35 Weeks....

Here is a quick couple of pictures Luke took of me at 35 weeks. We are getting closer!!!

Forgive the lack of updates, we have plenty to say it just has been busy lately!

More to come soon :)

Maternity Shoot

Many of you already saw some of the AMAZING images that our talented friends Ryan and Kelly of KellanStudios  captured of Luke and I during our maternity shoot last month. For those of you who did not, you can find a teaser set here on facebook, as well as a more expanded set of images plus a blog post on the Kellan website here.

They did an incredible job of capturing a very special time in our lives, and these are images are ones we will cherish for a lifetime!

Enjoy!

Thoughts from Dad

My little girl,

The past weeks have been quite an adventure for your Mom and I. Watching you grow, feeling your first little kicks, preparing the house and dreaming of our times with you have all been part of this wonderful journey!

As you may know already, your Dad loves to play music. Believe it or not, you have a quite a musical heritage. I grew up listening to my Grampie and Grammie Hayden singing duets. She would sing and he would play the guitar and sing. They would make it a verse or two, miss a word, playfully argue about who's fault it was and then start over. I loved listening to them. I can also remember my Grandma Friberg playing the piano. Every year at Christmas, the whole family (cousins, aunts and uncles) would gather around her piano and sing Christmas songs together. Even now I recall those wonderfully special moments. My father played me to sleep many nights- the Beatles, Neil Diamond and others. Soon I hope that some of my music might be the background of your dreams as you drift off to sleep.

A few weeks ago that I was able to sit down and play some songs for you. Undoubtedly I played you James Taylor, perhaps some other artists and some of my own songs. I hope you enjoyed them. Believe it or not, I was kind of nervous, and it took some thought as to what song I would play for you first. So I chose a song that I could sing as a prayer for you:

Rest, I cry to you oh Lord
You are my refuge- my portion in the land of the living
You say, "Be still now my child 
And know that I am the Lord"
You say, "Come take up my burden- it's light. 
Find rest for your soul"


After playing, your Mom and I just sat together and felt you kicking around- it was a special time.

Needless to say, little one, you already have a special place in your Daddy's heart. You are beautiful to me and I can't wait to meet you! You know I actually have been working on a song for you. I began writing it just after your mom and I saw you for the first time- your heart beating away just perfectly.

With one beat of your heart 
You walked right into mine
One simple black and white
I'm seeing through new eyes
The newness of life
Like the time that stopped when she went walking down that aisle
You walked right into mine


Love you little girl,

Dad

26 weeks and counting.......

Dear Bean,
This has been way overdue and it is about time I got this thing up and running as I have been promising friends and family for weeks now that they would be able to follow our journey. You and I have been on some fantastic adventures so far and we are only getting started.

Let's rewind for a moment and go back a few months to April when we first found out about you.... It was a Friday evening and your dad and I were trying to remain calm as we waited for the results of the home pregnancy test I had just taken. He was pacing between the kitchen and the hallway, I was on the other side of the bathroom door waiting for what seemed like an eternity. I had my suspicions, but I didn't want to get to hopeful as we had gone through this before. When it had been quite a while I took a deep breath and looked over on the counter and checked out the results.

(taken April 8, 2011) 

I dropped to my knees, burst into tears, and started praying. I just couldn't believe it, and kept thanking the Lord over and over for this incredible gift. I stayed like that for a while and finally remembered your dad, who upon hearing the tears had begun to think the worst and was waiting patiently for me to come out of the bathroom. I opened the door, he hesitated and then walked in to take a look at the results for himself. It was a minute of stunned silence, then one of the biggest grins I have ever seen slowly spread across his face (there may have been some slightly moist eyes on his part as well). 

(ultrasound at 19 weeks) 

Since your Abuela (my mom) was in town visiting, we were able to tell her the next day, and then your Grandma and Grampy (your dad's parents) the following weekend when they were in town. We made them promise to keep you a secret for a little while just until we went to see the doctor to make sure you were ok. It was hard for them as they were bursting with excitement :)

(Boston red sox onesie from grandma and grampy) 

Since then it has been a fantastic ride! The first time we saw you on an ultrasound, you were so tiny (hence the nickname "bean"), the first time we heard your heart furiously beating away was surreal. I still could not believe you were growing in my belly. It has been fun slowly telling the world about you, and when we found out you were a girl, we were both pretty surprised and soon started to get really excited. You already have your dad wrapped around your tiny finger, and he has begun to write you songs, read to you, and pray over you. Even as I am typing this out I can feel you jumping around and it is an amazing feeling. 

(in Maine, at a surprise family baby shower thrown by your aunt and uncle)

We are continuing to prepare for your arrival, and one thing is for you sure you are going to be coming into a lot of love. So many people can't wait to meet you, friends and family alike are getting excited and have been sharing their well wishes with us. As your parents we have enjoyed reflecting on what you are going to be like and how you are going to change our lives forever.....you already have :) 

We both have moments when we feel nervous about being parents, but are reassured over and over that the feeling is normal and one is never really "ready", but you go with it and although you make mistakes you learn along the way and do the best you can. We are grateful for you and consider it a privilege to be experiencing everything we are right now in the moment. You are loved and I hope you can feel that even now as you are growing inside of me. 

We can't wait to meet you little one! Keep growing, staying healthy, getting stronger and we will continue preparing a place for you, praying for you, anticipating your arrival, and getting all sorts of excited. 

Love,
Mom