New Tradition

I was determined to make homemade cinnamon rolls this year for Christmas morning. Our original plans for Christmas of going to my parent's house changed when I was put on bed rest, but thankfully they were able to come to us for the weekend (except my brother Tyler who was supposed to work- we missed you!). My sister put the dough together Christmas Eve- she is quite the master baker- and we let it rise overnight. Christmas morning I broke a few rules and was on my feet long enough to roll out the cinnamon rolls while my sister made the icing. These rolls were delicious and its kinda embarrassing to think how many we consumed that day and the next... and I wish we had even more leftover because one would go perfectly with this cup of coffee I'm sipping. Needless to say, homemade rolls have been declared a new Christmas morning tradition. Anyway, here is the super simple recipe for the rolls, and the icing we used. Maybe you'd like to make some for New Years day?

p.s. when I rolled them out, I got 12-14 one-inch rolls out of each half of the dough so we had almost 30 smaller rolls which were perfect for us.

Rest. Lots of it.

One thing I appreciate about the blogs I take time to read is the honesty with which they are written. No rose-colored glasses or watered down truths about parenting or pregnancy or life. In the same vein, I've tried to make this blog a place that readers can know the nitty gritty about us (whats appropriate of course) while also celebrate our joys and successes. In that mindset, let me tell you about bed rest...

So for the past 3 weeks or so, I've been having daily, sometimes constant headaches that range from mildly annoying to pretty intense. As someone with a chronic pain disorder, I think I have a pretty high tolerance for pain overall and can usually get by without people noticing. I've also gotten fairly frequent headaches for years so this was not something new. However, headaches during pregnancy, especially the end of pregnancy, can be a symptom that something is wrong so I felt that I had to mention it to my OB. Headaches and high blood pressure often signal preeclampsia, so while my blood pressure has been good she ordered some tests as a precaution. Some blood work came back elevated so she had me do a 24-hour urine collection over the weekend to test for elevated protein. These urine collection contraptions were clearly designed by men and while I've gotten pretty skilled at peeing in a cup over the past 9 months, it was a difficult undertaking to say the least. Too much information? Sorry.
I was told to "rest" while we waited for results. I kept up with things around the house but tried to not be overly active, though I did have some last minute Christmas shopping to finish up. Its a good thing I got that done, too, because Monday when I called to find out my results, I was put on bed rest. My blood work was still slightly elevated though not concerning but the protein levels in my urine where high. Thankfully, they were not high enough to indicate preeclampsia and my blood pressure was still good so that was ruled out, but as a precaution and to take any unnecessary pressure off my body, I've been put on bed rest until this baby arrives. Meaning, I'm supposed to sit/lie at a 45degree angle and only get up to use the bathroom. Let me tell you -- its not as glamorous as it sounds. Not only is it *slightly* boring (how much reading and tv watching can someone do day after day?) but I feel completely useless and guilty for making my wonderful husband take care of himself, me, and the house. It only took me 2 days to have a breakdown about this and while I've come to accept it now, it hasn't been easy. Geoff has served me lovingly and been such an encouragement, and helps remind me that my job right now is to take care of this little one- the dusting and floor scrubbing can wait. This experience has also pointed out some of the pride in my heart as I've struggled to accept help from others... wanting to maintain my independence... and feeling inadequate as I lay around all day. However, God has reminded me to find the joy in every circumstance, to be thankful for this time of rest, this quiet and calm time with my husband, and especially for a job that allows Geoff to mostly work from home right now so he can keep me in line :)
I know that many have been on bed rest for a lot longer than 3-4 weeks and I don't want to minimize that, or make myself out to be some kind of martyr, as if I'm looking for pity or anything. I simply wanted to share whats been going on with us as we approach the end of this pregnancy journey, and to also remind myself in writing of the goodness of God so that I don't forget later on. And well, I've got lots of time on my hands right now so what else is there to do?!

37.4

According to my daily reminder from BabyCenter.com, we've got 17 days to go until D-Day! Of course being 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant actually means that our little one could arrive any day... or not for 3 or 4 more weeks. I'm not so uncomfortable that I'm begging the little one to come early, but I'd be quite happy to not wait the whole 40 weeks (or beyond) to meet baby. While I hear they are easier to deal with inside your belly, I'm anxious to get into the next phase: motherhood! Remind me of that when I'm sleep deprived, will you?

We completed 2 birth classes at our OBs office, which were both informational and practically useful. I may not remember my breathing or imagery during labor, but its helping to keep my blood pressure down in the meantime :)

The car seat is installed in the backseat. The stroller is folded up in the trunk. The diaper bag is packed and ready to go, and my hospital bag is basically ready besides those last minute items you really can't part with ahead of time (i.e. eyeglasses). And as Geoff likes to focus on, we have everything we need to keep baby alive for the first 24 hours at home. After that, he can run to the store :)

Home

As we've been preparing baby's room lately, I realized I have never shared pictures of what our new place looks like, since we moved in April. We are renting a 2-bedroom duplex in Alexandria, Va. I'm only including pics of the living areas because (1) the kitchen is a mess right now and awkward to photograph anyways, and (2) our bedroom and other areas just aren't that interesting to see. I'm also reserving photos of the nursery until its more complete, but we did a lot of work in it this past weekend so its getting there! I suppose its time since baby could be here any day :) A little sneak peek of the crib:

~living room decorated for Christmas~

the blank wall over the couch is obviously a work in progress but I have great plans to put a photo collage up someday, preferably before we move again...

~dining room~

We upgraded from our tiny 2-person table to one that can expand to seat 10. To be honest we don't eat at it all that often yet but it sure comes in handy to hold a buffet spread for 20+ people!

Christmas plates that Geoff received as a little boy surrounded with some holly from the back yard

Geoff's favorite decoration may be the candle arrangements I make at Christmas. I'm glad he is so easily pleased :)

Belly Pictures

Many of you may have already seen these, but here is a link to the professional maternity shots we had done a few weeks ago around Capitol Hill. The photographer is a sweet gal we know from our church, and if you are in the area and looking for a wedding or portrait photographer, we highly recommend her! She made the experience so much fun and spent time finding out what we wanted as well as incorporating her own creative ideas. It was a blast, and a great way to remember this special time in our marriage while we wait for out little peanut to arrive :)