waiting

Just ONE more week until our baby girl is due.  Crazy.  I'm finding myself VERY ready these days.  With the heat and humidity last week (90's everyday with heat indexes of over 100), and just being uncomfortable...I'm READY.  At my doctor appointment this morning, I was dilated and effaced the same as the past 2 weeks.  A little discouraging, but it's alright.  It's just not time yet, right?  So, we wait.

Actually, I did go ahead and schedule an induction date for this friday...and here's why.  Originally I was  not up for this, but my midwife is switching practices THIS SUNDAY.  One day before my due date :(. Which means, if I go on or after my date, she cannot legally deliver our baby.  At first I said I would rather have someone else deliver than be induced.  But as the due date is closing in, I'm wanting her to deliver more and more.  So, it's scheduled.  I really hope I go into labor before then - I'm going to try to be more active this week!  

At the house...we have our main floor walls coming tomorrow!  Chad has been working a lot in the evenings to get everything ready for them.  And he's been challenging me to start picking stuff out.  Lights, stone, tiles, plumbing, furniture...the list goes on.  While it's fun...it's also time consuming.  I've mostly been looking online so far and there's just SO MUCH to search through.  We did go to a flea market over a week ago and picked out some furniture pieces and a small table for a vessel sink in the powder room.  We're trying to stick with a rustic/modern cottage theme with hints of vintage and industrial.  Here's what we found:

chalkboard for wall art in the Livie's room or loft:

 table for vessel sink in powder room (I need to put a finish on this):

coffee table for great room:

And we also ordered a tall, narrow table for the entryway...but we'll pick that up next month.  It's similar in style to the coffee table...made out of reclaimed barnwood.  Fun stuff :).

And Livie...oh Livie :).  She's been such a good girl lately but also very clingy and cuddly...I think she knows something is up.  We talk about babies a lot...but whenever we do, she always grabs her favorite baby and play and pretends with her.  Other interests lately are the potty...here's her playing with her baby's little pink potty:

Oh little girl...our world is about to be shaken!  

37 week sono

Tuesday, we had our 37 week sono for our baby girl.  Everything looked great!  She's in the PERFECT position for labor and she's measuring at 6 lbs. 5 oz. (but give or take a pound for sono mistakes).  If she is in fact 6 lbs. 5 oz., she's a little small and under the 50th percentile at this point.   

As for me, I'm dilated to almost a 2 and 50% effaced.  That's progress since last week :).  I feel the same though...just a little more swollen.  3 pounds more (says the scale) :)...it's just water weight, right?  

Here's our girl...all smooshed in there!

And her BIG sister...who is growing up more and more by the day...

4th of July weekend

Well, we headed to Norris for the weekend.  It looks like such a calm place in this picture.  And it can be...

But don't be fooled for the 4th of July!  With over 100 family and friends there over the weekend, it was crazy.   We had lots of fun hanging out with everyone.  And we tried to stay out of the HOT sun and keep sun-screen on...but sadly all 3 of us got burned :(.  Livie enjoyed the little kiddie pool, the fish, the beach, and even went down the big water slide with Chad a few times!  Here's some pics of the kids playing...

Livie and Drake were fighting over those two chairs...

I think it was mostly Liv saying "mine! mine!"...

Livie and Wren

All 8 Herman girl cousins playing with body paint...Livie is the white one :)

By Monday morning we were exhausted.  Livie and I headed home around noon...and Chad spent the day at the lot with Traever framing up basement walls.  They got a lot done...but as Chad says, "The work is endless at this point". 

Remember in my last post how I said Livie was doing such a GREAT job sleeping in her toddler bed?  Well, things have changed a bit.  She's realizing that if she cries hard enough, we'll come in and try to calm her down and get her back in bed.  The thursday night before the 4th, we were up for almost 3 hours with her :(.  I think we learned our lesson that night - NOT to get up every time she gets out of bed or starts crying.  So, a baby gate is now at her door...and often we find her sleeping like this in the morning or even during naps.  She'll soon learn that her bed is more comfortable...right??

Yesterday, I had another doctor appointment.  I'm dilated to a 1 :).  Probably doesn't mean much as far as labor and delivery goes...but it just assured me that I'm almost done!  I cannot wait to hold our baby girl, love on her, and show her Jesus in this world...

big girl

Livie has been trying a few new things week...like wearing muscles at the pool and actually holding herself up with them.  And using a spoon...

And sleeping in her toddler bed!!  She officially switched rooms on monday night.  I moved all her things over (mainly so I wouldn't be tempted to put her back in the nursery), and Chad set up some black out shades to keep light out of the new room.  So far she's been doing GREAT with it.  So much better than I ever thought she would.  

The first night, it was a little struggle for her to fall asleep (she kept waking up and crying when he would leave the room).  I'm sure she was scared.  But he just stayed with her and sang to her until she was out.  The next morning, she got up around 5:30 :(...but then took a great nap late morning and slept 11 straight hours tuesday night.  I'm so proud of her!  Maybe we should tackle potty training too before the baby comes ;)?  Hmmm...maybe we'll wait on that one.

Here's Livie hanging out in her "new room"...it's actually just the dormer of the guest room.  Should work great for a year until we move.

And the one little detail that makes the dormer hers :)

handful

Livie has been teaching me a lot lately.  I'm learning I need to always be one step ahead of her...but most of the time I'm not :(.  It's hard to think like a 1 year old!  So, incidences like todays seem to happen all the time.  I had an OB appointment and while we were in the bathroom, she managed to try to get into the tampon/pad basket, pull the emergency cord, AND knock over a little wooden table full of kleenex.  Thankfully, I packed some snacks and toys for when we were in the exam room :).  

Needless to say, she's been much more of a handful lately.  She's just into EVERYTHING.  She gets into the pantry to pull out cookies and fruit snacks when I'm not watching, she always wants to touch the water in the toilet, she empties cabinets and cupboards, and tells me "no" constantly when I ask her to do something.  While it's been hard, I'm learning to be patient and truly discipline with love when she's disobedient.  And it's amazing how quick she is to give me a kiss, hug, and say "I sorrys" afterwards.  I know I have a lot to learn as a mom and a servant for my savior...so thank you Jesus for teaching me through little Livie.  

She really is a great little girl...and as I'm frequently told, "she's just being a 1 year old" :).  Other things she's starting to say are "i put away" (when she puts something back where she found it), "where daddy go?", "i want dat!", and "up down" (when going up and down stairs).  And then sometimes randomly she'll just say names like, "amy?" (chad's sister), "mae?", and "yaya?" (Adalai).  I think she has some favorites!  And she still jabbers away to herself constantly throughout the day...so cute.

At the lot, as of last friday, we have basement and garage floors!  Chad and Nate worked hard to get the floors graded and prepped for concrete last week.  Lumber should arrive today, so we'll be able start framing up the basement this week.

 Garage floors:

Last friday, Livie and I headed out the the lake for a nursing home day with church.  Shaeya and Tyden rode out with us and I let the them play with my camera in the car.  Afterwards, I found about 100 pictures that they had taken of anything and everything.  Nice :).  Here's the two I saved:

We're looking forward to a fun 4th of July weekend at the lake with over 100 of Chad's family.  Here is a pic from last year's weekend:

And when we get home next tuesday, we'll only have 4 weeks till we meet our baby girl!  

lindsay and will's wedding

Last week was filled with Livie getting her first case of pink eye (she coped really well with it actually), cleaning a parade home for noah herman sons (thank you to amy, brook, michelle, and my mom for helping to get it done in time!), and of course wedding events for Lindsay and Will.  I have to say the latter was the most fun and relaxing!! Here's A LOT of pics from the rehearsal and wedding.  It was beautiful, so intimate, and Lindsay thought of every detail...I felt so honored to be a part of it.  We were praying really hard it wasn't going to rain because it was all outdoor...and praise Jesus it didn't!  It all turned out perfectly :).

The moon rising after dinner...gorgeous!  It was much bigger in person :).

Getting ready at Will's grandparents condo:

And some wedding pics:

 

 

 

 

 

Congrats Linds and Will!  Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day!