36-ish week check-up

Baby's HB: 158 bpm
Fundal Height: "perfectly on track"
My BP: good
My weight: 166... up 4 lbs... it's the thick jeans, i swear! i wasn't wearing my thick, long jeans with big-ol' belly band last week.
group b strep: awaiting results
and since she was already invading my privacy, and my curiousity got the best of me, she checked for the following:

dilation- 1 cm
effacement- 50%

Those stats don't mean anything as far as when to expect our little guy to push his way out, but it is nice to know my body is getting ready for the big day.

I'm meeting my prospective doula in person tonight. :)

*A decent night and morning's sleep, even if it was in 2 distinct chunks.
* Waking to the sound of my sweet Bear playing quietly in her room.
* Same Sweet Bear giggling (as her diaper tickled her bottom when she walked into my room. Discovering it really was not that wet, so perhaps night time training is not too far off afterall....)
* Codeine- thankfully I'm not allergic. I will be careful not to get addicted. But after it stops working. ;)
* Gentle rain for my flowers (though I hope it stops so hubby can go on his bike trip this afternoon/tomorrow. He's been looking forward to it.)
* A cuddly micro-fleece blanket.
* Someone to cuddle in the blanket with me. (Hubby or Bear, preferably.)
* My spirited niece is turning 7 today. Happy Birthday, Emily!!!!
* FREE FONTS from ScrapnFonts! Some really cute kid fonts. Limited time.

have i mentioned that i love codeine?

no, really... i could get addicted to the stuff. i've actually gone 5 minutes without coughing. maybe hubby and i will get some sleep tonight!

If I could have coughed out my baby...
(adventures in pregnancy and upper respiratory distress)

it would have happened last night. My allergies have been in full gear again for a few days. I've been taking my meds as prescribed (ironic that I want to minimize meds during labor, eh? I figure after being exposed to the contaminants that enable me to breathe and supply oxygen, it's not a bad idea to minimize exposure to others meds). Anyway, nights have been really, really rough. And don't bother calling me, because I can't talk without hacking into your ear, as much as I might want to. Well, about 12:00 last night I awoke with another coughing fit. It lasted 20 minutes, and I spent much of that time hurled over the porcelain throne. My fast-acting inhaler just made me gag more with the taste. And all the water I had been drinking... well, let's say it does not seem like kegel exercises have made much of a difference. (Yes, I am sure I am not leaking amniotic fluid. I know what my bladder feels like.) there was a point where I did start cramping enough to thing maybe there was a contraction, but it was very short lived. Still, I called hubby, who was out of town 2 1/2 hours away or so for work, and asked him to come home. I feared dehydration more than anything.

Finally, the attack ended. I was able to keep down some applesauce and some water. The inhaler that previously made my gag took its' desired effect, and I stuck a mint in my mouth and laid down. Well, at a 80 degee angle. But for the first time in 2 hours, I got rest.

Hubby arrived shortly afterward, and he has been a trooper... he stayed home and got up with Bear, letting me rest. After I returned home from the doctor (who adjusted my inhaler meds and prescribed an antibiotic and really strong cough syrup), he headed into work....

Anyway, thankfully I did not cough my baby out last night. He still has time left to cook.
But most of all, I'm thankful that my beloved was able to come home and take care of things. I hope the cough syrup that my doc prescribes so hubby can get some sleep tonight, since he didn't get much last night.

another step toward NCB

I'll be meeting with a prospective affordable doula this week or next! (I'd do it today if I didn't have my stupid cough/allergies back in full force.) While hubby is supportive of my aspirations to deliver this little guy with as few interventions as possible but still in a hospital, getting a doula is something I have been pondering. I can't swing the $500+ fee that some of my friends paid for their doulas (and said it was well worth every penny), but through a serious of fortunate events, or perhaps divine intervention, I've received a contact who seems like she might be a good fit. Stay tuned...

Tackle It Tuesday


I really don't feel much like tackling things today. Bear and I were supposed to meet up with a Mom and daughter from her Kindermusik class, but my allergies complete with bark, I mean cough, have come back and I do not feel like going out into the smothering heat and allergens.

A couple of weeks ago, I began a master list of tackles to do before Little Guy arrives. I think I need to revisit that and get some things crossed off... or at least begun. Even if I don't feel like it. If Little Guy is as good a sleeper as his sister, I will credit it to learning to tune out my coughs while in the womb.

coming soon: Elisha's Bones
by Don Hoesel

Do you know someone who has chased a dream, prayed for the Lord to open doors, and then seen those doors open? I do. A couple of someone's, actually. First, some guys I know from college got a recording contract. Well, today I learned that a friend of ours from church has his first novel available for pre-order from Amazon.com and through his publisher.

Congratulations, Don!!!! We're so excited for you!

Because this blog needs something other than baby talk on it.....

1. Leave one memory that you and I had together, as a comment on my blog. Anything goes :)

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll check to see if you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Thanks to Allison for this meme. :) Many of you are online friends, so maybe the memory could be a particular post or comment from past conversations/posts on either one of our blogs or message boards?

An old hymn- rediscovered.

The following lyrics belong to one of the many hymns we sing at our church. This was today's closing hymn, following Pastor Scotty's poignant message on prayer. It has been one of my favorite hymn arrangements for a while, but was especially meaningful following today's message and in light of a period of waiting and praying in which God has placed us.

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting

words by Jean S. Pigott,
music by David Hampton

Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee
And Thy beauty fills my soul
For by Thy transforming power
Thou hast made me whole

Jesus, I am resting, resting
In the joy of what Thou art
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart

O, how great Thy loving kindness
Vaster, broader than the sea
O, how marvelous Thy goodness
Lavished all on me
Yes, I rest in Thee, beloved
Know what wealth of grace is Thine
Know Thy certainty of promise
And have made it mine

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus
I behold Thee as Thou art
And Thy love, so pure
So changeless, satisfies my heart
Satisfies its deepest longings
Meets, supplies its every need
Compasseth me round with blessings:
Thine is love indeed

Ever lift Thy face upon me
As I work and wait for Thee
Resting 'neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,
Earth's dark shadows flee
Brightness of my Father's glory
Sunshine of my Father's face
Keep me ever trusting, resting
Fill me with Thy grace

©1998 New Spring Publishing / ASCAP / a div. of Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.

could it be?

is there the slightest bit of nesting instinct in my body after all. now, before you think i've been going crazy, scrubbing every single thing three times and the nursery is ready, do not be fooled.
however, progress is being made in our preparation for our little guy's arrival. yesterday's project was to thoroughly scrub the bathrooms. i ended up having to get hubby to scrub around the toilet in the 2nd bathroom, because all the squatting was taking it's toll on my back. not to mention my gag reflex. i am ashamed to say, both bathrooms were pretty gross... it doesn't take much for them to get that way. so now they are better, albeit temporarily. and should contractions hit and i need to rest in a warm bath, i can now do so without worrying about lingering germs in the tub (though the tub was actually in decent shape... it's just nice to know something is really, really clean.)

today's project was operation baby clothes. hubby pulled down boxes of bear's clothes for me to go through. i pulled out all the neutral things that i found suitable... and was reminded of how much pink we had. between the old clothes, what i have picked up gifts we have received, little guy is pretty well set in the smallest sizes, especially in sleep and plays and onesies. so if he were to make an early exist from his cozy home, he'd have clothing.

there's still so much to do, but it's a start...

i saw a 4 week old baby tonight!

i brought a meal to a friend from church and got to meet her little girl. their family dog seemed traumatized by the new addition, hiding out in his little house in the living room. poor thing. but the baby girl... oh, so sweet!!!

i can't believe how much time has passed since we first learned i am carrying a new baby. this pregnancy has been soo much different overall. with bear, i was sick-sick-sick for 2/3 of the time. once the nausea stopped, the heartburn began. i don't recall feeling like she was getting low until at least week 36 or so. little guy, or "lg"?, well he was much easier on me earlier on. oh, I still threw up once or twice a day, but that's nothing compared to 5 or 6 times a day i had grown accustomed to during pregnancy #1. bear was fairly tranquil in the womb, though i did not think so at the time. little guy is making his presence known several times a day. he may even be responding to his sister's voice. he definitely responds to daddy and sis's pokes and jabs, and sometimes kisses. he either loves or hates milk and juice, because he moves constantly after i've had a glass. or maybe that's his response to the cookies i ingest along with them. hiccups are common.

the idea of caring for a newborn again seems to foreign and mysterious, as i can barely remember when bear was that small. sure, i have pictures, but looking at my friend's little girl... so fragile, so tiny (and she's probably 8 lbs...)... so tender....

sigh....

about 35 week belly shot

Almost 35 week check up

Bear and I went for my check-up at the OB today. It was an uneventful belly check and pee-in-a-cup visit. The Group B strep test will be in 2 more weeks at my next visit, and after that I'll go every week until Little Guy decides he's had enough of being inside.

Mommy's weigh in: 162 lbs (up 2 from 2 weeks ago)
BP: 100/60
Little Man's Heartbeat: 156 BPM. He had Whole Foods' pure cane sugar ginger ale and some candy before we went in, so I think that got him moving. Gotta love mommy's strange cravings.

Dr. S said it feels like he's head down, but of course it's early enough that he could reposition himself if he wanted to. Still, based on the fact that I feel him at both extremes of my abdomen, I think I'll feel if he does a complete 180. So that means the hard thing at various spots I keep feeling between my belly and ribs must be his buttocks.

I went to print out my birth plan this morning, a FYI list of preferences for labor and delivery, and the printer was out of ink. Grrr... Oh, well, I've already verbally told the OB's my preferences, and hopefully well get ink between now and the next visit.

While we waited in the waiting room, a Daddy and his two beautiful daughters shared their toys with Bear while they were waiting for their Mom during her check-up. His younger daughter appeared to be around Bear's age, but was actually six years old. She has Down's syndrome, and will be a big sister to a little boy come October-something. They seemed like such a sweet family, and when I asked the 8 year old if she liked being a big sister, she said she loves it and can't wait to have a brother. Awwww... no mention of her younger sister's struggles, just her love for her. Bear did not appear to notice that the younger girl was different, either.

Friday Felicities- a day late

This was a good week for me. Steph at Punkin' Press participates in this meme, which keeps alive the memory of a dear W@H sister in Christ who God healed of cancer by taking her home to Him. Becky posted a reminder on the W@H message boards, and I thought I'd go ahead and jump on board for this week, even if it is a day late.

So here are my -Friday-Felicities-on-Saturday:

1) Celebrating 9 years of marriage with my beloved. He even made it back in town on Wednesday night, so we were able to celebrate our actual anniversary on Thursday!
2) Receiving a beautiful pair of earrings from my Beloved. When I feel especially frumpy, jewelry helps. He did good.
3) A sweet, affectionate 2 1/2+ year old who likes bugs, chalk, and cars as much as she likes wedding dresses and princesses. Sometimes more.
4) The same little girl is a great sleeper, so I'm getting all the rest I can before my days and nights are turned around with a newborn. Well, except when the insomnia kicks in from taking that afternoon nap...
5) My prenatal Yoga DVD. It helps me relax.
6) Mexican food with my Mom and Dad, who celebrated their 38th anniversary the day after our 9th.
7) Admiring classic cars in the K-mart parking lot... a little bittersweet because some of the cars reminded us of hubby's favorite uncle, who collected and restored mopars.
8) Hearing that a friend who had previously miscarried one baby heard new little one's heartbeat this week.

Visit Becky's blog to see who else had a Friday Feliz!

Are you missions minded?

I just wanted to point out a couple of blogs a read that belong to missionaries. I met both of these ladies online, one through my sister in law, and one through a meme (probably from 5 minutes for mom) well over a year ago.

Both blogs incorporate a touch of what's going on in their family life and their families' ministries, and I know they would appreciate your prayers!

Between Diapers and Dishes
The Arteaga Family

Baby prep...

Tonight, I finally emptied all but one drawer of the dresser we'll use for little guys clothes. The remaining drawer holds some miscellaneous gift-wrapping supplies which need to join the rest in a closet. Next step: line the drawers. I'm debating between splurging on scented drawer liner or just sticking with plain wax paper. I've heard of lining the drawers with wrapping paper from baby gifts, but these days most people seem to be using gift bags with tissue paper. (Including myself.) So, it will most likely be the wax paper.

Space is tricky. We have a bedroom set in our guest room which includes a wide dresser, a tall dresser, and a full sized bed. The kids' room has the crib (currently still toddler bed awaiting hubby's help), a small book cabinet, a dresser, and Bear's twin-sized bed. If we moved the book shelf upstairs, we could fit a small taller dresser in that corner, but then that would disrupt our bedtime routine of choosing stories and crawling onto the bed. So I decided to utilize the wide dresser in the guest room for our little guy's clothes and changing station. (I don't think I could manage to use the one dresser effectively for both kids' clothing. If you know me, you know why.) With so much of our family living out of town, we just can't afford to get rid of our guest room. And the sweet thing is that Bear already knows that the crib will be her brother's. She points it out just before laying down for a nap. Hopefully she won't think the laundry is supposed to be there all the time and dump clothes on top of him once he is here.

Wooden letters were purchased on sale at Joann's for 99 cents a piece, they just need a little sanding before painting.

Anyway, that's a glimpse of what's going on to prepare for our new addition. God apparently did not gift me with the pregnancy-long nesting instinct, so I am trying to be purposeful and do a little at a time before it gets too difficult. That means I need to stop taking that afternoon nap when Bear naps... and if I do that, perhaps insomnia won't be as much of a problem.

God is teaching me not to be a skeptic.


Those who know me well, know that along the way hubby and I became very disheartened with the SBC. Yes, my brother in law is a youth minister at a SBC affiliated church. My brother and his wife are music ministers and seminary students. I am very proud of them and thankful to see how the Lord has led them in their callings into ministry. But after being in one SBC-related church after another where building programs seemed to be top priority over the Gospel's impact on our lives, and polity more important than relationships, when we moved to Nashville we basically decided we no longer wanted to be members of a denomination that seemed to pride itself on numbers. That's not to say we aren't grateful for the good teaching we received or friends we made through our involvement in SBC-related ministries prior to the disheartening experiences, we just got fed up with the numbers game, church-marketing agendas, and top few sermon topics ... "Are you saved?" "Are you sure you're saved?" "Have you been baptized?" "What are you doing for God?" "What are you giving to God?"....not that these are bad, I mean Jesus did come to save us. But some of the teaching we heard went over the basics so much that discipleship, deepening our faith through God's word, was pretty weak. Maybe it was a problem in the city where we lived after we were married, because the preaching I heard there never compared to Brother Sing's teaching in college. Ironically, were it not for the college/career ministry at one of the building-program-pushing churches, we may not have met. And I cannot forget the fact that my involvement in the BSU and my college church made my college experience. Having spent some time in a fundy/separatist environment during childhood, God used the SBC- related ministries to show me Christian community within a secular environment, and opportunities to share Jesus' love in places as simple as the dorm hallway.

Gramma called to wish us a happy anniversary yesterday, and in our conversation she mentioned that the she met one of the Disaster Relief volunteers from the SBC.
Her hometown was flooded recently, filling basements and causing evacuation. Well, the residents have since returned to their homes, the Red Cross has moved on, and the SBC Disaster Relief Teams have apparently been there to continue assistance. The lady Gramma met was from Jackson, TN and surprised that Gramma knew where it was. The skeptic in me wonders if they were scouting for future church-planting locations under the guise of helping an area in need. But after a good smack in the head, regardless of any ulterior motives by the powers that be further up, the fact is that their help was greatly appreciated and the volunteers who went sacrificed their time. Although once the rain quit, I bet the Southerners enjoyed the break from the smothering heat that we have here. And I pray that the light they shared will encourage the small Bible church in southwestern WI to love their neighbors and love them well, so they might come to know Christ. I am amazed that the SBC somehow picked this tiny little town on the Wisconsin River to serve out of all the flood-ravaged areas. And grateful. And simply trying to trust that the mission was more than a statistical objective, which I'm sure it was for those directly involved. Having been involved in short-term mission trips, my top priority and my fellow team-members priority was to serve, first and foremost, and hopefully share the gospel in the process. So, this is one time where I must put my skepticism aside and simply say "thanks" to whoever responded to the short-term call North. Gramma and those around her appreciate you.

6 1/2 weeks

The OB's have me 1/2 a week behind the tickers. I've been defaulting to going with what the tickers say because it is just easier, and I couldn't get them to reconfigure way back in the beginning. I'm not about to start now. Anyway, that means if little guy hangs out patiently, we have 6 1/2 weeks until he joins us and we can feel just how hard his head, butt, and limbs really are. (They feel pretty hard with all the judo kicks going on inside me.) And Zann is technically within a month of her due date, if I am not mistaken!

Hubby was born by this point in his gestational development.

Our little guy is definitely sitting lower, and I hate standing or walking for too long as I feel like he's going to start pushing his way out of me. I don't remember feeling like this until the whole red-felt laying experiment about 4 weeks before Bear was due. But at least my heartburn is much milder than it was with Bear.

DH and his coworkers finished what they needed to do, so he got home this afternoon. That means he'll be home for our anniversary tomorrow. 9 years.

I just haven't been in the blogging mood lately...

the name game

In light of how I began my pregnancy and my current state of health, I propose the following options for names/nicknames for our little guy:

Azithromycin (Z)
Singulair(Sing... hey, it was my pastor's name in college. Well, the nickname was. But I suspect it was because he liked to sing, not after the drug).
Guafinasen (Fin)
Azamacort (Cort)
Xopenex (Xoe/Zoe)
Insomniac (Som)
Bronchiospasm (Bronco)

I am a walking pharmacy right now. It's apparently my bi-annual onset of the crud, as I went to my doc to make sure my misery was just allergies, and found out an infection was setting in. I was just trying to double check which meds were ok for me to take... I am only taking the inhalers as needed, the Xopenex if I have a coughing fit/asthma attack.

Anyway, I have a check-up later this morning to make sure all these meds aren't killing my little jicama (that's his approximate size this week). I need to pack for our weekend north, do some housekeeping that has been neglected, yada, yada, yada.... so hopefully this little spell of insomnia will end quickly. I need energy, which comes from rest...

cultural norms

While most Americans will at least give lip-service to the idea that breastmilk is best for our newborns/infants, if nursing doesn't work out, for whatever reason, formula takes over. That's our norm.

Bear and I were outside playing one evening last week, and one of the girls in the neighborhood talked about how excited she was to see her other brother. She picked up on my confused expression, and explained that her aunt had difficulty nursing her cousin, who was around the same age as her younger brother. So her Mom nursed him for her. The baby was born in the US, he could have had free formula from WIC. But in their culture the question is apparently, "Why wouldn't you give a newborn breastmilk?"

Now, I love my niece, but I don't think I would have nursed her. (Ignore the fact that I only nursed Bear for about 3 months.) For one, she lives an hour and a half away. Feeding an infant is a round the-clock-adventure. The reason the girl calls her cousin her brother is because while her mother fed him, he lived with their family. (I don't know if his Mom moved in, too, or what...) And quite frankly, even if it were something I was up to doing, I don't picture my sister as being one to go for it. It's just not normal here. Change a baby's diaper? Check. Burp someone else's baby? Check. Give a bottle to another Mom's baby? Check. Breastfeed someone else's baby? Ummm... second thoughts there.

I find the fact that this 9 year old girl talked about her "other brother" with no inhibitions fascinating. In her family's culture, what happened is normal. And though I am 99.999% sure I would not make the choice to let someone else breastfeed my child (unless they were severely allergic to formula, and then I would prefer the breastmilk to be given in a bottle so I could feed my baby), instead of thinking "ew, gross..." I find myself fascinated by the cultural differences.... and how even though they live in the USA now, some aspects of their culture are being preserved.