Cole Family News....

So JP and I have been married two years today, and been together four years this week!  Here are a few pictures from the last four years... The "first picture" of us as a couple - at a party for Laura's birthday in early February 2007: Us at our wedding, two years ago today: Us at our "second" wedding - at Easter Vigil last year when we had our vows convalidated in the Catholic Church: One of us during our maternity shoot - this is a good representation of how we are together :) :  And one of my favorite shots at our maternity shoot - in preparation for our sweet baby girl: It's amazing how many things can happen in two short years!  It's also insane how it feels like it has been so much longer... I just had to take a moment to tell the world how very grateful I am to have JP in my life.  He's an amazing gift from God, for sure.  A strong man - I mean, he does handle me, after all, and many of you know that has to take a special person! Ha...

I have been wanting to write all week, but after sitting at a desk all day at work, I just don't feel like doing it at home!  Especially since I have to elevate my poor swollen feet! Last week when I went to the doctor, she said she didn't think I would go full term. I went back to work and Boss and I (yes, that is our favorite name for Frankie..."Boss") started getting a plan of action together.  I have a high caseload right now, and there seems to be a good bit of people who are not enrolled, who still take up 80% of my time.  As a result, we are having to bring someone in part-time to cover me while I am out.  Which makes me happy - because I know my caseload will have someone watching over it, and also because I don't have to worry about my co-workers getting bogged down with extra work trying to cover me (although I know they won't mind because that is how we do it...just not for 8 weeks...lol).  After that I came home and started doing final prepara...

Baby Cole's name is........ Jenna Mae Cole!

The third trimester has become what everyone said it would...a mix if excitement and fatigue...   The excitement has taken on a new element, with the reality of the impending birth really hitting home.  We have the nursery set up, clothes washed and put up, most of the necessities in place, and now we are taking extra steps to prepare ourselves, physically, emotionally & spiritually.  We are surrounded by the love & excitement of our families and friends, and alive with all of the possibilities expanding our family will bring. On the flip side (the yang to the yin, if you will) is the elements that are inevitable in the final countdown.  At 5 weeks out from our due date, I am getting quite a bit uncomfortable.  I had been warned about this, but, as with the rest of life, I never am quite prepared for the reality - or as much as I think I am.  Little miss priss has turned her rear end upward (a really good thing!), but it is pressed firmly against ...

Wow!  I never would have guessed how moved I would be from researching natural childbirth!  It's no longer just a consideration for me, but the only way I would like to experience child birth. The first thing that a lot of people who have had children say to me is, "Yeah, just wait until you are in there.  You'll be begging for them to give you an epidural!"  And who knows, I might just find myself in that position.  Actually, the research says I WILL find myself in that position at some point during the labor process.  This is also why having natural child birth isn't just a decision you make, but also a process of preparation.  It's understanding that labor is not easy, or painless, or without self-doubt.  These are all documented parts of the labor process that produce genuine concern in most women.  Part of preparing for natural childbirth is not only accepting that this will be a part of the process, but expecting it, preparing for it,...

Hard to believe that our due date is just 7 1/2 short weeks away (give or take a little, depending on nature)! And what a busy holiday season this has been! Christmas is always a relatively stress free holiday for us, as the schedules our families have naturally fit together.  We always head up to Clemson for Christmas with his family on Christmas Eve, and also spend Christmas morning with them.  We usually head out from there around mid-morning and head back to Irmo, where we spend the middle part of the day with my Mom.  Then we usually head out to Chapin to my Dad's house around 5:30ish, and we spend the evening there.  This year was all good food, too!  No turkey hangovers for us, as we had Chicken Parmesan and Meatballs in Clemson on Christmas Eve, eggs and bacon there on Christmas morning, had ham and the fixin's with Mom and our usual Christmas surf and turf at Dads.  What a wonderful gift to be able to see some of each of our families for the holi...

Now that the doctor's appointments are two weeks apart, it almost seems redundant to keep updating from each appointment, but.....I am going to do it anyway! I met the final partner in the practice this morning, Dr. Lambert, and I also liked her very much.  I am very happy with the choice of doctors and feel very comfortable with each of the doctors in the practice. Baby Cole and I are both in good shape!  I am still dealing with some swelling in my feet & legs, but it's not any worse than it has been for the last few appointments.  I tried TED hose to deal with it, but those things were a pain in the rear!  As a result, I had a suggestion for compression socks to wear during the day, so I am going to pick up some of those and see if they work better than the TED hose.  My blood pressure was a little elevated when I first got there (127/80, which is high for me), but it had gone down a bit, to 110/70, once I was ready to leave.  Belly measurements a...