3 weeks to go

Well, here I am...

3 weeks to go according to our due date, shorter according to Dr.R. For those of you who want these details, keep reading...

We had a great appointment on Friday morning. Honestly, it's the first time that I'd come in with some questions and with any discomfort. The rest of the pregnancy had been so great and I knew with some new significant changes, something was happening.

I hadn't gained any weight this time, but I'd definitely dropped. (There are about 25 stairs up to my office at church since it's on the balcony of the foyer and I'd been getting a little winded at the top with the new low pressure from the baby's dropping!) Between taking the 3 flights of stairs to the doctor's office (still trying to avoid having to take the elevator), getting up from the toilet after "giving my sample", trying to get my shoes, socks, and clothes off and put on my sheet, and getting up on the table for my exam, I was feeling a little overwhelmed by my body. Feeling like this is a real tension for me b/c I love the baby already and I love the experience, so I don't like to acknowledge that some days lately have been hard! I don't want to be ungrateful, you know?

Anyways... when the doctor came in, she could tell that I was a little overwhelmed and teary eyed and said she had a surprise for me. When we listened for the heartbeat, one of the nurse's recorded it. A few minutes later, they came in with a gift bag. It was a beautiful little stuffed bear that you squeeze in the belly and hear our baby's heartbeat - SO COOL! We've enjoyed showing it off - what a beautiful sound, a beautiful gift on many levels.

She started my exam by measuring and said that I'm all of a sudden measuring ahead of schedule. She continued to do the internal exam - I'm 2 cm dilated. This wouldn't be uncommon for my week and for a first baby, but I was also thinning and soft. She said I'm progressing fast and that's uncommon for a first baby - yea! She then told us that she didn't think there's any way we'd go to our due date. She thinks within 2 weeks from last Friday we'll have gone. Jeff was supposed to go out of town for a conference next week and all along she's said that's no big deal. This time she said, "unless it's earth-shattering for you to miss it, I wouldn't recommend going". So... we're really feeling like baby is coming soon now! She wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure that the baby is head down - it is. Great news. The baby was already practicing breathing patterns (preparing for life on earth with air, I suppose???) and they said this indicates that baby is getting ready to check out too. So, who knows? It's looking like we'll have this baby sooner than we thought! Keep checkin' back here...

Also... here is an "in progress" pic of our nursery...

Love,

J, S, & McBaby

Friends' Shower

Here are some pictures from a beautiful shower that Mandy Confer, a friend roommate from college, hosted for us. She is an awesome home maker!!! (Mandy is the one in the pic with long blond hair.) We prayed together, I gathered insight from other new young moms, we compared belly buttons as some of us are pregnant together. There were folks here that I know from college and high school. Thank you Mandy!

First Church Shower

Here are some pictures from a shower that my friends at First Church threw - Jennifer Stanley, Christina Smith, and Karen Daugherty. We had so much fun. The cake was SO incredibly cute! We, again, were so completely spoiled and got a lot of really practical gifts - even milk bags, diaper cream, and a nursing bra. ha ha. These are some great friends! We had time to pray together, take a group photo, and celebrate McBaby...

Couples Shower

Here are some shots from our couples shower a couple of weeks ago. The Smiths and the Daughertys hosted this at my parents house. We had such a blast with our friends - including dads, bros, and guys in our life! The first picture is when we received a quilt that Stephen (my bro) made for us. When my family celebrated Mother's Day this year, we were shopping together downtown and I showed "Uncle Stephen William" this quilt in a store that I really liked. He remembered and started working on it and gave it to us at our shower - awesome! He's the best brother! The other picture is during the "dress someone in a diaper" game. As you can see some look, uh, possibly functional and some look, uh, ridiculous. :)

Scharbrough/Haddix Shower

Here are a couple of pictures from a shower this week with my family. This is my cousin Katie and me - she is due 4 days before us. We make a cute and round pair of bookends, eh? We are only 3 1/2 weeks away!!! The cake and decor was all "sweet pea" - peas and polka dots. Super cute!

(pictures by www.melissahanleyphotography.com)

Here are some shots from one of my best friends, Melissa Hanley. We had such a great time with Melissa shooting these shots and feel thankful to have this part of our experience documented on film!!!

Anderson Shower

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Here are pictures from our first baby shower. We felt so incredibly loved, supported, and spoiled!!! It was a beautiful time together. The shower was for friends with whom I worked at Anderson Univ. and McLaughlin family friends too. The hostesses were Kimberly Majeski, Crystal Snyder, Jennifer (JJ) Wilson, and Debbie Sebastian. They held it at Madison Park Church of God in Anderson. We had an awesome brunch, I opened wonderful gifts, and then the women gathered around me and had a prayer time. I felt really honored. It made the reality of "BABY COMING SOON" very present also!

I have to say it was quite fun to re-open the presents with Jeff upon coming home. At one point he said while opening a gift, "a pack of three onesies? don't we already have three of these?"... we have much to learn...

What a day... today has been very relaxing and I have to be honest that I struggle with feeling a little guilty about that. I've worked for the last few weeks straight with no days off until now - working daily at Grace (which I love), working on the "off" weekends leading worship for conferences/playing concerts (which I also love), spent time working on the new CD (which, again, I love), and the list goes on and on. If I love all of this stuff, why feel troubled and why feel the need for a break?

For one, we're almost 6 weeks away and being pregnant can be physically taxing. I guess it has something to do with carrying another person around??? :) I love it... I also know that it requires more rest than I'm accustomed to. So, today, I declared Sabbath. I said "no" to things that are associated with work and "no" to things that would drain me and I said "yes" to things that fill me - this included lunch with a best friend, a bath, a pedicure, shopping for a few gifts for some gals that are throwing me a shower tomorrow, watching Oprah, cooking dinner, and writing on this blog. (I gave myself permission to write on the blog because I really enjoy it, although, I ruled out anything associated with work emails.)

What does this have to do with the baby and parenting and this blog? Everything. At church we've been doing a series on the idea of sustainable living. I've been thinking a lot about what we want to model for our children and a sustainable life is definitely one thing. It's not something that I can say that I honestly have right now. (...it's kinda hard to model something you don't do/have...)

This week I have been feeling very exhausted after multiple weeks of little to no down time. I decided that something needs to change. I'm writing about this not as someone who knows how to REST, but as someone on the journey who is trying to make a change.

The most important things in my life: time with Jeff, time with our beautiful family, time with our amazing friends, being plugged in to our church, cooking dinner, reading books, dreaming about baby. The least important things in my life: making lots of money, entertaining people for entertainment's sake, running around with a false sense of urgency. It's funny how easily my pace doesn't suggest that the most important things in my life really are.

Today is a change in the right direction - not because lunch at the Olive Garden is awesome or now my toes look good, but because I'm recognizing that if I stop, the world doesn't. It's good to recognize that you're really not that important in a way. How's that for honesty? It's good to recognize that just because I'm taking a break doesn't mean things will fall apart. It's good to recognize that the Creator of heaven and earth even took a break and who the heck am I to think I don't need one?

I want to model for our children that the most important thing in life is to be fully present. Today, I'm trying to make that change.

(photo by Melissa Hanley - www.melissahanleyphotography.com)