Bed Rest

I just got back from an OB appointment and am actually having some signs of pre-term labor, so i've been put on bed rest to see if it helps. Turns out (sorry...TMI) I have some sort of bacterial infection that has caused my cervix to soften quite a bit and I started having contractions last night - No wonder I was up for 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning! I had back pain and just felt AWFUL last night, so I crawled into bed around 9:15. Then I woke up with menstrual-like cramping at midnight. It was a good thing I mentioned it at my appointment today because I had kinda written it off for some reason.

Although i'm only 34 weeks, the doctor says not to worry because she's hoping the bed rest and prescription will calm things down. Though she said she thinks I may not make it past the end of May. Don't wanna get my hopes up, only God knows! But this kid really does need to stay in and strengthen his lungs for even a few more weeks. It's hard to believe we could actually have him any day!

The good news is that I put on about 3-4 more lbs. (my mom fed us well when she was here!) and our boy's head is down, so he's getting ready. :) Such a good boy!

Better Than I Deserve

Couples baby shower BBQ!

My wonderful parents

We're on the home-stretch! I'm 34 weeks today and feeling pretty good....better than I deserve! My feet have been swelling a bit in the evenings, so i'm trying to take it easy these days. My parents flew back home after spending about a week with us. It was SO WONDERFUL. I love my parents. They're just a ton of fun and so loving. My mom cooked meals almost every night and made extra to put in our freezer for after the baby is born. My dad fixed our wireless printer (hooray!) and tracked down floor mats for our new Pilot which will come in handy for Aaron's fishing trips. It's much easier to clean mats than carpet! And then I joked about how if this kid is anything like me, he'll get car sick a lot and it'll be easier to clean up puke, too. Ha! I cannot express how thankful I am for them! It was hard to say goodbye yesterday, of course. It gets "easier" being so far away, but it's always just as hard to say goodbye after our visits together. But they'll be back in about a month! My mom plans to be out here for the delivery (we'll see when!) and my dad will fly out right after the little guy is born. My dad and I were saying how strange it is to think that the next time we see each other, we'll be holding our boy! I can't wait.

Our neighbors threw us a couples baby shower BBQ. What a great idea! The weather was beautiful and we were reminded, yet again, how COMPLETELY BLESSED we are to have the friends we do. With Easter being this past weekend, I spent one evening just thanking God for who He is and how He has blessed us. I was filled with so much joy from simply having a heart of thankfulness....i'm thankful for Salvation and that I'm completely loved and forgiven, I have the best husband - He's more than I could have ever dreamed of and he'll be the BEST dad in the world. And my friend Erica wrote in a card to us that she loves being a mom so much that she even loves the sleep depravation (even when it's really hard!) I know that might seem hard to wrap your mind around, but reading that was so encouraging to me! I will never take for granted the gift of being a mom and will be forever grateful for it. I'm even thankful for the little things - Like when "junior" tries to stick his elbow through my skin. ;) His movements are getting very wild! Not painful, just very noticeable - almost "alien-like" but actually very human! I love him so, so much.

Can we say...

HUGE!? We're at 32 weeks and getting antsy! Thank goodness I have so much to look forward to between now and when little "junior" arrives. Today I had an amazing pedicure, courtesy of my awesome, sweet co-workers at the pregnancy center, Saturday my parents come to visit us for just over a week, and then in May Aaron's brother and mom come to see us. YAY! I love having people in town. I also hopped on a scale today and discovered that i've gained somewhere between 5 and 7 lbs. My OB's will be very pleased. This is a huge praise! I gotta give a little shout-out to Kristine, an amazing nutritionist who has been so instrumental in helping me eat my way to healthy weight gain!

Just Breathe...

Today things are already off to a rough start, but i'm hopeful! I didn't sleep well at all last night and this morning i'm just feeling downright anxious. We had our hospital tour yesterday - making all things real - and i'm 32 weeks. This little goose needs to bake a while longer, but I can't help feeling "ready" to hold and cuddle him. I just can't wait to see his face. I'm thinking about God and how you can't see him but you can feel him. Sometimes you question if he's really there. I know he is. I feel him all around me and see the marvelous works of his hands! Our baby (surprise name) boy is sort of making me feel like that, too. I feel him, I know he's there but I just can't wait to see him! Last night he had the hiccups when I went to bed and then again this morning around 6:45 a.m. Not sure what I ate yesterday, but something that perhaps didn't settle right with him! That's the first time i've ever felt him hiccup. :) Kinda cute! I actually broke down this morning in tears and asked Aaron to go into work late. Yeah, i'm completely off my rocker. Then I caught myself...."No!" I said. And I wondered why I actually asked him to go into work late just because I can't get my crazy, pregnant, emotional self together. I'll post again later with a picture! Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7-8