The Last Post...for awhile

This is probably my last post for a little while. It really isn't possible to put into words all of the emotions that I am feeling. The past few days have pretty much been filled with hormones out of whack...this means: absolute food preferences, nesting at its best, over-the-top instructions for the grandparents about J while I am gone, tears over the craziest things, forgetfulness, etc. Let me make this even clearer...last night, I demanded that we eat at Golden Corral which is way out of character for me considering we weren't even sure where one was located close to us; my sister and Dave had a great time teasing me about the fact that I left instructions on how J says his prayers at night and how to give him a bath...he's three and very resilient for crying out loud; last Sunday, I cried when the graduates marched in at church and presented a rose to their parents. I don't even know anyone graduating and am 15 years away from having a graduate! Enough about me...

Dave and I have been trying to get last minute things done but also remembering that we need to give J a little extra attention and REST! So, Saturday morning, we just enjoyed our time together, and J had a great time playing with us. This is exactly how I wanted our last Saturday as a family of three to be.




My sister, Steph, came over during the afternoon to help us out and also see J. He absolutely loves her, and she has really been there for us during these last weeks of the pregnancy. Last weekend, she kept him so that we could have our traditional "last supper" before our baby arrives. Every time we come home, after she has kept J, he doesn't want us home, yet. I guess he knows some of his fun is over when we walk through the door.

Today, we officially joined our church. I blogged earlier about our love for a church here, but we made it official today. J joined us in our decision, so Dave picked him up a little early from the nursery. I knew he was in the sanctuary when I heard his loud "amen" at the end of the pastor's prayer. :) He loves to pray, but totally cracks me up when he very tightly closes his eyes and folds his hands. He reminds me of one of those tv evangelists. Anyway, J did pretty well standing up front. As we expected (and somewhat feared), he wanted to go up on stage to talk in the microphone, play the drums, etc. once we made our way down the aisle. We managed to keep him on the steps, and only heard one "no" as we strongly strived to distract him. Luckily, the pastor was quick, and many people thought it was neat that he wanted to be like Daddy in the Praise Band. The music worship leader and his wife got a kick out it, because they knew about our fear. J LOVES Mr. Bryan, the worship leader, so he made a mad dash to see him once the pastor dismissed everyone. I guess my expectations for our preschooler can be rather high at times.

Finally, J LOVES his new bed!!! He has way more fun playing in it than he did in his toddler bed, especially if he doesn't choose to go right to sleep . Here is how we find him after naps.

Last OB Appointment

This morning was my last OB visit in this pregnancy! The baby's heartbeat was in the 150s, and he appears to NOT be breech. It really doesn't matter since I will be having a c-section, but the doctor just likes to have an idea. I physically feel much different at 38 weeks than I did with J. When you carry a breech baby, you are much more comfortable at this point! My c-section will begin at 7:30 a.m. on next Wednesday with a talk with Dr. Barnes around 7:15 a.m. Dave and I will be arriving at 5:45 a.m., and J should still be fast asleep in his bed. Dave's mom is going to keep him during the delivery. My parents will be at the hospital to have the reasssurance that the c-section goes smoothly for me. After talking to the doctor, it sounds like things are going to be a little different after delivery in this hospital. Basically, the c-section will take about an hour, and I will be able to see the baby for a few moments before Dave and the baby will head down to my room. While they finish the c-section, Dave will have about 10 minutes with the baby in the room. Then, I will be in there and recover in my room all while having the opportunity to watch them bathe the baby and observe all of the many things they do to newborns. My family will be able to see us for a few minutes but can't stay for the first hour of recovery. This is assuming all is well and goes as planned. When I had J, they took him straight to the nursery after delivery. My family came into the recovery room to see us for the first time. After recovery, they took me to my room while everyone else was watching the baby in the nursery. It was sorta weird for me just being in my room with no baby, no husband, no family for a few minutes. Dr. Barnes said they try to make c-sections no different from other births concerning the baby. I like that idea! :) So, I have this plan for next Wednesday, but Little Guy could show us how it is done his way before then. That's fine, too!

New Beds

We finally have new beds for both boys, and they are SET UP! This is a relief for this nesting mommy. J transitioned well to his big boy bed as we had expected. Everything "baby" is now moved out of his room.



Ahoy matey, this Cap'n Jack's new bed


Still putting things together but crib is pretty much finished

The Countdown is on...

Dear Precious Baby Boy,

In just 2 short weeks, you will join our family as the youngest Hilton! I have been amazed at just how quickly you have grown inside my belly. Your daddy and I were praying for you long before God placed you in my tummy and have continued to pray for you as He has formed you together in a way that only our miraculous Heavenly Father can do. We can't wait to meet YOU! Your big brother has been hearing about you, too, and knows exactly where you are camping out....Mommy's belly! He has been practicing your sweet name, but prefers to call you "Baby". Your room is starting to look like the perfect place for you in our house. Big Brother likes checking out all of the gadgets that we will be using for you, mainly the monitor. He takes your books out of the basket and "reads" them while I work in your room. I even caught him the other day standing on the side of the crib, looking in to see if you were in there. He is ready to meet YOU! I am sure he has quite a bit to teach you!! Mommy is ready to have you here to check every single detail as Mommies do, but you have more growing to do before then! Daddy and I can't wait to experience life with our youngest boy and enjoy every new experience in the same way we did with your brother. We know that you will come into the world with your own set of strengths & talents, and we can't wait for God to reveal them to us. You, little guy, are already a blessing to us, and we love you!!

Love,
Mommy





Dear Sweet Firstborn,

In just 2 weeks, YOU will be a big brother! You have been hearing about "our baby" for months now, and I am sure you are ready to meet him. Daddy and I are so excited to be giving you a brother, a little guy who you can call "friend". We talk a lot to you about God and pray together, so you already know that He takes care of us. It isn't surprising that God has been helping you become a big boy quickly. You are learning so much, and Daddy & I can't believe the things you are mastering. You notice letters, numbers, and even some words before we do. It is no surprise that the game, Wheel of Fortune, caught your attention last night! You love computers and Smartboards, sometimes wanting more than one turn at a time. We love the joy and sweetness that flows from you. You love people and getting out to explore this world we live in. There is never a time when you don't want to go somewhere. You are a busy guy!! Just today, we heard how good your gross motor skills are and how they are a strength for you. We could have guessed that with how you like to RUN, climb, tumble, swim, basically anything motor is your preference. You aren't really interested in crafts anymore, but you will make some special things for Mommy at church and when your teacher at school tells you that you have to. :) Music, on the other hand, is still a favorite of yours! I LOVE to watch you do motions to songs, especially to the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It", with multiple motions and words! You are also becoming a better speaker and so interested in talking more & clearer! You try so hard!! This afternoon, you and I were excited to tell Miss Lori all of the great things you are doing in speech/language. Yes, Mommy does worry about you, because you are so special to her...you aren't worried about a single thing! Finally, Daddy and I know that becoming a big brother is a huge job for a three year old, so we are here to catch you when it all just seems too overwhelming.

Love,
Mommy

Mother's Day Tea

J's class at school held a Mother's Day Tea for us mommies. I love to go into his classroom as a mommy, but I had no idea how sweet this would be for us. I got there a little early, and the teacher asked us to wait in the hall until we were called. As my name was called, I stepped into the classroom only to find my J, standing in front of the door, smile on his face, and a bouquet of flowers in his hands, waiting to escort me to my table for our Mother's Day Tea. I held back the tears, and gave him a huge kiss while his teacher took a picture. She sat us with our friends, Shauna and N, and Shauna was holding back the tears, too. It was something totally special and unique about seeing our little guys in this way. This was one of those times when I was reminded that there is nothing sweeter than having a little boy!

Mother's Day

Dave and J worked so hard to make my Mother's Day very special! Dave helped get J ready for church as much as he could before he had to leave to sing in the praise band at church. J and I headed to church about an hour after him. It was pretty special for me to walk into church with one sweet son holding my hand while another precious son was growing in my belly. I knew the pregnancy hormones were kicking in when I almost cried during the special music as the words talked about a tiny heartbeat and our job being so important as moms. My mom friend, Becky, sitting next to me, felt the same way, but then again, she is pregnant, too!! J came out of church with a special handprint craft from church, and we headed to lunch at Macaroni Grill... my choice! The afternoon was spent relaxing and talking to our own moms on the telephone. Here are a few pictures from that day.


Can we say GOOBER???

MOPS End-of the-Year Tea

On Friday, my MOPS group had our very last meeting for this season. It was exciting to give the moms a treat but so sad to experience the very last time with this table group. I love each of these moms so much! They were great to work with and just to embrace their love, support, advice, etc. Not to mention, enjoy their beautiful children! Here are a few pics from that day.

Every mom in this picture has carried or is carrying a baby (3 baby boys, 2 baby girls...one unknown) within in the last year except our mentor mom!

A Good Workout

Dave is starting him early. You can't tell it, but J is pulling himself up.

So much to do...

I feel like there is so much left to be done in these last 4 weeks before Baby arrives. It is quite funny how we were prepared months before J's birth, and here we are at 35 weeks with very little done! I am sure no one really cares, but here are the things I have to do in the next few weeks:

Mother's Day Tea @ J's school
Laundry for New Baby
Laundry for us
Complete Nursery...haven't started...furniture coming today
Get J out of a toddler bed and into a big boy bed...mattress coming today
Prepare Mother's Day gifts for Mom and MIL
Find a Coming Home Outfit for Baby
Wrap gifts for brothers to exchange
Check on roofers from hail storm
Plan a MOPS Tea for my table
Plan a Cookout for a sweet friend who is moving...not hosting, though
Plan a Girl's Night Out with MOPS table
Prepare gifts for my MOPS table group from me
Schedule newborn pictures
Buy last minute baby things
WRITE THANK YOU NOTES for 2 showers...really bothering me that I haven't been timely with these
Work on speech drills with J...slacked off last week...guess who was uncooperative with Lori today?? :(
Schedule a conference with J's teacher and school SLP before May 31st
Gather last minute questions for Dr. B before May 24th
Pay money for J's MMO...find money :)
Make J poop in potty

Here is what is on my guys' agenda........

35 Weeks

Four weeks from today, I will be delivering our baby boy! I saw Dr. Barnes on Monday, and everything looks great! I am measuring at 33.5 weeks, but she said you can be 3 cm. above or below where you are in the pregnancy. She also doesn't think he will be a big baby. I am not too concerned about that this time since I will be having a c-section. Dave, J, and I did take a quick trip to the Maternity Center last Tuesday night at the request of the on call nurse. It turns out that I have costocondritis which is simply inflammation of the rib joints, and attachments of intercostal muscles to the ribs. I was also having a few contractions. I really didn't want to go in, because I knew it wasn't preterm labor, and there would be nothing they could do for me. I had felt the baby move for the 8 hours that I was in pain, so I knew he was ok. But, when a nurse tells a Mommy that her baby could be in distress, she will go in to be seen!!! However, I was not happy that J didn't get to bed until 11:00 p.m. that night with two speech sessions the next day. He was completely fine, though.