It's getting closer and we're excited!

We just got back from our vacation and we were able to come in and get a lot of our stuff put away. Landon can't put his belongings away yet so I put most of his away for him :P. It is so nice to see his stuff in his room and know that he will be here in about 10 weeks! Both of his grandma's like to spoil and buy him stuff. He has quite a few outfits and onesies now and I have been blessed to get some hand me downs and big things to borrow (such as a swing, portable swing, and car seat). While Daniel and I were in Colorado we were able to find Landon's crib bedding set for an awesome price! It is a cute bedding set too!
Landon has been moving so much it is CRAZY! I can tell he is getting bigger because of his movements. He loves to get comfortable and practice his kicks on the right side of my belly. I think I have even felt him put either his hand or his foot way up near my ribs. That was kind of weird! Things are still kind of up in the air on insurance regarding him....so please please please keep praying.
So, I need some opinions from all of the readers. Most of you know, I am a first time mom and I just want opinions on things you felt were lifesavers with your kids when they were babies. I have some of the necessities already, but maybe you all have ideas of things that I haven't bought yet. Thanks for all of your prayers!

Into the 3rd Trimester

I am now into my 28th week! Crazy to think I'm already in my 3rd trimester! The baby will soon be here and I ask all who are reading this to please pray for Daniel and I. Our insurance runs out after December 31st and I have come to find out that this is probably the worst time to try to get insurance...not only because its toward the end of my pregnancy, but because of the holidays. I tried calling an insurance company, that I think will cover me, but they are closed like every time I call. With a deadline of about 7 more days to get onto an insurance plan, it hasn't been helping me that the company is closed for the holidays. I have lost plenty of time thinking about this problem and have also lost sleep over it too. I have tried to come up with back up plans in case I can't go onto an insurance plan and that helps to know there are a few alternative strategies! I really just want to be a good mother for my son and I dont want to bring him into a world of dept....so I am trying to avoid that. Please continue to pray for both Daniel and I as we are going through this time of unknowing. Thank you so much

No need to Dream

No need to dream of a white Christmas this year! Daniel and I are sharing our first white Christmas together in Colorado. As I write this blog it is snowing outside...and it is not a light snow...its heavy! We woke up early and opened all of our wonderful gifts. Landon had a very good Christmas as we opened plenty of things for him too! We received a really cool high chair for him, a teether, lots of clothes, and more! It was really nice of Daniel's parents to be so generous and thoughtful of us and our little boy!
We have been in Colorado for a few days now and it is really nice to see the beautiful winter scenery. The town is decorated in Christmas lights and Christmas wreaths and almost every house and cabin here has real icicles hanging off of the roof. Who needs fake icicle Christmas lights when you have real icicles? Daniel's parents have a icicle hanging from the roof that has grown to be 4 to 5 feet long! And that is not an exaggeration!
As the day goes on, my your Christmas be merry and bright...and if you're as fortunate as us.....WHITE!

Progress...

So Daniel and I have made some progress today....and there's still more to come before the day is over! We are very blessed to have my sister come and stay at our house while we have our get away Christmas in Colorado! We have been working on things we need to do before we can leave. I have been doing laundry and working on the pool today and he has been finishing with Christmas presents and car stuff that needed to be done before we head out.
I was able to get a prescribed antibiotic from my Doctor's office yesterday and it seems like this cold is finally going away! What is left is a stuffed up nose...which isnt very fun, but it's a whole lot better than everything else that come with a cold.
Landon is still being a sweetie pie and never hurts his mommy. He allows me to get the sleep I need and helps assure me when I worry after not feeling his movements for a while. A couple of weeks ago I sang him "Jesus loves me" and he seemed to kind of like that. I got a little bit of a different reaction than he normally gives me, but it was cool. I sang to him and he just gently moved. It wasn't like a kick or anything, it was just like he was saying "ahh, just adjusting myself and getting comfortable mommy"! Too cute. It's so crazy to think that he will be here in about 12 weeks or less! For now Daniel and I are enjoying our quiet movie nights on the couch. Im sure pretty soon we will have our movie nights with our little bundle between us.
Please continue to pray for us and for me to completely get better from this cold. We appreciate your love and support so much!

Getting knocked down and trampled

This week has been a pretty bad week. We started the week with my birthday, in which I received a nice cold that has progressed over the week. I have been trying to get over it everyday because we are spending Christmas in Colorado and I can't get there being sick! That would make it so unenjoyable. Something else happened this week, which I won't go into. It was bad...and it seems like Satan is trying to take hits to my little family this week! God will take care of us and I know we just need to trust Him through everything. He wouldnt just bless us tremendously to allow us to be thrown into a big dark hole! He isnt like that...so as we are going through these trials I ask of anyone that reads this blog to please please pray for my family.

Not doing so well...

Over the weekend, I received a lovely birthday present! I got a wonderful feeling cold! Of course, I am being sarcastic because I havent been feeling the greatest lately. Monday is my day to tutor and I had to cancel my tutoring session for today because not only will I not feel up to tutoring this afternoon I also dont want to get the little girl sick! Topping everything off, today was the day of my glucose testing at the doctor's office. Well, since I've been sick I probably should be drinking more water and juice than normal, yet I couldnt! I didnt have an appetite last night but had to eat something anyways because I couldnt have anything to eat or drink after midnight. I would then have to fast until after the testing was done this morning. So you can imagine how miserable I have been! I woke up and wanted something to drink but couldnt have anything. Daniel and I always wake up early during the work week and I make him breakfast and say goodbye to him, then after he leaves Landon and I will eat breakfast and take a nap. We woke up early, but this morning I couldnt eat or drink anything...so I laid down and took my nap and when I woke up my mouth was even dryer! Oh...that was not fun!
I went to the Doctor's office and was scheduled at 8:45. I got there just slightly late...maybe a few minutes late, and didnt get called back til around 9:10! I told the sweet girl that was going to be doing my testing that I am sick because I didnt know if that would affect the test. She didnt think it would and I told her that I was thirsty. She gave me the fruit punch sugar drink that I had to take for the testing. It was only about 6 oz. and she apologized saying that was all she could give me. I understood and didnt want anything to mess the test up because if it did I would have to do the testing again!
After I got done drinking the sugar drink I had to sit in the waiting area for 1 hour til I could have my blood draw. After about 30 minutes I came to remember something that used to happen to me toward the beginning of my pregnancy. I started to feel crappy and had to get to the bathroom fast. I had to just sit down on the tile of the bathroom and just wait a little bit. My body would need the cool air so I had the vent on in the bathroom and my face turned pale. This happened twice at the doctor's office and then finally I reached about 1 hour and was able to have my blood draw and be out of there. That was so nice when I could leave because I just needed to eat, take my medicine, and drink something.
Anyways, if you could especially pray for Landon and me that would be great. I hope my little baby doesnt feel as bad as I do.

update on me and Landon

I am now passed my 26th week! Not too far passed, but enough so. Landon is a growing boy and very active! All throughout the day, at different times, Landon has his play sessions and readjusts himself, then falls back asleep. I wish I could know what part of him Im feeling when he comes up to the surface of my belly! Its like...I dont know if that is both of your knees, your tiny little head, feet? Maybe as more time goes on I will be able to tell more...he's probably still too small for me to figure it out. I dont want to hurt him, but I think he is pretty safe in his bubble and I want him to know that his mommy thinks about him and loves him.
Landon is quickly approaching another milestone. In a couple of weeks we will be entering the last stage: the third trimester!!! Crazy how time flies and I am so happy to know that from everything, thus far he is testing out to be a healthy baby. In fact when Daniel and I went in for my ultrasound at 18 weeks the Doctor said that he looked perfect! I was so happy to get that news.
As for me, I still get my leg freezes...BUT not as much as I was. I talked to my mother in-law weeks ago and we decided it might be best to cut back on my prenatals. I kept getting the advice- get more calcium...more calcium! Yet, that may have been the problem...I maybe had too much within a one day time frame. My prenatals are supposed to be taken 3 times a day and then I have 100% daily value (just from the vitamins) then most days I would have milk at least once a day...sometimes I'd have cheese too, and I was probably getting calcium from other things too! When my doctor kept telling me..more calcium- I would sometimes take calcium supplements on top of whatever else I got from the day!
So back to the conversation with my mother in-law- she suggested that maybe I was getting too much, which would possibly bring on those horrible leg freezes so I cut back my pre-natals and since I did that I have only had one freeze episode! Granted, this time it was in both legs at the same time...but it seemed like it helped!
So now I rest assured knowing that I am getting to the point where if Landon decides to come now...or anytime from this point on, he has a good chance of survival. Do I want him to come out now?...no, because I want him to get stronger and become well developed, but we don't exactly get that choice. He is such a blessing and I know that the minute I see his face I will be overwhelmed with happiness. This is the little boy, God has given me, that I have been dreaming about for years!

Grateful for my husband

Its crazy to think upon this year. So much has happened and time just keeps flying by! I started this year in Japan and this year will be ending in Colorado for me. I went from being about 115 lbs. to ending this year at nearly 145lbs. I lost a job and gained some time. I've gained a husband, a son, and a lasting love that can get through anything. In the midst of it all I don't really regret anything that has happened this year. I believe that the things that have happened and the people that have been a part of my life has brought me to this point.
I am grateful for my husband. Yes, we have our ups and downs, but that is a given. I understand that no marriage is perfect and if someone expects that they will be very disappointed, but I can say that married life is a blessing! I used to deal with depression, yet it seems like ever since Daniel and I started seeing each other again my depression seemed to vanish. Over time it was like it was no longer something that was there. As a matter of fact I had to go to the Doctor around April of this year. I broke down and was crying in the Doctor's office and the Doctor tried to give me anti-depressants. To this day I still have the anti-depressants...not one of them taken! I don't need them and have tried to give them away for someone that may need them but it looks like I will probably end up just throwing them out.
At any rate this year has flown by. I can remember the beginning of it so clearly...and now here we are at the end! Soon my little boy that I have been dreaming about for so long will be here! I cannot tell you how blessed I am to not only have the love of my husband but to be carrying our son too! I love my husband so much and am so grateful for him.

He already loves his Daddy!

I have to admit, at times Landon has felt more mine than my husband's little boy but the truth of the matter is he is just as much mine as he is my husband's baby boy. I know that sounds bad for me to admit that and I dont know if that is a normal feeling of a mother, but I think it is because he has been a part of me for about 6 months now. He's been with me all the time and will only be this close to me for about 3 more months. I have to enjoy these days and these times now for I know I will never get it back!
So last night, I was enjoying watching Landon move. He was squirming around so much he was making the skin of my torso a little water scene of waves. I watched and watched for any movement and to where he was moving to. Daniel was watching too and seemed to be amazed...or maybe he was freaked out! Haha!
Landon was obviously awake so Daniel started talking to him. Daniel was being funny and making me laugh and said "you're going to love Daddy more than Mommy, huh?" Landon made an evident movement right after that. It made me laugh ...it was like they were having their own little funny conversation. I would be interested to know if Landon was laughing inside which made that movement after that comment. Daniel said to Landon to move "if you love Daddy" right after Daniel said that to him he very clearly made a kick. It was like a morse code he was sending to his Daddy since he can't talk in words yet. I think that was a very special moment for Daniel to find Landon react to tell him that he already loves him. Little children and babies are so amazing, they have an unconditional trust and love at a very young age.

Getting ready for our son!

So, I wanted to post a picture of the beautiful job Daniel did at putting our son's crib together. It turned out so well and looks so nice! I am really happy with it and the deal we got for everything it comes with. It's a 4 in 1 crib so we can turn it into a bed when he gets older and the changer that is attached to it turns into a night stand. I already have most of Landon's clothes folded and stored in his trundle drawer that slides under the crib and I have been trying to slowly stock up on diapers when they have been on sale and when I have coupons, so that we won't be too overwhelmed with the expenses when he arrives. I really want to be able to give him what he needs and be a good mother to him and I know that God will help me with that. He has already proved to me, especially this week, that He is providing for us.

Now that he can hear us...

Landon is now to the point where he can hear voices and noises that come from outside my belly. Lately he has heard his grammy's voice talk to him over the phone, his daddy's voice, and his mommy talk to him!
Since Daniel's mom lives in Colorado she will have to talk to him from over the phone for now, but the other day when I was on the phone with her I told her I thought he was awake and asked her if she wanted to talk to him. So she was able to talk to him with my phone pressed up against my belly. Then last night Daniel had some time with Landon and was whispering something to him. I still don't know what he said because the talk was just between the two of them. I love when Daniel talks to Landon though! It is so cute how he listens for him, tries to feel his kicks, and then when he is done having his talk with him he gives him a kiss. He is going to be such a great daddy and I can't wait to see our son in his arms and hold him in my arms as well.
Landon always seems to be awake at breakfast time, so this morning after I ate I started talking to him. Landon was kicking me, so I can only hope that it was because he was hearing mommy's voice and wasn't just kicking me over his yummy Reese's puff breakfast. The dog was the only one in the house with me so I don't know if she thought I was talking to her but she just started looking over at me from her kennel. I tried to talk to her also this morning to reiterate that she needs to "be good when brother comes". She is such a good dog and I would hate to have her act up causing us to have to find her a new home.