Closing in on D-Day!

We are two days away from being officially "full term"!!! Any day from February 17 to March 20, little Esther is going to make her arrival. (My due date is 3/10, my OB said he'd let me go 10 days over.) While all I have been given is worst-case scenarios and statistics from the medical side, he's agreed to let me try for my coveted VBAC if Esther comes on her own between 38-40 weeks. If she goes past her due date, we're most likely going to schedule a c-section to avoid risks of uterine rupture. I told him that sounds fair, at least he's willing to let me try (which is the whole reason I went to his practice in the first place).

On non-medical fronts, I'm getting an amazing amount of support! So many of my friends and family are giving me the cheers and encouragement that I feel I need to go in with the right attitude. I was also able to meet the wonderful woman who will be my doula for this experience. She's in training and I'm very excited to be able to work with her. I had my first meeting with her on Tuesday and we hit it off right away. I was so nervous of having every stereotype I dreaded (crazy, agenda-ridden, "grasp your power from Mother Earth", man-hater) and she is the exact opposite. She's sweet, calm, peaceful and supportive. I think I thanked her for not being crazy about 3 times... :) Not only that, but she volunteers with the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Tidewater (as I did last year, just a different area) and she and I are on the same page with all the big stuff. She specifically said "My only agenda is your agenda." Praise the Lord! :) While He hasn't answered all my prayers how I expected or hoped (seriously, how often does THAT happen?!), He has made Himself known and present in every aspect. And that... that is the biggest encouragement that I could ask for.

So now we wait. I'll keep hanging out on my exercise ball with my invisible hula hoop trying to work her down, which she is already well on her way. She's already lower at 36 weeks than Neva ever was. I'm interested to see how everything plays out. Emily (my doula) said my biggest job now is to stay relaxed. This is easier said than done. Life likes to get in the way of that. Things like toddlers getting sick, husbands working on their dissertations, husbands working full time and then trying to prepare for a new baby coming into this crazy world like to keep you from relaxing. We'll get there. :)

I'm looking forward to my mom coming out and helping. It'll be fantastic having her help with Esther and Neva. Hopefully Tim will be able to get a little bit of a break now and then too. :) It's just odd sitting on the couch knowing you're in the last page of a chapter of your life, not knowing what the new one holds.

Playing Catch-Up!

Okay, two months since my last post. We've been busy little bees around here!

Our family has moved to a new apartment complex and it has been AMAZING!! It's incredible how much you miss the little things that you haven't had for the last two years. Little things like... hot water, feeling safe in your own house, having nice neighbors, cars not speeding through your parking lot, sirens blazing by your living quarters between 10-15 times a day, police not coming into your complex on a near-daily basis.... ya know, just to name a few. Needless to say, things have been so much nicer living in our new digs. :) It's wonderful to have a peaceful home to be at before having our next little bundle arrive! :)

Then there was Christmas. We didn't do a lot this year, but I think Neva had fun. :) I got her dress for 75% off, so I was pretty excited about that. :) Grammy made her an awesome "I Spy" quilt that she loves. :)

Cutie pie... she loves those necklaces!

Neva's I spy quilt!

Pretty girl!!!

Christmas!

A week or two after we moved in, my parents came out to visit and help us get settled in. What a blessing! My dad hasn't ever been able to come out to Virginia, so it was a whole new experience for him. My poor mom worked her whole "vacation" to help us unpack boxes and organize our apartment. It already feels so much more peaceful  here than we ever felt at our other apartment. They had a blast hanging out with Neva, my dad was able to see where we live and go fishing with Tim and it was a wonderful trip. My dad was even able to feel baby #2 kick! It was an experience that he hasn't had in a long time. :)

Neva and Grampy were able to read 10 Little Ladybugs (her new favorite book she got from Nana for Christmas!)

Reading books with Nana during "calm down time" before bed

Grampy would take a picture and it made Neva laugh so hard!! We tag-teamed to get the reaction

Grampy and Neva at Surf Rider restaurant. Thanks to Grampy, Nana and I were able to eat in peace

Neva and I took Nana and Grampy to Hwy 55, our favorite burger joint!

We were also able to go to Bass Pro!!

While my parents were here, we were also able to get a 3D ultrasound done to take a peek in on Baby Esther. We got a couple of good photos, but apparently Esther isn't a huge fan of Mountain Dew (which they told me to drink beforehand to make sure she was active).

Baby yawn!

Perfect little foot

Peaceful sweetie

Oh yeah! And we picked a name!! Esther Grace! :) Tim picked Grace, so he left the first name up to me. I've always liked older names and I really like Old Testament Esther. :) Why not give someone the namesake of someone who saved her entire people by doing something unconventional? Esther Grace it is. :)

We were invited back to have another go at the ultrasound a couple weeks later to try and get some better pictures. She was much more tolerant and much happier baby. We got a lot better pictures!

Angel baby! She looks like Neva! :)

Rubbin' her sweet little eyes...

Sticking her tongue out at her big sister!

Is that a double chin I see?! And she's still got some time to put on some chunk!

Now that we've seen her on the inside, she's growing on the outside too! My belly is getting bigger by the day. I'm almost 33 weeks (yikes!) and my mom asked me to measure around my belly. Wowzers, wasn't ready for that shock....

41 1/2 inches around!! That's saying something since I'm only 63 inches tall. ;) It'll be fun to measure at the end of the pregnancy to see the difference. :)

I also started making toddler backpacks! Thanks to the design of my mother-in-law, she was able to help me figure it out and I made the blue one for Neva's best friend, Joe, for his birthday and the crazy owl one is for Neva. :)

 

Alright, I think that about catches us up. I'll try to not wait so long until my next update. :)

Giving Thanks!!

As my house (and belly!) are filled with the pitter patter of little feet, there is so much to be grateful for on this glorious day. I have a wonderful husband, a hilarious daughter, a snuggly pup and a roof over my head. We have been so blessed with an amazing church family here who have been so amazing to us since we walked through their door. My family's incredible, I'm so proud of how my parents are still growing as people and as a couple. They make me so happy. :) My in-laws are some the salt of the earth and have become my best friends. And my best friend of 13 years (holy cow), I miss you and wish we closer. We've been able to watch each others little girls grow up even though we've always lived so far apart, but remained so close. :)

Here's just a short & random list of things that I'm thankful for:

• Family
• Being best friends with my husband
• The laughter of my little girl
• My house being filled with amazing smells as the turkey cooks :)
• Skype! It's been such a blessing to bridge the gap with family since our big move
• Little kicks from my new little girl, they make me smile every time
• Our church. Seriously, they've filled a huge gap for us
• Bible studies with my husband
• My sewing machine!! It's become such a hobby and inspiration, not to mention an outlet
• Our amazing country. So many have tried to impede on the freedoms that make it so great, I pray for our servicemen & women who are still fighting to keep it strong.
• Moms & Grandmas, both by blood and "adopted". They just make the world a little better
• Bacon
• Possibility

And the verdict is.....

The old wives tales were full of it!! :) And my dear father-in-law, who was 6 for 6 in predicting the genders of his 2 kids and his 4 grandchildren finally had a blip in the radar.

WE'RE HAVING A LITTLE GIRL!!! :) :)

This is the gender reveal: no pork & beans= princess!

The left photo is her profile and the right is a frontal face picture :)

After my appointments and ultrasounds last week, our little nugget (who is getting bigger and bigger!) is perfectly healthy! It was wonderful news to hear. Now I can start referring to our little one as "her" and "she" instead of "it", which always drives me crazy. SHE is such a little active one, but it relays comfort with every kick. According to the ultrasounds, she's looking good and growing great. They did bump back my due date by a week, which was an estimation anyway, so now we're looking at March 10 instead of the 2nd. But, in all honesty, she's going to show when she decides to make her appearance. After being induced with Neva, I'm pretty opposed to it this time. I think it caused a lot of hiccups that might not have happened otherwise. But it was my first pregnancy, I was huge and I was ready to not be swollen and hold my little baby. This time, things are just a little different. Lord willing, things will go smoother this time. I'm hoping for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarian) this time around and I'm going to a doctor and delivering at a hospital where that is pretty common and nurses and midwives are very supportive. Fingers crossed!!

We don't have any names officially picked yet, but there are a couple in the running. Once we get that figured out, I'll be sure to update. :)

Just a little out of it…

This is how I've felt this whole pregnancy: not great, not awful, just kind of out of it. The reality has taken longer to set in (and frankly, still is), I've been EXPONENTIALLY more emotional (I'll talk more about that later), and I've just felt distracted. I don't know what to chalk up to life, stress or hormones.

When I was pregnant with Neva, I felt pretty balanced. I never really had any of the crazy outbursts, and we moved cross-country when I was about this far along. This time around, I just feel like everything is right at the surface. I can't hold anything back, it's so frustrating. I'm tired of… feeling lol. I just want to be able to watch a movie or have a conversation or survive a couple of months without crying at every little thing.

This baby has been SOOOOO much more active than Neva was. I first felt Neva's flutters at 23 weeks (right where I am now), I felt movement with this pregnancy at 18 weeks and the kicks have been stronger sooner. Tim didn't feel kicks until about 30 weeks. He felt this baby a few days ago. :) I'm just wondering what this is going to tell about his/her personality. :)

I'm trying so hard to go through this season with grace. Some days are better than others. :) I've heard from 4 different people in a week that its harder to be pregnant and care for a toddler than it is to have 2 kiddos. This is both very comforting and frustrating. We're managing and getting through, it's such a short season and I really do enjoy being pregnant. It's so cool feeling those movements and having the knowledge that someone is living and growing inside of you. It's such a privilege… even if it scares the crap out of you. :)

I have no idea what the next year has to offer. I'm under no delusion that it will be easy. I'm preparing for a lot of tears and frustration, but also new joys that I never knew existed. I guess I'm just scared. I've never been a mom to two kids before. I just hope I don't screw it up too much. :)

Hurricane #2: Check!

Sandy has come and gone and we faired just fine. :) We didn't think we were going to get much as far south as we were, but the Lord still smiled on us. While lots of neighboring communities had flooding or lost power, we were spared of both. The worst part for us was the cabin fever! Yesterday afternoon, we had to make a break from the four walls that were closing in quickly and went puddle hunting. :)

Puddles are definitely my favorite part of storms, I'm glad Neva agrees. :)

Now we're just enjoying the cooler weather. As a Colorado native, it's nice to be out of the 70's and 80's when it's almost November. The cooler air is refreshing, and it's nice to not have the air conditioner on anymore!

Neva did learn a new skill during the short incarceration, she can now climb up onto our high dining room chairs. No place is safe anymore! :) She got her daddy's agility, I'm afraid. (Not a bad thing, just makes for a tired mama.)

Why I love Dutch Bros Coffee....

Next to family, the mountains, friends and familiarity, one of the things I miss most about Colorado Springs is Dutch Bros Coffee. It sounds a little silly, but let me explain.

Dutch Bros came to C-Springs a few years ago as a little coffee hut downtown where they played good music and the coffee was good (and a really fair price!!). There are a million other coffee chains all over the city, but for some reason I would drive across town to go to Dutch Bros. One day, after all of my boasting of this awesome place, my mom asked me what was so special about it.

I don't know what the hiring staff does at Dutch Bros, but it's amazing. I wish more businesses would sync into their special recipe for finding amazing people. I have never gone to a Dutch Bros when someone is having an "ok" day. Every time, the staff is enthusiastic, excited and so friendly!! The music is pumpin' and they are having a blast. They aren't drones, they get to show their own style and they get the freedom to give a little. If you fill your punch card, they give you the most expensive drink free, not the cheapest. Once in awhile, they'll shoot you a couple extra stamps on your card "just because". They remember your drink, name, and smile. They hire people who care about people. The staff is incredible.

They know to get customers, you've got to give a little. They give free stickers a lot! I love stickers, always have. I also love promoting businesses I love, this works out well for all parties. :) Stickers are cheap, advertising is expensive. It's just smart.

I've written in on their corporate website on two different occasions, both times to toot their horn. Once was just because I wanted the higher-ups to know that they're doing an awesome job, the other was a couple of months after my husband and I had moved cross-country. We hadn't really settled in yet and didn't have any friends in 1,500 miles. We have a "Powered by Dutch Bros" sticker in our back window on our car. We had gone to the beach when my mom came to visit and when when we got back to the mostly vacant parking lot, someone had parked right next to us with Idaho plates and a Dutch Bros sticker in their back window. This might not seem like much, and maybe it wasn't. But that was the first time I felt like I had a friend in VA. I never even met this person, but felt a kinship. It sounds lame, but I really needed that. (I was pregnant, emotional, and far away from everything, don't judge.) Both times I have written on the Dutch Bros website, I've received an actual, personal response within a couple of days. Awesome. :)

Oh yeah, the coffee is really good too... and at competitive prices. :)

Out here, the places for coffee are gas stations, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks. I have found few (if any) small business coffee houses out here. Every time I make it back home, I make sure to frequent DB and say hello. I hope they are able to continue to grow and expand and I wish the best for them! :)

If you'd like to check out the "Dutch Love" for yourself, here's their website. :)
Dutch Bros