To catch everyone up, here is what has been going on around here:
- I am nearing 38 weeks pregnant with our 3rd baby (gender is still a surprise, although we have strong parental hunches that it's a boy!)
- I am officially completely packed for labor including a bag for the children for when they will stay with our friends during my labor & delivery.
- Sewing! I have completed several sewing projects since I last posted and I even took some photos which I promise to post eventually. I made a mattress for the baby cradle and a water proof slip cover for the mattress, two pillow-case style sheets for the cradle mattress, a cradle bumper, a patchwork quilt for the cradle which matches the bumper, and most recently (yesterday), a nursing cover to replace the one I lost.
- I lost our diaper bag! This is really not that recent, but I never mentioned it and it greatly affects my blogging, because our digital camera was in the diaper bag. Also, I recently realized that my nursing cover (Bebe Au Lait which I used with both previous kiddos for at least a year each) was in the lost diaper bag : ( I was really bummed until I thought about making my own. I did a little research online, thought about how my old nursing cover looked, and made one yesterday. It was super easy and fun, and I actually had all of the materials already, so it didn't cost me anything! The best part about making something yourself is customization. I was able to make it larger than my old nursing cover, which my babies constantly tugged on, threatening to expose me. (Pictures of the cover later, I promise!)
- Aiden is really maturing and besides his huge vocabulary that blows my husband and I away (and makes us laugh-kids say the darndest things!) he can completely dress himself including shoes, which is such a huge blessing to me. He is so helpful with Caitlin and holds her hand when we go outdoors, picks things up when she drops them, and talks to her and makes her giggle in the cutest ways. He is a joy to us!
- Caitlin is not really talking, but she understands almost every command we give her (she doesn't always obey, but that is a training issue, not one of comprehension), she responds and asks for things in baby garble communicating "get down please" (from her seat at the table), "up, please" (to be held), "more, please", etc. Also, she is beginning to comprehend some of her own diaper activity, which makes me pretty certain that she will be ready to potty train by 2 years old.
- Finally, because it is forefront on my mind, I wanted to share my mantra (actually a scripture verse) that I bring to mind every time I feel anxiety about the trials of child labor: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) I feel like this verse is speaking directly to me about labor; I feel fearful about the long hours of pain, hard work, and mental concentration that I expect in my upcoming labor. 1. But, behold, God has not given me a spirit of fear! Instead, He has and will give me a spirit of power. I feel very encouraged that God is going to be lending me His supernatural power to labor and deliver this baby. There were definately times when I felt very tired and overwhelmed by my long drug-free labor with Caitlin, and I felt God's presence giving me strength to persevere; I just knew he was with me, carrying me. 2. He has given me a spirit of love. During some of the difficult times in my labor with Caitlin, I felt God reminding me of the motherly love that I already felt for her, and the reason why I was laboring. During the long car ride to the hospital (over 30 min) I felt overcome by loving emotion for Caitlin and I remember God showing me (and me saying aloud over and over) "she's so beautiful." 3. He has given me a spirit of a sound mind. This is really key, because when it comes to pain, extreme concentration, and mental/physical/emotional fatigue, whether in child labor or in any other situation, mind over matter is the way to stay on top of things. What I do to keep a sound mind during labor: a) focus mentally on relaxing all of my muscles extremely (allowing my uterus to do it's work), b) think about my labor as one contraction at a time, each bringing the baby closer to being born, so I don't feel overwhelmed, c) mentally visualize what is happening in my body so that it doesn't seem so strange and scary, and d) remember that my uterine contractions cannot overcome/overpower me, because it's a part of me, working for me, to help deliver my baby. (I learned these techniques from the book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, which is what we studied and used for my labor and delivery with Caitlin and have studied again for this time around.) Anyways, that is what I think of when I remember this verse, and maybe now you can see why it feels especially powerful to me at this time in my life : )
Ultrasound of "Little Baby" at 35 weeks
A little race car that I cut out of craft foam and hot glued together for Aiden the other day. He lost it that same day on the way to the mailbox at our apartments : (
Caitlin loves to be with her daddy and is content even to just sit in his lap no matter what he is doing.
Pigtails with ribbons! I love doing my little girl's hair everyday, and am so excited that it is getting long enough for girly ribbons and such.
Aiden! I love my little Aiden, and here he is with a recent summer haircut. I cut it quite short in the hopes that, besides trimming the back and around the ears, I won't have to give him another haircut until after I am done recovering from childbirth.
Up close and personal! I took several pictures of Caitlin while she was playing outside at my in-laws', but this photo was taken on the same day that she decided to dump an entire mug of milk right onto the screen of my (very expensive, normally carefully guarded) cell phone. Apparently there were still some kinks and this is the only photo of her that saved as a complete image on my phone. Kids!
Parting shot. Finally, a sunset drive home from my in-laws' house. Beautiful!
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