So, it's 2:40AM and here I am wide awake again during the middle of the night. That has seemed to be the trend with this pregnancy. It was particularly bad during the first trimester and it has returned again during these last few weeks. Normally I try to get stay in bed and rest but lately after more than an hour I find it's better to get up for a bit and hope I'll be able to fall back to sleep after a bit.
We seem to be nearing the end of this pregnancy and right now that sounds good! My official due date is May 8 but baby has been showing signs that he will most likely come before then. The frequent contractions have been doing their job and I'm guessing it won't be too much longer now! Today makes 36 weeks so technically we're not yet full term. The doctors have informed us that even if he comes right now he would be fully developed and should be healthy. Our only concern is that he would likely be quite small. Our kids have ranged in the 6lb 4 oz - 6 lb 10oz range (all born at 39 weeks) so they're not real huge to begin with! Being born a month early probably wouldn't help a lot in the size category!
So... now we wait. This time feels quite different than it did with the other kids. Annika was a bit of a surprise (I didn't realize I was actually in labor when I went into the hospital with her). Abby was induced and with Jake it was very clear exactly when real labor began. This child has given me a couple times now where I have seriously questioned if, "this is it!" I guess my body is getting older and reacting more strongly to pre-labor. It's a silly thought, but I don't want to "miss" the actual labor assuming it's just more of the same contractions and have a surprise birth at home! I seriously doubt that would happen, but given my past history of short labors and non-regular contractions, the thought has crossed my mind! Maybe I should have Mike read up on the what to do if your wife gives birth at home chapter in the "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book! I'm sure he'd do a great job! After all, he's seen this before, right? How hard can it be? Women used to give birth alone on a prairie. We should be all set then with the modern comforts of home!
Anyway -- please keep us all in your prayers. We are praying for a healthy baby born at the right time. We are also praying for stamina to get through the final days of waiting, energy to keep getting our lives in order, quality time to spend with Annika, Abby, and Jake (spring break has been a real blessing), and tangible ways to show our family and friends how much all of their support has meant to us in these last few weeks! We are truly blessed!
This is what happens when you're child #4. You fall asleep in Dad's arms and he puts you down for a moment. Since you're sleeping so peacefully he decides to just leave you there. At least he has the courtesy to warn everyone not to step on you!
After some encouragement, Jake gently checked out Zach's head.
Not long after, Zach started waking up a little and making faces, and Jake is very much into making funny faces with people. So he started showing some of his funny faces to Zach:
They'll be having light saber battles soon enough. Actually, this big, brand new situation is regularly tiring Jake out, so that he's almost falling asleep at the dinner table and going to bed really early, but that's OK. Overall, things seem to be going as well as they can be when there's a five-day-old in the house. Now, to sleep...
Some really happy big sisters!
Here's how the day went, all times AM:
On Tuesday we had the joy of celebrating Jake's 3rd birthday. Since he's quite fascinated with all things boy, which includes cars, trucks, trains, and transportation in general, we threw him a construction-themed family birthday party. Above is his birthday cake.
Jake started off the day on Tuesday refusing to acknowledge that he was three. He just wanted to be two. By the end of the day he had changed his mind. A big part of the change was the fact that there was a 3 on his cake.
Showing off their construction hats which they each decorated. Jake's was a bit big and kept falling off!
Enjoying some of his gifts - a book from Great Grandma and a ND basketball from Grandma and Grandpa Dekker!
Eating cake! He had two pieces and wanted more! No early bed time for him!
