Naomi Has A Big/Little Cousin!

We are proud to announce that my brother (Drew) and his wife (Julie) have welcomed sweet Lillian Kate into the world! Slightly earlier than planned, Lillian arrived at the gestational age of 29 weeks and two days, due to some complications with mom. The Lord has had his protective hand involved all week as the events have come about, and Lillie is thriving! Julie is improving as the time passes and hopefully she will be feeling lots better within the next day or two. We couldn't be happier, more proud of Drew & Julie, and more anxious to get back to Kansas City to meet this precious little peanut.

So Naomi went from being the third grandchild on my side of the family, to officially being the fourth. :) Just goes to show we never know the plans of God, but that He is always good and always faithful.

Things Are Lining Up...

The chips are falling into place. Items on lists are being crossed off. We are gearing up to meet our baby and couldn't be more excited. I was officially 38-weeks pregnant on Friday and we found out the day before that our little one is weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces, at least as far as technology can tell! (They can sooo be wrong, so we'll see!)

This weekend I have reflected on all that has had to happen to get us to tonight. Almost ten months have passed since this baby came into being. We have packed up all of our belongings for the second time as a married couple and placed it all in storage. We have found temporary dwellings at a friend's house. The other night, Grant and I partook in a fun activity of covering my torso with plaster strips to make a cast of my belly. HilARious activity to do together. Friday around noon, I lost my mucous plug. Now please pardon me, while I recover from nausea after typing the phrase, "mucous plug." Early contractions have begun - now don't get your panties in a twist... they're not anywhere close to being regular. :) Hmmm. Did I just say panties and mucous plug in the same paragraph? This must be a blog written by a nurse!

Other things in order? My brother is safely off to Kanakuk Kamps for the next month, which was a milestone for my mother to get through so that she can feel comfy driving out to Indiana when I go into labor. I have also completed the majority of my hospital shifts, as I look ahead to a week with very little on the schedule! I truly cannot wait to relax and patiently await the arrival of my daughter. Wow. My daughter. This really is surreal.

RECAP:

38 weeks = down.

House = packed up.

Shelter = found.

Belly cast = completed.

Brother = at Kamp.

Plug = gone.

Contractions = started.

Work = finished.

Waiting = in process.

I believe she can now show her face any day.

Oh, alright. You can have a belly pic. Not my best hour and at the same time, close to my best hour yet. :)

(No) Home, Sweet (No) Home

Well, we are officially out of our house. After a looooong few days of final packing, lifting (on Grant's part, not mine), and cleaning, we are finished! And TIRED. We are currently sitting in the guest room at Kristin and Ryan Zeeb's house, some wonderful friends of ours who are sharing their home with us until the baby comes. We are so grateful for their open arms to help us in this way these last few weeks of my pregnancy. All of our belongings are now in a storage unit and transition has truly begun - not the 9-10cm kind of transition, just moving!

For those of you who don't know, we will be here in Upland, IN, until a number of days after the baby has come and then we will head to Kansas for a couple of months. We will be living with my parents, soaking up some good time with family and friends while Naomi is so new. Then at some point, date undetermined, we will move on out to Louisville.

While I would love to be settled in a home with a nursery all set up and organized, I am reminded regularly in my heart that our home is truly where the Lord is. You don't need the perfect house, perfect job, perfect external set up... we are simply placing our trust and stability in the constancy of God. We cannot wait to meet our baby and focus on the celebration of her life - even if there is no room at the inn. :)

I Got Pictures!

Below are some pics of a really fun baby shower that my mother-in-law's friends threw for me in Kansas City. I forgot my camera, so it took a bit to track down some pictures - thank you, Megan Birdsall! It was hot, but we avoided the rain, so we were grateful!

Visions of Peggy and what is to come... :) This woman cannot WAIT to get her hands on Naomi!

But she'll just have to wait, because she is still cozy in this LARGE, growing belly!

Again, blessed beyond belief by gifts from wonderful friends and family.

At the end of the shower, Grant made his appearance to do the manly job of loading up the car. Here, he announces that he is the reason for the gathering in the first place. I have to say honey, you're right. We wouldn't have been there without you!

Had to include this group pic with some of our favs - how can you not love the Birds?! Thanks to everyone who came, visited, and showered the baby and me. We are ever so grateful and thrilled to get to spend more time with all of you during our stay in Kansas City this Fall!