Double Delights

I realized something special this past week.

I am finally enjoying both of my boys together.  I have been enjoying them separately the whole time, but the times where Ezra is up with Isaiah has always been stressful for me.

brotherly love :)

Last week I laid Ezra and Isaiah on our bed, side by side, and told them a story while I folded a large pile of laundry.  They both laid there happily, giggling at me and each other through the course of storytime/folding. At the end of it, I realized that it has actually been fun for me too.  I looked at them laying there, smiling back at me, and got a glimpse of the incredible fun having these two boys is going to be as they grow up.

Those moments keep the tough moments in perspective.

It's been a long week.  I hoping that sometime soon I will be able to sleep more than 2 hours at a time.  Ezra has been up at all hours of the night for reasons we can't figure out, waking uncharacteristically early in the night, and often.  Last night it was 5 times between 11:40 and 7:30 am, and this from a baby who was doing up to 10 hours in a row at 8 weeks!  I have definitely gotten spoiled...

The big news for Isaiah this week is that he pooped in the potty 3 days in a row! We are so proud. I know, I know, there are some things in life that you have to be a parent to really appreciate. :) We are officially starting potty training this weekend, but he wanted to try early, and has had great success.  The fewer poopy diapers to change the better! 

He has also quadruped his vocabulary of spoken words in the past 3 weeks.  He will say almost any word back to me that I ask him to.  One we are particularly enjoying is "Yesh".  He has said 'yeah' for a long time, but is finally putting the 's' on.  Occasionally 'no-sh' comes out too, instead of 'no', which is also very cute. 

Andrew bought him his own little red shovel a couple days ago so that he has one he can really use when he goes out to help Andrew and his maintenance team shovel snow.  Basically all I hear all day, everyday, from Isaiah is "Help", "Shah (shovel)", "Dada".   With lots of head nods and expectant looks in between each word.  Like- Yes, Mommy, you should let me go help Daddy shovel. It is a very good idea.  VERY cute!  

The past couple of days it has been in the -20s (this morning was -29, feels like -37 C)  so he has had a lot of disappointing moments lately!  Poor little guy.

That's all for now, with a few pictures of these beautiful sons I have.  I am one blessed mommy!

we love his smiles!

16 weeks old

Just hanging out - best work buddy ever!

Isaiah walking for the first time in his snowshoes.  

Raawwr, goes my little bear baby.

Two of my three handsome guys :)

He's Two!

December 29th, 2013, marked an important event in our family:

Isaiah turned TWO!

It meant that we had been parents for two whole years.  Two years of sometimes just barely surviving and sometimes fully thriving, but yet always full of laughter, amazement, delight, love, frustration, uncertainty, joy, exhaustion, and pure wonderment that God entrusted us to raise this precious, beautiful boy, Isaiah.

At two years old....

Isaiah is into hot wheel cars, trains, reading books, being outside, running, helping his daddy work, tools, Pooh and Tigger, and more than anything else - animals!  He loves especially loves the domestic and farm animals.

He still loves to eat.  He's super big into dipping...almost anything is edible to him (even if he doesn't like it) if there is something to dip it in! He is very fond of mustard and hummus, loves his vegetables and fruits, dairy products, and Mexican food of almost any variety.

He sleeps almost 12 hours every night, with a 1 1/2- 2 hr nap in the afternoon.  He is usually very good at going right to sleep, although the past two days he discovered that a light switch to his room is above his bed, that he can reach it, and that he would rather turn the light on and off multiple times than go to sleep....I took out the bulb this afternoon.

He loves to laugh and giggle.  He is also starting to very much like getting his own way, so we are having a fair amount of melt-downs and tantrums each day.  They are not a fun part of the day, but it comes with the territory of having a two year old, I suppose.

He is extremely observant to his surroundings, and I am continually amazed at the way he connect different situations together, or the itty bitty things he notices and remembers.

Happy Birthday, buddy.  We love you!

We got to spend the day with my sister and her children.  Her little boy, Brody, is only 11 days younger than Isaiah, so it was fun to celebrate their birthdays together!

Happy to be two!

Isaiah LOVED us singing 'Happy Birthday' to him!

eating cake!

opening presents

Cousin hugs...or headlocks.  :)

This Crazy Love

Brothers doing tummy time

It's hard to believe it's been a month and half since my last post.  The weeks are steam-rolling by in this whirlwind of babies, work, and more babies.  A lot has happened in that time, and since my life seems to be currently measured by how old Ezra is in weeks.....

Ezra's life, Week 5:
 - Andrew's parents came to visit and see the new grandbaby!  We had a great 10 days with them here, and Isaiah definitely loved getting some extra loving and attention!
 - Ezra started taking 45 minutes naps.  Gone are the days of me having to wake him up for every feeding.  Isaiah started this around 6-7 weeks old ( and didn't stop until 6 months old), so I must say, I was disappointed to have it begin earlier.  It did then, and still does, stress me out, but it is what it is.
 - This week I also started a grain-free diet in an effort to help Ezra's digestive system.  I take the boys to a chiropractor (usually every other week, but every week for the first couple months after they are born), and when we went that week she noticed alot of things regarding his digestion that were giving him trouble...I think it was the beginning of silent reflux.  Anyway, after one week of me not eating grains (GOOD-BYE wheat, oatmeal, rice, and pretty much all other kinds of deliciousness...), she noticed a huge improvement in him.          
      So, I am now finishing up week #4 of this, although I have added back in small amounts of oats and rice, and very small bits of wheat products here and there.  Still, it's been a MONTH since I had a piece of bread....a grilled cheese or PB&J sandwich pretty much always sound amazing these days.  However, if it's helping Ezra, I am game.  When he's around 3 months old I will start to add it back in more and see if he does ok with it...the older he gets, the more his digestive systems matures, so there is still hope for me (us).
    Not surprisingly, it is also helping me tick off those baby weight pounds....I mean, when a girl has to bypass the cake, cookies, cinnamon rolls, pastas, and delicious breads surrounding this holiday season, how can you not lose weight?!  Anyway, for that I am most appreciative.

Hmm, yep, that was all week 5!

Week 6-8 were all about smiles and tears!  Ezra is full of smiles almost anytime someone smiles at him.  Of course, he is particularly fond of me. :)  I have loved seeing his big toothless grins come out more and more readily, and during this time he also started to coo and giggle frequently.  I don't think there are any sounds more beautiful to my ears then the first giggles of my children.

The tears, oh, the tears.  Weeks 6-8 were challenging in that Ezra started having alot of trouble feeding 1-3x a day.  It would take be between 20-50 minutes to get him to even start nursing, though he was clearly hungry, and usually during that time he was crying hysterically.  This is hard enough to deal with on its own, but it was very challenging trying to take care of Isaiah at the same time - an active toddler wanting attention, and a screaming infant needing attention.  It definitely reduced me to tears of my own a few times.

Week 8-9 (last week) seemed to be a breakthrough.  Ezra's fussy times were worst when he was overtired from short naps and once he got worked up it was hard to get him actually calm, plus I think there was some trapped gas that would contribute to all that.  Anyway, I have been working harder to help extend his naps, and nursing him still swaddled, straight from sleep.  It seems to be working, as it has been pretty much a whole week without any trouble nursing.

Perhaps another contributing factor is his sleeping/eating schedule. I had been doing a late night feeding with the hopes that his longest stretch of sleep at night would be from that feeding onward, but it didn't seem to be helping him.  I stopped that last week, and since then he has been sleeping from his bedtime (7/7:30pm) between 8-10 hrs, with a feed and then back to bed until 7:45/8am.  It has been wonderful....we get more sleep, he gets more sleep, and he seems to be much happier eating less often at night.

I am enjoying discovering Ezra's personality, likes, and dislikes.  It seemed so difficult to do that with Isaiah because everything about babies in general was so new.  This time around, it has been so much easier to problem-solve, try different things, and be able to apply past experiences to the situation at hand.  For that, parenting a second child has been much easier!

Ezra, 9 weeks

Weeks 8 & 9 have also been all about love.   The more I get to know this new member of our family the more I can't imagine life without him.  My love for him seems to be growing each day, and there are some days where I can barely stand to take my eyes off him. He is so precious, so sweet, and such a beautiful little individual.  What a blessing he is!

Isaiah modeling his new outfit for a Christmas banquet

And then there is my eldest.  Oh, Isaiah.  The last month has been hard for him.  He is realizing more and more he no longer has my undivided attention--that it is shared with another.  He's also gotten two of his two year molars (ouch!), had some viruses, had a growth spurt, and jumped another month closer to being TWO (think 'terrible two's).... He is testing us more and more, wanting independence one moment and then desperate for help in the next.  Deliberately being disobedient one moment, and then offering big hugs and kisses in the next.  There are sweet moments of laughter and giggles, snuggles and cute little words, now inter-mixed with whining, some screaming tantrums, and rebellion.  I like the sweet moments the most. :)   It's a whole new phase of parenting that I don't feel like I quite know how to handle yet.

The sweet moments - Isaiah coming in to give Mommy a face mashing kiss!

With the highs and lows that come with each day, as we tuck them into bed each night I am always amazed at how blessed we are to have two precious boys.

I am crazy in love with them!

Today: Isaiah 23 1/2 months, Ezra, 10 weeks

Mommy Meltdown

Saturday, November 2nd.

When I first started this blog, my goal was to be honest in my writing --with myself and with others.   After all, what's the point of writing for 'therapy' if I don't even tell it to myself straight?

So here it is--a day of my mommy-hood journey that I hope is not repeated.

Today was/is a bad day.  Not with Ezra, not with Isaiah, but with me....in my head.  Today was one of the first days I truly didn't feel like being a mom.  It had nothing to do with my sweet children--whom I never once will ever wish were not here.  It was just me.

Me being tired - physically, emotionally, and mentally.  Tired of changing poopy diapers.  Tired of coloring. Tired of reading Winnie the Pooh. Tired of trying to convince my newborn that a feeding needs to be more than 5 minutes from one side.  Tired of playing with balls, and cars, and trucks.  Tired of repeating myself. Tired of this slow cesarean recovery. Tired of the post-baby weight. Tired of all the messiness that recovering from pregnancy/birth/breastfeeding involves.  Tired of being tired.

 Tired of a routine that today seems very, very mundane.

I dwelt on the winter months looming in front of me, the small room my toddler, baby, and I will spend the majority of our days in, and panicked. I thought about how many years I will need to continue with the poopy diapers, the coloring, the reading of Winnie the Pooh, the trucks, balls, and constant direction to my growing children....and felt desperation.

Today each hour of taking care of my children felt more like a duty than a privilege.

There have been lots of tears today.
Moments of hopelessness mixed with guilt that I even dare have these feelings.

Tonight I pray that tomorrow being a mommy to my precious babes will not be a duty, but a joy once again.
That I will dwell in the rich promises of Christ, not in the deception of the evil one.
That I will walk forward knowing that Christ will sustain me, and that He will give me the strength and love I need to raise these beautiful boys.

Oh, and they are so beautiful.

Ezra, 4 weeks old

Morning snuggles (Isaiah 22 months, Ezra 3 weeks)

Isaiah loves his little brother!

Ezra's Birth

Well, it's been 3 1/2 weeks since Ezra was born.  I decided I better write out his birth story before all the memories get fuzzy and muted. Watch out, it's lengthy!

The date was Friday, October 4th.  Andrew and I went in to the hospital for a non-stress test, because since I was 8 days late they wanted to be sure that the baby was still doing fine and that the womb was still a happy and healthy place for him to hang out in.  Everything looked great, so we came home.  My induction date was set for Monday, the 7th, if he hadn't come yet.

At this point I did feel like I was going to be pregnant forever.  After days, no, weeks, of expecting to go into labor every night/day, Andrew and I both felt numb to the idea...as in, this is just never going to happen, so why keep waiting expectantly?

With Isaiah I didn't have any pre-labor signs, no contractions, no nothing--my water broke first, and then the contractions started shortly after, so I expected it would be the same this time around.  I had a hint of an idea that something was going to happen soon on Friday evening ( this is a good part to keep vague, haha!), but still wasn't super hopeful.

I woke up at 12:15am that night with contractions.  They seemed fairly short, and manageable, so I let Andrew keep sleeping and tried to keep resting myself.  I had a 16 hr labor with Isaiah, and didn't feel there would be a huge rush this time around either. The hospital is an hour and 15 minutes away however, so the timing is kind of important.

Around 1:15 they seemed to be coming closer, so I woke up Andrew. He timed four - they were 90-120 seconds long, and 3-4 minutes.  Okay, not so short after all!  We needed to get moving.  We called our neighbor who was going to spend the night at our house with Isaiah, and started to get ready to go.  After another 20 minutes or so I started to get the idea that this labor might be a quick one.  It was starting to get intense.

And then....the car ride. I knew it wasn't going to be fun being strapped into a moving vehicle, but the first 30-40 minutes were crazy. The contractions became unbelievably painful, and I felt like I was really losing control. The relaxation and breathing I had practised seemed impossible to implement. Then everything settled down, and I was able to relax and regain some sanity back for the second half of the ride.  I started getting nervous though, because there was a few times I started to feel the urge to push, which means that the end is close. We just needed to get there!

After making our way to the Maternity triage, standing in the hallway waiting for a nurse to show up while telling Andrew "I need to push!" (and feeling like I was going to have Ezra right there if a nurse didn't show up soon!), and finally getting checked, I was 8-9 cm and excited that I had only been in labor for a little over 3 hours.  But seriously, can't we do the paperwork and formalities later?  I am ready to have a baby, people!  The nurses didn't seem to catch my sense of urgency......

We got in our L&D room, and I had to get into the bed so they could monitor the heartbeat.  I wasn't planning on getting an epidural, so the nurse kindly read our birth plan and seemed on board and supportive of our wishes.  Another 10 minutes or so passed, and then my water broke, and I wanted to push.  The nurse came in to check me so she could give me the go ahead to do so...and then everything went a bit crazy.

"You said this baby was head down?", she asked me.  "Um, yes!"  "I need to go get the doctor. Don't push."  Out she went, and I knew right away that everything about our situation had just changed--somehow, someway, Ezra's head was not down any more.  So there we are, waiting, and me not pushing.

  ***If you have ever been in labor with a child and having the urge to push, you will know how incredibly awful it is to not push when your body is screaming at you to 'PUSH!'  It is an overwhelming need, that is almost involuntary.  This was not fun. The closest thing I could compare it to, that I know and have experienced, is having the definite need to throw up and being told to hold in it for a good long while. Yeah, right. Not lovely or pretty, I know, but pretty comparable.***

She came back with a couple doctors, who confirmed Ezra was now in a breech position.  They told us that while a normal delivery is possible, there were not any doctors there or on call who have enough experience doing them to feel comfortable with it.  Therefore, the only safe option was to have a C-section.

We were kind of in shock, and I immediately felt disappointed because I knew I was not going to get to push....ever.  I had actually really been looking forward to the pushing stage of labor, because from my experience with Isaiah, it is the most enjoyable part of the whole labor.  The end is in sight, you can actually do something to contribute to the whole process, and the pain is negligible in the sense that it actually just feels so great to push.

Anyway...I digress.  We said a definite ok to the C-section, and at that point I just wanted it done as soon as possible, because I was still 10 cm dialated, still having strong and very close contractions, and still needing to push. I basically was feeling desperate to have this baby out of me.

This part of the whole event is a beautiful part of the story.  Yes, my drug free birth just went out the window. Yes, I was going to get an IV, an epidural, and a C-section. Yes, I had been terrified of the three aforementioned items for both of my pregnancies, and very much didn't want any of them. Yes, I had absolutely no idea about what a C-section entailed and the recovery from it, because it was so far from my mind as ever being a needed option I never looked into it. And YES, in those moments I felt the total, all-surpassing, beyond understanding, peace of God that totally overwhelmed me with His goodness and grace. I had no nerves.  No quickened heartbeat.  No butterflies.  Nothing but a complete sense of calm and rest (while still in active labor and not pushing....) in the middle of a drastic alteration of all my  hopes and plans.
.
I am doing a Bible study right now by Beth Moore calling Stepping Up: A Journey into the Psalms of Ascent.  That morning (Friday),  my day of homework in the study was on Psalm 121.

I lift my eyes toward the mountains.Where will my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 

He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.

Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep.

The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[a]

The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night.

He will protect your life. Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.

This is from the HCSB version she used.  The study that day focused on the Lord being our Protector.  The first two verses of the psalm came to mind with the very first contraction, and I repeated them over and over through many contractions.  As the whole C-section unfolded, the Lord reminded me of the lesson from the day and of these verses - that He is my Protector, and that He was protecting me and Ezra.  What beautiful words of comfort and security.  I was then, and continue to be, amazed and so very thankful at how the Lord arranged the entire thing.  The c-section was not a part of my plan, but it was in His, and with it He blessed us with peace and reminders of His promises.

So it happened.  My relief was very great when the epidural took effect, because then my urge to push and all the pain from not doing so vanished.  Wow, I can really understand why women like epidurals--I must say, it was like pure bliss in that moment....  :)

All in all, it was about 40 minutes between the time they realized Ezra was breech and the time he was born--just 4 hrs and 45 minutes since my first contraction. I felt totally coherent and with it during the surgery, and could feel them make the cut, pull, push, and tug around (but without any pain), and got to hold him almost right away. They sewed me up, and we were all deemed healthy and well.

We had a son!  I was so glad it was all over and he was with us.  The question remained though - what on earth happened?  On Monday and Thursday, both my doctor and chiropractor were 100% sure Ezra was head down and engaged.  On Friday I had an ultrasound and though nothing specific was mentioned, the doctor who did it certainly didn't reference a breech baby - in fact, he went over my induction date with me, and said something like, "If labor starts before then, don't wait! Come right in."

I kept being asked if I felt him turn, because apparently it is quite noticeable by the mom, and is usually accompanied by nausea and all sorts of things. I kept saying no, because I really didn't feel anything unusual.  I actually didn't know that that even happened - I knew sometimes breech babies turned down at the last minute, but I didn't know they turned up!  Apparently it is quite rare, but does happen.....yeah, no kidding!

So we finally figured it out.  Ahhhhh, the car ride.  Those crazy and wild contractions for 30-40 minutes on the way to the hospital that all of a sudden calmed down and got manageable again?  That must have been when he flipped.

In the end, I am so grateful for the way it happened.  Obviously the Lord had his hand on us both - perhaps it was even the direct hand of the Lord that turned Ezra.  We have no way of knowing what would have happened or how things would have gone (for him or for me) if I had birthed him naturally as we intended.

We just trust that the Lord knows best--for He does--and thank him for bringing Ezra safely into this world.

Fresh out of surgery, and feeling good (of course, everything was still numb, ha!).

So happy to hold our new little man!

Ezra Caleb

Ezra: Helper  Caleb: Wholehearted, Faithful

Ezra, 1 week old

Meet Ezra Caleb Dusing!  Our sweet second son was born at 4:57am on October 5th, 2013 - 9 days 'overdue', but yet, right on time.  He weighed in at a surprising 9 lbs, 4oz, and was 21 inches long. He gave his mom and dad quite a story through his labor and delivery, but came out healthy, beautiful, and so very loved.

I can't believe he is almost 2 weeks old already. Wow, it goes so fast!  Often during these last few days I keep thinking back to Isaiah's first couple weeks of life, which were hard and full of challenges -- not because he was a difficult baby (he wasn't!), but because the whole parenting thing was new, scary, and overwhelming, plus with lots of difficulty with breastfeeding and L&D recovery on my end. This time, while the recovery of his birth has been quite hard on me again, it has been so much less stressful welcoming Ezra into our family. We are already used to getting up in the middle of the night, feeding a baby, changing teeny diapers, swaddling wild, flailing, tiny humans, soothing upset tummies, and a host of other baby things --plus, are much less stressed in general by the sound of a baby crying.  

Of course there have been plenty of challenges along the way, but I am feeling so blessed and thankful at the way we are all adapting to life as a family of four.

Isaiah loves, loves, loves to kiss and hold his baby brother.  He is good at being very gentle with Ezra, not super good at being quiet when he's sleeping, and overall a great helper with stuff involving Ezra.
Ironically, Isaiah has been waking up more in the middle of the night than his newborn brother this last week! Not sure what is going on with that, but we are hoping it will pass quickly.  They tend to not synchronize their waking up at night time either...  :)

We actually have been super blessed by what a good night time sleeper Ezra has been so far.  He is up only 1 or 2 times, eats, and goes right back to sleep. The nice thing about having a big baby is that you don't have to worry about letting them have longer stretches of night sleep early on.  I have been feeling way more rested since we came back from the hospital than I did the last two months of pregnancy--I am for sure getting more and better quality sleep!  It's a wonderful thing.

That's all for now. This mommy of two is filled with thankfulness for God's hand being upon us and with us, and for the blessing of our healthy baby boy, Ezra.   

Welcome here, sweet child. We're so very glad to have you in our family!

Brand new!

1 day old

Isaiah loving on his baby brother!

Waiting

Please notice the date.

October 2nd, 2013.

And no baby.

Whew.

It wasn't until a couple days ago that the thought even occurred to me that having a baby in October was a possibility, and now, it will be a reality!

In all honesty, it hasn't been an easy week of waiting.  With how I was feeling in early/mid-September, I was pretty sure he was going to be early, so we've been expecting me to go into labor for quite some time.

Then, last week my parents came from the States to be here to take of Isaiah during the birth, and to be around to help in the first days.  This morning, Andrew took them to the airport for their scheduled departure.  We had a great visit--lots of fun playing cards, taking walks in some beautiful fall weather and eating good food--and it was great for Isaiah to get to know them.  But still, no baby.  Each day the waiting seemed more difficult, mostly for the pressure I felt upon my self (not given by them, but by me), for this baby to come while they were here.  After all, that was the reason they came!

Last Thursday, my due date, I was up early around 5:15 am, not sleeping well and feeling anxious to have this baby. I spent some time in Psalms 130-131 that morning, which have been the perfect reminders for me this week.

Psalm 130: 1-2, 5-7.
 "Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.  My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption."

Psalm 131
"My heart is not proud, O Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore."

First, I was convicted - how many nights of poor sleep this pregnancy have I waited for the morning to come, with so much more desperation and passion than I have been waiting for--and upon--the Lord each day?  Too many.  How much have I concerned myself with own plans (and timeline) for this baby, rather than quieting my soul before the Lord and resting upon His plan?  Far too much.

The words brought comfort, rest, and peace to my anxious soul.  The Lord has used those words over and over this week to remind me of His promises, and to keep my impatience in check.

Monday I had an appointment with my doctor--an appointment I had really not thought I would need (because the baby would already be here....), and I was terribly anxious for it.  Since she had asked about it the week before, and I had said no, I thought she would put some pressure on me to let her sweep my membranes this time, which is supposed to speed up labor starting.  The week before she had practically already scheduled my induction date, which was also making me anxious because she was so quick to intervene instead of just letting this baby come when he is ready (and with both of us still being fine and healthy).   Anyway, I had been back and forth on what to do about the membrane sweep for a couple days, and was literally at the point of tears in car.  I was going to go ahead with it, then not, then yes, then no.   For some, I know it's not a big deal, and others I know aren't fans of it being done.  My level of anxiety seemed to far outweigh the actual situation.

So twenty minutes into the drive, my heart cried out in desperation, 'Lord, what should I do?'  The answer came very clearly from the words of Psalm 130:  Wait for the Lord. Wait. 

"Wait" continued to echo in my head.  All the reasons I maybe should do it swirled around, but all I could keep hearing was 'wait'.   Andrew affirmed me to just not do it, and that together we would be prepared to stand against my doctor if need be.

The Lord is good.  My doctor didn't even try to ask me again, just an 'Ok, well I won't sweep them today since you don't want that" matter of factly, plus some great steps on her part to work with us towards an agreeable induction date, plus an induction method that I actually feel pretty good about.  We were blown away at how much she seems to get and be ok with our desired type of birth, and totally saw the Lord's hand over it all.

If baby isn't here, I will have a non-stress test on Friday, with a tentative induction date for Monday, the 7th. We would appreciate your prayers for health and safety for the baby, that the Lord would bring him forth at the perfect time, and that we would continue to wait upon the Lord, putting our hope only in Him.

The last pregnancy picture I took was at 40 wks + 1day.  Today I am 40 wks + 6days, and you know what?  I seriously doubt I will take another picture.  Some things just don't matter any more.  Come, little one, come! We are so excited to meet you. :)