In a very short 16 hours....

...I will be a mommy to two and will have finally met this precious child face to face, whom I have carried in my belly all these months. What an incredible, awe-provoking miracle! As I sit here typing, I still cannot fully comprehend that her time is here and that I will be gazing into her eyes in just half a day's time. I am so, so excited and filled with anticipation! I simply cannot wait to touch and hold her close to me!

Ty took Luke and I out to dinner last night to savor our second to last night as a threesome. And as we sat munching on our dinners, we chatted about what the next few days will bring. "I was laying in bed thinking the other night..." he began. "You don't seem nervous at all....you seem pretty calm. And if it were me, I think I'd be pretty nervous right about now...about having surgery and all." It was ironic for him to say that, since it's usually me who is the anxious one and he's my rock...calm, cool and collected. He still is calm, cool and collected, but it's ironic because so am I! The truth of the matter is though, that I AM calm. I have "a peace that transcends all understanding" as Phillipians 4:6-7 (my favorite bible verse) says. I think someone must be praying for me! I scarcely feel worried or nervous about the whole ordeal. I know what to expect...(which is a HUGE deal for me) and I pretty much know how things will go. And where I leave off in terms of my own inability to do something, I know that Ty is right there to help. I feel safe and in good hands....especially with my husband right by my side through it all. And c'mon....when compared to how things went with Luke's birth, this should be a breeze! :) I have nothing to fear....and that is a wonderful feeling!

I'd have to say that my biggest concern is for Luke. I just worry about his little heart and how he will handle these next few days. I know he will be in good care...my mom and dad will be staying here with him while we're in the hospital....so that is not a worry. But he is already showing some signs that all this is weighing on his little heart. I was roused from a dead sleep at 2am on Monday night/Tuesday morning to the sound of muffled sobs coming from his room. :( He was half asleep, but crying softly in bed. I went to him and held him, thinking he would fall back to sleep soon, but he tossed and turned in bed, crying softly on and off for another half hour or so. Finally, after returning to my own bed and then coming back again to his, I asked if he was scared or hurting (he is working on the last two top two-year-old molars) and he said his mouth hurt. I gave him some Motrin and several more hugs and kisses, and finally he drifted off to sleep, but something tells me it wasn't just his teeth. He's been unusually testy the last two mornings too....getting repeated time-outs even before breakfast is through, and our bedtime routine is laden with tears and needing extra kisses and hugs as well. Even yesterday, as I had to drop him off at my mom's while I went to the dermatologist, he clung to me in tears before I left and my mom said he cried awhile afterwards. That is unusual for him. He's sensing that change is a-comin'. He knows. And it's all very normal, I know. But it still makes my heart ache for him. We talk frequently about all that is to come...from the night before, to the day of and the days following "Ellie coming out of momma's belly". He has a grasp of what is going to happen that is beyond his little 2 and a half year old mind, in my opinion, and he understands more than I would expect him to. But that ability to grasp the information doesn't take away his anxiousness and uncertainty. :( Poor kiddo. I know that's just how it goes though...there really isn't much more I could be doing. And I know that he will be okay....I just hate to see him struggle so.

We gave him a little 'baby' of his own on Monday. Baby Ellie, he calls her. He's been great with her....taking the time to snuggle her gently and making sure she is covered with her little blanket when he lays her down. (I gave him one of the knitted teeny-tiny blankets that covered him when he was in the NICU to use as her blanket. It's crazy to think that he was that small once!) On Monday, the first day he received the doll, we were upstairs getting ready in the morning and when I turned around, I found that Luke had laid his Baby Ellie on Tess's dog bed and draped her tiny blanket over her. He was laying there on his side next to her, his little hand stroking her face and he was whispering something softly to her. :) Oooohhhh....if you could have seen it.....you're heart would've been in a puddle at your feet as mine was! So sweet! On the other hand, I also catch him yanking her around by her feet too, so he's still just a little boy! But a little boy with such a gentle, sweet spirit!!! :) LOL!

16 more hours. Phew! The thought just washed over me again. Can this really be? A scheduled, planned c-section???? Someone needs to pinch me! :) A 'planner's' paradise! Well.....in terms of being able to prepare....not in terms of the pain and recovery! :)

So are you wondering how our day will go?? Me too! :) LOL! Just kidding. Here is what I know so far about times and such....
4am....Wake up time! (Yes...I plan to shower, shave my legs, put on some makeup and be
generally ready, since who knows how long it will be until I get a good shower in!)
5:15am....Time to leave for the hospital
5:30am....Arrive at the hospital, check in, fill out any remaining paper work....get settled.
7:30am....The big moment! C-section time! My parents, and Ty's mom will be at the hospital
along with Luke waiting to meet this babe!

You know....it's kinda funny. Here I am, sitting here attempting to type out this 'schedule' and in reality, all I know is the above things. Time stops after 7:30! I know the surgery will take about an hour from start to finish and then I will be in recovery. Ty will be with Ellie until they bring her to me to nurse her there. As soon as I can have him, Luke will come to meet his sister, followed by our parents and then my sister, when she arrives a bit later. I would expect to be in recovery an hour or two max, then it's off to my room. And after that......who knows. Dr. Hage said to expect that I would most likely be discharged later in the day on the third day, which is Saturday. So, I'm hoping that will be the case. Our own bed will be a welcomed relief, I'm sure!

So that, my friends, is it. :) I still can't believe the time is here! My next posting probably won't be my own...I think Ty might just be a guest blogger and will do his best to keep you updated. I'm pretty sure that we'll be able to access the internet from the hospital, so check in and see if we've posted. But if you don't see anything new, it's because we can't log on from the 'spital! :) We're planning to send an email out to, with her stats and all, so if you don't see that either, you'll know why. We'll have to resort to the phone in that case. By the way, before I forget to mention it...thanks for all your votes! I've written them down to take with us to the 'spital and we'll see whose the closest! These little games are so much fun for me! Thanks for playing along! :)

I'll leave you with a few pictures from our final Luke-n-Mommy day. We headed to the park early this morning, before the day turned unbearably hot (it's supposed to be 105 again today!) for one last play date. We grabbed a doughnut on the way....a special treat for my boy! Then it was home for the rest of the morning, lunch and naps. (I'll be taking one of my own today....my eyes popped WIDE open at precisely 4:58 this morning....couldn't sleep any longer!) The afternoon might hold a few errands...we'll see. Once Ty gets home from work, we'll have our last dinner as a threesome here at home, bathe Luke and take him to Grandma's to tuck him into bed there before our big day tomorrow. Pray for his little heart, if you could....that this transition time goes well. And please pray for strength and endurance for both Ty and I. And of-course...health (and good breastfeeding) for our little Ellie Paige!

Enjoying a bite of his doughnut!

Snuggle-time

And last of all....my very final (and quickly taken) belly pics. No fancy shots this time around...




And that marks the end of Ellie in the Belly and the beginning of a whole new chapter! Okay friends....I'm signing off for now.....with a full heart that is eager with anticipation!