36 Weeks!

Yesterday I was 36 weeks pregnant! This is a very good thing considering a couple weeks ago I thought Parker might be trying to escape early. I went the the doctor last week and was still 2 cm and 70% effaced. I go back on Wednesday to see how everything is going. Bed rest has been a struggle. I actually feel more tired now. I have been worried about Jeff and taking care of Lily, so it has been hard to relax.

Parker is moving a lot still and seems to be doing just fine. As far as things at home, I believe we are as ready as we will ever be for the little guy. His clothes are washed, car seat is out of storage, diapers ready, bag is packed. It is hard to believe that, in less than a month, he will be here!

Here is my little side kick (and by that I mean she really doesn't want to leave my side lately. Someone has been a bit clingy to mommy! I think she has been a little confused and stressed herself with all the changes going on.)

Evan's Baptism

Last night, our nephew Evan was baptized at St. Francis Church. We were thrilled to be chosen as his godparents and even more thrilled to get out of the house to be there. Holly, my sister-in-law, has become like a sister to me, and I feel fortunate that we have been able to share the joys of motherhood together. She, Eric, Callie, and Evan are very important to us!

I cannot believe I forgot my camera! I have been horrible about taking pictures as of late. Jeff snapped a few on his phone, but they didn't all turn out. It was a very nice evening and Holly and Eric had a great dinner afterwards at their house.

We look forward to watching Evan grow and are happy to be a part of his life!

Updates

Yesterday morning, Jeff had surgery on his collar bone. He had to be there at 6 am and surgery lasted only about an hour. His parents were gracious enough to take him, and I met them at the surgery center later. He woke up in good spirits and felt better than expected. The doctor did say the break was worse then the scans originally has shown, but that his bone screwed together nicely. We were thankful to bring him home around 10:30. He has been doing great-resting and relaxing. I know he is pleased with how he is feeling, and he is happy to have surgery out of the picture.

I am feeling fine too :) Less contractions and just normal aches and pains for 36 weeks (I will get a picture later today of the belly). Jeff and I were talking last night about how weird it is to know we will have another baby in a month or under. I still cannot believe it!! Jeff assures me he will make it to the hospital no matter what and be able to hold little Parker (with at least his left side).

Today, we get to celebrate our nephew's (Evan's) baptism. We were thrilled to be chosen as his godparents. I will be escaping the house to be at church later. Jeff said he may even try to be there (if he can get a shirt on). It will be nice to celebrate this happy event with our family.

One event I will be missing is my ten year high school reunion tonight. I originally bought dinner tickets because I thought I would be able to go. Bed rest probably doesn't mean to go to a party! Wishing all my old classmates a good time. It is hard to believe it has been 10 years since I roamed the halls of Muncie Central.

Preschool!

Despite all the misfortunes we have had as of late (to add to the list-our water heater was leaking everywhere yesterday. It went through the wall and ruined part of the dining room floor. Luckily it is rented and they should be taking care of it soon), yesterday was a pretty special day for Lily. She started preschool at Hazelwood Christian Church. She will be going Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for a couple of hours. I thought it would be the perfect start to her becoming more independent.

Since I was home yesterday, mom and I drove her together. You just pull up and the teacher takes them inside, so we couldn't get any pictures going in. She did a final look back at us and I started crying! She looked so grown up! It was a weird feeling because she has spent her whole life with either my mom, Jeff's mom, or us. All of the sudden she was doing something on her own. When we picked her up, she came running out saying how much fun she had. I hope the enthusiasm remains! They seem to do lots of great activities with the students. She has 15 kids in her class. Yesterday she was excited because she got to paint. I think it will be perfect for her to have her own "thing" especially since we will be adding a baby to the house.

Oh Baby!

It has been one heck of a week for our household. I posted last about Jeff's accident. Well, Tuesday night, I started having a sharp pain in my side. It was still there Wednesday morning, so, after I got to work, I called my doctor. They said to take it easy (right-I have 27 third graders) and call if it got worse. It did. By 1:00 in the afternoon I was hurting. I was hooked up to a monitor at the doctor's office. I was having some contractions. They checked me and I was 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. They sent me to the hospital to be monitored. I was having contractions every 2-4 minutes. They gave me medicine and the contractions got further apart. They kept me overnight. By morning, the contractions were less frequent, but my uterus was still irritated (never settling).

I was sent home to be on bed rest until further notice. I am currently 35 weeks, and, at the very least, they would like me to make it to 36 weeks. I will keep getting checked each week, and I guess I will be taking it easy at home for a while!

I am so thankful for the friends and family who have brought meals and helped at my house. I can't imagine trying to take care of myself, Lily, and Jeff without them. Jeff is getting around much better but will most likely be having surgery on Friday to fix his clavicle. I am hoping the baby doesn't come until he is able to be there :) I am staying positive (because things could be worse), but it has been overwhelming to have both of us down.

While I was at the hospital, I was thinking how poorly prepared I was for the baby to come NOW! My sister has been here this weekend, and she has been AWESOME! She has everything ready to go for me. She and my younger sister even worked on the baby's room for me last night.

I missed my 34 week picture last week (my picture man couldn't do it!), so here is one to remember 35 weeks. I look a little rough, but my belly is definitely bigger!



Here are pictures of Parker's room...
The wall decals are so cute! They are from Target and worked well with his IKEA bedding.

I plan on putting his pictures in these frames.


Sarah found the red storage box at Walmart! Love the storage and added color.




Thank you for all the prayers and support. Lets hope Jeff gets through surgery well and that the baby stays put for a bit!

Sigh...

What an eventful, exhausting, overwhelming few days. I must confess. I feel like I was hit by a truck. Thursday night, around 8:30-8:45 Jeff fell out of the tree in our backyard while putting up a tree stand. I was giving Lily a bath and putting her to bed and I came down around 9:00 to find him injured and disoriented in the garage. He didn't remember what happened (it wasn't until later when we saw the tree stand that we knew he fell out), and it was really scary to see him like that. I called an ambulance, and we went to the ER for scans and x-rays. Around 1:00 am we found out that he had 7 broken ribs and a broken clavicle. He was admitted around 2:00 am and just came home today around 1:30.

He was/is in a lot of pain. Today is MUCH better than he was even yesterday morning. I thought he would never get out of the hospital bed, but, after PT yesterday afternoon, he was able to stand up and walk. His legs are okay (thank goodness), but his right side is out of commission. He is very happy to be home. I am very thankful that nothing worse happened to him. He has a long recovery ahead, but he will be fine.

On a bright note, we have a knew recliner since he needs to sleep upright in something on the first floor (no stairs yet). I teased that this was his way of getting his comfy chair!

I appreciate all of the support and prayers from family and friends. There have been so many people offering to help. Our parents have been great (watching Lily and helping with Jeff). Jeff's brother (who conveniently is an orthopedic surgeon) drove from Columbus to check on him in the hospital. It was nice to have his expert opinion. Jeff's sister stayed with me at the hospital under after 2 am the night he was admitted. My sister and BIL drove from Dayton to help. Sarah did laundry, watched Lily, cleaned my house, went to the grocery. THANK GOODNESS for my family! I have been pretty out of it (pregnancy fog doesn't really help). I am hoping he is healed decently enough for the baby to come.

Thanks again! Will keep you posted...we need no more excitement until we meet Parker :)

More House

Well! Today marked my first day of my seventh year of teaching. Surprisingly, I wasn't stressed about it. Actually, I blame the pregnancy fog because it has been hard to think about anything. I am such a control freak (don't worry-my class was still in order and things were ready for the day), but I was calm, cool, and collected as I welcomed my 28 students. I actually have 31 on my list! All the students are very excited for the first day. Of course, I was already told that I was the best teacher ever (check back at the end of the week, and I am sure they will change their minds!), so I know we are off to a good start. I wasn't too tired during the day. It has only just hit me tonight. I think I can manage to pull through for the next six weeks :)

Here are a few more pictures of the house. I took some of Lily's room. She finally has new blinds up (I am still searching for window treatments), and I just love how neat and tidy her big room is. Her headboard and dresser are from IKEA. It is very simple and works perfectly. Her comforter is also from there and is just a slip cover over a white one.

Her bed has storage cubbies on the side!


She also has a wall of closet space...she will really appreciate this in her teenage years!

I have been working on the playroom. Our goal is to get a sofa bed couch for guests that is comfy for kids to watch t.v. when we don't have guests. Jeff has limited my spending, so we will see how soon we get the couch. In the meantime, I put together storage cubes to hold toys on the toy side of the room. I think they look cute and can hide things nicely! Lily likes playing kitchen and using the table for coloring, and it is nice to have a room just for those things.

If I had all the money is the world, our house would be just as I want it RIGHT NOW! Unfortunately, I don't, so Jeff has been explaining that we will live here many years and have plenty of time to do what we want. I guess I will try and be patient (especially since he has been working tirelessly to hang ceiling fans, blinds, wall items, etc. to make me happy!).