Happy Birthday, Bubba!

Happy birthday to Brian Bruce! Once we got over those first few years of clawing each other's eyes out, you were always more like a big than a little brother to me--thank you for that! You make me glad that our firstborn will be a son, so he can watch out for his little siblings. You really love our family and are so good to all of us. And you brought Jen into the herd, for which I'll always be thankful! I love you, brother! Hope your 25th year is wonderful!

Belly Pics

I think you can really tell the difference from this 36 week belly...

to this might-pop-at-any-moment 37 week belly!

I promise I can at least feel the difference!

(The balloon in the second pic is from my very kind co-workers, who threw me a lovely surprise baby shower last Friday!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am so very thankful this Thanksgiving Day. I have a caring, courageous, sweet, smart, funny, hardworking, good husband who loves me and lets me know that every day and in everything he does. I have the gift of a sweet, healthy little boy on his way to us. I have wonderful, supportive, loving family on my side and on Jacob's. And I have fabulous friends who share their lives with me. I have my faith, health, safety, and comfort. I have food to eat, a beautiful apartment to come home to, and clothes (of all sizes) to cover me. I live in the best and freest country in the world. I am thankful to God for these and all my many other blessings.

We're off to Josh and Melissa's for a Thanksgiving feast. All I'm responsible for this year is a pineapple upside-down cake and a garlic and red pepper dip for snacking on with chips and veggies--got off pretty easy, didn't I? I'm thankful for that too at the moment. :)

The happiest of Thanksgivings to you and yours!

They call him...

...Flipper, Flipper, faster than lightning!"

Yep, he did it! Andrew Thomas is now standing on his head!!! No more breech baby 'round these parts!

Our little Flipper had been particularly active yesterday and today, and had had a full out dance party yesterday afternoon while I was lying on the sofa. So when I went to Dr. G today for my weekly checkup, as he was feeling my tummy, I told him that with all the activity I'd lost track of how Baby was positioned. Dr. G said, "Well, I was just thinking that felt like it might be his bottom up top." So we took a peek and sure enough Dr. G said, "Yep. That's a noggin' down below." Yippee!!! I'm pretty sure the dance party was him climbing up and over.

His daddy is so very proud. Jacob said he just knew Andrew would flip when it was time. Why hang out upside down if you don't have to?

So...Dr. G called to cancel the C-section right then and there. And we're back to the original December 19 due date. I suddenly feel like I need to pack a suitcase and install the car seat and put together the bassinette! Eek!!! There's no planning it this way!

Today was my last day of work and the first day of Baby Andrew being considered full term. So here's this week's update from babycenter.com:

"Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz."

I think Andrew is probably more than 6 1/3 pounds right now, since he was 5 lbs., 10 ozs. at his ultrasound 2 full weeks ago! This could be a big baby. They're not unheard of in my family. :)

It's a sad day when you settle in for a nice warm bath and your hot water heater doesn't last long enough to cover your tummy.

Makes me really sympathetic to these fellas.

And this guy.

And especially this poor rhino.

Wonderful Winter Weekend

We had Jacob's mom, Julie, in town this weekend for an early Thanksgiving celebration and had such a great time! We spent Sunday afternoon with Josh, Melissa, and their kids at the outdoor ice rink a few blocks from our apartment. It was the kids' first time to ice skate, but they did great! The adults (except Melissa, who grew up playing pond hockey in New Hampshire) had a bit more difficulty. Julie and I had a blast watching from the sidelines.

Katie, on one of her first laps around the rink. She never even held on to the side!

Uncle Jake, giving it a spin!

Matt would do one lap with Mommy and Daddy...

And then join Grandma and Aunt Elizabeth on the sidelines for a rest. He entertained us with tales of his former glory days of ice skating and Zamboni driving in the "Ar Fus" (Air Force) when he "was big."
It was a perfect afternoon and there were no injuries (despite several wipeouts)! I promise Matt was happier than he looks in this picture, but we only got one shot!
With my favorite skater!

Sunday night, we enjoyed our pre-holiday meal at Two Quail, a quaint little restaurant on Capitol Hill. It was such fun! We just wish Jacob's dad, Dave, could have joined us, but he was on a work trip in Saudi Arabia. I'm so lucky to have such great in-laws!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Brrrr....We're having our first snow! I LOVE snow--it makes the cold worth it!

T minus one month

Here we are at November 16--one month until Andrew Thomas' likely birth day, and things are really changing around our house! New furniture has come in, old things have gone out. We're now surrounded by baby equipment and tiny clothes and little blue blankets, and it's wonderful!

My work life is changing, as well. This past week I gave notice of my resignation from the firm, to be effective the day before Thanksgiving. I'm moving on to my next job: stay-at-home mom! I am so looking forward to devoting myself to caring for my wonderful husband and sweet baby. Jacob and I discussed the possibilities extensively and came to the strong conclusion that, for our family, this makes the most sense at the moment. We feel like my being at home during the day will make life for all of us more pleasant, happier, and more comfortable. I know this new job will certainly come with its challenges, but I've always felt that being a wife and mother was my strongest calling and I'm so thankful to be able to devote myself to it entirely at this time.


This morning at Mass, the First Reading and Responsorial Psalm were so encouraging, affirming, and inspirational, in light of this decision and coming change, that I just have to share them with you.

First Reading:

ProverbsChapter 31
10
When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.
11
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.
12
1 She brings him good, and not evil, all the days of her life.
13
She obtains wool and flax and makes cloth with skillful hands.
19
She puts her hands to the distaff, and her fingers ply the spindle.
20
She reaches out her hands to the poor, and extends her arms to the needy.
30
2 Charm is deceptive and beauty fleeting; the woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31
Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.

Responsorial Psalm:

PsalmsChapter 128
1
1 A song of ascents. 2 Happy are all who fear the LORD, who walk in the ways of God.
2
What your hands provide you will enjoy; you will be happy and prosper:
3
Like a fruitful vine your wife within your home, Like olive plants your children around your table.
4
Just so will they be blessed who fear the LORD.
5
May the LORD bless you from Zion, all the days of your life That you may share Jerusalem's joy.

Congratulations to Aunt Buffy and Uncle David!

Many congratulations to my Aunt Buffy and Uncle David, who welcomed their fourth child into the world this morning! Their new baby girl, Katherine Love, bounced in at 9 lbs., 10 oz!!! She'll be called Bebe Kate because she's named for my Aunt Bebe, whose first name is really Katherine, but whom my Uncle Gene dubbed "the bebe" (translation: the baby) when she was born and for whom the name stuck! You can't help but love a good southern name! :) I can't wait to meet sweet Bebe Kate. In the meantime, I'm sending all my love!

35 Weeks and a Doctor's Visit

35 down, 5 to go!!! Here's what babycenter has to say:

"Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."

Dr. G said pretty much the same thing today at my weekly checkup. He said he really has no hope that Baby Andrew will flip, as he seems to be awfully comfortable just where he is, with his head just under my ribcage. I asked him about a maneuver the midwife who taught our hospital birthing class this weekend told me about (where you prop your lower body way up and lie inverted for a while to urge the baby to flip). He laughed and said it at least sounded safer than a method being advocated a few years back where the mom-to-be was to hold some sort of burning incense stick between her toes. Oh, well!

Speaking of the midwife instructor, she mentioned that some babies are breech because their umbilical cord is too short for them to safely be head-down or for other very legitimate reasons. That made me feel better because it made me realize that perhaps Baby Andrew being breech is the very best thing in the world for him right now and it would be awful for him to flip. It's all part of God's perfect plan, whatever the case, so I am just going to look forward to meeting my sweet baby boy December 16 by C-section!

Dr. G also listened to the pulse of the umblical cord and said it sounded great. When he first put the heart monitor on my tummy to do the listening, Andrew punched it right off! It was so hard that even Dr. G jumped back and said "Doesn't that hurt?" Haha-that's my little athlete!

Tomorrow I go for one last ultrasound to check the baby's growth. I can't wait to get another really good look at him and see how he's measuring!

Tummy Pic

I'm getting really big these days! Here's my tummy at 34+ weeks:

What a Night...

Obviously, election night did not go as I hoped, but that was no particular surprise. What was a surprise was the reaction around here. Beginning almost immediately after the news networks called the election for Obama, people started honking their horns and yelling in the streets. About 15 minutes later, the honking had escalated to sounding like a constant city traffic jam--tons of cars horns honking, over and over. About 15 minutes after that, I was surprised it was still going on. It didn't stop until around 4 AM. I'm a pretty hard sleeper (and super tired these days), so I was able to sleep intermittently, but poor Jacob was up all night! Ah, city life. Perhaps this was good preparation for those sleepless newborn nights!

We've Reached 34 Weeks!

34 weeks! We're getting close! From babycenter.com:

"Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies."

I've felt very reassured knowing that my friend at work delivered her twin girls at 33 weeks, 6 days and they are the happiest, bounciest babies around! I know there's no reason for me to worry about Baby Andrew coming early, but knowing that even if he did, he'd be ok, makes me feel good.

Election Day

Don't neglect to fulfill your civic duty and privilege today--be sure to get to the polls!

Jacob and I thought we would beat the crowd if we got to our polling site before it opened at 7 AM. Wrong! The line was already 3 city blocks long! While most of the people waiting in line were quietly drinking coffee or reading the newspaper, we managed to secure a spot next to two women who were determined to hash and rehash their roommates' drunken exploits at the shelter the night before. Loudly. And then discuss whether one of the women (who sported a mustache) felt more like "Minerva" or "Lou" this week, and how that might affect her wardrobe choices in the coming days. Again, loudly. For more than an hour. In the cold. But after far too much unavoidable eavesdropping, we finally reached the front of the line and succeeded in making our red dot in a blue District presence known!

And we witnessed some illegal electioneering. Way past the electioneering cut-off point, just in front of the door to the polling site, a man wearing an Obama hat and pin hops out of an SUV, flashes a big Obama poster, and then goes down the line, passing out sample ballots. Our chatty line neighbors inform him that he's inside the cutoff and not to go messing up their election, and he says, "I know. I'm on my way." Not even a plea of ignorance!

At work, people were reporting 3- and 4-hour lines, though, so I guess we lucked out. Are lines this long everywhere?

Anika and Justin are Married!

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Steffen! Jacob and I really wish we could have been in Chicago to help you celebrate last night. All our love and best wishes!!!

Catching Up

Time to catch up on what's gone on in the last few weeks!

Kimberly's Baby Shower

My sister-in-law, Jen, and I threw a baby shower for our sister-in-law, Kimberly, which ended up being more like an early birthday party for Lillian Rose, since she made her appearance just 2 days later.

The sisters-in-law!

Kimberly, with her sister, grandmother, and mother.

Mama and Kimberly, with Lily's new stroller and infant seat.

Charles came at the end, to help carry away all of Lily's new things.

Congratulations to the new parents!

KD Initiation

The day after the shower, I got to zip down to Tuscaloosa to see my cousins, Christian and Elizabeth, get initiated into KD at the University of Alabama. It was so much fun to be back in the KD house, seeing the girls at the beginning of their college experiences.

The old KD's (Aunt Leigh, Aunt Bebe, and me) with the new KD's:


My cousin Lucy came with us, too, which made it lots of fun. Cousins!

More Lily

I couldn't leave Birmingham without a final visit to sweet Lily.

And a close-up of feeding time:

This little half-pint, by her two-week checkup, had already gained a pound over her birthweight! Go, Lily!

And a close-up of those tootsies.

I was really sad leaving Lily, knowing that I won't be able to see her for several months, since I'm now restricted from flying and Andrew will be here soon. But I can't wait to introduce her to her first cousin in the Spring!

Pam + Doug

We had the pleasure of celebrating the marriage of our law school friend, Pam, to Doug.

Gettin' ready to go:

It was great to see friends from my law school small section!

Beautiful Pam, dancing with her daddy:

Gorgeous cake!
More great friends!

Matt's 4th Birthday

Our nephew, Matt, turned 4 and we got to visit in Virginia for his family birthday party.

With his big sister and (silly!) big brother:

Trying on his present from us, a cowboy outfit!

Luisa + Joel

Last weekend, we celebrated the marriage of my dear work friend, Luisa, to Joel.

Luisa was absolutely stunning! The happy couple's first dance:

We had a great time!

With all these happy events and some serious baby preparation going on, I hope you'll understand why I fell a bit behind on my blogging!