38+ weeks = new territory!

Apr 17, 2012 by Lindsay

Is anyone else enjoying the suspense!?!?! Haha! If you have read for long then you know that I am now over 38 weeks pregnant with baby #4 and this is officially my longest pregnancy! I shared last week about my hopes and prayers for the delivery of our little girl and I can honestly say that I believe that God knows the desires of my heart even better than I do! Even last week I was struggling with the thought of this pregnancy being over, because after all three boys it did not take me long to miss it, the belly, the kicks, the (nice) comments from strangers Although come nighttime I am moving a little slow and experiencing some discomfort I continue to feel good and am truly savoring these days!

With my previous babies I don’t think we ever got to the point that we were all just “waiting” for the baby to come, because they all just surprised us and came so early. It has actually been fun to have Spencer answer the phone in a hurry wondering if it’s the time that I’m going to say, “Get home now! The baby’s coming!” We are so blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that are excited and anxiously awaiting with us! There is nothing like awaiting a new baby to come into the world! Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing!

One day last week I was taking the boys to school and Andrew said, “Mommy, I liked it when I got to sleep in your belly, can I go back in there?” Haha! I told him that he was too big and no, he could not! He responded seriously saying, “Oh, once you come out you can’t go back in.” Silly boy! Another afternoon recently the boys were laying on the floor telling me that they “looked like Mommy!”

Just for memory’s sake I like to remember how I “nested” each time….for about the last three weeks I have made sure to leave the house picked up every night before bed and every day before we leave to go anywhere….my house has never been so clean! One evening about a week ago I was picking some crumbs up off the kitchen floor and ended up moving the whole stove and cleaning out the inside and underneath it. Then just this past Saturday I noticed how many leaves were by our front door so I got a broom out to sweep and ended up painting the front door too…it’s just funny how a small job turns into a “project” when you are extremely aware of dirt/clutter/disorganization! I have decided that newborn babies prefer to be welcomed into homes where the closets are organized and there are no crumbs under the stove

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and I’m not sure what to expect, I’ve never had a 38 week appointment before!

read more

37+ weeks, D-day is coming!

Apr 10, 2012 by Lindsay

Whether Elizabeth decides to stay in until her due date or she decides to come tomorrow one thing is true, there is not much time left! I have never had to be induced but even if it got to be my due date and I needed to be, that is still less than 3 weeks away! Whoa baby!

Last week there were some things on the calendar that I really wanted to be able to do before she arrived – the boys had doctor appointments, I helped with Andrew’s Easter party at school, I had a hair appointment, we had a sitter for Saturday night so that Spencer and I could celebrate his birthday, Sunday was Easter, and just today Spencer’s cousin (who was due before me) welcomed her first son! Some of those things might sound superficial, but I think that God cares about the little details too and He has allowed baby girl to keep cooking for a reason!

Thankfully I can say that I still feel pretty good and have a fairly high energy level for being 9 months pregnant! While I am soaking in these last days of pregnancy I can also say that now I am “full term” and my mind is thinking towards what will encourage Elizabeth to make her grand entrance into this world With three small kids you really don’t have the choice to be lazy, but even on top of my regular activity with the boys I have been even more active to try and keep little miss moving in the right direction In the mornings before the boys get up I have been walking just under 1.5 miles with my little hand weights for some arm toning action. In the afternoons we usually go to the park/beach/swimming which are all a workout in their own way because I have three kids plus all their stuff in tow! If I don’t have a chance to walk in the morning I try to walk laps around our back yard while the boys take afternoon naps (you can laugh if you want, but it’s a good workout!) Then most evenings have consisted of family walks with the boys on their bikes around our neighborhood or at the park. Needless to say I sleep like a baby at night after each days’ worth of activity, and hopefully staying this active will pay off when it comes to bouncing back after Elizabeth is born!

Aside from tons of walking I haven’t done much to try and coax her out, but I am thinking that at the end of this week Spencer and I might be getting the same burrito from Mr. Tequila’s that I ate the night before Andrew was born to try and smoke her out! If I had to make a judgement just on the way I feel I would say that it’s not going to take long for baby girl to come. To say that she has gotten “low” in the last 3-5 days would be an understatement! Not only does she feel low, but I also think you can see how low she is. I actually feel like my belly sticks out less than it did a week and a half ago because she has just settled down so much. My guess was that she would come this Thursday, but I have absolutely no idea! I love the anticipation of labor and delivery and I’m taking these next few days/weeks to just soak it all in!

I took this picture today, just before taking the boys to school…..37 weeks and 2 days

compared to this one taken over a week ago at one day shy of 36 weeks. What do you think? Has she dropped?

read more

Precious Time

Apr 10, 2012 by Lindsay

Today I am 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant with our baby girl and I have lots on my mind! Like I said a few weeks ago when I went to my 35 week check-up things were starting to happen showing that my body was preparing for a baby and so the end of this pregnancy, meeting our daughter, the last days as a family of five have all been on my mind for awhile now. I am thankful that I have had time to really just soak up this time before Elizabeth is born. Usually by this point of pregnancy I am so ready to be done; I am ready to get back in shape, I am ready to meet the baby, I am just ready to get to the next stage of life! I tend to struggle with being too quick to wish away the stage of life I am in as opposed to just enjoying where I’m at. It scares me to think that in 15 years I will look back and think, “I wish I had enjoyed all of that more!” God is really doing a work on my heart when it comes to this problem of wanting to rush through life because when it comes down to it, every stage of life is going to have struggles. Right now it’s potty training, fit throwing, obeying, etc. Someday it will be curfew, dating, building character, and work ethic. I am realizing that you simply have to choose to enjoy the good and pray for wisdom and endurance with the bad!

I have really been praying lately that we would have the opportunity to just enjoy our boys before Elizabeth is born and I am so thankful that He has been answering that prayer. Last Friday I had the chance to take the boys swimming in the morning and after dinner that night we took a long family bike ride/walk at the park. Saturday morning the boys’ worked with Spencer in the yard and then he took them fishing with their uncles and cousins. Sunday we had a wonderful time talking about Easter and what it means followed by a wonderful church service and day spent with family. To say that each day has been perfect would be untrue because we have still had our moments of lost patience and disobedience, but I feel like we have been doing better at choosing to enjoy our time together even with the difficult moments!

As well as praying for a precious time with our family before Elizabeth arrives I have been praying almost constantly for her actual arrival. When Zachary was born it was one of the craziest afternoons ever. My prayer is that God’s hand would be very evident when it comes to Elizabeth’s arrival. Specifically that the timing would allow for someone that can easily take care of the boys, that Spencer and my mother-in-law can be present and of course for a safe, healthy and enjoyable delivery. At the end of the day I know that whenever and however it happens that God already knows the details and it will all work out just the way it is supposed to!

Now, here are my attempts at recording my thoughts on welcoming a daughter

Last night as I finished packing everything I want for the hospital for myself and the baby I said to Spencer, “It still feels like I am pretending.” The day we went to our ultrasound and the tech got to the point that I knew we were about to find out what we were having I had tears streaming down my cheeks before he even said what it was because in my heart I already knew that I was having a baby girl. When he confirmed it I can’t even explain the joy I felt. He finished my ultrasound and told me I could use the restroom and as I locked the bathroom door I literally danced for joy in the privacy of the bathroom while audibly sobbing! Even still when I let myself think about it my eyes get hot with tears out of pure thankfulness that God is allowed me to experience the joy of a daughter the way He has already allowed me to experience the joys of having sons! I pray that He will equip Spencer and I to parent this little girl and that we will continue to seek Him as we raise all of our children. Our boys are each so different with their own unique personalities, gifts and struggles and I know the same will be true with our daughter!

To my Elizabeth – I can hardly wait to meet you, to see your face for the first time, to hold you and watch your Daddy meet you! I know you will be a precious blessing to our family just like each one of your brothers before you! There are so many people that are looking forward to your arrival and you are so very loved already!

read more

Let’s Guess!

Apr 3, 2012 by Lindsay

First of all, I wanted to thank you for all the sweet comments on the nursery tour!

With all of my boys I registered on a due date guessing website just for fun and I always enjoyed seeing when people guessed that baby would arrive and how big they would be! I figure this time around people can just leave comments on here or my Facebook link with their best guess as to when Elizabeth with decided to join our family!

Before I share Mommy’s guess I will give some background info that might help you in your guessing!

• I am 36.5 weeks tomorrow, my actual due date is April 29

• I went to the doctor last Monday (35 weeks) and things were already happening. She is head down and my body knows that it is preparing to birth a baby!

• Andrew came 16 days early weighing 7 lb 11 oz

• Joshua came 21 days early weighing 7 lb 1 oz

• Zachary came 14 days early weighing 5 lb 13 oz

So, having shared all of that info my guess is that Elizabeth will join our family on Thursday, April 12 and will weigh somewhere between 6.5 and 7 pounds!

Here we are at 34 weeks….

and at 36 weeks!

Hope you join in on the fun with a guess of your own!

read more

A Nursery for Elizabeth Rose

Apr 2, 2012 by Lindsay

I have had the best time creating and decorating a nursery for our little girl. I had so many ideas and at one point in time I wondered if they would all come together or if I would have a totally disjointed room at the end! With a very small budget and lots of ideas we have finally created a room for our newest addition! Although it is still missing some decorative pieces it’s as finished as it is going to get before she arrives and  I just can’t wait to share it!

This room has always served as a nursery, it’s the smaller of the two guest bedrooms and all three boys are now sharing the big room. We already had the crib & bumper, and the twin bed & bedspread. I knew I wanted to have a bright and fun room with lots of color in the bedding that would allow me to accent with decorations in many colors. I also wanted it to be ultra girly….go figure The first thing I did was research bedding. I quickly found that for the amount of money I was willing to spend there were no options that met all my criteria, so I decided to make my own. I picked this fabric from Amy Butler to be my bumper, I spent $45 on the fabric and $15 on the ribbon for the ties. Basically I just made a slipcover for my previous bumper pad. I had thought about making my own crib sheet as well, but after picking such a bold pattern for the bumper I kept it simple with a cream colored sheet by Carters that you can find just about anywhere that sells baby bedding. If you remember I posted here about the king sized bed skirt I purchased from Target for $10 that I dyed ivory and then cut to make a skirt for both the twin bed and the crib. After doing the math I paid $75 for an entirely custom bedding set that met every one of my criteria!

Once I selected my bumper fabric I chose my paint. I was fairly certain I wanted to do stripes and it turned out exactly like I had wanted! The darker stripe is ‘Crystal Coral’ by Valspar and the lighter stripe is ‘Champagne Pink’ also by Valspar.

read more

March in Pictures

Apr 1, 2012 by Lindsay

Where did March go? We have had a very busy, very fun month! We did so many things that should earn a post of their own, but at this point I’m happy to get them posted at all!

We started the month with my birthday, literally on the first of March! My sweet husband and boys made me a special cake and then I was treated to a birthday dinner at my favorite restaurant! I felt very loved on my day!

read more