August 29

Dear Life,

Today is our due date! (Baby, did you hear that?? You are fully cooked. You can come out now…)
We had a doctor appointment this afternoon and I had made no more progress. Bummer. I was secretly hoping I’d be dilated to 5cm and not even know it and they’d need to whisk me into the delivery room… haha.

But the good news is, there is an end in sight! (I guess there always was… but it feels even more like it now!) I will be induced on Friday if this baby hasn’t decided to arrive before then. Monday is almost over… Tuesday… Wednesday… Thursday… FRIDAY!!!
Who is excited?? Me. Jordan. Everyone else who wants to meet this baby. Yippee!

Ok… no more rambling. Just wanted to let you know.

Yours Truly,
Molly

P.S. Friday is the start to LABOR day weekend. Seems fitting, doesn’t it? PLUS it is one day after my dear Grandpa Bernie’s birthday. My birthday is one day after my dear Grandma Nita’s birthday. That seems fitting too, doesn’t it?

August 28

Dear Life,

Do you wonder what really pregnant people do while waiting for the arrival of their new bambino? Let me tell you…

1. Eat spicy food. (This last week we have had tacos, buffalo chicken, spicy Cajun chicken pasta, enchiladas, and chicken tortilla soup). If eating spicy food truly put you in labor, we would have a baby by now.

2. Walk. A lot. (Let’s face it, laying down is no longer comfortable, running has never been comfortable in my entire life, and if I sit still too long my back hurts… so walking it is! We have been walking around the neighborhood, to the grocery store, to the Dairy Queen , and even “hiked” around Buffalo River State Park for an afternoon.) Plus, walking feels productive… like I am doing something to aid in the future delivery of this baby, AND it is good for me.

3. Nap. (This may be a time passer… but I am also tired ALL of the time. It’s amazingly wonderful to crawl under the covers and fall asleep with the windows open in the middle of the afternoon.) I don’t believe there are any old wives tales about napping bringing on labor… but if there were, that would be awesome.

4. Clean. (I have this paranoia that the one time I leave dishes by the sink or get the slightest bit behind on laundry is the moment my water will break or I’ll start contracting. I may be the crazy lady that is washing dishes or cleaning the bathroom mirror before we can leave for the hospital if there are things left undone…)

5. Enjoy a bit of pampering. (True confession: I called Dr. Vetter’s office on Friday to see if he had any other available appointment times for Monday other than my 2:30 appointment because Jordan works on Monday at 3:00 and I want him to be there. The lady on the phone was rather short with me, they had no appointments available, and I hung up the phone and sobbed for 20 or so minutes. Whoa. True emotional breakdown for no apparent reason! After talking to Jesus and then pulling myself together, I made a manicure appointment, because, who doesn’t feel better after a little pampering?? THEN… I remembered my dear friend Jaimie offered to help me in any way she could to make this last week of pregnancy more comfortable, and I decided to “let” her help me by coloring my hair. Pays to have a best friend who happens to be an amazing hair stylist! Plus, we had the most refreshing conversation. It was truly good for my soul.)

And finally… 6. Have way too much fun doing silly things. (Last week we went mini-golfing just because. We bought a croquet set for our backyard. Jordan took me shopping to buy me an ultra-soft blanket for cozy time with Baby because he thought I deserved a blanket too, not just baby. We have been listening to loud music in the car and singing loudly and maybe slightly off key with the windows down. And my all-time favorite (pictured below) was our date last night where we set up the tent in the backyard and watched the stars, had a campfire and made dessert and pizza tonka pies and s’mores. Pure bliss.)
   

 

I’m not yet sure what post due date pregnant people do yet… but I’ll find out tomorrow if this baby is not here yet. Today I’m not feeling desperate to have this baby. I am having lots of fun enjoying time with my husband, being at home, making new friends, and spending time with old friends. Do I still feel a little bit like a time bomb? Definitely. Am I so over being pregnant? For sure. But I can say without fibbing even a little that I’m loving life right now. I won’t let the devil trick me into discontent. God’s timing for meeting this baby is perfect, and I can believe it with my heart, body, mind, and soul.

Yours Truly,
Molly

August 25

Dear Life,

Today all of my sweet first graders moved onto second grade and my teacher friends battled the craziness of the start to a new year of school. I can’t help but admit that I thought about each and every one of “my kiddos” and teacher friends ALL day today. I bet if I had been teaching today the stress would have put me into labor for sure! (Shoot, I should have tried that! But oh well, I guess today isn’t the day either – the countdown continues!)
So since I’m sappy and emotional and missing my first graders and school in general… here is a picture to make you smile. (Side Note: this is the first year EVER that I have not started school in the Fall, either as a student or a teacher.)

Yours Truly,
Mrs. Wobbema

P.S. If you are a teacher and have stories from today, I’d love to hear them!

August 23

Dear Life,

You know how the realization of the inevitability of something closing in suddenly seems terrifying? For instance, I remember anxiously awaiting the first day of school all summer long every year from Kindergarten through college, and then the night before I’d barely sleep because I was just too excited/scared for the change and newness. I remember counting down the 8ish months from the day Jordan proposed to our wedding day, and then realizing the night before that I was really getting married and my life would never be the same! I remember waiting and waiting all through college for the day I’d get to teach my own group of students, and then graduating and applying for jobs, only to realize that it was a HUGE undertaking, and maybe I didn’t realize what to expect after all.

Do you know what I mean life, when I say that it’s just a little scary when you realize that there is inevitable change/newness, even when you’ve been anticipating it and know it will be good?
It’s a really good thing I can look back and see that in expectation of change and newness, there is almost always a little bit of discomfort and “pain,” but the newness and change brings such great reward. It’s a good thing because it hit me tonight that I am in that “night before” stage. (Don’t worry, I’m not contracting… I don’t think I’m in labor… my water hasn’t broken…) I just mean that for 9 months I have been waiting and waiting for this baby to come, and here we are in the final countdown, and now I’m not so sure I’m ready! Suddenly, it seems a little bit terrifying to think that I’ll have to share my sleep, my husband, my house, and my life with this little bambino. I believe it is exactly what the Lord has planned and intended, just like going to first grade, getting married, and starting my teaching career were, and so I can tell the fear that it won’t get to stick around too long. But until I hold this little baby in my arms, I just can’t quite imagine what it will be like.

People try to prepare you for a big change in your life, but quite honestly, it’s not really fair. It will be different in every circumstance, and I think that is especially true for having children. Granted, I haven’t had any children yet to know firsthand, but I haven’t heard one single story that is exactly the same when it comes to labor and delivery, raising children, discipline, or life in general. SO… I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what the Lord has in store! The good news is that I know that He is good, He is all powerful, and that He does not make mistakes. That is something that I will (try) to rest in. (Hey, I never said it would be easy.)

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am SO ready to be done being pregnant. I believe this is God’s way of preparing me for labor and delivery, because otherwise, I might try to keep this baby in my belly forever! (Too late to back out now!) But… I’d be faking it if I said I wasn’t nervous even a teeny tiny bit. Good thing I can see God’s pattern in the other bits of change in my life. All glory to Him that each bit of change, though some pieces more painful than others, bring new life and new joys. I just KNOW that this will be exactly that way too.

Yours Truly,
Molly

P.S. In case you were curious, I did in fact clean every square inch of our house last night. They talk about a “nesting” craze that happens right before you go into labor… well… when that actually happens, I will have nothing left to clean. I vacuumed every area of floor that was not covered by furniture, I mopped on my hands and knees, I washed, dried, folded, and put away every piece of laundry, I washed sinks, bathtubs, and mirrors, I cleaned toilets and soft scrubbed the kitchen, I took out every piece of trash in our house, and I even organized my closet and the coats and things by our front door. Baby… seriously… save me from myself!!!

August 22

For those of you who have just been dying to see pictures of my baby belly… here are a few. Feel special, because I must love you a lot to show you these! I have considered hybernating until this baby comes out in hopes that we could all just forget about this giant stage in my life. However, I figure that I will want to have some sort of recollection of this sweet little one in my tummy at some point as I look back, even if only to say, “Wow! I’m so glad you are here, Baby Wobbema, and not in there anymore!”

Can you believe she will be here any day now?! At our doctor appointment today, I was 90% effaced, almost 2 cm dilated, and baby’s head was at 0 station. The doctor predicted that if baby were born today, she’d be about 6.5 lbs. Could be any day now! Only 7 days until my due date! Guess I’d better clean the bathrooms, mop the floors, empty the dishwasher, and put away all of the laundry tonight… just in case!

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. A BIG “Thank You!” to my dear, wonderfully talented sister-in-law, Kendra, of Kendra Love Photography.

August 20

Dear Friends,

Have you ever caught yourself “reminding” God about things? I do this far more than I care to admit, or maybe even realize. Let me give you an example.

Dear Lord,
I know you haven’t forgotten… but I just thought I’d let you know that it’d be really cool if we could have this baby this weekend. I mean… almost ALL of Jordan’s family is in Fargo for the weekend. My family is conveniently around. My brother will hopefully be coming home in a few short weekends, and it’d be really great if the baby could be here by then. I know you know what’s best for this baby and all… I just thought I’d throw out the possibility… in case you’d forgotten. Yup, all things are under your control Lord.
Amen.

Uh… that’s how it is supposed to work, right?

I read a daily devotional called “Jesus Calling.” It is written as if Jesus was talking directly to you… to me. A few days ago this was part of the message I read:
Accept each day just as it comes to you. Do not waste your time or energy wishing for a different set of circumstances. Instead, trust Me enough to yield to My design and purposes. Remember that nothing can separate you from My loving Presence; you are Mine.

Boy is it hard not to wish for a different set of circumstances when I have such tunnel vision. But the Lord sees the bigger picture, and that’s where faith comes in. I can trust that He knows far more than I do about this baby and what she needs. I can trust that He knows far more about me and what I need too.

On a lighter note…
A clerk made my day at Michael’s today. She asked me when I was due, and I told her August 29th (9 days!). Her response to me was, “Wow! You don’t look nearly big enough to be having a baby in nine days! Have you even gained 20 pounds?!”
I nearly leapt across the checkout counter and hugged her. This would be a good thing to say to a pregnant lady, even if you have to lie a little. Trust me, we don’t mind.

Things not to say would include, “Wow, are you having twins?!” or “You must be ready to pop!” or “You have a cute pregnant lady waddle!” or “Is it hard to find maternity clothes?!” Just a few helpful hints for you!

That is all for tonight. The countdown is 9 days, and I promise to let you know once Baby arrives. If I just so happen to call you in the next two weeks, your first question to me does not have to be, “Are you in labor?”

I promise I’d tell you that too. :)

Yours Truly,
Molly

Dear Baby

Dear Baby in my Belly,

We have been inseparable for almost 9 months now. Can you believe it? I found out about you on December 16th (8 months and 1 day ago). It was a Thursday, and your dad and I were sitting in the basement watching TV and folding laundry that had accumulated to a ridiculous proportion. After the pregnancy test showed positive, we were ecstatic, and a little shocked, but so looking forward to the hope of you. We knew that God had knit you together in my womb and was creating you with such precision and perfection that only the Creator of the Universe could. Did you know that He knows everything about you already? He knows what color your eyes are, what color your hair is, if you’ll have your daddy’s skin or mommy’s (I’m sorry if it’s mine!), what you’ll be when you grow up, who your first grade teacher will be, where you’ll live at each stage of your life, who/if you’ll marry, and EVERY other piece of your life. I can’t wait to meet you! I just know that as the Lord’s creation, you will be perfect in every way.

Your dad and I brainstormed the best way to tell people in our lives about you, hoping we’d be able to keep you a secret for awhile. We wanted to just have you, our little secret, to keep between ourselves. After about two hours, however, I got a terrible case of what I believe was food poisoning, and got sick continuously through the night. The next morning I called your Grandma, my mom, to get some advice and motherly love as I was feeling so miserable. She stopped by after she got off of work that day, and I just HAD to tell her about you! Not only am I terrible at keeping secrets, but I wanted to make sure that my sickness wasn’t hurting you in any way. She was ecstatic, and we had to call your Grandpa and trick him into coming over after work so we could tell him too. They were the first to know about you, only one day after your dad and I did. We had to wait about a week to tell your Uncle Mike in person as soon as he came home from Colorado for his Christmas break from dental school.

We saved our little secret a few more weeks until Christmas so we could tell your dad’s side of the family in person. It was REALLY hard, because your Auntie Kendra and Cousin Hadley rode to Bismarck with us to your Grandma and Grandpa Wobbema’s house. Your Auntie Kendra asked me at one point, “So Molly, when are you guys going to start having kids?!” I think I turned about as red as a tomato, but managed to switch the subject enough to avoid the question. Phew! We told everyone the next day once everyone had arrived, and they were super excited about you too!

And now, only 9 months later, you’re soon to make your grand entrance into the world. I have mixed emotions… I am SO excited to meet you and hold you and be your mom. I am also nervous… knowing that I can never protect you in the same way I can while you’re safely tucked in my belly. I already love you more than you could ever imagine, and your dad and I pray for you every day. We pray that you’ll love the Lord more than anything or anyone else on this earth. We pray that you’ll love others, graciously giving of yourself, your time, and your talents. We pray for your safety. We pray for your future husband. We pray for your heart. We pray that in spite of our imperfections, you’ll see Christ in the things we do.

Have I mentioned, little one, that I cannot wait to meet you? Today, August 17th, doesn’t look like it will be the day, but I know that as each day passes and you haven’t yet arrived, we are one day closer.
I love you.

Love,
Your Mom

August 16

Dear Teacher Friends,

It would bring me great joy and pleasure if you could only talk about and/or post things on Facebook regarding your distaste of returning to school this Fall, from at least now until Baby “E” is born. I am madly jealous of your cute and organized classrooms filled with all sorts of office supplies, books, and laminated wall hangings. I would instead like to know about overly possessive parents that have already become a problem, paperwork that is a waste of time, and meetings that you’d be better off sleeping through. If you are a parent, you could also comment on how much you will miss your little bundle of blessing once returning to school. This would help me immensely. I have already tried to remedy the problem by stocking up on school supplies from Target that I do not need, and my oh-so-helpful husband suggested that I turn our guest bedroom into a classroom in attempt to cheer me up. As you can see, this is a problem.

Yours Truly,
Molly

August 14

Dear Life,

The diapers came! This was kind of a highlight of my whole week, not gonna lie. I pretty much (im)patiently waited for the UPS guy to deliver the box all day on Friday. He finally came at about 5:30pm, at which time I opened the box immediately to ooh and aah over the cute colored cloth diapers. I knew I needed to wash them before I could use them, so I immediately started looking for washing instructions. They did not come with any, so I found advice on cloth diaper blogs and such. The only problem is that there’s a little “drama” in the cloth diaper world about using HE washers for cloth diapers because, though they are very eco-friendly, they don’t let very much water through the load to get the diapers very clean. I figured I’d see if I could troubleshoot before the diapers were actually dirty… so I promptly researched and read as much as I could, and then sat myself down on the cold concrete floor of our “laundry room”, put in the diapers and my new Rockin’ Green laundry detergent, and peered into the front of the washing machine with my flashlight to see how much water I could get to flow through it. After a little experimenting, I determined that if I did a soak cycle first, and then a regular wash, I could get quite a bit of cleanliness going on. We’ll see if it works once diapers are actually dirty… but I feel like I’m at least on the right track! After washing the diapers and inserts, I hung the covers and dried the inserts, and spent far too long stuffing them yesterday… just because they were so cute. :) I realize how spazzy this makes me sound… but come on! I am excited about my cloth diapers. You may think I’m crazy, and that’s ok. I will embrace the craziness head-on.

That’s about all that is new as far as baby concerns go. Jordan and I went for a long walk this afternoon to see if we could get baby to come early… so maybe that will work. ;) When I tell people that I am going for long walks and getting pedicures to massage the “magic pressure point” in my ankles, and eating spicy food… people naturally assume my due date has passed. Oh no, I definitely still have 2 weeks to go. Haha. But the good news is it is only two weeks! I am still enjoying life and I truly don’t feel as desperate as I may sound. Yesterday I made a pan of Special K bars (and ate a whole row), read a book in the hammock for an hour (and nearly fell asleep), did several loads of laundry (and even folded them and put them away), did some gardening and some general “tidying up.” Today I think I may make a peach pie, clean the bathrooms, and write about my LOVELY baby shower (hosted by my Bestie, Jaimie) in the baby book. Maybe if I’m feeling really ambitious I’ll clean my closet too. That’s about it for now.

Yours Truly,
Molly

August 11

Dear Life,

Today I am feeling a tish on the impatient side. I really mean it… it’s only a tish, but still a tish nonetheless. I just want to meet this little baby and hold her in my arms and read her stories and rock her in the rocking chair and put all of those cute little onesies on her. I’ve washed the outfits and the crib sheets and I’ve put away the toys and I’ve written the thank-you notes and I’ve cleaned the bathrooms and I’ve even ordered the cloth diapers. The only thing left on my to-do list is to pack the hospital bag. Why does this one thing seem like the most terrifying and/or overwhelming part?
I really don’t want anyone to know that I’m feeling impatient because then I hear things like, “She’ll come when she’s ready!” and “Try not to get your hopes up!” and “Take advantage of the time you have now by going on a date or taking a nap or whatever!” but the truth of the matter is… I don’t care. I am just kind of ready to meet her.
  
So I guess I just keep on practicing patience. Today is August 11th. I have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning. I will most likely meet this precious baby in the next 3ish weeks. In the meantime I will just rest confident in knowing that the Lord knows everything about this baby… and about me… and about Jordan… and that he’s got it all under control. So I don’t have to.
In the meantime, here are a few pictures of Baby’s room… crib sheets washed and all! (If you look closely, you may get a hint about what letter Baby’s name starts with! We have it narrowed down to 3 names, and they all start with the letter… !)

Yours truly,
Molly

August 8

Dear Life,

Today is August 8th. Just in case you stopped counting, that is 21 days, or 3 weeks from my due date (August 29). That is exciting news! However, based on the dates we told our doctor about when the pregnancy test became positive and all that jazz, our original due date was August 12. (He changed it after our 20 week ultrasound, saying that baby was measuring about 17 weeks.) But just in case you weren’t doing the math, August 12 just so happens to be this Friday. SO… I guess baby could come “early”. That’d be kind of fun!

This week I am feeling the urge to get things really ready in our house. I need to order the cloth diapers, pack my hospital bag, finish up the laundry, do some cleaning, organize baby’s closet and the office, finish making the extra crib sheets, and wash baby’s bedding and clothing. Jordan is planning on finishing our deck and cleaning/organizing the garage. He is also thinking he’ll finish sealing up the windows and some other odds and ends. I also have a baby shower, thrown by my dear friend Jaimie, tomorrow. There are just so many fun things coming up. Life feels right.
So Baby, we’re getting ready for you! Come any time!

Yours Truly,
Molly

2nd Anniversary

Dear Life,

Today marks our 2nd anniversary. Someone told me that they were only going to celebrate their anniversaries on the big years (1st, 5th, 10th, 20th, etc.), but we think that’s lame. Life is meant to be celebrated. So, last year we went to Duluth to the A.G. Thompson House Bed & Breakfast, and this year we are near Itasca State Park in Minnesota at the Loonsong Bed & Breakfast. Maybe we’ll have a Bed & Breakfast tradition. Maybe not. But I know that we’ll count each year as a blessing from the One who created the idea of marriage, our Lord and Savior. Pretty neat isn’t it, that marriage was God’s idea? His design? I think so.

A lot has changed in two years. When we were standing at the altar saying “I do,” I’m not sure anyone could have prepared me for what marriage would be like. I thought I was as madly in love as possible, but I’m so thankful that I wasn’t even close. Now I’m realizing that my love and respect and admiration for Jordan has grown each day, and I think that’s pretty neat. I can’t imagine doing life with anyone else.

Today we spent the day hanging out at the Bed & Breakfast, doing some fishing, some napping, and grilling some lunch. Then we went on a little adventure and found some mini-golf, watched some kids in bumper boats, did a little window shopping, and ended up in Dorset, MN where we biked a short few miles along the Heartland Trail and ate a delicious Mexican dinner. On our way home, we sang made-up songs in the car (don’t tell Jordan I told you) and laughed so hard that we thought we’d wet our pants. (That was maybe just my feeling… as the baby in my belly makes “holding it” a little trickier than it used to be, if you know what I mean.) When we got back to the B&B, I opted for a bubble bath, and Jordan opted for some fishing off the dock. All around, it was pretty much the best day ever.

So, am I a marriage advocate? Yes, I think I can safely say that marriage is lovely. Beyond lovely, in fact. It was a little bit scary jumping in, but now that I’m fully submerged, I can say that God knew what He was doing when he invented marriage. And next… we get to embark on the journey of raising children. Well… raising a child at least. :) Baby “Lovey” is due to arrive in approximately 28 days. Can you believe it?? I can’t, but I am SO excited. I’m mostly selfishly excited right now, because I feel huge and I can’t sleep more than 45 minutes without needing to go to the bathroom, and I am pretty sure that my legs are textbook “restless leg syndrome.” But those things are small, and I know there will be new challenges once baby arrives. But STILL… I will get the satisfaction of holding Baby Lovey in my arms and loving her and cuddling her and rocking her. Yes, life will be drastically different, but different isn’t bad, it’s just different.

So Life, that’s about it for now. I’ll try to keep you updated as things change and well… life happens.

Yours Truly,
Molly