Forty Plus

Hey there - it's Sunday again and still no baby, but guess what? We might have decided on a name! We like Oliver. It means affectionate. I can handle that I suppose. I mean, no guarantees, but Jason suggested it today and I said, "yeah - that's a cute name" and maybe we'll stick with it. It means skipping an "I" name, but if we ever decide to have more we can go back : ) Anywho, here's the data on what's up with my body.

We thought we were going to go into the hospital Friday PM/Saturday AM when I started having steady contractions at 2 in the AM but, they quit about 1 1/2 hours in and didn't really return until 6PM Sat night. I called my mom and let her know that we might be going in and stayed up till 11PM having contractions about every 7 minutes, but when I laid down to rest they slowed to about two or three an hour. So - she spent the night for nothing. Sorry, mom! The fun stuff is that the mucous plug came out just recently and the last time that happened I was in labor and delivering by the next night, so maybe little Oliver will be born on his big brother's birthday! I told Ezra that and he cheered, "YAY!" and then said "Sissy too!" so he clearly doesn't get it, so cute!

Everyone's been asking if I'm nesting -- of course!! Yesterday I reorganized my closet and set up the bassinet and did all the laundry and made my bed! I feel really good about the closet, actually -- and I put my art table back on the wall in our bedroom, even though the carpet and baseboard and hole in the wall are still unfixed. I thought maybe I'll spend some time scrapping if he doesn't come soon. Ezra keeps peeking into the bassinet and asking if the baby's sleeping -- again, he really doesn't get it. If he's asked where baby brother is, he'll find my belly button and say "There he is!" Aurelia poked me this morning and said, "Hey you! I thought you said the baby was going to come in the middle of the night!" I said, "ME TOO!" Ohwell, I know that God's timing is PERFECT and I am content to rest on that. Besides, this way we get to get a few more things done and we might even have a name.

Still Waiting

Well - today is officially 40 weeks so it is my "due date," but little baby boy isn't on his way out yet. The Dr. is giving me till Tuesday (April 1st) and then he'll do a sono to see how big baby is and make sure there's enough fluid -- assuming we make it that long. If the baby is too big, they'll want to induce -- pray with me that he'll make his entrance easily and in good health. Thanks! I'll keep the updates coming :) Sarah

LOVE

Were you blessed yesterday? I sure hope so! Easter is such a wonderful time to really reflect on the gift that Christ gave us when He suffered in our place so that we could spend eternity with Him and the Father. I love being able to give that gift to my kids too, now that they are older and more able to understand the sorrow and the joy in this season. On Friday, Aurelia and I talked a lot about the disciples and how they fell asleep and ran away and about Jesus being beaten and betrayed. On Sunday we talked about the tomb and how it was empty because Jesus is alive and with His Father and that we will someday be with Him too because Jesus lives in our hearts. We did a fun food craft with cresent rolls (see the sidebar) and even Ezra could enjoy that. We didn't stay for the service at church, but I think that with all the story reading and talking and crafts that it was more meaningful that it would have been otherwise.


















I'm posting some pictures that we had taken at JC Penneys for the kids' birthday and to celebrate this pregnancy. We really enjoyed taking them, even though Ezra threw up on the way to the studio when he gagged on a french fry. He smelled really bad, but his outfit survived (thankfully!!) and the pictures turned out pretty cute!

Jason worked like a dog this week and didn't get to EAT, even, on Friday and Saturday so he really enjoyed the barbecue at Grama Sama's house Saturday night where we had an egg "hunt" with the Ag fam. And he feasted on the ham and potatoes his parents brought over Sunday afternoon for Easter (well, he had some salad and bread too). Poor guy; but I really appreciate all the hard work he does and all the help he is with the kids when he's home -- especially now when I am bigger and slower and often uncomfortable.

The Dr. checked me on Thursday and said that the baby is REAL low but I'm not dilated much so I know that when the door finally opens, this kid's going to to shoot out of the gate -- watch out! In the meantime I look like a penquin waddling around with a what? A watermelon, I guess, stuck to my stomach. It's lots of fun! Anywho - I'm going to send a mass email when we are headed to the hospital and then you'll just have to wait for the call to know that the baby is here -- and NO, we still have not decided on a name. You'll just have to wait for that too! Thanks for caring and checking in! Much love!
Sarah

Not Yet

Before you get all excited : ) The baby is still cooking. I just didn't get to blog yesterday because we were celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with our family here at home. I have some great pictures to share with you all, which I will hopefully get to post this afternoon during quiet time. Thanks for checking in! Sarah

aurelia is sitting here with me and wanted to type her name. She did.

Windy and Cloudy

The sky was so beautiful this week with the clouds and the sun shining from behind them that I couldn't resist putting in ONE photo of the many that I took.

Ezra and Aurelia are still enjoying the tramopline. Ezra asks every morning, before it's even warm enough, if he can go jump. He insists that Aurelia comes too -- even if she doesn't want to.

Aurelia has been getting creative with her jumps and I had a lot of fun taking pictures of her crazy moves.

This week we learned that Ezra knows these letters by sight : E, Z, A, Y, O, L, H, B,W. We were pretty impressed because we don't work on this with him. I think he picks it up from all the writing Aurelia does. We found out about his letter knowledge when he reached over one morning this week and pointd out the "Y" on a newpaper article I was reading. Then he pointed out the "O" that he saw too. Later on in the week while we were coloring he pointed out some other letters that were on his color page. It was pretty exciting and we gave him lots of high fives and "wows!" He really liked that!

I saw the Doc again this week (it's weekly visits now - so much fun!) and we discovered that I'm not really dilated or effaced. He would like me to deliver early, but I'm just as happy waiting -- if quite a bit more uncomfortable now. I'm still trying to do as much as I can before I have three and go really crazy. I went to a 6 hour crop at my Aunt Samma's on Friday *6-midnight* and got a lot done and had a lot of fun, and Mima and I took the kids to the Lindsey Museum to see the animals. Of course I forgot my camera! Ezra liked the frog best and Aurelia would now like a rat for a pet (she'll have to wait a while on that one). Also! The dollhouse arrived! We'll put it together in a few weeks. Have a good one!

Slow week and a fair poll

So, not much to report this week. Somehow the whole week slipped by without a single photo being taken! We went to MOPs, and later to Grandma Ward's house, and visited with Kari Jo, Jeremy, Jesse and sweet baby Bethany. We had Mima over to play and I got to watch all three nights of American Idol (I'm rooting for David Archeleta if you're interested). I did some reorganizing of videos, cds, printed photos. I got an upper respiratory infection. I started packing my hospital bag. We ate birria (goat stew) at the Gallego's house and some fantastic homemade tortillas, but other than that we really took life slow this week. I forgot to set the clocks forward last night so Jason got to church late and I didn't go at all. I'm just not into rushing lately. Instead, this morning, we had a leisurely walk to the lake near our house and ate sandwiches while we watched the coots and ducks dive for - well, whatever it is they were diving for - and then we walked back to our park and played "Ariel and Prince Eric" for a while. When we got back it was time for stories and bed -- so now the kids are on the "right" time schedule and I get a break. I'm going to take a nap now, but just as an update: I've gained 30 pounds total in this pregnancy so far and I'm still feeling pretty well. Some Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing serious, and we might almost have a name. This week, vote on the meanings and we'll see what gets the highest vote. I think there's someone out there trying to sabotage a fair poll by voting too many times, butI won't say who I think that is. Thanks to everyone who partcipated, though -- it was fun!!
Sarah

Ezra sings with soul

Water, Water Everywhere

We had an exciting week starting last Sunday. I noticed while I updated this blog that the floor under my desk was damp. I pointed it out to Jason and we both wondered at the oddity of it. After returning from our weekly visit to "Lily's house" we came home to find that the floor was then sopping wet and that the floor in the play room (adjacent to our master bedroom where the desk is) was damp too. Jason went outside and figured out that the leak must be in the wall between the two. We shut the water off and the next morning called the builder. Plumbers came out right away and cut a hole in the wall, fixed the leak and left. Then the restoration people came out and moved everything that was in the way, pulled back the carpet, tore out the pad, put more holes in the walls and set up six fans and two dehumidifiers, and left. I spent the rest of the day feeling deaf and trying to rearrange the "stuff" in our house so we could function for the next week. We really didn't do too bad. The kids adjusted really well to the chaos and actually enjoyed the big windy spaces between the fans. The house was nice and warm with all the heat made by the fans and it was a lovely week of sunny weather so they got to spend a lot of time outside. I pulled weeds, we found lots of worms and on Tuesday night Jason set up the 14 foot trampoline he found on a job so the kids have really been enjoying that. They have to take turns though, because our yard is really not big enough and I'm afraid that Ezra will get bounced right off. He had to learn the hard way (a few times) that if he doesn't sit down during Reia's turn, he doesn't get to jump anymore. The fans left the house on Thursday, but we found out that although the builder would cover the work that had been done, the rest was our responsibility due to an oversite when hooking up our sprinklers. The warranty was voided, but I'm so thankful that what WAS done was covered AND taken care of so quickly. We already replaced the pad and will have some help patching the wall and restretching the carpet, so soon we'll be back to normal. God is so good and takes care of us in all things. I praise Him in the middle of the "troubles" we've had this week -- it's just life, and things like this make life more exciting. There have been so many good things too. We got to see our friend from WA, Mark the Wharthog and eat Jason's yummy potato soup; we played the piano more than it's been played in a long time because it's in the middle of my living room now, we rearraged toys and played with some that have been in hiding for a while, and the carpet will get vaccumed in places that haven't been for almost two years now. Funny things to enjoy, but there you have it. Enjoy the photos and the video of Ezra "singing the Alphabet song." Sarah