39 weeks & 1 day...

Here is a picture from yesterday. I really like this one...the way the light is shining on my belly :o) My mom took it! That's right, my mom's here! We have enjoyed the past few days together...the kids are lovin her.

I went Wednesday for another sonogram to check the fluid and the Lord answered prayers! My fluid went from 9 to 14.71...so the bed rest and increased water intake did help....even though I did cheat...the Lord was gracious to allow it to increase anyway.

Based on those results, today we are going in to attempt a natural induction to ensure that I'll have time to get two doses of antibiotics for Group B Strep. So, Lord willing, we'll get to hold baby Ira in our arms today! We covet your prayers today and look forward to sharing our experience with you.

Baby Update - Bed Rest?!

So, here I am, 38 weeks and 2 days. I had an appointment with my midwife yesterday and found out that the fluid around the baby is low based on the sonogram I had almost 2 weeks prior. I didn't see my midwife at last weeks appointment because she was ill, so it wasn't until yesterday's appointment that it was addressed. They directed me to get another sonogram to see if the fluid had increased, stayed the same, or decreased. I was on the low end of normal the last time. I went this morning and they found that the fluid has decreased...therefore I must drink at least a gallon of water a day (that means I won't be in bed resting, I will be in the bathroom peeing all day :o) and they also put me on strict bed rest! Let me just say, this will be one challenging task for me...and those that know me best would agree.

Ira is doing fine, heart rate is great, he's breathing on his own, and movement is good. He was 6 lbs. 7 oz. today :o) He is measuring in the 30th percentile. A little guy he is. Here is a picture of him from today. I just simply can't wait to see him!

My baby shower is tomorrow and I am super excited! I have permission to go as long as I carry nothing and do nothing but relax and enjoy my friends. I think I can do that! I'm also excited because we will be picking up my Momma up from the airport Tuesday morning! Yay! I can't wait and neither can the kiddos!

As far as the bed rest goes, I must say, I am blessed to have the wonderful husband I do, because as soon as I told him he made a few phone calls and is on his way home, passed his responsibilities onto someone else for Sunday, and will be home Monday and Tuesday! It makes the bed rest not seem so impossible now to know he will be here to help. He is so good to me and I am so thankful.

So, pray for us. If I haven't gone into labor, I'll be having another sonogram to check the fluids next Friday. I'll keep y'all posted. In the meantime, I'll be resting...and trying to take my friend's advice and enjoy it while I can...

My Diaper Bag and Accessories...They're Done!

Here it is....my first attempt at a diaper bag! I didn't use a pattern, but was inspired by a friends tote bag...hence, I created my own pattern. The sides and bottom are all one piece. Obviously it has a flap...and the handle I made separate sewed it in when I closed up around the top of the bag. You can't tell in any of the pictures, but the handle is wider at the bottom and becomes narrower where it sits on the shoulder. I made it to have five pockets inside and lined the entire inside with plastic. It was quite a mind boggling project for me, but once it was cut and I began sewing it all began to make sense. I think I could do it again with much less strain on the brain. I like it and am very pleased with the results.

Here's a little peek inside...

Nursing cover...

Diapers and travel wipes pouch... I had planned on putting a handle on the side, but forgot and just made the handle like this... It works :o)

And here is my attempt at covering a travel wipes case....they call it a "baby wipes clutch". I didn't have any black rope ribbon so the gold and cream had to do. I just couldn't resist trying.

2 Gifts - Under $10

Avrie had a birthday party to go to last weekend. It was a double birthday party at that...a brother and sister share the same birthday (1 year apart exactly!) so they both celebrated their birthday's with a Star Wars theme...they both are big fans. Avrie was obviously a guest of the young boy, but he wanted to give them both a gift since he's friends with both of them. He is such a sweet boy. Anyway, for the gifts, he decided he wanted me to make them each a shirt with their favorite Star Wars hero silhouette on them.

First, I had to buy the t-shirts...I went to Target and got them both, gender appropriate, white t-shirts for $4.00 each! Great price! Then, we had to find pictures of these heroes (Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi) online to trace a silhouette. Here are the ones he chose...this is after I copied and pasted them to Word and then made them the desired size, printed them, and cut them out. He also used these to decorate the cards he made for them.

Here is the boy's shirt with Anakin Skywalker...Avrie chose red fabric because it is his friends favorite color. For both shirts, I just traced the above figures onto the fabric, cut them out (again), and then stuck the fabric figures to pieces of steam-a-seam and cut them out one last time :o) Then it was easy cheesie from there. I placed them where I wanted them on the shirts and ironed...presto!...they are permanently adhered to the shirts.

Here is the girl's shirt with her favorite hero, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Her favorite color is sky blue so Avrie picked this fabric out for hers...if you look closely, you can see that the fabric is even girly...it has little flowers all over it.

There you have it....two gifts under $10.00! The only thing I had to spend money on was the t-shirts...totaling $8.00 for both and the rest of the supplies I had on hand (small piece of fabric and a sheet of steam-a-seam). I enjoyed making them and Avrie enjoyed giving them. It was sweet to see him be so aware of others and their interests, enough to make them a personalized gift. It was fun to help him make his ideas come to life.

Baby Ira's Update

I went and had my sonogram yesterday. Good report! He's great! He is currently 5 lbs. 15 oz. and in the 40 percentile overall. His little legs measure a little short...which means he'll probably take after me and be a little petite :o) He also has my nose. Oh and he has NO hair...which will be a first for our babies. I've wanted a little boy that resembles Elise and I...so maybe Ira will be the one?! The lady said I'm probably measuring small because number one, I usually do and the other reason is that his head is very low. So, overall, everything looks great...fluid around him looks good, his heart rate is great, and he is practicing breathing...all great signs of a healthy baby boy! Praise the Lord for His sweet gifts and answering prayers!

Here are the sonogram pictures... The first two are of his little face, then the next is one looking kind of up his nose :o), and the last one is his side profile....enjoy!

36 wks ~ Check Out That Belly & Those Toes

Here it is...my belly at 36 weeks and 1 day. Saw my midwife today and I am only measuring 32/33 weeks along, so I will be going to get a sonogram tomorrow morning. She doesn't think there is anything to worry about, but just wants to be on the safe. The baby's head is down, the fluid around the baby is good and his heart beat is fantastic...he's a very active little guy. As of today, I have gained a total of 15 pounds. I am experiencing some dizziness most likely due to allergies and an annoying burning back pain that I can't seem to get any relief from, but I just keep reminding myself that there will be an end to it and the best part is the prize of our little gift...Ira Sinclair :o) Oh and the midwife estimated as well as she can the weight of the baby today...5 - 5 1/2 pounds...let's see what the sonogram says tomorrow and how close she is. I will be sure to post the results tomorrow.

I had to include pictures of the pedicure I gave myself. I decided to get creative with my polish. Several months ago I picked up some nail polish from Dollar General that has really thin long brushes (white, glitter, and black), I guess to do this sort of thing and have found it to be quite fun to decorate my toes....although it is getting VERY difficult to reach them...so this might be the last pedicure till after Ira's arrival. The girls get a tickle out of me doing their toes...Emma likes it so much she scratches it off within a day of getting them done....I don't understand her sometimes :o) Well, I'm sure most people don't care to see my feet, but it was such a chore getting around my belly and to breathe at the same time that I found it worthy to record.

Transformed Thrift T-Shirts

I got the idea to do these while browsing the blogs I follow. The blog that inspired these is Max and Ellie. Here is their link: http://maxandellie.blogspot.com/ The girl's t-shirt design came from them and Avrie's t-shirt design was his own idea. I made templates of the designs with paper and then cut each separate section of the design out, next I cut each section out of the fabric, then I placed the fabric design on my steam-a-seam paper and cut around them....finally, I placed them on the t-shirt (they stick with the steam-a-seam) and once I had them where I wanted them, I ironed them to the shirts. I could have just left them that way, but I decided to stitch around them...using zig-zag on the cupcake (very difficult...need some more practice) and regular stitch on the other two designs.

There is one more thing I need to tell you. These were t-shirts purchased at a thrift store sidewalk sale for .25 cents each....now they are transformed. This would be a good idea to use to cover up stains too...the possibilities are endless.

Emma wanted a "pupcake"...

Here's a close up...

Elise chose the tree with a bird...

And here is Avrie's creation. He wanted snake eyes...so we searched the web and I traced one off my screen and this is what he wanted.