Baby is coming tomorrow!

Here is a pic of our LAST sonogram before meeting our little guy face to face! He is facing us with his eyes closed.

Today's appointment revealed that Weston has stopped growing due to IUGR ( intra uterine growth restriction) for some reason the doctor doesn't know. The size of his abdomen has dropped into the 2% range which isn't good. ( out of 100% being a perfectly normal size for his age, his measurements are only in the 2% range.) This sounds scary, but the doctor says that Weston should be totally fine tomorrow and will do better growing outside of the womb. My amniotic fluid is also decreasing at a faster rate which makes turning him around not possible. So that means I will have to have a C-section delivery. The doctor doesn't see any reason at the moment why Weston won't be perfectly healthy and strong enough to stay out of the NICU when he is born. Even though he is small he seems strong, praise the Lord! I am going to try and breast feed him as soon as possible to get our little guy growing some more, which the doctor is definitely encouraging.

My operation is scheduled for 12:30 pm tomorrow, but we go in at 9:30 am for all of the prepwork. I can't eat or drink anything after midnight tonight, which means no more medication for the contractions! My last dose will be a 9:30 pm so there is a possibility that I could go into labor over the night tonight. If I do start having regular contractions tonight, they will go ahead and take him out tonight! We are praying that everything will happen in God's good timing and that we won't have to wake our doctor up in the middle of the night!

My parents are on their way right now from AZ and will be here tonight just in case. Tomorrow the rest of the family will get here at different points throughout the day. We are so looking forward to seeing our family and having them meet Weston for the first time!

I am a little nervous for all of this to take place, but my fear is overshadowed with hope and excitement. I can't wait to be a momma and to hold our baby! Being pregnant, despite its challenges, has been a miracle and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to know what it is like to bring a child into this world. Thank you Lord for all that You have done and are doing! Please pray that I would not be fearful ( I hate needles!) and that no matter what happens we will give glory to our God!

All Tied Up

My First Tie!
The Handsome Model

If any of you know Andrew very well, you know that he LOVES ties! ( as much as I love shoes!) A few months after finding out that we were expecting our little guy, Andrew began to scheme of ways that I could potentially make a little extra cash from home. Being the entrepreneur that he is, he thought that we should make ties for men, but especially for little boys! During our weekend getaway to Carmel, CA for our 2nd anniversary we stopped in at the Robert Talbot outlet store ( Andrew's fav tie maker) and we discovered that in the back were bolts and bolts of silk very reduced! We both looked at eachother and knew it was a sign! ( not really but that sounded good) So we purchased a few yards to play with.

Well, it has taken me a few months to build up the nerve to try one out, but we chose today as the day to get over my fear of failure and give it a go! Despite some minor mistakes (the tie is a little short and it took me four hours to do) we actually produced a tie!! It was kinda fun and Andrew said he would actually wear it out in public :) So the next step will be to try and create a children's tie, making my own pattern, and to try the adult tie again making it longer and hand sewing the final back seam for a more flexible tie.

Now I don't know if this little project will eventually turn a profit for our family, but Andrew wants us to try it! We are thinking of calling our business "Weston's Ties- for men and boys" or something like that! Oh Boy!

Riding the Baby Roller Coaster!

Looks like Weston may be hanging out in my belly a little bit longer! His heart beat was strong today and my fluid levels are in the normal range again, Praise the Lord! I have 11cm of fluid left and until it goes to 8 cm or below, they won't be concerned. Weston is still breech and I am not sure if the doc will try and turn him now. He actually was not with us today, but the super sweet L & D nurses did all the testing. They did not measure his growth, but they probably wouldn't be able to tell much after only a couple days. The nurse took extra time with us on the ultrasound, showing us where everything was on Weston. We finally got to see his face for a few seconds when he moved his arms away! I wish I had a pic to show you, but it was so precious! He opened and closed his little eyes and his cheeks looked plump despite how small he is. Hopefully he keeps getting chubbier!

The current issue is still my contractions. I had quite a bit of them last night and 3 in one hour while we were at the hospital today. The nurse told me to come back if I have 4 in one hour. But this afternoon has been good with some cramping only and no more contractions since 12:00. I think the cure was the In-N-Out we had for lunch! I have four more days on the medication, and I hope it is enough to keep him in until our next appointment. Thanks so much for your prayers!

Weston may be coming soon!

We just got home from our appointment with some more interesting findings! Despite my side lying efforts this past week, Weston's rate of growth has continued to decrease as well as the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding the little guy. On top of this my contractions have increased in strength despite the meds. Basically, the placenta is not supporting Weston as it should anymore. We don't know why, but I think my body thinks it is done making this baby! His weight is now 5 lbs. 1 oz. and his lungs seem in good shape as we saw lots of strong breathing movements on the ultrasound and his heart rate is still great. Praise the Lord!

We are to come back on Friday of this week to see if the decline in growth and fluid improves or if it continues in the same pattern. If it continues to go as it now, I will most likely be scheduled for a C-section sooner than later. The earliest could be this weekend! oh my! Weston is still breech and the doctor is now hesitant to try and turn him around because of all the other factors now going on. And because of the declining state of the placenta, Weston will be better off outside of the womb than in it. That is unless things stabilize in the next day and a half. The goal is to get him to 37 weeks and he is 36 weeks right now.

So until Friday I have been put back on full bedrest laying on my left side as much as possible.
Thank you so much for your prayers! Please pray that Weston will develop as much as possible in these short few days and that I would not give in to anxious thoughts. I am a little nervous about the very high possibility of having a C- section very soon, but I know that it is done every day and that I am in good hands. I praise the Lord for being so faithful to us and that no matter what happens we know that He is in control!

Super Easy Corn and Tomato Chowder

So Andrew came home a few days ago and announced, "I'm in in the mood for a light soup!"
Not wanting to go to the store, I opened my cupboards and found what I could to make his request! This soup was super easy, surprisingly yummy (with a little kick) and light. I thought I would share it with you :) Most of these ingredients are from TraderJoes, but could definitely be substituted.

1 can Trader Joes Tomato Bisque
1 can Trader Joes Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 can diced green chiles
1 cup Trader Joes frozen Fire Roasted Corn
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Cook garlic in a teaspoon of olive oil in a soup pot. Add all other ingredients and bring to a slow boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes or until ready to serve. We ate this with Pepperjack grilled cheese sandwiches! Yum

Sonogram outlined

I labeled the pic so that you won't be looking for eyes or ears on
this! Some of my family has mentioned that his face is looking like an
alien :) ha ha! It is just the side of Weston's head. The dark spots
are just shadowing created by movement. Hopefully on Wednesday we will
get a look at his face from the front! If not, we might just have to
wait for D-day to see what he really looks like!

Baby update

Here are some pics from our appointment today! The ultrasound pic is a
very close up side profile of Westons cheek and forehead. His arms and
cord were in front of his face again, but at least we can see a cheek
that will soon be kissed all over! What would we do without our I
phones?! We are truly pathetic :) but it does help pass the time. Also
wanted to include the crazy equipment our doc uses to tell us all he
does about our growing boy! It is amazing what we are able to know
inside the womb with this technology. So here is the update... Weston
is measuring too small in his abdomen and femur bones while his skull
and everything else are right on track! So I have been prescribed to
lay flat on my left side for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the
evening. This is to maximize blood flow to Weston and hopefully
stimulate more growth. We continue to give all these things to the
Lord! I am so looking forward to holding my baby in my arms as these
last few weeks seem to grow longer and longer. He is also still in
breach position and if he doesn't move within the next two weeks the
doc may recommend trying to manually turn him around! But he seems
happy healthy and is very active which the doc was encouraged by.
Praise God! Thank u for your prayers and we know that the Lord has a
perfect plan for us despite our uncertanties. We will keep u posted
and go back next Wednesday to see if his growth has improved. We
praise Him that I have not gone into labor yet and that Weston is out
of the critical danger zone for premature babies!

" What associates does Satan have in my heart?" - John Owen

We are here at Resolved in Palm Springs soaking in rich teaching on
the doctrine of sin. Wow! We are halfway through and have already
learned so much. Another great quote by John Owen, " Be killing sin or
it will be killing you!"
We have been challenged by Rick Holland to search our hearts for
indwelling sin that becomes an associate with Satan against our
pursuit of godliness.
Steve Lawson has shown us that we are all poor in spirit, but those
who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy will be the ones to enter
into heaven.
And last night CJ Mahaney talked about progressive sanctification and
how God works with us and through us to make us more like Him! Phil
2:12-13 He empowers the willing in our hearts to work out our
Salvation. We are to work hard against our sin with God's help so that
we will not get dragged and tossed through our Christian life by our
sin, leaving us at the end of our journey battered and confused! ( his
illustration was a poor bassett hound who got his leash stuck in a car
door and was taken for the "walk" of his life!) Can't wait for the
rest of the conference!

Baby Shower # 2 !

When I walked in to the Cooper's house, this is what I found hanging on the mantel! Melissa and Jenny made these plaques themselves to match the colors in Weston's nursery! I can't wait to hang them up next to his crib. I think they have found a new business for themselves :)

All of the prego girls at the shower in order of bump size! ( although Julie is no longer pregnant, baby Dax was born last week!)

Julie, Darsy and Jenny

I can't wait to put Weston in his Moses basket next to our bed the first few days he is home with us. Thanks Linds!

Lindsey came all the way from San Pedro

And Amanda and Summer came all the way from San Diego! Feels like yesterday that we were all studying for finals at the Coffee Bean!

The guest book for the shower was a cute vase/urn with baseballs inside for each of the girls to sign. And now it is a keepsake, also for Weston's baseball themed room

Red Velvet cupcakes! My favorite!

Stacy mixing the chicken salad for lunch

We are playing a really fun memory game where the answers have corresponding candy bars as the prize( post-pregnancy belly = jelly belly candies and the umbilical cord= Twizzlers!)

My good friend Ashley and her 4 week baby Noah. We have enjoyed sharing the journey of pregnancy together and now she is giving me tips on caring for a newborn! We have hopes that our boys will be best childhood friends just like their daddies were. Andrew and Ashley's husband Duane grew up together!

Our internet is finally back in working order so here are the promised pics from the darling baby shower that my amazing friends from Grace threw for me on May 16th. It was such a wonderful and beautiful day! I was so happy to have my mom with me at this shower. In attendance were a mixture of church friends, college friends and family. Thank you to everyone who made this day so special for us! I will always remember it. I am overwhelmed by the love and generosity we have been showered with. Our little guy has all that he needs for his entrance into this world! ( and I still have 2 more showers to go!)

Another Praise!

Today we had an ultrasound and everything looks great! We are so
grateful to the Lord for allowing things to be going so well. I am to
continue on modified bedrest and keep taking the medication most
likely until my 37th week of pregnancy, which after this week is only
4 more weeks away! ( I realized that I still need the meds when I
forgot a dose last night and then experienced one contraction) Time is
flying by. Weston is healthy and growing big! He is already 4 lbs and
3 oz! We came prepared with our video camera today in hopes of
capturing his cute little face but he must have been feeling shy
because he kept his arms and hands totally in front of his face! We
were sad, but we are even more excited to meet our little guy! We also
found out that he is in the breech position, no need to worry yet but
the doc will watch close to make sure he turns in time for the big
day. So what I thought was his little bottom is his head and the
kicking sensations have actually been punches! I think our son might
have a career in boxing! The other day his punches were so vigorous
that I had to brace myself in the chair! No joke!
Thank you all for your continued prayers! We are on the home stretch
now :)
Sent from my iPhone