due date

I honestly was super shocked that I made it to my due date!  I guess since Brooke came early, and my doctor kept telling me that "history has a way of repeating itself", I really thought our little man would be early too.  I guess he was just happy and content where he was, haha.  If the RS President was worried when I was at church at 39 weeks, I knew she would have something to say at 40 weeks :)  When I saw her, she was relieved to know that my mom was here and would be here all week.  

Our last Sunday picture as a family of 3 :)  Our whole world was about to change for the better, and I wanted the moment documented.

I love my sweet Mom and was so happy to have her in our home as we prepared for our baby's arrival.

I was scheduled to be induced on Monday the 2nd.  The hospital wanted me there at 3 am to start the induction process.  I really didn't know what to expect, and I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't gone into labor on my own.  I wanted to avoid an epidural if possible, and I really felt like being induced was going to greatly impact my ability to hold off on the pain meds.

Our plan was to get Brooke into bed, finish packing our bags, and get a few hours of sleep.  Putting Brooke to bed was so emotional for me!  I didn't expect it to be such a tender experience.  We did our normal bath, jammies, and milk.  We talked to Brooke about how we were going to the hospital in the morning and that her little brother was going to be born.  Seeing her try to understand was so precious.  Then I wanted to read her "I'm a Big Sister" book together.  I could feel myself getting emotional as we read each page.  Then she crawled into my arms for me to rock her for a bit.  Kevin was kind of kneeling by the chair and rubbing Brooke's forehead.  I started to sing "Walk Tall", which is a favorite of mine, and a song I have sung to Brooke since she was a tiny baby.

Long before the time you can remember,
Our Father held you in his arms so tender.
His loving arms released you as he sent you down to earth.
He said, "My child, I Love you,  don't forget your great worth."

Walk tall, you're a daughter,
A child of God.
Be strong, please remember who you are.
Try to understand, you're part of His great plan.
He's closer than you know.
Reach up, he'll take your hand.

I couldn't even make it through the song without crying.  I felt so much love for my darling girl, and I knew that her little life was going to change so much in the coming days.  I was so excited to meet our little guy, but part of me felt guilty that I was somehow going to be taking away from Brooke.  She was our first love, and I just wanted her to always know how precious she was to us.  I knew that soon I wouldn't be able to rock her to sleep every night, and the thought kind of broke my heart.  I didn't ever want her to feel like I was too busy for her, or to resent her brother for taking her mommy away.  I did want to teach her about loving others though, and I was so excited to see her take on the big sister role.

After getting her to sleep, we went downstairs and as I was getting ready for bed, Kevin wanted to take a picture of me in the same spot in our bathroom where he took my last pregnant picture with Brooke. Just keeping it real, folks :)

Such an unflattering picture, but I couldn't believe how huge I was.  I thought for sure we were having a 9+ pound baby, haha.  Only time would tell :)  By the time we went to bed, we only had about 2 hours to sleep before we needed to get up and head to the hospital.  Next post...the birth story!!