Nursery

Baby Brothers room is finally done!  It's been a long process to get things moving along in there.  I admit it was a mix of having to sit on the couch most of the time and procrastination.  But I think it turned out to be pretty cute.

We did things on a budget in there, so it's nothing fancy.  But I'm okay with that.  It's personal and that's all that matters.  I did a lot of Pinterest type projects as well to add some detail.  It was fun to see it all come together.

We already had the walls painted two colors of green, and I really didn't feel like messing with paint.  So we decided to leave them alone and just find things to match.  I debated for a while on what color I wanted to use to accent the green.  I finally decided on gray.

Here are some pictures of the room:

This is my favorite piece of furniture in the room.  The drawers are
packed with baby clothes :)

Closer picture to show some of the details

I made the crib skirt myself...impressive, huh?

Matt and I did this project together.  We painted the frames, found patterned pictures
to go inside each of them (they are hard to see in the picture) and we designed the
elephant graphic too.  If you look close you can see we could choose our own
words to make up the elephant...the word Corbin is in there too :)

All ready to do some rocking!

I made this blanket for baby brother.

So much baby stuff....yikes!

This is only about 1/3 of the baby clothes that this little man owns.
Thanks to his big brother and cousin Kamden, he will be styling!  

Down to the Wire...Or String

Well, let me first say I'm still pregnant and my cervix is still at a very normal length.  I'll hit 36 weeks on Tuesday!!  It's amazing to have made it this far and to know that whenever baby boy decides to be born he will do great and thrive.  I was only joking about being down to the string that's holding him in.  But we are getting down to the wire time wise.  I will get my stitch cut on 9/3.  That's only 10 days away...but who's counting?

A few weeks ago my mom went to my appointment with me and we asked my Nurse Practitioner what her thoughts were on a cervix being more likely to be incompetent with an IVF pregnancy versus a natural pregnancy.  We were curious because I did IVF with Braelyn and Cole and both of those pregnancies I definitely had cervical issues.  But this time around, with it being a natural pregnancy, I haven't had too many problems, and my length has stayed long for the most part.  The only real scare we had was around 20ish weeks when I noticed some changes and went in to the doctor and my cervix was funneling open and definitely getting shorter.  I also had some sort of virus at the time (thanks for that Cole man) that we thought could have caused it.  My nurse said that she truly believes that I have an incompetent cervix even though I've been lucky this time around.  She said that at the 20ish week mark when I had funneling if I hadn't had my cerclage she thinks that I would have been in danger to have the baby early.  Now at the time, she didn't show me at all that she was worried...she has a very good poker face, and I'm glad about that.  She is always real with me, but I don't think she wanted me to worry until we knew more.  I went home and sat without getting up for a few weeks and it all went back to normal.  Not that it matters now, because after baby brother arrives I am never having another pregnancy, but it was good to know that I really did have an incompetent cervix and that there are medical advances this day in age that can help me to carry a baby to full term.  I feel so lucky and blessed to almost have 2 healthy baby boys here with me.

This week at my appointment we had quite a scare.  Most of the pregnancy has been uneventful, so I think baby boy just wanted to make sure we were still paying attention to him.  As if being monitored twice a week isn't enough...   Anyway, they did a sono and the first thing she checked was his heart rate.  The first measurement came back at 186 bpm.  That's very high.  The second reading was all the way down to the 130's.  That's more normal, but a huge jump.  The next few measurements varied greatly as well.  I could tell that she was very nervous about this and I know from all of my experiences that it wasn't right.  She quickly did the rest of the measurements and such and took us to a room immediately instead of making us go back out in the waiting room. Surprisingly I stayed pretty calm.  They brought in the Non-Stress Test machine and hooked me up.  For about 30 minutes his heart rate was bouncing between the 130's and the 190's.  He was moving like crazy and we couldn't figure out what was going on.  I forgot to mention that he still has the cord around his neck, but she checked the cord pressure and it was perfect.  I wasn't too worried it was being caused by the cord but I also wasn't sure what was going on.  As soon as our nurse left the room to go talk to my Nurse Practitioner about the fluctuations we could see on the monitor that he evened out in the 140's and was steady there for 20 minutes.  He basically fell asleep and his heart rate was perfect.  Our doctor came in to talk to us and he said he really was not worried about this.  He said we have a "super baby" and he was just moving so much that he was accelerating rapidly.  He said it's okay and we know he is fine because he went to sleep and evened out.  They told me that if over the weekend I wasn't feeling him move much to call them immediately but other than that they would see me back on Monday.

I haven't been feeling him move as crazy as he was yesterday, but he is still moving enough that I'm not worried.  And every time I push on him he kicks me back.  I am thinking that he is starting to drop a bit b/c I'm feeling his movement lower and lower and I can breathe a bit easier too.  I need him to keep cooking for another week and then I'll be ready to welcome him!  I try not to complain too much about being pregnant because it is truly a blessing to me after all of the years of trying and also losing a child. But I am only human...and there are times where my back hurts and my hips hurt and I feel huge.  It's hard work carrying 30+ extra pounds around (yes, I used the +...but I'm not disclosing the actual weight gain).  I know it'll all melt away once I get to nursing this baby but some days are harder than others to get around.  Especially because I've been sitting for the most part.  When I do get up and move I'm actually pretty sore the next day :)  I had to take Cole to the doctor today because he was sick and his pediatrician said to me first thing..."You look great.  Your face looks good for being so pregnant."  I think that was a compliment that I don't look fat....but I don't really know.  I just said thanks!  LOL.  Cole may have a sinus infection and we had to get him better from that before the baby comes because I can tell you one thing, I'm NOT doing the RSV thing this time around with baby brother.  He can be just like Cole in a lot of ways, but not with that nasty sickness so young.

So yeah, all in all, things are cruising right along.  I'm feeling pretty good and the baby is measuring great.  I feel like I have a lot of small loose ends to tie up at work and home before I'm actually ready for him to arrive, but I should be able to get a lot of that done next week.  Then maybe I can relax after I get my stitch cut and just wait on him to come.

Cole Man is doing great!  Other than his little sickness he's got going on right now.  He's growing (well a little anyway), talking up a storm, and just plain being Mr. Funny Man.  His personality cracks me up.  He is such a joy to be around and I love him to death.  I just keep thinking that soon I'll get to love on two little boys and my heart will be so full.  I thank God every day for the blessings that He has given to us and also for the lessons I've learned along the way.  It hasn't been an easy road to get here, but come September my family will be complete after years of wishing for this.  If anyone is still reading my blog and sending prayers for us I wanted to say thanks again.  If it were not for all of the prayers going up often we would not be where we are today.  I truly appreciate it.

I'll leave you with a few pictures that we've taken recently for fun.

We spent a lot of time at the pool this summer.

Mama and her boys!

We went to the zoo and I made Matt push me in a wheelchair so I didn't have to walk much.
Well, Cole told me to "move" so he could ride in it.  LOL. 

Messy face

Always having a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Big ol' belly

Love this one

Finally a family picture for the first time in a few years!

34 Weeks

Today marks 34 weeks pregnant!! Woo Hoo.  This was my last big milestone to hit and it feels surreal that it's already here.   At 34 weeks babies are tiny but if they were to be born would be fairly healthy and maybe even not need NICU time.  However, 34 was a big goal for me because it means that if I go into labor he's big enough to be delivered here in Bloomington and they will not send me over to Peoria where there is a NICU immediately.

3 weeks from today is when I get my cerclage cut.  That means that 3 weeks from today I could *possibly* have my baby boy in my arms.  That is if he decides to fall right out once the stitch is removed.  He is measuring to be a bigger baby, so maybe that'll be the case.  But it's always amazing to me how we spend all this time trying to hold a baby in and then when they are allowed to come they take their sweet time.  Either way, we are so very close to meeting this precious baby and I am so excited.

Now I just have to keep busy the next few weeks so the time keeps going fast! :)

Words of Wisdom for Moms of Angels

I found this article posted on Facebook.  I really liked what it had to say.  Especially the last paragraph.  

Did you ever wonder how the mothers of angel babies are chosen?

This entry was posted on July 25, 2013.

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger. Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. “Give her an angel baby.”

God’s angel is curious. “Why this one, God? She’s so happy.”

“Exactly,” smiles God. “Could I give a one of my precious angels to a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel.”

“But does she have the patience to endure such hardship?” asks the angel.

“I don’t want her to have too much patience, or she’ll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she’ll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in the mother of an angel. You see, the child I’m going to give her lives in a world of its own. She will have to realize it lives in another world, and that’s not going to be easy.”

“But Lord, I don’t think she even can live through this.”

God smiles. “No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect.

She has just the right amount of selfishness.”

The angel gasps, “Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?”

God nods. “If she can’t separate herself from her angel baby occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with an angel less than perfect. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word from anyone. She will never consider a minor step ordinary. She will never hear her angel say ‘mama’ for the first time, she will never be a witness to that miracle. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side.”

Adapted from Erma Bombeck by Beth Hawkins

http://4thischildweprayed.wordpress.com/2013/07/25/did-you-ever-wonder-how-the-mothers-of-angel-babies-are-chosen/

33 Weeks and Counting...

I am still here...just keeping really busy with work and Cole.  Not much new to report this week, which is a good thing.  I'm down to 28 days until I get my stitch cut!  I hit 33 weeks pregnant today!!  I absolutely can't wait for this little guy to arrive.  It seems like the entire summer has gone fast, but now that I'm anticipating him joining our family so soon the time is dragging.  I need the next few weeks to pick up speed!

Cole has been a lot of fun this summer.  He loves doing anything outside...going to the park, swimming, running around, the slides, throwing a ball...you name it, he loves it.  He is starting to talk a lot more too and that's so much fun to listen to his thoughts.  He is very opinionated (wonder where he gets that from).  He loves all animals and frequently refers to them as "baby" when he sees them...maybe I call Ritz "baby" too much? :)  He is going to be a great big brother.  He is very good at following directions and helping out when I can't bend over to get something.  He's obsessed with cookies and cheerios (he calls them chee yo's and it's sooo cute, except for when he says it 4700 times in a car ride across town).  I just can't believe he's 19 months old already.  He is truly the light of my life and I can't imagine it any other way.

I am so blessed to almost have 2 little boys here and healthy.  I will never forget how incredibly lucky I am after all we've gone through to have these little guys.  Even though my patience wears thin some days, I hope they both know just how special they are to me.  I don't want to take any moment with them for granted because I know all too well how quickly things can change.  So when I don't update my blog you can remember that I'm living life big with my buddy (soon to be buddies).

Just for fun, here is a picture below comparing my pregnancies.  I am 32 weeks pregnant in both pictures.  The one on the left is Cole, the one on the right is Baby Brother.  Notice that I'm HUGE this time around compared to being pregnant with Cole :)  Oh well...the weight will come off later, I just want the healthy baby at the end of this pregnancy!