Big Weekend!

So this is quite the weekend for our little family. Nathan is one month old today! Sunday is my first mother's day! And sunday is also when we're having little Nathan dedicated at church! Woo!

I'm very excited for Nathan's dedication. For one: Adam and Becca are having Elsa dedicated too. It's just so nice for it to be a family affair. I can hardly remember when church was a family activity and it's really nice to be able to experience that. I can't wait for Nathan and Elsa to be in sunday school classes together. So cute!

Also: I'm excited to be standing up in front of our church family and making the promise to lead and raise Nathan in the way of Christ. It's an amazing feeling to sit and stare at him and know that I get to play such a huge role in his upbringing. I always intended on raising my kids in "the church," but I'm thrilled to have found such a wonderful church family to actually make it a reality. I can see us being part of this church family for endless years to come, and I can't imagine a better place, a better group of people, to trust with my child and the teachings that he'll be hearing.

I know there are a handful of people in our families and friends that are confused and/or disappointed that we're having him dedicated, not baptized. Andrew and I were both raised in Lutheran churches and we were both baptized as babies, but I'm excited for what Nathan is going to experience. I chose to get baptized again myself about 5 years ago. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and Nathan will have that. But instead of it being when he's a baby... a memory he will never have... it will be when he's old enough to look at us himself and tell us of his love for Jesus and ask to be baptized. How cool is that?! Who knows when it will be. Maybe he'll be 5, 10, 15... but when it happens, it'll be so exciting to share that decision and that moment with him. =)

The only disappointment about this weekend is the few people that I really thought would make an effort to come, but aren't. I remember when I got married, how I'd be surprised who considered one thing more important that something else. It was a reality check to me. Sometimes the most important and exciting thing in your life just isn't a priority in someone else's. Luckily, I learned that lesson then. And although it can sometimes be a lesson I need to learn again and again, I'm going to do my best to focus on all the people that we do get to share this weekend with.

Happy one month birthday, Nathan! We love you and we can't wait to hold your hand as you grow. <3

Babies and Kitchens and Dogs, Oh my!

So I really wish I had been updating more, but I've had my hands quite literally full with little Nathan Man. It's been busy here around the Husted house. Andrew's been working his regular job 40 hours a week, followed by working on our kitchen remodel nearly every week night and the entire weekend. Needless to say, it's been loud (mix kitchen demolition with crying baby and barking dog and that's my life), and he's been so busy that I've been on Nathan duty nearly 24/7. I do my best not to complain considering that I agreed to this kitchen remodel many months ago. I guess I didn't realize how emotionally draining a newborn baby is. I'm lucky that Nathan is so good, but it doesn't mean he doesn't require constant attention. It gets quite monotonous and I'm the type of person that likes some variety. Being a stay at home mom would sound more fun if I knew I got my evenings and weekends off with another set of hands. =P We've had much help, which has been appreciated, but it's not the same as Daddy taking over. =)

Nathan's doing awesome well. He has many a fussy moment during the day, but he's sleeping really well at night. Can't complain! He's pretty consistent at giving us a 6 hour stretch followed by another 3-4 hour stretch with a feeding in between. But two nights ago he gave us a full 8 hours! I woke up in a panic because I was so surprised!

Maternity leave is coming quickly to an end. Since I went out of work 4 weeks early, I have to go back 4 weeks early. This didn't bother me when I first went out of work because I was honestly planning not to go back. I had just gotten so miserable at my job and I needed a switch. Andrew and I had it all planned for me to serve a few nights a week and just trade Nathan back and forth. Then... we got a new manager at work and all of my coworkers love their jobs again. That threw a wrench into my plans. After much consideration, it looks like Andrew and I are at least going to give it a shot with me going back to work during the days. I figure I can see how things are and go from there. If it doesn't work out like I'm hoping, I can always quit later and go back to plan A. The only catch is that now we need someone to watch Nathan during the days. We aren't really interested in doing a standard day care. We're hoping to find someone through our church, or through friends, that does in-home care. We'd only need it two to three days a week. I will have wednesdays off and Andrew's mom can watch him one or two days a week as well. So something part time would be splendid. If anyone knows anyone in the Fairlawn/West Akron area that might be interested, please let us know! We need to have this worked out by mid-June if we want this to be a possibility. Otherwise, to serving I go!

Nathan's currently napping here next to me in his bouncy seat. If he gives me a nice break like this again soon, I'll be sure to do more posting! AND... when I get some kitchen pictures, I'll post some of the demolition that's been going on. =) Can't wait till it's done! It's going to be beautiful!!!

One Week Later...

Nathan is already a week old! Crazy! It's been such an exciting week, though. So far, he's such a good baby! I'm trying not to get too excited cause I know they can change so quickly over the weeks. He naps all day, so I've been pretty well rested and he's even doing pretty darn good at sleeping during the night. The first few nights he woke up every couple of hours, but it was always cause he wanted something. Food, diaper change, etc. He'd always go right back to bed after we took care of it. The last two nights, though, he's decided he doesn't want to go to bed until 2 or 3. The only plus side of this is that once he does go to bed, he sleeps a good five hours and doesn't wake up till 7 or 8. So at least we've been getting some good chunks of sleep in there. =)

He's such an attentive baby, as some of you may have noticed through our facebook videos. He's always checking things out and he'll stare right at you and study your face. I love it. Sometimes it makes it hard to put him down. It's just been so fun getting to know him. We're having a blast. =D

Andrew's been back to work for three days now. On Monday, my mom was here and took Nathan and I to his first doctors appointment. The doctor said that he's a perfect baby. Yes! Hehe. Then we took the little guy over to visit my mom's friend Mary who lives close by to the doctors office. We had much fun showing off his baby blue eyes. Since then, it's just been me and Nathan during the day, and honestly it's going amazingly well. He's so content just hanging out whether he's sleeping or awake. I've been able to get naps, catch up online, watch tv... pretty much anything. So far, he's so easy that I almost get a little bored. I'm sure that won't last forever, so for now, I'll take it.

Happy one week, Nathan!!!! <3

Today is hard...

It's April 1st, Nathan's due date. I really wanted him to come today. Not just because I'm "ready," but because Andrew and I really enjoyed having April Fool's day as a due date. Since our little guy was a surprise, we've called it God's little joke on us. Too bad, even if i went into labor now, chances of me having him before the day is over are very slim. Everyday he doesn't come is just disappointing. You can give me all the encouraging words you want, saying "he'll be here before you know it," or "God has perfect timing," but it doesn't change the way I feel. Nine months is a long time to wait and each passing day just gets harder and harder as I become less and less able to get around and do my normal activities.

It also makes me sad cause I've been holding onto my census form. It's supposed to be the number of people living in our house as of April 1st. I was so sure that Nathan was going to come early, that I kept holding onto it so I could send it in with him on it too. But no. No luck.

I just want this all to be over. And it's really disappointing that as each day passes, it's more and more likely that I have to walk into a hospital on tuesday evening and let the medicine do it for me. Baby's are supposed to be a surprise. They're supposed to pick their birthday. Now all the magic's being snapped out of it and taken care of by a needle and some drugs. Great. How exciting...

I'm just disappointed, that's all. Of course none of this will matter once he's in my arms, but he's not in my arms right now, so I can't exactly change the way it all makes me feel.

Waiting...

So I've had a total of three weeks off work now, waiting on Nathan's arrival. You'd think I would have jumped back into the blogging world before now, but somehow the thought just didn't cross my mind. So I figure now that my pregnancy has less than 7 days to go, it's a good time to start back up.

So baby Nathan is due tomorrow and I can't tell you how ready I am for him to be here. It's going to be such an exciting adventure and I can't wait. I'm still having a hard time imagining what it's really going to be like to have him handed to me. I joke that he better be cute cause all his procrastination has earned him a kick in the pants. ;) Of course, I won't feel a bit that way once he's here, I'm sure.

I think the anxiety of waiting is so high because my doctor was predicting him to come early. Now that the due date is here, they're just predicting him to be large. Great! Lol. Words of wisdom for future pregnant women: don't let yourself create a phantom early due date. It'll only make things harder when the baby comes on time or late! And it's no fun receiving upwards of five calls a day with the question "baby yet?" No... no baby yet. Trust me, you'll know when he's here. Promise! =D

So I had a doctors appointment today and was told that I'm scheduled to be induced next tuesday night. That means they'll start prepping me tuesday evening (I'll leave out the details). Hah. It'll just be Andrew and I at that point. Then wednesday morning, they'll start giving me the drugs that actually induce the labor. Sounds fun, eh? Needless to say, I am NOT excited about it. For one, it's going to make it an extra long process and increase my anxiety as tuesday gets closer and closer. For two, it's just disappointing my body's not taking these steps on it's own. I logically know that there's nothing I can do to change how the little guy decides to enter the world, but it's still frustrating. The good part though, is that there's a deadline to all the waiting. One week from now, we should have our beautiful little man here with us. =) Can't wait for that part!

In the mean time, let's all pray that he comes on his own. Perhaps tomorrow, on his due date, so we can be out of the hospital and at home for Easter? That'd be nice. Maybe he's not going to be late after all. Maybe he's just good at doing what he's told. He was told April 1st and he's stickin to it. I hope! =D

Hormones are a crazy thing!

So Andrew had the pleasure of experiencing his first true "I have a crazy pregnant wife" moment yesterday. I can't help but share.

So I had a rough "identity" weekend. My belly is really starting to grow and that causes quite a change! For one, we have a Halloween party next weekend. So I'm trying to find a costume, and it is hard! On one hand, being pregnant, you don't feel "cute" in anything, and doing most costumes feels odd. Example... characters from Scoobie Doo... cute idea... oh wait... a pregnant Daphne? Wierd. Right. So, I feel obligated to do something "pregnant," but then everything feels over the top corny. Anyway, this caused me to be slightly down and moody.

On top of that, I don't move the same way I used to. Leaning forward doesn't feel so great, and touching my toes is a new obstacle. I can still touch them, but I just have to bend differently than I used to. So... this is where the funny comes in. Last night, I was trying to change my clothes before bed. Well, my foot got caught in my jeans because I didn't use my new methods of successfully reaching my feet. Then... I fell over! Boom on the floor. I immediately broke into tears, not because I hurt anything, but because of the frustration. THEN I started laughing! Come on. It was funny. I mean, I fell on the floor cause I couldn't successfully reach my foot to take of my pants. So I was seriously laughing and crying BOTH as hard as I could. It was intense. Such joy and sorrow all at the same time. Super upset/emotional cause my body was changing, but hilarious because I know that it's normal and it's probably quite funny to watch.

Poor Andrew. He could hardly get a word in I was crying/laughing so hard. He looked at the dog and said "Hmm.. Maddy, Mom's acting kinda crazy isn't she? We're gonna leave for a minute." Haha. So he took a five minute break and came back to find me settled down for the most part. Funny funny. Gonna remember that one for awhile. Hormones are definately a crazy thing!

A big baby boy!

So our ultrasound went well last friday. As most everyone knows, we found out we were having a little boy! Andrew and I didn't want to have too many wishes about the gender, but we both admit that we were hoping and expecting it to be a little boy. It's nice to know we've escaped the possibility of having a family of all girls. =) I think Andrew might have gone a little crazy if that had happened. Now he has a little boy to play racquetball and golf with!

The doctor also told us that everything looked healthy! That's definitely a good start. =) The only interesting part was that he told us the baby's measuring two weeks ahead of schedule! So either they miscalculated my due date, or I'm having a really big baby! They said that they'll look again and clarify at my next ultrasound in December. Let's just hope its the due date! I don't think any woman looks forward to having a big baby! That would not be a fun day. Maybe this is payback since when my mom had me I was 10 pounds.