Three Weeks to Go!

I can't believe that I'm full term today! Every single day, Kevin and I say to each other "I can't believe we're having a baby". Seriously, you'd think by now I'd be used to it. Nope! I don't think we'll believe it till he's here in our arms...and even then, we'll probably be like "who's kid is this?!" haha.

Today we learned that the 2 bedroom we're supposed to move into next Tuesday won't be completely ready. They said that the bedrooms will be completely done by then, just not the kitchen or bathroom. So Tuesday we're gonna start moving stuff into the baby's room and get that all set up right away. Right now, ALL his stuff is in boxes/bags, and I have no idea where anything is.  There is NO room in this apartment for any of his stuff. I never thought I'd pray for more time, but I'm really hoping he holds out atleast until October for us to get completely moved and settled and ready for him. Hopefully the big guy upstairs agrees...

36weeks2days

At our appointment on Friday, we learned that I have Group B Strep. In a nutshell for those of you who have no clue what that is...its a bacteria that could be very dangerous if passed onto the baby during birth. So they will give me meds through the IV as soon as I get in there, and as long as I have meds in me for at least 4 hours before he's born, there's no risk to him. So, Elias...take your time, okay?

Elias' Foot Book

Friday we had another ultrasound and checkup that went really well. They're estimating the baby to be just about 5 lbs, which is right where he should be.  The most wonderful part of the ultrasound though was seeing him grabbing his little feet with his left hand! So hopefully his last episode of holding his hand in a tight fist is just a comfy position, and not a muscular problem. We'll see...very soon we will know, but for now, seeing him grabbing his feet gave us hope. And that's what I needed to get through these last few weeks.

Right after our appointment we drove straight down to PA for a weekend full of showers. On Saturday, my wonderful mother-in-law and her best friend Jan threw me a baby shower. It was so nice to be with friends and family who love and support us. One of my favorite gifts was a scrapbook that the wonderful Suzannah Melhorn made for me. Its called Elias' Foot Book. Basically, she made all these beautiful pages for me to paste pictures of Elias' progress through his treatment for his clubbed feet. She is such an encouragement to Kevin and I. Her baby girl was born with clubbed feet about 8 months ago, and has now graduated to just wearing the boots at night. Annnnnd she has the cutest little chubby feet EVER!

The BEAUTIFUL diaper cake that Jan made

I'm a little tea pot...

Last night as I was just about to fall asleep, I felt this constant pop-pop-pop in my belly...the baby had hiccups! It was super cute.  I love feeling him move. I read the other day that the baby can now recognize familiar songs, and that it can be soothing once they're born to hear them. I told Kevin he should start singing to the baby every night. And, the wonderful daddy he already is, he has :)

Every time I pass baby halloween costumes, I have to stop and look. I've found a couple that are just so stinkin' cute, but they're all so big and bulky...he's only gonna be a few weeks old by then. But...while surfing around gap.com I found these ADORABLE little costumes. I can't bring myself to pay that much for just one day of use...maybe they'll go on sale sometime before now and then.

I especially like the cow :)

 Kevin made chicken pot pie tonight and mmm it was de-lish! I am SOOO glad I have a husband that loves to cook. Our eating habits have been WAY out of whack over the past few months. They're mostly dictated by my cravings, which is usually not a good thing. We decided we need to plan and chart our meals weekly, so that a) it will make grocery shopping easier and b) it will help us eat healthier and not spend so much money out. Hopefully we stick to it...

Lets give it a go...

Elias' face at 33 weeks

As we are a couple hundred miles away from most of our family and friends, I figured this might be an easy way to keep everyone updated with whats going on with our little family.

So here's the latest on our little bun in the oven:

Elias seems to be growing at a great rate! At 33 weeks, he was estimated to be 4lbs4oz. He's been in the 30-40th percentile the whole pregnancy, but I know those estimates are usually off, whether be a few ounces or a whole pound. As far as his feet go, the left is still very severely clubbed, and the right is clubbed (but not as bad as the left). We've done lots of research and spoken with numerous doctors, and are very confident they'll be completely corrected in just a matter of months. The past few appointments we've had, the doctors have been keeping an eye on his right hand/arm. In every ultrasound, he's had his hand up by his face, bent at the wrist at a 90 degree angle.  The first time they noticed this, they thought perhaps it was just a position he favored. However, 4 ultrasounds later, his hand is still in the exact same position, and they're now saying his right hand could very well be clubbed as well.  Annnnd the last two appointments, they noticed he was keeping his left hand in a very tight fist.  He extended his fingers, which was what they wanted to see, but it went right back into a first with his thumb tucked in.

The doctors don't really have an answer as to whats causing all these problems that he seems to have with every limb.  We met with a genetic counselor to discuss some family history.  They seemed to think there might be an orthopedic problem thats being passed down through the family.  I had hip dysplasia, my grandfather was born with severely clubbed feet, and a couple of cousins on his side had clubbed feet as well.  The one had a hand deformity as well. The doctor we met with on Friday said that typically, if there are other things accompanying clubfeet, theres something causing it, possibly a disease or syndrome.  The doctors will test his cord blood at birth to try and see if they can figure out whats going on.

I'm so thankful for a husband that keeps me grounded.  I've had so many moments of weakness where I can't help but question God. Why us? Why Elias? Why is every other baby I see perfectly healthy? He reminds me how much worse it could be. As far as ultrasounds can tell, everything else with the baby look great (he's growing at a normal rate, the amniotic fluid looks good, his heart looks fine..) He reminds me how we just need to trust. Trust that God formed baby Elias exactly the way he's supposed to be.  Trust that nothing is for certain yet...so many times doctors are wrong when it comes to diagnosing baby's in utero.

We will be moving two doors down in a few weeks to a 2-bedroom apartment.  We desperately need the space.  The most exciting thing for me about the move will be being able to decorate the nursery.  I think it will help me feel so much more ready for him once I have his space all organized and decorated.

Now its just a waiting game! We're at 34 weeks...6 more weeks to go (or maybe even less!).