The Journey Continues

This is the best picture the ultrasound tech. could get. Blain's fist is right in front of his nose and upper lip, and he looks a little scrunched up (as I am sure he is)! So CUTE!!!

I had a doctor's appointment this morning at 9 am. Everything is the same: 2cm and 60%. The dr. sent me for an ultrasound and said "if we see any cause for concern, we will induce your labor in the morning." He is leaving town on Sunday and really wants to deliver Blain. Well, the ultrasound showed that everything is PERFECT!! I really want to meet Blain, but we are so happy to know that he is healthy and safe. The plan, now, is to wait and see if my water breaks or I go into "real" labor. If not, my dr. will induce labor on March 24th. I know that sounds like an eternity... trust me, I know!!! But we have not even reached the poor baby's due date and everyone is shocked he hasn't come yet. I am just going to relax, be patient, and wait for him to come. God has a plan...he has all along, and we are going to trust that. I am so excited for him to come and to share his arrival with all of you. Thank you so much for continuing to pray for our sweet little baby boy.

Due Date One Week From Today!!!

I am feeling so very blessed today. I told Phillip this morning that I can remember sitting across from our fertility dr., and he told us the baby's due date. March 17th. What a magical date. I remember feeling so excited for March to come. It was definitely a long wait but well worth it. I can't believe that we are one week away from March 17th. Our little boy will be joining us any day.

I had a special surprise last week. My friend, Angela, had her precious angel baby at 30 weeks. He is a true miracle. His name is Samuel, and he has been so very strong over the past 4 days. Please keep little Sam in your prayers. I love him so much.

Below is a picture of the newest addition to our nursery...the glider. This chair was Phillip's grandmother's chair. My dad painted it white to match the nursery, and he did a beautiful job! Grandmother and Grandaddy would be so proud to have another great grandchild rocked in that glider. We are proud that it is part of Blain's room.

The picture at the bottom is a picture I bought right after we found out I was pregnant. Of course, we didn't know if the baby was a boy or girl. The picture could go either way, and I decided I would have it framed with blue or pink matting...depending on the gender. This is the precious end result... Thanks mom for having it framed. Your the best.

Can you tell a difference?

Ok, so the title of the posting is VERY sarcastic. :) The first picture is when I was just 9 weeks pregnant. In the other picture, I am 2 days shy of 38 weeks. Wow! I can't believe how different I look!!! I am having contraction ALL the time. False labor stinks!! I don't know why they call it false. It hurts. Every contraction reminds me that Blain will be here very soon. :) I can't wait to meet my baby and tell him how much I love him. Every person in my and Phillip's family is on pins and needles. We are all so anxious to meet our little guy. At my doctor's appointment on Thurs. I was one centimeter dilated and 60% effaced. Hopefully, I am making more progress. Keep praying for us. The finish line is in sight.

A Loving Family Adopting From Etheopia

I absolutely LOVE this family. Their daughter was in my classroom last year. They are very strong Christian people, who have found it in their hearts to adopt from Etheopia. I must say that they have SO MUCH love to give! I could go on and on about how wonderful they are. :)

They need your help. Below, are some FABULOUS t-shirts to help their cause. The little girl they adopt is priceless; however, adoption is EXPENSIVE. Please consider ordering one of these precious t-shirts to help bring Bristol home. The shirts are $20, but as I said Bristol is priceless. My prayers are with this family and their baby girl. Please pray for them, as well.

The shirts have the outline of the continent of Africa with a heart where Ethiopia is located. they say "bringing Bristol home". in case you hadn't heard yet- Bristol is her name! they also have a Bible verse on them Matthew 18:5 "And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me."

If you would like to help, please comment on this posting or email me at amberp1@wcs.edu

Thank you for your generosity...and I'm sure Bristol thanks you too!

Blain's Nursery

After worrying that we just could not possibly get this baby's nursery finished before his arrival, we now have a complete and beautiful nursery. It is a GREAT accomplishment that took all 4 of our parents and Phillip. Phillip and his dad transformed the room from a yellow-painted guest bedroom to a sky blue and white beadboard nursery. They worked very hard and eventually the construction zone was Blain's room. They finished the construction work and painting on Saturday morning. Later that day my mom and dad came to our house. My dad helped Phillip assemble the adorable crib and dresser/changing table. The shelf you see was in my room growing up. This shelf was built by my great-grandfather, redone by my dad for my room, and painted and spruced up recently by my dad for Blain. My mom put all of the goodies in the room, as I pointed (and helped as much as I could). Sunday, Phillip's mom and dad returned to put up the curtains. Phillip's mom is a window treatment pro! She did a great job monitoring and instructing Phillip and his dad on the curtains. All-in-all we finished on Sunday...with the help of our loving parents. We are so thrilled about his little room. It is by far the BEST room in the house. As expected, Phillip and I peak in his room first thing in the morning and last thing at night. We still have some things to hang on the wall, but we will get to them when we can. Enjoy the pics!! By the way, I know... I'm HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Lovely Shower

I had another baby shower on Saturday. It was wonderful!! My granny, aunt, mom, sisters-in-law, and friend hosted the shower at a beautiful bed and breakfast. Many friends and family attended, and I was so thrilled to see them all. Two of my friends who attended are also pregnant. I have know one of them (she was my neighbor growing up) since I was 4 years old. The other, I actually met the day I was born in the nursery. We share the same birthday. It is special to me that we are all expecting. Many family friends attended from out-of-town. I felt so loved. Blain is very loved and received many wonderful gifts to welcome him to the world.

The night before the shower I received this picture of my grandparents. They owned a flower shop when I was growing up. They closed the shop years ago, but the memories I have there remain a big part of my life. My grandparents, who have both been under the weather lately, took the time to put together the centerpiece and corsage for the shower. I must admit that I shed some tears at the sight of this picture. They are two very special people in my life.

Childbirth Class

We took our childbirth classes on Friday night and Saturday. I must say that I already knew a lot of what they taught us. Watching "Birth Day" and "A Baby Story" all day for 4 months can really be educational!! However, I was a little shocked by the constant reminder that childbirth HURTS!!!!!!! As a woman, I was raised knowing that giving birth to a child was a painful experience. Why was it that this instructor felt like she needed to scare all of the poor pregnant mommies in the class? The entire way home Friday night, Phillip was reassuring me that I can do this. I will live through the pains and humiliations that come along with bringing a beautiful life into the world. Don't get me wrong...you all know that I would do anything to bring my beautiful baby Blain into the world. I just felt a little overwhelmed with the gory details. We did learn some useful information, and I feel like we are both more prepared. It was quiet funny to see Phillip's reaction to many of the topics and activities. We were probably the least engaged couple in the class. My favorite one-liner from Phillip was: "No kitchen utensils will be used in our room!!!" The lady had a rolling pen for massaging the mommy. Overall, it was a fun experience to share with Phillip. We will have many laughs over that class. :) Love from our family...AMBER