random thoughts on my due date

Here we are March 31st.

The due date.

Im posting this mostly so you all know Im still kickin it at home and haven't had the baby yet.



Im excited today is finally here. I don't feel like "get this thing out of me already" yet. I enjoy being pregnant. Dont get me wrong, Im ready to not feel HUGE. And Im ready to wear normal clothes, to be able to walk a normal speed again, & to get up from the couch without having to pause because my bones are in pain. But I also feel okay if he doesnt come today.

I didnt expect that. I thought I would be so anxious and ready by the time today arrived. But instead I feel at peace and fine with whatever day he decides to come. Maybe that's because I know my doctor isnt going to make me wait?

I did have SO MANY crazy braxton hicks contractions all last night. I kept making Freeland come feel my "rock hard" stomach. I also had strange pains in my back last night. I immediately started praying "Lord please dont let me have back labor" Im sure it was just the baby sitting on some nerve or something. But it enhanced my prayers last night - thats for sure. Other than that alls the same.

My mom gets in town tomorrow. We have lots of extra food & dinners already made in the fridge so that they are there for Freeland & my mom while we're at the hospital. Bags are all packed. Im finishing everything up at work. Cleaning up around the house & charging all the cameras. Making list. Freeland is busy finishing up everything at school & trying to study in advance for a test he has next week. (something about I guess he wont have time to study next week?!)

oh and I also made a onesie for the baby to wear on Easter!! I cant wait to see him in it.

Dear Everyone, Thank you.

Phew I cant believe we are just potentially a day or days away from meeting our son.

I said I felt like a ticking time bomb before. But jeez - that's SO much more true now. Its pretty funny calling people these days. They all pick up the phone and say "are you in labor?" Ive asked my dad if he wants me to text him before I call and say "Im about to call you - and Im not in labor" just to give him a heads up.

Looking back at the last 9-10 months Freeland & I feel beyond blessed. See when we found out we were pregnant we were naturally freaking out (excited but freaking out) & for whatever crazy reason I assumed everyone would think we were irresponsible since Free is still in Med School and all the other things that hadn't "lined up" in our lives yet. (like living 24+ hours away from family etc, only having 1 income, etc.)

But from the moment our families found out we were expecting they have been 100% on board with us. I obviously knew they would support us & love us no matter what but I don't think it occurred to me just how supportive and how excited they would be. Never once have they doubted us or worried. (which is exactly what we needed especially in the moments we doubted ourselves and worried) Its been a HUGE blessing knowing that they also see this as the Lords timing & that they are all anxiously waiting to welcome the first little one into our family.

And then there are all of our friends. Phew. The same goes for them too. They have gone out of their way for us over & over & over the last few months. People we barely know have expressed their excitement for us & that they are praying for us. And then there are people like Adam & Camille who basically offered to lend us everything they owned to help us out. Camille loaded me up with every book she owns & stocked my closet full of Maternity Clothes so I could make it over the winter. And they have both let us sit and go on & on & on about all the questions we had and graciously offered their advice.

These last 2 weeks we have received so many unexpected sweet things in the mail. So many thoughtful phone calls. So many encouraging text, emails, and even messages on facebook from friends. And then last night our friends Sarah & Drew even treated us to dinner! Yumm-o!

Of course our life is messy & we have no idea what we are doing.. we are FAR (SOOOOO very very far) from perfect & we screw up daily. But its nice to know that people still love us and believe in us. And Im thankful the Lord has provided so many amazing people in our life to support us & celebrate this season with us.

Thank you to all of you who have been thinking about us & supported us through all this. Its been so wonderful & Im so thankful our son is already loved so much by so many people.

tummy pictures at 40 weeks

per my mother's request here is the latest picture of the ever growing tumkin.



its large

and honestly Im a lot puffier in real life than these pictures show for some reason.

Please ignore that I was half way through getting in my PJ's for the night so I do have on a normal shirt & my awesome sweat pant things. Its attractive right?

thats what being 40 weeks pregnant is about - attractiveness.



The doctors appointment went well yesterday. No news to report. We sat and talked for a long time. He gave us options again as to when & how we want to deliver this little guy. Its strange because I really felt like I wouldn't have any options. I mean I know you have the option of whether or not you want an epidural & everything like that. But besides that I really thought it would be up to the doctor on what he thought was best. Turns out - whatever we want or feel like doing (at this point) is whats best.

Im thankful. But its strange at the same time. Gives us a lot to pray about too. Because how could I ever know what is best or what Im supposed to do?

He didnt check to see if I was dilated. (GASP!) But he had his reasons. And they made since. I did ask Freeland if he knew how to tell if I was dilated. (he does by the way) But he said if the doctor wont check .. he isnt either! :)

My belly button still hasnt popped out completely. Some days it looks like its about to but then it goes right back in. Strange. Everything else is normal. Normal pains, movements, aches, waddling, etc. I guess no big news is good news at this point.

Oh and I finally starting packing my bag for the hospital. I figured it was probably time. By this time next week we will have our son!

Im still working. The plan is to work as long as I can. So hopefully that works out. Other than that we are doing a whole lot of nothing. Just waiting & enjoying our time together.

baby pictures

I have better pictures on the other computer. But I don't want to risk trying to get them at the moment so for the time being these will have to do.

Here are some of our baby pictures. I was looking through them wondering if our baby will look like us when we were little.

And if he does,

I think I will giggle (in the most loving way) every time I look at him.

Because seriously - look at us:

Here is Freeland as a baby:








and here I am as a little one:




ignore that I am picking my swimsuit out of my bum apparently?



I need to find pictures from when we were newborns. That's what I really want to see. In some of the pictures I have of both of us (not the ones I just posted) I think we look alike. Freeland disagrees.

168 more hours left

Countdown:

officially 39 weeks pregnant today
1 week & 0 days left to go
starting week 40 of my pregnancy
9 months & 3 weeks pregnant
273 days pregnant
7 days left
Only 168 more hours to go

However you want to look at it or say it - its almost time!



Dear Baby .. I have been SO thankful for this last week and how much we were both able to get done. Not that we can plan these things out. And whenever you are ready .. we are ready. But if you want to consider staying cozy & tucked in there for just one more week until your due date .. your dad & I are just fine with that.



Im finally getting over my cold/cough junk. Praise the Lord! I have a doctors appointment tomorrow so more updates then hopefully!

Freeland is still working on trying to save our computers life. Once thats all finished I will hopefully be able to post some more pictures from everything else going on. Bless that man.

crashed

well of course as timing would have it our computer crashed this weekend. Thankfully Freeland saw it was about to happen. Called apple. Worked his tail off to save every single picture we have. And then it crashed.

I would have died if we lost all our pictures. DIED.

So even though I'm not thrilled that our computer may or may not work in the future & I'm definitely not willing to pay any money right now - at least we have our pictures.

And at least its the first time in the 6 years we have had the computer its happened?!

So because of that I have no pictures to share. Im sorry. I wanted to put up pictures from the shower in Texas & then a shower we did for our friend Christie. Hopefully soon. Currently they are sitting on a hard drive & Im too afraid to mess anything up to touch it.

Im still prego. The only new news is that I have been sick the last 5 days and it turned from a cold into a nasty cough. Im hoping its almost over because its interrupting my sleep. and as we all know - I need to cherish every last minute of sleep I can get right now. Other than that I feel fine.. and I also feel like a ticking time bomb but I guess thats normal at this point.

This weekend was productive. We celebrated Drew's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. I cleaned out my office. Organized the house. We finished our Thank You notes. Saved all our pictures on the computer. Grocery shopped. Worked on the baby book. Cleaned the guest bedroom. Grilled out.

oh and how can I forget

WE WATCHED THE BAYLOR BASKETBALL TEAM MAKE THE SWEET 16!!!!!

Boo Ya! So excited for them. I dont think I have ever watched as much basketball as I did this weekend. I loved it.

1 week and 5 days

The car seat is officially in the car & ready to go. (i love having it there)

And we are now officially registered at the hospital. So we are ready to go.

We had a doctors appointment yesterday. It went well.

The baby is happy & healthy it seems.

Im still measuring on track & my weight has evened out. Its gone up & down each week for the last month. (Drum Roll Please .... Ive gained 30 pounds according to the doctors office. Unless you count when my weight goes down. But I wont because I know it will just go back up again the next time.) Im fine with that amount.

Im 50% effaced.. but im not dilated yet. The baby has dropped and the braxton hicks contractions that I get are getting stronger & stronger. Which I guess all of that really means nothing. Everything will happen when its supposed to. But the good news is something is happening and my body is getting itself ready.

This week has been crazy. There is a lot going on in both of our lives that I never really imagined happening just a week before our first child was about to arrive. I do know that thankfully the Lord has a plan for us & our family. And we are trying to rest in that and just trust him & his timing. Id love to say this is easy but to be honest Im shocked at how quick I am to feel anxiety over all the decisions and worry instead of knowing that He loves us & allowing him to provide us with a peace & rest in that.

Oh and the doctor gave us some options yesterday as to when & how we want to go about Labor & Delivery. That made everything so much more real (because he basically said if I wanted I could have the baby on Monday.. yes in like 3 days) I thought I was ready but that made me realize I wasnt. Which I guess is good. The plan as of now (i think) is to just wait until my due date and see if I go into Labor naturally. If not, then we will go in that Friday & go from there.

In other news it looks like Spring has arrived in Erie & Im loving it. I sat outside yesterday for lunch & it was so nice. I cant wait to be able to take the baby on walks outside and just spend the evenings in the backyard.

maddie gets a tummy tuck

ha. ha. not really. but she did have surgery & get stapled up.

It just wasnt on her tummy.



it was a week ago so her hair has grown back a lot but you can still see the staples. We take her to get them removed this week. Its strange to see such huge staples in your dog. Thankfully they are in a place she cant reach too well so she doesn't have to wear a cone or anything.



It was sad having to take her in for surgery. But she's been a champ during the whole thing. She still whines and paces all over the house - but those are normal activities for Maddie & have absolutely nothing to do with the surgery.



Oh and the reason she had surgery in the first place is because she had a cyst growing on her back over the last year. Nothing to worry about - it was just filled with fluid. Freeland drained it for her all the time. But eventually it ruptured. And we were having to clean it and cover it everyday. (and by "we" I mean Freeland)



The vet said the ruptured cyst was going to take a long time to heal (if it even would heal) and then eventually it would do the same thing again so the only solution was to remove the entire thing.

So we did. (because we prefer a 150 pound dog not bleed all over our house)

And now she is back to her happy self. Definitely soaking up all the attention she is getting & trying to milk it as much as she can. But that's okay. She was the original 'child' of this family to begin with anyway. I'm just glad we could get it done before the baby gets here so she could get the attention she needed.

nesting through email & a story for you.

back in July when I was prego & had no idea.

So nesting for me has become an obsession with my email - not our house. Strange. But its actually good. For those of you who know me.. you know that email is not one of my strengths. For example before I started cleaning my email out I had over 2000 emails in my inbox (I don't want to embarrass myself & tell you how many there actually were) and 600 of those were unread. And that's just my personal email. I also have a lot more work emails but lets not talk about work.. mmk?

So disclaimer: if you sent me an email and I never responded. Im really sorry. Hopefully with a cleaned out inbox that will no longer happen going forward.

Anyway, as I was cleaning out my inbox I came across this email I realized I never posted about it. A few days before Freeland got back from Africa I received an email saying:

Hi. Brooke.
This is Lena Salon & Spa & we are emailing you to tell you that you won a day at the spa. You won a massage, pedicure, manicure and can have your hair styled if you would like. We have tried to call you and we couldn't get through, we will try again. We have you scheduled Friday July 10 at 12:00. Hope you can make it. Please call and confirm that you got the message and if you can make it. Thanks so much. We look forward to hearing from you...

WHAT? HOW? WHO? I almost deleted the email thinking it was spam but then decided to call & was told that I had actually won a day at the spa! And it just happened to be the day that Freeland was getting home from Africa! Who was I to say no to getting pampered and made pretty before I went to get him from the airport? So of course I said yes.

Long story short. (or shorter .. sorry I know Im already making this long) I spent the entire day at the spa. Still confused as to how I won it (they told me a story that I believed at the time) Then as the day was coming to an end & I was finishing up getting my hair highlighted the woman who worked in the front walked back to me and said "you have a phone call"

And as Im sure you have already figured out. It was Freeland on the phone. Asking how I enjoyed my day at the spa that I "won". Everyone in the salon/spa let out a sigh of relief & an "awwwwwwww" as I just laughed & probably turned bright red. My hubby had planned the entire day and everyone I had just spent the last 5+hours with all knew it.

It was a fantastic surprise. Freeland said he knew it was the only way he could get me to go because otherwise I would have protested & said I didn't need it. But seriously - while he sat on a plane by himself and did the long horrible 40+hour venture back to the US.. he was making sure I was pampered. And how do you even plan/book a day at the spa from Kenya by the way??? Shouldn't it have been the other way around?? Im not the one who just spent a month in Africa.

Needless to say I was blown away. And as soon as I left the spa I went and made dinner reservations for us at the little restaurant in our neighborhood. Then ran to the airport and picked him up as fast as I could so I could hug his neck & not let go for a long time.

And the rest is history. (meaning - now Im pregnant and in 15 days Im having a baby :)

16 days to go

Here we are at the 16 day count down. Things are moving along. Probably the most common question I get asked these days are "do you have a name yet" and "any signs that you will be going into labor soon"?

Well, we still dont have a name - but we did finally check out some books from the library so hopefully we will have a name soon!

And, as far as any action going on that makes me think I will go into labor soon? Not really. I mean I definitely have a ton of cramping and my body is doing strange things everyday that make me question what is going on inside. But, none of it makes me think anything will happen soon. Just makes me think my body is getting itself ready for something to happen.

I did have a really strange night/morning on Saturday. Intense cramping and pain all over my tummy on & off for a while. But then I laid down (on the floor of the bathroom) and it finally went away. So it was nothing to report.

Other than that things are all normal here. Just ready to meet our son. My mom booked her flight up here. So that's exciting. I have my doctors appointment this week where he will tell me if I'm dilated yet or not. And my biggest focus right now is getting everything done for work that I can. (which is so not exciting or fun in anyway - but it must be done) My plan as of now is to work up until I go into labor.

Oh and for those interested I made it so my twitter updates are on our blog now. (per my dad's request when he asked if I would be updating everyone via twitter or not) If for some reason I go into labor - thats where to look. Not that I will be posting every detail of my labor like I did our move up north.. but I will post that Im in labor & give updates! :)

PS - have you heard the news??? Adam & Cam are expecting their 2nd baby! Surprise! Here's to hoping for a future daughter-in-law!!!

Mysterio Predicts Our Sons Future (aka: funniest gift ever)

HUGE thanks to Katie for sending our son the coolest gift ever.

I mean, who comes up with this stuff? (she does)
And who takes the time to actually order it (she does)
and who is so on top of things that they actually get it in the mail (she is)

note - if I thought to do this it would sit at our house and wouldn't be mailed out until the child's 1st birthday. Im not the best example of "organized".

Im so thankful she is though because it was SO much fun to open. I knew right away when I saw the package who it was from .. because her handwriting is amazing. Seriously, Freeland couldnt get over it and told everyone about it.

Have I mentioned that I have never actually met Katie? True story. Thats how sweet & thoughtful she is - she sent us a sweet little gift and we havent met. (in person) We swap Christmas cards though & baby announcements so we pretty much are already bff.

Anyway. Here is what was in the package:





along with a card that said: "He may not have a name .. but.. he's got a future!"

funny.



So we opened up the bag to see what our child's destiny is:



any guesses???



LOOK OUT WORLD! Looks like our son is the next big Flamenco Dancer...





Guess we better get him enrolled in those dancing classes asap.

Such a cute gift & great idea. Thank you for thinking about us Katie .. and for making us laugh! We love it.

and yes, our son will be wearing this shirt.

37 weeks

Dear Interweb,

I am officially uncomfortable.

Hugs & Kisses, Brooke

PS: Im not complaining. Just stating the facts like I see them. Or feel them.

PPS: Im now in my 37th week. I thought I should explain that in the chance I confuse people. Im actually 36 weeks and 5 days.. but Im iiinnnnn my 37th week. There are you now not confused? Just Kidding. Its still confusing I know.

And dont worry, I get mad at the doctor every week when he says I am 36 weeks. I tried to tell him that he is wrong.. Im actually in my 37th week. Doesnt he read "what to expect when you are expecting"?

Im kidding of course. Either way.. lets not make it sound farther away than it is. I have 23 days left until my due date. there that's better.

Things are going well. Im right on track still. We had an appointment last Friday. I was 35cm.. according to that doctor. (I think Im larger) I had the strep B test done 2 weeks ago. That was surprising. (not bad or painful - just didn't really know I was having it done until I walked in and the nurse said "you can place this sheet over you & the doctor will be right in") Both the Dr & I laughed a lot while the test was being done. Im so thankful for a doctor that laughs along with me & Freeland so much.

I feel okay. I say 'okay' because Im starting to get really uncomfortable. As I mentioned in my letter at the top. Up until last week I would have said I felt great. Then all the sudden my body just hurt all over. Especially at night. But at the same time I feel like I made it really far without being too uncomfortable so Im still thankful actually.

PS - did you see Baylor win this weekend? Or more specifically - did you see Baylor beat UT this weekend? AND did you know that the first round of games are possibly in Buffalo - which is only 1 hour & 30 minutes from our house.. sooooo looks like if Freeland doesn't have a test & Im not in labor we will possibly be going to the first round of games! Very exciting!

which of these does not belong?

wait for it ...



yep. pretty sure he doesn't belong there.

or in any of these:





and don't be fooled, the same goes for her too:





curious cats.

Not to worry.. we dont let them roam free in the babies room. I have let them in there while I am in there so they can get used to it & not feel like all this change is happening quickly. (apparently cats stress out easily) I read that its best to let them sniff around to help them adjust. And I feel like we have done everything gradually enough & early enough that they are adjusting well so far. But it did crack me up (for now) when they just jumped in the crib. Good news is they never stay or sit down in it. Just sniff & jump out. (the 2 times its happened) Meaning, thankfully they arent trying to claim it as their bed.

I keep telling Sam to get ready because soon enough she will no longer be the baby of the family.

progress on the baby room

this room was originally really just an extra room with nothing in it. When we first moved in we planned on eventually making it a guest bedroom. The dogs slept in there if they wanted to and thats pretty much all the "action" the room ever saw.

So after we cleaned it up, this is pretty much where we started from:



we just painted the walls a darker tan color so it wasnt so white.

then we cleaned all the windows, repainted the trim, doors, windows, etc. Then Freeland worked his tush off and painted the dresser & our crib.

and finally the room started coming together. Right now this is what it looks like:



thats the pack n' play under the crib right now. It will be moved.

oh and thats my rocking chair from when I was little. The one I have talked about before that was also my mom's & nana's chair when they were little. I love it. My uncle mailed it up to us to use.



everything on the walls is what we already had for now. Im still planning on ordering a print. eventually

the painting above the glider is another one done by Mike in Africa that we brought home with us. It seemed appropriate in the room for now.



and we still need a little table/night stand .. but Im not worried about it now.

But there you go .. if you were to come visit us right now thats what you would see in our son's room. Honestly its not our dream room but we quickly realized our dream room wasnt possible & we are really happy with how it turned out using what we already had & could buy. I like how not cluttered it is at the moment. I know that wont last. But I can still dream.

pictures of our son

As I said yesterday we went and had our sonogram. So we got to the appointment early. I was a little weary because we had a new person and I was used to Susan doing the sonograms for us(and knew that Susan would let us sit there for a LONG time watching him & give us LOTS of pictures) . Thankfully though the sweet girl who did our sonogram ended up sitting with us forever and giving us so many pictures.

Not because she just thought to though (although she probably would have) it was because apparently our son is already a stinker.

We sat patiently while she measured everything to make sure we were on track.

Then I asked .. can you show me his "parts & pieces" just so I can be sure. And sure enough there they were. Check!

Then she moved up to his face so we could see him... FINALLY.

And what do you know - HE WAS HIDING HIS FACE! Seriously kid! What are you doing? I mean - I know you were sleeping and had no idea... but your parents are dying to see you! So we sat there pushing and moving around trying to get him to move his little hand. (which his hand was SO cute by the way) He would move it for a second to show us his face but then quickly move it back. It didnt matter because we still got to see him! The first time I saw his face I just started gleaming - because to me he looks JUST like Freeland!

After sitting there for a long time we were finally able to get some pictures. His hand is still in all of them.. and in some it looks like he is moving to try to suck his thumb! But you can still see him.


a side shot of him all snuggled in there.

And then we started pushing on him trying to get him to move. His face looked a little frustrated after that!


this is a side shot where he looks like he is about to suck his thumb






Look at those lips!!!



Here he is from the front. Nose, Lips, Hand, Eyes.. and he looks like he has hair but thats just the way the picture is. It doesnt really look that way when you are looking on the screen.



again - look at those lips!



another one where he looks like he is going in for the kill (to suck his thumb)


in all we walked away with 14 pictures. (you can see them all here - at the bottom) I was so thankful that we got to see him & that he is right on track, healthy, and doing well.

It was so crazy to us that the last time we saw him he looked like this and was sooo tiny. Now he is an actual baby!!!

Oh and by the way - she said based on her measurements he is already 6lbs & 7 ounces (or somewhere close to there) so it looks like I just might be birthing one huge baby. But then again, who knows?

Oh and he is head down so it looks like things are moving forward as the should be!

these are the days of our lives

(pretend there is a picture here. I ran out of time so I didnt upload it)

This was such a great weekend. I took off Friday - just because I wanted to. Which was a blast. What made it even better was that Friday morning Freeland decided to enjoy the day with me. Meaning - NO STUDYING! Holy Moly people! It was nice. I felt so spoiled.

The rest of the weekend was just as relaxing too.

We went and got all the rest of the things we needed for the baby. Finished up the baby's room!! Put the stroller together. (which was funny) spent time hanging out. cooking. talking. just us.

It was nice. I didnt get on my computer once the entire 3 days. Thats Heaven to me folks.

I wish everyday could be that great. But dont we all?

I have officially entered the month of my due date. Although Freeland is still pulling for April 1st. (April Fools Day) Ive assured him that it would be best if I didnt wait until April 1st. Seeing as Im ready and all & although Im open to having to wait - its not my preference. So - here's to our son's birthday being in March! (ps-the doctor said he wouldnt let me go past April 2nd so we know that we will have our son by then at the latest! woo hoo!)

And in bigger news - we get to see our son today! We FINALLY have another sonogram! We havent had one since this. And it seems like its been forever. Im praying he is faced the right way so we can see his little face. Im also obviously praying he is healthy & all is going well. I cant wait! I'll post the pictures asap.