The Good Life

Today is not only New Year's Eve, but also Colton's due date! Of course he has decided NOT to make his arrival just yet but it's so nice knowing that we will be meeting him very soon. On Thursday, December 27th, I had my last visit to the doctor's office. With Colton being due on a holiday, the hospital will not schedule to induce me until after the New Year so if he doesn't show up on his own, we are scheduled to check in at the hospital on Wednesday night. I'm still hoping that Colton starts things on his own, but it is nice having a "go to" date to keep me sane. My sister is going to be with us in the delivery room, so she has been here the past few days...waiting. I feel like everybody is just sitting around, waiting for something to happen. Every time I answer the phone I want to say "no, I haven't had the baby yet" then "hello". :-) Since there's nothing we can do (except wait), we've all been finding other thi...

Christmas has come and gone faster than I thought it would. It feels like it has taken FOREVER to get from December 1st to today, but I know that I only feel that way because I'm 9 months pregnant and VERY ready to have this baby! Honestly, this year has flown by and I can't believe we're at the close of it already. 2012 was good to us and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us in 2013. I'm so blessed to have all four of my grandparents in my life. Ever since I can remember, we have spent Christmas Eve with my Dad's family and Christmas Day with my Mom's family. The only difference this year was the uncertainty of when our little guy was going to decide to show up and because he decided to stay put (for the time being), we were able to carry on the 30 year old traditions I've always known. On Christmas Eve we were able to drive over the mountain to North Carolina and enjoy time with the Shelton clan. Good food (and way too much of it),...

Yesterday was beautiful here in East Tennessee. Even though the temps didn't get much above 40 degrees, the sunshine felt amazing. I took advantage of the nice weather and took a ride on the 4-wheeler. The initial purpose of the ride was to see if I could make Colton uncomfortable and want to join us, but he doesn't seem too anxious to leave his comfy spot just yet. It was refreshing to have some wind in my face, so maybe the real purpose of the ride was for me to get some "me time" outside. Yesterday was also my Dad's birthday. He was really hoping that Colton would decide to be his birthday present, instead we settled for a nice dinner at  Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza.   This morning, I started baking some of our annual Christmas goodies. I made Peanut Butter Balls (better known to most as  Buckeyes ) and Sausage Balls (my personal favorite). We also have Peanut Butter/Kiss Cookies, Pretzel Cookies and my Mom's famous Holiday Cheese ...

Big things are happening today. Okay, big in my small little world. It’s Friday, my last day of work before maternity leave, it’s snowing and I have reached week 39. I am feeling very large and very uncomfortable at this point but I’m trying hard to stay as active as possible to keep my mind off of being, well, very large and very uncomfortable. Lately I’ve noticed that I want to spend a lot of time alone. It’s not that I feel depressed or upset, it’s just that I want to be alone and in complete silence. I read that a lot of women begin to “turn inward” at this time in the pregnancy, just thinking about the work ahead. Sometimes I just like to lay and watch the baby move and think about what my life is going to be like when he’s in this crazy world. I am not concerned about my need for alone time being linked to depression, I’m actually enjoying it. Colton has officially reached watermelon status. Average size baby, at week 39, is 19.9 to 20.9 inches and 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. Sin...

Yesterday, Matt and I made the decision that tomorrow would be my last day of work until Colton arrives. It’s such a tough decision to make. On one hand, we will be giving up my income for 12 weeks but on the other hand, I’ll be able to relax and enjoy Christmas and maybe a few work-free days before our little guy is born. I’m beyond thankful for a flexible schedule at work and a great supervisor who is allowing me to even make this decision. God sure does continue to bless us. When thinking about 12 weeks away from work, it seems like a lot of time but I know how fast it’s going to fly by and I’m not sure I can even think about leaving our little man and going back to work. I plan on taking each day at a time and enjoying every moment. Honestly, at this moment, I’m most looking forward to staying in PJs or comfy pants all day if I want to. It really is the little things that make me so happy. I’m excited to do some Christmas baking with my Mom and celebrate my Dad’s birthday on...

The Dictionary . com definition of patience is "the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune or pain without complaint, loss of temper, irritation or the like; an ability or willingness to suppress relentlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay". Over the past few days, this is the complete opposite of the definition you would find under Renée Neal in the dictionary. Over the past few days, I have felt beyond frustrated and have been SO impatient. I have been praying for the strength to overcome this roadblock. I have so much to be thankful for, and I’m trying to focus on those blessings to get me through the next couple of weeks. One of the blessings that I’m most thankful for is my family. After a long, emotional weekend and a visit to the doctor yesterday, I had much needed time with my family last night. My sister invited us (Mom, Dad, Matt and myself) to meet in Asheville for a dinner in honor of my dad’s birthday (a few ...

This past weekend didn’t turn out like I planned, but such is life. On Friday, my heart was heavy after hearing the news of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. So many innocent children’s lives were taken way too early. Even though I know in my heart that God has bigger plans than what we can see or understand, it still seems so unfair. Those precious little angels are in a far better place, I just pray that the family members will heal and find some comfort in these hard times ahead. Friday also led to me leaving work early and puking my guts out. At first, I thought that the stomach bug (that I have been running hard and fast from) had finally caught me, but I’m not totally convinced that’s what it was. I had major swelling in my ankles and some in my hands on Friday morning, I didn’t have an appetite (at all), I had back aches and cramping in my lower abdomen. After I drove myself home and threw up a few times, I actually started feeling better and the swel...