She is Here! She is Here! She is Here!

Our beautiful daughter, Christina Joy, turned 2 weeks old today! She is such a precious treasure. John and I couldn't be happier to be her parents. We have less time and less sleep but our joy and delight has more than doubled.

It took 30 hours of labor to transition from a very big prego lady to holding our daughter in our arms but she was worth all the pain. I'll post more when I can but I've got to run now.

Labor Day!!

I went to bed convinced I would still be pregnant in 10 years.

Around 4:30 this morning, I awoke with uncomfortable contractions. Sometime after 5:00 I woke up John. The contractions have continued around 4 to 7 minutes apart so it looks like I am finally in labor!!! So far, they are only lasting up to minute but are quite intense. Here's hoping they are making enough progress for Christina to arrive today :)

2nd Mountain

We saw the midwife today and discovered that my body has a looooong way to go before Christina arrives. I was almost 50% effaced but not really dilated at all. So with that news, we continued with our plan to hike another mountain. What a Perfect Day!!! Incredible blue sky, Gorgeous fall foliage, and a clear view from the top--what bliss!

John took this at the top of the mountain:

hmmm, and blogger is not going to let me post any other pics.

9 month jump :)

40 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9 months pregnant and counting!!

This is a bit confusing since my due date was actually on Monday according to my last menstrual period. So maybe Monday was also the official 40 week date but I'm happy to celebrate today :)

Christina Joy is doing a lot of jumping for joy :) I am feeling all kinds of wiggling, poking, pushing, and kicking! It certainly feels like she is lower down than she was. My only concern is that I am also feeling a hand wiggling down there (hopefully not as low as her head). It is not ideal to deliver a head and hand at the same time.

I continue to have painful contractions but they always stop. I still have not noticed signs of labor (bloody show or mucus plug) so though I feel progress is being made, we could still have a long time to wait.

John is just wonderful. He has always been wonderful to me and excels at making me feel cherished but he continues to go above and beyond. Tenderly giving me relaxing massage, selflessly meeting my needs, and always reminding me of his love and appreciation. Despite all the awkward changes to my body, John has found beauty to enjoy. He blesses me more than I could ever think or ask. Thank You Jesus for my Lover, my Husband, my Friend.

Midwife visit

So we saw the midwife today and everything looks great :) Christina is still in the ideal position for birth and seems to be engaged as well! I've been feeling quite uncomfortable with Christina applying a lot of pressure against my bladder. My stomach has been really tight and my back is aching so... can't say I am in labor yet but seems to be getting closer all the time :) We are going to go to bed and rest up for whatever happens tomorrow.

Due Date

Mom, John, and I planned to hike a mountain today but as we looked at the list of what still needs to be done and the rainy weather forcasted we decided to change our plans. But, my sister told us about a mountain only 15 minutes away that we have never been to. John found information about it (my hero) and away we went. Ahhh, what bliss! The weather was perfect, the trail was amazing, and the hike was easy and short enough for this 9 month prego lady. Christina slept through most of it but did a lot of s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g exercises on the way home.

Now back to our list of things to do :)

Any time after 10:00 p.m. is an excellent time to sleep but my body has not caught up with my brain yet so here I am, wide awake without a good reason why.

I do not feel that labor is going to begin anytime soon and I am okay with that. There is still stuff to do. We are planning to hike a small mountain on Monday (my due date) with family and I can hardly wait!

John and I went for a lovely long walk today and I felt had energy to spare. Such a perfect fall day! The weather has finally turned cooler--what a Blessing!

I got to hold my sister-in-law's son and my oldest sister's daughter tonight. So precious! It is hard to believe we will get to hold our own sweet daughter is just a few days or weeks! Christina certainly acts like she is getting squished in there but obviously something needs more time to grow.

It sounds like my clicking is bothering John's rest so I'll stop and discover some way to fall asleep myself.

Something Finalized

Christina may not arrive for a few weeks but we now know 2 numbers in her birthday: 10/?/10. I think 10/1/10 has a really neat look to it so today could be a great arrival date! The weather forecast calls for wind and rain with possible power outages so it would certainly be an adventure! Whatever day she arrives will be splendid!!