The Countdown is ON!!!

COUNTINGDOWNTO.COM

It is now 7:17pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2012.  In less than 36 hours from now, I will be getting to the hospital to prepare for Jayden's birth!  In 38 hours, our precious little guy should be here!!!  To say I'm excited is, well, quite an understatement!!!  And if you are friends with me on Facebook, you know just what an understatement that is!  I have been posting the daily countdown for over a week now...and I'm down to hours (and occasionally minutes).   ;)  I've had some fun with my countdown, though.  I found an app on my phone where I can send a fake text message...so I made it look like Jayden sent the text message below, then took a screen shot of my phone and pasted it on Facebook as one of the countdown days!  ;)

Today is Jayden's due date, according to the last ultrasound (the one we went to & found out Jayden's a boy!).  But, for some reason I may never know, the doctors scheduled the C-section for two days after the due date.  I guess they know better than me...so, we wait!  ;)  I have now packed and repacked Jayden's diaper bag half a dozen times (at least!) and think I've made my final pack...and to be quite honest, we actually have 3 bags packed for Jayden!  The diaper bag has diapers, formula, wipes, etc. needed for the trip home (including the cute teddy bear his big brother bought him).  The second bag has back-up formula and diapers in case we need them (this includes size 1 diapers in case Jayden happens to be more than 10 pounds)!  The third bag has extra clothes, burp cloths, etc. in case Jayden is a messy baby and/or if he is released from the hospital on Friday evening and gets to spend Friday night in the hotel room with us!  Yeah...I'm well prepared...at least as far as Jayden is concerned.  And to think...I was only a girl scout for one year (and I'm not even sure it was a whole year)!  ;)

Today was a GREAT day!  I took Christopher to Vacation Bible School at our church and then went to Calistoga to do some Homeschool Evaluations for a couple of families.  One of the requirements for homeschooling in our state is that the child must be evaluated by a certified teacher at the end of the year to be sure that the child is making progress.  Since I still have a current certification (and plan to keep it current), I'm able to do this for other homeschooling families and make a little pocket money!  After evaluating a 1st Grade girl, 2nd Grade girl, and Kindergarten boy, I was off to make some Avon deliveries.  My precious friend Sarah picked up Christopher from Vacation Bible School (along with her 3 precious children) so I could have time to finish my deliveries before lunch.  I met them at Jason's Deli and we had lunch (including ice cream for dessert) and then headed off to the local children's museum for the kiddos to play while the mommies chatted.  ;)

I happened to catch Christopher getting his friend ready her news cast in the Weather News Room at the children's museum.  I love seeing him help others!

Then Christopher got a chance to be the news caster!  ;)  Only problem is that his shirt is blue (same color as the screen behind him)...so it looked like he was a talking head!  LOL!  :)

Lunch and an afternoon at the children's museum was EXACTLY what I needed to get my mind off the fact that today is Jayden's due date and the countdown to his birth.  And yet...it takes me back to 8 years, 3 months ago when my cousin did something similar while I was waiting for Christopher to be born.  We didn't have a scheduled birth date for Christopher and I was teaching at the time...so when the birth mom started to dialate and things were looking like it might be close, my principal advised me to go ahead and start my maternity leave.  After 4 days of waiting at home with nothing happening, my cousin called me and asked me to spend the day with her.  She took me to breakfast and then we helped move her husband's office.  Afterwards, we went to McDonald's to pick up some Happy Meals for her youngest son's class...and it was there that I got the call that it looked like the birth mom might be in labor!  That was Christopher's actual due date.  It turned out, he was born the following afternoon.  ;)

I know I've said it before...but I'm so thankful for my sons' birth mom!  She is enduring so much so that I have the blessing and privilege to raise two precious children.  She may get to feel their kicks and movement in her womb...but I get to tuck them into bed every night, experience their milestones, and watch them grow!  So...if you think about it over the next few days, please say a prayer for her.  I'm thankful that she has never waivered in her decision to place these boys with us, and yet, I know how much she loves them and how hard this decision is for her.  Pray for her as she prepares to have surgery on Thursday morning.  Pray for her healing after Jayden is born.  Pray for her time of grieving.  Pray for strength for her as she faces the days ahead without the sons she gave birth to.  Pray that her walk with the Lord is strengthened and she draws ever closer to Him.  :)

This may be the last post to the blog that I make before Jayden is born.  So...if you are wondering exactly how long it is until his birth, just check the countdown clock at the top of this post!  ;)  Thank you all for being with me on this amazing journey!  It's not over yet...in fact, it's really just beginning!  But without your love, support, and prayers...I'm not sure we would be at this point!  So...THANK YOU!!!!  =)