Merry Christmas

It has been a LONG while since I have posted anything. Sorry to all you avid Workman Fans out there who have been dying for something new to read about our lives. :) Pregnancy and teaching have completely wiped me out in the 3rd trimester!

Jer and I are in Houston, Texas for the Holiday Season to spend time with his family. We were nervous about flying and not sure if our doctor would let us fly. It was funny because when we talked to the nurse she was very adamant that we NOT fly after 32 weeks. Jer and I decided to talk to our doctor about it directly. When Dr. Smith walked into the room and we began talking about the possibility of flying she said, without any hesitation, "Ok. Come in for a checkup the morning your flight leaves but you should be fine." We chuckled and said, "Ok."

THE FLIGHT

I was nervous about the flight. 3 hours in a cramped plane with not a lot of leg room and a seat that won't recline? Hmmm....no brainer. We got in, got going, and it turned out to be relatively comfortable. I was pretty surprised. Dr. Smith (I promise that is her real name) asked that I get up 1/2 way through the flight and walk the aisle. We were at the back of the plane (right next to the bathrooms...smart airline...) and I got up to walk the aisle. Let me just say this: a man without any thoughts to pregnant women designed this particular airplane. I kept bumping and jostling the poor passengers - "Excuse me, pardon me, oops! I'm sorry! Excuse me..." I got to the front, paused, turned around, and headed back. I think a couple of passengers just sighed as they saw me coming. Poor passengers!

CHRISTMAS

Jer's family has several traditions that I love and that we plan to incorporate into our own family traditions.

First: as the kids got older they drew names for stockings. So, everyone has someone else's stocking to "help Santa" fill. Then, sometime on Christmas Eve, you sneak your stocking down so no one else see's and put it somewhere in the living room. It's pretty fun.

Second: on Christmas morning everyone takes turns opening a present. The dad (DeVon in this case - Jer in our family) is passing out all the presents but nobody just dives into them. We're sitting in a circle and we start with one person and go around. I LOVE it because the focus and excitement is seeing what other people got for Christmas. Timewise you are spending 90% seeing what everyone else got and only 10% seeing what you got. Much more selfless than just "digging in". It takes a long time (it took us about 3 or 4 hours) but it's great because there is lots of laughter and talking and it's just great.
Third: on Christmas Eve the women make a treat called Cinnamon Twists that take all night to rise. In the morning you pop them in the oven and then frost them. That becomes the treat (with Egg Nog of course) that everyone eats. They are SO good! Definitely going to become one of our family traditions! :)

THE PREGNANCY

Ok. I am officially large. My mom called, asking for sizes for Jer and I so she could send the traditional Christmas PJ's (which were Wii pajama's this year! So cute!) and I said, "Jer is a large and I am a whale." Needless to say, mine were an XL this year. :) Our daughter is so adorable! I cannot wait for her to get here! I am beginning to notice regular sleep patterns. She is definitely active when she is awake. She really is a night owl and is her most active between 9:00pm - 1:00am. I can already tell that she loves her daddy because EVERYTIME Jer puts his hands on my stomach she will ALWAYS move to where his hands are. Everytime. It's so awesome! She loves music and will usually always react to it. If she's really active and I put quiet or soothing music on or I play the piano she will calm down. If she's been calm and there is music that is not so calm (go Jackson 5 or Queen's) she will begin moving or kicking. The more I learn about her online the more I realize that we really are getting closer to having her here. My favorite gift this Christmas season (well there are 2) came from my mother-in-law. With the help of her sister Elaine, she made this beautiful baby quilt. It is gorgeous. (Pictures to come). Then, I got these cute blocks that are painted pink and green and each have a letter that was decopaged (spelling?) on them. They spell Jessica's name. I'm not sure how to describe them so I'll post a picture when we get home. They are so adorable! My favorite though, was definitely the quilt. I had a hard time not crying all Christmas Day about it. It is something beautiful that her Grammy made her that will last her whole life. Another favorite was actually something Jer got. He got a baby outfit for Jessica. It was green pj's that said "Daddy's Girl" on one side. So cute!

THE MOTHER

I remember about 2-3 months ago I was talking to my friend Tawna about how nervous I was for labor and deliver. Freaked out actually. She, being the good friend and wise mother of 2 that she is (really and truly she's amazing), said, "You'll get to the point in your pregnancy where you are so uncomfortable and large that you won't care. You'll do anything to get the baby out." Well, Tawna. I'm at that point! :) I know it will be scary (mostly because it's new and unknown to me), I know that it will hurt (hopefully until the epideral kicks in) and that recovery will be sore, but I don't care. Get this baby out! Safely and when it's right...which hopefully will be a week before she's due...maybe 2? I mean, if she's ready then why not? Right? :) The swelling in my feet has not gone down much and it has expanded into my calves. Pretty much you can push my ankles all the way around and create a moat at least 1/4 inch deep. Sometimes 1/2 inch when it's really bad. (I wish I was joking about the dimensions...). My feet get tender in some places and at the end of the night, but for the most part they don't really hurt. Which is SUCH a blessing! I also now have more appreciation for those who suffer with carpel tunnel. My arms and hands have begun swelling so every morning I wake up with numb and/or tingling fingers. When I try to make a fist, my hands look like the witch Muriel from Fablehaven - they become claws that lock into place and I can't move my fingers. It's so wierd! I massage them out and can finally make fists. It's interesting. Lately, (and if anyone has any thoughts/experience/suggestions/info on this, please share), I have had a lot of pressure on my pelvic bones. You know that feeling of soreness after you have been riding a bike for a long time? It's that with extra pressure attached. It's only been in the past 2 days that I've felt it so I'm not sure if it because of how Jessica is sitting, or she's growing, or my body is getting ready for labor, or am I in some kind of pre-labor? I don't know. We have a doctor's appointment on Jan. 8th so, unless it gets worse, I'll check with her then.

THE FATHER

Excited to be a daddy and very, very, very, very, very patient with the mother! Jer massages my waterbed feet every night (sometimes 2 or 3 times a day if needed!) and he is really wonderful with me.

CONCLUSION

In spite of all of this, I have truly had a healthy pregnancy with a very healthy baby. I am so grateful. I have known so many women who have had miscarriages, gestational diabetes, fetus problems, etc. and I'm not sure why I haven't. I know that the Lord gives people the trials that will help them grow. I think mine has been to work on a positive attitude and to really learn how to rely on the Lord regardless of how easy or hard life is. He has blessed Jer and I tremendously and I am still working on trying to genuinely show Him how grateful I am. 7 weeks to go!