Updates

It's a girl! 23 December 2009

Chanhassen Grace Crews was born on December 23rd, 2009 at 10:44pm! 

36th week! 21 December 2009

Only four more weeks until the baby's "due" week!  And to quote one of my favorite 7 year olds: "Woah, that baby sure is getting big inside that belly!"  Yes, Hudson, he or she IS getting big inside this belly!

35 weeks! 17 December 2009

Just 5 more weeks until the due date!  And just two weeks until the baby is considered full term!  I'm so thankful for how well everything has been going lately and how good I've been feeling!  Please continue to pray that I would keep feeling steady and healthy for the remaining weeks and that the baby would arrive right on time at a healthy (push-out-able) size!  

My next mid-wife appointment is next week and I will get a "group beta strep" test done which will determine if I need antibiotics pre-delivery.  It's basically a bacteria pops up in most women at various times and about 20-30% test positve it at the time of delivery which makes antibiotics necessary.  Thankfully, I'm working with the Farm Midwives so if I do test positive I will simply take oral antibiotics leading up to the birth rather than being put on an IV while in labor or pre-labor (like they do in hospitals).  Even so, we're praying that I test negative and it's just one less thing to think about.

Coming together 15 December 2009

Everything seems to be coming together here at the Meridian House!  The baby's room is pretty much finished and we were just given an awesome cradle/criblet to borrow (which will be in our room by our bed) for the baby's first few months before he/she transitiions to the big crib. 

We've also been showered with tons of gifts and lots of prayer by awesome friends, family and neighbors!   We have felt super loved and supported as we've been getting ready for this little one to arrive!  In fact, there are only a few things left unfullfilled on our target registry and we have definitely been blessed by many Baby Fund donations which so far will cover about a fourth of our delivery expenses!

I've written more about this on DesignsbyStephie, but we also just aquired an awesome victorian sofa off craigslist.  Seriously, I feel like this was the deal of the year.  I'm excited about it because it creates a sitting space in our front/main room where I'm planning to spend a lot of time visiting with friends and family that come to see the baby, bring meals, talk, etc.  We really haven't had a space like this since moving from our apex house and I've missed it.

Baby Clothes & More! 10 December 2009

34 weeks! 09 December 2009

Teach your baby 04 December 2009

Last night, I began re-reading The Gentle Revolution books.  The series includes titles such as: How to Teach Your Baby to Read, How to Teach Your Baby Math, How to Teach Your Baby to Swim, etc. 

Getting back into the books gets me excited about setting up a schedule for learning with our baby and seeing how the principles of these books will work themselves into our lives over the next few years.  We are very excited to see how much our baby will learn over the course of his/her first few years of life.  We are especially excited, because we believe maximizing his/her most curious years will not only give him/her a great foundation and love of learning, but also showcase God's amazing design and skill in how he created the human brain to work - especially in the first few years of life!

For more information or a list of additional titles, you can check out www.iahp.org, which is the website for The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, the founding group for The Gentle Revolution.

Two Car Family 04 December 2009

For the last year, Josh and I have shared one vehicle - a 2003 Nissan Frontier - a light weight truck with a small "jump" seat.  It's been great.  We have LOVED having a truck and it's met all of our needs for transportation and house rennovation. 

The only negative thing about it is that it doesn't have enough space in the jump seat for a rear facing car seat - which means we can't really use it as a "family" vehicle now that there will be three of us come January.  So, the question has been: "What do we do?"

Well, amazingly, we actually have another car that's been out of circulation (no tags, no driving, nothing) this past year.  At one point we were going to sell it, but then the very day that the buyer was coming by, we found out that I was pregnant!  Not knowing what we'd do about vehicles, we decided to kept the car in case "reviving" it was the best option come December.

Well, it's now December, and yes, the best option that we've come up with is to bring my old car back into circulation.  For a while we thought about trading in both vehicles to get a truck (not a car b/c of ongoing house projects/rennovations) that had a back seat big enough for a car seat & kids, etc.  But the trade in value of our two vehicles combined wasn't high enough to match the purchase price of a bigger truck and we didn't think it would be wise to spend much money out of pocket.

So, after more than a year as a "one car family" (which I've loved) we're going back to being a "two car family" - and the process of car resurrection has begun.

33 week appointment 02 December 2009

We went down to the Farm today for my 33wk pre-natal appointment.  The only point of concern from my midwife that in the last 3 weeks I had gained 4 lbs and my uterus grew 4 cm - which is a big jump from the last few visits where I've only gained 1-2 lbs every 4 weeks.  I'm hoping it's just a normal growth spurt and that I didn't overdo it holiday eating or something.  Either way, my midwife said I need to be more careful about what I eat - more protien and less sugar/carbs - so that the baby doesn't get too big.

It's tough.  I feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry.  Most of the time I don't even feel like eating, but my stomach is aching for food.  Guess I need to try to eat things that last longer...but not necessarily lots of fatty stuff.  Just better grains & protiens?

Empty Spaces Filled 01 December 2009

I've been debating for a while whether or not buy (probably off craigslist) a crib/mattress set and/or a glider/rocker and if so, when.  My hesitancy with both has been cost AND timing.  Right now, our baby funds really need to be directed towards delivery expenses and any purchases that can wait until the baby is a bit older need to wait.  So despite the nursery's empty spaces that have been screaming for a crib and rocker, I've been stalling. 

Well, scream no longer!  Over the weekend, my mom brought up the rocking chair that she rocked me in when I was little!  It's been through all four kids, but it's in perfect shape and it's beautiful!  And then today I got a text from my dear friend, who, though now living in maryland, had learned of a crib that I could get from a friend of hers here in Nashville for FREE!  Incredible.  Josh and I drove down and picked it up earlier today and I was even able to figure out how to assemble it by myself without the instructions.  It took a while to figure out, but I did it and so far it looks like it'll work great.

Anyway, I'm just so thankful for all the generosity we've experienced lately and how faithful God has been to provide for our needs.  I have never been so insistent in my prayers as I have been in these last few months.  I have been pleading for provision.  I have been pleading for the baby's election (and thus justification, sanctification, and glorification).  I have been pleading for an "on-time" delivery with no need for hospital transfer.  I've been praying that all funds needed for delivery expenses will be provided.  Oh, how I long to see these prayers answered with a big fat "YES!"  Yet as I continue to pray, I am reminded that He has already given me the very thing I need the most - Himself!  And no matter what the other answers may be, that is enough.