What's Going On...

So there has been a lot of things going on in the past couple of days. I'm sitting here typing this blog from my hospital bed. And here's how I got here:

All last week I had noticed that my BP wasn't getting as low as usual when I was resting. I kept watching it to make sure it wasn't ever sky high when I was resting but it just never got as low as usual. I told Brian that I thought he needed to pack his bag before our Dr.'s appt on Thursday just because I had a feeling, we wouldn't be coming back home. So Thursday afternoon, we headed to our usual appt. at Baylor Medical Center in Mesquite. When I got there, my Dr had to leave to go to the hospital to go deliver a baby so our nurse, Mary, was in charge. She took my BP when I got there and then after I rested and it never really went down. I also had a high level of protein that was affecting my kidneys so our nurse Mary sent us downtown to the hospital.

We got to the observation area and they monitored my BP for a while. It got a little bit lower but they wanted to run some more tests overnight so I knew I was staying Thursday night at the hospital. We did a sonogram and Mallory still looked great - she is weighing now at 6 lbs, 6 oz. We got at the hospital at 2:30pm and I didn't eat until 8:30pm - I was starving since I hadn't eaten since 12pm and my parents brought me some wonderful food. We finally got up to my room around 9:30 pm and Brian got situated in his bed ( a nice but not comfy chair ).

My Dr came by at 8:30am this morning and said that she was worried about the protien still affecting my kidneys so she said we would be having a baby, in at the most, in the 3 days. So here I am tonight writing to you. My Dr. wanted to look at the results of the tests that wouldn't be ready until this evening. She will come by tomorrow morning to let us know where we are at and where we go from here. All in all - we are not leaving this hospital without our daughter!!! So exciting, yet so crazy to think about!

I'm so thankful that we did make it full term today and Mallory is still looking great. We appreciate all of your prayers and I cannot wait to show her off when she comes!

A Couple of More Things

A couple of weeks ago, I had mentioned that Brian was working on an old table he had for us to use as a desk in our bedroom. He was excited about working on it and went to Lowe's to get all he needed and the work began.

This is the before:

And this is after:

We are trying to get everything in our bedroom organzied so it has become the place where we put random things for now but I think it turned out great. He sanded it down and stained it and I love it. I hope he is as proud of it as I am of him for doing it. Good job!

And just when we thought we were done putting things together, and by we, I mean Brian, he put this together Tuesday night. A couple of weeks ago, Brian mentioned that he really wanted to get a bassinet to put by the bed and I said ok. So he looked at one at Wal-Mart and now it is all ready for her to sleep in by our bed. I think he picked out a good one.

Ready to be slept in

I feel like we are a good place now - just in the waiting game. We've been blessed with so much and I love showing off the nursery so if you are ever close, come by and I'll show it to you :)

3 Weeks???

Yes, 3 weeks! Our weekly Dr appointment went well last week and this time we asked my Dr a lot of questions. My BP was a little higher than usual but after I laid down they took it twice and it had gone down. She said if it hadn't gone down, I would had been headed to "Hotel Baylor" as she calls it. I asked what she was preparing for our delivery and she said the plan was to induce me at 39 weeks (around June 3rd) however if I came in for our weekly appointment and she notices that the high BP is effecting me in any way that she would send me in and do a c-section. My hope and prayer is to make it to 39 weeks and for induction but I know that whatever happens, God is in control.

My doctor did say that when my BP was high in the beginning at 27 weeks that she didn't think I would make it past 32 weeks. I'm almost in tears as I right that because we are so grateful to have made it to 36 weeks. Bed rest has worked and Mallory still looks great. Thank you for your prayers!

So, now that we have an about end date in sight, this weekend was focused on getting what we had to left to do, done. Brian worked a lot this weekend on getting a lot of things done and he's been great at doing it all.

The Dodge Ram will never be the same - the carseat is in & ready to go!

Brian hung the shelves in Mallory's room. There's nothing on them yet but I plan on putting some pictures and things up after she's born. I've also been looking at other people's blogs to get some ideas so feel free to help me out!

We also got a table to go by the glider so I could put a lamp, the sound machine and whatever I need when I am feeding her. I know it is a little thing but it was a big thing for me to get to finalize the room.

That's what we've been up to. Just getting ready for baby and enjoying our time together before Mallory makes her appearance, whenever that will be!

Positives

Happy Wednesday! Today I thought I would change What I'm Loving Wednesday to Why I'm Loving Wednesday!

I've been thinking about what it means to be thankful in everything as the Bible says so I decided I would list the positives of being on bed rest!

• I get to see Brian at lunch - my office is in Plano so Brian and I don't ever get to have lunches together or meet for lunch so I would just see him before and after work - now I get to see him when he can come home for lunch - an extra perk for me!


• I don't have to dress up for work - business casual? No thank you, how about - whatever I feel like putting on that's comfortable for that day.


• Doing chores throughout the day - I am able to get up a little and be productive - I just can't be up long periods of time - so I am able to do laundry and pick up around the house during the day instead of after work and can spend more time hanging with the husband


• Speaking of laundry, there's not as much to do on my side because: I might wear the same shirt two days in a row - yep, I said it - you wouldn't know if I wore twice or not :) Especially when my wardrobe is very limited now


• Rest - it is nice to be able to rest before Mallory comes since I will only be able to rest when she does, if that!


• Having my Quiet time - I think it is one of the reasons I am on bed rest - to bring me closer to Him


• Family & Friends - I'm not going to lie - the food that has been brought has been fantastic and just getting to see my family and friend's faces when they come by is great!


• Knowing this is all for my daughter that I will see soon!

I've always tried to be a positive person and I know that being on bed rest for 2 months now has challenged that but I also know that God's plan is always right and that's all that matters!

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

James 1: 2-4

#500 & More

First off, this is my 500th post! Wow! I started blogging in 2008 just for fun and now it's my hobby that I love! It's my online scrapbook and I love being able to document what's happening in our lives. Thank you for following me to #500 and here's to many more!

The nursery continues to come together so I wanted to post a couple of more photos.

The door and the new little table

The "M" and the pink paper flowers are from my work shower and the hanging pillow is from my friends, Allison, Gay and Angie. We bought the little table from Target to actually hide all of the wires from our modem and router. Our guest room is the only room with the internet outlet so we had to keep them both in there but I didn't want them sitting out with all of the wires everywhere. I just wanted a simple table to hide it all and we found it at Target and I think it works!

My parents came over Sunday night for Mother's Day and I was happy they came so Mom could help me hang the letters for Mallory's name that my best friend, Julie had given to me as a present. Brian, me, my mom and dad all helped in the hanging of the letters ... haha - we just all wanted to get it right and I think it turned out great!

We also hung the cross that our friend Mary made for the nursery. It's so cute!

A close-up of the letters

There's only a couple of more things that I would like to have for the nursery: A small little table to go by the glider and a couple of shelves to hang on the wall beside the crib. I know it will all come together in time but I feel we are good to go now!

Today, we are also a month away from her due date. I know in the beginning, I didn't think I would ever make it to June 10th but now I can see the light!

35

Happy Friday! Another week down! Not a whole lot has been going on in the Estes household but this weekend we will celebrate my cousin's wedding as well as getting to witness our friend's baby's dedication. I've been resting hard to enjoy these two things!

We have made it to 35 weeks! Dr.'s Appt went well yesterday - Mallory still looks good. She weighs in at 5lbs 7oz which makes me happy knowing she is growing well. The longer she stays in, the better! And I'm growing well also :) This week I realized that none of my non-maternity t-shirts fit at all. Sad Moment. I was hanging in there and then I tried on three different shirts and it just wasn't working. But it's all for her and here she is:

Always has her hand by her head

And I got another special treat yesterday - our friend, Andrea, stopped by for a visit and brought this cute and very yummy cookie cake. I loved it! Thank you!

Definitely what I needed to see and eat to keep me going :)

Did I mention that I am really blessed with the sweetest friends? I'm so grateful for you all! Have a wonderful weekend!

May

May! We have made it to May! It was a milestone I set for myself at the beginning of bed rest in mid-March. I would just say, if I could just make it to May. And here we are! I do not know if we will meet Mallory this month or not but knowing that we are closer than further away makes me happy.

I really can't believe that I've been on bed rest now for 1 month and 1/2. It's become my new normal but some days are still better than others. I've tried to stay positive every day but I'm human and at the end of last week, I let my human emotions come through. I was over bed rest. I just wanted to get in the car and drive somewhere, anywhere. Bed Rest is hard - I know people think - how can it be hard when you are resting all day? It's hard to explain but Friday I felt the walls closing in - I had to get out.

I've prayed for peace everyday and have tried to be thankful through it all. I am thankful for a healthy growing child. I am thankful that my blood pressure is lower when I'm resting. I am thankful for all of the most amazing friends and family you could ask for - all the visits and food have kept me going. I am thankful for my job and the sanity it brings me. I am most thankful for the closer I feel that I have gotten to God ... I'm learning and growing each day. There are so many things to be thankful for and I know I need to remember that every morning. But I also know it's ok to be human and to let my emotions out instead of holding them in. Nobody's perfect.

Brian has been a great husband throughout it all. He's done so much and taken me places to get me out. He lets me cry on him and listens to me when I just need to say I'm over it. I want him to still be able to go out and do things and not let my bed rest keep him from doing things. He will be a great Father!

All this to say, I know it will be worth it in the end when I am holding my daughter in my arms. I know people have been on bed rest for much longer times than me so I'm grateful that I only have 5 more weeks to go at the most. I'm calling May my official "nesting" month. I'm trying to make sure we get everything we need and get it all organized. And if we don't, it's not the end of the world.

Sunday, we did go to Wal Mart and got our glider and ottoman. I love it! Another item crossed off the list! The nursery is coming together!

Sunday morning, our sermon was over Living by Faith and one of the points that our pastor said was in order to live by faith, we must have a willingness to Let go of one thing so you can hold on to another. I need to let go of thinking I have everything in my control - it's not in my control, it's in God's and I need to let God do it His way, not my way. And bed rest is God's Way so here I am serving Him in the best way I can.

Thank you for listening to this extremely long, honest post. I'm grateful to the blog world and the joy it brings me everyday! Praying for you all! God Bless!

Coming Together

So after our Dr.'s appt last week and her telling us just to be ready anytime after 34 weeks, I did go into panic mode of "we still have so much to do!" Thankfully, this week we were able to organize things and see what we had and what we still needed. I'm happy to report things are coming together and coming along well. We still have things to hang on the wall but as far as furniture goes, Brian has worked hard to put everything together. I'm so thankful for him.

Tuesday, I washed all of Mallory's clothes, the crib sheet and some blankets (resting in between of course). I felt so productive but good gosh this little girl has lots of clothes! She is set for a while.

The bedding is in the crib! I think the decal and the bedding goes really well together.

Brian put the dresser together Monday night. I think it looks great!

Sunday night Brian's Aunt Laurie & Cousin Kennedy came by to bring a present and I was saying that I needed a bow holder to put all of Mallory's bows on and I opened up their gift and there it was. A bow holder! I love it! And it is being put to good use!

I'm also happy to report that at my Dr.'s appt yesterday, my BP was not has high as usual! I was so excited and asked if I got a prize :) Mallory looked great and I'm thankful to know that the bed rest is still working. We will go as long as we can so still hoping for 39 weeks! Thank you again for all of your prayers!

Showered with Love

Saturday afternoon was the shower for Mallory and I thrown by my family and friends. It was a wonderful shower and had a great time! I was so thankful that so many people came out for a couple of hours to celebrate this time - especially it being Easter weekend and Wildflower Trails weekend for all my friends in Hughes Springs. I'm glad we went ahead and had it this weekend though after the Dr just letting us know that it could be sooner than later that Mallory arrives.

The shower was held at my good friend - Nancy Crowell's house in Royse City. I've known Nancy now for a while and she is the sweetest. I appreciate her opening her home for this occasion.

All of the food was AMAZING! And I could have eaten many more cake balls than what I did - my sister-in-law sure can bake!

Close up of the cake - goes along beautifully with the cherry blossom/bird theme.

Me and the cake - strawberry cake on top and white cake on bottom. It was delicious!

Me (the swollen one) and my wonderful hostesses - Stephanie, Pam, Kate, Melody, Julie, Emmalyn (Julie's daughter) and Jill. Thank you all for everything!

I was so excited to have all of the Grable girls there including Brynn. Love them!

Opening all the presents - we were so blessed!

My mom, me and my sister-in-laws. I know I look so flushed in this photo. I was your typical pregnant woman - I was so hot and could not cool down. Hopefully I didn't freeze everybody out by my keeping asking to turn the air down.

And we got home and unloaded it all in the nursery. Brian kept walking in with more and more bags. He was surprised at how much stuff we got in one day!

It was a great afternoon and Brian, Mallory and I are blessed far beyond what we deserve. We have the best friends and family anyone could ask for! Now, to find where to put it all!

33

33 weeks today! We are slowly but surely getting there! We went to our Dr appt yesterday and thankfully everything with Mallory still looks great. This time she moved a lot for the sonographer however, she kept putting her hand in front of her face so she kept hiding the whole time. I hope she knows she will be getting her picture taken a lot when she comes so we will have to move the hand!

So happy I get to see her every week

Same ol' news with my blood pressure. Our Dr said that next week - 34 weeks is a big milestone for Mallory's development. Once we get to that, she will monitor me a lot more closely to make sure my high BP is not affecting me any worse. She doesn't want to induce early but will if she needs to for my sake. She wants me to go as long as possible but I think she just wanted to make us aware so that we wouldn't be surprised if she did want to go ahead and induce. So far the resting seems to be working so that is great news. I'm hoping to at least go to full term for Mallory's sake and then we will go from there. Maybe a May baby? We will see!

Last week, our sonographer, who has a new sonogram machine was so excited to show us that she could get a 3D pic of Mallory so we said Ok! And below is a pic of our daughter:

That would be her father's nose. And she's got some hair on her head. Another one of God's miracles. It was so neat to see her in this pic. Gotta love technology!

Thank you again for all of your visits, thoughts and prayers! I cannot tell you how much we appreciate it!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Monday to You! This past weekend was a lot of fun even if we were at home most of it. I have to give a big SHOUT OUT to my husband who worked very hard this weekend. There's been a lot of projects we've been working on to get as much ready for Mallory's arrival as we can and Brian has really worked hard to get things organized and put together.

Friday night is our date night. Brian takes me out to eat so I can celebrate another week down and so we can spend some special time together. Friday night it was Outback Steakhouse - they have a new Chicken Artichoke Flatbread Pizza - it was delicious. I might be craving it right now it was that good. Yum!

Saturday morning, Brian went and got our nephew Caleb, they went to breakfast and then they back home to work. Saturday's project was: The Garage. When we cleaned out the closet in Mallory's room, we had to move some stuff to the garage. We went through more stuff that had piled up and threw a lot of stuff away and then organized the stuff we kept. I sat in a chair to watch them go through some of our things to make sure they did not through things I wanted to keep away!

This is Brian showing Caleb his MRI from when he tore his ACL when skiing in 2002. Why he still had that, I'm not sure but he was happy to show Caleb and tell him all about it. I also have to give a big SHOUT OUT to Caleb - he worked so hard to help his B since I couldn't do anything. They had a great time working together and we loved having him over!

I guess for all the things Brian had kept, I did have my share. This is a bag full of cards that I have kept since my 16th birthday. Crazy? Yes...Hoarder? No. I just love cards and especially reading what people write in them so I never wanted to throw them away. So this is my craziness. Just know your cards mean a lot to me!

The finished product. I wish I had a before and after photo but the after photo just makes me Smile. Brian did move his ducks to the garage and I'm not sure why the Team Big logo is hanging either but he worked hard on it so there you go. You also see my car in this photo - it actually got driven this weekend. The first time in many weeks. That is one thing I do miss doing but Brian's brother Rob borrowed his truck so Brian got to drive the Stratus. One day, I will drive again!

And this is Brian's next project - a table for our room. We need something to put our printer and other office things on and he wants to fix the table up for us to use. Yes, there are only three legs - he was working on the other one.

Sunday after church, Brian's grandparents came over. The wanted to bring lunch over and they also brought a present for us. Since I get to open the presents at showers, I told Brian this present was all his to open.

We were so excited to see they got us our stroller/carseat we had registered for! We love it and cannot wait to see Mallory in it! Thank you Pop & Mimi!

Brian gets excited to put everything together now so he put it all together right away. He was happy with the finished product.

We are slowly but surely getting ready for Mallory's arrival!

Wow - was that post long enough? I guess I had more to say than I thought. That is what we did this weekend and I loved every minute of it. I loved seeing family & friends and spending time with them! Hope you have a Wonderful Week!

Work Baby Shower!

Yesterday evening, my wonderful co-workers put on a shower for Mallory and I. I was so looking forward to seeing my co-worker's faces again. I love working with them and it has been hard not seeing them everyday as I used to. I really liked the invitation above and the shower was held at my boss's house in The Colony...she went all out and the decorations and food were Amazing.

I love this plate that Breanna has...I always tell her I need to order one but still haven't done it! She always has it ready to go for every occasion.

Decorations in the living room

The dessert table - YUM!

The cupcakes had Mallory's name on them or little birds to go with the decor. What a cute idea!

I loved my cupcake!

Mallory received so many wonderful gifts including her bouncer and this bib that I love - it says "Star of Mommy's Blog" which is so true :)

Betty-Ashley (my fellow Event Planner), Me, Breanna (my boss) and Amy (my fellow EP) - I LOVE these girls!

My great Mom drove me to The Colony and I remembered to get a picture with her this time! I'm so thankful for her and all of her help!

My beautiful WoF co-workers!

We work hard and play harder!

Thank you friends for the wonderful shower! I'm so blessed to love going to my job everyday. I get to work with the most fun people ever! Mallory and I Thank You!