40 Weeks

Yep, we made it to a 40 week belly picture! It's hard to believe that we're full-term and it's almost time to have Baby Sage meet the outside world. I'm still doing so great and feel wonderful! There are some discomforts as this little girl has really outgrown her space, but nothing "miserable" about it. I will say she's gotten very bony and I feel like she's constantly sticking her knees, elbows and feet out everywhere. Sometimes I think she's gotten confused and think she's suppose to come out feet first through my rib cage. She'll figure it out though.

As her "due date" passes, we won't call her "late." She doesn't have an appointment calendar with her in there, so she has no clue what day it is! Dustin and I both feel very strongly about letting her come on her own. We don't want to rush her and will let her come on God's time. I've enjoyed her so much these last few months that I really am OK keeping her as long as possible. Our doctor doesn't want us to go much further than 41 weeks though, so there won't be a 42 week belly picture! It's hard to believe that we will have our baby girl in less than two weeks. We're praying she's able to come all on her own and we can't wait to meet her face to face!

Time at Home

I've been on Maternity leave for a week and a half and have stayed busy! I never realized how much time I really spent working! It's been great spending some time at home. I love to sit on our back porch in the morning and the evenings when it's cooler outside. I enjoyed a glimpse of a new baby deer just outside our backyard. Isn't it cute? We have a new arbor for our grapevine and I'm hoping to have grapes and figs this year to make some jellies. However, the deer wake up much earlier than I do and always snatch the good fruit before I get to it!

Dustin got me a hummingbird feeder for Mother's Day this year. (I've wanted one for a long time!) I finally attracted a couple of hummingbirds. They started to fight over the feeder, so I got a second feeder. Well, then 2 hummingbirds became 5 and they were emptying the feeders before the end of the day. Dustin decided we needed more, so he hung 4 more to keep them all happy. Now we have at least 15 hummingbirds buzzing all over the backyard! They're too fast for me to count them all. It's like a war-zone out there! I'm still having to fill all 6 feeders daily, but am enjoying them so much. I just sit in our rocking chair, enjoying the smell of our gardenia bushes and watch all the chaos!

I can't wait for Baby Sage to be here so she can see all the wonderful things just our backyard has to offer!

Spoiled Rotten Already!

OK, I know grandparents spoil their grandkids, but Baby Sage isn't even here yet and all four grandparents are spoiling her rotten! They've made sure she has everything she could possibly need and done some crazy stuff to help us prepare for her. MeeMaw (Dustin's mom, Becky) came down last weekend and help tackle some seriously disorganized closets and helped with all kinds of things like ironing baby dresses and organizing diapers from the diaper shower our church gave us. PawPaw (My Dad) decided he didn't want his little princess to get wet coming in and out of the house to the car and had a carport added on to the side of our house. Some beautiful, kid-friendly steps were added too. (Which at 10 months pregnant, I am also very grateful for!) These grandparents! Baby Sage is spoiled rotten, but she's also already VERY loved. Dustin and I are so incredibly blessed to have parents that love us and are excited about the arrival of their first granddaughter.

Finishing Touches!

Well, we've got all the finishing touches added to the nursery and have set out everything we need for our Baby Girl's big day! I wanted to update everyone with a picture. All we need is a baby and we're all set!

Happy Birthday Dustin!

Today is Dustin's Birthday! We had a quiet evening at home and celebrated Dustin's birthday. I made him his favorite ice cream sandwich cake with chocolate mousse. Sogno and Dandi celebrated with their own Dog-zert puppy ice creams. Sage and I are about to enjoy some fresh pineapple! Dustin is an amazing husband and every day is a celebration of his life to me! Sage is going to have an incredible Daddy!

39 Weeks

We're at week 39 and doing fine! This has been a great week. Week 37 and 38 were a little tough, but this week has been great! I'm on maternity leave from work and have spent a lot of time sleeping late and tying up loose ends around the house. I'm sleeping well (in abnormal intervals) and feeling great!

I had my 39 week doctor's appointment Tuesday. I love my doctor so much, bless his heart! He was tip-toeing around telling me I might carry her past my due date. Apparently some moms consider it more of a "deadline" than an estimated date of arrival and they get a little upset if they don't pop before the due date. I told him I was perfectly fine carrying her over and that we were perfectly OK with a September baby, and he looked so relieved. I thought it was sweet! I've read in a couple of different articles that women who really enjoying being pregnant are more likely to carry over. I'm enjoying my time with Sage and just really trying to drink up every last moment of this pregnancy, so passing up my due date would definitely not be disappointing!

Our doula, Jackie, came out to our house tonight and we went over our birth plans and did a few practice exercises. I feel much more confident after her visit and really feel like I'm prepared for the big day. I kind of feel like we all know what our "jobs" are and somehow I feel like mine is the easiest because I'm just doing whatever Sage needs when she needs it. Poor Dustin has his hands full with two of us! I think he's ready though. He's going to be great!

Each time I post now, I realize this may be the last one before the big day. I can't wait to introduce the world to our baby girl. She has already been an incredible blessing in my life and it's been great to share the blessing of life.

38 Weeks

OK, I feel HUGE! I think every night, well I can't get any bigger than this and then every morning I look down and I swear, it grows! This baby girl is getting bigger by the moment. She's not near as active as she was before because I guess there just isn't anything much to do with your knees in your chest! She wiggles her toes and gets the hiccups and we just waddle around together! We went to the doctor this Tuesday and he said everything looks great! She's all set, growing big and out of space. He said we're all set for now, but to go ahead and get our bags packed and be preparing for her arrival. Very exciting! Of course, every time I wince (due to a foot in the liver!) or have a little contraction, Dustin's ready to whisk me in the car. I think he's ready to meet his little girl. Who knows when she'll decide to make her appearance, but I'm happy to enjoy every minute we have left together. After all, I never know when I'll have to say goodbye to a wonderful pregnancy and hello to the start of what I know will be a wonderful motherhood!

Maternity Photos

A few weeks ago, Dustin and I had maternity photos taken. You can take a look at them at http://www.shelleysphotography.net/. Enter the site, click on Gallery (bottom left hand corner) and choose the file "Boyd." We had a blast having these taken. We've really enjoyed our last few weeks with Baby Sage and wanted to preserve the memories of this very special time. In just a few short weeks we'll be taking Family Photos!!!

37 Week Doctor's Appointment

Dustin and I made the increasingly familiar trip to Nacogdoches on Tuesday for another doctor's appointment and our second-to-last childbirth class. This was our 37 week appointment. Only 3 more to go! Everything went great. I lost 3 lbs since the last appointment, but apparently it's normal in the final month to lose a little weight. The doctor said everything looked just fine. I asked him about her position, etc. and he said she was a Smart baby and is ready for delivery. It's all up to Mama now! He also told me not to expect to have a big baby. I don't think we'll have an 8 pounder. (Which is perfectly OK with me!) She'll be a little baby girl, but I'll fatten her up once she gets here! Of course, she seems huge to me, but I'm sharing the space with her. Bless her heart, she's about out of room. She wiggles her feet and hands, but other than that, I think she's set in place until she makes her entrance! I think Dustin and I are both ready to lay out the red carpet and welcome Baby Sage!

Time for Sage

One of the things I immediately thought of when I was told our baby would most likely be born in August was that it is still a green time of year. I've always loved summer and love to spend time in my yard or just sitting on the porch. I have several plants I like to care for and enjoy their blooms. My favorites are the three Gardenia bushes that line our back porch. They bloom in May and fill the house with the smell of the blossoms and it's wonderful! They're dormant in June and July and then lightly bloom again in August. During the May bloom this year I realized that the next time the buds unfolded, it was time for Baby Sage to prepare to enter the world. This morning, I walked out onto my back porch (between the rain bands of Tropical Storm Edouard) and saw the very first August bloom. It's time for Baby Sage!

The Boyds have been Invaded!

Our house has officially been invaded! I continually walk around amazed at how much stuff something so tiny could require. I will admit, it has been fun preparing for her! The nursery is painted a "Sage" green and we've added Cherry furniture and girlie accents all over the place. Our living room has become home to a play yard, a swing, a high chair, a stroller and a car seat. The bathroom is about to fill with a baby bath tub, colorful towels and toys. Our bedroom has a bassinet all set up and ready to go. The kitchen has bottles, bottle rack, and sterilizer adorning the counter tops. There just isn't a room in the house that hasn't been turned over getting ready for Baby Sage to arrive!

I've been busy washing baby clothes and attempting to sort them by size. Here's a picture of the 0-3 months drawer! The closet is slowly filling with outfits and beautiful dresses with matching bloomers as friends and family have shared in the excitement of preparing for a little girl. Dustin has been a champ at putting together high chairs and swings and is working on mastering the infant car seat. We will install it in my car very soon. I can honestly say I think we're finally ready for her arrival.

As blessed as we are to have so many material things ready to meet her every need, I think it's the hands that have washed bottles, folded the clothes, and assembled all the baby fixtures that are most prepared to receive her. God's given us plenty to keep our hands busy with these past few months. Now I feel very confident in saying we're ready to stop and just hold our daughter for the first time.

36 Week Belly Picture

Just when I think it can't stretch any more, it does! Baby Sage has gotten so big there is barely room for her to wiggle around anymore! She pushes her feet and hands (and sometime head!) out as much as she can and I get a crazy hard lump protruding from my tummy. Bless her heart, I know she's getting crowded. She has the hiccups several times a day and I think they frustrate her! About three minutes into a hiccup spell, she starts punching and wiggling. It's kind of funny! They usually go away after about 5 minutes are so though.

I'm doing great, just needing to rest a little more often. Sleeping is a little more of a challenge, but it works out because I'm usually exhausted by the time I crash! Sharing space with a big baby girl can be awkward and sometimes a little uncomfortable, but is totally worth it. As much as I want to keep her, I know we're both getting a little crowded and will equally be happy to meet face to face in just a few weeks!