Baby Update

So, we went for our 41 week appointment today. Had a great ultrasound, all the baby's fluid levels looked great--- he is happy and healthy! The tech even did a 3D ultrasound as a surprise and we saw how cute our little man is. So, then we go in to meet with the Dr. We tell her that we are open to an induction, but she says, I have to stop you right there and tell you we are going to do a C-section. We discuss the reasons why, risks of trying induction etc. The long and short of it all, is that we are going to try to induce labor, knowing that due to size it could end in a C-section. I'm upset about that, but just trying to trust God and stay calm. Oh, and when the Dr finally reviewed the stats she didn't seem quite as worried b/c she realized that a lot of the weight was from the "off the chart femur length". oh yeah!!
 We go in to the hospital at 6p on Thursday and start phase 1 and then the pitocin will start on Friday at 6a. I will be trying all sorts of stuff in between. So, come what may, we should have a baby on Friday. It's not how I was hoping it would happen, but God is in control and we trust that. Thanks for your concern and prayers.
Love,
Marjo and Billy

NO. YES.

NO. The baby is not here. I'm not in labor.

YES. I have tried walking, dancing, eating curry, eating spicy mexican food, running up and down stairs and everything else in between.

YES. I am four days past "due date", off work, house clean, laundry done, husband home, 4 books completed this week, nursery ready, bags packed.

YES. I am aware that our baby could be huge and that there is a full moon tonight.

NO. I do not want to be induced. Please pray.

YES. We are just trying to enjoy every minute that we are given in the waiting.

YES. We will keep you posted.

Love--Marj and Billy

wide awake and nowhere to go...

No baby has surfaced as of today, 6/23, D-day. Monday was my last day at work and I'm thankful to enjoy a few days of quiet and rest before our little one decides to make his appearance. Just in time, too, b/c I have been up since 2:45a and I'm now blogging at 6:45, having already had breakfast and my first cup of coffee. I feel certain this is God preparing me for my new daily/nightly routine...so even in the discomfort I will try and take heart and trust that it is good.  Hoping exhaustion will kick in for a nap soon....

The last few months--photo style.

1) Mabel has made herself quite the family fixture in our house.
2) We enjoyed a beautiful all-night celebration of the Resurrection of Christ with the Paschal Liturgy and subsequent feast, followed by a backyard brunch with friends and family the next day.
3) My sweet coworkers threw us a wonderful shower in early May. Much fun in the middle of the day.
4) We were thrilled to celebrate the Holy Mystery of Matrimony between our dear friends Brandon and Caitlyn on May 2. What a beautiful day, after a weekend of tornado sirens and flooding. We love yall! Many Years!
5) What Memphian's spring would be complete without at least ONE festival? So, the three of us headed down to BBQfest...i got some looks that night, but hello, pregnant girl loves some pork!
6) We also took Joy with us for her first experience bbqfest exp
7) Nephew Martin enjoyed his first Greek Fest. He loves gyros and went back for seconds on the baklava. it's that good.

The Nursery..in Progress

For those of you who have asked, here are some pics of the nursery in progress. We left the antique dresser and will convert it to a changing table. Still waiting to get that changing cover. We also have my great grandmother's rocking chair--just have to recover the seat. Material is there, just need to stretch and staple! Love my little baskets with all Joseph's cute things in them, and the cotton curtains that let plenty of light in--very happy and cozy. Then, in the next corner, we have the bed. Decided not to go with "bedding" and just stick with neutral, organic cottons, so that all of the old blankets and things will just mix right in. Please note the adorable quilt that Billy's Mimi made him when he was a baby. love it. Also, Billy's sweet parents gave us a beautiful needlepoint of a little black lab puppy named Mabel, seeing as she will be Joseph's first dog. I feel sure he will cherish this framed picture forever, probably much to his future wife's chagrin! Need to hang the mobile and get his icon corner set up, but all in all, if he came today, Joseph would have a place to lay his head and what a happy place he will make it! Oh...and for my far off friends who have been asking, here's a somewhat shot of what I look like at nearly 37 weeks pregnant. I'm home alone this morning, so it's the best I could do! We'll try for a better one when hubs gets home from riding. So there ya have it. A quick look at what's going on around here at over 9 mons preg. We go for the big drs appointment tomorrow to see if we have made any progress and then the waiting continues. Meanwhile we are enjoying relaxing, hanging out with friends and just life as usual. The juxtaposition is a bit strange, but we like it. Enjoy your holiday!

The Countdown

Where has the time gone? My puffy face and swollen feet would like to know. With temperatures settling in the 90's for a good, old-fashioned Memphis summer, it seems I am not going to be able to make it out of this pregnancy without at least a tiny bit of discomfort. But, I digress. With Joseph's due date a mere 29 days away, I can thankfully say, that God has been merciful to us in so many ways over the last 9 months. We are healthy and happy and can deal with a little back pain and swollen feet in light of that!
So in approximately 1 month our little peanut, who is growing exponentially on a daily basis, will make his arrival. I'm finally able to sit back and absorb that. Up until now I feel like I have been running--physically and mentally--in order to prepare and get some last minute socializing in (you people need to quit scaring me with all this, "nothing is ever the same again" business. It's wearing me out and giving me cankles!) and also to distract myself from the impending labor and nervousness that sort of takes over when I think of it too long! Thanks to Billy, I realize that Joseph's arrival is not a deadline..we will still go on being us, knowing how to do the things that we know how to do now. So, if those curtains don't get hung before he arrives, it's OK. Breathe, Marj, breathe. Thanks, B.
Meanwhile, amidst my regular nesting freakouts, we have nearly finished Joseph's sweet little room. We went for simple and are very pleased with the results. We have about 3 more small things to do and then I will post a picture. Thanks to precious friends and family for all your help and generous gifts of love-- we are so grateful and humbled by your generosity. Joseph feels the love and looks forward to giving you snuggle of thanks soon!
I'm at work, so no pictures today. But, the shoes are off, the feet are propped and i'm steadily moving through my mound of work to try and close up shop here. When I started here, I certainly didn't think I'd be experiencing this stage of life behind the same desk....That was T-5 yrs ago and here I am, T-29 days. Weird how the time goes.

I may not be cut out for blogging, but I do love my friends

It's weekends like this past one that make me realize how special my college experience was, as it granted me more lifelong friends that i could have hoped for (and there were several signifcant ones missing!....you know who you are...and we talked about yall enough to make it seem like you were there). I am so thankful to have people who have known me through some of life's weirdest and most awkward times--it makes for a lot of laughs and an irreplaceable sense of being "known"-- we have 12 years behind us after all. Thanks for such a sweet time and for the fabulous baby shower. Baby J loved his time in Mississippi and can't wait to meet you all in person!

PS... don't even ask about this picture...Bellah...you know what this is. Love it!