40 Weeks and 1 Day

So the house is quiet, and I couldn't go back to bed. Pretty soon the boys will be waking up. We are all so excited for our baby, it's like Christmas Eve every night right now. I love all the things that they are saying, questions they're asking....... I especially love watching the baby move in my belly with them. Last night Ezra has hiccups and we could all watch him move around.

I thought I should post a picture of the LOVELY stairs that my sweet man built for our bed. I cannot tell you how much easier it is to go to bed, get up in the middle of the night, get down in the morning. Kevin did a terrific job on these stairs. I was really impressed with how he created them. A lot of times I'll draw pictures for him for projects around the house. Stairs were another thing all together. I spent about an hour trying to draw these ridiculous things up.....well I never did get them figured out. He had very little problem getting these done, measuring out the stairs....... They are really solid and so pretty to look at. They're made out of 3/4" ply and he just sealed them with some orange oil. The handrail is divine too. So props go out to Kevin, builder of stairs.

We're gonna work in the garden this afternoon. I will hopefully take some more pictures of our 40+ week adventures. I'm not in a hurry to make Ezra come at the point. I guess give me a couple more days until I'm certifiable. I long to see him and hold him in my arms.

We did think Tuesday night, our 13th annivesary, that we were going into labor...........just a practice round though. I am glad to not share our anniversary with our baby's birthday, but, it would have been nice to hold him. Instead we got to go home and one of us didn't sleep very well that night. It was good to experience some of the intensity that is due any time though.

Stay tuned!

Almost There. . .

Here are a few photos to celebrate the home stretch of Ezra's pregnancy...

These flowers were given to me by my friend Debbie. She said that by the time they wilted that Ezra would be here. There were iris' and 2 sunflowers in the vase as well. The sunflowers expired today...........so, it looks like she may be correct. These green flowers look like they could last another week.

Ezra's space is completed. I need Kevin to put some guards across the shelves so that I can actually have stuff on the shelves (sort of not safe in case of earthquake to have stuff above a baby's bed)...My work is done though.....I love how the 'wading pool' blue and 'chocolate' brown set each other off. It's pretty electrifying. I am glad the color scheme worked out. It was so hard to find a bed that would work. If you're looking for a great portable bed, this one is the bomb. It has a pretty cool sound box that hangs in the corner. It even has a mp3 hookup and night-light.
We like the flip up changing table/hammock, wipes/diaper holder and bassinet insert. It's cool baby gear.

We bought this shelving unit at Ikea for baby's things. It's really handy. I think it was a little $100 with all the bins. They have blue, green, orange/red, and red bins, too. A regular dresser wouldn't have worked with the space we have.

Stay tuned for pictures of Ezra. We are very, very close. This may be my last post before he comes. I may post one more HUGE belly picture for funzies.

...shan...
will knit for tattoos
ps 118:5

39 Weeks....Painting and NESTING!!!!!!

The mess is always worth the end project...HOLY COW I AM SO TIRED!!!

So here we are a week before our due date...the projects have been tiring. We got Ezra's wall and the hallway painted. Kevin put together the dresser and I started putting some stuff in it. That will be the big job today, sorting itty bitty baby clothes. Putting away diapers. Putting the bed together. I am so excited to be done working in our room. Feels like I did a months worth of work the last couple days. My hips are sore for it too. I am hoping to just sit and work on the baby's quilt this coming week. I will have earned some couch time. Tomorrow we have our 39 week midwife appointment. Kevin and I are getting a sitter now to go to the appointments. We had dinner together last week and got Ezra's bed, etc... He called me this morning and was like, "Do we have another midwife appointment tomorrow?" And I was like, "YES!" He was tripping that another week had already gone by. I told him, "That's why I am such a headcase!!!
Here's some photos from the week. Oh, Kevin rebuilt our loft stairs too. They are amazing. I can walk up them easily hugely pregnant. This will be so nice when the baby comes.

The finished wall and hall....I'll post pictures when everything is clean and tidy...

Our infamous loft. It's 72 square feet total. We have a queen sized bed, two side tables, side bed for kids, and Pudge's doggie bed.

Me, painting, 39 weeks along.

The old stairs. . .roughed in and functional. Hard to get up and down though during my pregnancy. The new lovely stairs Kevin built. They are very beautiful and easy to climb. We added a handrail for kid safety....and ours. He amazes me at how he can take my requests and voila, stairs are there. I like math and tried to draw these up for about an hour, it didn't take him quite so long. That guy knows how to build things.

The mess of baby gear, clean laundry, light saber, and stuff before the painting began.

The hall before the painting and cleaning. Lumber, tile for our bathroom remodel, and just general mess. It's hard to post the mess pictures, but, it's so glorious to see the transformation.

Our Boys at 38 Weeks Expecting a Baby Brother...

I just had to post these photos of my darlings. . .they are growing so big. They really are going to be great big brothers. I know in a few short years they will be arguing and fighting with Ezra, but we'll enjoy the honeymoon for now.

The hilarious thing about the picture of all three of them together is they were totally hurting each other huddling together. It was frustrating to take the photo and Sage was sort of being a bully. I think it ended in tears for one of them. It's sort of like herding cats getting them that close to each other and then having them not wrestle. They are ALLLLLL boy.

Sage Kevin Scott Stainer, 10.5 yrs oldEli Joseph Stainer, 8.5 yrs old

Sterling Ayden Stainer, 6 yrs oldEzra Aaron's quilt. I have almost finished it. I'll buy the backing fabric at Ikea hopefully tomorrow.......

The bed dilemma is officially over. We bought this bed last night from Babysrus. I am pretty excited about the color combination, etc. Most of these beds have bad color combinations so it was a mind bender to say the least. I was gonna maybe buy a simple crib from Ikea, but, I am happy with this bed. Like I've said before it's only for naps, so it doesn't have to be extravagant. It does have to be the right color and look incredibly cool though. hahaa.....

38 Weeks, Almost time!!!!!

Our dear friend Heather gave us a couple's shower this weekend. It was loads of fun!!! We had so much fun with our friends and family.....especially during the playdoh games. I'll spare you the details of the sculptures :o) Creativity reigned!!!

I'll post some more pictures later. My brother was so kind to take pictures that day.

Kevin is on his way home from Lowe's with a truck load of materials to finish Ezra's area, build new stairs for our loft and other fun and exciting home improvement materials. I am really excited to go to Ikea on Wednesday or Babysrus us to get a bed for him. He honestly will only take naps in it during the day, but a guy needs a quiet place to take a nap in this house.

37 Weeks and Counting

37 weeks is a milestone. It means Ezra can come at any time. He is welcome to make his appearance safely...I found out that I was dealing with a kidney stone a for a few weeks there. That wasn't any fun. It's better than a bladder or kidney infection because it won't necessarily put one in premature labor..........I think the worse is over. I don't know if I will drink lemon water ever again. Really strong lemon water is helpful for breaking up stones. It was icky and gave me horrible heartburn!!!

So we are preparing for birth at home again. Getting our room all ready, mostly just trying to keep it clean. The boys love to play in there because it hasn't been consistently sunny......so our room/studio doubles as a recreation space. We had to stop the roller blading and skateboarding in there because it's impossible to be careful and perform extreme sports on VCT tile that is only 29 cents a square foot.

I hope to post a photo to go with this blog. I took some but didn't like how they turned out.
After Ezra is born I may post some of his 4D Ultrasound pictures for the curious. I have been sort of a freak about sharing them. They seem really sacred because they are actual pictures of him in the womb.

So, we're all good here. The boys are totally excited for their brother to arrive. I think they really understand that I have a human on board. I am getting more sleepy as the days progress but my mind is acclimating to the fact that labor is near. Baby is coming!!! God has been encouraging me that I know how to go through the birth process. It is such a short affliction for >who< you get in return.....a new son. Sterling's birth was sort of like getting hit by a mac truck, so I am praying for a sub-compact this time.

Ok, time to do school with the boys and eat a little something.

Look for photos in a bit.

Here are 4 photos of the food from the shower my mom threw for Ezra and me on 19 April 08

A beautiful carrot cake....so prettyGrubbin' foodPretty flower arrangements...

These cookies were SCRUMPTIOUS!!

shan

36 wks.....

My Dad some pictures of me today. . .Ezra is growing so much right now. I think he will be a kung fu master......he's always kicking out to the side and doing wild movements. This Tuesday will be 37 weeks. We're all getting so excited and cannot wait to see this little man. Oh, and my pug, Pudge, got in the photo today. He's my lap dog and he still tries to sit on me.....I don't have much lap right now...

We had three + inches of snow last night. The fruit trees are all done blooming and have their folliage, so, we should still have plums and nectarines. Never in a million years did I think we would have significant snow fall in April. Last night was our second snow accumulation of April. We are in Spring. Oh, Ezra bring the May flowers and the sunshine. We had such delicious sunshine on Sterling's birthday last Saturday. I got a sunburn and we spent the day at Edmond's beach. I was going to get a picture of my pregnant self in the snow fall, but I was too busy to round up my Kevie and a camera simultaneously.

I finished Ezra's blankie. It turned out nice and big and should fit well in his bed. I have been calling it lemon-lime. Kevin posed with the blankie for me. I can't wait until Ezra is sleeping on his chest under it. Soon. . .very soon!!!