...and then we climbed a steep mountain

No, not really, but yes. Ha ha. Let me explain. First, let me back up and then I'll explain. Mom got in on Thursday after one really long day of driving. She's such a trooper! We're having great fun together and even though I want to meet Evan, I'm really cherishing the time we have together right now. But anyways, on her way in, she was detoured by some flooded roads and was rerouted. On her 'reroute' she passed through a certain county and some towns she recognized from her genealogical records. Well, come to find out, we have ancestors who settled around here some 100 years ago (or something like that). And not only did they settle, but they were also buried close to here!! Well, to a genealogical nut like my mother (and i say 'nut' in a very endearing way) this was like striking gold. So we found out exactly where this place was, mapped it so we knew that we weren't going to be farther than an hour from home, and had plans the next day to set out and explore!

So yesterday that's just what we did. With map in hand a full tank of gas, we headed on out with little anticipation of the fun we were going to have and the people we were going to meet!! To give a brief version (because the long version could seriously be a chapter in a book somewhere...) we get to this little town about 45 minutes from here and ask about this old cemetery. Well, the guy we asked just so happened to have his great-grand-daddy buried there. No, no relation of our, but still, pretty cool. So he was able to give us perfect directions to this little cemetery about 30 minutes away. (I know, I know...that's longer than an hour...but hey...I'm here and I'm fine) So out of this little town we go, through rolling green hills and pasture land, pass little farms and farmhouses...it was like being on the set of Little House on the Prarie. I felt like I was gonna see Ma and Pa Engle walk out of one of these houses!! Everything was going great and then...

...there was a dog in the middle of the road...

...and anyone who knows me KNOWS that I can't just leave a dog in the middle of the road. So we stopped. He was a cute little spaniel of sorts and he was so tired and one of his front legs was hurts and he was dirty. I put him in the back seat of my car - yes, I really did - and drove to the nearest farm house (abut 1.5 miles away). Ok, funny part of the story, at this farmhouse was a screen door, and past this screen door was complete and utter darkness. I rapped on said screen door and about 15 seconds later a deep voice called from within the darkness "Just a minute - let me put some pants on" and the front door slammed in my face! Ok, first, I was stunned by what I heard, pants on, in the middle of the afternoon...are you serious? And second, I was thanking my lucky stars it was so dark in that house! SO short of the long, the guy knew where the poor dog was from and it turns out that he just wanders a lot and his leg had been lame for quite some time and our assistance really wasn't needed. But still, I would have felt horrible just leaving him there walking down the center stripe of the road!

So we eventually find this gravel road that the original guy told us we would. And we found the little white country church (out in the middle of NO WHERE) and we found the cemetery. And everything was just as the man had explained, except 2 things. The cemetery was not on top of a mountain...and it was not steep at all!! The man who gave us directions told us over and over again "now see here...that's one steep mountain that that there cemetery's on...ya'll need good shoes...I mean, it's the tallest thing out there and my goodness gracious it's steep...ya'll be careful out there" He even warned me not to have "that there baby on top of that there mountain" - and believe me, I wasn't planning on it. But when we got there, we were greeted by a very pleasant little slope of a hill. And it wasn't even a hill - just a grassy mound, only bigger!! Thankfully I had my sneakers in the back, so I slipped those on so mom could wear my flip flops so she didn't have to trudge in her good dressy flip flops. So there we were, me in a skirt and sneakers (quite the sight, let me assure you) and 40 weeks pregnant and my dear mother 'trudging' up this steep mountain side to look for a grave. Ha ha. It was quite the adventure to say the least. We found the grave, took pictures and you know what? With all the bumpy roads we were on, we still have no baby!!

But that's ok really. Scot had the last of his in class tests yesterday so today was the first day we were really hoping to see anything happen. And I'm walking like there's no tomorrow, let me tell ya! about 10 miles yesterday and I've already walked 5 this morning and 2 this afternoon...so we'll see if it helps any. Maybe I'll walk just a little more tonight to give him the hint, what do you think? Otherwise, we really are doing great and my mom and I are having a blast here. The weather is thankfully not too hot and muggy and we're actually finding quite a bit to do. I don't think any more 'mountain climbs' are on the agenda, but we do have the next few days packed with things to do before the little one gets here! Stay tuned for more news on Tuesday after the doctor's visit...hopefully he'll have news of some sort! Otherwise, please just keep praying!

quick update

Hey all. I said I would try to get on every other day and that's proving to be more of a challenge than I thought! haha. I really took for granted the full time internet access I had at work, BUT, I'm still going to try and keep to my word and update you all every so often like I said. But, if I'm absent for a few days longer than usual, don't fret. I'll have Scot (or even me) update the blog when I go into labor. Or at least that's the plan. And if nothing else. The blog will be updated when Evan gets here!

I'm doing great though. I feel so well rested and unrushed, it's amazing. I wake up leisurely every morning (and yes, I'm enjoying every minute of it as I know it will be a VERY long time before that happens again), and go on my 4 mile walk with Bek before it gets to hot out. It's amazing to be up and about in the morning and not at work. I'm really enjoying this in-between time of not working and not caring for a newborn yet. I'm reading and running errands and resting until after lunch and then I typically go over to Bek's and we hang out until our hubbies get back from school. It's really been the perfect schedule!

My mom gets in tomorrow and I'm so excited. I think it's so neat that she will be here and get to experience all this with me. I'm so excited we'll (Lord willing) have a few days just to ourselves. But having her here will also make it harder to be patient for my little guy to come! Kind of a catch 22 - huh? But otherwise, I feel great. I don't know why, but I actually feel better now than I did 6 weeks ago. And really, that's fine with me. Still no 'progression' that I can tell - but he'll come when he's ready and no matter the time, it'll be perfect. We're just so excited to meet him!!! Well, I'm off for now!!

the waiting game

Well, there was no "news" at the doctors appointment yesterday afternoon, unless, of course, you call the doctor tell me that I'm not dilated or effaced "news". So that's the story, and while I was a little bummed about it yesterday, I'm much better with it today. Scot has finals on Friday and so we were really not wanting to be having a baby before then, and my mom will be here on Thursday, so this will give us some alone time together. And the way I figure it...he'll come when he comes and it'll all work out, and the longer he stays in (as long as he doesn't get too big to NOT come out) is fine with me because then, Lord willing, he'll sleep and eat better. Or at least, that's what I've been told. Ha ha. That's it. Stay tuned.

Oh yeah - afterthought - I still feel great, the doctor says everything looks fine, Evan's head is still right where it needs to be...we're just waiting waiting waiting. Which is fine. I just want to meet my son!! Ha ha...

i told you so...

I told you guys I wouldn't be MIA for too long!! Right now, Scot is studying at school and I decided to go with him so I could be part of the World Wide Web!! So here I am, blogging away, letting you all know that I'm no where near delivery - or at least so I think. So far, I still feel great and to me, that means I'm still far and away from being near meeting my son. Oh well, he'll come when he's good and ready. But I'm ready, so anytime is good for me. Ha ha. But I just wanted to keep you all updated. I have a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon and I'll try and get on and update you guys then if there's any "news"!!

a day of 'lasts'

As my last day of work (8-5, that is), it has been a day of 'lasts'. Mom called me this morning to wish me a wonderful last day of work. And as I was talking with her I was thinking to myself, "hey, this is the last time I'll actually have to get up for an 8am office job" - but then soon I'll be getting up at least twice a night to feed. But all day long, I've felt like a kid on the last day at school minus the pizza party! But it has been a day of lasts and it's made me somewhat sad even though it's all for a good reason. I'm really going to miss the people here, but I am so thankful that the Lord has given me the chance to be a mom and also to be able to stay at home with Evan. I realize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I'm glad I'm able to take it!! So from here on out, no longer will I be working 8-5, I'll be working 24/7 - but it'll be my dream job and that makes such a world of difference!!

I will not be MIA from the Web World even though I'm not working anymore. I'll make sure to get one every other day or two to check email and update the blog and Scot has specific instructions as to how to update the blog and send out a mass email once the little E gets here - so keep your eyes peeled!!

last night was NOT the night...

...and so I sit here at my desk in my office for one more day. At least it's air conditioned, but I'll tell ya what. I would MUCH RATHER be outside in the beautiful weather or at home cleaning (I know - crazy, huh?) than in here doing nothing. But...like I said...at least it's air conditioned in here and for that I am thankful. Just wanted to let you all know that last night was not the night! Ha ha. And I don't think tonight will be either...or the next night after that...or the next. I seriously feel like I'm going to be pregnant for at least another week! But I plan on using my time wisely, that's for sure!!

could tonight be the night?

People have been telling me that since I'm due so close to the full moon that I have a good chance of going on it! Well, 8 days is a little bit of a stretch for being 'so close', but...tonight is the full moon, and according to legend or wives tales - take your pick - the gravitational pull supposedly does something to the 'waters' to make women go into labor. So we'll see. If you don't hear from me tomorrow, you'll know what happened -- the full moon got the better of me! ha ha (but just for the record - I don't feel like I'm going to go into labor in the next few days, let alone hours, so I think we're safe)

surprise shower!

The office put together a surprise shower for me yesterday and it was a lot of fun! The coolest part of it all was that they filled a Moses Basket full of baby things! This is great because now I won't stress about Evan sleeping in a drawer or laundry basket his first few weeks before we move and set up the crib! (I was really starting to get sad that I would have to put my little one in a drawer. I was put in a drawer, but that's ME -- this is my child we're talking about!! haha) My other favorite gift was the pair of Robeez I got! SO cute!! I got a lot of cute little clothes and some really soft blankets, too. Thank you, everyone, who pitched in and got me such neat stuff!!

I also have to brag on Todd, our famous cake-maker! Rumor has it that he was up late the night before working on the finishing touches of the adorable Duck Cake! But it was well worth it! Vanilla cake with cream cheese frosting -- it doesn't get much better than that!! Thanks, Todd!

wonderful weekend fun

Well, I had quite the weekend. No baby yet, so that was good. :) Scot took his boards on Saturday and felt good about them. I don't know if anyone can walk out of a test like that and feel like they nailed it (maybe some of the geniuses out there) but he didn't feel like he failed, and that's an encouragement. He was tired when he got home, but who wouldn't be after 8 hours of solid test taking?!? He's amazing to say the least. :) But while he was gone, I was busy busy busy. I was able to clean the apt and tidy some more stuff up and pack a little bit more of the kitchen. I was also able to hang out with Bek and we made this very time consuming dessert for Sunday's party. But it was fun. Just a lot of "now freeze for an hour" type directions. haha. i was also able to catch up with some friends, which was quite nice as I don't know how much talking I'll get done once Evan arrives.

As for Sunday, it was marvelous! We went to church, hung out, took a walk and then headed over to Josh and Bek's for our "Boards are DONE/Father's day/Josh's birthday" party! It was great fun. We had an amazing dinner and just enjoyed one another's company -- and the cake. We played games after Elijah went to bed and laughed until the tears were streaming. It was quite fun and we're all very happy that we're all moving to Denver together. More fun times ahead! Here we all are - I love that Josh is snapping his fingers to get Elijah to look at the camera. Didn't work too well, but it made for a funny picture!!

38 weeks

Here I am at 38 weeks!! How much bigger can I get?!?

So far, everything is good. I still feel great even though sleeping is sometimes an issue, and the doctor says we're right on target! People keep telling me I'm going to go this weekend (the 21st), but I'm kind of hoping we get a little closer to the due date! Stay tuned for more blogging about the weekend!

more prayer!

Ok all...Scot's last test/boards is tomorrow all day! (YAY - and then we're done with boards!!) Please pray for him as this is the harder of the 2 tests. Please also pray that little Evan stays IN until Scot gets home. I'm not too worried about it, but I would really rather not have Scot cancel his test last minute or have him miss the labor and delivery. Anyways...I don't think there will be any issues what so ever, but prayers are always welcome! Thanks!

sooooooo tired

I am absolutely exhausted this morning. I really can't remember the last time I was this tired. First trimester maybe? And I got enough sleep last night - wait...I never get ENOUGH - but I got about 9 hours in, but I seriously feel like I could curl up on top of my desk and be out for the next couple hours no problem. I have no motivation for anything right now and I'm actually tempted to just take the day off and go home and sleep. But then, knowing me, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so that won't work. (YAWN) I really just wanted to get on and post and let everyone know that I'm still here...

baby Evan update

The doctor's appointment yesterday was so great! We had one of the last appointments for the day and so the doctor just sat down and chit chatted with us and answered all my 'we're near the end' questions! Evan was being stubborn though and was not moving too much while on the Doppler monitor, and so I had to go on the non-stress test monitor for 20 minutes. (Ick!! Talk about feeling like a Turkey! They put a timer on you and everything!) But thankfully, he started moving as soon as I sat down and the doctor was impressed with the movement! (I think we're going to switch to morning appts so we don't keep running into this 'sleepy baby' problem!) We also had an ultrasound done and that was beyond cool! We got to see fingers and his face and other inner body things, but I was more interested in the parts of him that I feel all day long. The doctor was able to show us that Evan is indeed VERY much engaged - so much so that he could almost not get a good head shot because he was so far down. THAT'S why I've been having so much hip pain over the last few days!! The estimate they gave for the weight was 6/2 - so that's great! Even if I were to go over, by their calculations, I'm not going to be giving birth to a toddler sized baby!! The other neat thing was when I sat up from having the ultrasound done, Evan started kicking up a storm (more pushing than kicking, but you get the idea), and I was able to have the doctor feel exactly what I was feeling and tell me what body part I was feeling. VERY very nice!

That's all for now! The weather here is delightfully cooler than it was last week and I can do nothing but sing for joy and pray that it stays around a little longer!

praise the Lord!!

Thank you everyone who prayed for Scot (and me) yesterday!! He felt like he did well on it and that is a huge praise in and of itself! I"m really hoping that this boosts his confidence for the notoriously harder USMLE (the one he takes on Saturday). Please continue to keep us in your prayers between now and then as he'll keep studying.

Other news: I nested BIG TIME this past weekend and the result is a little corner of our place has now been transformed into what looks like a miss-matched warehouse! I was able to pack up half the kitchen over the weekend leaving the essentials and some "we'll probably use/need this in the next 5 weeks" items. The books have been packed and the pictures and knick-knacks have already gone and our little apartment is looking barer and barer as each weekend passes, but it'll be a whole lot easier once Evan gets here I'm sure. I also have an ever growing 'Goodwill Pile' - it always feels good to purge. :) I'm just making use of the time I have and trying to wait patiently for the 'big day' to get here. It sure is getting harder and harder to do as the days seems to get longer and the nights much much shorter. (it's all in preparation - i know i know)

We have a routine Drs appt late this afternoon and I think he's going to do an ultrasound to make sure everything's looking good. Stay tuned tomorrow for that update! :)

please pray

Hey everyone! Scot is starting to take his boards RIGHT NOW - and if you would pray for peace and perfect recall during the test, that would be great!! The next test is on Saturday if you think about that one, too! Thanks!!

Other than mostly packing up the kitchen and an exciting time in Columbia with Bek this past weekend, there really isn't much news. Just waiting. But maybe that's because I'm preoccupied with thinking about this huge test myself!!! So pray for MY peace, too, if you think about it!!

i just 'stocked' my stocking...

..and yes, I know it's June and Christmas isn't for quite a while, but wait...there is a reason for this madness. Two, actually. First reason: E.L.F is having an AMAZING sale. I got an email from a friend today and it went like this: "I don't know if you've ever heard of E.L.F. makeup, but it is supposed to be good-quality, mineral-based makeup, and they are changing their packaging so that it no longer says "ELF." Anyhow, they are having a major sale to get rid of all of their stuff that says ELF, so it's dirt cheap... literally $1 for a lot of things, $5-$8 for mineral foundation, etc." And well, truth be told, I had never heard of ELF makeup before, but MY GOODNESS!!! It's hard for me to say no to good nail polish at a dollar a bottle!

So, second reason - I called Scot to ask him if it was ok if I got a few things - nail polish and some lip gloss and a bronzer/blush thing - and his reaction was not what I expected!! He basically told me that I could get whatever I wanted (within reason, of course, we are in med school - haha) and that he would just use most of it to stock my Christmas stocking and/or other random gifts. His take on it was this "Sarah, I like buying you nail polish, but I always forget what you have and what you don't and it's like 4 bucks a bottle - so if you can get what you want for a quarter the price GO FOR IT!!" So I did. And I have to say, I do love nail polish. :) And now I'm very much looking forward to my stocking this year!! (Maybe he'll let me have just one when the box comes, maybe the light pink one since it's the most summery out of all of them!!) So, here's the link in case you all want to go check it out! Oh, and you should get at least 7 items because then it evens out to be 2 dollars for each item once you factor in shipping - at least, that's what I did. Have fun!!

i don't have an ornery baby...

We just got back from the doctors office for a routine appointment and I was assured that my baby was not going to come out ornery just because he doesn't like being 'touched' from the outside. I had this theory that he was going to come out never really wanting to be held and wanting his own space because every time any thing - and i mean any thing - is on my stomach, he kicks at it. Whether it be a pillow when I'm laying down, my seatbelt, the non-stress test monitors, my arms or a book - he kicks at it like he wants it off of him! It's the craziest thing ever, and of course, I thought that I was the only one whose baby did this. Thankfully not. And thankfully, it's fairly normal and doesn't have any direct bearing on his personality once he pops out. All in all, he's normal! (Although, that's a stretch considering his parents aren't really 'normal' - but what is normal anyways? That will have to be for another post, I think)

Otherwise, the drs appt went really well. My weight and blood pressure are great and we measured right at 37cm (which is good since i'm 37 weeks). The dr asked a lot of questions about the type of movement I'm feeling and whatnot and made a comment basically saying that "this baby is about ready to come out". (Uh oh!! He needs to wait til after Father's day, so I hope he didn't mean too soon!!) I didn't press him as to how soon or what that really meant. But since I've been feeling like I'm going to pregnant for forever more and that he's just not going to come until late, the drs words were encouraging to me. But don't worry, I'm not going to hang onto them too hard!! The other good news is that Evan is in a head-down position (and has been, I guess) and is ready to 'engage' at any moment. The dr said I should expect to 'drop' all the way within the next week. But we'll see. I'm trying to not have any expectations - that way I'm not stressed or disappointed. Well, that's the baby update here!

mac 'n' cheese...times three

Last night, I did the unthinkable. I made three different kinds of mac 'n' cheese!! This is the unthinkable for me, because, well, I never buy mac 'n' cheese. And I can say never. The last time I made mac 'n' cheese from a box I was in middle school, and the reason I distinctly remember this is because I added the powdered cheese to to noodles before I drained them and they just didn't turn out quite right. And the last time I even ate mac 'n' cheese out of a box was 4 summers ago when I nannied and I think I had a bite or two off one of the kid's plates!

So why, you may ask, did I all of a sudden go out and get THREE boxes of mac 'n' cheese? Well, I was telling Scot the middle school mac 'n' cheese story and he started raving about how much he loved boxed mac 'n' cheese and how he 'discovered' Velveeta Shells 'n' Cheese in college. Well, I've never had Velveeta and he was mortified. I told him I liked the Kraft Original kind...at least I thought so, it had been so long, I didn't really know anymore. And then I told him I would get a box for lunch one time, but I would get the cheapo Wal-Mart brand and see how it compared. Well, he didn't like that too much, he said we couldn't really compare the three different kinds (Velveeta, Kraft and the Faker) unless they were all in front of us at the same time. So that's what dinner was last night! (I know - very unhealthy, but hey...what are you going to do, we were curious)

So there I was with 2 pots of pasta going (one for the shells and one for the skinny noodles) and then I had the 3 'mixes' by 3 bowls for the 3 different products. And that's how dinner was served. The three bowls in a line between us and we just took a little from each one and decided on our favorite. Scot's reining champion was the Velveeta (I think I mostly didn't like it because I was the one actually squeezing out the orange goo and watching it transform into 'cheese'. Somehow, the powder turning creamy with the addition of milk and butter isn't as disturbing to me) But honestly, I didn't like the Velveeta taste as much, which was just fine with Scot. He polished off the whole bowl! For me, though, I liked both the Kraft original and the fake cheapo brand! They were both really good, and it's really hard to name a winner, but I think I will have to go with the Kraft kind - just because.

'this' or 'next'?

There are quite a few things that bother me in the English language. Like, for instance, when someone says "Oh, I could care less what they thought" when in fact, what they MEAN to say is that they couldn't care less. Being able to care less about something means that you obviously care about it some. Or people will say when cutting a story down to size (time wise) "Well, the long of the short is..." - and I just look at them befuddled, thinking "So you're about to make this story LONGER than it was originally?!?!" Or how about the difference between probable and possible? Sigh...people sometimes just don't realize what they're saying!

There are other quirks of the English language that bother me, but I won't go into them. What is bothering me today is the use of 'this' vs. 'next'. My boss sent out an email on Friday(30th) saying that someone was going to be on site NEXT Tuesday. What do you think he meant? To me, that means not the upcoming Tuesday (today) - for which it would have been simply written "someone will be here on Tuesday" - but the following Tuesday (10th). But no. He meant today. He just said it incorrectly. Which then meant I didn't have the parking pass ready for our guest like I typically do. I was honestly caught off guard by the guest's presence and when I went back to look at the email to see if I maybe misread it, I found that it said "next Tuesday" - but no date - and that frustrated me. What do you all think? When asking someone about a dinner date, do you say 'this' or 'next' in reference to the upcoming day? IE: Would you say: I'll see you this Saturday (meaning the 7th) or would you say I'll see you next Saturday (still meaning the 7th)? People do it all the time, and I know it's unintentional. I guess I'll just have to clarify with people in the future if I'm not 100% sure which day they are referring to. If only everyone thought alike - we wouldn't have these issues - but then what a horribly boring world we would live in! I think I'll take improper English usage and an 'exciting' life over a boring life where everyone always understands each other. I think.

*****

So Scot reminded me of some other pet peeves I have with people's grammar. "These ones". Arg!!! It's like saying these these, or ones ones. When you say I like these ones - referring to shoes or something - you're really saying "I like these these" - and really, that's just not cool. The other one that always drives me nuts (although even I slip up sometimes and do it myself, which makes me even more angry) is when people say "I've got to..." I mean, that's just saying "I have got..." and that's redundant. Just say "I have to get...". And please, whatever you do, don't make people things. People are referred to as 'who' - not 'which'. Which is reserved for objects or things. That's all. Grammar lesson is over now.

starting to feel like a turkey

When I was younger, my best friend's dad would always call me Turkey because my birthday falls so close to Thanksgiving. It is, to this day, the only nickname that ever stuck - kinda. When I went back to visit this friend for her wedding last year, her dad was distinctly heard saying "Is the Turkey here yet?" as he came in the front door. Pretty funny. But I'm really starting to feel like my nickname!! My belly button is starting to pop, and like a lot of people say, "it's like when the butterball turkey's done at Thanksgiving and the little thing pops to let you know it's done". Well, if that's the case, then I'm almost 'done' as my belly button doesn't have far to go to being a complete "outtie". But WHY?!?! Why on earth do our bodies do this? Does he really need that extra little quarter square inch to stretch? Hasn't he been taking up enough room already? Does he really need to make such a fuss and make it so everyone can see where my belly button is on all my shirts? *sigh* And lastly...it will go back, right?

Other than my belly button (as I know it) disappearing and making a re-entry as this new outtie belly button, the weekend was VERY productive. I was able to get ALL the baby stuff done. This means that everything is out of packages, assembled, clothes separated and folded, diapers out and stacked next to the ever ready wipes, baby mirror in the car with the little shades on the windows...yeah...it's all ready and I feel so good! I'm not sure if anyone is ever really ready to bring a newborn home, but I feel as ready as I can be. Now we just wait... Oh, and Scot was so cute last night. I had set up the Snap-n-Go stroller (so sweet!) and he wanted to 'practice' putting the car seat in and taking it out - so for about 15 minutes I showed him not only how the stroller worked, but how the car seat worked and how they worked together! He had fun pushing the stroller and 'getting a feel for things'...he's going to be such a good dad! :)

I hope you all had a splendid weekend.