I woke up Sunday morning thankful to be able to sleep in till 7:30am. Stephen had volunteered to get up with our little early riser. I relished my extra time in bed, telling myself not to feel guilty because, after all, it was Mother’s Day. That’s about as far as it went though. It still hadn’t sunk in that Mother’s Day was for me.

So what did my guys do for me on my special day? Breakfast in bed? Flowers? Gifts? They gave me the best thing ever—themselves! Stephen washed a counter top full of dirty dishes so I could wake up to a clean kitchen. (For some reason, a dirty kitchen bothers me ever so much on a Sunday.) He poured me coffee, and he and Silas made a card for me out of computer paper and crayons. I love it! Their simple thoughtfulness sweetened my morning and told me that I was loved. Best of all it was a surprise since I wasn’t expecting anything. Mother’s Day is a new idea for me.

Speaking of being a mom, it’s still hard for me to believe we have another person growing inside of me. Oh yes, I know I’m pregnant. This relentless morning sickness has been a constant reminder, but I often forget that all that sickness means another sweet pea is developing into a child. It seems as though this nausea us easing up, so I can soon start enjoying the coming of this new addition.

Baby TicTac now has arms! I had my 10 week check up this past Friday, and saw those little arms moving on the ultrasound screen. Baby was doing somersaults, and I loved watching all the movement. TicTac is now 4cm long, and I’m over 1/4 of the way there. Woohoo! Long way still to go, I know, but I’m glad at the accomplishment.

We were in much need of a break from our routine. Sad to say, morning sickness/all day sickness has dominated my days this past month. I’m 9 weeks along, so the end of the first trimester is still a few weeks away. However, this nausea can leave sooner and make me an extremely happy mama. Of course, Baby TicTac is worth the discomfort though! Stephen has a very busy two and a half weeks of work coming up, so we were glad for a few days together as a family.

Our studio room was gorgeous and a lot bigger than we had expected! There was a kitchenette complete with dishes and silverware, a balcony overlooking the amazing pool, and even a washer and dryer set in a closet in the bathroom.

Mostly we spent time in the pool, reading, watching a movie, and catching up on sleep while Silas napped. It was great! Tuesday morning, Silas rode a miniature horse. He wasn’t too sure about it, so one lap was enough.

After checking out of our room, we drove up to see Lake Pleasant. It’s a huge man-made lake that attracts a lot of boating.What a relaxing start to our week!

The pain began as mild cramps in a band around my stomach and back in the weeks following Silas’s delivery. I dismissed it as muscle fatigue. Then the cramps worsened with one to two attacks per week that were debilitating.

The pain jumped all over my torso—stomach, rib cage, right side, between my shoulder blades. It was intense, so intense that I began vomiting. Finally, after suffering for 10 hours last Sunday, Stephen drove me to the ER where I was treated quickly, to my delight. Almost immediately the nurse said it was probably my gall bladder. Apparently, gall bladder problems are often related to pregnancy due to the presence of extra hormones which don’t allow the gall bladder to release bile as it should. Thankfully, they gave me some medication to ease the pain. Then I had an ultrasound. It wasn’t nearly as much fun as my first ultrasound when we discovered we were having a baby!

The diagnosis came back that I have “sludge” in my gall bladder. No stones, just “sludge.” What a great medical term to learn! The sludge could potentially form stones or cause pancreatitis. I scheduled a consultation with a surgeon who confirmed that my gall bladder probably should be removed. It should be an outpatient laparoscopic surgery scheduled sometime soon. Thank you for your prayers!

My last day as a pregnant lady. This was right after we found out we were going to be induced. We rushed home to gather our belongings. We’re still in shock in this pic.

Checking in at the hospital…

Getting situated in the labor and delivery room. Can you tell I’d never been in a hospital bed before? The nurse had to tell me that the bed can sit up and recline.

One of our first family  photos. I love the look of sheer joy and pride on Stephen’s face!

Proud Daddy—even Silas can tell that!

Silas Clark with wavy golden blond hair. The wave has since left, and his hair is a shade or two darker. We’ll see how it turns out.

Mommy loves her boy.

Silas now shares a birthday with his Uncle Ben, Stephen’s youngest brother. Ben turned 16 on the 2nd, and they celebrated Silas’s birthday too!

Daddy’s a natural…

We are ecstatic about getting to know Silas Clark. God was gracious through every step of the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum process. Stay tuned for further cuteness updates!

The doctor did an ultrasound and measured the amniotic fluid around Baby. While we’re not in the danger zone, we are in the borderline low zone. Since I’m 39 weeks and 2 days, my doctor highly recommended that we go ahead and induce tonight—especially because I’m already dilated 2.5 cm. We’ll be heading to the hospital in just a few minutes.

Thank you for your prayers for a safe, healthy, and relatively easy delivery. God has been so good all along, and we know He won’t stop being good now. We can’t wait to meet our little man!

Stephen & Elisabeth expecting their first born son.

My physical state this past week can be summed up by one phrase: “I don’t feel like doing anything besides giving birth!”

The nursery makes me smile. I can only imagine how much more it will make me smile when Baby is sleeping softly in his crib.

Pediatrician chosen.

Pre-registration form mailed.

Insurance decided.

Babysitter found.

Birth plan completed.

Pedicure enjoyed.

To do:

Finish nursery. (it’s almost there…honest!)

Install car seat.