39 weeks, the Nursery and one last update!

I am late in posting this, it has been a busy week! Mom and Becky arrived Saturday night and we have pretty much been going ever since. Between errands, cleaning, playing, planning and a doctors appointment, it has been a busy few days. We have had a great time this week and it has helped pass the time of waiting. With the help of Dr. Presley we have determined that if Jeremiah doesn't come on his own we will check in to the hospital at 12:01am on Tuesday morning and start inducing labor. I am going to try and deliver vaginally, but there is still a 50/50 chance of a c-section because while I am progressing a bit, Jeremiah is still very high and not engaged in a birthing position. We have prayed about this and feel great about it. We know God has a perfect plan for his delivery. So... Tuesday August 4th is our big day! That is, unless Jeremiah comes before then. 

I finally have pictures of the nursery. It is my favorite spot in the house. I love to sit in the rocker and do my quiet time in the morning while everyone is still asleep. Enjoy the pictures!

38 weeks, a doctor's visit update and my last day at KIDMO!

Well, there is a lot to update you on since yesterday's doctor's visit. Yesterday I started my day with a visit to Dr. Presley. Since we knew that Jeremiah wasn't breeched we assumed this meant that I would be going into labor anytime now. Well, it looks like my body may have other plans. I am not progressing at all and Jeremiah is still very, very high. Dr. Presley is concerned that the reason he hasn't dropped is that my pelvis is too small for him to get engaged in a birthing position. We talked about what that meant for my delivery and basically here is what it comes down to. I have 2 choices. First choice is to be induced. They can cause me to go into labor and see if Jeremiah drops into position where I can push him out. The risk with this is that I could labor for hours and then still have to have a c-section, an emergency c-section. Trying to push him out of a pelvis too small can cause him distress and/or cause my pelvis to break. That doesn't sound fun. The second choice is to schedule a c-section and not try a vaginal delivery at all. Since we know Jeremiah isn't going to start coming feet first, there isn't a rush to make a determination. So, we have a few days to pray about what we want to do. Please pray with us to make the right choice. My mom will be here which brings me much peace if I have to have a c-section since the recovery is a bit longer. I have peace either way, we just want to finish this pregnancy well. We go back to the doctor on Tuesday to get checked again and if nothing has changed we will make a choice then. 

Yesterday was my last day at KIDMO! It was a bitter sweet day. I am so glad that my time of working outside of the house are over and this new season is beginning, but I have been working there since the day we moved to Nashville. August 30th would have been my 5th anniversary. My boss, Mark and his wife Terry hosted a sweet dinner for my office mates to celebrate my departure. We ate and ate and ate... Seriously, it was so good. I ended my last day with a little gift for them all. A box I titled it, Martha's leaving us survival kit. It was full of caffeinated goodies for each of them and on the outside I added some pieces of advice for making it without me. :) In all seriousness, they will be fine. It is good to feel so needed, but they can do it without me. Today I spent my first day off getting my teeth cleaned, hair cut, had a salad at my favorite spot, Blue Coast Burrito, ran to Wal Mart and then to Kroger. I put my feet up with a book when I got home and woke up an hour later. :) Guess I was tired. 

37 weeks

Memaw says that he is signing Daddy in this picture. :) 

We went for an ultrasound this morning to determine Jeremiah's position. I truly anticipated that we would set a date for a c-section today, but God had other plans! Jeremiah is head down! As soon as I got cozy (not really possible flat on your back on the table :)) the technician put the ultrasound doppler up to my lower belly and said, "Nope, head down!" Then for the next 20 minutes we enjoyed the best movie I have seen since I was 19 weeks pregnant. Only this time, it was in 4D and our boy is too big to fit into one screen image. He is cute and chubby! I cried as I looked at him and imagined what it would be like to finally kiss those cheeks. Al and I were blown away by how clear some of the images were, we had no idea we would see any 4D today. We expected the same ol' ultrasound videos. It was fun for us to identify the body parts that we have been feeling, his little booty up under my right ribs, his feet kicking on my left side and his head is the reason every time I stand up I have to pee. I have not progressed at all so that is our prayer now, he would like to see some progress by next Wednesday when I go in. 

Jeremiah is weighing in at approximately 7lbs 4 oz, but they said give or take a pound. Lets 

take, shall we? He has chubby cheeks and full lips and you could see some hair moving around in the video. We can't wait to finally meet him! His room is just about ready and the house is being transformed into baby central. I am still looking for that silly camera cord to upload pictures of the nursery. It is so cute! 

The bumps on his face is the cord. His hands are tucked up under his chin. 

36 week check-up

We went to visit Dr. Presley this morning for our 36 week check up and Jeremiah is chilling out in a breached position. Little booger is sitting upright and we believe, facing out. Dr. Presley said he wouldn't put his money on him turning at this point unless the Lord wants him to. There isn't a lot of room left and he seems pretty cozy perched up high like he is. He talked with me and Al about what that meant for delivery and of course, I can't deliver a butt or feet first baby vaginally, so we are looking at a Cesarean. I am ok with that. This pregnancy has been a breeze and I know God's hand has orchestrated everything so we will continue to pray for His will to be done and if that means Jeremiah doesn't turn, then we will have a planned birthday. The appointment was fun, it is always great to hear his little thumping heartbeat and next week we will get to see him! We have an ultrasound scheduled for next Thursday to confirm his position. If he is still breached then, at 37 weeks, we will schedule the c-section. I can't believe we are to this point! Tonight we are working more on his room. We have finished painting and it looks great! Al started on the crib on Tuesday, but didn't get to finish so that is on tonight's agenda. I am so excited to meet our little man  however he enters the world. Al likes the idea of the planned delivery without me having to endure labor. I think he has been more worried about it than me. But, who knows. He might turn and surprise us all with a regular ole' delivery. We will all know soon enough! I will keep you posted on our progress and I will get pictures of his room up soon! Thank you for your prayers! 

I couldn't get a picture of myself where I wasn't headless. :) Too hard to squat down these days. 

35 weeks and another baby shower!

Here we are at 35 weeks and I can't believe how soon Jeremiah will be here! I had a doctors appt on Monday and everything is right on target, I have not progressed at all which was weird to hear. It made me realize how close we are for him to be checking those things. I am starting to think there is no way my belly can get any bigger, my skin is stretched to its max and yet I know its not fully there yet. I am thankful to say that I am still sleeping great and getting around great. I am more tired than usual at times, but it has been a busy couple of weeks so I am sure that is part of it. We are looking forward to an evening at home tonight.

Olivia moved out completely yesterday. :( I am going to miss having her in our home, but as we told her there is always a spot at our table with her name on it. It has been a great 10 months, it seems so short and yet much longer. Her room is all cleared out and ready for Jeremiah's things to move in. Step 1: Paint! We have the paint, we just need to find the time to do it. Then we can put his furniture together and move all his things in. 

Sunday was our baby shower. We had such a great time and I was so blessed by everyone who came. Bill & Karen let us use their beautiful home and as you will be able to tell by the pictures below, the girls did an incredible job of decorating. The games were fun, the food was incredible and it was a great day all around. Each person there wrote a word of encouragement, bible verse or just a thoughtful note for us and Jeremiah and Carina put them in a book for us to keep. Some of them made me cry, others made me laugh, while some advice got tucked away for future use in my memory bank. Thank you ladies! The day was incredible and I felt so blessed to be surrounded once again by a group who has prayed and believed for Jeremiah. Sometimes when I struggled with doubts myself. It was a beautiful testimony of God's faithfulness to his children and I can't wait to see what else He has in store for that group of women. Many more baby showers, that is for sure! 

Jennifer made the cake and Jeannie made the cupcakes, so cute and yummy! I can't seem to label each picture, but this is me and my dear friend, Bethany hugging. Me, Lars and Aubrey after the shower. Me and all of my lovely hostesses, 1st shot is (l to r) Carina, Jennifer, Trish, Gina, Jeannie and me. 2nd shot(l to r) Gina, Jennifer, Carina, Jeannie, me and Trish, Cindy Wagner praying over our family, the girls in purple are, Olivia, Marisha and Evie (Evie is Abbie's daughter) And all the rest are the beautiful decorations. I think we will hang one of pieces in Jeremiah's room with some new pictures.

34 weeks and counting...

We are 34 weeks and less than 40 days from our due date. I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by! I feel like Jeremiah must have had a growth spurt this week. I feel much bigger than last week. I am glad we don't have any more travel on the calendar. 

We are preparing for the new addition to our family by cleaning out closets, cutting expenses and interviewing pediatricians. Well, we interviewed the one I had settled on by calling offices and asking friends. I had a back-up in mind if we didn't feel like this one was it. We met with Dr. Edmondson on Monday afternoon and we have determined he is who God has as Jeremiah's first doctor. Glad to have that choice out of the way. :) 

God has been so good and faithful this entire pregnancy and we are excited to see what the next few weeks hold for us! Thank you for your prayers as we enter the last month of this pregnancy! We can't wait to meet our little man. 

Our vacation in Asheville, NC

We had such a great trip. We chose Asheville because I have wanted to visit the Biltmore Estate for years and it was only a 5 hour drive. That sounded good to my pregnant body. The weather was great and we were able to enjoy the beauty of the mountains and all the incredible history that Asheville offers. We arrived late on Saturday afternoon and headed downtown for some dinner. Sunday we toured the farms and met the horses, chickens and goats of Biltmore. We toured the winery where Al did some wine tasting and I got to sample the grape juice. We walked through the gardens and outdoor areas of the estate until I couldn't walk anymore. I was thankful we determined to split our visit into 2 days in order to see it all without completely doing me in. The weather was nice, but being outside got hot fast. I loved swimming in our hotel's indoor pool. Being weightless felt incredible and Jeremiah seems to love me being in the water. On Monday we spent the morning touring the house. It was incredible. I love stories of people. I loved learning about the family who lived life in the 250 room estate. Monday night we headed back downtown for some dinner and enjoyed a cup of coffee after dinner in a double decker bus. It was recommended to us by our friends at Utopia here in Spring Hill. On Tuesday after some breakfast we headed to Gatlinburg to spend our last night of vacation. We did some shopping at the outlet malls and then spent a quiet evening in. When we returned on Wednesday we spent some time in Green Hills relaxing in Starbucks until our birthing class that evening. It was a full 5 days! It was a trip we will always remember and we are so thankful we got to do it before Jeremiah comes and to celebrate our 10th anniversary. It was such a fun weekend to reflect and rejoice on all God has done for us. Here are a few pictures from our trip! 

I loved all the details on the outside of the house.
Whoa... when did I get so round!? 
 Standing under the grapes at the winery, I am enjoying one of the many cups of water Al made me drink each day. 
Al on the winery tour