she's here

Claire Elizabeth

Born Sunday December 7 at 12:34am (by unplanned c-section)
8 lbs. 2 oz.
21" long
We thank the Lord for blessing us with such a healthy and beautiful baby.

(This photo was taken today, at 5 days old.)

less than 12 hours now

We're going to the hospital in less than 12 hours. My labor induction is scheduled for 6:30am. My mother picked up Eli at 4:30pm. He's only been gone for a few hours, but I already miss him terribly. It's too strange without him here. I won't see him again until Monday (when I come home from the hospital if I don't need a c-section). Since he spent the first 3 months of his life in a hospital, we decided that he wouldn't come to the hospital to visit me. He gets so upset around doctors and medical settings, and we don't want to cause him any additional trauma. R will see him Sunday afternoon, when he and my mother switch. He'll come home to rest and spend time with Eli, and my mother will come to the hospital to see us. (It's amazing to think that the baby will be here then!)

Please pray for Eli, and that this experience doesn't affect his attachment to me. I've been worried about that. For the last 2 weeks, he has had a strong preference for Daddy. If R is around, I don't exist. Intellectually, I understand attachment, but emotionally, it's SO hard. It's frustrating, because I want to snuggle him and hold him and kiss him, and he doesn't always want that from me at this point.

God has taken care of us all during this pregnancy. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as we welcome our precious daughter.

this weekend

I had my tests today. The baby is ok, but I still have not dilated, so they scheduled an induction for first thing Saturday morning. I will be past 41 weeks at that point. R and I are not thrilled about the induction, but we are relieved to know this pregnancy will be coming to an end soon and that she will be here with us soon.

not yet

Still no baby yet. I'm 40 weeks now, and I went to the doctor this morning. I'm having contractions, but they're not regular, and I'm only the tiniest bit dilated. She has not completely dropped into position. The doctor thinks it will be another week or so. My due date is tomorrow, but it looks like she'll be making her appearance in December. On Monday, I'm having yet another ultrasound (my 4th) to check the amniotic fluid level and a non stress test to make sure she is ok to keep waiting for labor to start. (I requested that they not induce my labor unless the baby is in distress.)

Even though I'm exhausted and my feet are really swollen, I'm ok with waiting. I want her to come when she's ready. I know the timing is all in God's hands.

My sisters sent me a diaper cake today! It is very cute, and I really like it!

(The little pink elephant says "I love my mommy"!)

Tomorrow is Eli's 1st Thanksgiving. We are so thankful that he is here with us, and that we were given the opportunity to be his parents. He is such a blessing to us, and we love him so very much.

Christmas for orphans

This is something that we support, and I wanted to share in case anyone else was interested:
http://www.christmasfororphans.com/

almost time but not quite

I'm 39 weeks pregnant today. I went to the doctor this morning, and nothing is happening so far. The baby has dropped, but only a tiny bit. She's not in the birth position yet. I haven't dilated at all. So, it looks like we'll make it to our due date of Thanksgiving Day or even a little beyond. That would be great for us. It is much easier for R to take time off work after Thanksgiving than before, so even though we know the timing of her birth is completely in God's hands, we're hoping I can carry her for another week or so.

Please keep us in your prayers, especially the baby.

some firsts

Eli's boo-boo has healed quite nicely. In only a week, it's almost gone. We were so pleased and relieved to see that his immune system is working so well, especially since it's still coping with the latent TB infection/INH medication.

He had some more firsts this week:

~ Sunday night, he had his first overnight stay. He spent the night with my mother. I was not ready to be apart from him overnight, but we had to try it before the baby is born, since my mother will be keeping him while I'm in the hospital. Even though he has stayed with my mother before during the day, I wanted to make sure he would feel comfortable overnight. He did amazingly well. She kept him on the same schedule that we follow at home, and when he came home the next day, he smiled when he saw me. He didn't get upset or melt down later that day or the next day, as he would have 3 or 4 months ago. I'm glad that he feels more secure.

R and I enjoyed our time together. We drove out of town and met my sister A. My last outing before the baby comes! We did a little Christmas shopping, and bought our first Santa Claus. Picking out presents for him and for the baby was so much fun. We had dinner together too. We had a great time, but it was strange to be out after dark! Even though we had a nice day, I missed Eli so much.

~ Today was Eli's first election. We took him with us when we went to vote this afternoon. His eyes were wide, taking it all in. He doesn't feel comfortable around people he doesn't know, and always cries, and today was no exception. R was about halfway through his ballot when Eli started crying. He stopped as soon as we left the building though. Even though he didn't understand what was going on, I'm glad that he still had the chance to see his parents cast their votes. It is exciting to think he is a citizen now, and will one day cast his own vote.

~ He can now point with his index fingers on each hand. He has been pointing with his whole hand, but now his fine motor coordination has developed enough that he can point with one finger!

I went to the doctor today. I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow. Getting close to the end now. Soon Eli will be a big brother! My uterus is still measuring a little large, which means I still have excess amniotic fluid. I'll be having yet another ultrasound next week (the 3rd). They want to measure how much fluid I have, as well as see her size and position. She has been extremely active today, with lots of movement. Please pray that she continues to be healthy as we wait for her arrival in a few weeks.