Introducing Lukas Cade

Lukas Cade

Our bundle of squish has {finally} arrived! Lukas Cade was born here at home into mama's hands at 9:38pm on January 25th, 2013. He weighed 8lbs and was 19 3/4" long. We are all doing well and are so excited to have Lukas join our family! Thank you, Lord, for this gift of life!!

{ 40 weeks }

It kind of feels surreal to say that today is my due date... I've been anxiously awaiting this date (and the weeks to come after it, since I correctly assumed baby would not show up before or on his/her due date)... and now it's here! NOW I can REALLY say, "it will be any day!"

Rather than dread today that I am "*groan* STILL PREGNANT..." I've decided to make today a celebration! So happy due date to me! We've made it this far, baby... yahoo!

Not much to update other than that... I have an appointment on Thursday evening. Still having a lot of prodromal labor (cramps, contractions, nausea/vomiting, etc)... but that doesn't mean anything to me anymore. ;] I'll update later in the week after our appointment... or hopefully, to make a baby announcement!! 

{ 39 weeks }

www.haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com 

I had my 39 week appointment yesterday. Everything still looks fine; we're just waiting on baby, whenever baby decides it's time to arrive :] I think I'm past the impatient stage... I'm feeling okay right now... because I know it's in baby's best interest to come when he/she is ready to, and that "due dates" are total guesses with very little accuracy. I still wouldn't mind sooner rather than later, mostly just because of the pelvis/hip/back pain. The nausea comes and goes but hasn't been AS bad.

I haven't gone anywhere this week, except for my appointment, and don't really plan on going many (if any) places before baby is born. I kind of tend to "hibernate" at the end of my pregnancies. Getting out and about is a lot of work with a toddler (especially with such terrible pain!), and I just don't really have the energy for it right now... that, and part of me just feels sort of... anti-social, in a way... sometimes I can be pretty emotional and I know only certain people can handle my "grumpiness," so I usually just stick at home to rest and prepare.

I thought this was funny on "the bump.com:"

The urge to nest. Don't stress though -- you'll never get everything done.

 Uuuum... actually, I think everything IS done... and has been done over and over again. Haha! There really isn't much "to do" to get ready for a baby... but some things are really nice to have organized and ready to go. I did some freezer cooking and have a nice little stock set up... I've also cleaned basically every corner of this house. I'm kind of getting a little bored :] Thankfully, Ryan is good at making a mess (as toddlers/boys should be), so I at least have something to clean and re-clean.

 Some of the "getting ready..."

 [Ryan's closet with baby's dresser inside]

 [where baby will sleep when he/she isn't sleeping with us]

[the birth supplies!]

[more birth supplies; this is the "emergency basket" we'll grab in case the midwife doesn't make it on time. that won't happen though, right?!] 

Other than preparing myself mentally and getting my house ready, I've been trying to prepare spiritually for this new little one coming into the world. I am so blessed to have carried this child for this long. As I hear stories of women losing their newly discovered babies, or babies just being ready to be born, my heart aches with how much I've wanted this one OUT! God knows the exact time that he/she will be born, and it will be perfect... I don't need to be anxious about it. I should be thankful for every single minute I'm a mama to this little one and not be desperate for the next moment.

I get a little emotional every time I put Ryan to bed. "Is this the last time I'll rock him before sleep as my 'only' child?" I don't doubt that I will love this new baby very much (I already do!), but change is hard... even when it's GOOD and exciting change. Ryan is SO much fun and such a blessing to us... it's sometimes difficult to imagine how life is going to change. It will be hard. But it will be beautiful, as long as Christ is the focus of our family. We are so blessed! 

I would love your prayers as this pregnancy journey ends... whenever that will be... that the labor and delivery go smoothly, and that baby will be born healthy!! 

And now, I shall continue my hibernation. :] 

{ 38 weeks } hello, goodbye!

[I think that "weight average" listed above is ridiculous... 9.2lbs at 38 weeks? Goodness, I hope not!]

This week I'm saying hello and goodbye to a few things. The most important/exciting thing so far...

HELLO APPETITE! 

I wouldn't say I'm eating as much as a normal, 38 week pregnant woman should. But considering how little I've been able to eat the last nine months, eating at least one full ("full" is probably a stretch) meal a day + snacks is a drastic change for me! I'm actually hungry sometimes now! It's kind of exciting for food to actually sound good. I'm still dealing with nausea on a daily basis but at least now I'm able to eat some. I'm browsing Pinterest at the moment... this is a big deal that I can look at {most} food without feeling like death.  I'm still trying to eat least make a small protein shake when I'm not feeling well enough to eat.

I'm sad that I have had to say...

GOODBYE, TUMMY SLEEPING!

Up until now, I've been able to sleep on my stomach at night time... but it's actually not comfortable anymore, unless baby is in some random position. I'm glad to have been able to enjoy it this long, but am sad  to see it go! 

And...

HELLO, ENERGY!

It kind of stinks to have energy and not be able to use it (because of the hip/pelvis pain), but it's nice to not be absolutely exhausted allll of the time. I'm in a better mood and that's always a good thing :] 

Also...

GOODBYE, ABILITY TO BEND OVER!

A lot of people tell me that because I don't have a huge belly, bending over should really be no big deal... but it totally is! Considering I have the same sized baby in me that may be in you, except mine is squished up all in my internal organs, does not make it easier to bend over... let's get this fact straight ;] Baby definitely protests hardcore if I bend over for too long.

Everything seems to be going well. Minus the fact that I, well, haven't had the baby yet ;] I know, I know, I'm just setting myself up for disappointment to already be SO anxious over the birth of this child. I fully expect to go to my "due date" and maybe well over it. I try to look at it this way: if I'm pregnant to the last possible point that they will "let" me be, I won't be pregnant longer than a month. I try to think of this as a positive thing... but I usually have to grit my teeth to say it ;]

This pregnancy is pretty different than Ryan's... the sickness is the same, but the hip/pelvis pain is new this time around. Also, I've been basically in "pre labor" since the 28th of December. With Ryan, I didn't really have any "signs of labor" until my midwife did a membrane sweep and I went into labor that night. This time...

Contractions? Check.

Back pain? Check.

"Digestive issues?" Check. 

Nesting? Check. 

Baby? Not yet.

Predromal labor is common and can be annoying, but thankfully, it's not "in vain." Maybe my body is doing all this piddly stuff now, and we'll have a super fast (but not TOO fast!) and easy delivery when the time comes. That would rock.

Thankfully, God knows the time and day that this baby will be born... and I can rest in that! I try to remind myself how wonderful this time is, a time I will never be able to get back. I really do enjoy feeling baby's movements inside of me; it's probably my favorite thing. Although I am anxious to meet this little one face to face, I'm trying to be content with the timing of everything and that this is precious time. 

{38 weeks}