Still Waiting...

Well it seems this baby wants to have their own birthday month - and not share with Kaylee.  :)  Pretty sure we will have an August baby.  So then we'll have July, August, and September birthdays.  I'm thinking we will have some combined birthday parties in the future.  :)

We had some guests stay with us this past weekend.  Our good friends, the Hepners, are serving in Serbia.  We have known them since college and just love their family! They have five children (their oldest is second from the left).  Josh Hepner is on the far right - he and Septtro played football together in college.  His brother and friend also came along.  We are so thankful we got to spend time with all of them!  Our girls adored them all!  

Kaylee does a pretty good mean-muggin face. 

We got to try some wafers/cookies and dip from Serbia.  It was comparable to vanilla wafers and nutella.  The girls loved it, of course!  :)

We headed back downtown the next evening with my parents.  The weather has seriously been so nice this summer.  It hasn't been horribly hot and humid much at all - pregnant girls all over the South rejoice!  The girls enjoyed playing in the fountains downtown.  

We tried taking a few family pictures.  At least everyone is facing the camera right?  :)  You can tell (or at least I can) in the picture below I've gotten a bit swollen - not too bad though.  

Our last family picture before baby joins us???

This was yesterday - 39 weeks and 4 days.  My EDD is Friday - Aug 2nd.  Septtro asked me the other day if I was ready for baby to come.  I said I was and wasn't.  I've had some fears and anxieties recently.  I talked to him about it a little bit and also talked them out with my doula.  

Part of my fears just stem from the unknown.  I like to be prepared and plan.  But I have no idea when this baby will decide to come.  And I have no idea how labor will go.  And I'd really prefer not to have a certain couple of midwives there when I'm in labor (they have not been very supportive of me).  But I have zero control over all of that.  My doula suggested I focus more on what I'm excited about and looking forward to...that has helped.  

So here's what I'm looking forward to:

1.  as long as all goes well...Septtro "catching" baby and announcing the gender.  And then him handing me our baby.  He will be the first person to touch our baby and I will be the second.  

2.  knowing if we have a boy or girl

3.  skin to skin with a newborn

4.  that feeling after delivery - that I did it and my body is capable and, oh, that cocktail of love hormones!

Soon...baby...soon!!!  

Birthday Weekend for KK

My youngest turned two July 21 - Sunday.  We started celebrating on Friday - visited her Papa Sene and Grandebbie in Columbia.  

Papa cuddles

On Saturday we celebrated with her cousins here in town at a local park.

she was proud of herself after blowing out her candles

the anticipation of opening presents!

already sitting on her brother/sister :)

Both my girls were swinging the day before they turned two - in the same outfit.  :)

 Her actual birthday (we re-purposed cake from Saturday).  

Kaylee and this baby will have a birthday close to each other which I think will be fun.  Ri's birthday is three days before her Daddy's birthday so everybody has a birthday buddy except  for me.  :)

Full Term!

I'm now 37 weeks.  Everybody keeps saying how fast it's gone by.  But I got to thinking - 9 months is really not far from a year.  Yeah...that seems about right.  I feel like I've been pregnant for about a year.  Maybe it's just because it's my third.  Who knows.  Septtro once asked me if I'd rather be pregnant for 9 months or be like a Momma hen and sit on her babies for 21 days straight.  Initially I said I'd prefer 9 months.  Now I'm not so sure.  :) I've been having a lot more contractions lately.  They're not painful but pretty uncomfortable.

I have realized that I've either been pregnant or nursing since December 2008.  I've been sharing my body for almost 5 years straight - and counting!  I'm not complaining about it - glad I've been able to do so but that is a long time.  :)

Septtro and I also had not been away together since well before Rilynn was born (that'd be nearing 5 years or more).  We had the opportunity to go to Charleston together for a couple nights so we took it!  It was SO wonderful to spend so much uninterrupted time with him.  He makes me laugh.  Also, he's quite handsome don't you think?  

 Soon we will know what our third child's name will be!!!!  I'm so used to saying "Rilynn and Kaylee" so no matter what it will be weird at first.  I'll probably just start saying "kids" or "girls" a lot more often.

 The weather was seriously perfect!  It wasn't too hot.  And it rained the day we left.  

Last week my mom and I took my nephews for several hours so my sister in law could have some time to herself.  She's expecting too...another boy!  So either there's gonna be a huge swing towards the blue team or we'll even up in a few weeks.  We took a trip in our van together.  The kids never get to ride together in the same vehicle so there was much giggling and chattering.

we were parked for this picture in case you wondered

 We went to Costco for a few things with all four kids.  They actually did pretty well.  We'd periodically let them out of the cart - two by two.  :)  And they'd periodically get put back in the cart when they wandered too far off or touched things they were asked not to touch.  This is when I got my first horribly rude comment of my pregnancy, which I actually think is pretty good considering I'm so close to the end.  As I passed by an aisle, a lady said very loudly - about me, not to me - "Oh my gosh she looks like she's having twins".  I just shot her a look and kept walking.  Really?  I mean, I can hear you lady.  Plus, that's not nice.  

My babies push me WAY out.  I get it.  But please be nice.  I sort of feel like a circus sideshow when out in public now.  People stare at my belly.  And then me.  Although I do get nice comments too.  Just a few days ago, a lady told me I looked "so cute" while dressed for cow appreciation day at Chick Fil A.  So considering how large I am at this point and that I was dressed to look even more like a cow, that comment was a breath of fresh air.  

I think wearing black is def more trimming while pregnant :)

I had a routine appointment this afternoon for the baby.  Heart rate was 160s then 140s - this baby likes to move!  But neither of my girls have EVER been in the 140s.  Which I know doesn't mean anything. Just makes me wonder.  :)  

I was told today that the attending OBs (who oversee the nurse midwifery program) now want me to have a growth scan next week because I've had a previous csection and a large baby.  Never mind the fact that my large baby (10 lbs 3 oz) was actually not my csection baby.  And that both my girls heads were 13 inches (a tad below average).  I was told they just wanted to document I was counseled on the "possible" weight of my baby - as an ultrasound measurement can be up to TWO pounds off at this point - and that I would  not be pressured into having a csection again.  So what's the point?  I asked.  Standard of care, apparently.  You know, good ol CYA.  Honestly, I'd love to see my baby via ultrasound again.  But the main reason I had a csection the first time was because I had a late ultrasound and was told my baby was going to be huge and my best bet was to be induced (she was 8 lbs and 4 oz).  So, although this is a different practice and I'd love to trust that I won't be pressured to do something I don't want to do, it's just sorta scary territory for me.  And I'd rather not even have it done.  I asked to be able to forego that growth scan.  I haven't heard back regarding what that may mean.  I've already been told the OBs initially didn't want the nurse midwifery practice to care for vbac patients at all.  And I've been told if I didn't comply with other things that I could no longer be under their care.  But the Lord has been teaching me that He is in control and not me.  And I can't make anyone understand my perspective.  It's frustrating.  But no matter what they say - I have to do this or not - I know that ultimately God controls the outcome.  And I'm simply not in the mood to stress over anything else any more.  

If I do have the ultrasound, I'm going to at least ask for them to flip on the 3D again so we can see his or her sweet lil face again.  :) Oh man I cannot WAIT to find out if this is a little boy or girl.  I can't wait to hold them and know what they look like.  And smell their soft, newborn skin.  I told the baby today I wouldn't mind if he/she came sooner rather than later.  My EDD is August 2nd but maybe, just maybe, this one will surprise us a bit early?  Time will tell!!