Waste Not, Want Not...and other Nesting Instincts!

I'm trying to figure out this whole "nesting" thing, and one thing I know for sure, I've been bitten by the nesting bug!:) I know that toward the end of most women's pregnancy an urge to clean and organize things takes over. Well, last night while Aaron was watching a movie that was a little too scary for my taste, I decided to organize my gift wrapping box so that I could make room for the many cute baby gift bags that we've received gifts in. In addition to saving some gift bags from our baby shower presents, I also saved a lot of the pretty tissue paper. I heard that it can be ironed to look just like new, so I thought I'd try it out. No sense in wasting it! So, for about 45 minutes or so, I ironed tissue paper! I now have a nice tidy little stack of "new" paper to use for my own gift wrapping. Now I just need to find something else to organize. I spent pretty much all last week getting the house completely ready, and I'm not just talking about your average cleaning. I'm talking about a deep, deep, spring cleaning on steroids type cleaning. Yes, I even cleaned off the dust from the leaves of all my houseplants after adding new soil with plant food to the pots. I've pretty much exhausted all my ideas of what else to clean/organize/freshen up. I went so far yesterday as to decoupage the wipes case sitting on the back of toilet in the bathroom just so it would look prettier!:) Yes folks, the nesting bug certainly has bitten me, and it's bad! If only I could think of something else to clean!

Going Under the Knife!

After much prayer, Aaron and I decided to go ahead and proceed with the C-section. It was a hard choice for me especially to make since I had all these dreams of going into labor naturally and giving everyone the "call" to let them know we were heading to the hospital. It's been tough letting go of my expectations of how I thought the birth should be, but after having a good cry over it I know that we made the right decision. At my appointment this coming Monday we will find out when our little boy's birthday is going to be...if it's up to me, it will be 04/04/08, but we'll see what my doctor says. So, I guess now y'all can pray for a safe delivery via the C-section, and an uncomplicated removal of the cyst. I've never been "under the knife" before, so pray that I don't have any apprehension about the surgery. I watched a C-section performed from start to finish on YouTube a while back, so I know what will be happening. Having that knowledge is both comforting and scary at the same time. They sure do tug a lot at the incision when they're opening it up! My doctor is a pro at doing C-sections, and I totally trust her abilities, so I'm really not too worried!:) Also, knowing that I have a multitude of people praying for me makes me even more at peace with this whole situation. Thanks everyone! Y'all are amazing!

Our little gift from Heaven (still wrapped!)

As each day goes by the anticipation of "opening" our gift from the Lord grows and grows. Thanks to modern technology (sonograms) we do have some idea of what our little gift looks like, but to see him in person is going to be so amazing. For now though, he is safely wrapped in my tummy, and when the time is just perfect he'll make entrance into the world.

To "C" or Not To "C"

At my 36 week appointment today, the possibility of a C-Section was brought to my attention by my doctor. For months now my Dr. has been monitoring a rather large cyst on my left ovary. At the last measurement (two weeks ago) it has grown to about 9 cm, or in the words of my doctor "It's about as large as a newborn's head." So, having a softball sized cyst may prove to add some complications if I decide to try and have a natural delivery. My options are 1) Go ahead and have my cerclage removed April 1st, and then wait for labor hoping that the delivery process doesn't rupture the cyst. If all goes well, I will have surgery to remove the cyst 6 weeks after giving birth. 2) Have my cerclage removed April 1st, and if things do not go well (cyst-wise) have emergency surgery to remove the cyst at that time. And finally option 3) Plan a C-section somewhere around 38 weeks, and after the baby is delivered I will have the cyst removed and my cerclage removed at the same time. We have until next Monday to make our decision, and my doctor said that she will be fine with whatever we choose. Pray that God leads us to make the best decision in this situation.

Generally speaking my appointment today went great. I have started to swell up just a little in my face, hands and feet, but nothing to worry about. Baby is doing well and seems to have "dropped" from what the doctor could tell. So, all in all things are on track!:)

Easter Pics!

Jesus is Risen....and very much ALIVE!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

May this Easter be a sweet time of reflection on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and most importantly His glorious resurrection. It is so amazing to know that because of His love for us we are able to spend eternity with Him! For me personally, when I think back to my 4 precious children who are already in Heaven, I am most thankful for Jesus' sacrifice for me. Because He cared enough for me, and came down to save me, and because I have accepted the salvation that He offers, I know that one day I will see my 4 little babies again. Though for now I have to love them from afar, one day I will get to hold them close by my side. I imagine them at this very moment, sitting on the lap of Jesus, and worshipping in person the Lord who Himself said "Let the little children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of Heaven." I pray that this Easter will bring each of you hope as we all look forward to what our future is in Jesus Christ, THE Sacrifice, THE Savior, THE ONE and ONLY Son of the Living GOD!

5 Wonderful Years

Today Aaron and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary! It's hard to believe that five years have already gone by since becoming husband and wife, but that's what the calendar is telling us!;) The time has gone by rather quickly, and we are more in love with each other as each day goes by.

Our celebrating actually started last night when one of the doctor's that Aaron has been working with invited us out to dinner. We dined at a lovely local restaurant here in Corpus Christi, and enjoyed exceptional service and a wonderful atmosphere. We all had a wonderful time chatting with each other, and also enjoyed the food. Aaron had Leg of Lamb, and I had Chicken Confit (I'm not really sure what confit means, but it was really tasty!). When our desserts were brought out my dessert plate had "Happy 5th Anniversary" written in chocolate on it. At first I thought Aaron had arranged it, but it turns out that the doctor had taken the time to plan the thoughtful gesture. It was really quite beautiful!

Today, Aaron and I celebrated by dining out by the ocean. We enjoyed watching the seagulls, and the many sail boats who were taking advantage of such a lovely day. It's been a perfect day of being together and enjoying the fact that we've made it half a decade. We're looking forward to many many more years of marriage, and praying that the Lord will continue to guide us as we go through each day together.

It's Official!

Well folks, Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital here in Corpus Christi is getting a new resident doctor beginning in July...the future Dr. Aaron R. Aldape (he gets his doctorate on May 17th) was matched with the Family Residency program here in Corpus! It is exciting to see all of Aaron's hard work paying off, and it's hard to believe that his 4 years of medical school are almost at an end. Is there really life after college? Hehe! It will be interesting for both of us to see what life is like as Aaron enters the "real world" of work. I am confident that he will take on this new challenge with just as much determination and dedication as he had throughout his time in med school. I am so proud of him, and wanted to share my joy with you all.

Counting Sheep

Last night I had a case of insomnia, and the funny thing is I was soooo tired and actually went to bed early. Once I got there though I just couldn't fall asleep. So, just to try out the whole counting sheep thing I started to count...1, 2, 3, 4, 5...but after reaching only 17 or so I figured I might as well think of something profitable. You can only count so high! I spent from about 11:00 pm to 4:30 am thinking about the baby, praying, thinking about the baby some more and so on. Close to 4:00 I started getting hungry, so I went to the kitchen for a quick snack thinking that maybe I'd fall asleep better if my tummy was full. Well, it sort of worked, and I did fall asleep sometime between 4 and 5. But since my "snack" was a nice glass of milk I of course had to get and and "go" about an hour after I fell asleep. So once again I'm up, it's about 6 am and I am wide awake...I make it 'til 7:30 and finally head out to the couch and try to get comfortable enough there to sleep, which I did! Yay! I slept 'til 9:00 and then got up feeling less than refreshed, but okay. Anyways, the moral of my story is to try to stick to counting sheep. Who knows, maybe if I had made it to counting up to 50 sheep I would have gotten so bored and fallen asleep instead of waiting up all night wishing that sleep would come. :)

14 Days

With only 14 days until my cerclage is removed, I guess you could say that I'm headed down the final stretch of this pregnancy. I feel like I've been running a marathon (not literally of course!), and I'm just about to round the last curve and head down the straightaway. I can see the finish line, and knowing that the end is in sight is giving me that extra drive to complete the race nice and strong. I can't wait to run through the finish line banner and receive my prize...my sweet baby!!!

Pregnancy is a strange thing. It teaches you so many things about yourself that beforehand were unknown. For me, this pregnancy has taught me endurance, patience, trust, faith, thankfulness, compassion, love, gratefulness, and the list could go on and on. I think that I possessed in some measure most of these character qualities before becoming pregnant, but they have broadened and become much more a part of me as each day goes by.

I think it is due time to thank so many of you who have kept Aaron, myself & baby in your prayers. It is amazing and comforting to know of so many people who are praying this baby into the world. God is so good to give us such loving family and friends who constantly lift us up in prayer. So to all of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't wait to thank each of you personally, and to show off this precious boy who has stirred the hearts of so many already. We love you guys!!!

4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days

Yep, for the past 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days I've been on bed rest...that is until this past Monday when my doctor took me off of bed rest!!!!!!! Hallelujah! Monday was my 34 week appointment, and since things have been progressing so well my doctor officially let me get back on my feet. I had a sonogram to measure my cervix which measured 3 cm (wonderful!), and our little boy also got measured. He weighed in at 5 lbs. 4 oz. and should be around 7 lbs. at birth. My doctor is removing my cerclage April 1st, and she thinks that I'll have our baby later on that week! Yay! Praise the Lord that this pregnancy has gone so well. It's been a miracle to see what He's done over the past 7+ months. Continue praying for a safe (and relatively easy!) delivery.

Saturday's Forecast: Showers Likely

As the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours", and the love and generosity certainly did pour out at our baby shower this past Saturday. There were about 25 or so people there, and our precious boy received a downpour of gifts. I am so thankful to my aunt, Jennifer, for throwing the shower for us. It was just wonderful.

We played several fun games, including the "Guess How Big Grace's Belly Is Game" and the "Can You Tell What the 'Mystery Poop' in the Diaper Is Game." The second game was hilarious. My aunt had squished up 6 different candy bars, and then put the little "poops" inside of the baby diapers. Each person got a sheet of paper and had to guess what kind of candy bar was in the diaper. It was funny to see everyone smelling the "dirty diapers" and even funnier were the people who tasted the contents of the diapers! SO HILARIOUS! We all got some good laughs!

Here are a few pictures of our fun day.

Out of the mouths of babes

Earlier this evening, I heard one of the cutest things ever. We were next door at Granna and Pops' house (my cousin's grandparents) celebrating my cousin Meredith's 15th B-day, and as the conversation blossomed people started asking about how my pregnancy was going. Someone asked me how much weight I had gained so far, and I proudly answered that I have gained 42 pounds. Kenny, my 7 year cousin, piped up with this darling phrase: "Wow, your baby already weighs 42 pounds, I only weigh 59!" Needless to say, everyone started laughing and Kenny looked clueless as to why. It made my day, and I figured it might make your day as well to hear the thought process of a 7 year old. I mean, how else could I have gained the 42 pounds, of course it's all baby. Thank you Kenny, thank you!:)

My Big Confession

Well, today my taste buds got the better of me. We have been running a little short on chocolate around our house lately...Aaron ate it all, yeah right! So, this afternoon I decided to take things into my own hands, and FYI, it's not a good idea to let a pregnant lady with a sweet tooth loose in the kitchen. Here's what I came up with: Chocolate "Granola!" Healthy, right?! I basically melted a little butter and some Baker's chocolate squares in a pan, added a little vanilla, some marshmallows, evaporated milk, and cinnamon. Where is the "granola" part you may be thinking, well, I tossed in some chopped almonds, almost 1/2 a cup of chopped almonds, so that should count! Once the mixture melted, I spread half of it in a pan, then added some caramel sheets (left over from making caramel apples a while back) and then I put the rest of the chocolate mixture over the caramel. And listen here, I topped it all off with some old fashioned oats and some more chopped almonds. Looks like granola to me, and it tastes amazing! So there, I've confessed to you all, and no, I don't expect any sympathy when I complain about having to lose 40+ pounds after baby's born...well, maybe just a little sympathy!