Life is what happens while you're making plans...

Dear Sweet Baby Boy,

This past week I saw a sign in the elevator at the hospital that made me stop and think. It said, "Life is what happens while you're making plans." How true this is! It really made me contemplate the fact that all the plans we had made to be working on your nursery, having baby showers, going on vacation for spring break, etc. got cancelled or put on hold when the doctor put me on bed rest. Even more importantly, it made me stop and thank the Lord for your little life! I'm grateful that you are happening to this family! I don't care that our plans got thrown out the window.

Things have been going very well. We see Dr. Davidson, our regular doctor, once a week and either Dr. Blea or Dr. Lee, both high-risk doctors, once a week. I go to the Nampa hospital once a week to be admitted to triage for an NST (non-stress test), and if I'm seen in Boise I get the other NST done in the doctor's office, otherwise I have to be admitted to triage in Meridian for the second NST every week. (Our first Meridian appointment is next week. It will be nice not to have to drive all the way to downtown Boise, but the option to be seen in Meridian wasn't presented until today).

Every time I have an NST done the nurses say that you look great and are a really good baby. They say you're an overachiever and that you show off a little with your great heartbeat. It is a very reassuring feeling!

It has been an adventure to have our lives up in the air every single day, but we're always grateful when we make it one day closer to your due date and you're still in the womb. We're also so thankful to still be at home considering the doctor told us that we could be admitted to the hospital any day at any time.

We are still anxiously awaiting your arrival, but with a new kind of anxiousness; we really cannot wait to bring you home, but we also want you to be born as close to your due date as possible so we're thankful for each passing day.

We love you so much, baby Noah! Keep growing and showing those nurses what an amazing little guy you are!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

PS- One other great piece of news is that your last ultrasound showed that you are in the 78th percentile! This means that you weigh about a pound more than the average baby at this stage of pregnancy. This is great - it will certainly help your birth weight to be closer to normal. (I think you must be stealing all of my food because I haven't been steadily gaining weight since about week 26 or so and we're quickly approaching week 33. I'm stuck in this fluctuating 4 pound window, but everything points to you looking great so I guess we'll work on your sharing skills later ;-) ).