THE BEST LAID PLANS: Part Four

Welcome to our final installment of the birth of Jacob.  Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you and share how much it has healed me and changed who I am as a wife, mother, and even a caregiver!  If you need to read parts one, two, or three they are linked there.

After spending an hour in the recovery room, Robert called his Mom to let her know that we were heading up to our room.  Jacob was to room with me, something that I love, but I was uncertain of this aspect of my stay since I was not allowed to move for at least 6 to 8 hours.  This is yet another area that God began to show Himself off for me.

When I arrived in the room, my nurse, the nursing assistant, and the floor charge nurse were all there to meet me.  Each one introduced themselves, explained what their roles were in the hospital, gave me their call information, and in general made sure I was comfortable.  Robert and I were both impressed at how kind everyone was and how much they wanted to make sure we were taken care of and settled in comfortably.  Each one of them even offered to go and get Robert some snacks, sandwiches, and drinks.  We were impressed.

My nurse for Saturday was Brandi.  She was amazingly sweet, popping in right at the four hour mark to make sure I was getting all of the pain medication I was supposed to get, topping off my water, and refilling my cranberry juice.  She would snuggle Jacob while I got ready to nurse, changed dirty diapers without a grimace or hesitation, and in general treated me like I was a queen.  Were my pillows not comfortable enough?  No problem, she fluffed them.  Was I in too much pain?  No problem she would rearrange me to make me comfortable.  All in all, I was pleasantly surprised on how sweet she was, especially with my last nurse experiences at the other hospital.  My nurse on Sunday was actually Brandi’s mom, Linda.  She was just as kind as Brandi and also went above and beyond to ensure that Jacob and I were well taken care of.  My night nurse for both nights was another beautifully kind woman named Lacey who was expecting her fourth baby.  We had many discussions on how people look down at large families and how we enjoyed having so many little ones, even the ones that were surprises!

Jessica was the nursing assistant for both Saturday and Sunday.  She had the unpleasant task of helping me with the more yucky issues that come after pregnancy.  In spite of these tasks, she treated me with so much kindness and compassion.  When I was crying at having to be taken care of, and believe me there were plenty of tears over how helpless I felt, she would squeeze my hand and calmly remind me that she was here to care for me.  In my “Mommyness”, I struggled with needing help in the most basic of ways.  It is my job to care for everyone else that way.  Yet here she was, doing things that I would normally do for myself, and still treating me like I was a person of value and importance!  My nightly nursing assistant for both nights was Becky and she also went above and beyond, even helping with Maggie on Sunday evening, but I will get into that in a little bit.

For now, let’s go back to Saturday after our delivery.  After about an hour my crew arrived.  I heard them before I saw them; it’s hard to keep four excited kiddos quiet, even in a hospital.  The boys were so excited to meet Jacob.  Maggie was also excited, but she hung back letting the “little kids” meet him first.  Little did she know what she was in for this weekend!

Meeting Maggie.

 

Meeting Ethan.

Cole wanted to see!

John Robert looks so grown holding him.

Cole keeps telling Daddy, "See the baby!"

All four of our boys in one quick shot!

After Mimi took the big kids home, Robert and I were complimented by the staff.  Each one of the nurses, including the charge nurse, popped in to tell us how beautiful our family was.  They complimented us on our children, their manners, their excitement, and their obvious love for each other.  Of course Cole was the hands down cutest two year old that they had ever seen, or at least that’s what I heard them say. 

Robert’s Mom had to go home on Saturday and she took John Robert and Ethan home to Indian Town with her; so Robert had to go home to stay with the other two kiddos that night.  Once again I was in tears.  How was I going to care for the baby when I was hooked to all the wires, a catheter, and unable to stand?  I was still slightly woozy from the anesthesia and I wasn’t able to move on my own yet, let alone move with all the wires and machines.  Who was going to change Jacob’s diaper?  Who was going to get him when he whimpered?  Who would put him back to bed so I could rest?  What was I going to do?

Once again the staff stepped in and went above and beyond.  Lacey and Becky changed diapers, snuggled Jacob, and even helped me walk for the first time.  More than that, they cheered me on, encouraged me, and told me how amazing I was doing as a new Mom who just had a c-section.  When I would start to feel over whelmed with pain (because I kept forgetting to push the button for my pain pump), they would hold my hand or just stop and chat.  I knew I wasn’t the only patient on the floor, but I was treated that way, and it was wonderful!

On Sunday when I was finally up and walking around, I went and got my nurse, Linda and Brandi came along too, so they could see Cole kissing Jacob and telling him “Hi Buddy!”  They left all their paperwork and came to chat and see my kids.  They didn’t just pop in; they stopped and wanted to know things about us.  The nursing staff even bent the rules for us by letting Maggie spend the night with me on Sunday night so I would have someone from home close with me to help me.  Becky came in, helped us set up her bed, and offered us snacks like we were having a slumber party and not in the hospital at all.  Maggie slept some (more than I did! HA!), but even she noticed the kindness that seemed to ooze into the room when any of the nurses came in.

Finally Cole got to hold his "buddy".

He was so sweet and gentle, rubbing his head and giving kisses.

 

 Monday we came home.  I will admit that I was a little bit sad to leave the hospital, something that I had never experienced before.  Oh don’t get me wrong, I LOVED dressing Jacob in his “BEST” little brother outfit.  I loved getting the hugs from Cole knowing that we were going home. 

Mama has no more wires on and she is dressed!

Daddy mentioned to Maggie (our photographer) that he loved how Jacob was in orange and blue already!

Up, packed, and ready to go home!

 

As excited as I was at the prospect of taking a shower in my own bathroom and finally sleeping in my own bed, I was a little sad about leaving.  WHY?  I was leaving people who had taken the time to go above and beyond their job description to ensure that I was treated well.  Within the walls of Maternity Room 421, I was more than a patient; I was a person that deserved to be treated like a queen because I was a woman who had just taken part of the miracle of life called birth.  I was valued as more than a number on the chart, I was Jennifer Best, wife and mother.  I was special. 

 This hospital restored my faith in hospitals.  The staff treated me with more kindness than I had been treated in a long time.  They went above and beyond, even in the little things like cranberry juice put in cups to my preference, all the way to letting my daughter stay with me.  This hospital eased my fears over a surgical delivery.  They helped me cope that my plans were not going to come to fruition.  They didn’t stand in judgment of me for having a large family instead they welcomed all my children and enjoyed getting to know them the short time that they were there.  I was not just a number on a chart; I was a person of intrinsic worth and value.  I was not a blob in a bed to be dealt with; I was someone who had real fears, real concerns, real needs, and real joy. 

God used Jacob’s birth to bring healing to Robert and myself when it came to how we viewed the medical community and the hospitals experience.  I am forever grateful that He called me to walk this path of a c-section and to endure all the fear, anxiety, and ultimately healing that went with it.  While I do still wish I would have had a home birth, I do not feel cheated or betrayed in any way, and to me that says a lot about the journey that we endured to welcome our son Jacob into our lives.

 

 

THE BEST LAID PLANS: Part Three

If you need to read parts one or parts two, they are linked there.

Still in total shock, but at this point starving (since we hadn’t had any lunch and it was now 4:00), we left the hospital in silence.  After being on the road for 15 minutes all we could agree on was that we needed to stop to eat.  We pulled into one of our favorite restaurants, sat down in a booth (that I was almost unable to fit into because of my swollen pregnant belly), stared at each other for a few minutes,  (okay, actually we were eating the biscuits and coleslaw the waiter had dropped off), and finally began to talk.

We discussed our disappointment with some of the care we had received, some from the past and mostly what had been happening lately.  We discussed our issues with some of the procedures in the past.  We discussed our concern over the impending surgery.  We discussed how much the doctor was so kind and willing to put us ahead of her schedule, how she tried to put our minds at ease.  We discussed what was going to happen with our children.  The more we talked, the more acceptance started to settle over us.  We knew we wanted Jacob’s birth to be different, we just didn’t realize how different it would be!

Saturday morning dawned bright and early after a restless night.  We packed my bag, the car seat, and Jacob’s bag.  I kissed each one of my sleeping kiddos goodbye, thanked Robert's Mom (Mimi) for being there, and loaded up into the car to head to the hospital.  Nerves were starting to take over, but I deliberately purposed to focus on the fact that today I was going to meet my son!  Today I was going to have a new baby! 

We arrived at the hospital to be set up in the room to met the surgeon and begin the pre-surgery prep.  After a total review of everything the doctor himself came in to meet us and do an ultrasound to ensure that Jacob was still breech.  Of course he was.  Next we met with the surgical nurse and the anesthesiologist.  All was set to go.  I was a nervous wreck about the IV line (of all things, this might seem silly, but they stuck me SEVEN times before they got it to take with Cole), but it went in the first time. The nurse arrived, it was time to head into OR.  I kissed Robert good bye and was wheeled into the operating room, and I wasn’t scared at all.  I was at peace, something that I will admit, I found satisfying and surprising at the same time.

I will also must admit that women do lose some modesty in either a natural birth or a c-section.  To me there isn’t one that is worse than the other, they are just different.  I will also share that being awake and totally aware of all of the surgical prep was a very new experience.  Yet, through it all, I was calm.  I kept trying to close my eyes, not out of fear but so I could relax.  I was hoping to do a natural hypnobirth at home, so the breathing and relaxation techniques were really helpful at this moment.  I was getting so relaxed that they kept asking me if I was really okay!  I would smile (as much as you can with an oxygen mask on), and nod my head and keep thinking about how good God was.  I was not afraid.  I was not anxious.  I was about to meet my son.  I was at peace, which is odd for me; normally I am in a panic.  It was just one more way that God was showcasing His awesomeness to me at this time.

The prep work was over and I was put under.  Within five minutes Jacob was out of me and being cleaned up and within 15 minutes in his Daddy’s arms.  One of the things that made this experience so awesome was the fact that the nursing staff was more than willing to take a ton of pictures for me.  I also felt so much better knowing that Robert was going to be the first person to hold my son since I couldn’t.

 

Jacob Alexander Best is here!

A whopping 9 pounds, 11 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long.

I am amazed at how "BIG" his "little" feet are!

What a face.

Meeting a proud Daddy for the first time.

 

Waking up from surgery I was in a lot of pain.  I woke up feeling very woozy but I noticed that there was also something on me.  As a nurse held my left hand, another nurse was giving me some pain medication into the IV line, and Robert was holding my right hand.  I did not know where my son was.  I started to panic when I felt a tug on my chest.  I looked down and there was a beautiful and big baby boy, laying skin to skin on me and nursing.  It turns out as soon as I was wheeled into recovery the nurse had Robert put the baby on me skin to skin so we could bond.  I woke up and there was my son.  I was woozy, I was in pain, but I was getting the one thing that I had specifically asked for.  Jacob was nursing too, that was the little tug I was feeling.  I tried to smile and be coherent, but to be honest, I’m not sure if I was or not.  My eyes kept drifting shut and I was hurting and feeling the affects of the anesthesia.  I really don't remember much.  I do remember thinking that they told me he was 11 pounds and 13 ounces, but I was too out of it to remember everything. 

All I knew was that I was alive.  My baby was safe, and he was beautiful.  My husband was holding my hand after holding our son. The staff were all amazed at how calm Jacob had been the entire time, no whimpers or loud cries, just staring at his Daddy while his proud Daddy talked to him.  More than that, I was heard and cared enough for by this hospital staff to have my skin to skin wish granted.  I was not a problem patient, I was a new Mom who had to endure something that could have been heartbreakingly scary, but I was treated with dignity and respect.

Little did I know how much this staff would really care and go above and beyond in their treatment of not only myself but my entire family, right down to all the siblings that would soon be showing up.

 

THE BEST LAID PLANS: Part Two

If you need to start at the beginning, feel free to read part one, here.

Okay, one to part two!

You read right, God knew that I needed to heal from my previous two birth experiences that took place in hospital settings.  The first “bad” experience was the birth of Cole.  Having “large” baby’s, Robert and I have to endure the constant poking, prodding, and blood drawing that is performed on our children so that hospital protocol can be followed.  In the middle of the night, after being in the hospital since 7:00 am and enduring an induction with no pain relief, Cole’s sugar levels were not where the hospital wanted them to be.  They pricked his little heels every hour on the hour for six solid hours.

 At 2:00 AM, his “last reading”, the nurse misread his test.  I have always breastfed my babies, it’s what I do.  Instead of supporting me, this nurse told me that she was going to take my newborn son from me, give him formula, and put an IV into his head to make sure he was getting what he needed.  Needless to say I was beyond furious!  I was then labeled as a problem patient because my basic response was over my dead body!  From that moment on the treatment by the staff was not stellar, it was not a good time at all.  Nope, this was not a good hospital experience.

Fast forward one year when our son Samuel was born into Heaven.  This was painful enough in and of itself.  Robert and I had to endure the death of our 4^th son, our precious child.  We asked if we could bring him home so that we could bury him and mourn him in our own way.  We were told no, they had to send his small body to pathology since he wasn’t 20 weeks along yet.  I was crushed, but in my grief I tried to understand hospital protocol and procedures.  Fast forward a year later when my midwife was going over the paperwork of the miscarriage with me during a consultation.  It was then that I read that my son was never sent to pathology.  The paperwork came back that there was no fetal material in what was sent to the lab.  My baby was thrown away in the operating room of the hospital.  I was crushed all over again.  Horrible hospital experience number two.  All of these experiences combined were all the more reason for Robert and me to pursue a home birth.

In spite of our desire for a home birth experience, God knew that we needed to heal totally from all the “bad” that we had in our lives. 

Yet here we sat. In a hospital room being told that our son was breech and we would need surgery.  This brought about a whole new set of questions, most specifically with regards to the constant recurring cyst on the bottom of my spine and the how’s and what’s of the C-Section that I was now being told I had to endure.  This is when the healing began to take place.

The doctor was amazing.  She literally sat in our room for 30 minutes (if not more), and explained everything.  She walked us through both the spinal and the general anesthesia scenario.  She took the time to explain everything, right down to how the big kiddo’s visits would be.  She let me sit there in shock and responded with complete compassion.  She then left the room and told me she had to go to make the call to set up the operation. 

Robert and I sat there in silence for a minute.  We were still in shock, and to be honest I was scared.  What if they had to do the surgery with the general anesthesia?  What if I died?  What would Robert do with five kiddos and no wife?   What if the earliest that they could get us in was Tuesday?  How would we handle Robert’s job?  Who would come and help us with the kids?  What if I needed more time to recuperate than we were being told? 

What if……What if…..What if….. 

The doctor came back into the room and smiled.  Her exact words were:
“I don’t know who you’ve got praying for you, but instead of having to wait until Tuesday, we have got you scheduled for tomorrow.”  She grinned and I felt instantly better.  Then the doctor went on to explain that she would not be there tomorrow to perform the surgery but she would be in first thing Sunday morning to check on me.  Now Robert and I were given the task of signing paperwork and heading home to get everything ready for our first ever experience with a C-Section.  It was time to plan and prepare for the birth of our son!

THE BEST LAID PLANS: Part 1

I keep saying that parenting makes a person learn how to be flexible, for us these past few weeks there is a lot of truth in that.  I have always said that there is no point to making “birth plans” or outlining how I want any of my children’s birth’s to be.  However, I decided that I wanted this birth experience to be different since we had some very unpleasant hospital experiences with the birth of Cole and the birth of Samuel into Heaven.  We opted to try a homebirth, a birth that allowed us as parents the freedom to move and come and go as we sought fit. 

Deciding on a homebirth was not an easy decision.  We knew that there would be naysayers (we deal with that on almost every decision we make, why our birth style choices should be any different), we knew that there would be questions.  In spite of the criticisms and constant questions we researched, read, and watched documentaries and anything written on or by Ina Mae Gaskin.  I rented the “Business of Being Born” from the library and watched it alone and then with Robert.  We weighed all of our options and prayed about the decision we needed to make.  The more we researched the more we felt that we were making the right choice, a home birth was for us.

In June we met with a local midwife that came highly recommended.  I readily admit that I enjoyed the personalized care that her office offered us.  What struck me was that I as more than a number on a chart, I was a person with a name, a history, and story that was worth listening to.  I was more than just a number on a scale, I was a person that shared what they loved to eat, craved, or any vitamins that were taken, and I was worth more than five minutes of the midwife’s time.  I enjoyed my prenatal visits very much, even the dreaded sugar test.  I was on target for a home birth, and I was beyond excited.

Robert and I counted down the days until our newest gift from God, our son Jacob would arrive.  We figured he would be late, almost all the other kiddos were, and we knew to plan on that.  Week 40 came, and no Jacob.  Week 41 came, and no Jacob.  The midwife insisted that we needed to go to a local hospital for a routine non stress test.  This test turned out to be anything but routine for us!

The first hospital that we went to would not perform the test on us since I was a candidate for a home birth and would put their hospital at too much of a risk.  We arrived there on Tuesday, January 21^st at exactly 41 weeks.  Robert was beyond furious.  He had taken the day off of work to only be sent home and be told that we will have to continue to wait for a baby.  We agreed that if labor didn’t start by Friday we would try another hospital, one that we were told would keep up since the baby was “past his due date”, but it was our only option at this point.  We arrived at Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Friday about 11:00.  After some confusion about the paperwork and the dates that we were supposed to arrive, we were finally taken to Labor and Delivery for the tests that needed to happen.  We were promptly strapped to the monitor and then left to monitor the baby.  He looked perfect.  The doctor on call that day was pleased and ready to send us home, but at the last minute decided that an ultrasound should be performed.  This was when the fun began.

As the ultrasound tech explained the test we knew we would get to see what the baby might look like and how big he would be.  We didn’t know that he was going to give us the biggest surprise of our lives.  As she did the test, she calmly asked us how long little Jacob had been breech.  Robert and I both looked at each other in total shock and disbelief!  Breech?  Jacob was supposed to have been head down for weeks.  BUT no, he’s breech!  What would we do?

The answer was simple and yet heartbreakingly scary and overwhelming all at the same time.  We would arrive back at the hospital on Saturday morning for a C-Section.  My dreams of a non hospital birth that was not restricted or causing me any pain or undue stress was dashed.  Not only was I not going to be able to have my son the way that I wanted, BUT I was going to have to have major surgery and be totally put to sleep and not even meet my son for at least an hour after his birth.  I was crushed!  I cried the whole way home and half the night.  I was nervous, I was anxious, I was scared, I was hurt, and I was confused.  Why would God call me to walk through this?  The answer was more profound than I realized.  I needed healing.

CHANGE

I am about to date myself in a major way here, BUT, when I was in high school a song came out sung by Tracey Lawrence titled “Time Marches On”.  The chorus of the song states:

South moves north, North moves south
A star is born, a star burns out.
The only thing that stays the same is everything
changes, everything changes.

I have often thought that there was a lot of truth to that simple chorus.  I still think that to this day, almost 20 years later.  (Yep I just dated myself in a major way! HA!)

I had heard a lot growing up that the only constant in our world is that everything changes.  The other day when Robert’s Mom was up for a visit Robert and Mimi were discussing how much things have changed in just his lifetime.  When he was born 36 (almost 37) years ago, there were no personal computers, tablets, smart phones, well any cell phone.  People still sat around and talked.  There was no internet or Facebook.  No blogging.  No Information Super Highway.  There were still rotary phones, pay phones, typewriters, and home economics classes. 

Yet in 36 short years, all of that has changed.  Now it is rare to find a pay phone or a typewriter.  Kids have tablets and smart phones starting in Kindergarten, and can use them better than most adults.  (I know Maggie had a grand time showing my folks what their phones could do when they finally broke down and upgraded to smart phones at Christmas time).  The only constant that most of us can see in the world has been the constant of change.  Technology moves us forward.  There have been advancements in the medical field, the technological field, the way we work, play, and even interact in our family dynamics has all changed.  For almost all of us, change is indeed the only constant that we can claim is truly consistent within our lives.

Yet, for the most part, we are creatures of habit that resist changes.  We don’t like to upset our unique routines.  We don’t like the idea of doing things differently.  We set our lives into what we feel is an orderly fashion and want things to stay that way. I know that if my “routine” is thrown off a little bit I feel like my whole day, week, or even my month is spiraling out of control; and I think that I am a fairly flexible person (kids do that to you). The reality is that nothing ever really stays a certain way.  Life is always changing, stretching and growing you and with good reason, we are meant to live in a world that changes.  Think how boring our world would be if everything was the same day in or day out.  Kind of like the movie “Groundhog Day”.  After a while even “good morning” spoken to someone is pointless and meaningless.

Actually we are wrong if we think that the only constant that we can cling to in our world is that change is inevitable.  Change is inevitable and the dread that change brings can be scary, but there is another constant that we often overlook and fail to consider as we move and change.  All too often we forget to cling to the fact that God has said that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  No matter how many change occurs in our lives, He will sustain us and get us through. Why? God is God.  He is The Beginning and The End, The Alpha and The Omega.  He is the Author of our lives and the changes that come into them.  God is the Everlasting One, the other constant of our world, and the One that doesn’t change.  Our world changes, but God never does.  Knowing this truth, we can find peace and rest in the changes that do occur within our lives, no matter how big or small they are.

Our lives here within the Best Family are changing.  Some of the changes are good.  Some of the changes are stretching us in new ways, challenging what we have always known or thought of to be right.  Some changes require sacrifice.  Some of the changes mean that we will get to love, laugh, and play more.  Some of the changes mean that we will have to restructure and rethink our routines.  No matter what the changes are, one thing is certain, our world is changing, our family is changing, and we have to change with it.  But if we cling to the other constant of our lives, our faith and belief that God is indeed who He says He is, the changes won’t be so hard.

Changes are indeed coming to the Best Family in 2014!  There are big changes and little changes, but they are coming.  I for one can’t wait to see them happen and see how they will mold us into a closer more loving family and more into the image of Christ!

 

 

I AM A MARTHA!!

This morning we were reading in Luke 10:38-42, the story of Mary and Martha opening their home to Christ and His disciples.  It is a lesson that I have read several times and come back to a key note.  Usually I’m struck with the idea that I need to be more hospitable and more willing to open my home and heart to those around me.  The gift of hospitality is something that I used to enjoy in the past, but the more children we have the less we have seemingly exercised this gift.  Reading this passage this morning it struck me that I need to open my home and in turn my heart more.

As I continued to skim these short verses something else struck me, and it hit me like a lightning bolt.  As we go to kick of 2014 waiting on the arrival of our new son, I am a Martha.  In this short passage, Mary sat at the feet of Christ willingly and waited to hear what He had to say.  She clung to his every word wanting to not miss one piece of His wisdom, to really hear Him.  Mary was fully in the moment, fully enthralled, and fully engaged in Christ.  Martha was working; not just being with Jesus but working for Him.  She was, as the old expression says, running around like a chicken with her head cut off, instead of seeking to engage and BE with Christ.  Mary was WITH Christ, Martha was working FOR Christ.

Then it struck me.  I AM Martha!  I get so busy running and doing.  I jump up from my bed (well here lately I am more likely to roll out of the bed, but you get the point), and start my day worrying about my never ending to-do lists.  Laundry washed, dried, and folded……dishes done…..bathrooms cleaned…..meals fixed…..children schooled…..errands run……more meals fixed…..more laundry…..extracurricular activities taken care of……the list goes on and on.    Before I know it, the day has gotten away from me and I have not taken the time to BE with Christ.  Oh, I might do a small devotion.  I might read a quick snippet from one of my favorite author’s and say a quick prayer.  Yet, if I am being totally honest I am doing this because I have to, not because I want to.  I am so busy working FOR Christ that I forget to BE with Him.  I forget to sit quietly at His feet, with just my Bible, waiting for Him to say something to me.  I miss being in the moment and allowing Him to speak to me, whether it be the truth from His word or a snippet of truth from another person, I don’t try to listen to what He has to say.  I do my devotion to cross it off my to-do list and not to encourage a relationship with my Lord.  I am missing out on BEING with Christ.  This saddens me.

It’s the start of 2014.  It’s a time that most people make New Year’s Resolutions.  Truthfully, they are something that I don’t always agree with.  I don’t think that we always set realistic goals and desires for ourselves.  BUT I find myself thinking on how much I am like Martha and how I need to be more like Mary.  I think that I need to take out more time and BE with Christ.  I’m not sure exactly how that will look.  Truthfully this realization means that I need to change how I am thinking about some things (like Facebook and TV) and work on my end of the relationship with Christ.

I am starting 2014 out as a Martha.  My prayer is that I will become more of a Mary and that I will learn the value of just BEING with Christ every day. 

GETTING READY FOR JACOB!

We are in the home stretch.  At my last appointment the midwife mentioned that Jacob had dropped and we are “good to go” anytime between that night and within the next month.  Of course, I am hoping for sooner rather than later.  BUT, I am willing to be patient because I know that the end result of a beautiful, healthy, and bouncing baby boy will be worth all the backaches, leg aches, extreme pelvic pressure, waddling, midnight, 1:00 AM, 2:00AM, and 4:00 AM potty breaks!  (Okay so I am ready now, but…..)

We have been getting ready for Jacob in many ways.  We washed all his clothes and bedding accessories last November.  We got his new diaper bag (monogrammed of course) about 2 weeks ago.  We got 2 packages of size 1 diapers and a package of sensitive baby wipes plus my favorite baby wash and lotion ready.  Today I was able to check the last thing off my list, the crib mattress has been raised and the crib has been made.  So we have the diaper bag ready, the car seat is washed and the base is ready to be put in, all Jacob’s laundry is sorted, folded, and readied on the changing table and his dresser, and the diapers and some baby wash are here with his tub ready to go. Plus the big kiddos (after much debate), have Jacob’s WELCOME BABY outfit picked out from his hat to his socks!  All our birth supplies are gathered together from snacks and Gatorade to clothes.  All that we are missing is Jacob!  Maybe we will get lucky and he will come tonight!  What a New Year’s gift that would be!

So without further ado (and because of some requests), here are some photos showcasing a 38 week baby belly, some little teeny, tiny baby diapers, and all of our baby/birth supplies! 

A belly shot!

Jacob's new diaper bag.

The "WELCOME" Baby Outfit!

A teddy bear "sweet pea" gown, little socks, a crocheted hat, and teeny diapers!

 

The crib and changing area ready, right down to the bed being made!

I ADORE how this baby wash smells!