"All my bags are packed & I'm ready to go..."

hello all! I'm doing well! I was at the doctor for 2 hours today and even though my blood pressure was lower than it has been, they still want me laying down and taking it easy...(fine with ME!) I saw Dr. Logan today (i really like her--she's very nice) and she put me on a fetal monitor to check the stress, heartbeat and movement of the baby and it also measures any contractions. He was hiding in there and it was hard to get a steady beat for like 20 mins. Then they hooked me up to a newer machine and he liked that one a lot better =) I am also 70% effaced and almost ONE CENTIMETER! whoo-hoo!! (hey, it's progress people!) She said if my blood pressure spikes again they can take the baby by c-section but obviously, if our health is fine, they want me to dilate on my own and if need be, induce then. Basically it just depends on my #s and if its putting any stress on him. Isaac, not Matt =) Matt has been such a FABULOUS HUSBAND though i must say! He is so attentive and caring and I truly appreciate all he does...enough brownine points for now...ohhh brownies, yuuuuum...

Keep us in your prayers! I have a bp monitor at home my in-laws let me borrow and if my counts are low, I may go to church on Sunday--Otherwise, we will be MIA...Have a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

I went back to the doctor today and my blood pressure is still high- He has ordered me to stop working and wants to re-check me 3 times a week. He seemed to be a little concerned about the baby's fetal movement and kept asking me if i was feeling him move or not and i said that i was--but i know my blood pressure has a lot to do with stress on the baby. The Doc said he didn't want to induce today b/c my cervix isn't exactly working with us right now...I'm not dilating. He did say that i have Gestational Hypertension and laughed when i asked him if that meant that I'm a 'nervous wreck'? =) He told me 'no' but then i replied, "Just wait until you see me at the hospital..."

Update to follow after Friday- Until then I'm trying to relax at home! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and remember, I like Harry Potter movies, cola slushies and ...well...food. (I was going to be specific but, I just like eating...) hahaha

WISHING YOU A SAFE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

a name has been decided...

Isaac Lorenz Metzler

Gender: Boy
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: laughing one


Isaac, we pray that you will be a healthy, happy, handsome baby who will grow in wisdom and grace and love the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior! We can't wait to meet you,

Daddy and Mommy

Ohhh Boy!

I pray that your Christmas was wonderful! I will blog on that and post pictures of the nursery soon! It's fabulous!

Well, we are 37 weeks and things are starting to get exciting!

I am swelling-ewww--a lot. I have 3 fingers on my right hand that have been constantly numb for 4 days. I am contracting often and feeling a lot of 'fetal movement'. Its been rough at night; lots of discomfort and getting up to use the restroom...blasted tiny bladder...

I went to the doctor's today and she checked to see how i'm progressing. I haven't dilated yet but i am 50% effaced and his head is down but he isn't yet engaged. She found that my blood pressure is pretty high... =( No traces of protein which is great but b/c of my high BP and amount of swelling, has ordered me to stay home this week...Wednesday i have a return visit to re-evaluate the 'situation'. Keep us in your prayers =)

How our baby's growing:
Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

34"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

35The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[c] the Son of God. 36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37For nothing is impossible with God."

38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

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The Birth of Jesus
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels
8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.



Thank you for your Son who was born in a manger and lived to die as our holy sacrifice so we might understand your glory and one day, truly live. You are Christmas. You are the reason to celebrate!







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Santa baby...

I found some wonderful photos of children who will hopefully help you capture a little joy of the season! Okay, not really...but some of them have a good reason to cry! Check out these Santas...

35 weeks and counting...

I went to the Doctor yesterday and he said that everything is going beautifully! Even though i think he's wrong! =( I am swelling! I've gained a lot of weight during this pregnancy and I told him, "Look at my legs and feet and hands! Are you telling me that's normal?" He laughed and said, "yup, I bet you aren't used to seeing your ankles look like that huh?" haha doc. And why does everyone feel the need to comment on how much I'm swelling? You wouldn't, on a normal day, go up to a woman and say, "Geeze, you look awful! What happened to your face?!" Even moreover, why go up to a EMOTIONAL PREGNANT LADY and say, "Holy Cow! You are swelling! Your poor face, feet, hands...." I'm starting to tell people..."Bee sting".


Baby's head is down and man the past week his head has been pounding down on my cervix! Ouch! He wants out! My blood pressure is higher than normal but is still in an average range. I also was given a huge packet of my medical records, notes of all my appointments and results of blood work and ultrasounds to keep with me at all times just in case =) Its the information needed at the hospital for the triage people! We're getting closer!

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Winnie Palmer Tour

Last night we had our exciting tour of Winnie Palmer Hospital! Jon and Nikki went with us as well as my mom and Matt's mom. It was so nice to be able to familiarize ourselves a little with the hospital and everything was so beautiful! They had everything decorated for Christmas and the massive tree with larger than life ornaments and lights filled the 'waiting room'/lobby! They hung thick strands of evergreen garland sparkled with gold and ribbon along the banisters and placed tiny blue and pink stockings along the nursery hallway...

This is a picture of the lobby during the day (and without Christmas stuff)


Here is a stock photo of the NICU hall-We didn't visit this floor...

(Sorry the photos are so small) But here is an example of the bathroom, labor and delivery room and mother/baby unit--complete with a murphy bed for dad!


Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

We can't wait to see you baby Metzler...Love, Mommy and Daddy