First of all thank you so much for the prayers for Jason's Dad. The surgery was successful and the flutter in his heart is gone! Please continue to pray for him as he recovers :)


How is it possible that this has truly happened to me? How is it possible for one person to be so blessed?

All my life all I dreamed about was being a wife and a Mama. For nine months I have been preparing to be a Mama:

The day before I was induced-40 weeks and 3 days.

And then all the sudden, just when it seemed I was going to be pregnant forever, things began to happen fast. I had high blood pressure, went to the hospital, went back home and was induced the next day. I had waited 40 weeks for this and then-it was here:

Please keep my father in law, John in your prayers. He is in the cardiac unit at Strong and will be undergoing a procedure at 1 this afternoon. Please pray that his heart will go back to a regular rhythm naturally and he will not have to have any procedure done.

Also, thank you all for your congratulations and support for us during this new chapter in our lives!

Baby is doing well! He had to be in a photo bed because they found out that he had jaundice yesterday. BUT he is doing really well today and we are going to be heading home after one last test Lord willing!

Yes, you read that right folks! Tomorrow is the day! I am so very excited! I was planning a home birth but you know what sometimes our ways are not the Lord's ways.

This morning I was putting on make-up and noticed that I was starting to look like an oompa loompa I was swelling a little bit more in my face. I texted my midwife and she said to go get my blood pressure taken so we did. It was higher than normal so she told me to go and rest. Well, I started to get a head ache so we went and took it again less than two hours later and it had gotten significantly higher. So, off to the hospital we went realizing that it was likely I might have to be induced.

Once at the hospital my blood pressure went down (thank the Lord for that) but it was decided due to my swelling, irregular contractions and that I am overdue tomorrow would be the day. Tomorrow I will be induced. Tomorrow at this time I may be holding my son!

Wow!!!

I am excited! I am going to be with my christian midwife in the hospital and ALSO my doctor is a woman (which is just a neat God thing) AND she is a christian as well!

God is so good!

So tomorrow-we will leave the house 9ish am and the induction will begin around 10-10:30 am. Prayers are appreciated for sure :) Just that the baby and I will be safe and that the Lord will be honored and glorified in and through me as this baby comes into this world!

So here I am 40 weeks the last day of my pregnancy:


This is definitely the end of one chapter in life and the beginning of another...I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow brings :)

 Dear Baby Boy,

Today is your due date! April 12, 2012. I would love for you to come today baby!! I was saying last night how amazing it is that I have been pregnant for 40 straight weeks. That is a LONG time! But you know what baby boy? You are so worth it all.

Things have been getting more exciting the closer your arrival gets! Your Aunt Sarah, Aunt Abby, Aunt Jen and   Uncle Matthew are all here from NY and super excited about when you will make your grand entrance into this world!


I love my sisters! Abby especially (in the middle) is SO EXCITED for you to arrive. She already calls you HER little man and she is going to spoil you I have the feeling :)

See that picture above? I am smiling but in reality I was hot and sweaty and miserable!!! :) Just you wait till your wife is 40 weeks pregnant and you will know what I mean. It has been really HOT here in Florida these last few days and since you are such a big boy it makes me feel warmer than ever! But you know what baby boy? You are so worth it! :)

See the dress I am wearing in that picture? The early/middle stages of pregnancy were fine for having a variety of outfits to pick from. Now-I swap two dresses back and forth. Why? Well, little man nothing else will fit over my belly! My midwife told me a few months back that I would want to wear a TENT and I didn't really know what she meant until now...literally the looser the better! I am so excited to have you and to be able to pick some different outfits! :)

Daddy is already gone for work. He took Uncle Matt with him. You know what is funny? I just realized that I have an Uncle Matt and you have one as well but on your Daddy's side! That is neat! :)

People have been such a blessing these last few weeks baby boy! We have some amazing friends here in Florida!

The other day two of our friends made me a clothesline!! It is something I have wanted all my life! I always thought they looked so romantic (yes son, Mama is somewhat strange at times). :) I convinced your Daddy to take some pictures of the first load that got hung to dry:

Daddy carrying out the first load!!! :)

What a blessing that is! :) I love it! Truly, there are so many amazing little blessings the Lord gives us a long the way Elijah! It is so neat! I believe it is also so important to take note and be thankful for the little things in life!

Speaking of little blessings in life here are some from people that love you already so much baby boy:

• Miss Roanna (Pastor's wife) surprising me with a body pillow to help me sleep better
• Miss Alison coming and helping me clean the whole house and taking some of your clothes home to wash just so I did not have to. 
• Mr. Larry coming and fixing the hole in your room (which you will not be sleeping in till you are a little bit older). 
• Amazing encouragement from other mom's like my friend Julie and my friend Callie (from Through Clouded Glass) via facebook messages :)
• Your Daddy bringing me flowers
• Sisters and friends cooking a huge "thanksgiving dinner" last night (because Daddy and I did not make it to NY for thanksgiving this year).
• So many thoughts and prayers and encouragements from so many people
• Popcorn from Miss Pam
• Help from Miss Carolyn and lots of advice (she is a labor and delivery nurse which is awesome)
• Papa John and Grandma sending a ton of meat with the kids (fresh, natural and "home grown"
• An amazing birth calender from your Grandma Case :) 
• Boxes in the mail from your Auntie Gretel and Edessa (who blogs here at A Flower For Mom's) with all sorts of goodies for Mama and baby :)
• Gifts sent from our church families back home with the kids 
• The weather starting to cool down a little bit so Mama is more comfortable :)
• Watching a chick flick (well part of one) with my girls :)
• Having Katie be in Florida and able to visit :)
• Painting my nails

You know some days it is just the little things in life that make the most difference. That is so true for me this morning.

Yesterday my family came and while I had been waiting for that for the past few months-I kind of equated them coming with my little man coming.

That being said he has not made his appearance yet. And yes-I cried about it yesterday (I am so stinking hormonal sometimes lol) telling Jason "I was going to be pregnant forever and just wanted him here...etc..." (paraphrase I can't remember it all lol).

But you know after I cried it out I went and ate an amazing dinner with my siblings and had a super fun evening with them and felt OH SO MUCH better! Sometimes a girl has just gotta cry you know?

Ahem.

Well, today I am 40 weeks! What a huge milestone!!!! :)

Jason is working really hard over the next two days and he got everything ready to go last night so this morning I didn't have his lunch to make (I love making his lunch for him by the way I have found it is just a small way I  can show how much I appreciate how hard he works for me). So I was sleeping when he kissed my on the forehead to say goodbye. I mumbled something and went back to sleep.

Well, a half hour later I decided to eat and I stumbled down our hallway gracefully floated down the hall to get some breakfast when I noticed what he had left for me on the table.

39 weeks. Wow. When did this happen? I mean honestly-on one hand I feel like I have been pregnant forever and then on the other-I can not believe that literally at any time I am going to meet, in person, my precious little boy.

When did this happen?

So yes, I am 39 weeks! On thursday is my official due date! After MONTHS of looking forward to this time I can hardly believe it is here! But it is.

My sisters Abby and Jen and my sister-in-law Sarah and brother-in-law Matt (moral support for Jason lol) are on their way from NY. In fact, they are driving RIGHT NOW and will get here, Lord willing, TOMORROW. We are SO excited!

This picture is all of us this past Christmas. Front L-R: Sarah, Abby, Yours Truly, Jen. Back L-R: Matt, Danny, My Prince. I am sad Danny is not coming but he is going to be working hard plus we are going to be able to spend lots of time together this summer Lord willing :)  We truly have an AMAZING family and since I married Jason it is just like the Case family added on three new siblings not just one :)

I have waited for them to get here for months and now-they are going to be here tomorrow!

When did this happen?

I have our room all set up for our little man. For the longest time his room had a hole in it caused by a leaking pipe. So in the meantime I decided that we may as well set up stuff in our room just in case! Well, the hole is now fixed thanks to some amazing friends who came and blessed us with the help! But we have decided that we are going to have him in our room anyway for the first few weeks :)



Our house is slowly getting more babyfied (is that even a world-not sure-but now it is)! And I could not be happier. But still-it blows my mind that soon I will be rocking that sweet baby boy in that chair, using that adorable boppy pillow that my amazing friend Gretel sent me in the mail, changing his diapers on that changing pad and watching him sleep in that bassinet. Wow!

When did this happen!?

Sweet baby boy. His chubby cheeks, little button nose...soon I will be able to kiss him and snuggle him and smell his sweet newborn scent.

When did this happen?

I used to dream of this! I never wanted to have a career. I just wanted to be a wife and Mama. And I am...wow! God is so amazing! He truly gave me the desire of my heart!

When did this happen!?

Soon, I will not be pregnant anymore. Soon Jason and I will have our son with us in person! Soon, we will be comparing who he looks like more. Soon, we will be figuring out his little personality. Soon, he will be here!

There are things I will miss about being pregnant. Feeling my little one move inside me is one of the most amazing things I have EVER experienced and I will miss that but oh...I am sure nothing will compare to having my son HERE. Wow!

When did this happen!!!????

I am so ready for this sweet little boy!

In the meantime, the Lord has been teaching me a lot. I have so much I want to share with you all. Lessons I am in the midst of learning.

Things like not being lazy and wasting so much of my days on the internet. Anyone else really struggle with that? How do you fight the temptation to be checking facebook, blogs etc constantly throughout the day?

Things like being a better wife. A wife who is the crown of my husband and is his help meet and support even in the "small things" like having a clean house...that is something I really struggle with. Granted-it is hard for me to be on my feet for super long amounts of time yet, that I found today that cleaning for 15 minutes then resting and repeating that really gets a lot done. Why have I not been doing that? Well, laziness to be quite frank. I have really be struggling with that!

I figure my prince is working 10+ hours days in the HOT Florida sun brick paving for our little family. He is an amazing provider and that is on top of his ministry to the youth...why on earth do I find it such a huge burden to clean the house (which takes less than 2 hours of those 10+ hours), have dinner ready (less than an hour of those 10+ hours) and have myself fresh and prettied up (less than 15 minutes of that 10+ hours) to greet my hard working man with a smile and a kiss at the end of a long work day? Ever felt convicted? Just writing this is convicting me all over again.

I want to put Jesus first then my husband. I am so blessed and yet so often I take the man of God I have been blessed with for granted. God forgive me! Today I read a really good post: I Work Outside My Home Now by Traci over at Ordinary Inspirations. It really made me re-think my role as a stay-at-home wife and Mama. Check it out and let me know what you think.

So that is something that is what I am working through with the Lord's help. He is so faithful and merciful to His children! I am truly thankful that His mercies are new every morning!

So what has the Lord been challenging you with lately? I would love to hear about it!

(Source)

He lives! And because He lives-I can face tomorrow, all fear is GONE, I KNOW Who hold my future and life is WORTH THE LIVING-just because HE LIVES.

Happy Easter Everyone!

My hope is that today amid the family dinners and special church serves we will remember this:

That although Jesus Christ died on that cross for us He didn't say dead. Death could not hold Him! He lives! What an amazing thing!

Thanking Jesus for that today :)

Waiting. Pretty sure that no one really likes to do it. And yet there are times in our lives when we really do not have a choice!

For me-this would be one of those times!

Today I am 39 weeks and I am waiting.

I have the room ready for my little man and so now I am waiting for him to come so I can start using the adorable boppy pillow my friend mailed me, start dressing him in the insane amount of onesies people just showered us with (this kid seriously has clothes for like the first year of his life), start using that recliner our amazing grounds manager gave me to rock my sweet baby boy as I feed him...

I can hardly wait to start so many things-but, we are still waiting.

That is ok.

Because I am realizing that never again will my life ever be the same once this little man makes his highly anticipated entrance into this world.

Never again will it "just be" Jason and I.

Never again will I smile as he moves and twists and nudges me from inside. I love feeling him move and watching him move! Soon, I will get to see it in person. Never again will he be inside me.

Life is going to change.

Waiting for that change is hard but even this is just a season.

And you know what...even just writing this-I have realized that I am ok with it!

Yes, I would love to not be a beached whale, be able to roll over in bed, not waddle anymore....etc...but that is going to come soon enough. So in the meantime-

I am going to try my best to enjoy this time and make the most of these last few days before he arrives...while I am waiting.