Dear Danilo,

Well, baby, it's almost time. You almost get to meet your baby brother, and you are awfully excited about it! Though I still call you baby, you are far from it! You are getting pretty close to your 4th birthday, and you show perception, maturity, self control...

- ok, except when you're being goofy - 

...wisdom and perseverance each day. It's pretty amazing getting to do life with you.

Here are some of my favorite moments from the past few months:

2/9 You took your first train ride on ”the red train” (the San Diego trolley) with Grammy and Grandpa Shaun.That same day, you brought your Grandpa Shaun a package of cookies and said, ”One for you, one for me!”

2/21/13
One of my favorite things is when you say, ”I got a 'dea.” Then you launch a two-minute monologue presenting the various advantages and innovations of your idea and you finish it off with, ”Tha's a good 'dea!” I giggle and nod and then you say, ”Let's do it!!”

3/1/13
You reached up and got down your backpack from the hanging pegs in your room by yourself.  "When did you get tall enough to reach that by yourself?!" I said. "You grew up!"
"Yep! I grewed up," you said.

2/27 You said, "I want mocha cheese fer lunch." (mac n cheese)
Then you said, ”I could have a cheese apart, mom?”
”Cheese apart? What's that?”
Holding up pretend string cheese to demonstrate, ”You know, you hold up the cheese and you pull it apart and you and you eat it!”
”Oh cheese apart! Yes, you can.”

3/2/13
Your first morning's words were, ”Mama, this monster truck is for you to play with, and this one is for me to play with.” And then you drove trucks over pillows and blankets.

Later that day you spent half an hour working out how to make a bridge that would support pillows and your weight safely. You did it all by yourself!

3/8 The day before my birthday, Papa told you that the next day was going to be my birthday.  You were so excited!  You grabbed my head, pulled my ear to your lips and whispered, "We're gonna birthday cake and candles and surprise present and it's gonna wrapped and it's a superman for Danny!  And it's blue and pretty!!"

3/11/13
Your new favorite phrase is "VERY COOL!!!"  Whenever you are excited about anything, this is your exclamation.  When Papa installed the shark shower head in your bathroom, you ran around and yelled, "VERY COOL VERY COOL!!" about 15 times!

3/12/13
I volunteered in your classroom for picture day.  It was so fun to watch you play and learn among the other kids.  You generally follow directions, and let's transfer that stellar skill of cleaning up to our house too, okay?

My favorite moment of the day? You spelled your name to me:

Danny - "B"
Me - "Capital D."
Danny - "Capital D...." (Looking at the A.)
Me - "A"
Danny - "A. N. N. Y!!"
Me - "You did it!!  That's awesome!"

3/15 For the first time we had a conversation about what makes Jesus' heart happy and sad, but how not everybody knows Jesus, and may not always do what makes Jesus' heart happy. We talked about how you can show them. I almost cried.

3/17 ”Mom, I want my baby brother to come out.”
”Me too, buddy. Buddy I don't think he's ready yet.”
”I know! I'll put this (the baby bouncer chair) right here (next to me) and he will jump out!”

3/19 ”Ogurt is my best food, Mom.” (talking about yogurt.)

4/15 You sang: ”We love brothers, all daaaaay! We doooooo!” Oh, eat my heart out!

4/5/13
You get dressed all by yourself now. You pick your clothes with coaching. ”Go pick some pants. Now go pick a shirt.” And then you put them on by yourself, including underwear, socks, shirt, pants and shoes.

4/5/13
It's official! Your napping days are over. Mine are not! But yours are. Instead, most days, we enjoy quiet book time and an afternoon video. This has made bedtime MUCH, more smooth lately, so I guess that means you were ready!

Of course, quiet is a relative term.  :)  Your songs and stories are so precious to me.

4/24/13
You wanted juice, so I asked you to get it out of the refrigerator. It's a big container, and it only barely fits wedged under the shelf above it. As you struggled to get it out, you quoted your favorite book about a little train that pulls dolls and toys over a mountain for another train that broke down. As you pulled on the juice container, you said, ”I think I can! I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!”

About a week ago, we switched you to a twin bed, so that Baby Brother can have the crib/toddler bed. You got to pick your own comfortor set at Target and you LOVE sleeping in it.  You LOVE even more, that now your Papa and I can crawl in and cuddle with you.  We've already taken advantage of that more than once. ;)

Some of your favorite activities these days include building with Legos, playing with your wooden train set, shoveling snow around the back deck, cooking, anything involving trucks, playing with water, playing games on Grammy's iPad, watching Dinosaur Train and playing with friends.

You love to run, be barefoot and wear pajamas all afternoon.  You often say, "That's not my favorite," when you don't like something.  You rarely are excited about putting on your jacket, unless it involves going outside to shovel snow.

Grammy says you're quite the chatterbox. Instead of asking, "why?" you ask, "How you do that?"  When you say, "D'ya like ta swim?" (or play, or sit on the floor, etc) what you really mean is, "Would you like to swim with me right now?"

This week, several times you've spontaneously kissed my tummy and once you said, ”Baby brother's ready to pop out!” I agree, baby!  But he seems content to sit tight for a little while longer.

You are the spice of my life, baby.  I love you to pieces.

Love,

Mama

39 Weeks - Unedited.

Well, okay... 38 weeks and 6 days.  But close enough, right?

Unedited because that's all this prego-brain can manage at the moment.

I finally gathered everything for my hospital bag a few days ago. Nothin' like waiting until the last moment, huh? It's not all IN the suitcase, but at least it's all in one place. And I have a list of last minute things.  It is ridiculous how difficult it was for me to get that done. I had the most insane mental block about it.

I'm down to 2 pairs of pants, 2 dresses, and 6-ish shirts that fit me now. They live on a table next to the hospital bag.

Would someone care to please come duct tape my hips and pelvis back together? They seem to have split in half.

I've cut out all obligations at this point, but the Lord is reminding me that I still need to stay productive and occupied.  Or at least distracted.  I need to rest, but I also need to fill my mind with all things true, noble, right, pure, lovely, excellent, praiseworthy, admirable... (Philippians 4:8) Which is actually much easier said than done, because it's sort of hard not to hold my breath - physically and metaphorically.

The past few days have been frustratingly confusing.  I mean I know it's not that big of a deal for the rest of the world and really pregnant women around the world experience the same frustration every day.  But when it seems our life is on hold and we're anxiously and excitedly awaiting, false alarms are no fun.  All day yesterday and this morning I was having contractions that seemed to be fairly consistent and gradually closer together.  Then all of a sudden this morning, they stopped completely.  :-|  For about 8 - 10 hours.  My doula was starting to consider her schedule.  My photographer was making arrangements for a sitter.  And then boom.  Nothin'.

Sigh...

I will wait on God's timing.  I will wait on God's perfect timing.  I will TRUST in God's perfect timing.  

Contractions have started back up again this evening.  And granted, my doctor says I'm at 2 cm and the Baby's head is fully engaged in the pelvis (as opposed to floating back up when he pushes on him like last week). So there IS progress.  Just not as much as I'd thought.

Apparently, patience is a lesson this Baby's going to be teaching me this week.

Baby Boy, I can't wait to see your precious face and know your beautiful cry.  I'm more and more curious each day to know what you are like, to smell your fuzzy (or will it be bald?) head and feel your baby skin on my lips.  So, as my good friend, Ashley, said so eloquently tonight, "SWIM DOWN!  SWIM DOWN!!"

I love you already, Baby.  See you soon.

A Lovely Weekend

A little over a month ago, I wrote about a group of my best girlfriends who'd be coming to my house for the weekend, several of whom I'd never met before. The group was formed to help Sarah collaborate on her book 31 Days to Lovely, but after the project was finished, we all had fallen in love with each other and decided it was too good a thing to end!  So we didn't!  Sarah re-named us The Lovelies, and we've been doing life together online ever since. 

Until last weekend, when 6 of these ladies came in from around the country to spend the weekend at my house and do a little life in 3D.  You'd have thought we've known each other for years, if you heard the excited screams and giggles as we all met.  Christi drove from Louisianna to Texas and joined Beth.  The two of them drive north to New Mexico to pick up Sarah and Cindy. Then the four of them drive further north to my house.  I missed getting pictures when they showed up... I was too busy hugging and jumping and yelling.  ;)  Shortly afterwards, Jennifer (who also lives in Colorado Springs) met us and then we all made our way to the airport to pick up Tiff, who flew in from Washington.  

(pics by Sarah)

We started the weekend with a late night dinner at the Melting Pot.  

(pic by Sarah)

This is Blake, our server.  He bantered with us and blanched when he realized that we weren't kidding when we said I just might go into labor right there at the table and that I was already having contractions.  We told him that if I give birth on the dinner table our meal would be on him, and he said that was fine, so long as we name the baby Blake. 

(pic by Sarah)

And then we prayed over him.  He probably thought we were the weirdest group of women he'd ever served, but it was a divine connection and many of us have been praying for him ever since.

The weekend was filled with so. much. fun.  This is Tiff, doin' her photographer thang.  

There was spontaneous group prayer.  Lots of it!

On Friday morning, we heard screams of excitement from the basement and those of us who were upstairs waited for those who were downstairs to come up and fill us in.  And guess what!?

Yup!  Christi's pregnant!!

Show us a good prego-pose, girl!

Calling her husband:  

The best part for me?  Alejandro had prophesied this pregnancy when God spoke to him about it at Sarah's house 4 months ago.  

Beth brought each of us little glass chickens, because this post had us all in stitches one evening and we've been joking about it ever since.  I echo Tiff's words in warning you that the views on marriage expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the values of the Lovelies. Nor does the use of the F-word. You have been warned, if your kids can read, keep them off your lap while you check this out.

My kitchen has never been so full or so busy.  This is Tiff, man-handling an actual chicken.  

See what I mean?  Full. of. food. 

Saturday we celebrated Shabbat (Sabbath) by sleeping in super late, 

staying in our pajamas all day and studying scripture.  

I've never had an experience like this before.  We studied for about 4 or 5 hours.  No joke.  It was SO rich!! And not the least bit tiring.  It was AMAZING!

Please note... we all look twice as wide in the following picture, due to the panoramic iphone app.  But it's a cool picture. 

(pic by Tiff)

Then we worshipped as Cindy and Sarah led us.

And then we sat around and laughed and studied and worshipped and talked some more.  'Cause that's what six moms do on a weekend without their kids and only their best girlfriends.

Yes, of course, worship, wine and hysterical laughter go together.  Didn't ya' know? 

Our dog, Toby, was spoiled rotten.

Jen and her sweet self: 

Tiff and her gorgeous smile.

On Sunday my boys returned home while the girls were stll here, so Danny, Tiff and Beth conquered monsters for a while.

Somehow, I think Beth became the monster at some point.  

Here they are waking the sleeping dragon.

Finally, sadly, it was time to say goodbye.  So back at the airport...

...we circled around and prayed one last time, while looking down at 5 pairs of feet and one large belly.

And we thanked God for one of the richest weekends and best set of girlfriends any of us has ever had.  

I miss you, my Lovelies.

Love,

37.5 Weeks

Well, it's official!  I'm "full term" and Baby can make his debut anytime he wants!  ...Ahem... preferably sooner, rather than later!  ...But not before Grammy gets here tomorrow!

I had some pretty serious contractions tonight in the kitchen and in Target.  Everyone I see looks at my belly, which seems to have dropped even more and declare that I'm not going to be much longer.  As I mentioned today on Facebook, I feel like Baby's so low in my pelvis, if I cough he's going to fall right out.  It's seriously uncomfortable.  I'm REALLY hoping we're REALLY close to labor, because if I've got more than a week of more of this, I'm NOT going to be a happy camper.  And probably no one else will be around me either.

Last week at my exam, I was still 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated.  But maybe that's changed since then.

So what are we up to tonight?  Alejandro's moving office furniture to the basement, and baby furniture from the basement up to the office baby room.  Nothing like waiting until the last moment, huh?  I'm washing newborn clothes and folding cloth diapers.  Oh, and blogging.  ;-)

And crossing my legs.  No labor 'til Grammy gets here tomorrow night, okay Baby?  Okay.

36 Weeks

Beautiful Baby,

Well, it seems it's almost time, and you and I are both rather impatient. I'm hoping that is not an indication of your growing-up character. But if it is, I think I will be able to identify. There are so many things in life to look forward to, and the assumed wise advice to, ”enjoy the journey,” is rarely dispensed except for when one is sitting around waiting through something less than enjoyable. Say, for instance, the last few weeks of pregnancy.

But anyway, for now, it's important to stay put and cook in there for two more weeks. I've got quite a lot of work to do out here before I'm ready for you. Your bedroom is still our office. Your clothes are still all put away and stored with your big brother's name on them. (Well, except for a few new items that are only yours.) Your brother still sleeps in what will be your bed, and no one's bags are packed yet.

My body, however, is getting ready, and I am 50% effaced and 1 cm dilated. Back pain has finally joined the ranks of pregnancy symptoms I'm experiencing. You have squished your little body into my pelvis, causing the ”drop” that everyone talks about. Oh and I'm EXHAUSTED. Grammy has the word to hurry up and get here and her plane ticket is in her virtual hand. If I know her well, her bags are much more packed and ready than mine!

 But hang out in there just a bit longer, sweet baby. I'm not quite ready for you yet.

Love,
Mama