Update on the Baby

So we're finally in the home stretch- I'm 36 weeks along (I'll be 37 weeks on Friday.) and ready to not  be pregnant anymore! Daniel's training is right on track and if weather and scheduling cooperate, he might even be home early. (Continue to pray for him and for good weather in Pueblo!) Combined, these two things mean that we will be ready to welcome our addition in just a few weeks!

I saw Dr. McFadden this morning and he said the baby looks nice and healthy. He noticed that the baby was measuring a little on the small side, in about the 14th percentile instead of the 50th where 36 weekers usually are. However, since the fluid around the baby was good, the doctor isn't worried about the size. He called calculating the weight from the ultrasound "an elaborate guessing game" so it's not exact and since Daniel and I, along with our siblings, were on the smaller side at birth, Dr. McFadden said that our baby is just fine.

I can't say I'm completely ready for the whole labor and delivery thing, but what first time mom ever feels 100% prepared for something she's never experienced before? After our birthing class and reading What to Expect When You're Expecting, I feel better prepared and I know I'll have Daniel, who's a wonderful coach, by my side the whole time. I hope to have a drug-free delivery, but I'm not ruling out medical intervention- we'll see how I handle the pain when the time comes!

Score One for Team Baby Boy!

I'd like to formally announce the arrival of another Kelly cousin- Ryan Thomas Carr. He arrived the morning of March 26 and weighed 8lbs 5oz. He joins his brothers- Zachary (19) and Patrick (2) along with his mom and dad, my Aunt Annie and Uncle Tom. He had a lot of visitors at the hospital- my mom sent me a picture of a bunch of cousins who came to meet the newest member of the family. All together my grandparents have 24 grandchildren and 4 (soon to be 5) great-grandchildren but each one is a huge blessing and cause for much celebration.

Ryan is the 2nd new baby of this year and has tied up the score: Girls- 1 Boys-1. We'll just have to see what we have to see which side wins!

Spring has Sprung!

I just got back from running errands around base and the best part was definitely the weather- it is absolutely gorgeous outside. The breeze is warm, the sun is shining and the sky is a perfect blue. I turned off the heat in the house and opened our sliding glass door for the first time since moving in! It's hard to believe that just over a week ago I was shoveling a 16" snow drift out of our driveway. I've learned that Oklahoma weather is incredibly fickle, but right now, I love it.

The warmth outside reflects the warmth in my heart as I settle back into my house. For the last week, I was in Wichita Falls, TX staying with my in-laws, Pat and John. It was wonderful to spend time with them and have some company. I've been lonely since Daniel left for Colorado, but his training is about halfway over and I'm hoping that he will be home soon. Pat and I did a lot of baby shopping at Toys R Us since we don't have one here in Enid. She bought her grandbaby a brush since the doctor informed us that he could see hair on the baby's head with the ultrasound. On Friday, she hosted a baby shower for me with her Bunco group. They are wonderful ladies who meet monthly to play Bunco and spend time together. I had a lot of fun and am so thankful for the beautiful gifts they gave to our baby.

Another source of my 'warm, fuzzy' feeling is my Monday morning bible study. It's made up of women from the Student Spouses Group, meaning that all of our husbands are here at Vance for pilot training. Every one of us can understand (or will soon understand) demanding schedules, rigorous academics and husbands that are rarely home since they're either in the air, in the classroom or in a study group. Each of the girls brings something special and I'm so blessed to have found a group that is so faith-filled and family oriented (about half of us have babies). We're doing a Beth Moore study of the book of Daniel, which is focused on integrity. We have 2 sessions under our belts and so far, so good!

1 here, 2 to go!

This morning at 1:45am, a little miracle arrived in Pittsburgh! My cousin, Maggie, gave birth to her daughter, Penelope Ann. Penny joins her big sister, Lilly who just turned 3 in February. Our prayers were certainly answered since Maggie had a very long labor with Lilly and ended up needing a c-section, but this time around everything went smoothly and she had a successful VBAC! I'm looking forward to meeting my new little cousin.

Next week, my Aunt Annie is scheduled for a c-section to deliver her little one. I'll be sure to post stats on both new babies once I get that information.  I love that all three of us have decided to be surprised about whether the baby is a boy or a girl. So far- Girls: 1 Boys: ?

A true blessing from God...

"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb." Jeremiah 1:5

The Lord has a plan for our little one and I am so excited to find out what that plan will be as it unfolds. Daniel and I have already bonded with our baby and we haven't even found out if it's a boy or a girl. Since Daniel left for his Initial Flight Screening in Colorado today and will be gone for up to a month, we took some photos of our growing family. It worked out well since I was already dressed up for my virtual baby shower that my wonderful mom threw for me today. We used Skype and webcams so I could attend the festivities and got to talk to some of my family and friends. It's amazing that even at 1000+ miles away, I could still 'speak' through signing to my Aunt Randi who is deaf and give everyone a tour of our new house. It was wonderful to see so many familiar smiling faces on my screen. I look forward to introducing our baby to all those that helped us prepare for his or her arrival.

Here are some photos from our 'family photo shoot'

Maybe It's a Sign...

As of tomorrow, I will be 34 weeks pregnant and that means about 6 more weeks of back pain, constant forgetfulness and baby punches to the bladder. Daniel is continuing to do his reading of "Heading Home with Your Newborn" and we both attended "Infant Communication" class today. It was really interesting and I'm glad we went. Besides learning about Baby Signs and how to teach our little one this "in between" communication before he/she can form words, it was a chance for me to see some women that I hadn't seen in a long time. I met them at a coffee in January when Allison was still pregnant and Maggie had her baby Drew in tow at just 3 months old. Now, Allison is a mommy of 2 and brought her 4 week old baby boy to the class and Drew is 5 months old and getting so big! It's great to be back in a community of women who will be together for more than 6 weeks (like at ASBC). They're so welcoming and sweet! They invited me to join in a Beth Moore bible study that will be starting in a couple of weeks as well as the baby playgroup that Maggie hosts at her house.

The one thing that I've noticed about being around other military wives is that we look after our own- when I mentioned that Daniel was going to Colorado for IFS and taking the car (which I can't drive anyways...), Maggie said "But how will you get to the store?! If you need anything, we're always in the car and can take you where you need to go." Allison was also very generous and said that she'd be able to give me a lift to bible study and to the playgroup since she's on base and just down the street from me. It's nice to know that there are so many people around us that are experiencing what we are or soon will be experiencing- TDYs (temporary duty assignments, like IFS or ASBC), new babies, husbands who are spending most of their days on the flight line, and knowing that we won't be here for more than 2 years, at most. It's a different kind of lifestyle, but I wouldn't trade it- I have my wonderful husband who has his dream job, I'm about to become a mom and we have a home of our own with great neighbors around us. Life is good.

The gloves are off... and by gloves, I mean rings...

Yesterday was the day it hurt to get my rings off and I decided to retire my engagement ring and SMC class ring. These rings aren't just fashion accessories for me, they're very meaningful and I rarely take them off. It was a little sad to know that I probably won't be able to wear them until after the baby is born, but it won't be long until that day arrives. I can still get my wedding ring on and off comfortably, but it's definitely a bit snugger than usual- we'll see how long it lasts!

In other baby related news, we've purchased paint for the nursery and plan to work on that this week. Our plan is to paint broad vertical strips of light yellow on the already white walls. There are two 'panel' sections- one above the closet and one above the door- that we're thinking about using as canvases to do some stenciling that incorporates dragonflies since they're featured on the bedding. A trip to Hobby Lobby this afternoon should help further that along.

We attended our childbirth class on Saturday which was helpful and very informative. Daniel was a very good coach and I feel more confident about my choice to try for a natural labor. The instructor was a L&D nurse who has over 30 years of experience and has been on both sides of delivery- as a mom of 4 and a coach for her daughters. We went over breathing exercises, the different stages of labor and what kinds of medical interventions are available including the pros and cons of them. Daniel said I was the most 'put together' mommy out of the group and I think he was the best coach... since he didn't answer the question "What is a focal point?" with "A point where you focus."

The countdown to Daniel's departure to Colorado is quickly ticking down so we're soaking up all the time we have together. We're hosting Ben, his younger brother, for a few days while he's on spring break, which has been great. It's wonderful to have a visitor in our new house!

Baby Update!

Between the kicks to the ribs and punches to the bladder, our little one is making his or her presence known quite frequently. We got to see our little bundle of joy on the ultrasound last Monday and the doctor says he/she weighs about 4 pounds 2 ounces! Another positive note is that the baby is pretty much head down, which will make a natural delivery easier.

Belly at 32 weeks- in our new kitchen!

Daniel and I toured both of the hospitals in town and have picked St. Mary's, which is the smaller of the two. Both hospitals have level II nurseries, lactation consultants, nice amenities (tv, dvd player, stereo) and nice rooms for mom and baby as well as a place in the room for daddy to sleep comfortably. We decided on St. Mary's for a few reasons: they have LDR (labor, delivery, recovery) rooms and then separate postpartum rooms, which have beds that are more comfortable and lower to the ground than those in the LDR rooms; the jacuzzi, which helps to relieve labor pains, is separate from the shower and bathroom (Integris has them, but they're connected to the shower); according to our doctor (chief of the L&D wing at St. Mary's) the food is better at St. Mary's and they even have their own pastry chef! [The food was not a deciding factor in our decision, but it certainly doesn't hurt!] We'll be attending a childbirth class on Saturday at the hospital since it's the only one offered between now and the due date that Daniel will definitely be here to attend.

It's been wonderful setting up the nursery in our new house and washing all the little clothes. I washed, dried and ironed all of the bedding and valances today. Once we get some supplies, it will really start coming together- we need to get paint and some hardware for hanging the window treatments. I promise to post pictures as we continue to get our house together. I also finished the sweater I've been working on for the baby. It's made from alpaca wool (red) and a merino wool (cream). Here are some pictures of that:

Along with getting ready for our baby, I am delighted that a few more babies are on their way! Not only are Nathan and Megan expecting (see earlier Pensacola post), but so is another friend of mine from Saint Mary's along with a friend here from Vance, Andrea. It's really neat to know Andrea and Matt are expecting because before we left for Alabama, she mentioned to me that they were going to start trying for a baby using NFP (natural family planning) and they were successful! So now even more bundles of joy will be joining us this year and I ask that you all keep the babies and their parents in your prayers. God Bless!

The Eagle Has Landed!

We've finally moved into our on-base house and couldn't be happier. Daniel's parents who have been storing most of our things drove them up to Enid on Saturday. Like mother-in-law, Pat, said, it was just like Christmas- opening all of our wedding gifts again and remembering all of the beautiful things we have to make the house a home. It was a long day of unpacking and setting up, but it was well worth it when we got to curl up on our new bed with our bedding and silky soft sheets in our bedroom.

Daniel and his dad, John, did most of the heavy lifting and assembled the baby's crib and two twin beds. The twin beds used to be Daniel's and Ben's (Daniel's brother) but now that both of them have flown the nest, Pat and John are going to turn their room into a guest room with a queen sized bed and they were kind enough to pass on the beds to us. Since our guest room is on the smaller size, we put one bed in there along with Daniel's old dresser and put the second in the nursery for those late night feedings that will be here before we know it.

While I set up our kitchen and sorted through boxes to find things like towels and things, Pat set up our bathroom, made beds and put our linen closet together. I can't imagine how long it would have taken Daniel and I to do everything that was accomplished on Saturday- we are so grateful for his parents' help!

Here is a link to some photos- I documented a lot of Saturday's work. I'm looking forward to when our bedroom set will arrive along with our sofas, but that won't be for a few weeks. Thankfully, we have our washer and dryer, our wonderful new mattress, as well as cable, internet and phone. If you'd like to have our new address and phone number, leave a comment or shoot me an email- I'd be happy to pass that along.