Our Happy Chase: Almost 3 Years Old
My final side profile shot before going to church last Sunday (yes, I'm carrying quite a load and looking ripe!) Also, check out my diaper cake and balloons from the baby showers.
Chase's nightstand, toy bin, and the beautiful mural Grammie Pam painted in the background with the pier, pelican, and boat.
New shades and curtain
More of the mural and the armoire (there's a sandcastle to the left that didn't get captured in this picture)
Chase's new bed (Tim used to sleep in these bunk beds as a kid)
I have just a week and a half to go before the due date, but my gut instinct tells me Gabriel will come before then. Everything is in order; Chase’s new room is complete and he has completely transitioned into it without any issues (we were shocked). The nursery is ready to welcome Gabe. Today marks my first day of maternity leave from work. Baby showers are over and all gifts have been put away as I’ve gotten into “nesting mode” over the past few weeks.
My sisters Laurie and Liz (well, Liz isn’t genetically my sister, but she’s really been a true sister in Christ throughout this pregnancy) threw Tim and me a beautiful shower at the County Grill in York County on March 31st. The shower was perfect—mostly family and just a few close friends, so it was family friendly (women, men, and kids). Food was fantastic and we had a lot of fun mingling and playing silly baby shower games. I received many diapers and other practical things for Gabe; for the most part, I’m able to reuse everything from Chase, so we’re good to go on gifts! We also received many gift cards and already used some of them to buy shades and a few finishing touches for Chase’s new room since Gabriel’s room will be Chase’s old room. You can check out baby shower pictures on FB and you can see where I’ve posted pics of Chase’s new room above.
My friends at work threw me a surprise baby shower luncheon in early April. I walked into work on a normal day and arrived in my cube that was all decked out with baby shower décor and lots of delicious food that I munched on all day. My friend and co-worker Elaine baked one of her famous cakes with a Noah’s Ark theme (a picture was already posted on FB) and she even made Gabriel a blanket with monkeys on it. To top it off, the group contributed to get Tim and me very generous Target gift card. I had another friend make a diaper cake too. I’m thankful to work around such a generous, caring group of folks.
The next big milestone this month was celebrating Chase’s 3rd birthday a week early at Chuck E. Cheese’s. You can check out these pictures on FB too. We had a blast even though Chase was completely exhausted by the time it was all said and done. What I liked most was being able to treat family to pizza, cake, and games without having to worry about the clean-up or hosting that a mom typically has to do at a kid’s birthday party. This was the perfect way to celebrate a child’s birthday being in the last month of pregnancy!
Chase has really become a Daddy’s boy over the past couple of months. This has been a GREAT thing for me because I was really concerned when I first got pregnant how Chase would adjust to not being able to consume all of my attention for much longer. Tim and Chase have bonded beautifully as father and son. Sometimes I just like to sit back and observe the two of them interacting from a distance. Tim has been giving Chase lots of lawn mower rides lately. Now that the weather is warmer, we’ve even been able to take Chase to the beach; Tim enjoys dangling Chase over the water just enough to swish his feet in it. (FYI, the water is still very cold right now!) These are wonderful memories being created, and I’m trying to soak up every moment of them even though I admit I’ve been so tired and uncomfortable lately that I’ve probably taken a lot of these moments for granted. Nonetheless, I’m blessed to have my almost 3-year old (he’ll be 3 this Sunday) blooming so well. He’s talking up a storm and has quite a personality—I’ve been enjoying listening to his southern draw lately when he annunciates certain words, such as “milk” and “loud.” You’d have to hear it in person to appreciate what I’m describing!
Last but not least, baby Gabriel is making progress. With each April appt I’ve had, I’ve dilated 0.5-1 cm per week. I’m currently at 3 cm and feeling a lot of pressure and mild contractions (lots of other symptoms too, but I won’t get into the icky details). I started swelling more in the last week, but my blood pressure is still within a healthy range. Overall, I’m healthy, but just tired from not sleeping well at nights and ready to meet Gabriel. My last day of work was yesterday (April 19th) so I’m praying I’ll meet Gabriel at some point over the next week. I wouldn’t mind a few extra quiet days of resting before he arrives, but I trust things will progress in God’s timing.
So, the next blog posting will undoubtedly be when Gabriel arrives. In the meantime, please lift up prayers for a smooth delivery process and a healthy baby boy to enter into the world—also, pray for this to be a smooth transition for Chase as I’m sure it will be quite an eye opener to know he will no longer rule the roost around here and he’ll have to adopt the “big brother” role. Tim and I will also need prayers as well—prayers for patience and perseverance to be godly individuals, loving spouses to each other, and caring parents as we adjust to having another child. I’m excited for our growing family and so blessed to share these adventures with you.
