Stubborn, stubborn Henry

It's Thursday, and Henry was due on Tuesday (the 25th). Last week, the doctor indicated that Ali would most likely be induced today or tomorrow (assuming she never labored naturally). Well, it's today, and still no induction. Ali saw the doc again yesterday, and he wants her to wait the weekend. Of course, there is still the possibility that she labors on her own, but if not, we have an induction scheduled for Monday night (March 31st). The induction will consist of two parts. The first part involves 'preparing the system' for labor, and it will take place through the night while Ali rests. Then, Tuesday morning, Ali will begin receiving Pitocin to induce labor.

If you are trying to follow the timeline, here's all you need to know: Stubborn, stubborn Henry will most likely be arriving one week late on April Fool's Day! Check back on Tuesday for an update on the lil' guy's arrival. 

In the meantime, we have greatly appreciated all of your prayers and support. This last month of waiting has been exhausting and emotionally draining, especially for Ali. But we thank God for blessing us with an easy pregnancy and apparently healthy baby, and we look forward to meeting him, finally, by Tuesday.

Big boy on the way!

Our doctor called Ali in for an ultrasound yesterday (Friday) to better assess the baby's size and position. The ultrasound tech delivered some great news! Henry appears to be healthy, cozy and happy (Morgan is convinced that he was smiling). He is positioned head down, and his heart rate is a smooth 136. Heart rate can be an indicator that the baby is in distress (for instance, if the u-cord was wrapped around his neck his heart rate might be skewed), and Henry's heart rate indicates that he is doing great. The tech discovered that he has hair, and she also confirmed that Henry is definitely a boy. Finally, after taking many measurements, the tech sized him at 7 1/2 pounds! Assuming Ali goes full-term (March 25th), he should make his debut at around 8 1/2 pounds. Get the epidural ready!
(Sorry no pics to post...the u-sound pics don't scan well, and he's so big that it's hard to distinguish what is what)

9 months and counting...

At 9 months pregnant, Henry's arrival cannot come soon enough. God has blessed Ali with an amazing pregnancy, yet we are both ready for the next phase. While we have no idea what is in store for us, we are so excited to meet our son.

Preparing for Henry

Preparing for Henry has been the most fun. We have put more time, love & energy in between the four walls of his nursery then we have put into the rest of the rooms of our house combined. But without the generosity and kindness of our many friends and family, his nursery would merely be a bedroom. We are so blessed.

And then there were three...

We absolutely cannot do our family justice without introducing our first addition to our growing family - Jaeger! Jaeger is our yellow labrador retriever, and we brought him home in October, 2007. For those of you who are wondering, "Jaeger" is the german word for "hunter." And in case you are a complete stranger, you should know that Jaeger is the perfect name for our pup because Matt is an avid hunter and Ali carries much pride in her german heritage. Avid Hunter + German Pride = Jaeger, our sweet lil' pup.

The Beginning

We were engaged on March 31, 2007. Little did we know that we would be adding a puppy and a baby to the mix within one year's time.

Our Wedding Day
We wed September 2, 2007 in McConnelsville, Ohio (Matt's hometown). To view photos of this beautiful event (thanks to our amazing photographer, Natalie Simpson), please visit Natalie's blog using the link under the links bar (NHS Photography). Once at her blog, find 'Blog Archive' and click on the arrow next to '2007'. Click on the arrow next to 'September', and there will be three sets of pictures from our wedding.