Some highlights of Jackson Thomas.

Sorry for the long wait and much needed updates and pictures

Welcome Jackson Thomas Born July 2, 2009 at 2:35am

8-5 lbs, 21 1/4 in. long

Precious Moments:

Coming Home from the Hospital:

Exhausted after getting settled in at the home- Daddy and Jackson taking a much needed nap.

Rob's Mom came into town to help for awhile. Yes, we enjoyed our naps with Nana too!

Aunt Sarah came down for a visit:

Brunch with both Grandmas

Two Weeks Old:


Smile or Gas???

Three weeks old:

more to come...

"Things are popping out around here"

The other morning, I saw this deer wondering around our yard, eating our roses, and trying to eat our spinach. I shewed her away to try and prevent her from deciding our garden was a place to feast. Well, come to find out, she was looking for a place to nest.

For that night, our neighbor calls our house phone and was leaving a message when I awoke my husband to check things out. He looked out our front window and there were two cops shining their spot lights in our yard. Come to find out, there was the deer who decided to birth her baby in our front lawn, and our neighbor witnessed the entire thing!

Now, we do not live in a forest or even near a forest, we live in the middle of the city a mile or so from downtown; so for a deer to have her fawn in our front lawn is very big news! I was very sad that I didn't get to witness any of it, for deer have always been a symbolic part of my life. The symbolism is truly a blessing from God, because at our wedding we had two deer bucking heads in the back of the ceremony, and now I am days away from having a baby and a deer decides to have her fawn in our front lawn. God you truly have a sense of humor!

Secondly, we have had a very persistent Robin building this:

and laying these:

When we realized she was nesting, we would knock her nest down because we knew that we would consistently disrupt her going in and out of the back door; but she won. Therefore, I watch her everyday tend to her nest.

So, there are lots of things "popping out around here" as my neighbor said. We are just waiting for Baby C to make his/her grand entrance. Luckily, I will not have to labor and do my birth on our front lawn with my neighbor as our witness. :).

3 Weeks and Counting

Well, it has been awhile since I have updated the blog, so let's begin.

As of today, I am 3 weeks from my due date. Everything is going very well. I feel big, a bit uncomfortable, but cannot complain knowing that in a few weeks (or any day for that fact) all this could be over. I am just trying to embrace every moment, movement and feeling of this pregnancy- for it will never be a "first" again.

Now, let me share the BIG SURPRISE that I received last weekend. My husband and I went away on our last "baby moon" to Santa Fe. It was such a joy because one thing I have really desired this pregnancy is a jetted tub. The tub allows me to control the water temperature but to have the luxury of the jets, and that is one item my husband guaranteed me in the room. Sure enough, when we got to the room, the first thing I did was grab my book- draw a big bubble bath- and didn't get out until I absolutely had to! It was WONDERFUL! But this isn't the big surprise...

Here is the background story to the surprise:

I had given up on the idea of completing the nursery before the baby was born. I am still working 40 hours a week, pregnant, with not much extra energy these days. Plus,we have chosen other house projects to complete before diving into the nursery- i.e. planting the garden, installing a wood floor in the kitchen, paint and organize the laundry room, etc. Another reason was the crib set I had picked out tends to be on the boyish side, and I didn't have the time to invest on being creative to make it work for a boy or girl. So, decorating the nursery waited.

While away enjoying the weekend- my husband had secretly hired our friend, who is an amazing artist, to have full range to the nursery. He had shown her the crib set and the furniture and said "Go for it..." When we walked in the door, my husband blindly lead me into the baby's room to see this...

This is a picture of the crib set.

To say the least, I cried in my husband's shoulder, for my heart was absolutely overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. I loved that it was gender neutral, original, it matched the crib set we purchased, and it was more than I ever expected or dreamed of!

So, here are the pictures of the completed nursery:

Now, we just are awaiting for the baby to come...

Honey, Thank you SOOO much for taking care of our family, and facilitating a welcoming environment for our little one.

"Prayer works!"

Dear Family and Friends,

We have a wonderful announcement to make...today we had a follow up visit with the specialist regarding the dilation of our baby's kidneys. As I laid on the ultrasound table watching our child, the ultrasound tech snapped a shot of the kidneys and said "Wow, there really isn't much to say about them." I asked for clarification, and she said, "They are normal size". Rob and I looked at each other and just smiled and said "Prayer works"! Of course, these results had to be confirmed by the specialist, and sure enough he said the same thing. We have to follow up again in 4 weeks to confirm that nothing has changed, but we know that we serve a big God!!!

Many, many thanks for the multitude of prayers that were offered on behalf of our family.

Much love,
Rally

P.S. One of our favorite parts of the ultrasound was watching our baby's mouth move. He/she yawned and was practicing a sucking motion... So precious!

A walk down memory lane

Two weeks ago Rob and I had a much anticipated date to see this band perform. Rob and I were out on a Saturday morning errand run getting breakfast burritos at our favorite place in town, when we heard on the radio that they were coming to town. Since we have been married, we have discussed the opportunity to see this band play, and when we got home we immediately got on the internet and purchased tickets. Sure, it was a splurge for us, but we are trying to make the most of every opportunity to "play" before our baby comes.

The concert was worth every penny spent!!! We had such a great time watching the amazing talent this band displays. They would play each other's instruments without a break in the song- very impressive. They were wholesome and very interactive with the crowd, besides having great music. Rob is a bass player, and their bass player writes the majority of their songs, so Rob has always been inspired by him; so to watch him on in concert was a quite a treat.

So, why a walk down memory lane? Before we went to the concert we ate at my favorite Thai restaurant in Denver... well at least it had been before. I lived in Denver for 2 years after I graduated from nursing school and worked at University of Colorado Hospital. It was very unique time of my life were I was diving into the academics and skills of nursing, lived with a couple of special friends creating unique memories of exploring Denver. During the first year there, it seemed like on a weekly basis, my roommate or I would call in an order to the Thai restaurant and we'd pick it up to eat at home watching a movie we rented from the Library. We would order the same exact thing every time... it was a no brainer! (BTW, J. if you are reading this, it wasn't the same great taste we had experienced that year... the thai tea was a little to sweat and I would want my chicken a little more spicer now days :).

As I sat there, with my husband, reminiscing about the experiences and times spent wondering what life was all about. My hope, as I worked at a teaching hospital, would be meeting some med student, fall in love, and the rest is history. As I sat across from the love of my life (who gets light- headed with the sight of blood), with child, and basically working at a community hospital... I just had to smile with the way that God orchestrated my life path. How happy I am that God did not answer my prayer/hope of "big city" living. I enjoy visiting Denver, and if God chose to move us to a bigger city- we would absolutely make the most of it!

I appreciate those two years living in Denver, they were full of great memories, laughs, prayers, socilizing, lessons, and molding me into the person I am today.

"It's Just Been Busy"

Hello again... Honestly, I need to say- Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Valentine's Day as all of these holidays have passed and I have not updated our blog since the beginning of December!!!! Yikes!... Yes, it's been a little busy.


We are trying to stay afloat the many demands of life- working full time, being pregnant, and getting ready to be parents, our schedule has picked up Bradley Classes on Monday night, graduate studies on Tuesday, and squeezing in water aerobics/exercise to keep up with our health. There hasn't been much time to sit down and keep the blogging world updated, but my husband is out with a friend this afternoon having a beer, which gives me a minute to check this outstanding task off my list:).





How am I feeling? GREAT!!! Honestly, this has been a wonderful pregnancy. I LOVE the second trimester. Sure, there are days that I am discouraged that I have gone up a pant size, but it is apart of this beautiful season/journey... Right?! The best feeling in the world these days is feeling this little one move in my belly. Today, the movement is a little higher in the abdomen meaning the baby is growing and so is my belly.





We are now 23 weeks into the pregnancy, with the sex of our baby remaining a surprise. We had our first ultrasound about a month ago measuring all the beautiful organs of our little one. At this time, they had two concerns- the stomach was absent/small and the kidneys were dilated- finding these abnormalities we were referred to a specialist. It was a long two weeks of waiting for this appointment- I wanted to know what was occurring with this little baby.





The appointment finally came, and I received the greatest blessing of watching our little baby for an hour or so as they got ever measurement possible to make their final diagnosis. In every ultrasound, I have yet to leave with a dry eye- not because of bad news, but just amazed that I have this life growing inside of me. I cannot wait to meet this little one!!!!


Now the results: the stomach measured normal, the kidneys however are still dilated. This could be one of two reasons: 1. The blood flow from the placenta and/or estrogen level from me is creating this dilation to occur. 2. It could be a small marker for Downs Syndrome a "1/2000 chance". The news at first was a lot to digest, but the more we processed and thought through the small chances of having a child with Downs, the more excited we became. I cannot tell you the peace that has reigned over us the past weeks. For those of you who have known and prayed for us, we have definitely felt the Lord's presence in our lives- so thank you.



So now what? We have more doctor's appointments and ultrasounds to continue to monitor the kidneys. If they continue to dilate while in the womb, surgical intervention will be needed after birth. If this occurs, we will cross that bridge when it comes with strength and grace that only comes from the Lord.







In the meantime, we are continuing to work on ideas for the nursery, reading books, house projects, and preparing my heart as a mother. I am going to be a mom... that word strikes a million different cords as I think about it.... sigh. Can I do it? Can I give this child everything it needs? We are beginning a new heritage... can I really be old enough? Am I ready? ... I believe our baby is giving us a thumbs up :).