Baby Update! And some crafting...

We're almost there! Literally just days away from meeting our new addition!

Look at this super round belly. I am getting SO EXCITED to meet the guy taking up all this space!

The last few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster ride, taking me through the emotional insecurity of my complications, the very real possibility of more job changes, and the impending early birth of baby number three. However, I feel pretty confident that I am handling things much better in the past couple of weeks. We are in the home stretch, and everything is looking good!

The only negative was yet another positive--this time for Group B Strep. I didn't have that one either with the other two pregnancies, but this guy seems to want to be the first for everything. Really, when the midwife told me, I just laughed and explained that there would be absolutely NO MORE tests for anything, because I was certain they would come back positive. At this point, I'm pretty sure they could test me for Bubonic Plague and it would come back positive! In the end though, it's just another nuisance, and I am really trying to put my trust in the Lord. Ultimately, every time over the past few weeks that I have had a meltdown, it has been because I have become frustrated at MY lack of control in the situation, because I have tried to prepare for every possible outcome as a way of managing something I ultimately cannot manage. When I finally accepted the fact that everything, including my life and the life of the baby, is in the hands of the Lord, I found a lot more peace. He has brought me through some serious struggles in the past, and every challenge He has brought me TO, he has also brought me THROUGH.

Baby is still kicking and dancing away, the NSTs show that he is very healthy, and my body has definitely been preparing itself for labor with lots of contractions and some dilation. It's Memorial Day Monday today, which means that I will be 37 weeks along tomorrow, and right now, the plan is to induce in two days (Wednesday). Of course, I have hopes that I won't have to be induced, that maybe, just MAYBE, this child will cooperate with me (even though that doesn't seem to be his favorite thing to do for me!) and come on his own tomorrow. Either way, I am working to find peace, and enjoy the time I have left with Rob, Squirrel and Little Bird before our lives are overtaken by the chaos of a new little being, the sleepless nights and demanding days, and learning how to be a family of five.

I've been making a few things for baby, as I love the feeling of wrapping my children in items handcrafted by loving, albeit amateur, hands.

I spent 50-60 hours making his crochet blanket. Squirrel and Little Bird each have crochet blankies, made by my sister, Traci, and my mom, respectively. They both attached to them around a year old, and still drag those things everywhere. This time, I feel like my own abilities have advanced enough that I was able to create something for him myself, and made this (if I say so myself) really beautiful basket weave blanket. I love the pattern and how it turned out. (If you want instructions, they came from here, with a bit of modification on the edging.)

I've also worked on creating several little pairs of crochet pants for him. They work as regular pants, but also as cloth diaper covers. I made them in a newborn size, as well as a REALLY tiny preemie size. I figure if he's too big for the preemie outfit (which really is ridiculously small--everyone that has seen it in real life usually lets out a squeal with an exclamation like, "Oh it's SO TINY!"), I can leave it at the hospital for another family that may need it. 

Whichever one fits will likely be his coming home outfit:  

I also had a super sweet and amazingly talented friend send me some gorgeous yarn she hand-dyed for another pair. I made these a bit bigger--about 3 month size--to make sure he gets to wear them, whether he's a tiny preemie or a monster gestational diabetes baby. I'm hoping to get a chance to dye some little tops in the rainbow colors and stencil them with fun designs.

I've also sewn up some receiving blankets, burp rags, cloth diapers and diaper covers. I know he won't really appreciate the gesture, but there is some sort of quiet joy I feel wrapping a baby in handmade goodness. It makes me feel connected to mothers through the ages, I think, to take something and turn it into something more for my child with just a little love, time, and work. It's the same type of feeling I get as I sit up in the late hours, rocking in the chair I will nurse him and feeling my child move within. There is a connection, yes, to my child, but also to a greater network of love and maternity, of the divine role of "mother." In these last days and weeks, I have been so blessed to find that connection and draw a level of peace and comfort that words cannot describe.

Blessings,