Just around the corner...

I don't know if its possible for it to seem like time is flying, while at the same time feeling like the due date can't get here fast enough. This Sunday, we will be 4 weeks away from the official due date for our little girl. 4 weeks away means that Elise is fully developed and can now come out at any time and be healthy. 4 weeks feels so close, but also like an eternity. If you were to ask Erin, the time can't come soon enough. She has been feeling especially uncomfortable over the past few weeks. Nothing is easy anymore. It even seems that getting up off the couch is as difficult as running a marathon.

We had our day-long birth class a couple of weeks ago. It was a little overwhelming to say the least... way too visual. This coming from a guy who will always watch the movie instead of reading the book. I never want to see anyone other than my wife give birth. I'm not even sure if I want to see Erin do it. I want to be as far away from the downspout as possible. If the videos we watched in class are real, the miracle of birth appears closer to a slasher flick than a natural occurrence. I don't want to talk about that anymore. I'm sure you get the picture.

As the day draws near, I am truly beginning to get anxious. I am getting an idea of the imminent changes that are just around the corner. Occasionally, I will just walk into the nursery and stare into the empty crib. My thoughts swirl as I think about Elise just sleeping in there. I don't consider myself too much of a control freak, but I understand that a lot of what will happen over the next year will be completely out of my control, and this is slightly unsettling. What am I going to do when she cries for no reason and won't stop? This is really the only thing I am nervous about. The good does outweigh the bad in my mind, as I also think about her eyes lighting up when I play music for her for the first time.

Well, at this point I'm just rambling. Here is where it gets real. Everyday after Sunday could be the day. Each new day will bring with it a different type of preparation: mental, emotional, practical, etc. Please keep us in your prayers as we dive head first into the unknown. Because let's be honest, that is what is the most frightening...

Wes and I had a nice trip home to Fort Wayne to visit Wes's parents - our last trip not being parents ourselves! It was a beautiful weekend, and we enjoyed apple pciking, watching football, and picking up a few items for the baby (stroller, car seat, and changing table). Of course, these purchases are much more exciting to me than to Wes. When we got back to Bloomington the crib bedding I ordered had arrived as well. I'm ready to get the room designated as a nursery looking like one!

My doctor appointments are now every two weeks, so I have one tomorrow morning. They are relatively uneventful, but their frequency means I am getting closer, so I don't object. While being pregnant is an amazing experience, the backaches and discomfort seem to be increasing, so I'll be pleased to be finished when it is time. Elise is around four pounds and 17 inches by now, so she is taking up her fair share of room in my mid-section!

We continue to be on waiting lists for daycare - that is one thing that I would love to have all sorted out before Elise arrives. Pray for openings! Wes and I have child birth class on Saturday. While I've been doing a lot of reading, I am sure it will be eye-opening.

Short update from the Daddy perspective

So, Erin usually does most of the writing, but I wanted to throw out my 2 cents once again. Today, we had another appointment with the lady that I call doctor, but Erin claims is not. Apparently, she's a midwife. Unfortunately, this was the first appointment that I had to miss. Everything is going great! Erin is just the right size (the photo to the left is from week 26), and Elise is growing right on schedule.

Recently, the idea of fatherhood has begun to set in more and more. Over the past month and a half, I can think of 2 fairly emotional experiences I have had. A few weeks ago I went to see the movie Knocked Up with my friend Todd. Now you may be asking yourself how a movie titled "Knocked Up" can evoke any emotion but laughter. Well, sparing the details, a couple gets pregnant, due to some interesting circumstances, and a baby is born. When the baby (girl) arrives, this silly, at times vulgar, comedy turns slightly dramatic. As I was watching the father hold his newborn daughter in his arms, while Loudon Wainwright music played, I put myself in his place. I imagined the moment that Elise would arrive into this world and I would first look into her eyes. I got a little overwhelmed, and my eyes got a tad misty in the middle of the movie theater, which for me is a VERY unusual occurrence. I immediately went home and downloaded the soundtrack so that I could play the music for Elise, in and out of the womb.

I had a similar experience a couple of weeks ago while visiting our friends Kim and Randy in the hospital. Their daughter, Rebekah had just been born, and I had the opportunity to hold her. She placed her fragile, infant daughter in my arms, and from the moment on, I was unable to take my eyes off of her. At that moment, I realized that we would be in this same hospital, experiencing all of the same joys, in a few short months. In my mind, Rebekah transformed into Elise, and I saw my daughter. It was almost as if I was holding my own daughter and filled with an overwhelming sense of joy and nervousness. It was a surreal moment that for a split second, brought everything into perspective.

Day by day, I'm becoming ready to be a father... I think. I have so many friends that have had children and passed on advice, that I feel like I know what's coming. But, another part of me realizes that I have absolutely no idea how my life is about to change. There are so many emotions swirling about in my head, but the best way to explain my feelings is that I am so excited, and at the same time terrified.

So Many Blessings!

The last month was an exciting one for Wes and me! Wes has been hoping for a new job that would allow him to work with college students, something he enjoyed greatly when he was a graduate student. He also really wanted more flexible hours and a less intense environment than the advertising world provided. Our friend Michael Porter recommended him for a position working in a student leadership office on the IU campus. Wes was offered the position and actually began today! He is the new Program Coordinator for the Council for Advancing Student Leaders. It is already proving to be a much better fit with his skills and interests.

I also had an exciting opportunity to interview for a promotion in my office. I received the position, which will allow me supervise several staff members and allow me to spend more time developing relationships and partnerships with other student services across the IU campus. I'm thrilled about the increase in responsibility and the chance to develop new skills. Besides just being happier in our new positions, God truly provided for our needs in order to be able to afford the type of childcare that we wanted to provide for Elise. We are constantly amazed by God's sovereignty in our lives - providing us more blessings than we would ever deserve.

One of those blessings is how rich our lives are with great friends. A few weeks ago, we had quite a celebration, with a baby shower in the morning for Elise and me, and a 30th birthday bash in the evening for Wes. We were thrilled to have our families, so many of our friends from here in Bloomington, and most of our dearest college friends all able to join in the celebrations. It was a great weekend with memories we'll cherish! Plus, I have to add that Wes was a great sport at his birthday party, even though so many embarrassing videos from his youth surfaced!

Elise is growing and doing well in her 25th week. She now weighs somewhere between a pound and a half and two pounds and a foot to a foot and half in length. She also has hair, so the babycenter website tells us. This picture was taken at 23 weeks. We have a second ultrasound this Wednesday, so I may post a short update later in the week with any details we learn about her specific size, weight, etc. I also want them to double-check, just to confirm she is indeed a girl!

It's a....

From Erin:
Wes and I are very excited to introduce our daughter, Elise Noelle, to you today through this fuzzy ultrasound picture! We were both feeling anxious and excited as we went in for our ultrasound. We were delighted to see everything is progressing normally - Elise is 12 onces and registered as 20 weeks and 4 days versus the 20 weeks and 1 day that was previously calculated. With numbers that close, the due date officially stands as Sunday, November 18.

Elise was being a little stubborn during the ultrasound and did not want to show her head - camera shy like her mother, perhaps? My instinct has been that she will be more like Wes, enjoying the spotlight. I began feeling her move in the middle of my 18th week. She seemed very active in the morning and in the evening, so her inactivity during the ultrasound may be due less to shyness and more due to an afternoon nap she had planned! Regardless of her reasons, the ultrasound technician was unable to get a picture of the back of her brain, so at our next visit in 4 weeks, we get another ultrasound - lucky us!

From Wes:
So yesterday was quite the exciting day for us, and an especially exciting day for me. Unlike Erin, I don't have a small human growing inside of me, so the whole pregnancy has seemed a bit surreal...until I saw the computer screen yesterday. Even though, at first the whole room, machine and images all reminded me of the movie Aliens, I saw my daughter for the first time and she was moving around. I could see her move her hands and feet, turn her head, and at one point, it looked like she put her thumb in her mouth. In a moment, it became real to me that I am going to be a father to a beautiful baby girl. I was so overwhelmed (in a good way). Those of you who know me know I'm not much of a crier, and I didn't, but I came very close.

After the excitement, I had to return to my office and the monotony of work. The clocked ticked on forever as I couldn't stop thinking about what I just saw and how cool it was. I was finally able to leave, and my iPod in all its shuffle wisdom, "randomly" played, "Isn't She Lovely," written by the great Stevie Wonder. So, to end this rambling, I leave you with those lyrics that now mean much more to me.

Isn't She Lovely
Isn't she lovely
Isn't she wonderful
Isn't she precious
Less than one minute old
I never thought through love wed be
Making one as lovely as she
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she pretty
Truly the angels best
Boy, I'm so happy
We have been heaven blessed
I can't believe what God has done
Through us he's given life to one
But isn't she lovely made from love

Isn't she lovely
Life and love are the same
Life is aisha (Elise)
The meaning of her name
Londie (Erin), it could have not been done
Without you who conceived the one
That's so very lovely made from love

I can only hope that Elise will love music as much as I do. Here's to my little superstar to be.

Three Weeks and Counting Until....

Actually, it is only two and a half weeks until Wes and I get to learn if we are having a boy or a girl! We're both very eager to have the mystery unveiled. While at this point we're hoping for a girl, have a girl name chosen out, and can't agree on a boy name, I have no doubt we'll be delighted if we get contrary news.

In the meantime, I'm trying my best to make predictions. My friend Kim Arnold mentioned to me something about the heart rate speed having a correlation to the sex of the baby. Well, after my doctor check-up this morning where the heart rate was counted, I went to work and hopped on the internet to do some research on the theory. While no scientific evidence supports the theory, it says that if the heart rate is above 140, you're having a girl and if it is below 140, you're having a boy. Any guesses about our baby's heart rate? That's right - 140 on the dot! So, I suppose we'll have to wait a little longer to know. But, if you care to post your personal predictions, we'd love to hear!

After the first blog, I received several requests for pictures on my progression, so Wes started taking some profile pictures. At this point, it feels a little rediculous, but I'm sure I'll enjoy looking back on these pictures when I'm in week 35! The first picture was taken at 14 weeks and the second this week (week 17).

The last two pictures are from the Simmons family vacation to Cape Cod & Boston to celebrate my brother Josh's graduation from graduate school! Congrats to him!

A Year of Change

Welcome friends and family to Wes and my blog! We've had several friends keep blogs through their pregnancy and really enjoyed getting to read about their journey. Many of the people who are most special to us are far away, so we're excited to share with you this way.

It all began when....

In February, Wes and I decided it was time to move to a new house. We can be rather impulsive decision makers, so we put our house for sale and, much to our surprise, it sold in two weeks! So, we found ourselves homeless. Luckily, we found our new home almost as quickly as we sold the last. The only catch was that we couldn't move in for a month. So, Wes, me, and our two dogs moved back into the Simmons household - and they thought they were emptynesters! They had a house full! But, it turned out to be a wonderful month - a great time for bonding with our parents.

Were you planning to have a baby?

This is the big question we keep encountering. Let's just say it was somewhere in between spontaneity and a plan. Remember, we make impulsive decisions - thus far these decisions have worked out for us, and I can't fathom that our new baby will be different!

So, how's pregnancy?

I'm wrapping up my 13th week of pregnancy. Wes is very happy that I can stay up for a whole day now (instead of taking two naps a day!) I don't think I was the best company there for awhile. In the last two weeks, the morning sickness and dizzyness has subsided, so as those who have gone before me say, I'm in the honeymoon trimester. We've visited the doctor's office twice so far and heard the baby's heartbeat both times. Baby is a squirmer for sure, so I'm predicting a little Wes - a ball of energy! Right now the baby is the size of a jumbo shrimp! Wes and I enjoy gettting our weekly updates of the baby's size and development from babycenter.com. We always laugh at the food item to which Baby is compared.