He's here!

Our sweet boy finally made his arrival and 3 days early!  We welcomed James Michael Leach into the world on Friday, October 16th. We've been rather busy adjusting to our new life.  I promise I'll have his birth story up soon! But for now,  here are a few pictures.

We are absolutely in love with our little guy!

Punked

A little someone (who shall continue to remain un-named) though it would be funny to punk his parents yesterday. Starting at about 1:00 yesterday afternoon, I started having contractions consistently about every 5-9 minutes. I waited until this carried on about 2 hours and then decided I should probably give my OB a call. (Side note: I had a similar episode of this Monday night but then it subsided). The RN at my OB office called back, took my symptoms, and then advised me to go check in at OB triage. So, I called John, he picked me up from work, and away we went to the hospital.

We checked into triage and of course my contractions started to subside. GO FIGURE! This nurse of a mom was already humiliated. They hooked me up to the monitor, checked my cevix (still unchanged at 1cm), and then instructed me to walk the halls for about 45 minutes to see if anything would change. Post 45 minute walk everything was still the same. No change in cervix and had maybe 4-5 contractions. We were then discharged home. Can you say embarassing?

I should also note how adorable John's reactions have been to all of this. He has been super doting and accommodating to any need that I've had. Monday night when I started having contractions he immediately started packing his back while inquiring, "What is the temperature like in those kinds of places? (a.k.a. the hospital)" Then last night we didn't eat a snack or anything before going into OB triage so we were both pretty ravenous upon departure. We ended up at our favorite mexican restaurant as we headed home to which he told me, "We're not going in that place hungry ever again. Next time it's the real deal we're both grabbing a meal before going in." Haha, noted my dear. Noted. He was sure to leave for work this morning with his hospital bag in tow. :)

This child is already keeping us on our toes. Let the fun continue.....

Final weekend as 2?

We are wrapping up a good, relaxing weekend. Could it have been our final weekend without our little babe in tow? The mystery continues.....

Saturday morning John was nice enough to let me spoil myself with a good manu/pedi. I felt bad for the poor lady touching my feet as they had not had much TLC in a while due to my growing belly. The Widmer's were in the KC area visiting friends and made sure to make time for us and a little ice cream date. The boys were of course excited to see their beloved Uncle John. :) Jack was curious as to "why is my belly so big and fat?" Saturday night we headed out to a nice dinner at The Rieger with our friends. The Reiger has been on our "pre-baby bucket list" for quite some time and it did not disappoint.

Sunday we enjoyed a lazy morning before heading to Lawrence. Freestate tapped a new beer John wanted to try and I suggested brunch at Wheatfields. The weather was gorgeous enough to enjoy a patio seat as we leisurely ate and enjoyed each other's company.

Brunch selfie

Biscuits and gravy and french toast, along with my decaf latte. Delish!!

I  realized as we were home this afternoon that I hadn't taken any pictures of his finished nursery. So, here it is... all ready for his arrival!

His crib- the bassinet will be relocated to our room when we bring him home.

Decor

Chair and dresser- I'm sure many nights will be spent in that chair. :)

One final painting for his room thanks to John's cousin Brittany who also painted the pictures that hang over his crib. I saw this picture on Pinterest, just in different colors and she replicated it with no problem. 

I also got ambitious and finished some freezer meals this weekend. I cooked and shredded chicken for soups/casseroles, prepped a pan of ziti, and made 2 loaves of banana bread (I'll freeze 1). I think we are now well stocked in our freezer as these joined the soup and meatballs I had already frozen. 

I think it's safe to say we are ready. As ready as we'll ever be! Now, will our little man make his arrival this week? We shall see.... :)

38 Week Update

Alright kid, your time is almost up! :) Your momma is tired, uncomfortable, tired of living in the bathroom constantly peeing, and not sleeping. I love you dearly already and am dying to meet you so we can be sleep deprived in person together. :)

 

I had my 38 week appointment yesterday and left feeling "hopeless" as my progress from the previous week was "unchanged". Still dilated to a 1 and still about 30% effaced. I had some protein in my urine (which she was not worried about), otherwise all looked good. He still passed his BPP with no issues (well done, son!). We talked about if there were no changes in my cervix at my appointment next Thursday that we would plan an induction date, especially if he isn't here on my due date. My next 2 appointments are on the 15th and 19th (my due date). Hopefully he'll make his appearance on his own by then and we won't need to opt for an induction.

 

There's no other news to report. We just pray all continues to go well these next 10 days until my due date and that he has a safe and timely arrival.

 

 

 

 

37 Weeks

I know I say this every week, but the weeks are seriously flying by. I can't believe today is the last day of week 37 and tomorrow starts yet another week of carrying this babe. What a blessing this journey has been thus far. It's wild to think that we just have a few short weeks until we finally get to meet him.

The week was an absolute whirlwind. Both John and I have been swamped with work. I was anxious Wednesday/Thursday as John had to leave for Mississippi and would be gone 24 hours. I knew I would be fine, but I was nervous that I would go into labor while he was several states away. But, we survived and that was thankfully his last time traveling for work until after the baby arrives.

I had my 37 week appointment on Friday morning. Again, all looked great on the sonogram and he passed his BPP with flying colors. My doctor and I reviewed being GBS positive and what that will all involve during delivery. She then checked my cervix and determined I'm at 1cm dilated and 30% effaced. She said she could feel my bag of water and his head...so crazy! She said I'm "on track". I'll be curious to see where I'm at when I go in for my 38 week appointment. I got my flu shot and then was out the door to work. I think my mind was foggy majority of the day as I kept thinking how real everything is getting and that he really is almost here!

Here are my respectible belly pics for the week!

The week also brought forth some crazy nesting instincts and the urge to make homemade cinnamon rolls and homemade meatballs at 9:00 Thursday night.

I was also thrown a diaper shower at my work on Friday afternoon. My belly was filled with yummy treats and my car was filled to the max with diapers of all sizes, wipes, and some adorable extra baby gifts. We are sooo blessed and thankful for all of the gifts we received. I think we'll be off to a good start in the diaper department.

And lastly, more nesting urge as I made a homemade apple pie on Sunday morning with our fresh fall apples from the City Market.

We're praying for another good week ahead with this babe. We are getting so excited to finally meet him and discover how it's truly going to transform our life. Bring on the snuggles and challenges of parenting. We're ready!

Maternity Pictures

As promised, here are majority of our maternity pictures taken at the end of August (I was 1 day shy of 32 weeks). I absolutely love them all. Thank you, Shannon for your amazing work! We can't wait to have you capture our little prince when he arrives!