Brothers from another Mother

I'm not the only one at the Lackey house that is having a baby. 

Meet our four newest additions - baby robins.  I've been calling them Hudson's brothers and say they are boys since 90% of the pregnant mamas I know are having boys. 

There's also a swallow nest not far from this one, but they've nested in an old ceramic pot and I can't really see into it let alone get a good picture.  Plus, Mama Robin came back squaking at me for getting too close, so I decided to get off the deck before Mama Swallow came home and got angry too.  Can't say I blame them for wanting to protect their babies.  I'll probably do the same thing :)

34 Weeks

 Here I am in all my 34-week glory.  I had to change shirts twice this morning to find one long enough to cover said baby bump (all my XL-men's tanks are in the laundry to wash)

Today was my 34 week appointment with the OB.  Here are the stats:

My BP: 118/64
My weight: still 125 - I promise I'm eating - just not gaining any.
Hudson's heart rate: 150-something
Fundal Height - 34, right on target!  Again, this is the reason they aren't concerned that I'm not packing on the pounds.

I'm now on the weekly rotation and have an OB appointment every Thursday from now until the day before Hudson's delivery.  Yahoo.

Weird News:  While the doc was pushing on my belly feeling Hudson she said, "Oh you just had a little contraction."  I was totally surprised as I felt nothing.  She said this was normal ...

Best News: NO PROTEIN in my urine!  Granted, I am now on antibiotics so this is expected.  Dr. B, my urologist has me on a prophalactic antibiotic to prevent UTIs but I had to stop taking it at the beginning of the 3rd trimester because it can cause liver damage to the baby.  So Sunday, after my week of uncomfortableness, I began having UTI symptoms - no fun.  Monday, I went to the doctor and sure enough, I had an UTI.  I've been on a different antibiotic since then.  The symptoms are gone and I'm feeling pretty decent.

Side Note:  I do want to brag on my urologist, Dr. B.  I actually went to the OB Monday for the UTI simply because their office could get me in before Dr. B and when in pain, I'm pretty impatient.  Well this evening guess who called me?  Dr. B himself.  He just wanted to let me know that he had gotten their fax about the urine culture and wanted to see how I was feeling, etc...  This is the same doctor who called me on Christmas Day to see if I was doing alright.  Seriously people, if you ever need an urologist, I 100% recommend him.

And because I couldn't resist, here's a bare belly shot. 

Praises from this week:

1) Antibiotics - they are my friend.

2) The Lord's kindness - Though my sleep isn't what it once was and I'm guessing it never will be (haha) the Lord has been so kind this week to allow me to get some decent sleep so I'm not so very emotional.

3) My sweet little students - I came back to work Wednesday to find a big note on my desk from the students.  (I should have took a picture, but didn't sorry)  It featured a baby on it and the words "Mrs. Lackey - you're almost there!"  How sweet!  Apparently I have a whole class of Barnabuses.  Or would that be Barnabi? :)

34 days left

Light & Momentary Troubles

The 3rd trimester, which started out fine about 5 weeks ago, has proved to not be my friend.  I feel weak.  Who am I kidding?  I am weak.  I am weakened by the lack of sleep, frequent trips to the restroom, rather intense pelvic pain, and all too often back pain.  To top it off, this physical weakness has caused me to have very little control over my emotions (sorry dear husband) as I literally will cry at the drop of a hat.

I have just under 6 weeks left until Hudson's born and honestly, I'm doubting my ability to stick it out.  Granted, I have no choice (haha) but if my belly had a zipper I'd totally get him out of there for a few hours of restful sleep.

Today at church, several Moms empathized; giving hugs and reminding me that it'll all be worth it once Hudson's here.  I know that; it's just hard to remember that when he stretches so hard that I feel like I'm about lose my bladder in my seat yet can't get up because he's simultaneously pressing on my ribs causing me to lose my breath.  I keep telling him that Life Lesson #1 is to not make life difficult for Mommy, but he's not listening just yet.

Fortunately the Lord is good.  Today he encouraged me with the words of 2 Corinthians 4 specifically verses 16-18 which read:

     Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly
     we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving
     for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So let us fix our eyes not on what is
     seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.

Now, Paul's talking about persevering through persecution, which isn't my situation at all.  My situation is simply the result of the fall of man - thank you very much Mrs. Eve.  However, I am encouraged for many reasons.

1)  It is all temporary.  In about 5 weeks, Lord willing, I will be in love with my little son completely forgetting the discomfort and pain leading up to his birth. 
2)  The solution to my pain is to fix my eyes on what is unseen - Jesus.  Focusing on Jesus is the best distraction to my pain and provides the only true relief and ability to endure.
3)  The Lord promises renewal.  This, I so desperately need. Not simply physical renewal (though that would totally be welcomed right about now) but emotional and spiritual renewal.  I need strength from him, endurance to persevere, and the power of the Holy Spirit to help me restrain the tears and emotional breakdowns. 

So please join me in prayer for these things. 

PCS Shower

Thursday after school, the sweet teachers/parents hosted a Baby Shower for Hudson and me. It was so much fun. Check out these amazing pictures courtesy of Angie, one of my former student's parents who just happens to be an awesome photographer here in Louisville.

Me with Mrs. B, Mrs. G, and Mrs. M - we have a lot of fun working together.

The gift table - everyone was so very generous.  We got most of the big items on our registry and so many useful and cute things.  I am overwhelmed with everyone's generosity, it literally took both James and my cars to get everything home.  Hudson is one blessed little boy!

A crowd shot before I arrived.  Many more where there throughout.

Gift time!

Some of the girls from my class this year - aren't they cute?

This would be the back of my "Prenatal Stroller."  Yes, it's a wheelchair.  Hudson's been making me quite uncomfortable recently so Mrs. G and her 6th graders took it upon themselves to decorate it for me to use if needed.  It did come in handy today at recess to sit in rather than stand or sit on the concrete steps, which makes my back hurt.  Honestly, I wasn't too happy about it.  Conversations about my pride then ensued.  I wasn't too happy about those either.  Sigh.

James adores AD and AD adores James. 

I work with silly people.

33 Weeks

Man, I'm looking a bit rough.

This week has been brought to you by the letter U for Uncomfortable. That's definitely the adjective of choice for describing how I've felt lately. Everyone tells you how uncomfortable the end of pregnancy can be, but I don't think you really understand until you're there. Aside from no sleep, my back and hips have been hurting quite a bit lately.

Monday night, I shed my first pity tears. Now, I've cried a lot during this pregnancy: tears of joy, fear, frustration, repentance, and thankfulness. But Monday, I was in pain. It was not pleasant to say the least. Thankfully, the Lord is kind and answered my prayer for renewed strength as Tuesday I felt much better.

The sweet teachers and principal at my school have been so kind and thoughtful to do what they can to make teaching easier for me. Mrs. G spearheaded a campaign to organize other teachers to take my students to and from specials, particularly the ones that involve walking across the parking lot to the other side of our campus, so I can conserve my energy and strength. I am so thankful to work at a place where people have the Lord's servant-hearts and truly try to help out in times of weakness. It's a wonderful picture of how the body of Christ should work. Tomorrow, they are hosting a baby shower at my school for which I'm excited to see parents I don't often get to see on a regular basis.

Though it's been a rough week, physically, it's also been a great week. My students have been really sweet. Today sweet AD said, "Mrs. Lackey I think your baby is moving - I see your shirt moving." Sure enough, he was tossing around so each child took a turn pushing on him and feeling him move. Then they asked the strangest question: "Mrs. Lackey, what do you want Hudson to be when he grows up?" I thought this was strange as I don't anticipate 2nd graders are thinking of the future, but it lead to a great discussion on using one's talents to serve the Lord and others. The boys, in particular, have been very chivalrous lately. Today, one student brought Hudson a gift as she can't come to tomorrow's shower and sweet NC just took it from me without asking as I was carrying it down the hallway during dismissal and carried it for me. Though it wasn't heavy, I let him and was thankful for his servant-heart.

So though this week hasn't started out as much fun, the Lord is faithful to reveal his goodness to me inspite of difficulties. I praise him for his work in my life and reminding me that I have not been abandoned, even when days are hard.

The Lord is with you,

He is mighty to save.

Zephaniah 3:17

Prepping

Spring Break has been "Get Ready for Hudson" week. His Nursery is thisclose to being ready. But the most exciting thing we accomplished was prepping his newborn cloth diapers. We ordered them from Green Mountain Diapers and they actually arrived about 2 weeks ago. Here's what they looked like straight from the box: 3 dozen newborn cloth diapers, 1 dozen small cloth diapers, 4 snappi fasteners, 24 cloth wipes, one wet pail liner, and 6 diaper covers.


Thankfully they also set a nice "What to Do" guide. One has to prep the cloth diapers by washing and drying them multiple times to get them to quilt up to be absorbent and soft.


Four washes and dries later - here's what we had.


Now all I need is for Hudson's little bum to be here so we can diaper him. I can't wait - 48 days!

32 Weeks

Not much to say, except I am loving Spring Break. Despite the sudden cold snap (what's up with that by the way?) and the fact that this week is going way too fast - I am so enjoying the rest, relaxation, cleaning (yes, I am enjoying cleaning), and most of all: visiting with friends.


Here I am with Christine and Jenny. Jenny is in town from Southern Illinois for the Together for the Gospel conference. We all three were seminary friends and had way too much fun in our years there - particularly during our time in Mullins together. Jenny and her sweet twin sister, Penny sent Hudson two adorable outfits and his own copy of my most favorite book. Now Hudson won't have to read from the worn copy I have in my classroom. Thank you Aunt Jenny & Aunt Penny!

Here I am for my obligatory weekly shot. We decided to change the locale from the dining room to Hudson's nursery. It's not finished yet, but definitely farther along than before.

My innie has been an outie for a while now, but it's now much more evident as it's sticking out through two layers of shirts here. I have a feeling that my sweet belly-button will never been the same again - haha.

53 Days*

until Hudson arrives. Yes, folks we finally have a date for his cesarean - Friday, June 1st. (my official due date is June 6th - just fyi)

Today was my 31/32 week appointment with Dr. P. Here are the stats:

My BP: 120/80

My Weight: 125 - no change. I am concerned, but the doctor isn't. She thinks the lack of weight gain is due to the gestational diabetes diet I've been on.

Fundal Height - 32, right on target which is the main reason Dr. P isn't concerned about my lack of weight gain.

Hudson's Heart Rate: 145 bpm

My Urine's still rocking some protein - sigh.

Good News: After looking at my blood sugar records for the last month, I get to reduce checking my blood sugar to twice a day (it has been 4 times a day). This will save us much moola as those glucose strips are literally a dollar a piece and a tube of 50 only lasts about 2 weeks when you have to test it four times a day. Thanks to Mrs. G who suggested I ask her about it.

Also, after looking at my blood sugar records, Dr. P says I've actually been running a tad low so I get to add in an extra serving of carbs to breakfast - yahoo! I like carbs.

Now, I'm on the 2 week rotation for OB visits.

Funny News: While Dr. P was pushing around on my belly feeling my uterus and Hudson, he kicked her. Fortunately she just laughed, but I'm going to have to talk to my son about not kicking people. :)

53 days! I gotta get off this internet and get to work - too much to do!

*EDITOR NOTE* Apparently I still can't count ... silly pregnancy brain. It's actually 53 days away!

31 Weeks & Resurrection Sunday

I don't care what anybody says - I have one large baby bump!

I'm still feeling OK, just tired all the time.

However, this week is Spring Break and I have

never been more ready for a week of rest.

Well, semi-rest at least as I have plans to wash up

Hudson's stuff and put it away in his room.

Today is Resurrection Sunday (aka Easter) and

we were blessed to spend it with dear friends.

Sweet Maryann -

Maryann and I started seminary the same semester and

ended up at the same work and the same church. Needless to say,

we spent a lot of time together. She works for the Kentucky WMU

and is simply adorable. She'll be Hudson's Aunt May May.

This is Christine and her boyfriend, Sam.

Christine started seminary the semester after I did and

we eventually became roomies in good ole' Fuller.

She recently returned from doing mission work in Zambia.

I'm so glad my pretty former-roomie is back in Louisville.

She'll be Hudson's Aunt Christine :)

And this, of course, is James

making himself comfortable at Maryann's apartment.

Can't take him anywhere - haha.

Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee

This past weekend, like last, James and I trekked out of town. This time though we headed South to my home-sweet-home: Nashville, Tennessee. My sister and step-mom hosted a baby shower for us. Sadly, my camera died about half-way through so I wasn't able to get pictures of everyone - bummer. But enjoy the shots we did get:

Pretty Mrs. Sherry won the "How Big is Melissa's Belly?" Game - good spatial reasoning skills she's got there :)

Gift Time!

Mrs. Pat made us this adorable homemade blanket, which matches perfectly to Hudson's crib bedding. So soft and so sweet.

A crowd shot: from left to right, Mrs. Sherry (she was one of my Sunday School teachers as a young child at church and an overall good example of a Mom/Wife for me), my Cousin Leesa, my Step-Mom Sue, my Great-Aunt Mildred.

This picture isn't exactly anything exciting, except for the cuteness that is my sister. I mean, seriously, look at her sweet smile - adorable!

Me and my absolutely gorgeous neice, Angela.

Me with Mrs. Susan and my "Sister from another Mister" Sarah. It's literally been like 3 years since I've seen her. I'm so thankful they made the long drive from Huntsville. Sarah - come see us in Louisville ASAP!

Me and Mrs. Kay. Mrs. Kay is probably my dearest friend. After my Mom died, she and her husband (who go to my home church) kinda stepped in and became family. I even lived with them for 9 months before I moved to Louisville. I love her and so value her friendship.

Me with Mrs. Sherry and her beautiful daughter, Brittany who is the mom to an adorable 18-month boy. They both provide such encouragement to me as a whole. It's wonderful how the Lord gives you other believers to sharpen, encourage, and guide you.

Sadly, those are all the pictures I got (stupid camera battery). Also in attendance was my Aunt Ann, who is pretty much the only person in my family my heigth. Plus the Sanchez girls stopped by - I've known them since they were little things and it was such a blessing to see them and love on their little ones. Kara, my sister's step-daughter made the food which was amazing. She has great ideas about living heathily and I love reading her blog and hope to implement her ideas very soon.

The Lord has been so very kind to us in providing these showers. Not simply because we get gifts for Hudson (though those are so very much appreciated), but the encouragement you get simply from being around friends and family who are celebrating the Lord's kindness in your lives with the gift of a child is simply spirit-lifting.