38 weeks and counting!

Well, I didn't think I'd be getting any more pictures of my pregnant belly.

Sunday night I had some painful, cramping sort of contractions in the middle of the night. The pain was bearable and I just figured my body was preparing itself for my due date (which is April 8).  But the next morning I was surprised and nervous to find a lot of blood and big clots that I'd passed. We were nervous, so we went to the hospital.  I began having pretty consistent contractions and went from being dilated to a 2 to a 4.5 within about an hour. The nurses and doctors didn't seem concerned about the bleeding and there were mixed opinions as to whether I'd have the baby that day or later. Naturally, we hoped that it'd be this day.

The contractions continued all day. Painful, but bearable, but they never got any closer that 5-6 minutes. And my progression sort of stopped at being dilated to 4.5. So, a little sad, we went home that night.

Well, here I am, two days later. Still no baby. I've done a lot of walking, a lot of cleaning, I even had my brother in law try some reflexology on my feet. I'm still having contractions. A mixture of Braxton Hicks and the more painful ones...but nothing consistent enough. But I've come to terms with waiting.

This past Sunday while I was getting ready for church I was listening to BYUtv.  One of the speakers I listened to- Stanley G. Ellis, was speaking about choices we make among the unknown and the knowns of life.  Among other things, he talked about the early pioneers who were coming to Kirtland, Ohio from the east.  They didn't know how long they'd be staying in Ohio.  But in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the Lord said to these saints-
(DC 51:16-17)
"I consecrate unto them this land for a little season, until I, the Lord, shall provide for them otherwise, and command them to go hence;
And the hour and the day is not given unto them, wherefore let them act upon this land as for years, and this shall turn unto them for their good."

The speaker went on to talk about "acting as for years" and "unpacking your bag and settling down".  "Be there until you're not", he said.  I've thought upon these principles a lot today.

I won't lie, I was pretty disappointed that this baby didn't come Monday.  Tuesday I went on 3 walks in hopes to jumpstart labor!  But I've since then become okay with waiting.  And I'm content.  "Be there until you're not."  So here I am...with my pregnant belly... enjoying my last few days with just Liam until I can't any more.

The Lord is good.  What a tender mercy from the Lord that talk turned out to be.
(Here's a link to it- The Courage to Choose Wisely)

Oh, and these pictures represent another way that I tried to 'be here until I'm not'.  I could've been on another walk or down on all fours scrubbing floors, but instead I decided to get myself ready for the day and to take some last pictures of my belly while I still can.  (Oh, and don't mind the hospital bracelet.  I hope that doesn't discredit my story about my recent change of heart.  I just keep forgetting to take it off! haha)

Jonathan's visit

Chad's brother Jonathan just got home from his mission that he served in Brazil.  We had the privilege of having him make a stop here in Missouri before he headed out to BYU for school!  The only problem- I came down with the flu the very day that he flew in!  Poor guy.  I mean, I know there's not a ton to do in Bolivar, MO...but having to hang out with the sick sister-in-law all day that can't do much more than lay there.  But he was a good sport.  We caught him up on a few movies (mostly Pixar) and he had plenty of time to search the web.  Oh, and he got caught up on all his dental work.  I'm sure nights when Chad got home were a little more exciting for him.  The weather was beautiful and we'd spend time on the porch playing cards, Chad & him would throw around a football, play with Liam, yada yada yada.    Anyways, here's a few pictures that I got on one of those nights when I was feeling a little better.  

Ironically, I was feeling much better the day he left. His flight was out of Kansas City so we stopped by a few church history sites before dropping him off at the airport. Here's a few pics from the Independence Visitors' Center...

...and Liberty Jail...

...and then it was goodbye at the airport.

Wish I hadn't been sick, but it was so much fun to have him!!!

Interdepence

I was texting with a friend yesterday and we were talking about the need for and benefits of writing.  It can help you out of a "funk".  It can be a self-discovery process.  It can record your own personal history.  I sorta miss that part of me that shared her heart mainly through words instead of pictures.  Sooo, in an effort to recapture that piece of me and in response to a friend's challenge-  I write.  (Hope to see an update soon on your blog Traci!).

Chad shared with me something he'd read from "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People".  The gist- when we're young, we're dependent on our parents and the goal is to mature from dependence to independence.  Then later in life, the next level of development is to move from independence to interdependence.

With that in mind, a few weeks back Chad and me went dancing for our date.  I'm not much of a dancer, but it was a lot of fun.  It was a ballroom dance.  We were the youngest couple there...and very under dressed.  Lucky for me, Chad knows various dance steps, so I could just sorta follow his lead.

Halfway through the date, Chad helped me realize that I wasn't doing my part as a dance partner.  He showed me how I needed to be giving a little more resistance to his hand.  It was so much easier to just sorta hold his hand and let him lead the way.  I thought about the implications that this could have in our marriage.  I thought about interdependence.  He needs me to push back.  He can't do all the leading and I merely follow, like I had been doing in our dancing.  Likewise, I can't lead him.  I have to do my part and give a little.  Dancing takes two independent people doing their part, yet inter depending on the other.  A sort of synergistic creation.  Needless to say, that date has caused me to reflect on how I can "push back" and bring something more to our marriage.

...and because I think visuals are always nice even if they're just some low quality iphone pictures- the dance floor and live band.