November baby...

Aubrey will have a birthday this month. That is one thing I know for sure. Her due date is this Saturday, 11.12.11, we can't believe it!

The past week has been interesting for us. It's been another lesson, teaching us patience. Last Thursday we went to the OBGYN for our weekly appointment and our doctor confirmed I was between 2 and 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. For those out there that don't know what this means (and sorry if this is too much information for you) it's definitely a step toward labor. The doctor seemed very upbeat that we were in early stages of labor and she advised for us to take a long walk, drink lots of fluid and eat a good meal (don't ever come to the hospital hungry if you're coming for L&D. By the end of the day we were able to check those things off our list. My contractions were strong and steady and Jacob called his parents letting them know that they might want to head this way as things seemed to be in motion. His mom was here by dinner and we were positive that we may be on our way to the hospital before we knew it.

Friday came and went. On Saturday morning, I called the OBGYN as we thought that I was possibly leaking amniotic fluid so they advised us to go to the hospital so they could check my pH levels.

They monitored my contractions which were 10 minutes a part and checked Aubrey's heartbeat and activity. Fortunately I was not leaking fluid and since the contractions were still 10 minutes a part and my pain  level was low, they sent us home. This was a great "practice run" as we called it and gave us a sense of ease to see the room and at least go through the initial medical questionnaire and process that will happen once it is time.

Tomorrow is Thursday and this date has been on our minds since there's going to be a full moon. According to articles we've read and nurses and doctors we have conferred with, there is always an increase in deliveries and overall activity at hospitals on full moons. Do you believe in this theory that more babies are born on full moons?

All of the theories and speculation aside, all we can do at this point is continue to pray for patience, surrender and believe God has already chosen Aubrey's birthday.

Full Moon Dates 2011

Year	Month	Day	Time	Day of Week
2011	Jan	19	21:21	Wed
2011	Feb	18	8:36	Fri
2011	Mar	19	18:10	Sat
2011	Apr	18	02:44	Mon
2011	May	17	11:09	Tue
2011	Jun	15	20:14	Wed
2011	Jul	15	06:40	Fri
2011	Aug	13	18:57	Sat
2011	Sep	12	09:27	Mon
2011	Oct	12	02:06	Wed
2011	Nov	10	20:16	Thu
2011	Dec	10	14:36	Sat

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, she can laugh at the days to come."
-Proverbs 31:25

We finally found the verse that we're using in Aubrey's nursery. What a beautiful way to describe our hopes for her.

Let the "nesting" begin

Today marks the 34th week. I simply can't believe it, Aubrey could be here anytime now. We went to the doctor this past Wednesday and Aubrey is already in position! And, today I am considered full term which means she is fully developed and they would not stop labor if it were to happen. I would say that's a lot to take in, a whole lot of miracle. It's so exciting and overwhelming!

So, speaking of overwhelming, I now understand the meaning behind nesting (imagine Jacob laughing at this comment). Last weekend I put him to work. I felt this incredible need to literally clean the entire house. Well, not just "clean" but organize and clean out every closet in our house. I don't know what it is about the coming of a baby that creates this need to get the house in perfect order but it happened to me last weekend and it felt awesome to get rid of so many things we don't need or use. Jacob, you were a trooper.

Also, we also wanted to share a few maternity pictures that we took in Beaufort when we were there in August. Tony Pierro was the photographer, he did such an amazing job!

29 week update

First off, sorry about the lack of blogging the past month and a half.  It has been super busy and time has gotten away from us.  The past month has been great.  We have spent time in Beaufort, Charleston, and Pawley’s Island in search of some much needed coastal relaxation.  During all of this time in the Lowcountry, the main thing that kept resonating in my mind was that the next time I come here Aubrey will be with us!

Our nursery is coming along well.  We have the crib, dresser/changing table, and rocker.  The room is painted and I finished the stripes last night.  I will get Jessica to post a few pictures in the next couple of days.      

Over the past few months, we have received several helpful tips that will hopefully help us once Aubrey gets here.  Several people have told us to “SLEEP NOW” because once Aubrey is here you will need it!  We have heard that we should set specific “visiting hours” while we are in the hospital post-birth so that we can have some time to ourselves.  What else…oh yeah, we have heard (and read) that it is important that we do not get into the habit of rocking Aubrey to sleep and letting her sleep in our arms.  Jason (our brother in law) said that it is important to get her to sleep and immediately put her in her crib.  This way, she won’t freak out during the middle of the night when she wakes up in a place that is different than where she fell asleep.  It all sounds simple enough…but I know that it is going to be a lot of work.  Wayne Cole (our Associate Pastor) always says, “it’s all that easy and it’s all that hard”.  I am guessing that no matter what advice we get it truly will be “all that easy and all that hard”.

Since we are on the subject of advice, Jessica and I figured it would be cool if we could get our blog readers (do we have any readers?) to give us some advice.  This is your opportunity to contribute to our blog if you wish.  If you want, please provide your best piece of advice for us! 

One last thing….in the spirit of football….Aubrey sure is picking a great time to be born!  I can’t wait to hold her while I am watching my Gamecocks make a run at a SEC championship!  Go Gamecocks!

Salty air

We just got back from a long weekend at  Litchfield Beach. It's a beautiful beach in SC, very close to Pawley's Island. What is it about the beach that can bring some much needed peace and relaxation? It has to be a combination of the salty air, sand between your toes, the sounds of the waves crashing, the smell of suntan lotion. We left sweet Hagen behind and focused on nothing more than relaxing for 4 days. It felt good to get out of a schedule for a few days with no morning alarms.

 

AGD

What started out to be an unproductive weekend, actually turned out to be a success. Jacob got to check off several things from his baby list. He's the ultimate "checker off-er" and I can't help but love him for it!

We are proud to announce that we have a name for baby Deuel. Once we've had a chance to tell our family, we will post on the blog but the initials will be AGD.

We also found her bedding and quickly went home to "dress" the crib we bought a few weeks ago. Now, onto the paint color...

Extra polka dot sheets. We are going to accessorize with cute, printed sheets, pillows and monogram the bumper!

Her first gown and of course, it had to be Gamecock!

It's A....

On Wednesday, we went in to the doctor for Jessica’s 5 month appointment. As we walked in to the doctor’s office, we could not believe that it had already been 20 weeks and we were about to finally find out if we were having a boy of girl.  Up to this point, we were not sure but had a hunch that we were having a boy.  We did the ring test…back and forth…BOY.  We documented the heart rate from each doctor visit….BOY.  We listened to all of the expert analysis from all of the moms that have gone before us….”you eat a lot of cereal?”…BOY…”you haven’t been getting sick?”...BOY…”your baby bump appears to being carrying low”…BOY!  As we sat in the waiting room and waited for the nurse to call us back (it felt like an eternity), you could see the excitement on Jessica’s face and I am pretty sure the other pregnant women in the room wanted to tell me to sit the heck down and stop pacing.  We were actually about to put an end to all of this speculation and find out once and for all!  The nurse called us back and got started right away with the ultrasound.  She started with showing us a nice view of the spine and the top of the head and then she moved down to show the legs and the butt.  Then, she typed it on the screen…IT”S A GIRL!

We are so incredibly happy to announce that we are having a GIRL and she will be here some time around November 12!  Going in to the appointment, we had a hunch that our baby would be a boy.  While we would have been happy with a boy, we are even more excited that our first born will be a girl.  We have so much to look forward to as parents of a little girl!  People have told me that having a daughter is an experience unlike any other for a father.  I have also heard that she will have me wrapped around her finger as soon as we see her.  Matter of fact, I think she already does.