Waiting.....

In April, when we learned that we were expecting we were overjoyed that a little baby was growing inside me. I remember counting the days until I felt that first flutter of life, until the normal clothing no longer fit, until Daddy and big brother could feel the kicks and pokes.

Now, with less than a week to go the awe has floated away only to be replaced with the desire to have feeling back in my hands, to be able to wear my own shoes (not just Mike's slippers), and to hold this, now large, bundle of joy. Not to mention, the need to win the bet between Mike and I pertaining to the gender of Baby Wendel. If I win and Baby Wendel is a boy, our first dinner out will be at Red Lobster but if Mike wins and we have a girl, our first dinner will be at Hoggy's.

Please enjoy the following pictures of my enormity; or as Alec said to one of his friends today; "Have you seen Mary's belly? Its HUGE!" It is important to note that Alec knew I was in the room during this conversation....I think his Dad has some teaching to do before Alec enters the world of girls! We look forward to introducing you to Baby Wendel and will be updating the blog as soon as possible from the hospital.

Wendel for 2

Alec's (Red #1) basketball team, the Hilliard Buckeyes, played their first game this morning. At halftime Alec's team was down by more than 10 points and there didn't seem to be a glimmer of hope. But, that must've been some pep talk by the coach, because in the 3rd quarter, the Buckeyes tied it up! Alec contributed with 4 points, which is amazing because last year he scored a total of 2 points the ENTIRE season and that was at the last game. The Buckeyes ended up losing by a basket, but they certainly played their hearts out!

The Outdoorsmen

Mike and Alec have taken up a new outdoor hobby this fall/winter; bow hunting for deer. Although Alec owns a bow, he hasn't taken the hunter safety course so he can go out with Dad but can't take his bow to hunt.

To fully understand how dedicated these boys are to their new hobby, you need to know about a typical hunting day. The boys awake around 5:00am and shower with special no-scent soap and apply no-scent deodorant (who knew!). They get on the road by 5:30 to drive to Bellefontaine. Once they arrive, up in a tree they clamber to sit in the freezing cold for hours on end. Around lunchtime, they usually take a break to get the feeling back in their toes and fingers just to go back out again until dark. At this point, you're probably wondering what have they shot? Well, their perseverance is to be admired, as they have yet to get a deer.

As you know, Mike's passion is fishing. He enjoys all kinds; fly, deep sea, you name it! On his annual trip to New York for the Salmon Run, he can stand in the river from sun up to sun down. When he returns home from this trip, his fingers are sliced and calloused but he wouldn't trade it for anything. Please enjoy some of Mike's prized catches.

Santa visits early!

As I said in an earlier post, Mike LOVES to get dressed up. Our friend, Denae learned of Mike's eagerness for costumes at Halloween this year and decided to use this to her benefit. Denae's twin group had breakfast with Santa this morning and you'll never guess who volunteered to don the jolly red suit and white wig! Please enjoy the pictures of both "suburban Santa" and "ghetto Santa"

On a baby note, I'm officially off bed rest (not that I was very good at it anyway)! The baby is estimated to weigh 6 pounds and is head down ready to meet the world. The doctors will continue to monitor my blood pressure at my weekly appointments, but I'm sure with all the prayers of our family and friends we'll get through the end of this pregnancy without a hitch!

Happy Birthday to you....

Today we celebrated Alec's 11th birthday. You'll see that the candles are not on top of your average birthday cake. In the past, Alec has had some elaborate cakes; courtesy of yours truly. When asked this year the type of cake he wanted, Alec responded with a cookie cake! A cookie cake? Of course we can do a cookie cake, especially since it takes maybe a 10th of the time to make compared to the others! And guess what? The candles go in the same, they blow out the same, it tastes just as yummy, and the presents are just as cool!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with my family at noon and then traveled to Mike's family for dessert afterwards. As you can see, Alec loves playing with his cousins (pictured here with Nathan). While Gavin (our great-nephew) tuckered out on my baby belly after an afternoon of fun!

Many people who aren't around to see my belly grow, have requested pictures. So, here it is at 34 weeks or 8 1/2 months!

What we do for our children

My blood pressure has not been cooperating as of late and at a followup appointment on Friday, the midwife sent me to Riverside for 3 1/2 hours of monitoring. But before we left the office, she handed Mike a white grocery-like bag. Like anyone, he couldn't wait to open it to see what was inside (see below).

What Mike found was a "hat" that I get to place in the toilet for 24 hours to collect my "specimen" to store in the stylish orange bucket. Then on Monday morning, I get to return the full bucket to the doctor's office for evaluation of my kidney function.

While at the hospital we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat the entire time, which was both awesome and unnerving every time it went high or dropped low enough to sound the alarm. All was normal, as our heart rates fluctuate. My lab work came back in the normal range and blood pressures remained low as long as I was lying down, once I sat up my blood pressure followed suit. The doctor has decided that I need about 6 hours of bed rest a day to regulate my pressure, so I pretty much get to go to work and lay on the couch.

Mike and I were joking in the hospital that when asked what we did the night before the big Michigan vs. OSU game, we can tell how crazy the party got in the maternity ward of Riverside! But all is worth it to keep the baby healthy and prevent us from meeting our little bundle of joy too soon.