Any Day

Easter has passed, and I now sit here anticipating baby #3. People ask, "how much longer?" I say, "any day now!!" Scott and I were just talking about how our world is going to change any day now, our silent nights will be gone any day, our routine will forever be changed any day, our meals/bath times/everything will be different any day. Our hearts will also grow to love another child any day! 'Any day' may be simple words, but they are two words that will change our lives when we wake up on that day that God chooses for us to meet our sweet baby! We are ready with open arms, any day now!!

Happy Easter

Our last Easter as a family of 4! The weather is beautiful, and we are outside all the time! We always love when Scott gets long weekends. The past couple days have been filled with events at church and outside family time. Church had a Good Friday family service targeted towards young children, it was really nice. We headed to take pictures with the Easter bunny before church, that was a disaster. Hunter and Trent are terrified, seriously terrified of the Easter bunny. Trent had a full blown anxiety attack and Hunter was screaming and running away. The only way they would get remotely close was if they sat on my lap.

We are preparing for a big day tomorrow. Easter Sunday is hosted at our house. My family comes over in the morning for brunch and egg hunt, then Scott's family comes over for early dinner. It is a lot of cooking, egg hiding and preparing for me but I love having our house filled with noise, family, and kids!! My family always leaves their mark with 10 young kids and 9 adults (that is just my immediate family!) I load all 19 baskets with goodies and try to make the day as special as my mom used to! She loved Easter, and I try to carry on her traditions.

 I am treating myself to a manicure/pedicure today while Scott takes the boys to see their first movie. Scott is excited to have some guy time and experience their first movie. I am excited to have some pampering and quiet time before baby #3. Our 'nesting' is completely done!! We are ready when baby is ready. I can feel my body getting closer and closer. I am having regular contractions and they get worse at night. I contemplated going to the hospital the other night because the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart for 2 straight hours. They get more spaced out as I move around during the day. The doctor said, "it's going to be tricky to know when to come to the hospital since you have so many contractions." Ummm, thanks Doc for the reassurance, haha! That is my concern...at what point do I go?? I don't want to wait too long, but I don't want the inconvenience of false alarms. I am just going to trust my instincts and say lots of prayers!

All the cute clothes, Easter bunnies, eggs, and candy aside...we are beyond humbled by the blessings God has graced us with. The good and the bad, they are all blessings that have shaped us into who we are as a family and individuals. I love my boys more than words. Scott is the best dad and friend to our boys. His patience, love, gentleness, and energy continues to amaze me and are the traits that our boys will forever treasure. Baby #3, we are so ready to love on you!! Happy Easter to everyone!

9 Months

36 weeks and still baking. It is always a relief to make it to this point of a pregnancy. This week provides the comfort of knowing that baby is fully developed and ready to come. It's a waiting game from this point on, and I LOVE the anticipation. This is my favorite part because you always wonder "is today the day??" Only God knows when this baby will make its debut, and I fully trust God's plan to bring this baby into the world in His perfect timing!

I go to the doctor weekly now. As of last week, I was 2 cm dilated and baby has dropped. I stayed like this with Trent for weeks, so my prediction is that I still have a couple of weeks to go. The doctor did a "fetal distress ultrasound" last week to make sure baby had enough room to continue to prosper. I told the doctor that I don't feel baby move that often...way less than Hunter and Trent. From the beginning this baby has moved way less and more gentle. This never caused any concern, but she wanted to make sure baby wasn't distressed by the size of my uterus. She closely watched baby's heart rate and breathing rate for a long time. She was reassured that all is going great and baby is growing at a steady pace. She will probably do an ultrasound weekly to check my fluid and make sure baby is still able to thrive.

 Cookies from my shower...Griffin Paul or Faith Ann??!

We are almost done nesting!!! All 3 carseats are in both cars, bags are packed, plans are made for the boys- such a great feeling! The nursery is pretty much a blank slate right now. I have linen bumper pads and got a gathered linen crib skirt made. I have plans for nursery ready to go. I already have boy and girl fabric picked out. I will order the fabric from the hospital bed!!! I am adding the fabric to the ties of the bumpers and to the bottom of the crib skirt. I am also doing curtains in the fabric. I have also reorganized cabinets, cleaned under beds, got new car tires, added mulch to flower beds, etc...all the nesting stuff that has nothing to do with a baby, haha- why do moms do that?!!

My friends hosted a baby shower for me. It was a "take a guess" shower. People either took a guess and brought a boy or girl gift (with receipt) or they played it safe with diapers!! Such a cute idea. It was so fun to see all the predictions and the reasons behind the prediction!! I wore pink AND blue to cover all bases!! I am so grateful for my friends and family that were part of my special shower- it made everything so much more "real" and exciting! I am loaded with diapers and have some new clothes ready to go! 

Scott and I have had busy weekends getting ready for baby, but we are very excited to be able to relax and enjoy these days with Hunter and Trent. Our evenings will be filled with "family of 4 activities"...playing outside, long baths, reading books, strolls around the neighborhood, and just enjoying being together before our family forever changes!!