The Waiting is the Hardest Part

38 weeks.  It's about that time.  Just waiting.  Twiddling our thumbs.  Wondering if every little contraction or pregnancy weirdness means we'll get to head to the hospital.  But no.  Not yet.

The hardest physical part of this pregnancy was being so extremely tired all of the time, but the hardest emotional part has been patience during these last weeks.  Kara came at 37 weeks, setting an expectation of early delivery.  But 37 weeks came and went.  So, now what?  I mean, obviously, this pregnancy has to end soon.  It's just hard not knowing when. 

I've actually started browsing the Internet trying to be aware of ALL the signs of labor.  Browsing the Internet is not a typical habit of mine (especially looking at chat forums), and I feel it shows a little bit of desperation.  People say some really crazy and wrong stuff on the Internet, but at least I know I'm not alone in my lack of patience.  I promise I'm not going to try any of the weirdo stuff people post to get labor started.    Personally, I'd rather wait.

Even Kara is starting to lose patience.  Most days she asks, "When is God going to let Baby Aimee come out?  I want her to be here now."  It's really precious.  I don't know what Kara is expecting from Aimee, and we have tried to be as honest about babies as we can (they cry, they take Mommy's attention, they can't play yet, etc), but she is still excited and wanting to be a Big Sister.  She has even made little videos for Aimee telling her how much she loves her.  Kara is truly a Fithian.  That sweet nurturing side did not come from me.

Please be praying for us to have joy in waiting and to use this time well.

Here is one of Kara's videos.  You can tell it was made on the iPad.

  

A little entertainment

Last week Kara was a ballerina. Leotards, tutus, and ballet slippers were a daily necessity for both Kara and myself. Ballerinas are meant to be sticks not 35 weeks pregnant, so I was able to get away with just wearing my regular clothes with a pair of house slippers, and usually one of Kara's tutus on my head. Whatever works.

This video was taken from our Rock Ballet. Kara prefers Stevie Nicks to the Nutcracker.

So many messes, so little time (to clean them)

This is a tired third trimester mommy.  If I could stay in bed for half the day and read books or watch movies, I would.  In fact, "tired" is the overall word I would use to describe myself during this pregnancy.  I can't count how many times people have asked how I am doing, and that is my answer.  It's a bit depressing.

So, since Mommy doesn't feel like running to the park or doing errands, Kara and I have just been making messes in the house.  I usually get them picked up by the time Lee gets home, but I'm amazed by how much we can take out in such little time.  And of course it's much easier to take stuff out than it is to put away.

Here are the fruits of our messes over the past 24 hours:

First, Kara gave me a pedicure.  She picked out the color (sparkly blue) and went to town.  She actually spent a lot of time getting it just right.  However, I am currently having a difficult time reaching my toes due to my belly, which means I can't touch them up or remove the polish without assistance.  I wore closed toe shoes yesterday.

Then we made brownies from scratch.  Kara measured, and whisked, and poured, and spilled, and tasted, and tasted, and tasted.  She decided that individual ingredients like cocoa powder, flour, and baking powder hurt her mouth, but chocolate chips and batter are good for eating.  By the way, the end product was delicious.  Seriously, I'm about to go eat another one.

Next, we made pesto!  Here is a picture of Kara (with the help of Baby Jim) drying the basil and spinach leaves.  This was a less messy project until Kara started tasting again.  She seemed to enjoy the pesto as much as the brownie batter.  Her face and shirt were bright green when we were finished.

Last, we made tulips.  I was feeling pretty lazy and uninspired, so I gave Kara an egg crate and some paint pens.  My initial thought was, this should give me 10 minutes.  But while Kara was coloring the crate she started singing "We're Painting the Roses Red" from Alice in Wonderland.  I thought, hmmm...we could totally make those into flowers.  So we cut them out, put stems in them, and stuck them in a vase.  What an easy project!  And they turned out well enough that some very lucky grandmas might be getting a few for Mother's Day.

Aimee Christine Fithian

We decided on a name for the little one to come just in time for the third trimester.
In a few months we'll be welcoming Aimee Christine Fithian into our family. Awww, this is the first time I've seen it spelled out. I still like it!

Here are the meanings:
Aimee - beloved
Christine - follower of Christ; but this is also a family name from both sides. My mom's middle name, and Lee's sweet aunt who passed of cancer a few years ago.

Now that it's the third trimester we're starting to really gear up for her birth. Reality (accompanied by a bit of anxiety) is setting in. We still need to set up the room, pre-register at the hospital, get meals in the freezer, and get all of Kara's old baby stuff out, washed, and sanitized. Really, I think all of that could be accomplished in one productive weekend, but it seems like a lot. Whatever happens, we WILL be packed for the hospital when I go into labor this time around.

A Cowboy Girl

Kara put on Daddy's lawn hat and stated, "I'm a cowboy girl!" She has been riding imaginary horses and galloping around the house for 15 minutes. She's very Ft Worth.

By the way, she is NOT a cowgirl. She says what she means.

Psalm 51:10

Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that the reason Kara seems to delight in disobedience is because she's a sinner. She's a sweet, little sinner, but a sinner just the same. The Fall has affected her just as it has myself (and everyone), and God gave me this great responsibility to learn and grow in face of the difficulties of parenthood.

Now that she is older and has a better comprehension of things, Lee and I have been tempted to start asking her "why" questions. Why did you push that boy? Why did you tell Mommy you didn't need to go potty? Why did you walk away when I called you? We don't need to ask these questions, and most of the time Kara wouldn't be able to provide an answer if she wanted to. But we already know the answer..she's a sinner.

We have struggled, but set to be intentional about, teaching her heart and not just changing her outward behavior. The other day I asked her if there was an area she needed God's help with. She totally unprompted said her heart. Wow! Kids get it.

So our verse right now is Psalm 51:10a; "Create in me a clean heart, O God." This is our prayer for her. This is our prayer for ourselves.

It's a girl! We don't know her name.

Baby #2 is another girl!!! I know we've already stated that, but I was waiting until we had a name to make the post. However, I'm not sure how long it will take us to pick a name, so we may as well make the gender announcement.

We have a list of about 10 names that would probably work, but we're a bit underwhelmed by all of them. Here is the basic working criteria for naming the kiddo if you wanted to help:

• a name that we love
• a name with a nice meaning
• a name that sounds good with "Fithian"
• a name that will work for a baby and an adult
• a name that isn't overly popular right now
• a name with few offensive nicknames associated with it
• a name that is easy to spell and pronounce
• a name that is easy to pair with "Kara" (I assume they'll be making trouble together)
• a name that we just feel fits this little person who we don't know

It's reasonable.

You may be asking yourself, is this truly their biggest concern right now? Uh, no. But it is the most enjoyable concern that we have. Other than that, we have been dealing with weird lab results, retraining the dogs so I stop wanting to give them away, replacing a phone that broke right outside of the warranty (shaking my fist), and other stuff that happens when you move. Some stuff is major, other things are annoying. You know...life. We've been repeatedly reading James 1. Thank you, God, for giving us your Word.

So please, enjoy the latest ultrasound pictures of our little no name baby girl at 23 weeks!