36 Weeks---Owen is almost here!

Well, we have finally made it to the 9 month point! Yay! I went to the doctor on Monday and he said I do have cholestasis. I am still a little unclear about when I will be delivering, but it sounds like within the next two weeks! I can hardly believe it. I hope Owen decides to come on his own before then, so I won't have to be induced. I am still being monitored twice a week, so if anything should change I will definitely update the blog. I have been enjoying the last week and a half off of work. Been walking daily, visiting with friends, helping watch Mason, and taking it easy. I will actually be 37 weeks tomorrow, which means I am considered full term!

Something else to celebrate this week...Matt and my Mom's birthdays! Birthday season is in full swing for both of our families. Owen has plenty of chances to land on someones birthday! We went to dinner last Saturday at McClintock's to celebrate my Mom before Mike went back to work. As for Matt's birthday dinner...who knows we may be eating at the hospital cafeteria.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO A GREAT HUSBAND (SOON TO BE DAD) AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL MOM! I AM BLESSED TO HAVE YOU BOTH IN MY LIFE!

Owen's Nursery

The nursery is complete and now we are patiently waiting for the little prince to arrive. I am officially off of work now and plan on spending the next few weeks catching up with friends, resting, and doing last minute cleaning. I hope you enjoy the pictures of the nursery. We are very happy with the way it turned out. Thank you to everyone who helped make Owen's nursery what it is. He is a lucky little guy!

Had to throw this one in too...he is so stinkin' cute!

Occupational Hazard---35 weeks

Well, I have made it to my last week of work...phew! Let me tell you it didn't get started off to well. On Tuesday I was working at Miller (Carol's school), when at the end of the day, out of no where, a soccer ball came flying and slammed me in the stomach. Needless to say, it knocked the wind right out of me! With that being said, you know what came next...tears! I was so scared for Owen. I went straight to Carol's office and she called the doctor for me. I immediately rushed to see him and was placed on the fetal monitor. In the meantime, Matt was conveniently driving out of town for a work meeting.

After being monitored and assured that everything looked good, I left. Still a little shaken, but much more comfortable. So the next day (Wednesday) was my actual doctors appointment, which Carol accompanied me too, since Matt was still out of town. Lying there with the fetal monitor strapped to my growing belly, I started to feel some discomfort. Carol asked me if he was moving a lot because she had noticed the change in his heart rate. I said I had some lower pressure, but assumed it must have just been his head. Come to find out I was actually having contractions and they were occuring quite regularly. Let me just say that text message definitely got Matt's attention. After being on the monitor for quite some time, the Doctor gave me a shot to stop the contractions. They quickly subsided and he checked a few other things (????) just to make sure labor wasn't around the corner. He also advised me what to do if I were to feel the contractions come back, since it still isn't the ideal time for Owen to be delivered.

I came home feeling grateful that Carol was there with me, but feeling sad and lonely to not have Matt near me. I prayed for his safe return and hopefully not for a midnight trip to the ER. Well...we made it through the night and I felt good today. So we are back on schedule for our appointment next week. I will keep you posted and will also post the new 3D's that Esther spoiled Carol and I with! Owen was not shy this time, but he still loves his hands by his face (sounds like dad already)!

33 weeks---Owen's Nursery

Grandpa Lambert and Matt have been working very hard to prepare our house for Owen. Thank you so much Mom and Mike for all of your hard work on the weekends. Whether you are working in the garage, painting, organizing closets, and baby clothes or just hanging out, we appreciate all the time. This is what Owen's nursery looks like prior to organizing any of our shower gifts. This is an organized mess. Since I took this picture we have definitely made progress. We both are hard at work over the weekend still organizing. I will post his new pictures as soon as the nursery is totally completed. I can't wait to see the finished product...I love it already. I have a hard time not looking in there when I walk by. Every morning I go in to open the blinds and I smile. I can't wait to say "Good Morning" to Owen! Two sentences to describe how I was feeling hear...It was 92 degrees in Santa Maria! Two days later it was 60 degrees!

Presenting...Owen!

Well, here he is...!!! This is the miracle that has been growing for 8 months inside of me. It was so great to get this ultrasound today. Matt and I were really looking forward to getting to see how much he has changed. It is unbelievable how he went from looking like an alien to a bundle of love that we can't wait to meet. After having the ultrasound it almost makes the waiting even harder. According to his measurements, Owen is already 4 pounds and is still expected to be due May 20th.

Although, that will not be the case according to our doctor. At 35 weeks I will have my blood drawn again to check my liver levels and begin seeing the doctor twice a week for non-stress tests. Ultimately, it would be ideal to not have to be induced because the risk of c-section is higher, but we will do what has to be done. If everything goes as planned, and I don't have any complications or start labor on my own, 38-39 weeks delivery is planned. Which means only 6-7 more weeks! Yikes, but so exciting for us! Tonight Grandma Carol, Grandma Jeannie, and Grandpa Mike stopped by to meet their newest grandson. We also watched the DVD from our ultrasound. So much to look forward to in the future! I am already so proud to show him off. He looks adorable to me, of course. I don't know who he looks like, but it seems that the consensus is Matt. Which of course I think is great, but didn't I have something to do with this???? Such a sleepy guy! He really tried hard to hide from us! Esther (our friend and u/s tech had to really work hard to get him to move his hands and FEET away from his face)!! He is a stinker already, but a flexible one at that.

Owen's Baby Shower---32 weeks

I want to start this post by saying THANK YOU!!! As you can see by the picture, Matt and I are truly blessed by our friends and family. My shower for Owen was amazing and we received so many great gifts. The day really couldn't have been better. From all of the great people who were there, to the good food, the location, and the hard work which went into preparing everything. So a special thank you to our Mom's, Ami, Sarah (yummy blueberries & strawberries, even though I never ate dessert), and all of the Aunt's who helped out. It was truly appreciated.

Now comes the hard part...putting everything away. It literally took two car loads to get everything home and now we have decided we need a bigger house! Just kidding...but some day! The next few weeks are definitely going to be spent organizing and writing thank you cards. I will have say I definitely have my work cut out for me.

I am so thankful for the time and effort that our friends and family put into making some of our gifts very unique. I know we will treasure the gifts forever and I am sure Owen will as well. I know the day ended up rainy, but it was nice to have everyone who traveled from out of town to spend the day with (Ally, Clare, The Guerrero's and Tami)! Also, did anyone notice all of the newborns? Wow, the oldest being 10 weeks and the youngest 7 weeks. Not to mention the amount of pregnant women...Allison (twin boys due in July), Nicole (baby girl due in July, and Becky (baby girl due in August). Phewwwww! Anyone else out there I should know about?!?!?!?

COWBOY BOOTS...LOVE THEM!



MY LITTLE SCOOTER!

March Madness! (31 weeks)

Let me start off by saying March has been a pretty good month for our family. First, for those of you who do not know...Matt was promoted to Vineyard Manager for Cambria Winery. We are very excited and can't wait to see what new opportunities his new title will bring him. On the other hand, he is very nervous about the additional work load and also the responsibility of being a new dad. But let me just say...I know he will do a wonderful job!

With that being said, yesterday I received a phone call from Dr. Callahan. It has been confirmed, I do have cholestasis. Which adds a bit more stress to Matt's life. This means Owen will be here before you know it. Ideally, Dr. Callahan would like to deliver around 38 weeks, which means we only have 7 weeks left. Next Monday we have our appointment and will find out more information at that time. I will definitely update then, especially because we will be having another ultrasound. I am very eager to see what our little guy looks like. Our last glimpse was at 22 weeks, so it will be interesting to see how much he has grown. Along with all of Matt's hard work at work, he has also been working hard to get Owen's nursery together. The crib is put together and the bedding is on. The wall art is hung and now we are just waiting on a few small things to call the job done. I will post pictures as soon as it is complete!

Also, this month we had our second benefit barbecue for Matt's cousin Laney. For those of you who do not know, Matt's cousin Laney has battled the last two years with kidney cancer. Since December, her cancer has returned and she has been fighting so hard! She is one strong and courageous girl! It has been absolutely amazing to see the support her family, friends, and community have given Laney and her family. Please keep Laney in your thoughts and prayers because we know that is what is getting her through this challenging time. We can't wait to see her smiling face again soon!Stay updated on events and news by viewing her website: http://letssupportlaney.com/