Take Your Time...

But don't wait too long.

Went in for my doctor's appointment to hear that things were progressing, but not fast enough.  No sign of delivery coming.  And some people are loosing their patience.  But not us. We're just waiting.  Waiting for Desmond to tell us he's good and ready.

But my doctor said she doesn't really like to go past 41 weeks.  And Monday is just around the corner, which makes 41 weeks.  So no pressure Desmond, but we want you to come into this world naturally and in your own time, but can it just be this weekend, so we don't feel the pressure of inducing you.

I stood my ground and asked for more time and she agreed, but it means more tests.  The same tests we had last week.  So our prayer is that some time in the next few days we see some progress and have a baby before the weekend is up.

We're just really excited to finally meet you Desmond and share you with the rest of the world!!

Bring on the Warm and Cozy

Ok I finally feel like I can start posting some Fall recipes without looking like a crazy obsessed lady!  Even though it's still hotter than blazes here, I'm still embracing the warmth of Fall cooking and comforting meals.  And nothing says warm and cozy more than soup!  Especially chili!  And this has all the yummy goodness of Fall packed in every spoonful!

Adapted from Daily Garnish's Sweet Potato and Lentil Veggie Chili

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
TBS. minced garlic
TBS. olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups black beluga lentils
1 can diced tomatoes
2 TBS. chili powder
1 TBS. paprika
1 TBS. ground cinnamon
some jalapeno for a little kick
and salt to taste

Grab a heavy stock pot and saute your onion, bell pepper, and garlic in olive oil.  Throw in your sweet potatoes and carrots and allow to somewhat cook.  You don't want them too tender, or they'll turn to mush.  Don't worry, they'll have time to soften as you simmer your chili.  Add in all of your spices and stir around to give everything a nice coat.  Now pour in the vegetable broth, lentils, and tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer and then turn down the heat.  Simmer 45 minutes to an hour.    

I absolutely loved the flavors in this chili.  And what goes better with chili than cornbread?  PUMPKIN CORNBREAD!  Yes that's right.  Pumpkin cornbread is my new favorite and really fills out this perfectly Fall meal!

I've followed this recipe twice, and the only thing I've done to tweak it, is the time.  My perfect cornbread only took about 20-22 minutes.  So keep an eye on it and be careful no to cook it too long as it will become quite dry.

Enjoy!

HAPPY DUE DATE!

I suppose if things started moving and Desmond decided to come rather quickly, he could still be born today, but I find that to be unlikely.  I'm not upset about it at all.  It's just funny to me how so many people get to this point and still no baby.  You think they would come up with a better name than DUE DATE.  It sounds so official, but it's not at all.

We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little boy, but we've been ok with the waiting.  I told Jordan the other night my stomach felt weird and he was like WHAT!?  You're not going into labor now are you!?  I wasn't but we both kind of looked at each other stunned, realizing we really are having a baby!  I know...how is it still shocking to us?  I dunno.  But it is.

But there's also so much excitement in it.  It's amazing to me how much love can grow inside of you for this person you only know at a distance but still so well because they're a part of you.  Jordan holds his arms out all of the time pretend holding Desmond and I think it's the cutest thing in the world.  He's been so giddy and jumpy lately!  I have a feeling I know what he was like as a kid when Christmas rolled around.  I love how excited he is to be a Dad and love our little boy.

See--Stunned with excitement!!

In my last post you read about how chill Desmond was during our sonogram.  It wasn't alarming to me and no one really seemed to make an issue of it at the time, but Friday I got a call from my doctor that she was concerned, which is something you never want to hear.  She wasn't happy with his lack of movement and told me he didn't score well on the things they were needing to test and I would have to go back in on Saturday to see if things were any different and if they weren't I would need to be induced.  SATURDAY!?  That seemed like a million years away.  I told Jordan the news, and broke down before I could make it through my last sentence.  We stood there hugging and I just watched the clock, which seemed to be frozen in time.  And then Jordan prayed.

I loved that that's the first place he wanted to go.  To our Heavenly Father.  Knowing that things were out of our control, but not His.  I prayed in my heart that God would help me to have that same kind of faith.  That no matter what happened, I would continue to trust Him.  I wanted it to be there automatically, but I just prayed that God would grant me the grace for my head and my heart to match up.  We sent out a text to all of the missionaries here with us, and began to receive great encouragement and peace began to fill our home and hearts.  LuAnn, one of the most thoughtful ladies I know, called and talked things through with us, and prayed for us.  Our car is still not working, so she volunteered to come get us in the morning and be with us to help us figure out what to do upon hearing whatever results came our way.

I slept as much as I could that night and when the light of Saturday morning hit we gathered all of our things and asked a few more people to pray for us and continued in a heart of prayer ourselves as we headed to the hospital.   After some waiting they ushered me back into the room.  They did all of their tests and took all of their measurements and then went and got Jordan.  With big smiles they assured us that everything was normal and Desmond was doing great and showed us all of his beautiful organs and limbs.  His hands were again up by his face and as we were counting all of his fingers he gave us a thumbs up!  They were happy to see how happy and energetic he was moving across the screen and a great weight was lifted.

We took the results to my doctor and her advice was to come back Thursday.  Thursday!?  Now that's far away.  We're just in the waiting game now.  Desmond watch 2012 is in full effect.

Any Day Now

It's almost unreal to think any day now Desmond could decide to make his arrival.  I can't believe we're already at the end.

And as I took my pictures today, I wondered if this would be my last without him, or will we be documenting week 40 as well?  And sorry for my hair.  I totally have a mullet right now.  EW!  I'm just bored with it and trying to grow it out, but someone needs a trim!  Yikes.

Anyway...we had a doctor's appointment today and still no sign of him coming any time soon.  But again, this kid has a mind of his own and I think he's just going to leave us watching and waiting.  My doctor wanted me to get a sonogram just to insure all was well and I was ok to keep going, because he was still ok inside.  But he gave all of the technicians and myself a little scare.  Though his actions were pretty normal, it was all new to them.

There he was on the screen in his favorite position.  Head leaned in to my right side, with his little fists by his face.  They had to get some measurements and see that he was passing several tests, but he again, did not want to comply.  He was content to be right where he was and no amount of poking or prodding, or bell ringing for 30 minutes was going to get him to move.  But he did give us the peace sign at one point just to let us know all was well.

Oh Little Desmond we're so excited for you and we eagerly await with great anticipation to welcome you into the world!  We'll be patient, so you just come in your own time, ok?  

Family Photo Fun!

These will probably be some of our last photos before we meet our baby boy!  We had a blast today with the camera and wanted to share our fun with you.  Hope you enjoy our family photo shoot.

I seriously love this man to pieces and I absolutely love our story and what God did to bring us together.  So thankful for where we are on this journey together, and cannot wait for Desmond to be in this with us.  Feeling so overwhelmingly blessed!

We're still not done with Desmond's room, so you only get a little preview of it, but I can guarantee you it's gonna be awesome.  Just waiting for some prints to come from the States with my parents...and then we'll give you the grand tour.  Promise.

Just waiting for me to get the camera all set up...

Seriously...he's a hunk!  Oh, this guy!

I'm telling you...it never stops!

My Dapper Man!  So handsome.  And yes, he tied that bow-tie!

Thinking about my boys!

He makes me so happy!

I told him to think about Desmond...

Such a proud Dad!!

Soon enough he'll be filling our arms.  We can't wait for you to be here Desmond!!

The Waiting Game

Still waiting for this little guy to make his big debut.  We're nearing the end of week 38 and as of right now, he's not coming any time soon.

My doctor's suggestion...get out and walk, walk, walk.  Well we heeded her advice and walked all day yesterday making all of our last minute purchases.  By the end of the day I wondered if I was going to be able to move anymore.  It's quite weird feeling this way.  I'm so used to doing everything, but today I listened to my body and just took it easy.

Our bags are mostly packed for the hospital.  I have a few more things to tuck in there, but for the most part we're ready.  Except I keep changing my mind about the clothes I want to take for Desmond.  It's funny...I used to think that there were no cute boy clothes, but I'm so excited to dress him in all of his little things.  He's gonna be one dapper dude, and he has so many outfits that make me squeal with excitement.  And fair warning now...I'm taking pictures of everything!!! =)

Still praying for peace and for my head and my heart to all be in the right place.  To be able to be flexible, and roll with whatever happens.  Like as of right now, we don't have a working vehicle.  I know that God will take care of us, and everything will work out in the end.  And we have a slew of people who have offered their services to us-whatever we need!  We're so blessed to have the support we do being so far from home!  And that's just on this end!  I'm so thankful for all of you who have journeyed with us in this whole process and for all of your prayers and encouraging words!  Thank you hardly seems like enough.  And now I'm getting all emotional....but seriously, thank you!

Closing In

Even as I post this I can't believe how fast this week is already slipping away.  It's crazy reading things that say you could have your new baby in 3 days or 3 weeks.  What the what!?  I know he's coming.  I know it.  But sometimes it still hardly seems real.  And sometimes it all seems so overwhelming.  But mostly the anticipation and joy that's mounting is winning out.   I think it's still just weird to think I'm about to be a Mom!   

It helps that I have so many friends who have become parents in the last few months and their joy gets me choked up almost every time.  It makes me so excited for this next phase of our lives, and for us to get to experience all of those things ourselves.  It also became very real, when my partner in crime who was due just days apart from me, had her baby this last weekend.  It kind of kicked me and Jordan into high gear.

Jordan and I have been watching videos together to know what to prepare for and what's coming, but my favorite part is watching him watch the videos.  There's this whole new side of him that has come out that absolutely melts my heart and makes me love him even more.  Someone recently told me, they fell in love with their husband all over again watching him with their child.  I can already see this to be true.  And I've said it before and I'll say it again...I am so blessed to have this man by my side!  

We're still working on Desmond's room.  I'm still trying to make last minute preparations around the house.  I've been in the kitchen cooking up a storm trying to get a good stock of meals.  Still doing laundry and trying to figure out what to pack for the hospital.  Still trying to learn as much as I can so we're all ready.  

Because ready or not...he's coming.