baby Ethan Fox update

In just a few short weeks, Ethan Fox will be joining our little family!! We are so excited & anticipate his arrival!! It seems just like yesterday, we found out I was expecting!! These months have gone by so fast!! It has been a great pregnancy! God is so good!! I am now 33 weeks today! I had an ultrasound last Wednesday & got to see our precious little boy!! He is such a cutie!! :) He is definitely head down, as of now. Hopefully, he doesn't decide to flip at the last minute!! He already has hair on his head. We saw it floating in the amniotic fluid. A little gross, but definitely cool!! He has chubby cheeks & cute lips!! We couldn't tell if he has Brandon's dimples, yet. I pray he does!! What a stud he will be!! It's amazing what you can already tell through an ultrasound!!!

He has a very strong heart beat at 148 bpm. He's very active. They checked on his kidneys. His right kidney seems to be doing much better; the dilation went down. His left kidney has dilated even more. At my last ultrasound at 26 wks, I believe his left kidney was dilated at 5.2 or 5.6 mm, and now his left kidney has dilated to 6.2 mm. We spoke with the doctor & she said that they will continue to monitor his kidneys. She stated that at his "age", we would be more concerned if it went over 7 mm. Basically what this means is there is an obstruction, back flow, or reflux of his urine. Please pray for his kidneys. I go back in 4 weeks to see what has happened in the meantime. If the problem continues, after he is born we would be closely followed by his pediatrician or an urologist. We believe God is in control of this situation & strongly trust in God that all will be well!!

On a lighter note, Fox measured at 34 weeks while I was just at 32 weeks. He already weighs 4 lbs, 13 oz. The doctor said I may need an epidural because he has a big head! haha! Oh boy!! He is in the 65 percentile at this stage. I don't really understand what that means, but just thought I would throw that out. He's above average for his weight, I believe. I don't know. They said he can come as early as July 21. My due date still remains at August 4. We'll see if anything changes at my next ultrasound. Please continue to pray for us, especially for Fox. We trust God will heal his kidneys & we'll have a super healthy baby boy!!

P.S. I'm attaching the latest sonograms. Excuse the umbilical cord that's obstructing his sweet little face!! In one photo, his nose is being smooshed by the placenta!! Poor baby, doesn't have a lot of room left!! :)

What to do.. what to do?!?!

I've been having problems lately. Nothing too serious. I've been trying to find a hobby. I've been trying to get motivated. Life has seemed too mundane. It's been a little boring. Do I have things I could be doing? Of course, but it's no fun. I'm in my last trimester & haven't really started nesting. I think I should be. It would help my house look a lot better. haha! I just have no motivation. I know I have tons to do, but I don't want to do those things. Do you ever feel that way? I hate it. I get stressed thinking about all the things I need to do at home & to prepare for the arrival of our little one. I work 40 hour weeks. By the time I get home, I just want to eat & lay on the couch. So I guess Brandon got a little tired of it. haha! I'm tired of it, too. I want energy. I want motivation.

So this week, we've been on the quest of finding me a new hobby. While at work, my sweet husband printed off a list of over 200 hobbies. We both went over it & picked a few out. I already have hobbies that I enjoy, such as shopping. Brandon quickly nixed that. We're working hard at saving money to get out of debt & for Fox. Well, I can only do shopping with my allowance. And have to stay in budget or bye bye bye to the allowance. So I can still keep that hobby, just not make it an every day or every other day thing. haha! Sleeping was on the list, and I circled that one. haha! I'm tired. I'm sleepy. Everyone says I should get my sleep before Fox arrives. But it is getting a little old. Reading. I love to read. I have a book sitting on my nightstand and one in my desk at work. I've started the books, but I feel like my attention span has been almost eliminated. Is that normal when you're pregnant?

So after thinking on the hobbies I had chosen, we decided I would try out calligraphy first. I think I have pretty, decent penmanship. And I love that type of writing. Brandon & I went out & bought a calligraphy kit. Have I started on it? No, I've been reading on it & researching. I want to practice first by learning the alphabets & the strokes or whatever you call them. I had to find a certain pencil to use. I don't want to start out with the ink. I promised Brandon I would make 10 attempts at calligraphy before giving up. Sometimes some hobbies or things are just not for you. I'm the type of person that once I find something I truly enjoy & love, it's with me for life. And I know that is true with a lot of people. It's just finding those things. I honestly really do hope it works out. haha! I know that once Fox comes, he will be my "hobby". And I can't wait!!

I am pretty excited about this. My goal for learning calligraphy is to write a beautiful love letter to my husband. It would be neat. I've also thought of doing that as a side job? I know that sometimes calligraphers are hired for writing out wedding invitations & whatnot. So we'll see where this goes.

Do I have a back up plan? I think I will just go down my list until something clicks.

Wish me luck!! :)