baby will be here soon

Weekly visits with my midwife lately. When I went to see her today, she says I'm at 50% and 2 cm dilated. I'm 38 weeks now and measuring at 38 1/2 weeks, but she thinks I'll go to term. I'm sure we'll have an even better idea at my next visit on Monday. Baby and I are healthy. We are finishing up final preparations for baby at home and will be excited to welcome little one whenever he decides to arrive. We'll keep you posted.

Welcoming Warm Weather

We had some cold days lately, but the occasional warm weather has the kids wanting to go outside. I have to admit, I have the windows cracked open today and am ready for spring. Last night we walked to the DQ for the first ice cream of the season. Okay, maybe we're pushing it a little, but Asher can't stop talking about his chocolate ice cream with sprinkles. I certainly enjoyed my hot fudge sundae! Here is a picture of Asher last week...

He could not wait to get outside at the first hint of warmer weather. Once he saw a neighbor boy out on his bike, Asher was bound and determined to get on his bike that day too.

Of course, we still spend most of our time inside. Here is a picture of Asher playing dress up in his "work" outfit.

Fireman has been a new and frequent role lately. Otherwise, he typically is off to "fix" something.

Family in February

Thought I'd put up some recent pictures of us. Here is Asher saying "hi" to baby brother on the 15th of February...

It's just now March, but already I feel much bigger than I was in that picture. Had a good check up today. My midwife says I'm looking good and baby is healthy. I'm 35 weeks and 2 days today and measuring 35 1/2 weeks along. Starting my weekly check ups now. Baby will be here in just a few more weeks now!

Here are pictures of Al and Asher after bath time...



They were taking turns singing into Asher's pretend microphone.

Busy Boys

Well Asher has been busy as usual. He was excited to go to his first "performance" on Monday to see the middle school kids' orchestra concert. I'm not sure what his favorite instrument was because it changes daily. Today he said the cello, but then he talked about how he liked the boy going "bum, bum, bum, bum" on the stand up bass (showing how the boy plucked at the strings). Many mornings Asher wakes up and immediately starts singing and playing his guitar. Lately, his favorite songs are "Yes, Lord, Yes, Lord, Yes, Yes, Lord, Amen" (also known as "Trading my Sorrows" but he doesn't sing that part), "boy named David," and the song listing the months of the year. Of course, there are always the Asher originals like "wake up daddy, wake up, I want to go downstairs." He and his friends have been busy "working hard" with their tools and tractors too. Asher's surgery (to remove what we thought was a swollen lymph node... ended up being an infected hair follicle) last week went well, and he continues to play doctor. The line up of characters has now expanded to include Dr. Dahlquist, Dr. Amy, Surgeon Dr. Bossard, and Dr. Nurse Tami.

Baby boy, Ezra, continues to roll around quite often and likes to poke at mommy with his knees and feet. Asher seems excited about his impending arrival. He tells me he knows the baby will cry because he needs a bottle, and Asher says he will help "rocky, rocky baby brother." I'm feeling pretty good lately... Hungry a lot though, so I figure baby is growing fast. When my mom asked Al how I was feeling, he appropriately responded "big." Al mentioned that Ezra could be here in 4 weeks, and I started thinking we should really started getting a bit more prepared to have a new baby in the house. Al says he is ready to get some more projects done around the house this weekend. Hopefully, we will have all the electrical stuff finished in the basement by Sunday night and be near the end of the flood renovations. Can't wait!

Happy Valentine's Day!

February Photo Shoot

Well, Asher continues to grow too fast for his mom. His feet used to be so small, but we recently had them measured and realized that he is a size 8 already. We bought him his first pair of shoes... You know, actually went to a retail store and paid full price... yikes! I guess that's pretty good for his being almost 2 1/2 years old. I have to say we have been so lucky to have gotten so many wonderful hand-me-downs, and I think my bargain shopping the last two years (at garage sales and stores' seasonal clearance sales) has really paid off. Thanks to Aunt Holly's heads up about the Old Navy sale, we again have his winter dress and play coats for next year packed away and waiting. Hey, can't beat $5 each for new coats! I don't think he has put on any weight the last few months, but Asher continues to get taller and taller. Once again, we are noticing that some of his shirts and pants are becoming too short for him.

I took a few pictures of Asher this last week. With the nicer weather, I decided I'm ready to start transitioning away from the Christmas and winter decor and get ready for Spring. So, I'm ready to retire the picture of Asher under the Christmas tree and update...



Maybe it's just being his mom or getting used to the idea that Asher is my "big boy" now and having his baby brother's arrival quickly approaching, but Asher seems to be changing every month. Al and I were just looking at some older pictures of Asher and, as much as I think he is changing lately, it was shocking to compare his pictures from the pumpkin patch and Christmas this last year (at 2 years of age) with when he was one year old. Guess I just have to get used to the idea that I have a little boy now who, like a typical two-year-old, has his own ideas and wants to do things all by himself.

Healthy Baby

Went to see my nurse midwife again today. Let's see, I think I'm at 31 weeks now. She says I continue to measure about 1/2 a week over. That makes sense because, when we went to UIHC a week ago, they said baby is almost 4 pounds now. I think at 30-31 weeks babies are usually closer to 3 pounds. Anyway, he has a strong heart beat and the ultrasounds have looked good. Met with the lactation consultant locally and the plastic surgeon and his nurse in UIHC, and we got all our questions answered about feeding, assessment after birth, and repair of the cleft lip. We do plan on delivering at Covenant in Waterloo... EDD is still April 7th. I'll let you know if it looks like he'll be coming early ;)

Nesting?

I'd like to think we are just finally getting things done! It really feels good to get all the little projects (like a safety hinge on Asher's toy box... finally) and a number of big projects finished. We have been able to clear out the upstairs, for the most part, of storage items. Thanks especially to dad and Mark, my brother-in-law, for their helping Al with some heavy lifting. The basement is really coming along well now. We will post some pictures once we get a few more things put away. I'm excited to say that we just finished putting together our new headboard. I'm really excited!

Also, thanks to Al for all his work assembling baby related items. Crib, various storage/shelving, high chair... check, check, check. The room for baby Ezra is looking great!
Big brother, Asher, and cousins, Chase and Katelyn, have made a large contribution to supplying little one with a variety of toys. I think he is well stocked!

Now I just have a few details to finish. Decorating is the fun part... right? I have to remind myself how to use the sewing machine again, as I will be cutting some fabric for window valances and a crib skirt. Wish me luck!

Busy, Busy Boy

Here are some current pictures of Asher... in all his many play activities and roles. There's the barbershop, and "Doctor Asher" has been in a lot lately.

He has continued to love painting and other craft activities.

In addition to playing with cars, moving "dirt" with the construction vehicles, playing with play dough, and other such fun daytime activities, Asher of course loves to be a big helper. Here he is fixing his kitchen sink... just like daddy fixed the kitchen sink and grandpa hooked up the basement bathroom sink.

And there is always time to play a guitar or his drums. Asher is willing to share too... as long as he can sing!

Happy Birthday Grandpa

We had a great time going out for pizza with dad for his birthday. Here's the kids having some popcorn before their meal.

Then we had cake at our house. Here are a couple more pictures of the kids with grandpa.

Phelps Youth Pavilion

We took Asher and a friend to the Phelps Youth Pavilion at the beginning of January. This was his second trip there, and I think Asher could have played there all day. While he enjoyed pretending to water and dig up flowers and vegetables and was involved in pretending to sell us produce for quite sometime,

I think the real hit was being able to dress up in various country's ethnic attire...


... and of course playing multiple musical instruments.

Baby Boy Will Be Here Soon

So, we have decided to stop calling him "baby boy" because we have decided on a first name... Ezra. It's Hebrew for God helps and helper. We are still discussing a middle name.

Asher has already been excited to share this information with others. He points to my belly saying "My baby brother. My Ezra." Asher has been really cute about the whole pregnancy so far. Sometimes when he is "Doctor Asher," he will listen to my and baby's heart with his stethoscope. Asher has even rubbed my belly and pointed to the TV saying he's doing a "baby movie" (otherwise known as a sonogram). ;) Asher is now my "big boy" and "big helper," and he tells me that he knows baby brother is growing too. He understands that Ezra can hear him with his ears, even though he is inside mommy's belly. Sometimes Asher talks to him. The other morning, Asher said "Good morning baby brother. I'm having oatmeal."

Seems like the baby will be here soon. I think it's because I'm starting to see my Nurse Midwife every other week now. So, I have a check up with her tomorrow (the 21st of January) and every two weeks after that, until sometime in March when I go weekly. Also, we go to UIHC in a week (on the 28th of January). This will include our last ultrasound (I think this is number 6) and a consultation with Dr. Canady about cleft palate assessment and repair.

Al has been a real help and not complained too much about my "nesting" lately. The baby's room is basically ready, and we've been getting a lot of projects done around the house... more on that soon.