Twilight (minus the vampires)

I have approached the twilight of this pregnancy and I am now counting down the hours till I begin the arduous undertaking that is labor.  As I sit here, alone in Abishai's room, it strikes me that this will be the last evening that Matt and I will have that is just our own in our home.  I am overwhelmed by a combination of emotions -- nervousness, excitement, fear, joy, and gratefulness.  In a day or so, we will be meeting our son for the first time and our lives will change, albeit for the better, forever.

It has been such a long journey that started long before we ever got that positive pregnancy test.  In the last 2.5 years, God has pushed, prodded, stretched, and formed me into something new and the growth I've experienced emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and (let's not forget) physically has been challenging, but amazing.  This was not an easy road, but I've learned and seen some astounding things because I traveled it.

One thing that stands out to me the most as I reminisce is that I am truly blessed.  Totally undeserving in so many ways and yet God continues to bless me.  First and foremost, He blessed me with Matt-- a true partner and best friend that has shown me patience, love, compassion, and understanding beyond reason.  I have seen God's grace through Matt and words will never encompass the gratitude I have for his partnership in this marriage and our impending parenthood.

Then, God revealed to me His benevolence.  We are surrounded by friends and family that have gone above and beyond in their generosity towards Matt and I as we prepare for Abishai's arrival.  Multiple showers of love and gifts, providing us with every little knick knack an infant would need.  But the generosity went further than material things.  Friends surrounded us with prayers and thoughts and enveloped us with their love through meals, fellowship, help with housework, and many other ways.  I am blown away by the hospitality and kindness that has been given to us.

For those of you that know me well, you know that I like my lists and I live by planning.  Waiting for Abishai to arrive has been an agonizing test.  I could only plan for it to an extent.  At the end of the day, the date and time of his arrival would always be a surprise.  Today I am officially 41 weeks along which calculates to being pregnant for a total of 10 months and 1 week.  I have watched as the pregnant family and friends I have who were all within my due date have, one by one, given birth to their bundles of joy.  It's been frustrating, to say the least, and I've really had to learn to be patient especially through the physical discomfort I've been experiencing.  "Man proposes, God disposes" were the wise words that my mother shared with me and I've had to remind myself that none of this is in my timing.  As I prepare for our induction tomorrow evening, I am trying to strip away the anxiety and nervous tension that I have about the unknowns.  In the end, I know we will see a glimpse of God's glory through this new life. 


So, here we go.  At 8pm, Matt and I will be admitted into the hospital and begin the trip down labor road.  Please keep us both (or shall I say, all three of us) in your thoughts and prayers.  Thank you in advance for all of the support, encouragement, and love.  We're excited and can't wait for you to meet Abishai (who will have an official middle name as well). 

Here's one of my favorite Third Day songs... let's hope this helps calm me (or motivate me) through those last few pushes.

Walking from 3rd to Home

Today is my official (original) due date.  As I start this blog entry, it is 9:43pm.  I think it's safe to assume that Abishai will not be making an appearance today.  Unless, of course, I happen to go into labor in the next few minutes and have an amazingly quick delivery (highly doubtful, though greatly desired).

Instead, I will take this time to update you on my very last month of pregnancy.  What a month.  I've had a relatively easy pregnancy.  The first trimester was tough (as expected), second trimester was breezy, and for the most part, my third trimester was not so bad... until my ninth (or is it tenth) and final month.  I hit my 37th week and boy did I feel a difference.   All of sudden my toes turned into little sausages, my back ached more than usual, and a watermelon shaped bulge formed on my stomach that made getting up and out of any seated position quite a challenge.

I won't lie.  I'm so uncomfortable.  The desperation I have at this very moment to get my child out of my womb has burned a very pathetic expression on my face.  Halfway through my second trimester, my doctors convinced me that Abishai would come early.  "He's huge," they said, "There's no way he'll stay in their long-- you're running out of room".  We had our hospital bag packed and ready to go by my 36th week.  Everything has been ready for his arrival since the first of August.  Yet, here I am, on the exact day of my 40th week with a baby in my belly and no sign of delivery.

Mind you, Matt and I have attempted a plethora of natural induction methods.  In fact, I even stacked up a number of them on consecutive days, only to wake up the next morning wondering why I hadn't gone into labor.  I actually began listing out what we've tried, but decided against it.  I know what you're thinking... you have some tried and true method that you want to share and tell us to give a shot.  Trust me, we've tried it.  Trust me... it didn't work.  Trust me.   For the most part, I just end up with the same result--- chubby, swollen feet and high blood pressure.  Some methods are definitely more enjoyable than others, but they still didn't get my kid out of my womb.  Just sayin'.

Some of you have asked for more belly photos.  I forgot to take one for 39 weeks and didn't take one today for 40, so I leave you with this little diddy.  I'll take a 40 week photo some time this week.

I will officially be induced on August 27th.  I hope it doesn't come to that, although, I've already started preparing myself.  In the meantime, I'm eating every meal as if it's my last because labor is literally just around the corner.

Nursery Before & After

While I've been busy baking Abishai for the last 10 months, Matt has been just as busy for the last 4 finishing his room.  Matt put in an enormous amount of blood & sweat into all of the little details and took the task as his own.

Originally the room was a buttercream color and we had decided that a light gray/silver would look good instead.  With the help of some friends, he had the room painted and ready to go in a just a few days.  Our parents bought us our crib and glider which we then added to the room.

Paint job, crib, and first pieces of furniture

We found a wooden four piece dresser set on Craig's List for only $275.  Matt refinished all of the furniture on his own bit by bit over the next few weeks. 

Dressers before & after

I found our decal set on Etsy and we customized the colors of the birds and leaves.  It was a lot easier than I had expected to put the decals up and I had a lot of fun getting all crafty since this would be one of my only contributions to Abe's bedroom.

Decals Up

Here are some final detail shots of his room with all the finishing touches.