Almost Labor Day

Well, I am glad to report that we are getting close to Labor Day! Due to the gestational diabetes my doctor really wants me to deliver early. In fact, my doctor would be more than happy if I delivered after 37 weeks. Even though I am definitely ready to have this baby, I want to try to have her as naturally as possible. We decided to try out an acupuncture induction to see if we can get things moving. My doctor says that this type of induction is both gentle and very effective. She told us that there is about an 80 percent chance that it will work within three days. Originally, I was going to have this done on August 28th, but we ended up doing the memorial service (see entry below) on this day instead. My new acupuncture induction date is September 2nd. Then if that doesn't do the trick then I have a regular induction scheduled at the hospital on Saturday, September 6th.

So... pray that our little one decides to make an appearance on her own with out help. Above all we ask for a safe delivery and healthy baby.

On a side note, Cecily has a favorite book called Alaska's ABC bears. I have noticed that she was paying special attention to "F," "Fat Bear." And sure enough one day while we were having a morning snuggle she started pointing at me and saying "fat." She now refers to her little book as "fat." I'm not even safe from the remarks from my NOT QUITE year and a half year old! But, we do have to admit that the bear looks pretty pregnant...either that or I resemble the "fat bear."

Preparing for Sister, Big Sister Boot Camp

One question that we often hear is... "Does Cecily have any idea that there is a new baby coming?"
The answer to that is.... not really! She is almost 18 months old, and she is just too young to really grasp what is coming.
We have done our best to try and prepare her. We bought three books off amazon.com and they are great! Two of them are board books and just have pictures, the other is a story about a little girl who becomes a big sister. Cecily really likes to read these books. However, she associates the baby in the books with her "baby" aka "honey" her doll.

Since we started reading the books she has gotten much more into taking care of her baby. She has to change a lot of "yucky diapers"-- all by herself of course.

Also, when I was washing all the clothes for the NewB Cecily wanted to put them on herself. I told her that they were for the new baby and she was too big to fit them. She nodded in understanding and went to get her doll. So we had fun dressing up her little doll in the NewB's clothes.

When you ask her if she is going to be a big sister she gives you an emphatic "yes!"

But we know that until the baby arrives, she will not really know what that means!

Nursery Edition

Here is a closer look at the nursery. As always it is a work in process. We don't have much up on the walls, but my mom is sewing a quilt-wall hanging for us to put up. I am also hoping to add a the wall art from Target that goes with the set.

This beautiful crib is on loan to us from Rory's sister Rebekah. This was Austin's crib. We love it! However, it is missing a few key pieces that the manufacturer does not make any more. Without these pieces we can't attach the side of the crib. So unless we find the pieces we will have to go back to Cecily's old crib (not the best) until Cecily goes into a toddler bed.

The dresser/changing table is on loan from my parents. This previously held linens in the dinning room. It's a beautiful piece and definitely will work well for us.

This other dresser was originally in my sister Cara's and my room. Eventually I ended up taking it to college. It has been passed back and forth between my house and my parent's house over the years. My parents kindly repainted it for us and then I got to decorate it. Here is a picture of Cecily "helping" my mom put the handles back on the dresser.

Rory's mom. Lillian, found these decals that matched the colors of the bed set perfectly. I found these wood cut outs and painted them to match the decals. It was a fun project. I also painted the lampshade and this shelf to match. (I have been meaning to paint this shelf for about 4 years now... I am glad that it is finally painted and has a home.)

Lillian had given me the decals and hoped that I might find a use for them. Little did I know that she was up to another project that used paper that matched the same decals. We were both delighted to see it all come together.

It has been really fund to decorate the NewB's little room. Now we just need our little bundle to go in it!

Before and After- Extreme Room Makeover!

Here is some documentation of the fact that we FINALLY conquered the office. It has been a mess for sooo long. When Rory got some much needed time off we turned our attention to the extreme office/nursery make over. We got some much needed shelf and storage units so we actually had a place to put things away. We also took a large pile of stuff to the local thrift shop.

We set the room up to be one part nursery and one part office. Which is an interesting marriage between Rory's black bear decorations and the NewB's ladybug motif. We are sure that ladybugs and black bears coexist in the wild...so why not in our house too?

I feel like this room can finally participate as a functional part of the house. It is also fun to see it come together as a great place to welcome our little NewB home to.

Family Photos!

Here are some fabulous photos taken by our Doula and Friend Sarah. We think she did an awesome job! If you are curious as to what a Doula is check out the link. Sarah helped us with Cecily's birth and she really helped to make it a wonderful experience. We have nothing but good things to say about Sarah and working with a Doula.

These pictures were taken at 34 weeks and Cecily is 17 months old. And Rory is over 10,000 days old. Hope you enjoy them!

Earning my Pillows

Our Doula Sarah says that she thinks that for every month of pregnancy you get to add a pillow- And that these pillows are cumulative... so that with every pregnancy you get more and more pillows.

One night I walked into the room to find that Rory had stacked all my pillows and was hiding behind them. As you can see I ONLY have six in this picture! And I really only sleep with 5 of them... mostly.
Now it would be nice to think that when I have the NewB, Rory will get his bed back. However, the more children we have... the less room there seems to be in our bed. Cecily sleeps in her own bed most of the time... then there are those OTHER times when she doesn't.

Big Mamma

Here I am in what I like to call--'My Big Mama Shirt.' This shirt is big, roomie and cool! So, I am 32 weeks pregnant and counting!

The Bun in the Oven

Scroll Down and Watch the Belly Grow!

Well, I am long over due for a pregnancy update, no pun intended. Hmm.. where to start. Well, as you can see the baby is growing and so am I. (By the way, we have landed on a name... but it's a secret... yes we have decided on a first and middle name... but we're not telling!)

In fact there is no hiding the fact that I am pregnant and as we suspected I am measuring big. I knew I was in trouble when the shirts I was wearing at the end of my pregnancy with Cecily were not covering my belly.

As it turns out, I have more amniotic fluid than is normal-- which is adding weight and strain to my back, hips and pelvis. The little one last checked was 11 days ahead. All this heightened the doctor's suspicions that I might have Gestational Diabetes. After conducting tests last week, the suspicions were correct. So I will be checking my blood sugar and keeping a strict diet. If I can control my blood sugar levels through diet then I won't have to take medication. One of the concerns right now is that having too much fluid can cause premature labor. Being so big also exasperates normal pregnancy symptoms. So far my main trouble is walking around. I was able to remain pretty active up until the start of the 3rd trimester. Now I have to wear two support belts, compression socks and always tennis shoes. Sometimes I feel a bit silly, and wonder if all these things are just making it more awkward for me to move, but really they all seem to help. And all in all-- It really could be worse!! So I am spacing out active days that include a lot of walking, and spending most of my time going to doctor's appointments almost every week and physical therapy. (As well as chasing around Cecily-- which I think counts as staying active).

The best news is... the baby looks healthy and beautiful!

The ironic thing is that the doctors were worried last time because CJ was so small and my fluid level was low. This just goes to show that most people don't have the same pregnancy twice!

Nursery Talk

Well we are almost into the third trimester. My thoughts are a blurr with all sorts of preparations to make before our little girl gets here. I decided to register at Target. Our wish list is not near as long as when expecting our first, but I am amazed at how many little things have worn out. So I mostly registered for bath stuff, bottles, and nursing gear. But I am doing the NewB's nursery in ladybugs! It will be very cute I think. Here is the crib set from Target, and below is a quilt my mom and I saw while in Seattle. My mom got the pattern and is planning to make it for our little bug to be. It is really fun! Anyways, I just thought I would share the nursery plans! Because let's face it-- it's one of the fun parts of being pregnant.

A Glimpse of our Littlest Girl

Here are a few 3-D pictures of our sweet girl at 22 weeks. Amazing! It is absolutely unbelievable to see her little face. She is growing really well. Everything is looking really good. Despite how big I look, she is actually right on track- in the 50th percentile. She has a lot of room, and there is lots of fluid for her to swim around in... this explains why I am so big. (We had to dispel rumors that my due date was in July-- 6 or 7 people at church were under that impression.) It also explains why I don't feel her as much as I felt CJ at this point. I, however, will be pregnant for the entire summer on into September. I am trying to stay positive. But the good news is that we do not live in the South and the Puget Sound is known for it's mild weather year round. But for those of us who live here, we know that out of no where it can get very hot, but fortunately it doesn't often stay that way for the ENTIRE summer. (See I'm thinking positive, just positive thinking right here, Pregnant and Positive... are you convinced?)