Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Surprise!!!

It's a quiet morning here at the house. Simon begged me to sit with him on the couch as he watched Super Why, and so here I am with my feet up and my fingers flying across the keyboard as the sunshine kisses my face. 

Last week I had a couple of surprises. I love surprises and in truth it's hard to genuinely surprise me. So when it happens, it's a big deal. 

Thursday, I went in for my 36 week checkup. I came out of my checkup in shock and awe. After examining me, my midwife informed me that I could go any day...90% effaced and the baby is in the right position, with his head engaged.  My body has been hard at work and I'm ready to go! I wasn't expecting that. I've gone back and forth throughout this 3rd trimester. Part of me thought I would go early (I've thought this from the very beginning). I think partly because I started showing/feeling the baby move so early on and partly because I started having contractions at week 30. It turns out those contractions have indeed been doing something. The other part of me had this fear of going over. This fear didn't come from my mom going 4 weeks over with her first 4, but rather since I've been pregnant, I've had a few friends that have gone over. Seeing them go through the waiting process has made me realize how difficult that would be for me. I SO yearn to hold my baby.  Anyway, hearing that news on Thursday really lifted my spirits. I'm hoping that my body waits until the beginning of March (March 3rd would be fabulous!) to go into labor.  That's weird for me to type out as I can hardly wait to hold my baby. I mostly want to wait for silly reasons (my fascination and history with the number 3), but also because it would be less stressful on my husband's work schedule. We'll see. March 13th is my official due date.

Saturday, we had plans to go over to Matt (Peter's brother) and Jackie's house for dinner and a movie. We were all excited to see them and to hang out. Simon was especially excited to see his little cousin, Penny. As the time drew nearer, I started to get tired. I decided to get comfortable, slip on some comfy m-pants (gross) and some slip-on shoes over my SmartWools (again, gross). I also put on my glasses and didn't even bother to spruce up my face. Anyway, I felt like being comfy...and why not? Dinner and a kid movie with family = perfect time for casual wear...right? Wrong. Haha. I walked into their house only to find Peter's entire family standing in the living room shouting out SURPRISE!! It took me a minute to realize that everyone was there and that they were there to celebrate my little baby.




I had no clue. I looked over at Peter and immediately noticed his big grin. He had been in on the secret all along. As I was taking my jacket off, Jackie spoke up and told me to keep it on. All of the girls were taking me out to eat while the guys stayed back with the kiddoes. At that moment I realized what I was wearing and suddenly felt self-conscience of my lack of style. :P I mean really? The one evening I go out in yucky m-pants, flats/bulky socks and glasses. Haha! Peter offered to drive me home to change, but I declined.  Everyone assured me I looked great (thank goodness I was wearing a black shirt - that kind of dressed me up a bit...lol!).  On the way over to the restaurant snippets of conversations that I had with Peter during the day came back to me. "what are you planning on wearing tonight?" "You're taking your contacts out?" "Oh, you're changing clothes?" "You're not wearing your boots?". lol, if it wasn't for how tired I was feeling, I probably would have noticed his unusual interest in my wardrobe/appearance.
The girls were so sweet and treated me out to a fabulous dinner at Pazzaluna in downtown Saint Paul. Such a beautiful place and the food is amazing!
We went back to the house and had delicious (owl!) cupcakes (thanks Beth!!) and yummy snacks/drinks. I also opened up pressies for Miles - such a generous family I have. A special thank you to Jackie for coming up with this amazing surprise. I'm still in shock. ;)


Aren't these the cutest cupcakes?!
Ruthie made this adorable blanket for Miles...they're even his colors! And look what else I got...the Skip Hop Owl that I've been drooling over for so long - thanks Beth!!  And of course my shower wouldn't be complete without an elephant. Miles is going to love his soft elephant toy from Grandma G. :)
Today, I'm trying to take it easy as I woke up at 5am with pretty consistent contractions. This was the first time that they were that intense and lasting for over an hour. They simmered down around 6:30am, allowing me to get a little bit more sleep. As I was concentrating on the contractions this morning, I was also concentrating on my HUGE todo list of projects I still need (want) to get done before the baby comes. I still have to finish up packing my hospital bag, make sure baby's diaper bag is all set, clean, clean and clean some more...not to mention making sure Simon is all set for a few days away from us. :( The bassinet still needs to go up and I want to knock out a couple more dinners to put in the freezer. Oi vey. I promised Peter I would take it easy today, so we'll see how much I get done. :-/ It's so very crazy (and amazing) to think that I could be holding my little baby this week. Ah, I can hardly wait.

Friday, February 10, 2012

Picture post! {happiness abounds}

These are the things that have put a smile on my face this week. Thank goodness that last week's sorrow and grief were met with this week's happiness and peace.


My husband brought home Tulips for me on Monday. Just because. He knows they're my favorite flower and he loves me. He makes me feel special. This morning they started to really open. Aren't they gorgeous?!
Today is my Dad's birthday. Simon drew him a picture all by himself and I helped him write out a birthday message to his Grandpa Davoli...or "Papa Oli" as he affectionately calls him.  My dad is turning 54 today. 4 years ago I surprised him for his 50th birthday by flying out and spending a few days with my family. I was a few months pregnant at the time. Fast forward 4 years and I'm pregnant again, but "Miles" away.  Haha, couldn't resist. I love you, Dad!  
Speaking of Miles, he's doing really well. Still nice and cozy in my tight belly.


We had an ultrasound on Tuesday and everything looks great! He's growing as he should and is still expected around the 13th of March. I'm hoping by this time next month, he'll be safe and sound in my arms. I wasn't expecting this, but during the ultrasound, we got to see his cute little face (it was WAY cuter in live action - ultrasound pics tend to be a bit bizarre - hopefully he doesn't come out with a GIANT nose and baby teeth, as this picture kinda portrays :P).

Simon makes me smile in so many ways. He's constantly doing things that make me wonder where the heck did THAT come from.  Every once in a while we'll come up to go to bed, only to find his light on and him sound asleep with his cowboy hat on (his daddy's hat from when he was a boy). He likes to sneak the light on to read a few books before bedtime. Tsk, tsk (That's my boy!).  When he's mad at the cat he'll cry out "kitty-cat!!!". He's still really into superheros. The other day he was "Superrrrr Simon!". He was proudly wearing his grandma blanket as a cape and running through the house.  Simon has decided to start off the majority of his words with the sound of the letter "F". I'm at the point where I hope he doesn't talk while we're out in public. Sooo embarrassing.  He is a master at the TV remote and now knows how to access Netflix from our Blue-ray player all by himself (he even knows where his favorite shows are).  I have taken to hiding the remotes.  Simon loves anything and everything chocolate.  Simon thinks that the baby is stuck in my tummy.  Simon likes to start off conversations with strangers...and family members with two words: "Simon three"...and then if he's feeling extra generous, he'll go on to tell them that he's a boy. Yeeeah. As I'm typing he's throwing himself on the couch, looking at me with a mischievousness smile and then throwing me a kiss like it's a football.  I love him. I could go on and on and on (and I probably should for my own sake so I will remember all of the cute things he's doing...), but I won't. :)

{Praise God from whom all blessings flow}   

Friday, February 3, 2012

Fighting for Joy.

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance...

My eyes are puffy from crying. Last night I sobbed as I read about a friend and fellow mother having to say goodbye to her newborn baby boy as he took his last breath. Since being pregnant, I've had three friends who have lost their newborns to death. My heart aches for these precious moms (and dads). Reading about my friend Kat's loss last night just made my heart hurt all the more. I can't even begin to imagine how she must be feeling...and yet, being so close to my due date, I can only imagine how she must be feeling.

My imagination went wild last night as I started to think of the things that could go wrong with these last 5.5 weeks of my pregnancy...not to mention labor and delivery. I have an ultrasound on Tuesday because I was measuring a  little small at my last checkup (my midwife is pretty certain that he was just riding really low that morning, but wants to make sure that that's the real issue - hence the ultrasound). At first I was a little scared about my low number, but my confidence came back as I felt my baby moving back up and I felt like everything was going to be okay. And then last night all of my fears came back x100. What if my fluid is low? What if they find problems with his development at this ultrasound? What if, what if, what if...? As I was laying on the couch last night working through semi-intense back contractions that were coming in at 5 minutes apart (this lasted for over an hour), my fear was intensified. My husband finally said what I needed to hear at that point. Relax, and go to your happy place...we're not having this baby yet. I thought I was doing just that as I was laying on the couch, drinking water and reading a magazine. But after hearing him say that I realized that I was still harboring on my fears. After I started focusing on relaxing and trying different positions, the contractions subsided and I was able to sleep without fear. It's amazing how a mother's stress can affect her baby and her body.

Today I'm fighting for joy as I want my baby to be as safe as possible. I'm also fighting for joy as I know that that's a sign of faith...and I want to have faith that the Lord will see me through these next (give or take) 5 weeks.  My fears are still there, poking and prodding at me, as I think of my three friends, but I'm not giving into them. I will continue to fight for the joy of the Lord...for in Him is where my true strength comes from. I pray that my baby is safe and sound, I pray for Kat and her family, I pray for the other two moms who are still yearning for their little ones.

I know the Lopez family (who are serving as missionaries in Peru right now) would appreciate prayer. My friend Katherine posted this earlier today about their situation (and how you can help):

"A quick summary of the background here - losing a child is always an awful thing, but Kat Lopez (just in case anyone thought I was fundraising for myself, ha) has been through the wringer and back for this baby.

A few months into the pregnancy, she was diagnosed with low amniotic fluid. The doctors suspected that the baby was struggling to develop properly, but couldn't get a perfect read on the situation because of limited resources where Kat and Jose live in Peru. Kat has been on and off bedrest for most of the pregnancy because of this and other situations, and has been under extraordinary stress because of language barriers, limited access to improved medical care, and a variety of other factors.

She had been admitted for a C-section on Feb. 1 since the doctors decided baby Caleb would be better off closely monitored in the NICU so they could figure out what's wrong and treat him accordingly.

After undergoing major abdominal surgery on Wednesday, Kat spent several hours alone in the recovery room while Jose followed their baby boy around the hospital. He was born with medical complications that required surgery within 12 hours. A few hours after surgery, it looked like baby Caleb was bleeding quite a bit, but without any signs of the results doctors needed.

Some time in the middle of the night, Caleb wasn't able to breathe any more and had to be medically revived. He made it through the night, but suddenly passed away toward evening on his second day.

My heart is breaking for Kat because nobody expected this outcome. We all knew little Baby Lopez would probably need some medical intervention, but I guess I, at least, blithely assumed that some neonatal care would do the trick as it does for millions of children around the world today. I'm really sad because she was forced to spend much of little Caleb's time on earth alone and separated from him. I'm not sure she ever got to hold him because he was in such a fragile medical state. She went through hell and back for him in the months leading up to his birth, and now she has to recover from traumatic surgery without even having her baby to hold and make it better.

I am sure she and her family are so, so grateful for what y'all have done to share their burdens right now. Thank you so much for your love."



...

"From speaking with Kat a few weeks ago, it will cost her and her husband about $2500 total to fly home with their little sons. Since they're missionaries, there really isn't any extra cash in the budget that's been set aside for anything like this.

Another group of friends were able to raise about $800 in January toward that amount, but none of us expected anything like this to happen. :( Of course, coming home is a lot more important right now than it was when we were just hoping to see her for a catch-up visit.

I just wanted to put the donation link out there in case you know someone who knows Kat; has lost a baby before and would like to contribute in his or her honor; has some extra donation money sitting around; etc. etc. :)

Thanks, everyone."



Also right now the Lopez family needs about $8,000 to cover Kat's surgery (C-Section), the surgeries that baby Caleb Elijah had, doctor fees and hospital expenses, as well as the final plans for Caleb Elijah's burial.
 
To donate, please click on this link:
http://chix0rgirl.chipin.com/jose-and-kat-lopez

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