40 Weeks Come and Gone

Well…it’s been 40 weeks. My due date has come and gone. (I guess there are technically a couple hours left on my due date but let’s face it…I don’t think that’s going to happen.) Nathan says we’ll just call it “bonus time.” I don’t have quite such a positive outlook…but he helps me not get too down on the whole situation. I’ve been big and uncomfortable for a long time so I can do it for another 6 days if I have to. I know that having c-sections doesn’t make a mother inadequate…and that it is common to feel that way…I just really am still hoping that I’ll get to at least try laboring with this little guy. We’ll see I guess.

Besides the waiting, waiting, waiting, there have been a few positives in my day.

1. Elias has willingly slept in his toddler bed now three times! (Last night, at nap time today, and again this evening.) We are happy that he is accepting it and that he is proud of it.

2. I had play group with some mommy friends to keep my mind off the waiting. Elias and I walked there because the host lives only about a 10 minute walk away. (And that is 10 minutes to my slow, pregnant body). It was nice to get some fresh air on the way to and from our play date.

The lighting is bad...but you get the idea. It even came in this beautiful frame!

The lighting is bad…but you get the idea. It even came in this beautiful frame!

3. My map came! I have been wanting a world map to hang on our wall for over a year now, and I’ve been diligently saving up for over a year as well. I finally reached my goal in December, and ordered the wall map. It took a month or so to arrive. I can’t wait until the kids get a bit older and can learn about the world from it. The map is magnetic…so eventually when I don’t have to worry about little ones swallowing magnets, we’ll get out some magnet “pins” to  mark places we’ve been, places our sponsored children live, etc. The good news is that the shipping was less than I had anticipated so I was able to send one of my sponsored children a special gift with the leftovers I had saved. Last time I sent her a special gift her family got a goat and some clothes they really needed. We’ll see what they get this time!

4. I got to go to pregnancy fitness. I haven’t written much about pregnancy fitness in the last few months, but I’ve been attending pregnancy water aerobics for about half of my pregnancy. It feels so good to get the weight off in the water! I secretly hope it was my last time tonight….if so, that means the baby came! It is always nice to go get a nice easy work out and relate to other women who are going through the same things as me.

Me and baby #2 at 40 weeks.

Me and baby #2 at 40 weeks.

I am hiding these pictures at the bottom…so maybe not as many people will see them. But I thought it would be fun…and I’d appreciate it some day….to post a picture of myself on my due date. I really am huge. And my hair is messy. And there is a stain on my shirt. And I’m in pajama pants. Don’t judge. It’s my due date and there is no baby yet. Plus, I look happy…and despite the bit of complaining above, I really am.

And just for fun...Elias on his "chair." I can't wait until I can hold him normally again.

And just for fun…Elias on his “chair.” I can’t wait until I can hold him normally again.

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Husbands

Sometimes I know I have the best husband in the world.  He always smiles and gives me a kiss when he gets home from work. He helps with the dishes more now that my belly gets in the way. He is an excellent father and our son adores him. He gives baths and is taking over bedtime to prepare for when baby arrives. He is taking care of calling the refinance lenders. He tells me I look attractive to him in my pregnant body. He works hard all day and still has energy to help me in the evening. I could go on and on and on.

Sometimes I think I’m the luckiest, most blessed woman in the world because he’s mine. I love him so much.

But sometimes, I complain a bit about how my body hurts and it seems like this baby will never come and he says, “It’s not even your due date yet, honey.”

And it takes every ounce of self control in me not to punch him in the face.

 

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The Super Bowl and a Big Boy Bed!

The boys eating popcorn and watching the big game.

The boys eating popcorn and watching the big game.

This afternoon when Elias woke up from his nap, he saw that his Daddy was watching the super bowl. He immediately asked for popcorn while he watched “the Dodgers” with Daddy. (For Elias, any t.v. sporting event is considered the Dodgers.) It was a healthier snack than he could have asked for…especially on super bowl Sunday…and considering the fact that we make our own and don’t use the bags. The boys had lots of fun eating their popcorn and watching the game while Mommy did some laundry and then sat down to rest.

Then commenced the big boy bed ordeal! Elias’ toddler bed has been in a box behind our couch for a couple weeks now. We hadn’t decided when we would bring it out (before or after the baby’s arrival). Since the little guy is taking his time coming…at least it seems that way to me….we decided that today was the day. So with the game in the background, Nathan got the big box out from behind the couch and got to work. Here’s how we did it:

1. Get the pieces out of the box.

P1100225P11002262. Begin assembling the bed. Elias loved helping his Daddy assemble the bed. He called it his “house” at first…and managed to be more in the way than helpful…but what do you expect? He’s two!

P1100231P11002353. Take a break for some super bowl pizza. The youth group at our church had a take and bake pizza fundraiser for their upcoming mission trip. We enjoyed eating the pizza…and timed it perfectly for right during the power outage so we didn’t even miss any of the game.

4. Finish building the bed

5. Move it into the nursery/kids room only to realize that it doesn’t fit at all how you had measured or imagined. Nathan and I thought that we had measured accurately and that it would fit nicely with the crib and changing table on one side, and the toddler bed and chest of drawers on the other side. Well….not so much. Mostly because our baseboard heater got in the way, and we are trying to keep a rocking chair of some sort in the room.

6. Cue frustrated Mommy and Daddy…Take a break and go for a long walk in the dark…hoping it will clear our heads, give us some ideas, and maybe miraculously induce labor at the same time. (Even though walking doesn’t actually have anything to do with starting labor). Elias had fun riding in our new stroller while we walked around the neighborhood and talked. It was nice to get some fresh air and to walk off some of that super bowl pizza.

7. Come back inside and actually arrange the room in a way that works! We ended up putting both boys’ beds on one side, and both dressers on the other side. It’s really the only way that everything fits. We are not finished arranging the room, and we’ll probably put the glider in here eventually instead of this humongous rocking chair. But it works for at least one night!

P11002488. Make the bed, and have Elias try it out! Elias was very excited about his boat bed. He chose the sports sheets. I would have liked to find some nautically themed ones to match the boat bed…but our nursery has never been “designer.” It’s just been ours. And now that we will have two boys in there…I’ve pretty much given up on making everything match. Anyway….Elias sat on his bed right away, and even lay down as well. As you can see from the picture…he’s already planning on laying the “wrong” way…something we predicted since he is a wild sleeper. He also wanted to get some books on there right away and started reading.

P1100249Unfortunately, Elias did not want to sleep in the boat bed. We decided not to force it on him. Like potty training and other transitions…we’d like to give him a chance to choose it on his own. That may be a mistake…but it’s our decision nonetheless. For now, it’s all set up and ready for when he wants to start sleeping in it. If it comes to it…we’ll force him when the time is right (probably a few weeks after the baby comes home).

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Park Visit in Pictures!

Yesterday was as gorgeous as any summer day. Blue sky. Mild temperatures. Elias even got to wear his fleece instead of his heavy winter coat! We had some important tasks to get done, but we just couldn’t waste an opportunity for some family fun at the park. Elias enjoyed it quite a bit. He chose to wear his sunglasses instead of a hat. I love the boots too. They make him look like such a little boy. Our park visit in pictures…enjoy:

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The taxonomy of “chips”

At the park yesterday:

Me: “Elias, you picked up some bark chips?”

Elias: “No, meow chips.”

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Stick A Fork In Me…I’m Done!

A lot of people have been asking me lately, “How are you feeling?” My usual response…..”Oh you know…hanging in there…not too bad for being 39 weeks pregnant.” To close family and friends I give a bit more of a detailed update. What is really going on inside my head at those moments? “What does it look like? I’m waddling, grunting, sighing, and it looks like I have a basketball under my shirt. My wedding rings don’t fit and my face is chubby and everything hurts. Oh…and by the way…thanks for bringing it up. I had just got my mind off of my present condition and now you’ve reminded me again.”

But that would be rude to say…right?

I know people have the best intentions. And I’m guilty of asking that question too. So I can’t really blame anyone. But just for the record…in case you were wondering…I’m done! I want this baby out!

Unfortunately, my doctor no longer believes conditions are favorable for VBAC. It was a crashing disappointment in my morning. But Nathan and I are trying to keep our heads up and our moods high. I have a c section scheduled for February 13th. (6 days after my due date). If I go into labor on my own before then, my doctor is willing to try…but assured me that success was unlikely. C section is likely no matter if I go into labor on my own or not. I’d still rather try for VBAC than not…. so…come on baby…you’ve got 12 days to come out on your own.

Please pray for us!

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Happy Birthday, Nana!

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Elias showing Nana the card he made for her.

Today we celebrated Nana’s birthday. As I was telling Elias about it earlier in the day, he ran into the kitchen and asked me to start baking a cake. Unfortunately, I had already planned to bake brownies and ice cream…so Elias was out of luck. But I don’t feel too bad…he doesn’t eat brownies or cake (by his own choice) so it didn’t really matter.

We took Nana out to dinner at Chang’s Mongolian Grill. We’ve been trying to have Elias sit in a booster instead of a

Elias showing Nana the plate he made for her.

Elias showing Nana the plate he made for her.

high chair…which really just means that he has poor table manners such as standing on the bench, invading the personal space of the person sitting next to him, and having nothing to do with the booster. We’ll keep working on that one.

Then we came home to have dessert, let Nana open her gift, and let Elias play. Elias really enjoyed making the gift. I found the idea online…drawing on plates and mugs with sharpies then baking it on. I really hope that it stays and doesn’t

Olive joining in the fun as usual. She enjoyed all the tissue paper until Elias decided she had had enough!

Olive joining in the fun as usual. She enjoyed all the tissue paper until Elias decided she had had enough!

wash off. We’ve never tried it before. As Elias made the gift, he kept saying, “It’s beautiful!” or “It’s so cute!” Can you tell who does more art projects with him? (Nathan doesn’t like it when Elias says his art is “cute.”)

It’s always fun to see the smile on Elias’ face when he first sees his Nana. He’s so lucky to have so much family in town. And we are lucky to have Nana as well! Happy Birthday, Nana!

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Goodbye Grandpa

Donald W SmithWhen my Grandpa Smith passed away at age 85 last week, he was with family in Indiana. But I was lucky enough growing up that he and my Grandma always lived close by in Oregon. They lived at the coast or in Central Oregon or down the Willamette Valley – never too far of a drive. So I got to know my Grandpa pretty well. That we all lived in Oregon was something of a coincidence, since my grandparents and my parents moved here independently of each other.

My grandfather started his life in Iowa. He graduated high school and started US Army service just in time to serve in the occupation of Germany. After completing his service, he went into training for Christian ministry, again in Iowa, and met and married my grandmother. His service in the church would lead the young couple to Alaska. This was of course pre-statehood Alaska, so it was quite the adventure moving up there for two young mid-westerners. There are some great stories.

From there my Grandpa followed his ministry career throughout the Western US, including Arizona, California, and eventually Oregon. Sometimes I try to imagine which destinations in my Grandpa’s life journey offer a better juxtaposition: Alaska and Needles, California (one of the hottest spots in America); or Alaska and Long Beach.

Grandpa semi-retired to Turner, Oregon, which was great for me, because now they were only about an hour down the freeway. I remember staying for a full week once or twice, and spending many many weekends and long afternoons in their quiet cottage. Grandpa did not talk a whole lot, but I always enjoyed listening when he did. Very good memories.

My grandfather lived through a formidable number of chronic illnesses, with many converging in his final years. A few years after complete retirement he and my Grandma moved back to Indiana to be with their children. I last saw him in May, and am glad for the chance, however brief.

Don Smith really ways a remarkable man. I had great love and respect for him, and his life is in many ways an inspiration for mine. I hope to live up to his example.

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Circling the Wagons

Despite receiving numerous tempting offers for social interaction this weekend, we are being very protective of our time. We’re circling the wagons so-to-speak. Regardless of whether little Smith #2 decides to come tonight or three weeks from tonight, we only have a few more days as a family of three. (He will most likely be forced out at 41 weeks if he has not already done so).

We kept the calendar clear for the whole weekend (except for church, of course). Today was absolutely wonderful! We woke up around 7 as usual and just played and played with Elias. We also got some chores and some last bits of tidying up for the baby done.

After nap time, we wanted to get out and do something fun together, and my back was really bothering me so we decided to head to open swim. Elias had a blast, and my body thanked me 1000 times for getting the weight off if even for only thirty minutes or so.

Change is always hard. But we will never have this precious time back. These two years with our joy-filled boy being an only child are almost up. I’m glad we’ve made it a priority to just focus on the three of us for the weekend.

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In Memory

The Smith men on our last visit to Indiana.

The Smith men on our last visit to Indiana.

P1070481Nathan’s Grandpa passed on to the next life this evening. It was not totally unexpected…but still quicker than we had thought. The whole ordeal reminded me of my own Grandfather’s passing. We found out in the morning that hospice was going to be called, and by that evening he was gone. We were hoping baby Smith #2 could meet his great Grandfather. I guess he will in the next life.

I will let Nathan post his own memories of his grandfather. I know there are lots of special ones. For my part, I have been quite emotional about it…and it’s not just because I’m pregnant. As I knew him, Nathan’s grandpa was mostly a quiet man, but spoke when it really mattered…when it was really important. He always welcomed me and made me feel loved. He was a good man.

We love you, Grandpa Smith!

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