Patience is a Virtue........

And I don't think I have it right now. Said in my best Verunca Salt voice..."I want an oompa loompa NOW!!!!!!!!!"

Dr. appointment was fine but no great progress. Maybe about a 1/2 cm more dilated but that's it. Zach is still high but she can feel his head so at least he is in the right direction. So.......I don't think little man will be here this week. I think we will definitely make Jersey Boys so that's good. I do really want to see that! We went ahead and scheduled an induction date for February 11th, 3 days after his due date in case he hasn't come on his own. If nothing else, there is an END IN SIGHT! YIPPEE! I think I may still keep my last day of work as Feb 1st too. That will give me a week to rest and get last minute things accomplished.

As for the rest of the furniture...its in, but now I have to wait for the delivery man to call me back to schedule a delivery time. It can take 24 to 48 hours for him to call. I find that quite silly, but again, I think its part of the test of patience! Oh well, I think it will be here in time. B says I will dilate as soon as all the furniture is here. I hope so, I am picking the first available time slot! :)

There is nothing on TV tonight, so I am trying out Ginny's show, Crowned. OMG, why didn't I watch this earlier? Pretty funny stuff.

Ok, that's all for now. 16-19 days to go at the MOST! WOOHOO!

IT'S IN!

The furniture has arrived after its journey across America! I thought it was coming from NC but actually from Utah. Whatever. It is HERE! So, I will call first thing tomorrow morning and get the FIRST available delivery time. Good thing is since I'm a part timer kinda any way right now...I think I can be pretty flexible on times. I just want it here! I cannot wait to see the room all set up with the chair and the knick knacks on the hutch and the stuff in it!!! YIPPEE!

I told work today that my last day would probably be Friday, Feb 1st. They seemed cool. Everyone keeps telling me I deserve this time off and to not worry about it, so that is my goal. This little guy is coming, ready or not! OH MY GOD, I am going to have a BABY soon! My little boy! YEAH!

Nothing else. Doctor appointment is tomorrow at 10:45am. I will update with progress as soon as possible I HOPE! PRAY for some progress!! I'll check in tomorrow!

Notes from the Underbelly...LOL

OK, if you watch this show...Matt and I just had a big chuckle. There was a scene where the hubby bought the wife a Snoogle (pregnancy pillow) and her attempts to use it and sleep. HA, so very funny. It was like a scene from my regular nights!

There were some other very funny things to relate to, too.

Good stuff.

Into the teens.....and some pics!

18 days it says.....that's not too far away! We will have a son by the next holiday! Our little Valentine! :-)

Let's see...my office had a shower for me on Friday. Everyone was so very generous and I am very thankful! Got several gifts as well as a group gift certificate that I was able to use for my pump, monitors, and some other goodies. Here are a couple of pics! Matthew came up too which was sweet!

Sunday was our last time to greet for awhile. We have fulfilled our one year obligation and in just the right time. I love greeting though so hopefully after we get the little guy's schedule figured out, we will be back! I have told Matt how often people talk to me now about being pregnant now that I am so far along. He got to witness it first hand while greeting. Pretty funny. Lots of belly touching and advice and comments, etc. Here is a pic or two from Sunday! Yes, I am getting BIG!

What else.....what else.....got to see the Ginster Saturday night at Rob & Lisa's house. Matt played guitar hero for the first time. We may have to invest in one in order to be competitive. ITS HARD!

Today we went house hunting. It was fun! We found one we loved, but alas, want this guy sold first. So we shall see...

Not much else going on. Just a few pics now for the fun of it!

Christmas!

And last but not least....here are Zach's letters for his room!

Guess that's it for now. Next appointment is Wednesday @ 10:45am. Ill let you know how it goes! :-)

Homestretch.......3 weeks and counting???

Well folks, we are in the home stretch, the final countdown, the end is near!!! I will be 37 weeks on Friday and had my first weekly appointment today. Did a quick ultrasound to check my amniotic fluid levels and all is well there. I will continue to drink my water though just to be safe. But the good news is, I am actually progressing! I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. It doesn't necessarily mean anything as some women stay this way for weeks...but it does mean that SOMETHING is happening! Zach is head down and in position too, so we shall see what the next couple of weeks may bring. I am so pumped to meet this little guy!

With that said....I would like the rest of my furniture here and to see Jersey Boys on the 27th! After that, I am READY to GO! :) I will go to appointments weekly now, so hoping that next week brings even more progress. I will keep you posted!

Other than that, we are doing good. I have a hair appointment tomorrow (THANK GOD, we cannot bring a child into this world with roots like these! heehee!) and hope to get some new pics up soon too! Things are coming along, we are just anxiously waiting now!

Growth Scan...no giant baby here!

Ultrasound went fine today. Zach is measuring right at 36 weeks and about 5.5lbs....so even worse case scenario that he gained a lb a week , he would be just over 9lbs. Ultrasound tech thinks 7-8.5 more likely. My amniotic fluid was a little on the low side so she said i need to be drinking more water. Anyone had that before?

I have my weekly check up on Wednesday with the actual doctor so we will go over everything then. I'm curious to see if I have progressed at all! My mom came with Matt and I today which was neat. She enjoyed seeing everything and going by the hospital so she and my dad know where to go! During the ultrasound we got a nice view of Zach's face too and I think he is awfully handsome! I am ready to meet him face to face for real!

Progress!

Well, we are getting somewhere! With closing in on 30 days to go and lots of strangers stories about going into labor at 36 weeks...we decided it was time to get ready! So from the list from a week or so ago, lets see how things look!

1. Buy Car- check! See post on saying goodbye to Blue Bessie and hello to the silver streak!
2. Pack hospital bag- check! Got the basics in...jammies, undies, nursing bras, baby book, etc...anything else i need to take?
3. Furniture- UGH, still waiting. should be in around the 20th :-(
4. Wash clothes- Doing that tonight! Washing all the 0-3 months in Dreft, smells so good!
5. Finalize daycare- NEED TO DO THIS!
6. Drive alternate routes to hospital- Amy sent me a cool website, so we can look there. I think we will be okay though if not.
7. Find pet care for Esther and Max while we are in the hospital-need to do this!
8. Pediatrician- Yep, still waiting on this one too!

Well, 4 out of 8 aint too bad, right????

35 weeks....35 Days to Go!

Dear Zachary,
This is your mommy here...I cannot believe it is almost time to meet you! Your birthday could be any time over the next 5 weeks and it still seems so unbelievable to me. Even with my ever growing belly and your continuous movements, I still wonder how and why your Daddy and I became so blessed to have you come into our lives? YOU ARE OUR MIRACLE. Every morning on my walks with your fur-sister Esther, I say thank you to Him for allowing me to wake up another day with you growing in my belly. Funny to think I have been praying that same prayer for about 8 months now....especially after praying for 12+ months for your creation! I pray for your continuous health over these next few weeks and a safe delivery into this world. I give THANKS for your creation! It wasn't due to my own doing or even your daddy's or even a doctor. The credit is due only to Him! Don't ever forget that, Zach. All the months your dad and I prayed for you....God already knew when it would be your time and you are wonderfully and mercifully made through Him. He has great things in store for you and I cannot wait to see what all that may be!! I pray that you come to know and love Him as your Dad and I do too and we will do our best to raise you to remember that He ALWAYS loves you!

We LOVE you so much Zach! We cannot wait to meet you and see what you look like and pinch your cheeks and tickle your toes! We will stare in awe and wonder at you on the day you are born...and probably for many years to come after that.

We will promise to rock you and soothe you and feed you and care for you, no matter how tired or cranky we may be. Even if we are those things, it doesn't mean we don't love you. We will always love you and our love for you will grow every day as you grow!!

We will watch you grow and take note of ALL you do and how you change and grow....marking down every milestone along the way so not to forget a thing. We will wonder where the time has gone as you grow and change so fast. Everyone says how you will change before our eyes and we will do our best to remember it all!

We hope to give you a brother or a sister or two so that you can have a bond with a sibling that we both enjoyed. We will go on family vacations to Disney World and the Grand Canyon and Boston and California and where else we can think of, as long as we are all together!

We will read to you and hope you learn to love it as dad and I do. He will teach you math and I will help with English. And of course, Dad will teach you ALL you EVER WANTED to know and MORE about SPORTS!!! You and he will have a great time together watching football and basketball and baseball, etc!!

We promise to support you and defend you as you grow and figure out who YOU want to be...and to love you NO MATTER what. Like I said, we will ALWAYS love you.

We pray for the man that you will grow into, for the husband we hope you will be, and for the father we know you will become. One lucky girl will get to know all of those pieces of you!

We promise you all of this Zachary. And all we ask is that you come safely into this world and let us spoil you rotten and love you forever. Thank you for filling a place in our hearts that we never truly knew was empty. Thank you for making us a family. Thank you for making me a mommy. Thank you for making our dreams come true!

So hang in there for a little bit longer, Zachary...I will be holding you in my arms soon enough.

I love you always and forever little one. See you soon!
Love Always,
Mommy

Farewell to Bessie.......

After 9good years of friendship....last night we said good-bye to my dear friend.....Blue Bessie. Bessie is my 1999 Ford Explorer Sport. After the flash flood in Dallas in 1998 that totalled my green Sunfire, Blue Bessie became my girl. Mom and Dad helped finance her since I was still in college at the time. One of favorite stories is about picking her out. I opted for the tape player over the CD player back in the day because I thought CDs were a passing craze and I preferred the company of my mixed tapes! HAHAHA! Bessie has been a part of many memories, often involving road trips.....Dallas, Austin, Nacogdoches, San Antonio, New Orleans just to name a few. Having had her since I was 20 years old, she has definitely played a major role in this phase of my life. She has been a good car to me with relatively few major issues and I think any and all cosmetic issues were due to my own devices in some way or another. I made sure to take her to the car wash yesterday before I dropped her off so she would be feeling spiffy. And I wont lie, as we drove off last night leaving her in the lot...I cried. Its silly, I do know this, but it was kinda like driving away from a part of my life! Actually 10 years is a 3rd of my life! So see...it IS a big deal! ;-)

The first pic is of me and Bessie leaving the house to head to the dealership. The second one is of our last moment before leaving her.

But...with the saying Good-bye to Blue Bessie....we said Hello to THE SILVER STREAK! The new Wittliff mobile, baby friendly and all with 4 doors (bessie only had 2 doors) and a third row of seats! She is a 2008 GMC Acadia and we are glad to welcome her home. I picked her up today after work, it was weird driving home, like I was in someone else's car! I don't have a pic yet, but will get one soon. Its a sweet car, and Matt and I are both excited about all the new memories we will make in SS with Zach in tow as well! Welcome to the family Silver Streak and we look forward to having you!

Jammin in the new year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!! I am so excited to be starting 2008...why you may ask?? Because this is the year that I get to hold my baby boy! We have waited a long time for this moment! 2007 was a definitely a blessing with his conception and carrying him these last 8 months, but now, we are ready to meet him! :)

We had a great time "jammin" in the new year at the Labbe's house last night. Everyone wore their jammies, parents and kids alike! It was great to be comfy for once, especially this year for me! We did make your own pizzas and had lots of other yummy snacks and treats. Mike and Jason even bought some fancy fireworks to dazzle us with. It was a nice display. Oh yes, and we played Dance, Dance Revolution...those are me in action in the last 2 pics. And....we all actually made it to midnight! When the clock struck midnight, and I shared a kiss with my hubby...I think I caught a twinkle in his eye as he said "this was our last NYE together alone...and I couldn't be more excited for what's to come". Me too, Matthew! It was a great way to ring in the new year surrounded by the friends I love and who love us. We were missing some this year but they were definitely with us in spirit!

2007 was still a year of ups and downs as I think life just is at this age...but ultimately, it was a wonderful year personally for Matt and I. We are blessed with great friends and family, successful jobs, some fun trips, blessed events of weddings and babies to share in with our friends, and of course, our little miracle Zachary. We are so thankful for the prayers of those who love us and know that we are grateful to have you in our lives.

So thank you for helping make our 2007 a good year...and to 2008....we are so excited to see what else you have in store for us all!

Here are some pics of the night too!