high-protein diet and bedrest to help baby keep growing, and hope for a big growth spurt in the near future. Our midwife and her assistant will be here in two weeks to check on us again - and to get familiar with the route to our house so that when the time comes they can get here very quickly. Here's to hoping they don't miss baby's arrival if he or she follows in AJ's speedy little footsteps!