Still here! Just playing the waiting game...

"Any day now..." those are words I've repeated to curious strangers and friends, as well as reassuring myself on a moment by moment basis. I have been 'nesting;' it finally kicked in and revealed itself through reorganizing several kitchen cabinets, cleaning both bathrooms, and also by scrubbing down the door frames. :) As I was cleaning the door frames, I said aloud, "I can't believe I never noticed this dirt before!" Indeed, as if anyone goes around noticing the grime on door frames, especially the lower third.

The bags have been (mostly) packed, the laundry done, the carseat installed, and the stockings hung by the chimney with care. Basically, we're in need of the little human that accompanies all of those things :)

I promised photos of his completed nursery, but I'll do you one better. Visit my husband's recent blog post, and you can actually watch a before & after video he recorded of it. The room really came out well, I just want Caleb to see it for himself!

So here's where my self-centeredness comes in. I need your prayers. If you can imagine any random type of petition that arises during the waiting period, labor, delivery, and post-partum...then I will happily accept your prayers. I was blessed to have a dear friend pray for me via phone yesterday and it's just amazing to know that God does hear our prayers and always answers them according to His divine best for us. Prayer isn't the last resort, it's the first!

This post will be highly random...I'm having lots of little mundane thoughts with no real depth to them, but just feel the need to dish them out. :) Call it 'pregnancy brain' if you wish...

• Caleb received his first Appalachian State onesie and I cannot tell you how happy that makes me. I have been meaning/wanting to buy one but they are next to impossible to find off the mountain. Consequently, I really want to go to Homecoming this year and let him hear tens of thousands fans chanting, "Gooooo Appalachian! Gooooo Appalachian!"



• Yet another note on certain onesies...it really bugs me to see some say things like, "Mommy's new man" or "It's all about the attitude" or "Tax Deduction." These are all very degrading in my opinion...especially the ones that connote that daddy is now completely off the radar and now yesterday's leftovers.



• Earlier this week I completely lost my navigational skills while driving. (Now if you would ask my husband, he might have a differing opinion on when that actually happened, lol). For the first time during the pregnancy, I realized "so this is what people are referring to!" I ended up taking the completely wrong exit.



• And have I officially joined the ranks of hmmm, how do I say it...."white trash?" Because my husband and I royally fail at growing anything that is supposed to be green while it's alive, we have now planted fake flowers on our balcony. And because I am one frugal lady, my only stipulation was that he buy them from Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree!!! Yes....we is hiiigh class!



• The nursery is pretty much complete. I will post pictures once I get everything in its place. I was so glad to be able to finish the glider's slipcover with my sister this week. Thanks, Mere! The last baby task that I am attempting to delay until as late as possible (but how do you do that when you have no idea when you'll go into labor?!) is all the blessed laundry. All of the clothes, bedding, and cloth diapers must be washed, dried, folded, and stored.



• Now that I am a few days into my 36th week, I am getting antsy. Thankfully, not neurotically so...yet....but it's just so hard to believe that Caleb will certainly be here very soon. I find myself sitting in his room peering around imagining him using the crib, changing table, swing, etc. And I look at all the little clothes, just waiting to see him in them. I think I remember my sister saying that one of the fun parts with a baby is getting to pick out what they'll wear for the day :) This makes me happy :-D



• Obviously, because the birth is imminent, like all moms-to-be, I'm curious to see what labor/delivery will truly be like. All the birth stories in the world are as unique as the individuals themselves. Part of me thinks it will be the most horrendous pain in the world, while the other part thinks that I can do it, because billions of women have. And for whatever reason, I think of Mary going through labor in a stable with only Joseph by her side and how she got through it. I've heard women remark that their faith became much more real to them on delivery day...and I trust God will take care of me then too.



• My precious nephew turns the big 2 today! Happy Birthday little buddy! I can't wait to see him and Caleb grow up together and do cousin-y boy things.

Don't you just love his messy little face?





• Okay, I just thought of yet one more rather important baby task....packing my hospital bag. Once again....delaying that until as late as possible. Am I in denial or something?



• I finally cleaned out a box of random stuff that's been occupying my trunk for who knows how long. It was stuff I knew I wanted to keep that I just hadn't bothered organizing. One of the little gems I unpacked was a tablecloth that my grandmother used once upon a time. It's bright, cheerful, and summery and it fits our small table perfectly. There are red and yellow flowers on it with a blue gingham print around it. I like looking at it, knowing that she used to use it too :) Plus, it's amazing how much homier a tablecloth makes a place look.



• We went and ate at a soda shoppe last night which is entirely too cute. The waitresses wear poodle skirts, it has black and white flooring, a free jukebox, red vinyl booths, etc. Both Brent and I said we wished we could've lived in the '50s. Everything seemed simpler then and at least somewhat more wholesome. And the cars were much cooler :) So if you could choose, what decade would you like to live in?

Okay, that's all for now....sigh.....I wish Caleb were here!! :-D

Week 35 Pregnancy Update

Holy moly, I can't believe there are roughly five weeks left until Caleb's arrival! This post will be small but chock full, kinda like a multivitamin.

Last week after some issues like high blood pressure and proteinuria came about, I had to complete some additional labwork. Praise the Lord everything came back normal and negative. We were able to see Caleb again on the ultrasound and he has really changed since we last saw him at 20 weeks old. The kid has very visible chubby cheeks!

Apparently, the chubbiness is not only limited to his cheeks, but his overall development. After taking measurements of his skull, abdomen, femur, and arm, he is already averaging the size of a 37 week old....two weeks larger than average! Thinking of this makes my woman parts hurt..lol. They guesstimate his weight at already 7 pounds, so he very well could be 9 pounds at birth if he keeps up this rate of growth. His feet are measuring at 3 inches, kinda large...but then again, his daddy wears a size 13 shoe.

Due to some additional fluid in the amniotic sac (which is not necessarily a bad thing), I'll now be going twice a week (instead of once) to have non-stress tests (NSTs) done on Caleb. Basically, all that consists of is strapping a monitor to my belly for 20-30 minutes and recording fetal activity. This kid seems to be always moving, so I don't think it will be much of an issue.

Thank you for your continued prayers! He will be here before you or I know it! :)