Declan Is Grounded

Well, today is day one of Declan's first groundation. It happened earlier than we expected it would, and it wasn't for anything terribly exciting, but we have officially grounded Declan for the first time. He's not allowed to leave his room all weekend... and by his room, I of course mean my stomach.

Our good friends and the soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Lester are tying the knot this weekend. I am entirely overjoyed about this, and for them I hope the weekend seems to last forever-- what a special one it will be for them. For me, however, I hope it flies by.

I wasn't too thrilled about staying behind. In fact, for a long time my plan was to drive up to Pennsylvania with Matt. If worst came to worst and I had to deliver, I'd rather do so with doctors I didn't know than a husband I didn't know.

It was really only the thought of pushing my seemingly large baby out in the middle of Amish country with only the medical assistance of a burly woman named Martha Yoder that shook me from my delusion that I'd be able to attend the wedding this weekend. No drugs = no deal as far as I'm concerned. (I've been stupid enough to watch TLC's "It's A Baby Story" for the past nine months. I know how these kiddie pool ordeals work.)

So here I am, sitting in my brand spanking new glider with my feet propped up and a fan pointed at my face. I'm surrounded by a sea of boxes that have yet to be organized, but I'm both too tired and too nervous to do anything about them at the moment; Declan doesn't need any prompting to make a jail break. The question, however, is how long I will be able to resist the temptation to just go nuts on the place.... and how long I'll be able to resist the urge to hop in the car and drive to Pennsylvania. Just kidding about that last one, folks.

On a more serious note, everything with Declan looks great. I met with the doctor yesterday and she says I'm continuing to progress nicely. Actually, her exact words were that I have a beautiful birth canal, but that just seems like bragging. I am 2 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and was instructed to have a bag packed at this point. (By a quick glance around my living room, I still have about ten bags packed, so that's not an issue.)


Labor is still a very gray area of medicine; everyone is different, and there is thus very little point in attempting to predict when it will happen. I have no idea when it will start and neither do the doctors.


You know when it won't happen, though? This weekend. Because Declan is grounded. :)

Our New Home!

Greetings from Christiansburg! Val and I are excited to finally be in our new place. We are still in the process of organizing and transporting some last things from Roanoke, but we feel much more settled. For those of you who don't know, Val and I prayed a lot about moving back to Christiansburg after being in Roanoke for a year. With our baby boy on the way, we thought it would be neat to live down the road from my sisters and Declan's cousins Lucas and Hailey. Val found this place on Craig's List and it is perfect! It is so nice to have the extra space and the front and side porches don't hurt either! We have spent the first week grilling out almost every night. God has blessed us so much and we can't wait to see what He has planned for us here.

We probably had the most fun getting Declan's room together. We decided on a nautical theme with different shades of blue. We still have a few finishing touches to put on it but it is coming along well. It is hard to believe our little boy will be sleeping in this room in a short time! Here are some pictures of the nursery.

We have been blessed with so many baby gifts. Thank you!

Starry Night

Here are some pictures of the rest of the house. We hope you are able to spend a night in our guest room at some point!

Living Room

Other side of living room

Master Bedroom

Guest Room

Deck

Office

Dining Room

Kitchen

We have an open door policy so we expect visitors! It's nice to be able to offer a room with a bed instead of a couch for guests :)

Henry is still getting used to the house and is seemingly terrified of the great outdoors. We are trying to convert him into an indoor/outdoor cat, but it may take some time!

Here are some pictures of us working on the house and enjoying some company.

Playing Trump with David, Dan, and Tim for Tim's Bachelor Party

Rachel, Craig, and baby Lucas

So good to see Phil and Donny

Two very cute individuals

Our neighbors from Roanoke, Rase and Lianne

As for a few other updates, Val has her next appointment tomorrow with the doctor. Hopefully everything remains on track! I am currently praying about job opportunities for the fall. I interviewed with Montgomery County Schools and should hear back by the end of the week. I am currently teaching summer school at Salem Alternative until the end of July. God has blessed me with so many opportunities in the education field. We can't wait to be parents and see what God has in store for our son. Thank you for all your prayers and generous gifts. We hope to see you soon!

I leave you with an assortment of pictures of family. God bless!

Hailey Grace :)

He's crawling all over the place now!

Dad and Hailey

   

32 weeks

36 weeks for both of us :)

Apparently Pregnancy Leads to Childbirth

Hello All!

It has been quite a busy week at the Dunham house.... well, at the Dunham house and apartment, because we're currently between locations!

I am so excited to finally be in the new house, which is in Christiansburg, but man does moving require a lot of work. I think the most frustrating thing about it is being so limited in what I can do. Poor Matt is getting a work out with all of the heavy lifting he's had to do around the house. When I'm home alone and organizing, it's more than a little tempting to just move a box or two by myself, but I've been pretty good about resisting this urge.

The first major house project we've undertaken is, naturally, to set up Declan's room! Matt and I have both been chomping at the bit to do this, and we wasted no time! Matt has been working like a mad man to get it all painted and ready for assembly, and it looks AWESOME! We'll post some pictures next entry.

Yesterday I had my 35 week check up, which was full of fascinating revelations for me. For example, did you know that pregnancy leads to childbirth? I'm not sure why, but the reality of my fate really hit me yesterday. Perhaps because I'm apparently already starting to dilate and efface, which was shocking to me. The doctor even felt Declan's head yesterday-- weird!

If I am able to deliver naturally, I'll be the first on both sides of my family to do so. Everyone else has fallen victim to the dreaded c-section, and for some reason I kind of assumed I'd follow suit. But apparently my body is not resisting this whole labor thing so far, and I'm getting the feeling that I may not make it to my due date. Which, honestly, is okay with me, except for the fact that Matt will be six hours away for two days in two weeks. I've given Declan direct orders that he is to wait until after July 1st, but I have a feeling Declan has his own agenda.

Everything looks great, though, which we are praising the Lord for! My blood pressure was supposedly 106/68 yesterday, which I honestly find kind of doubtful, but good news nonetheless! So now begins the waiting game, I suppose... and by waiting game, I mean the 'run around and try to get everything done before Declan decides he's too cramped' game.

As always, thank you for your prayers as we enter this new phase of life! Expect pictures soon!