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32 Weeks! Nursery almost complete and starting to dilate..

Thankfully, it has been more productive around here lately in terms of the house...and it needs to pick up even more...especially after my doctor's appointments the past couple of weeks.

Last week, I had another ultrasound and Bennett is continuing to look great. He is still measuring big and weighed in at 4 lbs 11 0z!! But my cervix was starting to thin out again and he has dropped really low in my pelvis....and I was already at 0 station. I went back to the hospital last weekend for another set of betamethasone injections for his lungs.

This week, I was checked again and now he is +1 and I am 1 cm dilated. My doctor said that he will hopefully stay in there another couple of weeks and that I am going to have changes with him being that low and putting that much pressure on my cervix. She thinks that we would be really lucky to go near 36 weeks, and that 36 would probably be our max.
I will admit....this slightly stressed me out...
I just want him to be okay...and I want to bring him home with me when I have to leave the hospital.

Ultimately, I keep reminding myself that God has kept him in there this long...which is truly a miracle and a blessing. And hopefully, God will continue to keep him in there until he will be safe outside!!

In the meantime, Will has been hard at work on the nursery! And it is almost finished and the windows finally came in...they just have to be installed. Other than that, we just have little things to do like hang things on the walls, put pictures in frames...and wash everything once we get our laundry room back!!

Here are some before and after pics!!


The before (kind of scary):

The "nursery" when we looked at the house:


After the walls were insulated, drywall installed, and painting started:

Disaster!!



The AFTER:


Some up-to-date with only a few things left to do:

A a pic of his little clothes in his closet:

I love the way everything turned out. It may be the only room in the house that is even near completion...but I love love love everything about his room and love to sit in there.

I think that it makes everything real...Bennett is going to be here soon...and he is still safe and healthy. So much heartache has happened in the past year....and now God has given us another chance. This room used to be a room of sadness for me, and now it is one filled with excitement, hope for the future, and a lot of love.

I can't wait to meet our little guy...but I sure do hope he can wait a few more weeks to meet us!!

Please pray that he can be patient!!

30 Weeks and into the New Year!!

It has been a while since I've posted..probably because not too much has been going on with either house or baby. Great to have some calmer weeks with Bennett...not so much with the house!

Baby Update:

30 weeks...31 on Monday!! I feel much better about where things stand at this point. It is truly amazing that we have made it this far. I have my hopes set on full term and would love a March birthday...but we'll see! Ultimately, what I really really want is to be able to bring him home with us and not to have to leave him!
At my last ultrasound a couple of weeks ago, Bennett was measuring about 3 lbs. The ultrasound tech said he was getting lots of hair. He was sucking on his thumb and practicing breathing. :)

And for me...well...I'm getting rather....large...ha! My belly is massive and my back is starting to feel it big time. I can tell that I am starting to have a lot more pressure now that he is getting bigger. I feel like he's a lot lower lately and I've had some contractions and pain off and on the past week...but the Procardia stops them every time. :)
Still going to the doctor every week for my 17-p shots. I go back on Wednesday for another ultrasound and shot. My doctor wants me to go ahead and get another round of betamethasone injections for his lungs...just in case. So, I might get those this week too. We'll see how we both look on Wednesday!

Big belly shot!


House Update:

Frustrated is how you can describe us this week. Not too much has been going on...I guess nobody wants to work around the holidays? I had a slight hormonal moment Thursday night wondering if we were going to be able to get at least the kitchen and laundry room back before Bennett arrives. I certainly hope so!

Soooo...things that have been done: the drywall is finished in all of the downstairs and the nursery...and the ceilings were painted leaving white paint spray all over the floors. So the ceilings look great...the floors...not so much...ha. The outside trim was finished (I need to get pictures). Dentil blocks and oval windows in the gables were installed to match the old part of the house. The porches and railings were completed and the missing transom finally showed up and was installed. Grading was completed and the drainage system was put in around the foundation (we had a river flowing up under the house every time it rained when we first moved in).

Will took off the week between Christmas and New Years and installed all of hardwood floors in the addition. He also primed the majority of the walls downstairs...with the help of his mother painting a few walls. And the tile guy did come and tile the master bath shower. They also came and measured for the shower doors.

The cabinets were supposed to be finished and installed ...and they aren't finished. The siding guy was supposed to come and didn't show either....So...now we have the same old outside and a foyer full of kitchen appliances that can't go anywhere until the cabinets are in. Soooo....it's been a little aggravating. But, the siding guy is supposed to come this week...The cabinets should be ready Tuesday...And the electrician is supposed to start installing all of the light fixtures this week too. We'll see what happens.

So, with all of that said, Will has focused mainly on the nursery this week. We hope that if we can get this one room finished it will keep us motivated...and...make us feel like we are ready for Bennett whenever he decides to make his appearance. Will finished the painting in there so the floor refinisher could come in. The floors finished up yesterday...and they are beautiful!! This weekend, Will has been hard at work painting and finishing the closet, installing some baseboard (where we filled in a door in that room), tiling the fireplace, installing curtain rods, changing out receptacles and switches, putting in new light fixtures and vents....and bringing in all of the furniture...He has been quite busy!! I know he has to be exhausted. I'll try to post some pictures later this week once we have the furniture in...and hopefully the windows (the only thing we are missing in that room and another source of frustration since we ordered them 6-7 weeks ago...hehe).

Here are a couple of pictures I do have:

Will's hard work...looking from the foyer into the hallway into the addition :)


The Keeping room:



The master shower...finished now, but no grout on the floor in this pic:



That's about it for now...going to try to get the nursery finished...hoping everybody will show up this week...and hoping for another good report at the doctor Wednesday!!