Good Lighting

Ali and Simon were here last Sunday with Ali's long time pal Paolo. I sat from my perch and watched while the two of them worked thier magic and took some great new product photos for me. I'm updating my emilystreet web site to include some baby items I've been making for a while, but was lacking good photos. Lucky me, Paolo specializes in this type of photography and well, we all know Ali is just plain talented. So, thanks to those two! I can't wait to get the site up and going - should be another week or so. It was so fun to have Simon here again, he has grown at least a foot and was sporting a cool new rocket that he shared with Henry. Love Cousins!

Thank You

Sitting here (of course) thinking today about how blessed we are to know all of you and for all the help we have recieved over the last 4 weeks. We are so grateful for all of it. A short list of very helpful gestures (thanks everybody - you know who you are!):

Care packages with books, magazines and crossword puzzles

Frozen or delivered dinners

Henry-sitting during my doctor's appointments

Social visits

Housework

Errands

Grandma Tookie stayed with us for a week and has returned one day a week since to vacuum, do laundry and run lots of errands for us. Henry loves to have Tookie here and so do we! I look forward to her weekly visits, wishing she lived just a little closer, so we could see her every week even after I'm off bed rest.

Aunt Megan also took a week off of work in CA to come stay and help us. Also wish we lived closer to Meg, but she is awesome about coming to visit and has done so to help us many times since Henry was born. I will always apprecaite her being with me the first week Henry was born and still in the NICU. She had and has a way of keeping me entertained and light-hearted even in pretty dramatic situations, only the way a sister can. I hope someday to be able to do the same for her when she starts her family.

Love you all!

Yeah Heidi!

This is what I sent off with Malia for Heidi this morning. She'll have opened it by now, so I won't be ruining the surprise. Missing her baby shower today has probably been the single hardest part of my house arrest or "modified" bed rest so far. I must have asked my doctor every appointment for the last 3 weeks if she felt I could go. Obviously, she didn't - thought there would be too many "stressors" for me there, wishing I could help serve people, wanting to welcome guests at the door, too many people and noise (which she tells me alone can bring on contractions-hmm) and lastly driving 45 minutes from my home and hospital. Luckily, I know Heidi understands, probably better than anyone else right now...as she is pregnant too and looking forward to a healthy full term baby herself. Well, here's to Heidi and Jon and thier soon-to-be daughter. What fun our girls will have! Love you Heidi!

31 Weeks

No ultrasound today (even US techs need a vacation!), but we did get another good test result for fetal fibronectin which should buy us another 2 weeks of pregnancy as long as my cervix doesn't thin too much, which is why the bed rest order remains! I will have another ultrasound to check for that next Thursday. I am feeling good and Henry is really a good boy, easy going and actually provides me lots of needed entertainment during the day. He's gotten really good at getting things for himself, or bringing things to me etc. Really lucky he is so agreeable! I also had the pleasure of UPS coming today to bring the baby a special blanket I ordered for her. Aunt Jessica bought a similar one for Henry, which we used in the NICU and every day after. I have loved this blanket and thought our little girl deserved one of her very own.

Sleeping Beauty

Julie and Peyton came over to play with Henry today while I went to the doctor (more on that later). Thank you girls! Not only did Julie pick up all the golf balls and any evidence of Brodie in the backyard...she even attemped to mow the lawn with our busted mower. Amazing! Peyton is seriously into Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming was happy to oblidge. We had a short play recited in our living room, followed by dancing of course. Look out dancing with the stars!

Dads are the Coolest...

...and John really is! Taking on more than he's used to lately, solo trips to the park, laundry, garbage, grocery, requests for "milkies" and "new pants" at 6AM. Henry is LOVING every minute! Thanks Jack.

Very Special Friends

Danny and Norrine brought Henry and I a delicious pot roast last night while John had to be out for a work dinner. It was a great visit! Norrine sat and sympathized with me about being couchbound - we are cut from the same busybody mold. Every year we enjoy a weekend in Victoria together during the Olympic Logging Conference in May. We leave early, to avoid the misc. invitations to attend women's bus tours, trips to the wax musem etc. We shop all day with a latte in the morning and bagel-to-go for lunch. Norrine is definitely the best shopping partner I have come across - only one of many things I love about her. While we sat and boo-hood about missing our Victoria shopping trip this year, Danny played with Henry in the back yard. Danny is one of the best examples of fatherhood that John and I know and has been a special friend to Henry since he was born. Henry has loved staying with them when I have needed to go into work or John and I need a night out. Yesterday he couldn't stop talking about seeing the bunnies again, one of many farm-like attractions to be found at the Millers. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us and bring us dinner to boot! We love you Millers!

We Love Wii

Malia, Chris and Will were over lastnight playing the Wii with John and Henry. Henry's got the moves down, even without a proper controller!

30 Weeks

Our doctor's visit went well today. My cervix looks pretty much unchanged from last week (2.9 cm) and is still intact and closed. John and Henry were with me today, so the US tech spoiled us and took some measurements and other fun pictures. Big news of the day: baby sister weighs about 3 lbs 11 oz today. That just seems huge to me, but there can be a +/-1 lb accuracy for any pre-birth weight measurements. I will have another fetal fibronectin test next Thursday. For now, more bed rest and thus the inception of this blog.

First picture: 20 week US Second picture: 30 week US (today)