Finally....6 weeks later

I absolutely cannot believe how quickly the last 6 weeks have flown by. I apologize for not updating in so long. Hopefully this post will make up for that. :)

We are thrilled to introduce our precious gift from God...

Lillian Reeve Cramer
April 28, 2010
12:27 p.m.
7 lbs. 14 oz.
20 inches

She has changed us forever and made every step of this journey worth it. I wouldn't even trade a stretch mark for her (and I have many!). I'm working on a post of pictures for the last 6 weeks. I hope you come back to enjoy them!

Counting...

We are in the final days now. I can't believe how quickly the last nine months have passed. Obviously baby girl is on her own timeline since we are 4 days from our due date and there is little sign she's coming anytime soon. Since I've been off work waiting for her arrival I've had a lot of time to reflect and think about our journey.

Here are some of my thoughts in no particular order:

The last week of pregnancy is much like the first week. I spent so much time at the beginning of this pregnancy praying to God that it was really happening. I spent the first many weeks just begging for one more day to be pregnant. I'm not sure when I finally could accept we were in it for the long haul but it was somewhere around hitting the third trimester. Similarly I have spent these last weeks praying for a healthy baby, drama free delivery, and wisdom to raise her. There are moments I'm just as scared as I was during those first weeks but in a different way.

God's timing couldn't be better. I know this is really not a new revelation but it came full circle for me this week. What I didn't realize back in August was the significance of her due date. How appropriate is it that after 4 years of trying to conceive, countless dr appointments, lots of intervention, tons of meds, that our precious baby girl is due at the end of National Infertility Week. I couldn't have planned it better myself. :)

We will never really be ready for her arrival. As much as we think we are ready we really aren't. We are as prepared as we can be but much like many things in life until we experience it we are clueless. Regardless, I can't wait to join the roller coaster ride of parenthood.

We can't wait to show her off and I promise to update as soon as I can after her arrival. Praise be to God for this miracle!!

Nursery Preview

Here are the long awaited pictures of her nursery. We were blessed by being able to accept a gently used crib and changing table from our friends Alan and Michelle. I love how it all came together! We didn't paint and decided to keep in gender neutral for the most part. After all, we still have our two frozen embryos that may not be girls. :)

Her crib and bedding. There will be a big white board with the saying "You are our dream come true." We are just waiting for Uncle Doug and Aunt Mindy to bring it from TN when they come visit in May. :)



The east wall of her room with access to the bathroom.


The rocker from my grandmother with quilts made by my other grandmother.


Her bookshelf with some of the cards from our showers.


The west wall in her room with the changing station. Note the valance my mom, grandma and I made over spring break with an extra crib skirt.


A close up of the wall decor with her sonogram pictures.


The diaper cake from the shower at Joel's work.


The diaper cake from the shower at my work.


Her closet. I think she has more clothes than I do!!


Two more signs to put up. The larger one goes above her closet and says "Miracles....believe in them." The smaller says "Baby...our blessing from above." These too are waiting for Uncle Doug's advise on the best way to safely hang them. ;)


Finally, here is proof that she is already taking up space in the kitchen. As Joel said, good thing we have some empty cabinets.

4 weeks

That's right. Four more weeks until our due date. I figured I'd better update the blog with current info and pictures before baby girl makes her appearance!! I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. We are ready to meet her but I want to enjoy these last few days of pregnancy too. It is getting harder to move around, harder to sleep, harder to eat and not get heartburn, and just basically harder to get comfy. I am not complaining, however, but rather reminding myself it is all worth it in the end and we did not wait 3 years for me to give up now. :)

So without further adieu, here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Here is a picture from Feb. 11th, the day of our first shower (at my school). It is also the day it snowed a foot in Dallas so I had to take a picture when we got home. After all, we needed to mark the momentous occasion for the baby book!! And yes, I was about to freeze hence the poor photo.


This is a picture from our last shower over spring break. My mom and grandma came for most of the week and helped finish the nursery. My aunt and cousin also came down from Lubbock. It was so much fun to have everyone together. My cousin and I are exactly 6 weeks apart in age and we are expecting baby girls about 6 weeks apart. I love how God works!! By the way, it also snowed this weekend too about 7 inches.


Finally, this is from today Easter Sunday. I had Joel take the photo to document her first Easter in utero. Just in case you were wondering, yes she has dropped hence the inability to find a comfy position. She has been this low for about 2 weeks but at my appointment last week I was not dilated any. We shall see what the verdict is on Tuesday and our next appointment. :)


And I couldn't resist adding a picture of the adorable swimsuit one of my dear friends gave us. I know she probably won't be swimming in it but she at least has something to hang out pool side when we go enjoy our annual pool parties.


And check back later in the week as I have a post scheduled to appear with a preview of the nursery!!

A long awaited update

Somewhere between life and pregnancy, I seem to forget that there is a group of you who want to know how things are going. Sorry about that!

On that note, back by popular demand (especially from the Ohio people) some belly shots.

Here is the belly at 26 weeks.

After taking the preceding photo, I couldn't believe I actually was that big. I blamed it on the shirt and preceded to take the following picture. This one is post haircut too. You can decided for yourself how big the belly actually is. :) I personally think this one is more accurate.

Here are the latest stats:

How Far Along: 26 weeks! We have passed viability and are working our way to full term.

Total Weight Gain: 14 pounds as of last week

Maternity Clothes: Of course, although I've reached that awkward stage of not being able to keep my pants up!

Sleep: Okay, I have a hard time getting comfy and don't really hit the good deep sleep. I'm also up at least once for the potty.

Best Moment this week: Feeling more movement.

Gender: It's a girl!!

Movement: Yes, but she is still pretty mellow. Joel has yet to feel her move because she doesn't do anything strong yet.

Food Craving: Nothing specific but I do fluctuate between salty and sweet.

What I miss: Good deep sleep.

What I am looking forward to: February! We have our first shower, maternity portraits, birth class, and our 3D sonogram.

Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy it while it lasts!

Symptoms: Occasional heartburn and some fatigue but nothing serious.

Introducing....

For the first time....

we are thrilled...

to introduce...

our miracle...

a precious...

beautiful...

healthy, baby...

GIRL!!!