Simply Sara

Early this morning, Matt and I went to AnMed for our 40 week checkup. After yesterday's excitement, I had mixed emotions as to what we might find. (Quick update -- I've been having severe backpain, and when I called the dr. yesterday to ask a question, the nurse told me to go to the hospital! A few hours later, we were sent home because while I am 2 centimeters dilated, the contractions aren't strong enough.) Today's visit basically told us what we already knew -- labor is close, my body is definately making changes to put me in the "right" condition, but the contractions still aren't strong enough. I think Dr. Duniho could read the discouragment on our faces as we set in his office this morning. We further discussed the option of inducing labor versus waiting it out. I really appreciate Dr. Duniho leaving the choice up to us. He set a dead line for next Thursday as the absolute latest he would let me go without inducing. But between now and then, ...

Per the request of a dear friend (girl, you know I must I love you a lot), here is a picture of my swollen feet -- kind of reminds me of the Michelin Man!  

I'm 39 weeks today! I've stopped working (praise God!) and now I am practicing being a stay at home mom. I spent yesterday running errands, spending quality time with a dear friend, and cleaning like crazy. It felt great to be busy. Exhausting, but great. Kind of took my mind off of "waiting." Well, not really. It's hard to escape the feelings of anticipation and eagerness when I have a 24/7 reminder. Today has been the opposite of yesterday. I slept beautifully last night, which any woman who has ever been 9 months pregnant knows that a good night's rest can only be equated with an act of God. I've spent most of my day reading. I'm deeply engrossed in a christian fiction series by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley. It's my mom's fault. She's the one who told me I just had to read these books. And boy was she right. Tonight is Home Group and I am thrilled with the thought of being with friends. Especially such great friends. Suc...

Shhh...... I have a secret.... come closer and maybe I'll tell you..... Tomorrow, August 16th, is my sweet husband's 30th birthday! But don't say anything; he thinks he's turning 29, again! At least that's what he's telling himself! :) In honor of Matt's special day, I am planning on going into labor! haha Just kidding! (or am I?) I thought you might enjoy catching a glimpse of Mattie celebrating in his younger years. And I was kidding about the secret.... feel free to let Matt know just how special he is tomorrow! I know he would love it! :) S

Mommy and Daddy are so proud of me on my 1st birthday!  

Who's excited about turning 2 !?! 

Look at me, I'm 3!  

Happy 4th Birthday Matt! 

I know what you're thinking... Um, hello Sara...where are you? It's been a while.... You're right, it has been a while. Almost three weeks. Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks, which is considered full term! woohoo! And to be perfectly honest, I really hope he comes tonight! Today at work, I had my last baby shower and it was wonderful! Several of my parents came with the kids and of course, all of my co workers were there. It was so much fun! You know, I feel so blessed by how generous people have been. In fact, Matt and I were talking about that just the other night. We've been praying the entire pregnancy that God will provide...meaning financially... and it has really caught us off guard how much He has provided in other ways...such as our changing table being given to us....grandparents buying nursery furniture....tons and tons of donated clothes, toiletries, bottles.... Wow. It's all pretty amazing. So for the quick update, yes the baby has dropped. And yes...

Yesterday was a very exciting day in the Alexander household. Matt and I went to see Dr. Dunhio for my 34 week check up. Matt, as usual, decided to have to some fun during our extra long wait to see the doctor. Feeling rather cranky and hungry, I appreciated any and all distractions. I couldn't help but giggle when Matt had me lie back on the table so he could search for the baby's heartbeat using the doctor's Dopler. I made some effort to stop him, fearing Dr. Duniho would walk in during Matt's "check up", but I couldn't help but feel gleeful when Matt was successful. I was kidding him about becoming a doctor, when the "real" doctor walked in. Matt, rather confidently, informed Tim that the heartbeat could be heard best in a different location then where he was checking. And he was right! :) Our appointment took on a more serious tone when I started complaining about all of the pain I had been in lately. In fact, I had left work earl...

Last night, Matt and I went out to celebrate our 2 year Anniversary. Can you believe that 2 years have come and gone!? It just amazes me as I look back through countless memories to see how far Matt and I have come. We've journeyed through a lot, to say the least, but I feel like we have gained so much in return. I am excited about 2 years, but I'm thrilled about the life time ahead. We ate dinner at KanPai Toyko, a Japanese steakhouse, in Greenville. Yum. Dinner began with a delicious broth based soup, salad with ginger sauce, sauteed zucchini and onions, and hibachi shrimp. Then the show began. Our cook was very talented, pulling the spinning egg in the hat trick and "lava" bubbling out of an onion volcano. The food was delicious. Matt ate the sirloin, chicken and shrimp; I nibbled on the steak and chicken. Unfortunately for my taste buds, my appetite wasn't very big. A natural side effect of the growing baby inside of me. Much to my dismay, I real...

Happy 2 year Anniversary!  

Hibachi Combination 1: Sirloin and Chicken, served with Fried Rice. As you can see, I had a lot of leftovers!  

Yesterday evening, I went to the newly built and beautifully decorated AnMed Women's and Children's Hospital. My co-worker and friend Chrystie delivered her third son early yesterday morning via C-Section. I met up with two other co-workers, Sheryl and Tina, and we had the pleasure of meeting Seth Joseph Johnson at the tender age of 10 hours old! Wow! Weighing in at 8 pounds 15 ounces, Seth is considered a "big baby", but he felt so tiny in my arms! I was excited to see that Mom and baby are doing great and should be going home on Sunday. Just being there, knowing I was in the building where my son will be born, gave me such a wonderful feeling of anticipation and glee. Below is a picture of Chrystie and Seth. Happy Saturday, Sara

Chrystie and "10 hour old" Seth  

Found on the back of a box of Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea: Add Joy to your Daily Life 1. Pay as much attention to the things that are working positively in your life as you do to those that are giving you trouble. 2. Rake a big pile of leaves every fall and jump in it with someone you love. 3. Memorize your favorite love poem. 4. Learn three knock-knock jokes so you will always be ready to entertain children. 5. Don't let weeds grow around your dreams. 6. Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something. 7. Regardless of the situation, react with class. 8. Let some things remain mysterious. -- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

So, for the past couple weeks I've been feeling especially large. I know, I know... I'm only going to get bigger. But for some reason, I feel like I've taken some giant steps forward in the size department just here lately. Well, this past Thursday we went to see wonderful Dr. Duniho for the 32 week check up. Just a side note -- any female in the Upstate area looking for an OB-Gyn should go see Dr. Duniho. He is truly a gift from the Lord. I don't know where we would be without him. Okay, back to feeling large.... I was terrified to step on the scales! In fact, I even considered not looking and not asking the nurse for the number, but I held my breath and was estastic to find that I had only gained 1 pound during the 2 weeks! :) Apparently my swelling is stabilizing. My blood pressure was great as usual (100/62) and I had no complaints for the nurse. Dr. Duniho came in a few minutes later to measure my belly and listen to our baby's heartbeat. Big and st...

This past Thursday evening, I had my first baby shower! And let me tell you, it was SO much fun! When Stephanie first came to me and said that she wanted to throw me a shower, I was estatic! As the plans came together, I told her that all I really wanted was to just spend some time with my friends. I've been so blessed to be surronded by godly, fun, and very caring friends this past year. And now as mommy-hood is fast approaching, I realize just how much I need the support of my friends. Well, the night turned out to be all that I had hoped and more! I had the chance to catch up with friends that I hadn't seen in a while, such as Kelly (my former college suitemate), Mandy and Vanessa. We spent the first hour eating and talking as most women love to do. In the kitchen, I cornered Stephanie, Meg and Suzanne as I shared my anxiety over the upcoming labor and delievery. Each of them had such a different perspective from their own experiences, helping me to realize that each birth r...

What a wonderful group of friends! 

What an adorable bathrobe! Thanks Wes and Mandy!