Welcome Nathan Luke!!

I know most of you have seen pictures already, but I thought you might want to hear from me and see some of mine too! Thank you all so much for your prayers. They were definitely felt and appreciated.

Craig and I arrived at the hospital right around 6 a.m. We got checked in, did labs, and headed up to my room. They got prep started right away and before we knew it, my surgery nurse showed up to walk me back to the waiting area. As soon as the nurse (a male) walked in, he gave Craig a hearty OOH RAH and it took me a while to figure out how he knew he is a Marine. Of course, Craig was wearing his Marine lapel pin. (Should have known!) It turns out my nurse was a Navy Corpsman and has a fond place in his heart for Marines. They had plenty to talk about, which was a nice distraction (for Craig at least).

So then, off in the O.R. I managed to get my spinal done with less nervousness than I expected, though it is still always scary. The most difficult part of the whole ordeal was after the spinal and during the prep. I felt like I couldn't breathe, but the anesthesiologist kept assuring me that I was breathing fine. It was like having a huge weight on my chest. I know the pressure laying flat on my back with a big baby in there didn't help! Thankfully, that feeling wore off by the time Craig came in and things got started.

It seemed like it took quite a while before they finally got Nathan out, but when they did, it was very obvious to me because I could feel my rib cage lower by what seemed like a foot! Not really, but it was dramatic. I have been much more comfortable ever since!

Craig did great and was even able to hold Nathan while I saw him for the first time and then he carried him to the nursery. We soon got the report back in the O.R. that we had an 8 pound 5.5 ounce baby. I told the surgery staff, "I told you he'd be between 8 and 9 pounds!" (The Dr. had guessed 8 pounds after he delivered him.)

I'm getting around better than I did when I walked into the hospital. I even comfortably walked around in Wal-Mart on the way home (something that hasn't been comfortable to do for months.) By the way, I had to pick up my prescription and some other things which required both Craig and I to go in. Why else would I be insane enough to go to Wal-Mart just two days after having a baby? We made it fine though and don't worry...Nathan was never uncovered from his carseat carrier, so he didn't get any germs.

Joshua and Andrew were so glad to have us home and continue to be excited about their new baby brother. They are going to be such great big brothers. We are all doing well and getting settled in. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers.

Here are the stats and some pictures....I hope you enjoy!

Nathan Luke
Born: Sept. 25, 2008
Time: 8:38 a.m.
Weight: 8 pounds 5.5 ounces
Length: 19 inches

Final "Belly Shot" just before changing into hospital gown..


Big Brothers can't believe Nathan is FINALLY here!


Mom holding Nathan for the first time..


The "Biggest Brother" Joshua


The "Big Brother" Andrew


Daddy and Nathan


Would you stop with the flash already?


Sweet Baby Boy

Last Minute

I wish I had some really great post with some pictures to leave you with until I return, but I'm sorry I'll have to disappoint you. I do have a couple of things to say though....

One is that Josh lost his 4th tooth yesterday. The last of the two big top teeth. We've been telling him that he'd have to get it out before the baby comes. I finally just held him down and twisted until I hanked it out. It would have taken weeks or maybe months to come out on it's own since he isn't much for wiggling loose teeth. You can already see the new tooth ready to come in. I guess he won't be singing "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."

Well, tomorrow is the day... I've been busy all day taking care of things I should have been doing long ago. I work best under pressure. Anyway, we will be checking in at 6 a.m. Please remember to pray and check for updates on my Mom's blog (linked below). I will update as soon as I'm able.

Thanks!

Fastest Updates

While I'm thinking about it, I wanted to let you all know that you can check my Mom's blog, Seasoned With Salt sometime on Thursday for the quickest update on the arrival of our Baby. Her link is also in my sidebar, if you need it. I know she will be updating promptly upon arriving home, whereas, my update will be on Saturday at best. She would want me to let you know that it is perfectly fine to leave comments there too!

2 more days!!!

Update and Prayer Requests

For the record....I DID try to update yesterday, but somehow it got lost in bloggy land!

There really isn't anything to report except that we're still scheduled for this Thursday. I have to check in at 6:00 that morning. I am down to be the first patient of the day, which would be at 8:00. However, we all know how surgeries can be...if something more pressing comes in, I could be bumped. I don't expect it to be too much later though. We're ready and excited and do very much appreciate your prayers. I get VERY nervous about the spinal block and somewhat the surgery itself. Please pray for calm nerves and everything to go off without a hitch.

The boys are SUPER excited about Nathan's arrival. Josh went with me to my appointment yesterday. I took him to the nursery window (which was closed) to show him where he'd be seeing his new brother for the first time. The anesthesiologist shocked him by knowing when his birthday is. (She looked in my chart!) He took everything in. He asked me why his birth was an emergency. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be paying attention when the doctor went through the list of risks of surgery. I just sat a bit stunned when he said...."the baby could be injured or die etc. etc. etc. or you could die." Of course I know they always have to say that. Thank the LORD, God shielded his little ears for that part though! I didn't want to have to answer those questions.

Also, I'd like to mention a prayer request for Craig. He has had some shoulder pain for several months now. He tried physical therapy, but it didn't work, so he is going to have surgery. His is scheduled for exactly 3 weeks after mine, on October 16. I figure I will be doing well enough by then that I can handle him when he passes out from the pain....he's like that... :) But I love him anyway. Who says Marines aren't sensitive?

For some cool, exciting news....I have a friend who put my name in to receive an invitation to the Gerber Mother to Be Giveaway. I had decided I hadn't been selected and had stopped watching the mail for the letter, but I finally did receive one a couple of days ago. I'm pretty excited about it. They are giving away all kinds of free products and serving lunch. Sounds like a deal to me!

Well...that's it for now. MAYBE I'll get another post or two in before the big day. You can be sure I'll have plenty to share next weekend though!

What's Your Wager?

So, I'm taking guesses on baby's weight...anyone care to give it a shot? This is me, today, at 38 weeks and 2 days. He'll be born at 39 weeks and 2 days. Whoever is the closest wins........
oh who am I kidding, you win nothing, but the pride of knowing you won.

I have my last prenatal appointment tomorrow, so maybe I'll have more to say then, and possibly I will try to get a better picture of myself too. I know it isn't bad, but it would be nice to have one taken earlier in the day when I'm a bit less ragged.

Since I haven't posted any pictures lately, I thought I'd also share a few of my recent ones.

Josh has been asking me to make pumpkin pie for quite some time. Since it has been a bit Fall-ish, I thought it would be a good time to do it. We really enjoyed it and I think I'll make another soon! I also made a yummy pumpkin cake recently. I'm so going to have to cut back on this kind of stuff soon!

Pumpkin Face

Cutie Andrewdie

And then there are my new little tree climbers. We have a small tree in our front yard that the boys just decided to start climbing. It isn't particularly a "climbing" type tree, but sure enough, they did it. This is quite a feat for Josh as he's been known to be quite timid when it comes to heights. He went up pretty high!


Tree Hugger

What's in a Name?

Some of you may not have noticed that our baby's name has been posted in the sidebar under his picture for quite some time. I purposefully put it there without mentioning it, mainly just to get used to the idea of it before going "public" with it. I suppose it is fully settled though. Josh and Andrew use it all the time now. It's still strange for me, but any name is really when there isn't a person physically present to be seen...

If you know me well, you know I don't take naming a child lightly. I tend to over analyze everything about it. The MOST important thing, however, is that it has a good meaning. I'm always shocked when I hear that someone didn't know the meaning of their child's name before choosing it. Now, I'm not saying I always remember what my children's names mean, but I know they have good meanings....

God thinks names are so important that He even changed them sometimes. {Abram became Abraham, Sarai became Sarah, Jacob became Israel, and Saul became Paul (just to name a few...)} So there must be something to this naming business.

So what is it??

Nathan Luke

Nathan -- Gift of the Lord
Luke -- Bringer of Light and Truth

Right now we are just calling him Nathan, but I think he will likely become a Nate. That's one of those things we'll have to wait out and see what fits him best.

So there you have it....unless I change my mind, or by some crazy turn of nature he ends up to be a she...

Dumpster Diving

There are several things I've been wanting to post about, but not really all together. This one I've got to get down before I forget too many details. I'm sure it won't be exact and if any of you who were present want to correct any details, feel free. Rudy....be sure you read all of this! For those of you who don't know who Rudy is...he's my brother.

It's a Josh funny...

Sunday morning we're riding with my parents to church. Apparently, we drove by a lady out in her yard, wearing her robe and digging in the trash can. I didn't see her. But, I mentioned something about her "dumpster diving." So the conversation went something like this...

Me: You know, I didn't even know what dumpster diving was until I was in college.

Dad/Grandpa: I don't guess I know what it is.

Mom/Grandma: Me either, is it homeless people digging through dumpsters?

Me: Yeah... Just anybody crawling in a dumpster to dig. We had a poem we had to learn in college English and that was what it was about. Well, really it was one of those interpretive type poems.

Grandpa: I HATE those kind of poems, I'm not any good at figuring them out.... Rudy was always really good at that.

Me: I was pretty good at it too, I guess.

Josh: Does Rudy still do that?

Grandpa: Oh yeah! He probably still could.

Josh: He goes dumpster diving???

Laughter ERUPTS!

That boy takes it all in...he just has a hard time following all the trains of thought!

Sorry it's been so long....

It's been a week since I posted already...I didn't mean to wait that long. I have been snapping a few pictures here and there, but have waited until today to upload them. I thought I would give you a little collection this time that includes each of us.

Last weekend, Labor Day weekend, was very nice and relaxed. We enjoyed having Craig home for a change. He and the boys washed and waxed both vehicles, which they were in desperate need of. They look a lot better now. The boys loved soaping things up. I enjoyed the peace and quiet. :)

Check out the excitement in Andrew's eyes!



Here's Craig wearing his "Dad's Weekend Shirt."



Josh hard at work...



Where IS my lap? Wait...I think I see some knee caps!



You're gonna make it girl...you're in the home stretch.

Back to School Bash

Wow! Two posts in one day!

Today, Josh and I headed up to his friend Mikey's house for some splashing fun. (For the kids that is, not me.) Mikey's mom, Amber is the children's director at our church and they were throwing a big "Back to School Bash."

They had a HUGE water slide set up in their yard and the kids LOVED every minute of it. Just look!




They also had other water games. Here's Josh passing the sponge to fill a bucket.



Mrs. Amber couldn't stand it any longer. She just had to give it a try!



She's just an overgrown kid, as you can tell, which is why she makes the most super children's director ever! Happy Birthday (yesterday) Mrs. Amber! We love you! And thanks for everything you do.



Going back for more...



What a fun day!

D-Day

Thursday, September 25, 2008 - That is still D-Day, as of now.

I had an appointment yesterday and mentioned to the doctor the idea of moving up the C-Section date to the 18th. He said, "No. That's twelve days early and I don't want to." Then he asked if my husband was in town. (He remembers that Craig was leaving for Iraq shortly after Andrew was born.) I looked at him a little confused and said, "not in this town right now today, but he's around." He said the only way he'd consider the 18th is if he was leaving the next week for deployment. So, I'd have to lie to get that done! Of course we all want a healthy baby and not to take ANY chances. And thankfully, all still seems to be well.

We are enjoying a fairly relaxed holiday weekend. I can't think of much else to write about at the moment. I'll try to get out and get some new pics to post this weekend too.

Oh...and for those who missed the post I deleted. It was a picture of Craig flexing his arm. I was just explaining why I hadn't posted any new pictures with my camera yet. (Because I am still experimenting with settings, to figure out what I like.) But I had wanted to post at least one and that was it. It was on there for a couple of days I think. He told me I could leave it if I wanted, but based on his initial reaction, I decided it best not to. It was kind of a deflated gasp..."WHY did you do that?" So that's that.... :) (For the record, I thought it was cute!)

Cows

Well, Craig wasn't real fond of my last post, so I decided to delete it. He's humble like that you know?

So I need to replace it...

Anyway, this morning as I was on my way out to take Andrew to school, I decided to stop and take some pictures of some of the cows grazing. It was a beautiful morning and they looked so lovely up by the fence. Here's a sample...



And here's another cow picture...


I'm just kidding! I'm not really that hard on myself. At least not at this point. Yes, I've gained nearly 50 pounds, which is significantly more than I gained with the first two, but, there's nothing I can do about it at this point. I know it will be worth it in the end. Soon enough I can concentrate on getting the pounds off. Who wants to shout out three cheers for the calories it takes to nurse? Hip, Hip, HooRAY!! See, told ya I'm a cow!

Camera Craze

Well, I finally did it! I went this week and got a new camera. I still don't have everything all figured out just yet. Consequently, this post is without pictures. Go figure!

Anyway, it was quite a decision (like most things are for me) and it seems that everyone has an opinion. Some say...."Don't ever get a Sony." Some say, "Kodak is brought in for repairs a lot." Still others say..."Nikon only makes cameras, it's what they do, they're the best." And then, of course, you have your Canon people, and the list goes on. OH....the decisions.

I went to 6 different stores! I started out at Staples. The first one I went to had just a handful of options, but I was able to look and play around without anyone bothering me.

A few days later, I went to Best Buy and ended up not staying more than 5 minutes. I wasn't at the point where I was ready to talk with a sales person and thought I had made it clear to the lady that I just wanted to look. She never went away! I felt like I was being watched over as if I was a criminal. I HATE shopping like that. I don't even like it when Craig stands around me like that while I'm trying to make a decision.

So, we quickly made our way out of Best Buy and over to a different Staples. They had a few more choices and I was getting closer to being ready to talk, but the salespeople weren't very knowledgeable. I got pretty much settled on what I wanted, but decided I'd wait and go back to the first town I was in because the tax there is cheaper.

We again leave empty handed, but decide to stop in at Bedford's Camera and Video. The sales person was very nice, but pretty much only tried to sell us Nikon. I was torn...that wasn't one I had even thought of...

That day ended up a disappointment with no camera.

The following day I headed back to the original town, thinking I'd return to Staples, but decided to give Office Depot a quick shot. It just goes to show you that certain people are just good at selling things. I fell in love with the sales lady. I know that sounds kind of dramatic and maybe "love" is a bit of a strong word. I am a crazy pregnant lady you know. I even let her rub my belly. Is this weird?

Anyway..."Rosalyn" let me know her opinion straightaway was pro-Canon. She was all about the bigger versions though, which wasn't what I was in the market for. We both agreed that pretty much all the cameras like I was looking at do the same things...so I felt fairly confident in my choice and she validated that it is a good seller. Out of all of the ones I looked at, this one had the most megapixals and zoom for that type of camera.

So.....you ask......what kind did I end up with?

It's a Kodak EasyShare Z1285.

Hopefully, I'll get some pictures to post with it soon!

The Time is Coming

I'm sure you are all just dying to find out what I learned at my appointment today. Well let's see...

- I measure about 34 weeks. I'm actually 33 weeks and 3 days.
- Baby's heartrate sounds good at around 120.
- I had my first appointment with the delivery doctor.

Basically, it was a fairly uneventful visit. We chatted it up about how amazing Michael Phelps is. Let's see.....was there something else?

OH....

And we have a C-Section scheduled for September 25!

I thought I'd try to keep you hanging as long as possible. ;)

Anyway, Dr. W said he likes to do C-Sections at 39 weeks, but since he's only in the O.R. on Thursday's I had to make a choice of waiting a couple more days or having a different doctor. Since I had such a good experience with him last time, I thought it best to stick with him. Of course, there is a chance I could end up with someone else if I happen to go into labor and it isn't a Thursday.

So there you have it. Less than 6 weeks to go and counting.....

School Daze

The day did arrive! It's time for school. Can you believe it?

It was a fairly good first day. I managed to roll out of bed shortly after 6:00 a.m. A feat for me! I had a shower and cooked omelets before having to wake the boys.

Wake the boys...hmmmmm, that doesn't happen around here very often. It's usually the other way around with them waking me, I'm ashamed to say.

Josh popped right up sleepy eyed, but eager for the breakfast I actually cooked. Andrew, who is normally my early riser was a bit slower to wake. He did eventually find it pretty funny that I was the one begging him to get up for breakfast. Only thing is....he said he wanted anything BUT an omelet. Oh well, I tried. He had oatmeal instead.

Here are a few pictures of our morning.


Standing tall and ready to go!


I'm on my way.


Parting hug


Ready for 2nd grade back at home


"Teacher's" desk

I did surprise myself after dropping Andrew off with a few tears. (Me that is, not Andrew. He was perfectly fine.) I think it must mostly be the hormones. I found it kind of ironic that our Christian radio station was talking about this very thing. The morning DJs are husband and wife and they have a daughter starting Kindergarten tomorrow. The mom was sad about it and couldn't stop crying. She said something about a "BooHoo Breakfast" for all the mom's sending their babies off to school. I didn't catch the whole thing, but I could identify. Wish I had a "BooHoo Breakfast" to go to!

I quickly had to pull myself together because Josh was eager to get started with 2nd grade when we got home. He was a bit confused as to why we were doing things he'd already learned in 1st grade. I tried to explain that it was review and we'd get to new stuff soon. Josh seemed to really enjoy the time alone with me and still loves being homeschooled.

Andrew's day seemed to go well. He was cheerful and was able to tell us quite a bit about his day. He did make some new friends and he said he will go back tomorrow!

I really think this arrangement is going to work well for us this year. I'm looking forward to getting in the swing of things a little better though.

The Countdown

The time is nearly here...SCHOOL TIME! It's kind of hard to believe that we only have one more day of laziness left and then it's all business.

Andrew is looking forward to finding out what preschool is all about and Josh is looking forward to 2nd grade.

Am I ready?

I guess physically I am, but not mentally. I'll just have to jump in and get there somehow. I've got about a week's worth of work organized and ready and I've looked over the curriculum, so the only thing to do is get out of bed and get moving! My biggest challenge....

In other countdown news...I have a doctor's appointment on Friday with my delivery doctor and expect to get an exact birthdate. That should be exciting! (To finally have a true timeline.) I think I've got around 6 weeks left.

I'm getting uncomfortable, but praise the LORD it's cool and raining! It's so nice not to be hot. Wonder how long it will last. I'll just take it while I can get it.

Different subject again...it was brought to my attention that I wasn't very clear about where the baby bedding came from. It sounded like, because of thanking my mom, that she made it. Although I have every confidence that she COULD have done it, she didn't. She got it at Babies-R-Us.

Still no other progress on the nursery/school room. I take that back. Craig cleaned the rug! :) Maybe I'll get some pics in there of Josh on his first day of school to show you a little more what it is like at this point.

Okay...gotta go get some TUMS...

My New BFF

So I wanted do a whole favorite things post. But honestly, this is the only thing I can think of at the moment that I can't live without. Well, that and those previously mentioned brownies. Anything else I might think of would probably have to do with something fattening too....and I wouldn't want to cause you to stumble in the sin of gluttony, so I'll try to refrain as much as possible.

My new BFF (Best Friend Forever; or at least until this pregnancy is over and the hot weather subsides) is the Stanley Utility Blower. This was something that Craig had kept when we sold the business last year and am I forever grateful he did!

This handy little fan goes with me anywhere I need it in the house. Hey, for that matter, we put it inside our tent when we went camping too! It is great for in the bathroom when I'm trying to put on my makeup, but the sweat won't stop pouring. It's got 3 speeds, so I can crank 'er up depending on how hot I am. I've been known to perch it on my night stand for some direct air at night. Oh, and positioned just right in the living room I can recline with a gentle breeze blowing. Once, I was so hot I put it on the footrest of the recliner! Now that's a heat wave when you've got to get that up close and personal with a fan...

They say it's supposed to be cooler here this week. That means in the 90's. It remains to be seen if it will make a real difference for me. I'm hoping so.

How IN the world did they make it before electricity? I mean...I've still got A/C to boot! We are so blessedly spoiled these days and I'm SO very thankful!

Don't Poke Me...I'll Pop

Here's my current state. I'm at the point where sometimes I feel like I can't stretch another bit. But, I know I can, will and must. We've passed 31 weeks and I estimate another 8 or less to go. I believe we'll find out a C-Section date by mid-August.

The nursery/school room isn't exactly finished, but I did get it decluttered enough to actually start school and move a baby in. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that the baby's room would be in the school room. We're hoping he'll be really smart since he'll be starting 2nd grade from birth! :) Anyway, the bedding is adorable and goes along with a school theme. It is the cutest baby bedding out of any we've ever had. Thanks Momma!



So speaking of school...that's coming up really soon. We're pretty much all set to start 2nd grade homeschool with Josh. Andrew will be going to preschool in town. I'm hoping that it will be good for all of us. Andrew will have something fun to do, so he doesn't feel left out between Josh being homeschooled and all the care the baby will require. It will give Josh and I a chance to establish some better habits and spend some time together without his very best playmate to distract him. And as for me...it will force me out of bed earlier! (Part of that better habits thing I mentioned.) Let's hope everything works out in reality as perfectly as it does in my head!

Toothless Grin

Josh lost his third tooth yesterday. He had lost his bottom two back last fall and finally lost one on the top. It was loose for what seemed like FOREVER. The last several days it was just hanging. I have never seen a more stubborn tooth. I attribute it to the fact that he's always been a big milk drinker. Strong teeth and bones! Go DAIRY!




In other news...I have found what we believe to be the world's most delicious brownie mix. Pick up a box and try them for yourself. SO GOOD! Hey, why not have one with a glass of milk!?

Diamond in a Pearl

Today marks 12 years of marriage for Craig and I. It's hard to believe.

Yesterday, Craig surprised me with a very special gift. He put so much love, care and thought into it. It's the kind of gift that when you know the meaning behind it, brings tears to your eyes.

Here's the story....

"When an oyster swallows a grain of sand it feels discomfort, so it begins to ease the pain by applying a coat of nacre (pearl). It is during this healing process that it creates a beautiful pearl. It is rather ironic to think that something so beautiful can be created out of so much discomfort. This irony is like life itself. It is easy to love in good times, but it takes courage to love through the discomforts of our lives. It is this understanding, this virtue, that has been my teacher, my healer, and has given me courage and a sense of hope. "Diamond in a Pearl" is an expression of this understanding. The diamond represents the grain of sand and the pearl evokes an aura of courage, love, and healing that is embedded deep within the soul. It is this unique transformation that has given birth to "Diamond in a Pearl" the symbol of love."

"Love has the power to heal all wounds,
love defines our existence,
love is a Diamond in a Pearl."

Chi Galatea Huynh



No marriage is ever easy and ours has certainly been no different. Today we celebrate the victory of 12 sweet years. Twelve years wrapped up with love, laughter, joy, pain, tears, hope, and healing.

I am thankful...

• for a loving husband.
  
• that we have stuck with one another through thick and thin.
  
• that our friendship grows.
  
• for the relationship our children see between us.
• for the laughter.
• for the tears.
• for his dedication and good work ethic.
• for the boys we share.
• that we continue to develop our relationship.
• that we have hope for many good tomorrows.
• that we are among the rare jewels of lasting marriages.
• that we never lost sight of God through it all.

Happy Anniversary Craig! I LOVE YOU!

Bouncing Baby Boy

I went for another ultrasound today and got a little better glimpse of our boy's face. He still was a bit uncooperative, but still better. :) He had hiccups at one point and yawned at another. That can all be seen in the video we got. His estimated weight at this time is a little over 4 pounds. At first, I was a bit disturbed by him already being that big, but I figure he's probably right on track for being an average 8 pound baby.

Here are a couple of the shots...I think he looks like his Daddy.




I'll try to get a current belly pic of me soon...I know it has been awhile.