Progress report #3

Today was our 3rd weekly appointment with our OB. We only have one more weekly appointment scheduled...if we need it!

Lily is still lying head-down (which is optimal!). Dr. P. was able to poke Lily's head during the exam and she kicked my ribs! haha! She is very responsive! 

I am "1+cm dilated and 50-75% effaced" which is "Great progress for a first-time mom". Unfortunately, this still doesn't give us a timetable for when Lily's birthday will be. It could be in several hours, or still a few more weeks...I just need some strong contractions and she'll be here. 

Unless I have a SUPER fast labor that starts right now, it looks like we'll have an October baby! yay!

Not sure about the weight- she didn't say anything and we forgot to ask, but Sean says whatever she weighs will be perfect.

Sean is still thinking the birthday will be this Saturday, October 5th (during the ASU vs. Notre Dame game that has been on our calendar for more than TWO YEARS!)

39!

39 weeks! Today we have a Dr's appointment so we may find out some more details! If you are following the belly growth page on the blog, you might agree with me that it looks like she has "dropped"- who knows? I am walking just fine, though!

If you have an iPhone and have installed the new iOS-7 you may have noticed the new panorama picture option for the camera. Pretty cool! Here are 2 panorama shots of her nursery :)

A student and her parents came by yesterday to drop off a very special gift. We have a ton of baby blankets and at least 10 of them have been hand made, but this one is pretty special. My student recently sang the Lara Story song "Blessings" in church. It meant so much to her that she and her family had this quilt made for Lily and named it the Blessings quilt. The grey squares are made from t-shirts that her family was selling to help raise money to build a well in Africa. How cool?! 

Here is the chorus from the song "Blessings":

I don't feel like the lyrics totally fit through my current season in life, but I have a feeling the 'thousand sleepless nights' are coming soon. I just hope so much that I look at it all in a positive light and continuously see the blessings every day. 

Front porch sitting

For some reason I wasn't so sure I would get to my 39th week of pregnancy. I have no idea why. Most healthy, first time moms carry to 40 weeks.

I am not happy about still being pregnant because:

• I'm impatiently ready to meet her!
• I'm ready to loose weight instead of gain weight
• ready to not hear the question "Are you in labor, yet?"
• Scared she is getting really big...who knows!

I am happy about still being pregnant because:

• our OB is coming back in town today and will for sure be around!
• Lily's brain, muscles, and vital organs are still rapidly developing at this stage in utero
• Less chance for jaundice and infection 
• Better chance for easier breast feeding
• for some weird reason, I just really want her to be born in October. 

All in all, I am so happy to have had a healthy pregnancy! This morning I am enjoying sitting on my porch in my hospital scrubs. I kept one pair of scrubs from when I worked at the hospital in Pampa. I wish all jobs could wear scrubs every day- they are the best...except they are getting a little tight! 

Echoed Prayer

Here is a FB status of a good friend of mine from HS. He and his wife will have their baby today! I want to post it to echo this prayer for them and also for us (when the time comes)

watching the clock

We have so many people excited for Lily's arrival! In the last week or so we have gotten calls and visits from family, texts and emails from friends, gifts arriving daily, excitement from Sean's HS students, church member questions galore,hugs and smiles from local neighbors in Salado that I don't even know their names...haha! I am so thankful for the support and love for Lily. Every morning I've seen some of the same neighbors on my jogging/walking path and I can just tell they've been eagerly staring at my belly for months wondering when she's going to be here! Even the bambis just stand there and stare :) It is not uncommon for me to be outside checking the mail or on a walk and for someone to stop, roll the window down and just ask "how much longer?!"...This morning I got that question from a NICU doctor on her way to work at Scott and White!

One of my student's moms said something to me that has just stuck in my head. She said she doesn't even remember the few weeks before her twins were born. I wonder if I will remember this time or how I will look back on it. The entire pregnancy has gone by SO FAST! Sean and I have really been trying to enjoy every moment of it and celebrate a lot along the way...from surprising our families in Arlington with the news, to the gender reveal party to weekly belly pictures, to blogging my journey, to baby showers to decorating the nursery, etc. All that is left to do is wait, but we're trying to make the waiting a special time.

All this to say- no baby yet, but you'll know! So many people want to be updated so our plan is to tell Sean's work people, our parents, and then post it on facebook.

Is it Friday, yet?

It is funny to look forward to the weekend when you're not working:)

Sean has been SO busy with his jobs and trying to get ahead for when Lily comes, so I am very much looking forward to spending some good quality time with him this weekend. Plus- it is supposed to rain- that should be relaxing and fun!

Lily is getting taller and even more wiggly, if that is even possible! When she kicks, I feel it way up into my ribcage all the way down my abdomen...she may not even need contractions to come out! haha! just kidding.

Sean and I have realized how much of planners we are. It is hard to wrap our minds around the fact that she could be here in 3 hours, 3 days, or 3 weeks...who knows!...but sometime very soon!

Fall morning

Nesting Fun...

I tried to post this last week...oops!

Fall decorations...

Laundry has never been so cute!

late night ramblings...

In the last few days I have felt more calm and ready. I think being out of work and getting all my 'ducks in a row' before Lily arrives has helped. 

This morning-at 3:30am-I can't stop wondering...will it be today or will it still be another week or two? 

I went and sat in the nursery because that somehow makes me feel closer to her, but my eyes just wanted to close and go back to sleep. haha! 

Sean and I got our flu shot yesterday which means Lily is covered, too :) During this cold and flu season I am so glad to know that through nursing I will continuously pass on antibodies to keep her well. Luckily I haven't really been sick in I don't know how long :) 

Yesterday, I got out of the house, went to church for lunch, and helped Sean clean and organize his office. YES- he asked for my help- I wasn't just using my annoying nesting energy :) haha! He doesn't have an office at his HS teaching job, so we're making his church office work for both. I think they gave him 2 cabinets at the school, though.

At lunch, someone told us their niece was just surprised to have a boy instead of a girl last week. A lot of stuff we have is gender neutral, but her closet is sickeningly pink! We're ready for whatever, though :)

I am getting more and more phone calls, texts, emails, etc. "Is she here, yet?" Nope. Glad you guys are excited for us, though!! 

Storage

I guess this is a suitable storage place for Fall Ale... :)

Daddy's choice- can't wait to try it in a few weeks!

Progress report #2

Yesterday was my 2nd weekly appointment with the doc. Here are some things we learned:

• Lily is now estimated to be just under 6 pounds! That means she gained almost a pound in a week! Dr. P. Predicted this would happen and states it is great news. I remember it took about 20 weeks for her to gain pound number one, so one pound in one week is a LOT! 
• Lily has moved down and is still head down...both good things! Since she has moved down, I can tell my heartburn is not so bad :) 
• Contractions have slowed down the last few days. Dr. P. says that is totally normal and that it is the "calm before the storm"...
• I am at about 2 cm dilated which means I'm progressing, but it could happen today or in a few weeks...who knows! 
• Dr. P. Will be out of town Wednesday-Sunday morning...That makes me think Lily will come when she's gone, but Dr. P. seemed pretty sure she would see us at our appointment on Monday...who knows! I would love for her to be there, but I have faith that it will be fine with or without Dr. P. 
• All my vitals (blood pressure, weight, urine, etc...) are looking good and baby Lily's heartbeat is also great!

All of my questions for the doc have been hand-written on this note pad from a brewery/hotel we stayed at last year in New Braunfels. I thought that was funny :)

ps- I really recommend the Faust Hotel!

38!

Click here to see my belly grow!

Happy Fall

This morning I am at home in my PJ's feeling our crazy baby wiggle around in my tummy! The windows are open and the cool breeze is blowing throughout the house! I enjoyed my walk this morning and am planning on decorating a pumpkin for Lily today :) 

I am so thankful for Sean as he is keeping very busy working 2 jobs!! He plans on taking some time off work when Lily comes, but for now he is busy busy and on speed dial, of course! 

Tomorrow is our next Dr. appointment! We'll see what she says...it could be like all the others: wonderful reports, stress free, quick and easy...or we could be sent straight from her office to labor and delivery if she thinks baby Lily is on her way. We'll see!

Baking

Today, I am  in the kitchen putting things into the freezer for after Miss Baby comes!

What all am I making?

1) homemade nana ice cream
-blend 5-6 bananas with a few squeezes of honey, pour into tupperware and you're done!
-I added a few swirls of peanut butter into mine before it went into the freezer. mmmmm!

2) semi-healthy banana bread
This is the reason I am blogging today. This bread is for real. mmmmm!

3) mommy cookies (they are supposed to help increase milk supply!)

Progress Report

We will have doc appointments once per week until she comes!

All of our appointments have been really GREAT!

Today we learned:

• she is approximately 5 pounds but could gain up to another pound or two in the next few weeks...(from a guess from the doc)
• her head is still facing down
• the amount of amniotic fluid around her is great
• I am starting the labor process a little...next week doc thinks she should be able to touch  Lily's head?!?! crazy! Dr. P. Doesn't think I'll go into labor in the next week, but you never  know!
• healthy heartbeat! Lily was moving around like CRAZY just to show off at the appointment. 

I've been calling her "Loco Lily" since she has been moving around so much! 

She officially has a few Halloween outfits and costumes, a thanksgiving bib, one Christmas outfit...and probably a stocking pretty soon. We're excited about the holidays this year more than ever! 

37 weeks (out of 40)

Did you know pregnancy is calculated to last TEN months?

At 37 weeks pregnant, Lily could come any minute and not be a preemie :) 

Here are pictures from this morning's photo shoot!

The regular pose(plus our pumpkin!):

The "Hey, I'm not ready pose":

The "Act as happy as you can pose":

And Sean's favorite- the "Act as pregnant as you can" pose

Click here to see my belly grow!

Lily moved a TON at the Friday night Salado HS football game when we walked right next to the drum line!

She also moved a lot this morning when Sean sang the call to prayer :) Recognized his voice!

This morning was our last week in a series Sunday School class we've been attending based on the book "Grace based parenting". We didn't have a lot to input, but we sure got a lot out of the class! The class was taught by a friend's mom. Our friend Liz was one of the first people we met in Salado- we jogged together, went to church together, and was one of my guitar students for  a little while. She and her sons passed away tragically last Summer in an auto accident. The book Grace Based Parenting was one of the books she lived by and was even handed out at their service! I grabbed the book at the service, but it was good to finally read it over the last few months and get some feedback from Liz's mom on what the book meant to Liz. I am SO glad I got to finish the study before Lily got here :) Lots of great advice was taken from the class for sure!

Busy Weekend

Last night Sean sang at the SHS football game. We made an appearance, then had some yummy dinner and went home :)

We have 2 Fall-Kickoff rehearsals this weekend, last day of work on Monday, then I feel like I'll be free for Miss Lily to come any time!

We'll have a doc appointment Monday to determine if I've started the Labor progress yet. ahh! Doctor's appointments will be weekly from Monday-on.

I went ahead and purchased the rest of the things on our registry that I really wanted. Lots of things have arrived and the rest will be here soon!

We are ready logistically, at least :)

"Take it easy"

"Take it easy"

This is something I hear from people several times per day, every day. I am sure any pregnant woman can relate.

BUT There are a small handful of people (my doctor included) that have told me- Just go, go, go! If you feel active- stay active. Exercise. Get things done. Keep working...

I just wonder where the mentality to 'take it easy' during pregnancy came from. I think I have had such an easy pregnancy without excessive weight gain and swelling because I have stayed active and busy! I'm not sick, just pregnant :) Of course there are up and down days, but I'm going to try not to stay on the couch too much these last few weeks (or days!)

Survey- REPOST

In case you've forgotten what your original guesses were:
(click on the picture to make it larger)

9 months!!

WOW! The home-stretch is finally here! I am NINE months pregnant!!! There are differentiations between doctors and blogs, but according to my doctor, I am full term! Lily could come any minute!

I am still active- walked a mile and a half this morning. It was SO beautiful! Deer and fog!
According to Dr. P. the easiest labor and delivery she was a part of came from a woman who ran 3 miles the day before she delivered! WOW! That is my inspiration to keep going!

Click here to see my belly grow!

On Saturday, our church choir hosted a wonderful baby shower for Lily!So many people were there, delicious cakes were eaten, and good times were had.

For me, it went by SO fast! We opened so many generous gifts! More than 70 thank-you cards are in the mail!

First United Methodist Choir in Arlington sent an abundance of diapers and gifts as well! They are VERY excited for Grammy and Grandpa (not sure if that is right) Hale!

Lily is spoiled and loved. We are so thankful for everybody's support, excitement, and encouragement of our growing family!!!

4:30am update

Can't sleep, so might as well do a blog posting, right?

Dr.'s appointment update:
-Lily's head is facing down (which is PERFECT)
-heartbeat was around 150-160, which is healthy-a little fast, but she was moving around while getting it done! haha!
-We both got the TdaP shot to protect against the whooping cough. PLEASE get one of these if you plan to be around an infant!
-Next appointment is in a little more than a week. At that appointment, we'll start checking for signs of labor and continue with weekly appointments until she is here! AHH! She is coming so soon!

If I could have it my way, she can come anytime after September 16th. Before this, we have a few important rehearsals, work, a baby shower, etc... BUT it's not about me. Most 1st time mamas carry at least until their due date...but everyone is different.

There is a lady that works behind a desk at the hospital that we've seen a few times. She has crazy hair! I know it is crazy, because Sean points it out and he does not really notice stuff like that. Now, we will look for her every week. Here was Sean's description of her yesterday, "Its like parted in 3 sections, really really stiff, with a huge curl in each section". I promptly google-imaged "Oompa Loompa".
Sean says "YES! just like that!"...so while looking at this picture, we had a really good laugh before the doctor came in!

ramblings

Sometimes I go and just sit in Lily's room. It is a happy and safe place. I think I just feel more connected to her when I sit in there :)

Lily especially likes to move when:
-I play guitar or ukulele. If you have never held and strummed an instrument like this, you might not realize how much vibration you can feel from the strings on your belly. She gets to feel it and hear it :)
-I'm driving. The last few weeks it has mostly been around Salado, so I am not going more than 30ish mph, but I imagine her pretending to steer with me. She just seems to move in the car!
-I'm exercising. Apparently exercise puts most babies to sleep, but lately I swear she will alternate moving one foot and then the other just like mommy.
-Daddy sings or "holds" her. She LOVES Sean. She knows his voice and she knows his hands. It is so sweet.
-We are in choir rehearsal. She gets live music all day every day(since that is what I do for a living!)- singing from different voices, guitar, piano, etc but there is something about all the voices combined...or maybe it is just because it happens right after I eat dinner :)
-I've eaten. She likes to have her snacks too. I'm really hoping she is not allergic to certain foods! Don't think she will be. I predict she will really like bananas, peanut butter, fruit, yogurt, coffee, ice cream...these are the things she eats every day!

I finally announced my last day of work to all the students- Sept. 16th. I realize this is a Monday, but it will give me one more session with my new client to complete an assessment. At this point, I will be 37 weeks (out of 40), so I fee like that is probably a good place to stop. It is funny I have some students (and parents) asking, "What will they work on when you are not teaching?" I am glad they are so eager to continue with music. It has been really neat to see the value of music education rise from nothing here in Salado...they don't really have music programs in any of the schools- except the HS now that Sean is there! School is going pretty well for him. He started with 26 students and is up to 30, so it must be cool. They finally are starting to "sound like a choir" according to him. I know he enjoys the kiddos, too.

The church choir has been kicking Sean and I out of the room the last few weeks after rehearsal, so I can't wait to see what surprises they have in store for us at Lily's baby shower this weekend!!

Update on yesterday

Yesterday went pretty well with my new client. Nice people- just getting used to a new diagnosis :)

When I first got to the church, however, I was stung by a wasp! Its been a few years, but I have been stung countless times in my life!

When it is a hot day outside, our church's ceiling makes a bunch of sound kind of like thunder...

so I was all alone at church (since it was Labor Day) with a wasp sting, a banging ceiling, over 100 degree weather trying to figure out the AC, and trying to get ready for the new client...so it started off a bit rough, but all is well- it turned out ok.

I am anticipating that I may only work until about mid-September. We'll see...

Happy Labor Day

I am hoping Labor Day doesn't mean I'll go into labor today! haha! Sean is staying home from his jobs so I get to spend time with him today :) I am still teaching this evening and even starting a NEW music therapy client?! What am I thinking?!!!!! I scheduled this months ago thinking "oh it will be fine"...and I hope it will. I just get nervous to meet a new family and it is a diagnosis I am unfamiliar with.

I am 35 weeks pregnant! That means there are only 5 weeks until her due date! This week so far I am feeling good :) I probably feel different every time you ask. Bad symptoms for me: heartburn, occasional back pain, hard to get up and around, occasional leg cramps, etc... Good things going on: overall- pretty good energy level, no swelling, no nausea, still working, walking a few miles/week, still able to get a lot of things done around the house, getting excited about the baby!

Sean and I learned to swaddle and calm a baby as we finished up our at-home birthing classes. We'll see if those techniques work for us :) We finished up the hospital birthing classes last week and have 2 weeks left on a "Grace Based Parenting" class at church, so we're trying hard to be good parents!

The Salado baby shower is coming up this weekend :) yay! More celebration for baby Lily!!!

Click HERE to see my belly grow!