baby room

Here are the long awaited baby room pictures. We had a lot of fun with the various projects. I'm very proud of how my mobile turned out. And Tristan really likes his night light. The canopy we put over the crib was lots of fun to make though Saphira has taken to hunting the butterflies. She knocked it down then sleeps on it. We have to keep reminding her that the crib is not hers. I'm sure she'll get the picture when the baby is using it. :) For now we just chase her out every once in a while. She really likes to sleep in the glider. That's usually where we find her.

Christmas decorating

Our family rule with Christmas decorations is they must wait until after Thanksgiving to be put up. The day after has been dedicated to the preparation for Christmas. Tristan did a great job putting up the tree. Saphira really wanted to help. She was curious about these boxes we were pulling out. She's also taken a liking to trying to eat the lower branches of the tree. We really have to watch her.

November News

Time for our November update, albeit a bit late. The month started out pretty normal, Tristan swinging along in classes and me keeping tabs on everything at home. I was working a few hours a day, it was all good. Then we had a bit of a scare one Sunday. We took a little trip to OSU's Labor and Delivery because of some worrisome bleeding I was having. They did some tests and an ultrasound and decided to keep me overnight for observation. The bleeding didn't occur overnight and I was sent home late Monday morning with a follow up appointment scheduled for the following Monday and instructions to "take it easy." Tristan took this to mean that I was not to lift a finger (or my body off the couch) for the next six days. He was in charge of meals (with the assistance of some close friends) and cleaning. I dutifully attended my appointment the following week. They did an ultrasound to test more things and sent me home with the charge to continue to vegetate for another week. I'd called my job the week before to let them know I would need the week off. I phoned again to update my boss and let him know I would probably not be returning. They were sad to see me go, as I was a good worker (I am very proud of this fact). Anyway. The doctor advised me to stay home and we adjusted our Thanksgiving plans (as it was that week). He also mentioned NO Black Friday shopping for me. Slightly disappointed we made the appointment for the following week and headed home. We had planned to go to Ann Arbor for Turkey Day, but considering the circumstances, we invited our friends to our house. Wednesday arrived and with it the Abernethy's. We prepared for the big feast the following day. I attempted to man my post on the couch as the boys prepared our Turkey dinner, but I had to get pictures. So...

Kevin and Tristan were on turkey duty. They stuffed it with apples and celery. It was really quite tasty.

Tristan did the honors to carve the turkey with a special set Kevin was so excited to use. The cutting board it came with had a ring with spikes to hold the bird in place. There were also these really nifty turkey lifters and a carving knife included.

We didn't have enough room at our table to hold everything, so we pulled out a second table to hold all the food. Katie set the table with special Thanksgiving candle holders, a runner, and made these cute little place cards with our names on them.

During dinner we talked about the things we are thankful for. Each person was able to share. Much of the same things were said. We are so thankful for family and friends as well as being able to educate ourselves for the benefit our our families (Kevin's in grad school for public health).

We then took a driving tour of OSU's campus and visited the Columbus Temple. When we got home we honored Kevin's Thanksgiving tradition of watching Home Alone as we ate pie.

It was a great holiday. We loved having the Abernethy's with us and are so grateful they were able to travel safely. It really is a blessing to have such great friends so close!

A quick wrap up to the whole bed rest story. After Thanksgiving I had another appointment. The doctor did an examination and took samples for a fetal fibronectin test. I got the negative results the next day and clearance to resume normal activity. I have a follow up to monitor the situation and if I remain stable, I'll be cleared for normal activity in the long term. I'm not working anymore, so I'll be able to take it a little easier until delivery.