i want a hippopotamus for Christmas

Oh wait, I AM a hippopotamus..... Santa must have delivered early this year. He apparently is the only one to deliver early =)

Today is the official due date, and I think it will come and go just like the last 7 days have come and gone. It is a blessing, nonetheless, to get to this day because now I actually know that the baby will come. As a first time mom, I expected to be late, and now I will be. Bring on the anticipation.

I must say, though my heartburn has taken on a whole new rare and awful form, the emotional strain of the last week(s) of pregnancy are, for me, far worse than the physical. Certainly I expected to be physically uncomfortable, but I was unprepared for the mental game. Perhaps I should have waited to post the picture with the gun this week?

I've been thinking a lot about Mary and what it must have been like traveling on a donkey (that's a labor inducing trick I haven't tried), to get to a stable, to deliver the Son of God. Imagine that anticipation. She must have been an amazingly strong, faithful, and Godly woman... of course she was, God picked her to deliver Jesus. At this time of my impending delivery, I am drawn to her story and her strength of character and her Labor of Love.

Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite Christmas songs in the Andrew Petersen 'Behold the Lamb of God' Christmas program.

Labor of Love

It was not a silent night, there was blood on the ground. You could hear a woman cry n the alleyways that night  on the streets of David's town.

And the stable was not clean, and the cobblestones were cold. And little Mary full of grace, with the tears upon her face, had no mother's hand to hold.

It was a labor of pain. It was a cold sky above. But for the girl on the ground in the dark, with every beat of her beautiful heart, it was a labor of love.

Noble Joseph at her side. Callused hands and weary eyes. There were no midwives to be found, in the streets of David's town, in the middle of the night. So he held her and he prayed, shafts of moonlight on his face. But the baby in her womb, He was the maker of the moon, He was the Author of the faith that could make the mountains move.

It was a labor of pain. It was a cold sky above. But for the girl on the ground in the dark, with every beat of her beautiful heart, it was a labor of love. For little Mary full of grace, with the tears upon her face. It was a labor of love.

39 weeks. I couldn't find a watermelon or a gun.

40 weeks. I told you I was huge! When I look at this picture, I understand why strangers ask me if I am having a Christmas baby. I look like I could go any day! The vegetable for this week was a pumpkin. I had saved my pumpkin from Halloween, but it was quite moldy. Mike was thrilled to throw it out. We improvised with a bag of satsumas that probably weigh at least 5 lbs. Maybe not quite 7, but really.. the weight of the baby is any one's guess at this point.

In very exciting news, we are thrilled to announce that Mike's cousin Hilary had her beautiful baby boy, Collin Everett McLeod, yesterday 12/22 in Akron Ohio. It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Lord, Thank you for allowing me to carry this baby to term. I pray for an ounce of the grace that Mary had, and I thank you and praise you for the noble man that you have placed by my side.  

We can not wait to write an 'It's a girl/It's a boy' post. Oh, I suppose important info is that we will be induced on 12/31 if the baby hasn't come by then. However, my OB is fairly certain we won't even need to get to that point.

Merry Christmas. We love you all! Heather, Mike, and Owcy

swallowed a watermelon

This picture accurately describes how I feel today... I am 39 weeks, and I am mentally done with being pregnant. I think I've hit "the wall".

You HAVE to check out the blog where I this picture. It's hilarious, and it really did lighten my mood. 

http://www.pregnantchicken.com/

Enjoy =)

Just for the record, a small watermelon is the fruit of the week, but I couldn't find one.. even at Whole Foods. This shouldn't come as a surprise since it's December 16th =) This lovely lady and her watermelon (and her gun) will have to do. I'll post pics of my belly later this weekend.

take a leek

I'm sorry.. I couldn't resist the title of this post. Taking a leak is the story of my life these days (as I'm sure you can imagine), and I wonder if the folks @ babycenter.com found themselves clever for picking a 'leek' for week 38 of pregnancy? I find them clever, nonetheless, and I think this vegetable is highly appropriate.

These pictures make me look enormous.. perhaps that's just because I am? I really don't feel as big as this picture looks, and I think that's a blessing. I'm still relatively physically comfortable, just battling the classic 3rd trimester exhaustion and swollen ankles. I figure that's to be expected.... and I have lots of time to sleep and put my feet up this week. I plan to take full advantage!

I feel like I am holding a sword. Just FYI, these leeks turned in to potato leek soup, and I must say it was delicious.

Yesterday we went to church with our friends the Culbertsons. Baby Girl C is due Feb 15, and we can't wait for the babies to be friends. Here we were pretending that Owcy is a boy, and this was the first kiss of little boy Wade and little girl Culbertson. Hey, it practically worked for Mike and me, so it's not totally out of the question!

We had an OB appt today. Baby is fully engaged, but there have been no other changes. I think it's tucked in tight for the next few weeks.

We love you all, and we can't wait to tell you of the arrival! Love, Mike & Heather

Christmas is Coming...

The goose is getting fat. This year, I am the goose! Actually.. I feel very compact. I can't believe I am already this pregnant.

This post about the past week is a bit delayed, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

Babycenter says that BBW should weigh about 6 1/3 pounds @ 37 weeks, but we know from the US that it's likely bigger than that! However, I must say that we saw the OB today, and she thinks the baby will stay less than 8 lbs based on my measurements. I suppose it's any one's guess at the point. Either way, BBW is at least 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard).

 This past weekend, Mike and I got to see Illinois play BBALL at the 'Battle of Seattle"; Illini vs Gonzaga. We had a blast with friends from both Illinois and Gonzaga. I crack up at Mike at sporting events.. he can not be disturbed as he is so intent on everything on the field/court etc. I love his concentration. I tried not to ask too many questions, and I think I succeeded. Haha.

 Illini won! They looked great. Let's hope they don't keep up that cohesive team-ness so that Mizzou can beat them on the 22nd in the Bragging Rights game. If Baby Wade isn't here by then.. I am counting on that game to send me in to labor =)

 On the way to game we were stuck in traffic on I-5, and we happened to be behind what (to us) was an absolutely hilarious dichotomy of Christmas trees. The SUV on the left went the classic route, but this Lexus in front of us had a disaster on top of it. We laughed for 5 minutes.. I must admit this was much needed comic relief because we were just leaving a scene which included the dog eating my parents Christmas gifts and many tears shed by the uber-prego woman. Poor Mike. Nonetheless, we appreciated this Charlie Brown moment..

 Sunday I was blessed with baby shower #3 thrown by a lovely group of ladies from Church. It was wonderful. L-R: Beth, Wendy, Steph, Yours Truly, Rachel, Danielle, and Rachel. They had great games, company, food, etc, and it's always wonderful to spend a Sunday afternoon in the company of great ladies.

 We've also been working hard on the nursery. Mike is done painting, and it looks absolutely beautiful! The next few pics are the 'finished product' of what we plan to have done before the baby comes. Here's the cradle which we will keep in our room. This way we can leave the guest bed up for a few weeks so that grandparents can come stay!!

 The walls look fresh, clean, bright, and beautiful. Also.. these are the curtains made by Grandma Cooper. Don't they look fabulous?? She also made the crib skirt (equally beautiful and to be highlighted later).

Here's the dresser of our dresser + crib combo set. It's full of clean clothes and just waiting for baby! Let the nesting begin (or continue)...

I had a strange dream this week that I actually gave birth to triplets. Two of them were newborns, and one was the size of a 4 year old. I was so stressed out b/c I didn't have any clothes for the 4 year old =(. My mom thinks maybe this is foreshadowing.... I hope not!

Ok, I know I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow, so I will post pics of this week soon. I have to run by the store, though, for my veggie of the week. I just have 2 days left in this quarter.. that includes 2 papers, 2 presentations, and a day of clinicals. I am so close I can taste it. I've never wanted a quarter to end so badly.. there are SO many other WAY more important things to think about right now....

We LOVE you all, and we can't believe we'll get to introduce you to Baby Wade THIS month!