Okay so I thought I would post an update on Laura and then I can just give out the website when anyone asks how she is doing “That’s Silly!” you say?? Well I call it SMART because now you are visiting my website and will probably come back once you see all the cool posts and photo albums, especially when you can see the difference in Laura’s belly size, or how cute Zoe and Abbey (our nieces) are… or maybe you just like the way I look in the pregnant suit
Anywho, here is the update:

Laura has been feeling tightness in her belly and is finding it almost impossible to be comfortable at all. Sleep is hard to get due to this. She has been feeling low to no-pain contractions infrequently. Today (Thursday) is one week past her due date, and she has an appointment with her OB this morning, and yes, there is the possibility that she will tell her it is time to induce. Laura does not want to be induced as we have come to understand that the fewer interventions used the better, so she may decline induction if it is offered. She has a second appointment for an ultrasound this afternoon to see how the baby is doing. At this point, also, they may want to induce. Same rules apply. As of Monday night Laura is 100% effaced {correction: Laura is 70% effaced as per her OB}, and 1cm dilated (same as she was last Thursday).

That’s about all I can tell you. We’re both excited but not impatient

I will keep you posted as things progress.

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UPDATE FROM OB APPOINTMENT!!!

Laura is still 1cm dilated, is 70% effaced (was told the doctor at the hospital didn’t know what he was talking about), and her OB wants to induce on Tuesday if nothing happens.  BUT she says her water is “ready to break”, so she doesn’t think it will be necessary to induce.

Days: 2

Victim count: 24

That’s right, it’s a full on epidemic sweeping accross Muskoka Woods staff and family/friends.  It all started on Sunday at Amber’s baby shower where Laura’s sister, Sarah, started feeling a little off…

Before we knew it 24 of us had displayed the same symptoms of extreme vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, aching body.

So here’s our story… Monday, around 6:00pm Laura had started to feel stronger contractions (had been feeling some all day) so we started to time them.  At first they came every 10 minutes, then they sped up to every 3 minutes (which is when they say you should head into the hospital), but then she started vomiting and the contractions spread out to every 7 minutes or so.  Eventually, after some more vomiting, the contractions got stronger and more frequent – sometimes under 3 minutes apart, so we called the hospital and were told to come in to get assessed.

So the phone calls started to immediate family.  The Holts (including David) made it to the hospital in record time and we waited for the doctor to assess Laura, who continued to vomit and have contractions.  Eventually the doctor came and examined her – 100% effaced (meaning the cervix has thinned out) but still only 1 cm dilated (same as her last doctor’s appointment on Thursday).  So he was about to send us home when we brought up the fact that Laura has been vomiting and unable to keep any liquid down, to which he said she would be put on an IV to replenish her liquids.  Turns out she was severely dehydrated and took 2 large and 1 small saline IV packs and even then was not considered to be hydrated.  The good news was she could keep liquid down, so the doctor sent us home.  The contractions were most likely brought on by this virus that has been sweeping through Muskoka Woods like no one’s business, because as soon as the worst of it passed, the contractions stopped.

So we got home and that’s when I started the old heave-ho and am just now starting to feel a bit better – a day and a half later.  I praise God that Laura didn’t go into labour yesterday since I was incredibly useless.

Moral of the story – stay as far away from Muskoka Woods employees as you can… at least for now, or unless you want to get off work or school for a couple of days.

Hey Everybody! It’s Laura.

I just thought I’d give you all an update on what’s going on with the baby and such….. NOTHING! I had a doctor appointment yesterday and she said I was 1 cm dilated, the baby’s engaged and sounding healthy. Oh! And I’ve dropped a pound!! Sometimes that could mean that labour is on it’s way…. I’m not super encouraged that I’m 1cm because I know many people who were that far along and still waited two weeks to deliver!! You really never know. I felt crampy yesterday but nothing happened from that. It’s all good though… the due date really is just something the doctors give you for you to know approximately when the baby could come. Only 5% of women have their babies on that date and that’s pretty much chance. My doctor said that if I was ok with it, she would induce me a week and a half overdue. We’ll see how I feel then. I have an ultra-sound scheduled on Monday at 3:45 at the hospital to check on the baby and make sure he or she is ok, make sure all the fluids are still fine and that I’m doing ok. The ultra-sound place is right next to the assessment room (where all the ladies go when they think they’re in labour and the nurses assess them to see what’s going on) so all I’d have to do is go one door over if the ultra-sound people decide it’s my time!! I’m trying my best to avoid induction of labour. Concentrated, intense pain, really fast… NOT FUN. If everything checks out at the appointment on Monday, then I have a doctor appointment scheduled for the Thursday (March 30th) to see how things are going and then we’ll decide what to do from there.

Good news is, I’m off work now! This is a good and bad thing…. good because I get to wake up and put sweatpants on right away, make myself some tea and plop on the couch. Bad thing is that I’m just sitting at home alone waiting for this baby to arrive. It’s better to be busy and to keep my mind off of it. I find myself taking everything that my body is doing, every twinge, every strange feeling and thinking that it could be it… haha. But, it’s so not. I have read two books though! I’m not watching much TV ’cause daytime television pretty much sucks. Dr. Phil has really turned into a somewhat classier version of Jerry Springer. Oprah is way too high on herself. One day she does shows on Fistula Hospitals in Ethiopia (to learn about it click on this link www.fistulafoundation.org) and the next she does shows on anti-aging techniques… how does that work?? Anyway, BORING. There are better things to think about. (sorry all you Oprah fans out there).

Totally unrelated to the baby stuff….I was wondering if you could pray for my sister Steph. She leaves for Thailand and Nepal with her YWAM team on Monday morning at 5am. This is obviously an amazing opportunity for her but travelling in foreign countries can be frightening! Plus, she’s gone for 3 months!
That’s my update for today. I keep thinking that I need to take pictures of the baby’s room and then never get around to it. Josh keeps the camera close to him so we don’t forget it when we rush to the hospital. I will eventually take pictures and post them… I will!!!

Pray for me!! Pray for us!! (Josh and I)
Laura

Josh here…

Well it is a good day in Ontario – Bryan Henkelman has returned, albeit for a brief time, with his wife Erika (very cool – we love her!).  Laura and I got to hang out at the Henkelhouse last night and have some steaks and a few games of croquinole (that’s how you spell it – I looked it up) with Bryan, Erika, and Craig.  Always good for a laugh and a good time.  Hopefully someday they will move back to the promise land

This morning we went to Forestbrook again for church.  We’re really loving it – from the service itself including the teaching, to the people we’ve met so far.  We’ve just felt so welcomed there, and it’s only our third time out.  Our first Sunday we stayed afterward for a newcomers lunch and were invited to a family’s house the following Saturday night for dinner along with several other young (and some pregnant) couples.  It was definitely a great start to a new church experience, and hopefully we can keep up the good momentum!

Last thing for this post – Laura is done work now, and is due on Thursday!!!  So it will be maximum 18 days before we have our new little addition… but it could be any day now.  Laura and the baby’s stuff is all packed in a suitcase and we’ve got snacks and all that kind of stuff ready to roll on a moments notice.  It will be different going to work this week without Laura – it will be only the second time since before we were married that we haven’t both been working at the same place.  I’ll let you know how that works out.

…. until the due date that is….

Laura here!

It really could be any day now. Yikes! We are ready for this little baby. Although, I’m really getting the nesting urge that everyone talks about. I constantly feel the need to clean! I haven’t given into the urge yet, but I will soon. I look around the house, and it’s not dirty at all, but I feel like it’s really cluttered!! It can’t be clean enough for me. It’s a very weird feeling ’cause if anyone really knows me and had seen my room growing up, I’m the messiest person alive. Although, that’s only with my room. My work space and everywhere else is usually tidy.

The only thing that’s not quite ready is the baby’s room. My family is all in HOT sunny Florida at the moment and I had ordered the baby bedding from target.com. It had to be delivered to the states so they’re picking it up and bringing it back for me. That’ll be really nice to have!! It’s so cute, I love it. Take a look: (http://www.dreamtimebaby.com/farmyard.html)  Also, I’m having trouble figuring out how to organize the room. My mom is spending the day with me on Monday so maybe she can help me out with that. I’m not very good at deciding where to put the little things in a room. I had the placement of furniture in the room in my head right away… check back soon for pictures of the final product of the nursery!!!

So, anyway… that’s all I have to say for today!!