Impatient

definition: restless in desire or expectation; eagerly desirous.
Yes, this is me. I can't wait to get this baby out, to meet it, to name it, to love it, etc. Baby can really come at any point now. Earlier this week the Dr. said things looked good, (75% effaced, 1 cm dilated), baby's head is still very low and the Dr. commented that it must be uncomfortable. It is. She (the Dr.), then proceeded to tell Mark and I some natural ways to try and speed things along if we were so interested. She also commented that they would only work if the baby was ready. So we have tried all the things that people say might work: pineapple, pressure points, spicy food (we special ordered Chinese food with hot chili pepper), raspberry tea, etc. Yes, I realize that they are wives tales but it makes me feel better to do something rather than nothing. All this to say, baby must really like it in there. He/she must not know what they are missing - there are 2 parents dying to meet them.

On another note, 1 day of work left. I will be sad to stop working and will miss my students terribly. Today, I was surprised by a baby shower at work. It was a lot of fun...presents, talking with other women about babies, being encouraged that it is worth the wait. Oooooh, and there was yummy food! One of my favorite parts was when one of my students got to come to the part of the shower. He has been very interested in baby things lately, especially baby swings and it was fun to see him get so excited about the toys and such I received at the shower. He has also been telling his mom and myself that there is a baby in his tummy and its getting ready to come out. Boy won't he be surprised when I am the only one who produces a baby? One of my other students has been pretty sweet about the whole pregnancy thing too. He always asks if I am okay, tells me my belly is BIG, asks if I need to go to the Doctor. He has even gone so far as to help me out with names: *Jack Sparrow - boy name *Nim (from Nim's island) - girl name. I will definitely miss these two boys...we have spent a lot of time together the last couple of years.

As for the whole patience thing. I just have to remember God must have some special timing and I can keep praying/begging for more patience.

"Life is Good"

Mark and I got a chance to finish things up for the nursery this last weekend. Now everything is ready to go and washed and clean. We are still looking for a picture for one of our walls but we are being pretty picky about what we want. And then there is light switch/nightlight that was ordered, a delivery attempt, and then returned to Target...still not sure exactly what happened.

I had a Doctors appointment on Monday and have officially met all 4 of the doctors in the practice that could potentially deliver little Hubbard. Things are looking good. It is always so comforting to hear the baby's heart beating away at those appointments. I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced...too bad that doesn't give me any indication of when the baby will actually arrive. I am however, finally at the point where they said things should be fine if baby were to come now, which is great news! I guess only time will tell when we finally get to meet him/her.

Still Winter/Mark's Birthday

Friday we got slammed with a bunch of snow (a couple of feet), which was great considering it was the last weekend the resort was open. Unfortunately I-70 was closed most of Friday and Saturday making it difficult for tourists to get up...at least Mark got to get out and ski a bit. This is the view from our back deck.

Tanner also enjoyed the weather...



AND today was Mark's birthday. He got to talk to two of his nephews and his niece, both his sisters, opened presents, enjoyed a beautiful weather day (it was actually sunny), did some work in the nursery, and had a relaxing evening with a few friends and some Rock Band. Happy 29th Birthday to Mark...he is a great man, a wonderful husband, and I know he will be a great Dad too!

Date Night

Mark came home from work a bit early last night so we could go to the Michael W. Smith/Steven Curtis Chapman concert in Colorado Springs. We packed a dinner for the car and left our house around 4:30. The drive wasn't bad and was actually a nice change of scenery from our usual I-70 drive down to Denver. I hadn't been to Colorado Springs since the early 90's so it was fun to see a different part of Colorado. The diversity of the landscape in Colorado always amazes me.
We made it to the Pikes Peak Center shortly before the concert started but kept driving in search of an ATM. Luckily there was one very close by and it was there at the bank that I had the brilliant idea to switch seats into the passenger seat while Mark was inside getting cash. Mark came back to the car just in time to see me halfway over the center console and very stuck. With my belly much larger than usual I hadn't anticipated that I wouldn't be able to maneuver my legs up and over. We had a good laugh and he ended up having to come to the rescue and get me unstuck.
The concert was great - I am a longtime fan of Michael W. Smith and really enjoyed hearing him play and speak. Steven Curtis Chapman was great too and I was very touched by his story. Last year he lost his little girl in a tragic accident and he spoke of the hurt he and his family have felt as well as the healing God has given him. But he went on to say that there are only 2 days in life that really seem to matter. The day when we will be reunited with our Father and "this day" (today!) How true and what a good reminder to be living fully in the moment. It is often so easy to get caught up in the things that are happening next week, next month, next year.
After the concert we made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts (yum!) for coffee and a blueberry cake donut and then began our trip home. As we were climbing into bed at 1 am this morning we were both exhausted but so pleased to have had such a nice evening out with one another. (And Mark by the way isn't really a huge fan of either of the artists, so it meant all that much more that he went with me.)

34 weeks

We are at 34 weeks and getting very anxious. The first half of the pregnancy seemed to go by so slowly and now time just seems to be flying by. I have 3 weeks of work left, and a week of spring break (much needed!) I am feeling alright, still feeling sick, depending on what I eat. My back has begun to ache and I am having upper back spasms, but I can definitely deal with it and know that it will be WORTH IT!! Sammy is still moving a ton and likes to press down hard on my bladder which allows me the great privilege of seeing the clock often during the evening hours. It is good practice for what is to come, I suppose.

Baby Showers: I feel very blessed to have been celebrated by my friends in Oklahoma who gave me a shower at the end of February and also a shower with my friends here in Colorado. Sammy and I felt very loved and celebrated and had a wonderful time at both.

This last weekend Mark and I attended a fun-filled day of breastfeeding/childbirth classes up at the hospital. It was very interesting and we learned a lot as well as got to discuss how we plan to handle things when the big moment arrives. How do I want to manage pain? Do I want Mark to talk me through contractions? Do I want music, etc? We also got to take a tour of the facility, which we have seen many times before but definitely with a fresh perspective this time.
Also we are starting to get very curious as to when this new little bundle of joy will actually arrive. I hear there is a pool going in Oklahoma! We know that our lives will be different and so we are both trying to get in those last few things we want to do before he/she arrives. Mark is planning poker nights and itching to get in a camping trip and I am stressing about keeping things stocked in the house: do we have enough toilet paper, paper towels, etc. I know, silly things to worry about. But in all seriousness we hope to be able to plan/communicate with each other after little Hubbard arrives and still allow ourselves the freedom to do the things we enjoy (poker nights, Rock Band, coffee with friends, camping weekends, etc.) We both think it is important.

In other news we officially started a small group last night. There are 8 of us who will be meeting every other week. As we were all talking about what we want from the group it seemed evident that we were all excited to be a part of a group of people who are connected with each other both emotionally and spiritually. I am thankful that we will be a part of this group and look forward to sharing our lives with them, also excited to see what directions we decide to take with the group.