The foot.

We had Finley's first appointment to fix his foot on Tuesday. I had been kind of anxious leading up to it. Finley had not. I had lots of feelings running around... I felt slightly guilty for not giving him enough room to grow, very selfishly sad that he wouldn't be as cuddly as he was, and brokenhearted that my baby was going to have a cast.

The appointment was really good--I was definitely the bigger baby out of the two of us and cried the most. He squawked a little bit when the doctor was turning his foot into place, but doesn't seem to mind the cast at all. I don't think he even knows it's there. He can't curl up in his favorite position, but he really seems unaffected by it. He has rolled over from his tummy to his back 4 times--I think the cast gives him some extra oomph, and Sol thinks he is a superbaby.

He'll be in the cast for 2 to 3 months, and he gets a new little cast every week. After that he'll probably have a brace that he wears part time. The cast is also an excellent handle for carrying him around. And the cast is adorable. Everything baby sized is just precious.


Here are a few pictures from the big day...

On the way home from the appointment... if anyone asks, we're telling them that he hurt his leg saving other babies from a burning building.

We decided Finley needed a treat for being so good at the doctor... so we took him on his first trip to Chipotle.

Sol's sister Lili gave us some baby legwarmers... we're using them to cover the cast so he doesn't scratch it on his other leg.

Finley got to take his first long walk! Laura and I went out to a jogging trail and walked for about two miles. I wish I was running, but it was good to move a little bit. And Copper liked it too. (Also, thanks Marie and Dawn for my diaper bag. It makes me happy to change diapers.)

It's important to exercise.

Courtesy of my sister and brothers, here is the new exercise routine that Sol will be using to get back into shape.

Pregnancy is hard on a man.

Disclaimer: the video is on collegehumor.com and my mom's work thinks it is an"adult content" site... maybe wait until you get home.

I no longer know how to blog.

I keep meaning to put something up, but its hard to put all my thoughts together in a cohesive fashion. I also realized that I don't want to spend time uploading pictures to facebook and the blog... so until I figure out how to balance the two, you get one picture here, and a link to go look at the facebook album.

We're doing really well--Finley is sleeping and eating like a pro. My parents are here now, and Laura comes Monday. I've been fed very well and am so appreciative of them. We are going to the doctor Tuesday to get started with his foot--and thanks for all the sweet prayers and encouragement you have sent our way. It's amazing to hear how common and correctable this is. We're confident all will be well.

We love being parents more than I ever could have imagined. Everyone says it's amazing and they are right. It's hard to let the poor kid sleep because I just want to hold him all the time. I can't describe how much we love him already.

And I'm getting caught up on all the tv that I missed, I know some of you were concerned about that.

Finally Finley.

He made it!

Here's the important stuff. Finley David Scott showed up today and he weighs 8 lbs 9 oz and is 21 inches long. And he is so cute. I was induced this morning at 6 am and by 12:17 he was here! The labor went way faster than expected, which caused the epidural not to work, which in turn made the painful part even quicker. So that was good. It was not near as bad as it could have been and we couldn't be more in love with him. He's adorable.

We are asking for prayers for his little foot. At our 20 week ultrasound, the tech couldn't see his feet and we went back 2 more times to get them checked out and never really saw anything. They reassured us that he had feet, they just couldn't check the angles of them because he was so cramped in there... and also then the building lost power. We decided we were ok not having total confirmation on the feet. So, he does have two very cute feet, but one of them is turned in enough that he needs medical intervention to correct it. We are meeting with an orthopedic specialist tomorrow who will fill us in more. But please pray that we find an excellent course of treatment that leaves him able to run marathons. We feel so bad for the little guy, but he's just so cute, and really, he is perfect just the way he has been created. We are taking comfort and finding great joy in the promises of Psalms 139:

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well."

The Lord created Finley perfectly and we are pretty much obsessed with him. Sol likes him because he's really tough. I like him because sometimes he sneezes and sometimes he holds his hands by his face. It's precious.

What do you want to hear first...

The good news, or the bad news?

The Good News:

We went to see the doctor (Dr. Two) this morning. She thought we should schedule a c-section and go back to hospital to be monitored some more. We went back and got monitored (everything is fine and I am having some large contractions that I still can't feel) and the wonderful, very sweet nurse thought we really should try for induction. So we have an induction scheduled for tonight at 8:30 with Dr. Five. This doctor (who we still haven't met) seems really nice and was willing to meet with us this afternoon so we wouldn't feel so shuffled around. I'm going to call him in a bit to chat, but we feel really good with what seems to be our very last plan. And we are super excited that the baby will most likely be here TOMORROW!!!! And my family's travel plans are working out better than we even anticipated. (Say a prayer for my sis if you can--she's taking her medical school boards RIGHT NOW and has volunteered to watch my brothers for the weekend so my dad can come meet the baby.)

The Bad News:

Heroes and Gossip Girl are new tonight.

We'll keep you posted. Please keep our health and the baby's health in your prayers. I'm off to plan our last few hours as a twosome.

More good news: the hospital has wi-fi.

Christmas!!!!!!!!

You know how it's really exciting to go to bed the night before Christmas (when you are a kid, of course, not now)? Well, eventually it gets a little old when the next day is NEVER Christmas and you keep thinking it will be.

So we went to our appointment yesterday with Dr. Two. Dr. One had a baby last Saturday so we got reassigned to a new doctor, which I didn't really mind. Dr. One had mentioned that I might be a little small to deliver a baby that was close to 8 lbs, so we were anxious to see how big he was. Dr. Two estimated he was 8 lbs 2 oz and agreed that my hips were a little small. Then she decided we should probably go straight to the hospital to monitor the little guy because he wasn't moving much (I am pretty sure this is because my uterus is completely full of baby). And she was thinking that we might need to a c-section this weekend because he was getting so big. Yikes.

So we went to the hospital to meet with... Dr. THREE!!! Dr. Two was not the on-call OB this weekend, so we got another new doctor. After being monitored for awhile (the heartbeat was great and I apparently am having contractions, even though I can't feel them) they sent me to get another major ultrasound. It took forever because they couldn't tell if he was moving or breathing... eventually they decided that there was just no space for him to move and he was fine. Oh, and they think he is 8 lbs 8 oz. Great.

We finally met with Dr. Three, and she felt like my hips were "quite roomy" and that we could just wait until Wednesday (which would be 41 weeks)... so at this point I had been at the hospital for about 5 hours and pretty much broke down. I don't really deal well with not having a plan, and I had adjusted to the thought of needing a c-section and the baby coming soon and now I was hearing that we could hold off for 5 more days. They should not let pregnant ladies make decisions. Pretty much I just cried and told Sol to figure it out. He's a champ. Oh, and the appointment I would have next week is with a new doctor, let's call him Dr. Four. That upset me slightly too. It was getting really hard to hear different opinions from every doctor and have to re-explain everything every time.

So I think we are going to try to make an appointment with Dr. Three first thing Monday and make a plan--whether we are going to induce or go with a c-section. I have very conflicting opinions on whether or not the baby will fit... it's really hard to decide what to do. But I'm pretty sure he gets a little bigger every day and it isn't going to get better. So unless I go into labor this weekend, he'll probably be here around early next week. I don't really mind waiting, I'm just having a hard time to adjusting to plans changing so often! I think my mom has bought like 7 different plane tickets to fly out here... sorry mom (and Laura who will likely have to change her flight too).

But, I feel fine. Concerned about the mammoth baby growing in my belly, but fine otherwise. We are just going to enjoy this lovely weekend and cherish the extra time we have together before our large, stubborn, big-headed baby arrives.

Sorry if I concerned anyone last night, hopefully it meant you were praying for us and we do covet that. So please keep praying that we can relax and make good choices about what to do get our kiddo here. There's officially no room in the womb.

“Behold, I am making all things new.”

For some reason, Revelation 21:5 has always struck a chord with me. The paragraph says:

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son..."

I'm not sure why, but when I think of Jesus saying, "I am making all things new" I imagine a child in a sandbox, and you just crept up on him and he is so excited to show you the marvelous things he is doing. He's so proud of his work. And I know that the Lord's work isn't really comparable to a sand castle, that's how I picture Jesus. Enthralled with the way he makes our lives new, free of charge to us.

And that's really what Easter is about, Jesus giving his life freely for us so that we can live new lives in him. And it makes me so excited for our new little boy to show up soon, in a fallen world that is constantly being made new by our Savior. "I am making all things new." How can that not bring joy to your heart?



The little guy should be here Wednesday. I don't think he will be. I had to go back to school today, some of my kids were happy, some were not. It wasn't near as bad as I though it would be. It wasn't really bad at all. Hopefully I can make it through the whole week because I don't think he's planning on coming any time soon. I don't think he realizes that his potential tardiness is messing up some of our plans. But every day he is late is another day I get paid for, so in a way he's helping himself out. College isn't cheap these days. I'm starting to get a little concerned that he is too big to make a proper exit, but we should know more at our doctor's appointment Friday, with my new doctor that I have never met.

Here is our Easter picture. I look huge.

And I was practicing carrying the car seat with my favorite (recently re-packaged) beverage. As long as he weighs less than 24 cans, I should be good.

Motherhood and apple pie is for sissies

I am about to be a father. All you need to know about that is I am going to get a lot tougher over the next couple of years. Mostly it is because we are going to have a son and I need to show him what being tough is all about. So here is what I am thinking about doing:

• Breaking a bunch of pink crayons in half

Pretty good list huh. I thought I might also get a gun, not because I know how to shoot it. I thought I might put it up on the wall in a plastic case and look at it daily for inspiration. I think I will give it a name as well. Gunner. That is its name. Or "Evil Slayer", also good. It will also be good if I ever have a girl. Then when boys show up I will invite them in and show them my gun. I won't say anything, just point, I am guessing that's enough.

I can already tell our son is going to be tough. Earlier today he was using her small intestine as a jump rope and working his boxing on her bladder. My guess is when the doctor weighs him he will be about 4 ounces less than he should be for his frame because he was cutting weight to get into a lower weight class. Yeah, he is going to be the great white hope.

Anyways, its going to be pretty cool to have a son. I always wanted a brother.

So I am probably going to refer to him as my broson. Something about one in the hand is worth two in the bush. By the way, who do you know who ever caught a bird in their hand, that would be pretty cool. I am guessing my son will probably do that.

So, for the update of the day, Rachel and I went to the MD today. She said that Rachel is the most beautiful pregnant person (men included) ever. I am embellishing. Also looks like things are getting closer and the little guy is probably coming next week. They say football is a game of inches, well pregnancy is one of centimeters, and we are one centimeter closer today.

We will keep you posted. No pun intended.

Blogged.

My Best Friends

Let me introduce you to my best friends during pregnancy.

They are also Copper's best friends. Anytime he sees me putting on the running shoes he goes completely insane. It made it difficult to go do yardwork because he would jump on me and cry until I caved and took him running.

This is my other best friend, the Garmin.

According to the Garmin, I have run 230 miles during my pregnancy. The Garmin also tells me (much to my chagrin) that I declined from an 11:00/mile to a 13:00/mile before I stopped. Slow. May I remind you, that to qualify for Boston I have to run 8:20s or something like that. Yikes. I didn't run the first 4 months because of a stupid IT band injury, and I stopped running 13 days ago (not that I'm counting). So by my fancy math, I ran roughly 12 miles a week up until a stupid hip injury made me stop again. I'm going to have my body checked out after I give birth so I stop hurting myself. Don't tell Coach Hasenbank, but it's probably because I don't stretch. Or cross-train. Or cool down or warm-up. Or do any sort of weights. Maybe I don't need to go to the doctor. I really miss running and hope I don't have to wait too long after delivery to start back up. The jogging stroller is itching to go.

Also, I registered for the Marine Corps Marathon in October, so I have to start training. I think they have a special Boston Qualifying time for people who gave birth in the past 6 months. I am going to qualify for that stupid race someday.

Other things I should quickly mention.

1. I have a Dr. appt tomorrow. This will be the last one with my doctor since she is giving birth on April 15th (my due date). So unless he comes soon, I get a new doctor.

2. I really love Benjamin Linus and am really happy that it looks like Penny is not dead. That means I also love Desmond Hume for pummeling Ben so he couldn't hurt Penny. I'm a little concerned that Ben killed Charlie 2.0 though... what else could he be apologizing to Desmond for?

3. Our stupid DVR only recorded the first 3 Idol performances. Irritating. But it was time for Scott to go. And I'm glad Lil was in the bottom 3, she needed a kick in the pants.

4. My dog conquered Sol.

Cherry Blossom!

I'm on spring break this week, patiently waiting for the baby to come. That means I probably will continue to post random things as I think of them, knowing that it will slow down when he comes.

This weekend, Sol took me on a mini-vacation to our nation's capital. It's just down the road. We sat in the grandstands to watch the parade. Here is our favorite insurance commercial mascot and four presidents with large heads. More importantly, they are riding in... "Stars Hollow's first PEDI-CAB!!!" Not really. Man, I miss that show.


Sol is not letting me name the baby Rory. Although one of the current top names is a variation of a MINOR character from Gilmore Girls... You guessed it. It's Doyle.

Then we walked down to the river, the trees really were pretty. I scanned the crowd for people with SLR cameras and recruited them to take our picture. Not always a guarantee. Picture taking was also difficult because there were 8 million people down there.




The trees were pretty.

So pretty.

Last year I was visiting Sol during Spring Break during the festival. It was a yucky day and the trees had not bloomed yet. This year was much better.

I think I lost those earrings. Dang it.

RSS = Really aweSome Stuff

So here's something really important that you must know about. I feel like a lot of my time has been wasted because I didn't know about the wonders of RSS. Sol and I buy A LOT of stuff on craigslist. Like, every single piece of furniture we own. And craigslist can be very frustrating and time-consuming. I spent a lot of time running the same searches over and over looking for some very specific item I wanted. And I never realized that there was a magic button at the bottom of the screen that would do all that for me.

When you click on that magic button, you can save a customized search (including price and whatever other things you want to specify) to a variety of places. I found that it works best when I am running Firefox as my browser. Chrome and Explorer give me weird things. But when you click on it, you should be able to follow the directions to save it wherever you want... I think it can go into a yahoo or google homepage, your links or some other places too.

Because I love all things google, I ran it to my Google Reader, another invention that will save/waste a lot of your time. This is

where Google Reader lives. I only know like, 2 people who don't have Gmail, so if you are one of those people this really isn't all that cool. Anyways, in my Reader I have a bunch of searches being run on craigslist. This way I never have to go and check if someone has listed the TV stand I really want. As soon as its listed, I'll see it in my reader. How cool is that? It's greatly facilitated the purchasing of many baby items. Because I didn't need any stuff right away, I was able to patiently wait for exactly what I wanted. And some items sell so fast that this really helped me to find them quickly. AMAZING. Reader also will let you subscribe to blogs (like this one) or other internet places that you check frequently. It puts it all in one spot. It's the coolest thing ever. I only wish I knew about it before.

So if you ever see this button somewhere (and I'm sure you've seen it and not realized the treasures it has in store for you) that means that you can click on it and put all that info in your Reader. Just do it.

Here is where you can subscribe to this blog and start your stash of cool things to read instead of doing other stuff. You can't actually click that, you have to go to the right side of the blog and click it. You won't be sorry,

38 and 1/7 Weeks

Here is Rachel at 38 weeks and 1 day pregnant:



And here is Sol. He is about 14 weeks pregnant.


Just kidding. Sol is not a pregnant man. My goal was to stay under his weight during pregnancy, and so far I am still about 8 pounds under. Score.

The nursery is a sock monkey themed nursery. I'll probably put some pictures up in the next few days. I have spring break next week! Yippee!

So, American Idol. Really, Megan Joy? You are crazy. Let me tell you, Sol and I love us some Kris Allen. So far I have purchased Kris's "Ain't No Sunshine" and Adam's "Tracks of My Tears". I try really hard not to like Adam, but I like that song a whole lot. I do not need to listen to him scream any more though. Or see him wear man make-up.

Speaking of man make-up, Richard Alpert took poor baby Benjamin Linus's innocence? What does that even mean? A pretty good episode of LOST. I love Ben storylines. He is an awesome villain.

I have to go help Sol--Copper is trying to steal his apple. That's what happens when you lay on the floor and eat an apple I guess.

BLOG

The thing to do when you have a baby is start a blog. That's the most important thing. But I hear babies are slightly time consuming so I thought I'd get a head start.



Here's what you should know. The baby will be here two weeks from today, if he values timeliness as much as his mother. This is what he looks like now:

Actually, that's three weeks ago. I'll make Sol take a new picture today.







We have a dog. His name is Copper, mostly because that's what color he is. Therefore, the baby will be named "Flesh". This is the whole family.






I plan on being the best blogger ever. Here are some of the interesting topics you will be able to learn about if you choose to read this blog.
Are you impressed that I can add pictures at such a young blogging age? Just think about how great this blog will be when I really get started. But seriously. American Idol and LOST are on tonight. I got to go get ready.