Christmas

I honestly don't even know where to begin to describe how much I loved this Christmas. I mean, Wes and I have a CHILD! It's just so fantastic! And sitting at the Christmas Eve service with my little family (well...actually my huge entire extended family) and hearing about the birth of Jesus and just thinking about Mary and all of her feelings...it was just so overwhelming...beautifully overwhelming. There is no way to predict to how you are going to feel about your baby at first. I know people who have experienced the "baby blues" and people who didn't feel that connection right at first and then people who just cried and cried the moment they saw their baby. But the truth is, no matter what you feel, there is something inside us that just connects, whether we recognize it or not...even though it may come out in some random emotional form.

I really cannot fathom how people had babies in Bible times. I am so thankful for modern medicine! And I know there are tons of ladies out there that give birth naturally...I am just not one of them, and thank you Jesus I'm not because Eli probably wouldn't have made it. But it really did make me reflect on Mary and how she must have felt towards Jesus after giving birth naturally...haha...and I obviously don't mean from the comforts of a birthing center or your own home. I guess what I'm saying is, I really loved this Christmas. I think it brought Christmas to a deeper level to me. You may not have to have a baby to take it to that level, but for me it did. I just still feel the overwhelming favor of God. It makes me want to crawl to His feet in humility to thank Him for such a perfect gift.

My family and Wes' family all were able to see our sweet son! That was so fun for us because it totally makes you feel so proud as a parent (I still can't believe I'm a parent...haha...) to see people "ooo" and "ahhh" over your baby. There were some super cute pics taken of him that I don't have yet because they are on my brother's camera...but here are some that I do have:

The littlest elf

So...as you can see...I'm totally in love with him! How could God be so gracious to us? I just feel so undeserving and so honored to be Eli's mom. He is absolutely fantastic in every single way.

I literally CRAVE him! He is so beautiful!

I'm waiting on Eli to get done with his little circumcision... poor guy... so I had to "see" him or I will go crazy, and I wanted you to share in the fun! There are several days worth of pics, so if you are just now getting to see him (Runks!), scroll on down! :)

A journey to the C

Sorry for not adding any words to the pics...haha...they are pretty self explanitory. But, to make a long story short...here was my day on Tuesday, December 18:

6:30 am- ate a bowl of cereal
9:00- get a call from my doctor saying they are going to have me come in to the hospital at 12:00 noon instead of 5:00 pm
12:00 pm- check into the hospital
12:45- start cervical ripening
1:30- start an IV with a pain medication because I was starting to feel some contractions
4:30- wake up from the most incredible slumber to contractions, so I get an epidural
fast forward
10:00 pm- get checked because Eli's heart beat was going down during my contractions- they decided to put a monitor on his head- my doctor goes in to check me (I'm dilated to about a 3 now) and was like "well, I seriously don't think that is the baby's head." An ultrasound was brought in, I got to see little Eli on the screen, and that definitely was not his head. Yep, Eli was breech. My doctor was like, ok, haha...this kind of changes things. Let's have this baby in like 30 minutes! YAY!! By this point, I didn't care what they did. As long as he was healthy and happy then let's do whatever!
10:39 pm- Eli Cole Martin was born weighing 7 lbs 1 oz and 19 3/4 inches long. He is PERFECT!

There is so much more to say...but I'm about to eat breakfast! Enjoy the pictures and thank you for your well wishes! I LOVE him!!!!!

Eli Cole Martin

So...I'm in the hospital

Right now it's about 2:30 pm and I'm in the hospital. This morning I got a phone call from my doctor saying that he wants me coming in at 12:00 pm instead of 5:00 pm, so that's what I did! I've been laying in this hospital bed since about 12:30 when they inserted the cervical stuff. Very neat. So now I'm just hanging out until I find out more! I took some pictures so I thought I would share them. Eli seems to be doing good so far! His heart rate is staying around 120, which is good. He keeps kicking (or something) where the monitor is so they have had to adjust it. My nurses are really sweet and explain everything to me, so I love that! I'm doing good too...just HUNGRY! Haven't eaten anything but a bowl of cereal at around 6:30 this morning and I don't get to eat anything until he's born. So far so good though! Say your prayers people! :)

The monitor behind me.
I was having some contractions as you can see.

All the contraptions I'm hooked up to.

And then, here's me!

3 more days!! (and I have a cold)

I have nothing fabulous to post except for a request. I woke up yesterday with a sore throat and today it was much worse. It's obviously a cold because I'm all stuffy, but I really don't want to be this way when Eli is born. So...I've been doing everything I can...drinking fluids, resting, taking the meds that I can take...so hopefully I'll be all better!

Please be praying that this cold will be healed!

In other news...tomorrow morning Wes and I go to meet the pediatrician and then run some last minute errands.

It still never ceases to amaze me how this whole pregnancy thing changes so much about you. Everything from your body's look to your thoughts to your motivations...it's all very interesting to me. I can't wait to see Eli. I can't wait! 3 more days...

38 weeks and 5 more days!!

Today was my last day of work! Can you even believe that?! It was such a fun day and everyone was really sweet. I am so glad that Wes and I decided that today would be my last day instead of Monday. On Monday we're going to meet the pediatrician and get some last minute things done, so it really makes me happy that I could have a little closure before all of that begins!

It was a really good day...I'm just really tired today for some reason. I think it's because I've been trying to be like extra good this week and do a lot of different things because I know my life is about to drastically change and with the final school bell today I just felt relief...and fatigue (smile). So, I came home, made a cake, and didn't want to wait around long enough for it to cool off before I put the icing on. And so here is what it ended up looking like...haha...

Last night we celebrated Hai's birthday and then went to hear some of our sweet friends sing at Lakewood Bar & Grill. I hadn't been around that much smoke in a really long time so I wasn't feeling too good, but here are some pics from the night. One of my best friend's Jourdan was singing (and she is AMAZING!!). Go check out Jourdan.

6 more days!

Ok! Tomorrow is my last day at work until February! Isn't that crazy! I am so excited to have a break and to finally see Eli!

Well... the day that we found out when Eli would be born was actually a disaster. haha...we can laugh about it now, but Wes and I were not happy with each other that day. One of the biggest reasons was because I had washed and packed up all the maternity clothes that my friend Angela had let me borrow, which by the way was hundreds of dollars worth. Well, Wes was trying to be nice and take some stuff to a donation drop off that we had both packed up...well...he ended up taking Angela's clothes and dropping them into the little barn drop off station!

We called the number on the side and it turned out that the one he put the clothes in didn't belong to them and there was no contact information for it. Great... All I said to him was "WES. You HAVE to get those clothes back." What you are about to see is his how he did it.

Happy trails little brother!

This is my brother, Josh. It has been a huge rollercoaster ride ever since we found out that his team at his company will be moving to London for a year (at least) to work on a project. I'll spare you the confusing details, but literally one day we thought he would be leaving like the next day and then it turned out something didn't happen with his VISA. So, then he was here, and then we find out, oh, he's now leaving on Thursday...and this time it's real. SO, tonight we had our little "last" family time together again and here are some pictures to capture the fun. haha... please notice his standard picture smile...in every single picture.

Here is Josh saying goodbye to the dogs: Murphy, Taffy, and Ebony

Me, Josh, and my dad...who for some reason did not smile

Mom, Josh, and my very special Dad

Josh eating his last good tex-Mex at Abuelos

here we are! I love you Joshy!

and here are the folks

The United States won't be the same without him, but I am SO excited that he's getting to do this. And don't worry blogging friends, he'll be back for Christmas (in like a week and half) and he'll be here for a week before he has to go back, so he gets to meet Eli! YAY!

WE LOVE YOU JOSH!
WE WILL MISS YOU SO MUCH!
xoxo

7 more days!

A week from today (if all goes as planned) my son Eli will be making his entrance into the world! I'm trying to use the phrase "my son" a little more often only because for some reason that seems a little more real to me. I have two more days at school this week after today, and I'm almost done with my lesson plans so that is making me feel much better also!

Yesterday I told all my classes. They are so cute! My students seem really excited and like "whoa!" at the same time! We've kind of grown through a lot of this pregnancy together... I've become bigger and bigger and then they have had to deal with that! haha... everything from picking stuff off the floor for me to widening the aisles in my classroom because I kept bumping into people, to finally just passing back the papers themselves...haha... they are awesome and they will be missed! The end of the first semester is always when you really start bonding and all of that, so it's not the best time to be leaving them and then not be back until February. So, I'm really going to try and stay connected with them through weekly (or biweekly) updates, which is very easy since my sweet dad works at the school!

Right now I'm feeling very ready. The magical pills my doctor gave me still work and I'm just surrounded by people who are so excited for us, that it really makes this whole time really special. I look at my girls in high school who are pregnant and feel very sad for them that they are not surrounded by excitement like I am. I don't know how people go through this already stressful time without the support of the masses. So thank you all so much dear friends! I will never be able to express how much it means to have you praying for us, saying sweet things to us, and using exclamation points when you talk to us! (smile) You are all treasured!

8 more days

8 more days of what? 8 more days until Eli is born! Are you freaking out right now? Because I sort of am! :) Here's the scoop:

I have been blessed with one of the easiest pregnancies I have ever heard of. No morning sickness, no hemorrhoids (yet), only my feet and ankles got really swollen, and just some minor irrational emotional outbursts. Everything was smooth sailing until this past Saturday. Saturday I woke up to being a totally different human almost! I had this intense terrible back pain that would come in surges (without being in labor) and then the migraines began. I've had migraines off and on in seasons since I was a junior in high school, but I haven't had one single headache my entire pregnancy, so the overwhelming force of these events was well...overwhelming! Anyways, yesterday I went to work not feeling too good, but I need every day I have so I went anyway. Well, that lasted a whole 3.5 hours, our fabulous assistant principal Keith found me a sub and off to my house I went. I stayed in serious pain all day until 3:15 when my doctor's appointment was. I actually showed up there at 2:40 hoping that they would be running ahead of schedule and get me in! I was basically in tears. (very dramatic, I know). :)

So, I explain the situation, I get examined and then I meet with my doctor in his office. He gives me a prescription for what is basically a suped up Tylenol which was like gold to me, and then we start talking about a possible induction. I have many reasons why I want to be induced before Christmas so I told him about those and he understood, and then thankfully, he expressed his opinion about not wanting Eli to get too big where the delivery could be more complicated than needed. We've talked about almost every option of how to give birth over these past 9 months, pros and cons, and Wes and I feel like the hospital option is the best for us and I will gladly take the epidural. So, after both sides were presented (again...haha...since I have brought this up the past oh, 4 visits) he took out his calendar, made a phone call, and said, ok, you're going to have this baby on Wednesday, December 19...unless Eli decides to make his grand entrance on his own before then.

I will go see Dr. Vines on Tuesday, December 18 at 11:00 AM to get checked. I will check into the hospital that evening at 5:00 to start the cervical softening since there is no guarantee that I will be totally effaced and all of that on my own (but I am well on my way...yay!). Then, if all goes well, Eli should be born the next day on December 19! Isn't that so cool?!

Being pregnant, I've heard what seems like every horror story possible. From inductions, to water births, to the "regular" water breaking go to the hospital... but, every story is different and every story is important. I'm just not going to base my decisions on other people's horror stories...haha... I feel really good about this and I am completely full of excitement! (especially since that prescription works! whoo hoo!) So, there we go! 8 more days!

Eli's Stuff

Well... I still don't have Eli's room completely finished yet. I'm really not stressed about it though because the big pieces are in place, everything has been washed, and Eli won't know the difference either way! :)

Things I still need to do:

• find a place for the random items in his room
• hang up the rest of the artwork
• put pictures in the empty frames
• clean out the bottom of his closet

Here are some updated pictures of his room. Not much has changed except it has a lot more little things in it now which makes it so cute! I know I'll feel better when everything else is on the walls, but I don't feel like swinging a hammer right now so I'll just wait for Wes to get home!

Here is the pack-n-play Wes' aunt and uncle got us. I love it!

And the stroller that my aunt and cousins bought us :) Super cute!

The swing that everyone swears will become my new best friend...haha.. from one of my mom's best friends, Suzan

And this is for you Susan! Here's our tree that can't compete with yours! :)

37 Weeks!

Ok! We have made it to full term! YAY! I realize that full term means 37 weeks to 42 weeks, BUT I love knowing that he is all developed and now Eli is just practicing all his smooth moves for when he's in the real world!

I'm doing fine. I honestly have nothing to complain about since this truly has been such an easy pregnancy. But I can say that I would welcome a few days in the hospital whenever he's ready! :) Work is fine, my kids are great... I'm just DONE (as I've said before). I can't wait to go to the doctor on Monday! Hopefully something will have changed in a week...but I know not to get too set on that being the case.

Anyways, this is me and one of my students, William. Another student, Kyle, took this picture of us. William has a globe under his jacket...and well...mine is the real deal! haha... not much difference though huh?! Happy 37 weeks! (right?!)

The 36 Week Visit

So, I went to the doctor on Monday. My 36 week appointment was MUCH different than my regular check ups that I have been going to. Oh we started with the regular, weight, blood pressure, urine sample. But then there was a sheet on the exam table, and you know what that means...this time the exam would be much more in depth.

Eli's progress:

• Well first of all his heartbeat is loud and strong. I still LOVE hearing that! That has been my favorite part of this whole experience when I'm at the doctor's office!
• He is head DOWN! whoo hoo!! I, for some reason, had it in my head that he was breech. And even last night I had a dream that he was transverse (laying across me) and that I could feel his ear...haha...who knows. So, I'm very happy about that!
• I didn't get any possible weight or length measurements, but I'm measuring right on track so I'm assuming Eli is as well.
• I haven't started dilating yet, and he said that was normal to not be dilating at 36 weeks.
• And that I am also 50% effaced and Eli has already dropped and is in position! :)

Head for the exit

So...have I mentioned lately that I am so ready to GET THIS BABY OUT?! The number 1 response I get to that is "they are much easier to take care of while in there than out here." And because this is coming from people that have already had a baby, I'm sure that is true. But my response is, GET THIS BABY OUT! :)

I'm at 36 weeks now. This is the first time that I've experienced any pain with this pregnancy. I mean, I've been uncomfortable before but not in a pain kind of way. Probably on Wednesday of last week I woke up with constant lower back pain and kind of an achyness in my abdomen. I have discovered that I've actually been having Braxton Hicks contractions without knowing it, but they have become just a tiny bit uncomfortable since I'm already in a little bit of pain. I think the word pain might be too strong...but it's kind of like an achy feel I guess. Anyways...it hasn't been getting any worse day by day, but it has definitely stayed around. fun fun...

This weekend I have entered into the I MUST GET EVERYTHING CLEANED UP stage. :) So, I'm off to get that done! Hopefully I can get it all finished and post some pics of my hard work well done...haha... :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Break! Well, I, of course, was SUPER glad to have a break from work! I am excited that I get to see my kids for 4 more weeks until maternity leave, but I'm also SO ready to be off my feet and relaxing for awhile! I really wish I had another opportunity to do that before Eli is born... I guess that's what weekends are for.

Wes and I went to Abilene to visit his family for Thanksgiving this year! And, as you can see by the pictures, IT SNOWED!! It was SO much fun to have snow for Thanksgiving! And it was a good kind of snow...the kind the packs well and sticks to the ground but doesn't freeze like ice on the road. It was perfect!

We had a great time but are glad to be back home to rest before work next week! Here are some pictures from our fun time with the Martin's!

This is Rachel and Steven's house all covered in snow!
They let us stay there while they were gone. Love you guys!

Here we are in front of this huge field that is covered in snow! It was so pretty!

Wes and Robert playing around :)

Umm...I thought Wes wouldn't actually throw the snowball at me, but I was WRONG!

We were going to like paste ourselves into the pic, but I stood in the wrong place when I was taking Wes' picture :( Oh well....

Wes and I at his aunt Malta's and we are ready to eat!

This is Wes' super cute mom, Carol and him :)

We had so much fun! Love you guys!