Three Short Days.

So this is the big week. It's officially Monday morning. In three days, Husband and I will go to the hospital, and we won't leave until we have a beautiful little boy.

In three days, our entire life will change. Forever.

In three days, we'll start a completely new journey together. One of hardships and teamwork; decisions and scary moments; pride and joy; and more love than we ever knew we had- for each other and for Hugo.

As any about-to-be-a-new-mom would be, I'm terrified. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm ready. I'm not ready.

I get to see that little face, those little fingers and those little toes, and all that hair that we keep being told he has. I get to see the tiny human who has turned me into a submarine. A whiny, itchy, hungry, urinating machine. I get to see the tiny ears and nose of the little human who The Lord has given to me to raise and cherish and grow and teach and hold and hug and kiss and discipline and play with and love forever.

I get to watch my wonderful and loving husband turn into a wonderful and loving father to his son. A father who intends to be the best role model for our son. To teach him how to pray, and to behave with friends and family. To teach him how to treat a woman, and how to play some sick Metallica solos on the guitar. To teach him to love classical literature and music, as well as how to have a sense of humor and a sense of pride. To teach him how to be proud of himself, and to stand up for himself in adversity and how to treat others with the respect they deserve.

I get to watch our parents turn into grandparents who thought they couldn't love anyone more than their own children, find out they were wrong, when they get to meet this Little Man of ours. I get to watch them turn from try-not-to-spoil-the-kids to all-the-toys-and-all-the-sugar! (This is actually a little scary.) I get to see them be proud of Husband and I, and the life we've built, and the choices we've made. I get to see them decide who Hugo looks most like, and which features he got from which parent. I get to see them tell stories of when they were younger and how Husband and I acted when we were kids.

And I will get to see myself change. I can't be sure of all the changes that will be made in me, but I know already that I can't imagine my life with Hugo- and I haven't even met him yet. I finally get to share this tiny human who has been growing and thriving inside of me. I get to share his kicks, and his movements, and his weight (thankfully!). I get to nourish him and love him in a way that only I can. I get to learn him and study him and know him in a way no one else does. I get to read to him and hum the hymns I've been collecting from church bulletins. I get to spend countless hours- both during the day and at night- bonding with this little life that has been a part of mine for 260 days already.

And I get to do all this forever. With my son. Who will start his long journey to life outside the womb in just three short days.



I'm just the luckiest around.

35 Weeks and 6 Days.

First, an update of weekly photos:

Don't be fooled, I'm absolutely miserable in all these photos.

Second, a preview into what I do in the middle of the night when I can't sleep because of the itching:

A completed nursery. Just needs a baby to call it home.

This will decorate Hugo's hospital bassinet, and hopefully

will add some pizzazz to the hospital newborn photos.

Unfinished hospital door decoration.

Third, a little diddy about how the house things are coming along. Oh wait, have I not mentioned that we're building a new house, to fit our growing family? Well, we're building a new house to fit our growing family, and while preparing the current house for a baby, we're also preparing the current house to stage. (What the heck were we thinking??) It's a lot of work. Hubs and his dad worked long hours on the flowerbeds last weekend, and they have a little more work cut out for them this weekend.

My stunning husband.

Fourth, baby updates. On May 18, I was put on bed rest, so I've been at home for three weeks now, working on house-staging and puppy-loving. I've also been trying to sleep during the day, since I can't at night (see second point). After a few hit-or-miss appointments, we thought we would be delivering Hugo this week (Week 35). And honestly, we were pretty excited about it. Then after a few good appointments, our high-risk OB instructed our regular OB to schedule our induction for 37 weeks. This news was both good and bad. Good, obviously, because that means that Hugo is growing and thriving well, despite the cholestasis. Bad, because that means I still have another few weeks of no sleep and no itch relief. There is still a chance we'll deliver before our scheduled induction date, but it's looking unlikely.

By the way, the induction is scheduled for June 19. June 19 sounds like a good day for a birthday. And Hubs will get the best first Father's Day gift ever. 

An update on me: I'm not doing well. I'm having more and more emotional breakdowns and crying fits. It's really difficult and frustrating to not be able to sleep, to not be able to stop itching, and to have no relief. I've been given several different medicines, but nothing has worked to stop, or even help, the itching. Everything itches, all the time. I have cuts and scratches all over my arms, legs and feet. Thankfully, the only part of my body that doesn't itch is my face- though my eyes, scalp, and ears itch. I've begged our OBs to let us have Hugo earlier, so I can stop itching. Even as I type this post, I have to stop to scratch every few words. 

How far along?- 35 weeks
Total weight gain?- 26 pounds
Symptoms?- Heartburn, dizziness, itchiness.

Sleep? - Nope.

PEAK of the week? - We went to Tuscaloosa this week to see Dave Matthews Band!

Pit of the week? - Scheduling our induction for two long weeks away.

Missing anything? - Feeling normal.

Food Cravings - Salad, cold water.

Anything making you feel sick or queasy? Pizza.

Happy or Moody? Moody, emotional, frustrated. 

Looking forward to? - Hugo's arrival.

Upcoming Events?- Hugo's arrival.