9 hours ago
Our precious girl, Gwendolyn Ruby, is here!
She made a very exciting and unexpected entrance at 1:01 AM on December 27th, her daddy's birthday! She weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces and measured 20 inches long. We're all home now - Mom and baby are both doing great, Dad is very proud, and Wyatt is already a concerned big brother (he keeps asking if she's okay when she cries).
She is just beautiful, and we feel so excited and blessed to have her here safe and sound!
I'll obviously be on a blog break for a little while, but I have a few guest posts lined up, and keep an eye out for her birth story in the next week or so - trust me, it's a good story!
No baby yet!
We had a lovely Christmas (recap coming I'm sure), and I had a bit of time since Wyatt is still sleeping and Derek is taking a test for one of his classes. So I thought I'd go ahead and get the last of the Instagram pictures up (unless I take a few more this year, but I'll just add them in later).
I realized as I was typing out all my captions this time that I use " … " a lot on Instagram and Twitter. Sorry if that's annoying . . .
*Hehehe! Sorry, I'm easily amused today.*
September 17, 2012 - The kiddo picked out all the single-hole Legos and set them aside on the coffee table. Smartie. :-)
September 20, 2012 - I usually am not a change-into-yoga-pants-as-soon-as-I-get-home pregnant lady, but today . . .
September 25, 2012 - Second time in the last week that I've hit empty before I realized I needed to stop for gas . . . what is my problem?!
September 26, 2012 - We're staying with Derek in the hotel tonight, and he surprised me with flowers!
September 27, 2012 - 26ish week bump and a curly-haired me (for those of you who didn't know it was that curly - yeah, it is!).
September 29, 2012 - Corn maze tonight!
October 4, 2012 - Just shopping for something for my maternity shoot, and there is no room on my phone for new pictures, so I'm documenting here for reference later. :-)
October 4, 2012 - Or this with a scarf? Hmm. . .
October 6, 2012 - 27 weeks!
October 6, 2012 - Fall clothes - it is COLD out there today!
October 8, 2012 - Trying to clean out the dresser drawers to make room for Baby Girl. And W is playing car in one of the organization bins. :-D
October 15, 2012 - Oh my goodness, I cannot get enough of the hat!
October 19, 2012 - At the aquarium! W was fascinated by the otters especially . . .
October 22, 2012 - All this political talk has someone tired out . . .
October 23, 2012 - Waiting at Starbucks while they put on our snow tires . . . only two more hours to kill.
October 23, 2012 - You know, just trying n some new boots while we wait.
October 25, 2012 - #WIDN Tagged by @feedotbee - Making pumpkin bread with cinnamon chips on a snowy day! Tagging @crosseyed247, @pagingdrgrace, @tiffanyaustin922, @lissaraye33
November 18, 2012 - 33 week baby bump!
November 21, 2012 - Oh what a beautiful sight.
November 22, 2012 (Thanksgiving) - Next time I'm volunteering to bring pie instead. Hard boiled eggs and I do not get along!
November 22, 2012 (Thanksgiving) - There, they don't look half bad now that they're done!
November 26, 2012 - Finished wrapping W's Christmas presents!
November 29, 2012 - Way excited to get this in the mail! Love this stuff. And yes, that's a bunch of laundry and a half-packed hospital bag in the background.
December 1, 2012 - Just back from our work Christmas party, about to get changed and go to bed! 35 weeks today.
December 7, 2012 - Loving this nail polish combo - it's been two days since I painted my nails and they haven't even chipped! 2 coats Princess Grace from China Glaze, 1 coat Spitfire from Pure Ice, 1 coat Enchantress from Nicole. Only made possible by long TV shows on the couch with Derek after W goes to bed. :-)
December 7, 2013 - See? I kind of get suckered into buying polishes that look pretty in a row together . . .
December 13, 2012 - 37 week belly!
December 20, 2012 - Chic-Fil-A and shopping date with my boy today. This may be the last chance we have to do this before baby arrives!
December 24, 2012 - Fun game with the fan on Christmas Eve!
And that's it! It's been a fun year. . .
It's the Eve of Christmas today. I've been ready for Christmas for a few weeks now, but somehow it still seems to have snuck up on me. I think it's because I've been so distracted the last few weeks with getting ready not only for Christmas, but for baby.
The whole last month can be summed up in one word for me - expectancy. Will she come early like Wyatt? Will I be able to make it to that party next week, or will I be having a baby? In the back of my mind is always the thought that she could come any time.
All of my energies have been focused on getting every task that arises done as soon as possible, because if that day was the day, I wanted everything to be ready. I wanted to be prepared.
These last few days especially, as her due date has been drawing closer and closer, I've been watching for any sign that she might be coming soon - is that a contraction, or is she just pushing out the side of my belly again? Is that back pain getting worse? When will she come?
This whole month we've also been doing a Scripture advent calendar for Wyatt each night that his sweet aunt and uncle put together for him. And last night, after we read the scraps of paper, divided up the chocolate, and opened Wyatt's last advent present, I started thinking about expectancy again, but this time about the expectancy that preceded Christ's birth.
The Jews knew he was coming. For hundreds of years they read prophesies in the Scriptures about his birth. How must it have felt for Mary and Joseph to know that every prophesy, every hope and longing for His coming, was on the brink of being fulfilled through that tiny human baby (that probably stuck his arms and legs out the side of Mary's belly too)? That all those who had been watching for Him would soon see Him come, just as God said He would?
I'm not sure everyone understood then that He had come not to defeat the Romans, but to defeat something far more damaging to the people God loves - our sin. That he came to live, and then die to pay for the sin of the world, and then to rise again that we might live.
That wasn't what some of them expected, but God had His plan. Still, regardless of what they knew or didn't know about His purpose here then, to have waited for the Messiah so long and then to have Him come must have been something so special.
It's nowhere close to the same type of expectancy, but somehow waiting for our little lady to arrive has made me think about it more. I think about how excited I'll be when all these little aches and pains culminate into something that I can actually identify as labor. I think about how wonderful it'll be to see her little face after all the waiting.
And I think how thrilling it must have been, after generations of waiting, to know that the Messiah was finally here. That must have been the most amazing type of expectancy to have fulfilled for those who had been watching for Him.
It's not quite finished yet though. Jesus is coming again - not as a baby, but to catch us up with Him in the clouds, and to establish His kingdom on earth! There is plenty of controversy about how and when all the events in the end times will happen, but the bottom line is, we know He's coming back.
Are we waiting for Him now with the same kind of expectancy? Are we watching for the signs that He's coming soon? Are we making sure everything in our hearts and lives are ready for Him?
Tomorrow, as I think about the first time He came, I want to remember to watch for Him still. I want to be ready for Him, and I want to experience that full measure of joy when He finally comes again, because I was watching for Him and expecting Him all along.
Just like the waiting for anything makes it so much sweeter to receive it, for those who are waiting, and watching, and longing for His coming again, it will be a thrill beyond anything else to hear that trumpet sound and know that He is here.
To wrap it up, this song kept playing in my head as I wrote this - it's not technically a Christmas song, but it fits - because what a glorious day it will be when He comes again!
One day when Heaven was filled with His praises
One day when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is He.
One day they led Him up Calvary's mountain
One day they nailed Him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my Redeemer is He.
One day the grave could conceal Him no longer
One day the stone rolled away from the door
Then He arose, over death He had conquered
Now He's ascended, my Lord evermore.
One day the trumpet will sound for His coming,
One day the skies with His glory will shine;
Wonderful day, my beloved ones bringing;
Glorious Savior, this Jesus is mine!
Living, He loved me
Dying, He saved me
Buried, He carried my sins far away
Rising, He justified freely forever
One day He's coming
Oh glorious day!
-J. Wilbur Chapman
Merry Christmas, Friends! Praying you may have the joy of knowing and waiting for Him too!
I am 38 weeks pregnant! Officially more pregnant than I have ever been before - Wyatt was born before this time in my pregnancy with him!
I usually don't post on Saturdays, but considering that next week is Christmas and Little Girl could make her appearance any time, I figured I better just get this up! Important details are in bold, because seriously, it's days until Christmas - I'm sure you're all busy!
I'm feeling pretty good this week. I like this stage of pregnancy, because it's very obvious that you're very pregnant, and everyone is so courteous. And you get asked about your due date all the time, which I think is fun. I'm obviously getting a bit more uncomfortable, but not unbearably so - and the baby bump comments from other people and sweet kicks and rolls from Baby make up for it!
Baby Girl has been moving a lot like always. I think she moves around more regularly than Wyatt did - Wyatt would take longer breaks from movement and sometimes worry me, but there have been few times where I've had to worry about her, because she moves quite a bit. I'm not sure what this means for her sleeping habits, but I guess we'll see when she gets here! She has taken to kicking me in the ribs when I'm sitting down though, and it makes them pretty sore at times!
All baby preparations have been done for a few weeks, so I've mainly just been relaxing, making Christmas treats, and hanging out with Wyatt. I did work on a bow/headband holder for her room this week, inspired by Jen's bow holders! I think it turned out pretty cute, but it's clear to me needs more of a headband selection. I was going to share a picture, but I forgot to take one and Wyatt's napping now, so I'll share it in the next pregnancy update (if there is one).
So for my 37 week checkup my doctor told me that I was 3 centimeters and 75% effaced! I was surprised that I had made so much progress in one week! I was a little worried she was going to come that next week - which wouldn't have been good, because Derek had to take a work trip five hours away from me. But thankfully she decided to stay put until he got home.
At my 38 week check this past Wednesday my doctor said she was a little surprised to see me there, because she thought we'd be having that baby pretty quick after my last appointment. I was still 3 centimeters, which was surprising to me because I had been having a lot of pains the whole week before - I thought something must be going on, but nothing. Then my doctor told me that I had more protein in my urine sample, and she ordered a 24 hour urine test for me. I know, aren't you jealous?
Protein in the urine is a sign of pre-eclampsia, which is what I had with Wyatt. I'll probably be getting the results back from the 24 hour test sometime this weekend, but because I have a history of pre-e, if they don't come back good we'll be talking induction again. I was really hoping to go into labor on my own this time, so I'm still crossing my fingers and praying that either my protein levels are fine, or she'll decide to come before I have to be induced! I've been getting some early labor signs in the last couple days, so it's not too farfetched. No real contractions yet though.
If we end up setting an induction date I'd imagine it would be after Christmas, unless my levels are really high and we have to do it right away. So I might still have some time to get her out before I'm induced! If we set a date, I plan on pulling out all the stops. I got some good suggestions on Twitter about ways to encourage labor to start, but I'm open to more! So give me your best labor-inducing tips below! I'll post an update as we figure out what's going on in the next week.
Update: There's still some protein showing up after my 24 hour test, but not enough to indicate that I have pre-eclampsia yet, or do anything about it immediately. In the phone message my doctor said they'd be "monitoring me closely" so I guess we'll see what that means at my appointment this next week.
More photos from Instagram this year! Plus this post has proof that I was skinny-ish before baby grew to be 5+ pounds - it's amazing how much the belly grows in just a few short months! It's fun to see the progression . . .
My birthday 2012 - Woke up this morning to this! Derek sneakily decorated for my birthday last night . . .
My birthday 2012 - Sweet birthday card too - I love these cartoon cards!
June 22, 2012 - Couldn't resist the crazy nail color . . . Now I'm trying to decide if I like it or if it's too "out there". What say you?
June 22, 2012 - Decided I do like the new nail color. Plus I can totally pull it off. #mojitomadness
June 24, 2012 - My other new polish "All Tied Up".
June 25, 2012 - Yes, I ordered a whole case of these so I can have hazelnut chai whenever I want. Welcome to my pregnancy cravings!
June 27, 2012 - Headed off to a gender reveal party! I'm voting girl (team pink!).
July 4, 2012 - All ready for the 4th in my red, white, and blue tank! Ignore the fact that it's blurry, I"m horrible at self-portraits.
July 4, 2012 - Derek declared that it definitely looks like a baby bump today, not just flab . . .
July 5, 2012 - W just grabbed my phone and took a picture of one of his favorite things to play with . . .
July 10, 2012 - There are perks to being a first child!
July 15, 2012 - Derek surprised me with a Starbucks breakfast this morning!
July 17, 2012 - I seriously think the belly has shrunk since last week. Is it just me? I know, I'm obsessing.
July 20, 2012 - My sweet coworkers all signed a sympathy card for me. My uncle's funeral is today. #sadbutblessed
July 22, 2012 - Ha! I've had my iPhone for 7 months and I just figured out how to take a screenshot . . .
July 24, 2012 - What I'm doing now - reading in bed and eating fugue. I'll tag @okiebelle, @nicoletablefor4, @stateofchangekc, @sagenovember, @crosseyed247.
July 25, 2012 - Baby and me this afternoon. W is napping and I liked my outfit. :-)
July 31, 2012 - My hair is just working for me today . . . I felt the need to document for future reference! :-)
August 1, 2012 - Sitting on the porch while it rains. W is fascinated!
August 17, 2012 - Me and the baby bump in the dressing room today.
August 18, 2012 - #WIDN Sorting through clothes and trying to decide what shirt to wear for bump pictures later. Tagging: @jessicaw1106, @crosseyed247, @nicoletablefor4.
August 18, 2012 - More jewelry organizing for my bathroom wall!
August 18, 2012 - #WIDN Tagged by @crosseyed247! I'm attempting to make a chalkboard, but just realized the paint I bought was GREEN! Ah! I wanted black . . .
August 21, 2012 - Wearing his belt from @happinessisblog's giveaway! So cute.
August 21, 2012 - Broccoli salad and sour Twizzlers. If that's not a pregnant lady snack, I don't know what is!
August 22, 2012 - Tagged by @camerogirl819! #WIDN Watching TV and trying to get this crazy dog to post for a picture! This is our fourth or fifth try. :-)
August 24, 2012 - Just got invited to a dental study club this fall! I love these things. Hosted by our periodontist, and they even threw in a gift bag!
August 25, 2012 - 21 week belly!
August 28, 2012 - Ralphie had a grooming appointment today - doesn't he look cute? And his hair is so soft! I need to find out what shampoo they use.
August 29, 2012 - All dressed up to go see my baby again today!
One more post with Instagram photos for 2012 coming up sometime after Christmas! That is if the world doesn't end today like the Mayans thought it would . . .
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