Checking In

Today was another appointment with Dr. Ryder, and at this point he said we are "cruising along" like we should be. It has been nice to feel like things are going a little more normally these days. Baby girl is so active, and I love every second of it. She has lately taken to doing somersaults frequently, and I praise God every time, as an active baby is a good sign of a healthy baby. I was 31 weeks as of yesterday, so we are praying to get at least 5 more weeks along. At that point they will remove my cerclage and baby can come whenever she wants to! =) (Watch...after going to great lengths to keep me from going into labor, I will get to 40 weeks and nothing will have happened!)

In the meantime, we finally felt like we could start preparing our home for her arrival. Mom, Dad, and my grandpa painted the baby room last week, and this weekend we are moving the crib into her room. It is exciting, yet a little sad to see Emily switch from the crib (which has been set up as a toddler bed for a couple of months) to a big girl bed.

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to my little red Accent and get...a minivan. It was sad to get rid of my little car that I had driven since college, but (and I NEVER thought I would say this) the minivan is SO handy, and immensely easier to get Em in and out. She loves riding in "Emily's new car." It also accommodates my growing belly better, too!

Thank you so much for your continued thoughts, prayers, and encouragement. If you think about it, would you please send up some prayers for "Chad and Jessica's friends"? Both of us have a few of friends who are dealing with some difficult health issues either personally or within their families and could definitely use the prayers. We have felt so blessed and loved by the prayer support we have received, and our hope is that our friends would experience that same kind of love and support as they face their own difficult challenges. Thank you so much!

Much love, Jessica

Grandma Esther

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers for Chad's Grandma Esther. Grandma went to be with the Lord in the early hours on Friday. While we are sad for our own loss, we are thankful that Grandma lived a long and full life, and that she didn't suffer in the end. They released her from the hospital on Thursday, so she was able to pass away peacefully in her own home on Friday. We will miss her wonderful heart and her great sense of humor. She was a true blessing to all of our lives.