SHE'S HERE!

Introducing...

Naomi Noelle

Born 12/24/2008

6:35am

7lbs 1.2oz

20 inches

She's got a head full of hair!

Counting Blessings...and The Belly Photo Shoot!

I have hit the point of being ready to be done being pregnant. Everyone said I would get here, and well, I have! But it's not because I am miserable and uncomfortable (although I do get a little slower and a little more uncomfortable everyday it seems, and I am usually completely out of breath by the time I get my shoes tied). It is because I am ready to meet this beautiful little person! I can't wait to see our baby. Is it a boy or a girl? Who will baby look like? Will he/she come out with a full head of hair? What is it going to be like being a full-time mama? I am just SO eager and so excited to meet our little one! And I am really really excited to watch Adam be a father. At the same time though, I really think I am going to miss being pregnant. I have LOVED it. LOVED it LOVED it LOVED it.

This has been such a wonderful time and I have felt so completely blessed through out the past few months. Well, let's step back a bit, I have felt so completely blessed over the past few YEARS. The amazing experience Adam and I had while he was a Travel Nurse in California was a real time of growth for our marriage, and we have some wonderful memories from our time out there. Then this past February, Adam and I came home to Michigan for a "little while" on a travel nursing assignment. At the end of that we had no idea what we were going to do...stay in Michigan, move out of state, keep travel nursing...? Within one week we each had a job here in our home state. Within a month we had made an offer on our house which was accepted that same week. Shortly after we moved in, we found out we were pregnant. Skip ahead to October where the Lord provided His perfect protection for our family when our home was robbed and no one was hurt. It's been a big year for our small but growing family, and I am truly counting my blessings!

On to the BELLY PHOTO SHOOT...

This past Saturday, my good friend Susan took some pictures of Adam and me, and the Belly of course. She did a great job. (THANK YOU SUSAN!!) Here are a few pictures she took:

He loves me. He cracks me up (and he was in some rare form this day too)!

Sorry to those of you who hate feet, but I really like this picture!

Here is Susan's website if you are interested in seeing more of her beautiful photography work!

http://susanmcgowan.wordpress.com/

14 Days and Counting (and the Nursery is done!)

38 Weeks, 1 Day

I am 14 days from my due date. But what exactly should I be counting? I mean, technically I could have this baby any minute (well, after hours of excruciating pain of course, I really don't expect this to be that easy!), or I might have the baby NEXT YEAR (sounds far far away, doesn't it?!). I was just telling Adam last evening, "Remember our first ultrasound!?" We were staring at the screen showing us our 8 week 3 day little fetus with arm buds and no neck, and now...any day, we will be meeting out little baby, a fully developed little person! I thought it was crazy, and it made my eyes well up a little bit, but that's probably because I'm an overly sentimental pregnant lady right now!

How about a flash back picture. My brother took this of me at home in Alpena...I think this was in October?? Not sure...I'll have to update this when I figure it out.

I call this "Granny Pants Picture"

(Take no offense, Grandma's of the world, it's all in good humor!

And a Granny is different than a Grandma in my opinion anyways.)

Ok, now some pictures of the Nursery...

Alright, so...some interesting "news" if you will. On Sunday, we were hanging out with some friends when Adam announces, "I think we'll have the baby this week sometime." Not a totally out there prediction, but still, I about fell out of my chair. Then, this week, just for fun I went to a reflexology session at work (feet / pressure points, etc) because I'd heard that the lady who was doing it would predict if you were having a boy or a girl. I thought it'd be fun, just for giggles to see if she was right or not (plus, a foot massage, hellooo!). She said "boy" and that I would have him "in the next 5 days". Needless to say, I finished packing my hospital bag last night.

Preparations & Pregnancy Meltdowns

First, I think it's time for a belly photo update.

32 Weeks 4 Days

35 Weeks 2 Days

So I FINALLY did some laundry for baby last night.  I figured I better have some clean clothes for the little one when he/she gets here!  As a side note, I have ALWAYS HATED folding laundry, but I actually enjoyed folding such little teeny cute things.  It cracked me up because Adam very sweetly asked if he could help me fold, so I handed him an infant gown.  I grabbed one too, and proceeded to fold it juuuussst perfectly, only to look over at him whipping his into a sloppy folded pile while focusing his attention on the Golf Channel!  I got a huge kick out of how differently we "prepare."  Normally I am a sloppy, get it done laundry folder too, but this was my first time folding these cute little things! I was taking my precious time, folding everything like I was working for Macy's or something.  Maybe you had to be there, but it would have probably been pretty comical to watch our two techniques, side-by-side!

Adam recently sanded our wood stairs and landing area...that was NOT fun, for either of us!  It's not that big of an area, but it took him almost 2 full days to finish just the sanding alone.   For me, the mess it created about put me over the edge.  Thankfully, Adam has two AMAZING Aunts who were over the day he finished, helping clean up all the dust so I didn't lose my sanity (THANK YOU 1000 times over!).  Today he put the sealer / finish down.  Wow, that is some potent smelling stuff.  Thanks to those fumes, we can't stay the night in our own house.  So, after successfully moving back into our home after being away for a little over a month (thanks to the robbery), we have now moved back out (only this time for just a day or two).  

The stairs are pretty much done, so guess what's next?!  The Nursery.  I've been hyping it up forever, and I'm so eager to see it all put together and to be able to start putting away baby things!  Once it is done (in a week or two) I will post some pictures.  This weekend my mom is coming down and we are going over to Canton, MI to get the baby crib from Ikea.  Actually I should say we are HOPING to go to Canton.  First I need to get the ok from my Doctor.  I see her on Friday.  Then the weather has to be nice and everything, so pending all of that business, hopefully my mom can come down (weather pending), and hopefully we can get over to Ikea to get a couple of things (weather and doctor pending)!

So, pregnancy meltdowns.  "What are these?" you may ask.  Well, now I officially know.  They can occur for seemingly no reason at all, leaving you frustrated and feeling ridiculous, and leaving your poor husband completely baffled and speechless.  Two nights ago, I experienced my first highly irrational sob-fest since being pregnant.  I was crying hysterically, but really didn't know why (imagine PMS times 10).  Adam, poor guy, just didn't know what to do with me!  I laugh about it now, but I felt like a real tool at the time.  He just could NOT grasp how I could be soooo upset, and not have a reason.  I told him hormones were reason enough!  Then, frustrated, I finally read him a paragraph out of my "Your Pregnancy Week by Week" book on Emotional Changes (with my sobs picking up in intensity as I came to parts I could really relate to).  Coincidentally this paragraph was in week 35 in the book (I was 35 weeks 6 days, so it was right on target I would say!).  As I was reading it, Adam says "Are you actually reading that or are you making stuff up?"  It TOTALLY explained me, so he thought I must be ad-libbing at least a little.  Then, I flipped to the index and looked up emotional changes...and promptly informed my husband that there was information on this subject on pages 111, 234, 278, 299, and 346, all of which I had skipped except the latter, so I was about DUE for a meltdown!  I haven't had one all pregnancy long! Through sobs I asked him, "Aren't you glad you have to go to work!?" I think he either didn't know how to respond to that, or wisely held his tongue.

L&D Class and Fetal Hiccups

Last evening Adam and I attended our Birthing Class.  Some useful information was given and some fears were relieved, but overall I felt like the 3 1/2 hour class could have been condensed into an hour.  We have the other part of the class to attend today - I'm not sure what else we are going to be going over for an entire Saturday (9-4).  Some more L&D and infant care, but I don't know what's going to take 6-7 hours to teach!  We'll see how that goes.  It's a little bit frustrating though because some of the info is useful, but we really really want to be using our Saturday to get our house ready and be working on projects!!! 

Last night around 3:30am I felt baby having a bout of the hiccups.  I thought that was so cute!  It felt like very very gentle little kicks, evenly spaced out.  Speaking of kicks, this child is really starting to kick harder and stretch harder in there.  It is so wild to watch a huge lump form in one area of my belly as he/she does that!  Some of the jabs are more internal though and baby drills an organ in there.  OUCH.  Not always so pleasant!  

Alright, gotta go get ready for class...

My First Official Complaint

Nosebleeds. Gushing nosebleeds that last forever. There, I have an official complaint about pregnancy (well, I guess morning sickness was technically an official complaint too). I roll over in bed, my nose starts bleeding. I'm taking a shower, you guessed it, nosebleed. I blink a little too hard...bloody nose (ok, slight exaggeration, but everything seems to be a catalyst at this point!). And it's not like a five-minute-pinch-your-nose-and-it's-done situation. Noooo, it's more of a pinch-your-nose-until-it's-THROBBING-and-deformed-and-your-fingers-are-aching situation. Rock on.

Ok, enough of that grossness.

We are really progressing with the house. We have a security system lined up, window coverings will be ordered today, we are getting a pitbull (haha, gotcha...but we have tossed around the idea of a dog). Aside from thoooose updates there are the general house fixups that we (mostly Adam, let's be honest) have been working on. I am working on ORGANIZING and tidying, a constant job as we move from room to room with renovations. Adam finished our hallways; the insides of the closets, the walls, ceiling, and trimwork. It looks awesome. Now we/he is working on the family room (painting). That's getting there. Then there's the wood floor to refinish (just a small area), and then, DRUM ROLL PLEASE...THE BABY ROOM!!! I'll am so excited to see that completed. I think once that happens, I'll be feeling more ready for this child to come on out and meet us.

8 Weeks To Go...

Alright, here's a more current photo for those of you wanting to see how round my belly is getting.  I am 32 weeks today, but Adam hasn't taken this week's photo yet, so this will have to do for now...

30 Weeks

There's not much to update you all on the pregnancy / baby thing.  Not too much new happening since I last wrote.  I had my glucose test today, the one where you drink orange goo and then get your blood drawn an hour later.  I'll stop with the news there, I don't want to pour too much excitement into one blog.  Gotta save something for next time, right?!  

As far as our house goes.  Adam and I are meeting with 3 home security companies tomorrow and then we are going shopping for window coverings (BIG DAY!).  I am leaving work early in the hopes of getting some of these major items DONE and checked off the list!