Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...
This past week's adventures were nothing short of an episode of Days of our Lives. One minute everything was so very perfect, and then in a blink of an eye we all held our breath as we prayed for good news. Let's start with the happy things first!
I waited all summer for my mom's visit to see us and it finally came last Monday night! We were so excited for her to be here! It was an extra exciting night because we picked up some milkshakes before we picked her up! Wahoo! For those of you who have ever been preggo in the summer...you know just how thrilling a milkshake trip can be! I may or may not have enjoyed both mine and a little of my mom's delicious treat while we were waiting for her to land! Come on...it was about a gazillion degrees, her flight was 30 minutes late, and besides it's an excellent source of calcium for my little kung fu fighter...can you really blame me? :-)
As soon as "Nana" got here there was never a single dull moment! We started working right away in the nursery and made weeks and weeks of progress in just a few days! We most definitely put Ty Pennington and both TLC and HGTV teams to shame! It's amazing what can happen when you pair an extremely anxious expectant mother with an extremely excited future grandmother! Garrett put the crib together, only to have to take it apart to reassemble in the nursery after finding that it didn't fit through the hallway or the doorway of the nursery...God bless him! Here are some pictures of our renovation operation, "Project Nursery"!
Getting the room ready to paint! Izzy can barely contain her excitement as she yawns for the camera!
Mom organizing our organized mess!
Getting down to business
Daddy finishing the drapes after he put up the new blinds and our friend Aaron put up the new chair rail! And I'm, well...um...giving moral support! :)
Daddy putting the crib together while Izzy supervises!
Crib assembly #1 - before we realized it wasn't getting through Hudson's doorway! oops!
This is Izzy's overall attitude towards the great "Getting ready for baby phenomenon" at our house. If she could talk, I can just hear her saying, "Looking good everyone! I'll just lay here and supervise." I'm actually convinced that she thinks the baby's room is just for her. If looks could kill we would have been in trouble when she saw Daddy putting the crib together in Hudson's room instead of bringing her pink polka dot bed in. For the past week, she has successfully dragged every single one of her toys into the nursery as if she was reclaiming her territory. Little does she know that in less than three whole months she won't be an "only child" anymore! I wonder if they offer postpartum counseling for puppies? :-)
On Aug. 5th we had our second 3d ultrasound appointment! I wish everyone could have seen the look on Nana's face when she was able to see Hudson's face for the first time in person! I was so happy to get to experience this appointment with her! She and Garrett sat close by in front of surrounding screens in the cozy ultrasound room as our technician pointed out all of Hudson's round features! At one point when Hudson wasn't cooperating, mom put her hands on my belly and gave him a little pep talk. Just then, he put his hands down and we got a really sweet picture of his face! Being the little rascal that he is, he spent most of the time with his legs and arms up over his head, in front of his face, hiccuping, swallowing, smiling, and melting our hearts as usual! Although we had nearly 20 pictures and a dvd of the experience, the following few pictures were our favorites!
Great profile pic on the left and sweet chubby baby goodness 3d picture on the right! Look at those round cheeks and little nose! Is it just me being a proud mommy, or do I see a smile too!?
Although this one is a little shadowy due to the umbilical cord floating above his face, if you look closely you can see his little mouth opening to smile and swallow!
Even though the 3d pictures are so incredibly wonderful, the simple profile pictures are always the ones to capture my heart. There's something about seeing the outline of my child's face that reminds me what a true miracle from God he is. It's almost like getting a sneak peak at heaven.
Afterwards, we went to Murrells Inlet to eat dinner on the water!
Heather flew in for the weekend! I nearly burst with happiness to have both mom and Heather here at the same time! We spent the rest of the weekend at the beach, at the outlets, making yummy meals (which we froze for when Hudson comes home when mommy and daddy start balancing a three ring circus around here! :0) and just spending quality girl (plus one little guy) time together.
"Nana" making her second batches of lasagna at 12:30am! Rachel Ray eat your heart out! It was an all night cooking marathon!
Me making my very first meatloaf in the wee hours of the night!
Sitting out at Margaritaville enjoying delicious drinks. I, on the other hand, enjoyed a lovely Shirley Temple! :-)
Sisters Sisters...
Heather and I taking Hudson for a dip in the pool! :)
Unfortunately, these were the last pictures we were able to take together before mom and Heather went back to PA. After the beach that day we had a major emergency. Mom, Heather, and Garrett, rushed me to the hospital after I began to hemorrhage early Saturday evening. The labor and delivery nurses checked to see if I was in labor and if contractions were beginning as we all held our breath and prayed that God would keep Hudson safe inside. Sure enough, our prayers were answered. After spending the weekend in the hospital, many tests, and ultrasounds, they found that I had a significant placental tear. Thankfully, they felt that I was able to go home and spend the rest of the week on strict bed rest instead of completing it in the hospital. Hudson was a very brave and strong little boy the whole time. High tech ultrasound pictures showed that he was nearly 3 pounds so far and was developmentally two weeks ahead of schedule! Garrett and I have been through so many intense fertility treatments and procedures to get to where we are today. We though that we had everything pinpointed for a due date of Nov. 6th. Once again, God proved that He most certainly knows better, and that Hudson is schedule to arrive as early as Oct. 23rd now! As I've said countless times before...never EVER a dull moment with us!
Despite having his parents, Nana, and Aunt Heather scared to death, he was perfectly content and happy as a clam, until they hooked up the fetal monitors on my belly. He found all of the monitors and straps on my belly very uncomfortable and would literally kick them off. Our wonderful nurses in on the labor and delivery floor would come running in to readjust the monitors so that they could see and keep track of his heartbeat from their station. As soon as they would hook him back up and find his heartbeat, it wouldn't be more than 15 minutes before they were back in to fix it. We couldn't help but laugh. In a situation as scary as this, any source of laughter came as great comfort. It was also quite humorous to think of me buzzing a nurse to come help unplug me from my wires and IV so that I could use the potty every 5 minutes. Never before have those wonderful women been mooned so many times in a short time span! God bless hospital gowns...what can I say!
When we knew all would be a-ok, mom and Heather reluctantly flew back to PA. Before they left, they took excellent care of Izzy and got our house ready for what would be a long week of bed rest for me. More than ever before, they truly were our special angels while they were here.
We had lots of special vistors while we were in the hospital. We are so grateful to have had the prayers, love, and support of so many. It was because of all of you who cared so much and prayed so hard that we were able to have a sincere sense of calmness and hope throughout this heartbreaking situation. My mom said it best when she said, "now you know what's it's like to be a parent" when she wiped my tears away after hearing that Hudson would be ok. I wasn't in the least bit worried about myself, but once they were able to find his heartbeat, I felt like I could get through anything. The amount of love I feel for this little boy transcends anything I've ever felt before. Don't get me wrong though, with everything that we have been through already, Hudson is most definitely going to be grounded until at least kindergarten! ;-)
Above all, we are all home now and taking it easy. Garrett is watching me like a hawk and has threatened to put up Nanny Cams while he's at work if he suspects that I'm even moving my pinky. I'm sure next week's blog will slightly less entertaining seeing as how I will be parked on the couch and bed for its duration! Although...Garrett will be in charge of cooking, cleaning, laundry...etc....soooo on second though....it may be the most entertaining blog yet!
Thank you again everyone for all of your love and support. We are so blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives.
News from the produce department....still eggplant size!
However, read on for fun "week 27" antecdotes!
Your Pregnancy: Week 27
The light at the end of the tunnel is growing brighter for both you and your baby. With only 13 weeks left (give or take a couple of days), it's time to enjoy the ride because it's getting shorter. (This is the point on the roller coaster where you throw your arms in the air and wail like there's no tomorrow. Wee!)Wondering what's up with your body, your baby and your life this week? Read on ...
What You're Thinking:
"Why does everyone turn and look at me when the Commodore's song "Brick House" comes on the radio?"
Your Body:
As anxious as you are to evict your tenant so you can snuggle with the little bugger, he or she still needs a few more months in the protection of your womb. Pay careful attention to your body and watch for the symptoms of labor. Premature babies have a much higher risk of illness and even death due to low birth weight and underdevelopment, so if you see signs, contact your doctor. If you think you might be in premature labor, try drinking several glasses of water and lying down on your left side. While doing this, feel your stomach for contractions, which will make your uterus hard like your forehead. Doing simple things like cutting out caffeine and eating right can prevent premature labor.
Your Baby:
Baby's lungs and immune system are maturing this week as baby prepares for his grand entrance. If he were born today he would have an 85 percent chance of surviving as his lungs are capable of breathing air (with medical assistance, of course).
Other exciting developments:
Baby's done a lot of growing over the past few months. His length has more than doubled in the past 15 weeks! And that's not the only thing growing—baby's brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace. His brain waves are now firing away just like those of a newborn baby. If baby is a he, his testes will have completely descended at this point. Your baby now weighs in at approximately 14½ inches and just over 2 pounds, or about the size of that roast you made last time your in-laws were in town. (OK, the baby is the size of that roast you meant to cook before you decided that ordering Chinese was a much better idea.)
Your Life:
Unless you are married to Donald Trump, or Brad and Angelina are planning on giving you all of their hand-me-downs, you are going to have to do some smart, disciplined baby-gear shopping.
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