Today I am…
feeling: velvety soft baby hair and skin, soft muslin blankets, thinner!, tired but happy
tasting: the love of friends and family through meals (and leftovers!)
smelling: that sweet scent that comes only with a newborn
hearing: squeaks, cries, sucks, grunts
seeing: adorable forehead wrinkles, my husband in miniature, a tiny miracle
Samuel David
Born July 28, 2011, 12:10 am
7 lbs. 7 oz., 20 1/4 inches long
It is with great joy that we announce the birth of our son, Sam. Samuel means “asked of God” or “God heard” and David means “beloved.” He is named in part after his grandfather and uncle.
Mother and baby are healthy and doing well and the whole family is resting and enjoying getting to know each other. I had a quick, textbook natural labor for which we are very thankful. I will be writing up Sam’s birth story in the next few weeks and will share it here on the blog. So far he is a great eater and sleeper and all-around very content. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers with us on this journey. Please continue to uplift all of us in the weeks ahead as we adjust to this new season in life.
Today marks 41 weeks of your mommy’s pregnancy and so far you seem perfectly content to stay in your cozy home you’ve enjoyed for the past nine months. However, we have been lovingly preparing room for you in another home–our home–while you’ve already taken real estate in our hearts. People say that you are “late,” but I know you’re biding your time until the time is right for you.
Your daddy and I hope that each new day will be your birthday. Every night as we fall asleep, we wonder if you’ll wake me up in the middle night with signals of your impending arrival. Every morning as we wake, we wonder if today is the day. We are eager to meet you, hold you, and kiss your sweet, soft head. And we aren’t the only ones! You have four wonderful grandparents that can’t wait to do the same as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and too many honorary aunts and uncles to count. I don’t think your canine big sisters know what’s coming, but we are confident they will love you too. At the very least, they are sure to love the smell and (eventually) the taste of you!
I will always cherish this special time that you’ve spent growing inside of me, but you’re going to keep growing big and strong and I’m running out of room. I am thankful, though, that you haven’t made me physically miserable even now. Just don’t take that as a sign to keep hanging out in there, okay?
Come soon, little man, come soon.
Love,
Mommy
PS: The midwife said today that I am 3-4 cm dilated and 80% effaced. We even did some other tests to make sure you’re still healthy and getting the oxygen and nutrients you need. We are thankful that everything looks good!
Wasn’t it just yesterday that I announced little Roo was on his way? That was before we even knew he was a he. In some ways the 40 weeks of pregnancy have gone quickly, but mostly I think God knew what He was doing when he designed the human gestation period. It’s been a good time of waiting and preparing, but I’m feeling as prepared as I’m going to be and ready to end the waiting. The past several mornings, the first thought that has gone through my mind upon waking is, “Oh, labor didn’t start in the middle of the night.” I think this in a mostly factual way with only a tinge of disappointment.
As much as I’m ready to meet this wiggle worm, I’m not impatient to meet him. I know he’ll come when he’s ready and not a moment before (assuming we both stay healthy). That is how it should be. I am content until then. Friends and family alike have been wonderfully supportive as our anticipation increases. Many of you have sent encouraging scriptures to me as I wait – thank you!
Like much of the country, we are in the middle of a horrendous heat wave and I have never been more thankful for central air conditioning. Temperatures have been in the 90s for weeks with high humidity and heat indexes in the 100s to even 110s.
I saw the midwives yesterday and found out that I am 2-3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Yay! No contractions yet, but I was encouraged that I’ve already made some progress. He’s riding very low these days and I’m feeling some extra downward pressure. It’s an unusual experience knowing he could come today or a week (or more!) from today. He’s probably just waiting until we have a chance to go see Harry Potter. Yes, that’s it, I’m sure.
We had a little fun after taking the traditional side-view belly shot this week:
Stay tuned…
My fondness for George Orwell began in high school when I read 1984 for the first time. I enjoyed the novel so much that I decided to write my capstone AP English paper on it and its author. It was through researching that paper that I discovered Orwell was primarily an essayist, and Politics and the English Language quickly become a favorite.
“A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1. What am I trying to say? 2. What words will express it? 3. What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?”
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
— George Orwell, Politics and the English Language (1946)
