Let the Countdown Begin!

In less than 1 month (26 days to be exact) our lives will change dramatically! While I am very excited for the arrival of our new little boy, I'm also not quite ready to give up my life of freedom. Currently, I get a full night's sleep and Sam is mostly independent. He dresses himself, goes potty by himself, wipes his own butt, and even helps me out around the house (ie. "Sam, please go get mommy a drink of water.") Soon, I will be totally responsible again for the feeding, nursing, and diapering of a helpless (but precious) little infant and my free time will virtually disappear. So, I'm doing my best right now to not only prepare for L.B.'s (Little Beckham) arrival, but also enjoy some quiet moments to myself... laying in the sun, reading a good book/magazine, getting my hair colored, mini-pedicure, etc.

36 WEEKS

Also, I wanted to mention that Thursday I had a final ultrasound in Grand Rapids to check on the health of this baby's heart. At 19 weeks I had an initial appointment that confirmed that structurally the baby's heart had no defects. This appointment was to check on valves and other areas that were too small to see earlier. I went alone to this appointment and surprisingly I was much more emotional that I was prepared for. Everything checked out perfectly and I was a big ball of hormonal tears. Mostly just very grateful that this baby is so healthy. As I waited for the cardiologist and ultrasound tech. in the same room that we found out about Sam's problems, I was overwhelmed with so many emotions....remembering how awful and hopeless I felt 4 years ago when they confirmed that Sam had something very wrong with his heart that was going to require open heart surgeries...while at the same time reflecting on how amazingly healthy and active Sam is today...to feeling so grateful that this pregnancy has been so much less stressful and without all the conflicting emotions and fears I was going through while carrying Sam.

The ultrasound also confirmed that he is a very average sized baby...currently weighing in at 5 lbs., 15 oz (41st%) and that I am measuring perfectly (even though I feel huge!) Our little stinker is head down and would not show his face (hands were covering) but they were able to see the boy parts so that's still a for sure! I just can't wait to hold him in my arms!

MISC. WEEKEND ADVENTURES

On Saturday afternoon we had to have a large tree in the middle of our yard removed. While we were sad to see this old tree go, it was something we had to do because it's been dead for a couple of years and is becoming hazardous. Now we have a huge open area in the middle of our side yard which will be great for our boys to safely spend hours playing baseball, football or whatever.

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

(the stump will be removed soemtime this week)

While the tree was being cut down, Brian and I spent time planting some new perennials. This space used to be occupied by 2 large overgrown Holly bushes. We removed them because we were planning to remove the cement balcony and add on a deck to the side of the house. However, due to the tree removal and a few other unexpected house expenses, we are putting the deck on hold. Instead, in 2 weeks, the cement balcony will be repaired and refinished with a new coating of cement and the old rod iron railing will be replaced with a new updated railing for a much cheaper cost than building a deck. We are very happy too with the look of the new perennials.


Friday afternoon I babysat Mya for a bit and Sam took her for a ride on his new Gator. They had a blast riding around the yard for a long time. Can you tell they're cousins?!

Lastly, on Saturday evening, we took a trip to "Sam's park" and Brian attempted to start teaching him how to ride without training wheels. Sam really wasn't very excited about trying so I'm not sure if he's ready or not. He loves to ride his bike everywhere and doesn't understand the meaning of the word "slow down", so we figured he was ready. I guess we'll just keep trying once and a while until he's more comfortable.

Here's a couple of quick video clips...

Maniac Sam riding with training wheels...

Learning to ride without...