July 12th

Today it's like a billion degrees.  Our house AC can't keep up so it's even hot inside.  So I went to Target to get out of the house and to cool off.  I stood in the baby clothes section for like 30 minutes just touching everything and thinking about baby Quinn.  I almost cried.  I am so excited for her birthday to be here.

Dear Baby Quinn,

I am ready to hold you in my arms and dress you in tiny little outfits and tiny little diapers.

Love,
Mommy

Preparing for Labor

Today I am reflecting and preparing myself for labor.  I am thinking through and rereading things I have looked at over these past months.  I am very excited for this journey through childbirth. 

SURRENDER

"You must go through birth not in control, just like Israel and Babylon."
 
http://www.birthingnaturally.net/christian/devote/control.html

PAIN:

Purposeful

Anticipated

Intermittent

Normal

"If you think about what pain is, the true necessity of pain to a human body, it is a signal to the owner of that body. An indication something needs to be done. If you put your hand too close to the stove, you will feel a painful burn telling you to move your hand.  Labor pain operates on the same principle. Certain pains can tell you to move, let you know what to do or inform you of progress in the labor. In childbirth, pain that signals you to do something is sometimes called positive pain. Even without a specific message you can understand, many times the discomfort of childbirth leads a woman to do things that are beneficial to her baby being born. Frequent position changes, keeping the bladder empty, swaying the hips, walking and leaning forward are all common among laboring mothers and can help the baby get into a good position. You can labor more efficiently if you understand what the pain is telling you to do. Working with your body, instead of against it, helps your body and your baby's get in proper alignment for the birth."

A women's body was designed for pregnancy and childbirth.  Labor contractions are healthy, powerful sensations that push a baby into the outside world.

Verses for Baby Quinn

Psalm 139:13-18

 
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous - how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

1 Samuel 1:27-28 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.” And he worshiped the LORD there. 

 

Colossians 1:9-20

 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 

 

Nursery- almost done :)

Here are some pictures of the nursery.  It is not complete but close enough.  I might have to finish some things after the baby is here.

Here is the beautiful mobile that Aimee made for us:

Here it is from the baby's point of view:

 

 Unfinished: The window frames will be painted and hung over the illustrations.

 

 Thank you for your characters Mo Willems.

 Here is the beautiful dresser that Jeff and my dad painted.  

I got the fun knobs from Hobby Lobby.  I love it!

 Closet organizer from Babies R Us that fits perfectly into the tiny, barely usable closet making it very usable.  I am so pleased with this set up.

Awesome banner that Lisa made.
Unfinished: Maternity photo frame to be hung above banner.  

 The picture got hung in this one.

Unfinished: art for above the bookshelf

July 9th- "Due Date"! 40 Weeks!

Hightlights of my week include:

We went to our first Sporting KC game Wednesday night for free!  Rachel got free tickets and shared with us.  The stadium was awesome, the game was awesome.  Although I was not totally impressed with the ball skills of the players, but Jeff says this is because I am comparing it to World Cup games.  I think I could get into this.  I really enjoyed watching the game!  Soccer is my favorite sport to play and apparently the only sport to watch that can hold my short attention span.  It's a perfect amount of time, two 45 min. halves and continual action.  Plus every seat in that place has a great view of the field.  Much easier for me to focus on than baseball.

I ate the most AMAZING peaches!  I LOVE peaches, more than any other fruit in the world.  I think it's one of the best things the Lord ever created.  I bought some delicious peaches from the City Market today and already ate three.  I can never find good ones at the grocery store, they are always gross, so it's such a treat when they are in season.  I wait all year for this.  :)

Jeff and I took the puppies on lots of walks.  We even walked up to the Plaza Starbucks and tried to sit outside and read, but Ozark is like a shark and couldn't stop moving and it was driving Jeff crazy.  Our other big walk was up to the Nelson.  It was quite interesting.  While we were walking I sneezed hard and peed on myself!  I had been warned that this could happen towards the end (and after) pregnancy but it had yet to be a problem.  It shot out so hard that a little trickle ran down my leg and I stopped and looked down and started cracking up.  Jeff saw it and exclaimed "What just happened?!  Did your water break?!"  It was really hilarious. But then I really had to go to the bathroom, luckily porter-potties were still set up from "Shakespeare in the Park" so I was able to use those.  Embarrassing, but mostly just funny.  (Kind of like the other time when I went to use the restroom in the Nelson and accidentally went into the men's restroom and didn't realize it until I was already in the stall.  Luckily no one saw me or I would have been mortified.  I blame it on baby brain and baby on my bladder.)

Okay, so today is July 9th- my "Due Date"!!  It's a weird waiting period but Quinn will come when she is ready.  :)  It's crazy to think that we will probably have a baby this time next week.  Exciting!  But I still need to finish packing a hospital bag . . .

39 Weeks and 4th of July Weekend!

It's been a great 3 day weekend with Jeff!

Friday night we went to First Fridays with some friends and walked around in the humidity.  Then we went to Mimi Ice on 39th street and got snow cones!  Snow cones from Mimi Ice have been my thing for the past few weeks.  I do not know how we have never had them before now after living here for 4 years!  I LOVE SNOW CONES!

Saturday Jeff and I took the dogs on a long, hot walk with Stephanie, Eric, Caleb, and Mina.  When we got back Jeff passed out on the couch but I was restless as always so I made a yummy pasta salad using basil and tomatoes from the garden.  Later Jeff had to change AC filters and weed at the apartment so I read all afternoon while he was gone.  Then Saturday night we went on a date to the Cheesecake Factory and got our usual entrees and "Fresh Strawberry" cheesecake for desert, yummy!

 

On Sunday we went to church and then rested, took the dogs for a long walk, and read at Starbucks.  I got a little freaked out looking through 3 different baby books (about sleeping and feedings) that all said different things.  I just want things to be more black and white.  Jeff says we'll figure it out.  Jeff and I had a nice talk last night in bed about life and what choices lead us to where we are today, and how blessed we are and how faithful God has been and that we have to trust that he will continue to be faithful.  Neither of us can really comprehend that within the next week or two we will have a baby that is ours, that we are responsible for forever.  It's really mind blowing and overwhelming.  But we've seen that God's timing in this really has been perfect in every way.  So last night we had to reassure ourselves that we are ready for this and that this is a good time for us and that this is what we've wanted and planned for.  And it is!  It's just a little terrifying too.  But at the same time, I can't wait to hold her in my arms and to see Jeff melt.  

Today (Monday, July 4th) we went to breakfast at First Watch with Lisa.  I got my usual Floridian French Toast and Jeff got his Breakfast Scramble.  Then Jeff and I hung out on the Plaza and put our feet in the fountain while we waited for our movie to start at 1:10.  We went to see "Bridesmaids"- I know everyone loves this movie but it's more Jeff's humor then mine.  Although I did laugh so hard on a couple of occasions that my stomach started contracting SUPER hard.  Tonight we are going to BBQ with Stephanie and Eric!

Here are some pictures from yesterday, 39 weeks!

July 1st- Birthday Month!

It's finally here!  Quinn's birthday month!  I am so relieved that it is July 1st.  This week has been weird.  I have been having a lot of contractions and I really have no idea how to tell when they are real because I have never done this before.  I kept freaking myself out thinking I was going into labor, so I have not been sleeping very well.  I have spent the week taking it easy and staying mostly inside (out of the heat) because Jeff and I really wanted to make it to July for insurance reasons.  I know that it is good to rest but I've been getting really restless staying at home and trying not to move around too much.  So yay! Now that it is July I can go run a marathon or hike a mountain, right? :p  But really, today I got up early to beat some of the heat and the puppies and I went on a nice walk. 

Last night I went to Shakespeare in the Park with Rachel, Lisa, and Brooke.  The play was mostly boring and hot (esp. since I couldn't drink wine), but it was fun to hang out with the girls.  I like going to Shakespeare in the Park because it's something I always did with my dad and sister in St. Louis.  It's fun to go and picnic.  It feels like summer.  It's esp. nice since we live in the city and everything is so close to our house.  Tonight we will brave the heat again for First Fridays art galleries in the Crossroads. 

So last night I was having contractions and feeling nauseous and I was having hard time sleeping because I was getting excited wondering if maybe I would go into labor.  Then I thought about how I still don't even have a bag packed for the hospital, or an Ipod playlist, or all the paper work together (although Jeff did finally get the car seat bases installed in the cars).  I am such a procrastinator!  I start to pack or think about packing and then I feel overwhelmed.  I know as first time parents we will pack way more then we need.  I keep trying to imagine what this will all be like and I just have no idea. 

I DID finished the dresser yesterday so the nursery is mostly ready.  Pictures to come soon.  :)