ready and waiting

The gang's all here! Well, almost. Summer, Luke, and Papaw Stice arrive next week.... until then, Sean has nicely situated all of our childhood (and since collected) stuffed animals to await baby girl's arrival!

We didn't realize what a motley crew we had until we lined them all up.

From left to right: Andy the Armadillo, Giraffe, Thai girl, Kiwi, Cactus, Nuclear Bear, Hanoi Gorilla, Sheep, Ally the Alligator, IKEA Cat, Dumbo, & Camel.

not long now.

I got to see you move your facial muscles around today during a scan.  You made a really funny face right before we snapped this picture.  It took a while to get you to move your hands out from in front of your face; I think you're going to be just like your dad- sleeping with your hands above your head.  I'm getting more and more excited to meet you and to hold you.  I think I've started to move past the anxiety and fear about the birthing process and into a place of eagerness. You're going to be "full term" in about 48 hours, the day before your dad's 32nd birthday.  Then, only 20 days until the "due date." Maybe you'll come a bit early. Maybe not. Either way, all I want to do until then is stare at this picture and imagine what you're going to be like.

I'm pretty sure I'm already in love with you.

still a girl

It's the day before Christmas Eve and we have lots to be thankful for.  This morning Sean and I got to see our little gal through another sonogram and she looked amazing!! She's measuring about 6 pounds now, at 35 weeks and 1 day.  They did a biophysical test and we were able to see her practice breathing- babies do this I guess, by "breathing" in amniotic fluid- it helps build their diaphragm and gets them ready to breathe oxygen once they're born and the chord it cut.  It really was amazing to see.

We also confirmed that she's "still a girl."  So many people have asked me recently if I'm "sure" about the gender that I kinda became paranoid.  It's amazing what technology can tell you these days, but I asked for them to look again just because we've already prepared with so much pink. LOL.

My mom and step-dad came up from Texas to be with us for Christmas.  We've gathered out in Bethany Beach, Delaware for the weekend.  Sean and I are so thankful to be out of the city for a bit and that I felt good enough to travel here (it's only about 3 hours from our house in DC).  It's also super special to have family around for the holidays.... we've done Thanksgiving and Christmas alone in the past and it's just not the same.

In other good news, Sean got a call for a job interview on January 5.  It would be so amazing for him to be offered something before he graduates.  It's with a place that he would really enjoy, so I'm praying that if this is actually where the Lord wants him right now, that things would move quickly.

I have to say that I am starting to get (privately) emotional about meeting my daughter.  As she regularly rolls in my belly and kicks me in my right rib, it becomes more real that a little human will soon join us.  There are so many things that I hope for her. That will have to be another post though.... too many thoughts are running through my mind at the moment. Including that I would love to get a good night's sleep tonight.... it's been a while.

Humbled and thankful on this eve of Christmas Eve.

truth

Feeling a little convicted by this picture about all of the "stuff" I feel like we MUST get for baby girl before she arrives. I hope to always remember this moving forward:

as of late...

The weather is changing. It's getting cold. I love this time of year for many reasons; one in particular is that I like to wear cute hats, gloves, and coats.  This year, however, I can't zip up any of my coats. I've been wearing one of Sean's old Marmot puffer jackets (which I love), but it's starting to get a little tight.

Today my office pals hosted a baby shower for us. It was so sweet, thoughtful, and incredibly generous of them.  We really came away with a lot of useful and needed items for our little one. I feel so blessed to work in an environment where personal life events can be shared and celebrated during office hours.  We played games, had breakfast, opened gifts, and had raffle prizes. I can't begin to say how appreciative I am to everyone there, especially the 3-4 gals who I know had a large part in putting it together.  Oh, my sister even made a really special video, wishing us well, which was played for all to see. It was precious.

In other news, Sean and I have officially decided on a name.  I say "officially" because we actually ordered a personalized hat for her over the weekend.  The plan is to take a picture of her in the hat and text it to our family so that they can finally know it!  Up until now, we've decided not to share it. Not for any particular reason other than it's nice to have it be something that only Sean and I know. It's sweetness to my ears when Sean refers to her by her name- he's even settled on a nickname for her by shortening it.  I've come up with a few myself.

We're getting the baby "nook" almost complete.  Just need a baby. I'll have to post a picture soon, once we finalize the changing table area.  It's pretty amazing how cheap you can get stuff at IKEA. Hopefully it'll last us for as long as we need it.  Supposedly kiddos outgrow the changing table around 9-12 months- it's not the same length as the standard changing pad, but it certainly works with our space constraints for the time being.

Sorry for this being so random. Just wanted to get my thoughts down again. We're off to the doctor tomorrow for a sonogram, BPP, OB, and then PCP appointment. It'll be a long afternoon. Here's to hoping I can let go of my blood pressure anxiety. Ugh- it's so frustrating having psycho-somatic issues.

twins?

So, more and more people whom I rarely speak to at work have started to talk to me. About my size. Yeah. It's awesome. It's not that they mean to make me feel uncomfortable, but when you say stuff like: "Do twins run in your family? Are you sure there aren't two in there?," or "Wow, that's gonna be a big baby," I can't help but feel obligated to appease their curiosity and joke about how huge I'm getting. When, in reality, I'm thinking to myself, "I don't actually think she's that big" or more commonly, "Really? Do you hear what you're saying to me?"

Of course, there are an equal amount of people who say encouraging stuff like, "You look amazing; the weight is only in your belly."

But, I guess, with all of these conflicting comments, I have no idea what I actually look like to the outside world. Sean has been great; every time I talk about gaining weight, he says, "you're supposed to gain weight," in this semi-gangster voice to make me laugh.

All complaining aside, it is pretty wild how the body works to help a baby grow. I have really enjoyed being pregnant and have been getting more and more empowered about the birth process through our Lamaze class and a recent child birth education class we took at Georgetown.

I was happy to learn that Georgetown is about to become certified with the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative started by UNICEF and the World Health Organization.  What this means basically, is that the hospital has implemented procedures that encourage mother-child bonding.  For example, if I am able to have a normal, vaginal birth, baby girl Johnson will never leave my side. All of the tests that they need to do will be done at my bedside.  The main initiative though, is to help the mother learn how to breastfeed.  During the 48 hours that you are required to stay in the hospital, they provide lactation specialists and education classes via the TV in your room.  We will have a private room, which will hopefully help us get on a schedule.

Anyway, I'm feeling excited and looking forward to preparing my body and mind in the weeks ahead. 9 weeks to go!

hide and seek

We got another cool video at our appointment this week. This one is of our little gal hiding her face with her hand.  It's only 4 seconds but if you control the playback, you can watch it slowly- technology is so cool!! Based on this video, I think she has Sean's nose and my hands. ;-)