39 weeks.....

We had our last doctor appointment today and almost had a baby! My measurements were off a bit more this week and so Dr. Craig got the ultrasound machine and did more measurements of the little guy. He wasn't liking his measurements and so sent me to the hospital for more accurate measurements on a better machine. His reasoning was that my placenta could just be done causing baby not to grow anymore and if that were the case, lets get him out now. The second set of measurements set his (and our) mind at ease as they were just fine, so no inducing today. However, if we didn't have an induction date for 2 days away Dr. would have gone ahead and scheduled one just to be on the safe side with this placenta of mine. So, Friday night is still the night (if he doesn't decide to come sooner on his own)!! As of this morning I'm 1cm dilated, 50 % effaced and head fully engaged. Dr. is very confident that labor wont be long at all with the initial jump start. So some very encouraging news. I have been contracting more and more these last few days, so we just sit and wait.

Merry Christmas!

With me working tomorrow we decided to have Christmas morning today. We realized today that we never really had a Christmas morning before, we kinda did Christmas in the evening. Maybe because family has always been at our home or we've been in Iowa that we just did it that way. After this morning though, we will continue to celebrate in the morning. It was just too much fun! We woke up, had cinnamon rolls, opened gifts and watched one those gifts :)

The pup's stockings are always easy to fill. They received some very nice bones this year :)

Mike got one of his newest favs of DVD's "Grown UP's" and a "man" diaper bag (a North Face day pack that he wont be embarrassed carrying around)

My sweet husband sent me on a treasure hunt around the house with clues to find my gift. A gift I've only dreamt about owning for as long as I can remember......REAL diamond earrings!!!!! I don't think they will ever leave my ears :)

We've had a great day with our family! And to think the greatest gift will come next Saturday...our son!

Our Great Provider

We survived yesterday! The new water heater is in place and Mike will lay new the new padding today all in time for our Christmas tradition tonight (watching Home Alone and eating pizza)! Yes, the house still looks like this, but I've been told for only a few more hours :)

It's been so great to see how the Lord has been taking care of us these last few weeks and his provisions. Last week Mike needed to have a root canal (badly) insurance covered a bit of it. Two days before the procedure I received a truly unexpected Christmas bonus at work that virtually covered the remaining expenses. Then yesterday after purchasing the new water heater Mike received his generous Christmas bonus that covered all but $5.00 of the heater! God continues and will remain the Great Provider!  I read 1 Timothy 6:17 today which says, "Command those who are rich in this world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment." Yet another lesson He continues to teach me which greatly humbles me at the same time.

Please hold off at least one more day sweet boy....

I never thought I would be saying this but, "Sweet baby boy please don't come today." Last night we noticed our hot water heater began to leak. Big bummer but this happened about 2 years ago so we kinda knew what to do. Pull up a bit of the carpet, get all the fans out of the house and dry the padding and the carpet. Mike's brother diagnosed it as a dead water heater and the plan was today to get a new one (oh the joy of big purchases right before a new baby). We woke up today to the carpet not drying at all, in fact it was worse. Something continued to leak throughout the night. So right now I'm sitting on the half of the living room where all the furniture has been shoved to, looking out at half the room that is cement floor due to the carpet being all the way ripped up! A friend of ours just called me to swap her husband to come over and help Mike for me to come and watch movies with her and have a hot shower. I think that sounds like a great plan due to Mike not letting me do anything to help (something about being 9 months pregnant I keep hearing him say). Well I'm off to head to a fully working home (with hot water and all!)! The next post should bring a new hot water heater, new carpet/padding (probably something else also, I'm sure of) but hopefully not a new baby yet....We need to get our home back in order before we bring our boy home. :)

36 weeks 3 days

Last night we went out with some friends to Tulsa. We saw some great Christmas lights that a church has every year. Last year we stayed for a  few hours walking around, but last night about 20 minutes was our limit! It was freezing!!!!

Sweet Little K is at 36 weeks and 3 days. Thursday will mark the 37 week term mark! The pep talks have started with him, he knows what he needs to do to come out it's just if he'll be obedient :) I can't complain at all though with how I'm feeling. I'm sleeping again at night (I've adjusted to waking up every 2 hours), heart burn has dwindled away a bit, I can breath a bit easier, I'm not too uncomfortable. Yes, I get worn out very easy, but I really don't think I have it bad at all. My newest craving has been loaves of french bread. Yes I said loaves. I haven't had a craving this bad all pregnancy, but I have it bad. I could almost say I want a french loaf more than ice cream! Yes, you may even see me at Wal-Mart with a half eaten french loaf in my cart :)

 

(I really don't know how Trig ends up in these pics, but he is really good at staying very near to me)

Below are two family pictures we had taken while we were in Iowa. They turned out so great :)

My heart this Chirstmas

I struggle most times with putting words to exactly how I'm feeling. I do wish I were more eloquent, however, I'm just not :) I came across this blog today (I have no clue who this girl is) but, she placed into words exactly what my heart is feeling and thinking this Christmas season. Here is the blog address: http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2010/12/mary-did-you-know.html to visit what she wrote or read below as I copied and pasted her words to my blog:

Much like most of you - I grew up my entire life hearing the Christmas story. I knew all about Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus from a very early age. But it seems like just now - in my mid 30's - the story is coming more and more alive to me as I think about them - not just as Luke 2 - but as people who actually lived and breathed on this earth and were such an important part of my Christian faith.



When I was waiting for a baby - I would read Elizabeth (Mary's cousin)'s story over and over and read about Elizabeth who was "old and barren". I felt like that described me. And then I read how God gave her a son and said "With God ALL Things are possible". And I would wonder how excited she must have been and claimed that verse for myself!



The last two years I have thought so much about Mary. I thought about her when I was pregnant with Harper at Christmas time. I kept hearing that Faith Hill song "A Baby Changes Everything" and I couldn't quit crying. I thought about how she must have felt as a young unmarried girl knowing she was carrying a baby who would be the Messiah! I thought she probably took extra prenatal vitamins and drank lots of water and got lots of rest - because you would want to take extra care of that special baby! What a responsibility! ha!



I thought about her caring for Jesus - a son she loved. I'm sure she rocked him and cherished him and probably wondered what He would be when He grew up - like most of us moms do with our kids. She had no idea He would die on the cross to save the world from their sin.


This year - I'm thinking a lot about Jesus. I'm wondering what He was like as a toddler. I'm so curious about Him knowing He lived a life without sin. And as any mom of a toddler/preschooler knows (and will be quick to tell you! ha!) - we are BORN with as sinful nature. As I watch Harper try to run and hide from me in the pantry so she can eat chips or throw fits or do something over and over even after I say No and even discipline her - I wonder what it was like for Mary and Jesus during those toddler years.



Jesus became flesh. It's so hard to completely take hold of the idea that our Savior who bore our sins and now sits on the throne in Heaven - the one who made the heavens and earth - came to this earth and was a living, breathing human just like us. I was reading the story of Lazarus yesterday where after he died - the verse tells us "Jesus wept". Jesus felt all that we felt. No matter where we are today or what we are going through - He knows! He has felt what you feel and He understands! Isn't that comforting? I pray that during this Christmas time - if you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus - that you will find that. It would be the greatest gift you could ever receive!

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Update....

How in the world is the Christmas season upon us already?! We've been anxiously awaiting this season sense May, when we found out we were expecting, and a huge welcome to it! :) Our minds have been 100% on sweet baby boy and I don't expect that to change. Everything from making sure all his clothes are washed, diapers are set, all the things a sweet baby needs, and making our home ready, we've been busy. It's a great busy though, no complaints here. Mike and I are SO ready to go from Mike and Ashley to Mom and Dad!!!!

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a little night away in Tulsa. We did our real celebration in July when we went to Kauai. The Tulsa get away was just perfect. We stayed at our absolute favorite hotel, ate at PF Chang's (oh my!!! sooooo good!!!!!) watched our wedding DVD, and to top it off ordered up room service for breakfast. You can't get any better than that :)

We then ventured our last trip without baby to Iowa. We were a little nervous traveling 8 hours with me being 34 weeks pregnant but were up to the challenge. Gunner and Trig had no complaints about us stopping every 2 hours and all walking around awhile, and Mike and I had no complaints due to me scoping out the Dairy Queens or Culver's that happened to be at our stops :) It was great to spend 5 relaxing days with the family!

When we returned it was full fledged Christmas decorating! The lights and tree are up, the house is decorated, the candles are burning, we are just waiting and waiting to see if we can add a Christmas baby to the mix.

A friend recently reminded me of how neat it must be to be expecting at this time. With celebrating the anticipated birth of our Savior, this season has been different. I've been able to place myself more in Mary's shoes and able to better understand how she must of felt at this time and how truly dedicated to the Lord she and Joseph were to place continued trust in caring the Savior of the world! How scared she must have been about the uncertainty of it all, but how unbelievably wonderful to have been entrusted by God to carry His Son! We were at a Christmas party last night and watched a brief clip from Charlie Brown Christmas when Linus (I think) shared the meaning of Christmas. The Lord spoke to me clearer than day during this clip. He reminded me that His Son was born in a cow barn a stable, with hay all around Him. Yet, His Father provided and took care of Him,Joseph and Mary. I've been getting anxious lately thinking Mike and I wont be ready for Little K to come with material things, but the Lord will provide just as He provided for His own Son all those many years ago. My prayer is that this Christmas season wont be filled with material things but with the pure celebration and remembrance of our Savior coming as a baby all for us! To forgive us of our sins, so that when we put our trust in Him alone and have a relationship with Him we to will get to spend eternity with Him in Heaven!

This blog is getting lengthy, I'm sorry for that. But a quick update on Little K. We are down to weekly Dr. visits! So on top of seeing my Dr. at work 3 times a week, we get to see him in the office once a week :) The tentative plan right now is for sweet boy to be born on January 1! The plan is the Wednesday before the 1st we go to Dr. Craig, and if my body has begun to kick itself into labor than he will induce me on the 1st! If not than, before the 6th he'll be here because I will not go over 40 weeks. But it's looking like sweet guy is going to be a New Years baby, if he doesnt' come before than!!!!! :) He could come as soon as December 16th!

One more thing, we had family pics taken in Iowa. You can check them out here http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zenfolio.com%2Fnewcreationphotography%2Fp633074855&h=067e9YZgzXFeeZpILBe1OSRG1nw the password is "placenta".