The final countdown

Next Monday is the due date. It still seems so far away, though. We have quite a few things in place and are eagerly awaiting our little addition. Tiff keeps testing me to see if I have my phone at the ready. So far I have not impressed. I am getting better, though:) Anyways, keep us in your prayers, especially Tiff and the baby. We'll keep you updated on when the baby is coming.

Jon

Obsessions

Here are some ares of life that I am currently obsessed with: babies, granola bars and week 39. Okay, obsession might be too strong, but it's pretty close :)

Our new niece!! That's right! It is officially Uncle Jon and Aunt Tiff! Cait had her baby on Saturday, May 26 - her due date! Zayley Njogu joined the world at a healthy 7lbs 15 oz and 19" long (I think I got those numbers right!)!! She is beautiful, and I'm so bummed that I have to WAIT to meet her! I'm so thrilled for Cait that she didn't have to be induced and that she had a healthy natural delivery like she wanted! From what I've heard, James is one proud papa and Cait is recovering well!

Next, granola bars. Not just ANY granola bars, but homemade ones. I came across a delicious recipe. and we love them! The recipe is great for tweaking it based on what we're in the mood for or favorite ingredients, they freeze really well and are just as delicious within a few minutes of pulling them out of the freezer as they are after cooling! These aren't crunchy bars if that is your thing, though! Yesterday I quick made up some oatmeal/cinn and choc. chip for Jon to snack on at the hospital! These are awesome not only because of how yummy they are, but really even more so because of how few ingredients go into them and how quickly I can whip up a batch! I'll share the recipe soon!

Finally, it's week 39 and hopefully the final week of pregnancy! I've LOVED being pregnant, and really have felt great with a few minor exceptions these last 39 weeks! Now that the end is in sight, it feels so far away, but I want it to be here now! We are so ready to meet our baby!! I'm also ready to be done at work! Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy my job and my coworkers are great! BUT, I'm tired and ready to just hang out with my baby for a couple months!!

The Lord amazes me at His creation. I am just in awe of how awesome He is and the endless possibilities that exist for how He created our child! We can't wait to find out!! I'm also very ready to leave behind acid reflux! Ugh! It's probably my biggest complaint about pregnancy! :) Our appointment is on Wednesday, so we'll see where things stand then!

Can it be???

Wow - 11 days until Baby VK is set to join us! This is such an interesting time in pregnancy! The last week or so, I've definitely noticed my body slowing down! I'm sooo tired by the time mid afternoon hits, and just lacking in motivation! So glad Jon and I knocked out most of our to do list this last weekend! That was the goal - get 'er done and spend the last two weeks relaxing! So, that is pretty much what we've done :) It's more and more difficult to get comfortable at night, but once I get settled in, all is well. I'd been sleeping great until about a week ago when my body decided that the prime time for sleep was between 9:30-2:30. So more often than not since then, I've been awake sometime between 2-4, sometimes able to sleep a bit more, and sometimes not. Thankfully, I've been able to sleep until closer to 5 two out of the last 3 nights! love it!

My 38 week check up was on Monday, and let me just say that I'm SUPER excited that I won't have to drive from Phillipsburg to Hays and back to Stockton again by myself while pregnant! It was Jon's last week of school, so he couldn't make this appointment with me. Let me just tell you, waking up at 3:30am, leaving for work at 6:30 and then driving that distance, running errands, and driving home sure wore me out! I probably sound like a baby, but seriously, I was done for when I got home about 6 that night lol! Poor Jon! I could hardly even hold a conversation - just wanted food, quiet and sleep :)

My appointment was typical. In & out! No new progression, baby's head is dropped, and come again next week. I was bummed though because the weekly appointments have been nice, and now I have to wait a week and a half!! :) Thanks Memorial Day and doc's Surgery Day!! :) It's really fine and maybe there will be more progress since there are more days between visits! The bright side is that I have Monday off, and will be gone half of Wednesday, so my work week will fly by! I'm ready to be done!!

Jon finished up with school yesterday and is very excited to be done! He only has to go in for a bit this morning to wrap up some things in his room, and he's set! What a great first year he had!! We're so grateful and I'm so proud of him! He'll get to see two of his students a handful of times over the summer for some ongoing support, and he's looking forward to that! Otherwise, he'll no doubt be birding as much as possible, sleeping in as much as possible, and relaxing as much as possible every day between now and baby's arrival :) So jealous!! Bonus for me - he's also taking over all dinners until the foreseeable future!! He already cooks a couple nights a week which is awesome, but I've been looking forward to not having to cook when I get home from work - especially given how tired I've been lately!! :) I know he's looking forward to any visitors willing to cook once the baby comes so he can have a break - lol!

Quick Status Update

Alrighty, so yesterday marked full term at 37 weeks! Exciting milestone to reach :) It was also my first of what is to be weekly appointments until baby arrives! So, no big news from the doctor appointment. I'm still 1 cm and baby's head is down - so that is good news! The doc said that about 85% of women deliver before 40 weeks, but I'm just planning to go after June 4 so I don't get my hopes up :) Baby's heart rate was 137 and I measured at 38 weeks. I feel big enough to be about 45 weeks :) Okay, not really, but I am beginning to feel very pregnant!

Thankfully, I am still sleeping pretty well after I get settled into position unless I wake to my hubby puking at 2:45 in the morning!! Okay - that was just Sunday night - poor guy! Thankfully he is well now! It's becoming more difficult to roll over at night or crawl out of bed. Jon has been giving me a massage at least every couple of days if not every day, and that has helped a ton! Just this week I've started to notice some swelling in my hands just because my ring won't easily slide off my finger, but it is minimal and might be worse because of the warmer weather we've been starting to get. I'm trying to drink a lot of water and keep moving to fight the swelling!

UPDATE ON BECOMING AN AUNT/UNCLE!!

If you didn't already know, Caitlin, my sister, is due on May 26! She is having a sweet little girl and she and her husband James are super excited! They are going to make awesome, fun parents and we are pumped for them! Baby Njogu is making some progress towards entering the world. Cait has another appointment this week, but at her last visit she was already 75% effaced, at station -2 and 3 cm dilated! She's also been having some false labor so her body is definitely starting to prepare for the big day! Cait was hoping for the 16th, but unless things kick into gear, it looks like she'll be closer to her actual due date :)

Alright - I better get moving this morning so I make it to work on time!

Another Milestone

This weekend marked 2 major milestones: 2 years of marriage for Jon and me and the start of my 36th week of pregnancy!

It's hard to believe that 2 years have already passed since our wedding day! As we've been nearing May 7, Jon and I have been reflecting on all that has happened in the last several years, the unexpected moments that end up changing your life forever, the provision of our Lord, the evolution of relationships, etc. Obviously, hindsight is always 20/20, but it truly is incredible to see the Lord's hand in our lives when we take the time to reflect on Him. It's so hard to see this as true in the moments of our lives, but when we look back over the course of days, months, years, there is no doubt in my mind that He was there, carrying me, walking alongside me, allowing me to experience life through joys and pains, comforting me, loving me - all even when I was/am living selfishly, untrustingly, unhappily. Our God is so Good!

I think it was last Christmas, Jon's parents gave us a daily devotion The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional by Gary Chapman. We've read it nearly every day since then, and it is amazing and sometimes scary how spot on those words meet us where we're at! Too many times, we've read the days devotion, only to find ourselves already being or about to be tested in that very area an hour or several later. Too often, we've failed to absorb the wisdom from early that morning in our devotion time and have not acted out of love and respect towards one another. I sometimes hold my breath just wondering how the Lord is at work and how we're going to come through the experience :) This is mostly true in those areas of life that my pride is too great still and in which I'm resistant to change!

Jon and I are now to the point where we are reading the devotion for the second time, and we love it still! As we come across the words that we read a year ago, it provides great conversation on the growth that has occurred, areas that still need attention, and new ways in which the words apply to our lives now that we are soon to be parents. No doubt the same will be true next year and for the many years to come!

What I've gleaned most from this devotion, through conversations and life is that I can't control my husband or anybody else. I can choose how I behave, how I respond, how I speak and listen, how I spend my time. Through working on me, by focusing on the Lord, in trusting Him to guide and heal, I can be a woman, wife, child, mother, friend that I am proud of. What I've also found is that this is frickin hard! Hard, hard, hard - in the moments when I feel attacked, feel right, feel hurt, feel prideful. It's hard. And I fail. BUT, at least at this point in life, I think I fail less now than a year ago.... we'll see how that trend continues :) Thankfully, whatever the result, I have a loving Lord and an amazing husband on the journey with me!

Anyways - back to the weekend! Jon and I really wanted to get away for the weekend!! You know, a short "Baby Moon," a last get away while it's still just the two of us! Well....I guess lesson of being an adult - we don't always get what we want :) Pretty sure we'll be saying that to our child in a couple of years!! So, as an alternative, we set aside a bit of money and went to Hays for the afternoon/evening to just relax, try something new and enjoy some good quality time together! We started out by going to Pottery Works. You know, one of those places that has all sorts of pottery that you paint, have fired and then get to take home! I'd done this only once before and it was a first for Jon, so it was great! We decided to go for coffee mugs, since one of my first missions in marriage was to convert Jon to a coffee drinker so we could enjoy a mug of coffee each morning together :) It only took me from May to Dec that first year to win him over, and boy, I think think I created a monster! Now it's a must for him each day :) Anyhow, we had a great time decorating and can't wait to go pick up our mugs next week to see how they turned out! Our poor child is doomed when it comes to artistic painting - but they'll still learn to enjoy it!! Here are some pics from the day:

Happy 2nd Anniversary, Babe!! Here's to starting our 36th week and 28 days to baby!!

35 Week Checkup

Yesterday afternoon, we went to my 35 week appointment! Jon came along again since we also had our last child prep class that evening in Hays. I love that he has been able to come to so many of the appointments with me!! Once again, I didn't really have too many questions for the doc when we arrived; however, we ended up having a great conversation with him about our expectations and desires for the birth experience, and he did a very good job at explaining different scenarios that would lead to a c-section, induction, etc. We really appreciate how direct he is while also feeling comfortable with our wishes.

The one concern I did have as a first time preggo is the pelvic muscle pain that I've been having the last couple of weeks - mostly when I stand up and walk. Thankfully, I'd already reassured myself (even if falsely prior to the dr. appointment) that it was not some type of infection that I was experiencing, but that it was the baby putting pressure on the muscles. Turns out, that is correct :) whew! The nurse told us all about relaxin and how it impacts me at this stage of pregnancy which put my mind at ease!

So, after the usual start to the appointment - blood pressure check, listening to the heart beat and measuring, here is where we're at:

• Heart rate - 128: an all-time low :)
• measured 36 weeks

Then we had the convo with the doc that I already mentioned followed by the exam. They did the Group B Strep test and the doc confirmed that the baby has started to drop and that I'm 1 cm dilated.

Following the appointment, Jon and I stopped over at Bella Luna in our 3rd attempt to find a store front that carries cloth diapers. We once again struck out! This store DOES have AIOs but that is it and a very limited selection. So....we are just taking the plunge and buying some this week and will start practicing folding with you tube videos!! :) We also splurged a bit and had dinner at Whiskey Creek which was delicious while we waited for our final child prep class.

This last session was on breastfeeding, and we both found it so helpful and interesting! The ladies leading the classes do such a great job at fielding questions and sharing the information! We really appreciated all the content over the last 6 weeks! We feel so much more prepared even though we know there is much to learn in the coming days, months, years, decades!! :)