36 weeks

Eric and I got to see our little boy yesterday and it was wonderful!  The doctor wanted to do a growth check to make sure everything was looking good and it was!  He looked extremely healthy and he put on quite the show for the ultrasound tech.  He was (AS ALWAYS!) so very active and she had a hard time getting a few of the shots she needed.  The doctor averaged that our little guy is weighing about 5 pounds, 4 ounces; said my fluids look great; and the placenta is not calcified yet so those are all great things!  I'm sorry the pictures are small but this is the best I could do. (you might be able to see them better if you click on them!)  I will try to describe them as best I can so you can make out what you are seeing!  The top picture is his little profile.  From right to left in that picture is his forehead, nose, top lip, tongue, bottom lip and chin.  In the second picture, same thing except tongue is not out.  In the bottom picture, this is the best she could do with a "full-frontal" because his head is down so low.  There is a black space on the far right and then you can see his nose, nostrils, lips and chin.  Once again, it appears as though this little boy will have full lips like his big brother (SO KISSABLE!) and as best we can tell from these grainy pictures, it looks like they might resemble each other!    

I have been having quite a few contractions lately and the doc said that is my body's way of keeping him head down so for that I am very thankful.  They often get to the point where I have to stop what I am doing and take deep breaths because they are quite overwhelming.  I just hope and pray I don't have to go FOUR more weeks, but of course, we just want him healthy!

Here is the 36 week belly.  Even though I am measuring right on track, I am feeling pretty large!  I just stick out so much!  I am getting more and more uncomfortable as the minutes tick past!  (YES, MINUTES!)  My night time sleep is really not going well right now.  The baby is lying directly on top of my bladder so I literally get up a handful of times each night.  Even though my sleep will be extremely interrupted once he arrives, I am looking forward to NOT having to go to the bathroom each time! :)  We are getting so very anxious to meet this precious miracle!  

There are FIVE women pregnant and due before the middle of July in our church.  The craziest part of this whole scenario is that we are ALLLLLLLLLLLL having BOYS!  I was talking with one of these girls the other day about the abundance of boys and she shared a conversation with me that she had had with a friend of hers (who is ALSO having a boy)!  Her friend pointed out that with the uneasiness and discord going on in our world, she believed that God was blessing God-fearing, Christian families with boys to raise to grow up and be Godly leaders for the next generation.  WOW!  What a thought and what a responsibility we have as parents to boys!  God give us wisdom as we raise these boys you have placed in our care!

Here are the five women in order of due dates - 

Me - 4/29, S - 6/2, K - 6/16, G - 7/6, E - 7/9
And what's a blog post without a picture of Isaiah?????????

I was taking this picture of Isaiah because he plopped right down next to Derby to play with his blocks.  When I was trying to get him to look at me, he started making this funny face!  Such a ham!

Updates

This past Sunday, Eric and I were sitting on the couch getting ready to get Isaiah up from his nap when we heard sirens.  We could definitely tell the sirens were close.  So close, in fact, that they sounded like they were on our street.  Well, we looked outside and couldn't believe our eyes.  The house directly across the street was ON FIRE!  It was CRAZY!!!

Eric immediately went outside to talk to the sheriff to ask if we needed to evacuate.  We are going through quite a drought down here and fires spread very quickly so we didn't know if we needed to get somewhere more safe.  He told Eric to prepare to get out of there but he wasn't ready to make that call yet.  While Eric was outside, I swooped Isaiah up and we watched all the action from his bedroom window.  I immediately started to pray for the people who live in the house.  We don't know them well at all, but we did know that an elderly woman lived there with her grown son.  The woman is always home and for the most part, the son doesn't leave much.  I became emotional because I just couldn't imagine having a house fire and the loss that is associated with that.  I also recently watched "Fireproof" so I think the sight of seeing those firemen made it more real too.
Here are my two favorites watching all the action outside.  The smoke and fire really attracted a large crowd and since we are right across the street, they were gathering in OUR front yard!  Isaiah LOVED watching all the people and trucks and firemen!
We did find out that the elderly woman was not in the house (God thing!) because she typically naps at that time of day.  She happened to be at the hospital because she was experiencing some dehydration.  The son wasn't home either so the house was empty.  The back of the house looks SO much worse than the front but even the front looks bad.  Unfortunately the house will have to be torn down as it cannot be saved.  

On another note, here is my 35 week belly - definitely growing!  
We went in for another check-up yesterday and there were no changes.  Baby's heartbeat sounded good and strong and blood pressure was great.  We go in next week for a growth ultrasound to see how this baby's growing!  I kind of have a feeling he has some long legs.  I can tell how he is lying (head down - woo hoo!) and I get ALL kinds of leg action!  He is quite the kicker!  I have now started getting up a minimum of three times a night to go to the bathroom, which I do no like one bit!  I am still recovering from an infection but it's definitely getting better!  

We are knee-deep in March Madness at this house and I am missing my husband! :)  He sure loves college basketball and I love that about him but at this time every year, our television pretty much stays put on ESPN and CBS!  

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxo

Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures....

I'm pretty worn out tonight so I won't write much but I'll try to explain the pics.  A couple weeks ago, some great friends from our church threw me a diapers and wipes shower for our new precious boy!  I thought this cake was just too cute!

And here is a belly shot from that shower (at 32 weeks)
Serious boy playing with sunglasses
I love this face because Isaiah looks so amazed by something!  He is learning so much and taking so much in right now - we see this face a lot!!!
Precious little face
Isaiah's Grandpa Jim and Grandma Kathy came to visit a few weeks ago and this shot is of Isaiah having a fabulous time playing basketball with Grandpa!  
And reading with Grandma Kathy!

Here are the cousins with their Grandpa!

Isaiah loves to play in the puppy's crate!  
He was loving his toast with jelly one morning and even sang the B-I-B-L-E at the end of breakfast (that's the reason for the arm being up - he was shouting BIBLE!)
Couldn't you just eat him up????
Peek-A-Boo!
Playing fetch with Derby on the beach
Loving the beach!  So happy!
Love that little face so much!
Precious moments with daddy!
Isaiah has gotten very brave in the pool lately.  One day I almost didn't get there in time to catch him.  So, we decided to use the life jacket.  Let's just say Isaiah HATED the thing!  He gradually did a bit better with it but would much rather NOT mess with it!
Working on the back float
Showing mommy his teeth!  He had just pulled a glass of water off of the table so that's why his shirt is so wet!
Isaiah and I spent last week in Indiana with my family.  It was such a week of rest for me that I did not take any pictures except a couple of Isaiah playing the guitar with his Uncle David.  And of course, I cannot get those uploaded for some reason.  We had a great time and were sad to leave.  My parents were so attentive to Isaiah and let me get my fill of rest and relaxation - such a treat!  We came back to Florida on Sunday afternoon and Marcy flew back with us.  It was so nice and helpful to have her with us.  It makes the flight with a toddler so much easier when there are two adults!

I went in for my 34 week appointment today and everything looked pretty good.  I measured on track and blood pressure was good.  The heart rate was 163 today!  The doctor checked me because of some contractions and discomfort I have been having and while I wasn't dilated yet, I am already softening.  The doc said for a momma who has already had a baby that is not uncommon for my body to be preparing already.  He asked me to come back again in a week to make sure everything looks good.  When he did the check he commented that baby boy's head was "right there".  So, of course we want him to come when he's full term but we (and that's mostly ME!) are hoping for an early delivery.  :)  I woke up this morning really feeling like I'm coming down with something so no belly pic today but as soon as I'm feeling better, I'll get one up here!  

xoxo

Our little personality :)

Here is another video of our little personality! It's pretty long so no pressure to watch it. At the beginning, Isaiah is showing off his beat-boxing skills, as well as his dancing! We are still working on saying more names but these are the ones he usually says the clearest! At this point, he's saying something new everyday, it seems, so it shouldn't be too much longer before he's saying more things more clearly!

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday! Hard to believe today is the LAST day of February!
xoxo

Future Musician?????

If you turn it up and listen carefully, you can hear him huffing and puffing! :) Isaiah loves music and I think he might have an ear for it...only time will tell! Enjoy! xoxo

30 weeks and my sweet boy!

Here's the 30 week belly! I went to the doctor today and everything looked perfect. I still measured a bit big but he's still not concerned at all. The heart rate was a little bit of everywhere while he was checking it. It averaged around 145, though! He felt my tummy and said baby is head-down so let's pray he stays that way! When I first started feeling this little guy, I said that he was more active than Isaiah was, but his movements have slowed down some (probably because he's running out of room!) I would say his movements now are about like Isaiah's were! I go back in two weeks for another check-up!

A couple days ago, I was working in the kitchen and getting dinner ready. Isaiah had been playing in his room so I just kept cooking away! A few minutes later, he brought one of my shirts to the kitchen and dropped it on the floor. I still didn't think anything of it until about another minute passed and in he came with ANOTHER article of my clothing and dropped it on the floor. I decided I should probably go assess the situation and see what he had done and this is what I found.....
He had been having a GRAND ole time taking my clothes off the shelves and making one big pile on the closet floor! :) Caught red-handed....
Here's my precious boy squeaky clean after a bath! He adores his bath time.

Watching daddy mow the lawn (check out that leg positioning!)

Here's a video I shot today of Isaiah and Derby playing together! I started filming because Isaiah was just talking up a storm! I was able to get him to say a few words but he was a bit distracted!

Beach Day and New Puppy

This past weekend, Leah and I took the boys out to the beach to play in the sand. Boy did their personalities really come out! Isaiah was so very cautious and just took everything in. If he got sand on his hands, he would do the sign language for "all done" as if to say, 'ok, mom, please get this off! I am done!' Eli on the other hand was here, there and everywhere! He made a bee line for the water anytime he could! I wanted to get more pictures of the two of them together but just couldn't work it out! We had a great time, though!

Marcy got a sweet, new puppy for Valentine's Day and we enjoyed spending time with her this weekend! Marcy hasn't decided on a name yet but we'll keep you posted! Isaiah loved playing with Nonni's new puppy! :) Thank you, Nonni and Nonno for sharing your puppy with us to play with!