It's candy corn season!

Labor Day must mark the start of Halloween season in the retail industry. I was somewhat startled by the transformation in my neighborhood Walgreen's when I stopped in last Friday. But just when the annoyed thoughts (Is it really necessary for that goofy goblin head to howl at EVERY person who walks by?!, How early will they put this stuff out next year... after July 4th?, Do people really put their kids in those itchy costumes?) reached a boiling point in my head... I stumbled upon a little gold mine! Yes, there at the end of the aisle the small orange bags seemed to glow in a spotlight only I could see. All annoyed thoughts quickly dissipated as I unexpectedly entered into one of my favorite times of year - CANDY CORN SEASON!

I used restraint on Friday and only purchased a 2 small bags - the Autumn Mix (a lovely blend of standard & chocolate candy corn with mellow pumpkins) and a newcomer to this wonderful season, a Carmel Apple flavored candy corn. I couldn't get through the checkout line and to my car fast enough. It was there, to the sound of an end-of-summer rain storm, that I enjoyed my first tastes of this season's candy corn bliss. The Autumn Mix was amazing - perfectly sweet and chewy, as always. And while I was skeptical, the Carmel Apple could be a new favorite. I'm still working on the golden ratio, but I'm thinking 1 carmel apple kernel to 1 mellow pumpkin to 4 or 5 plain/chocolate corn kernels is the perfect sweet tooth fix. Fortunately, I have a few months to perfect this combo.

For those wondering how you feel about a woman with diabetes celebrating candy corn season, never fear... last I checked, corn, pumpkins, and now, apples, count toward my daily vegetable & fruit intakes. :)

My how we've grown

Check out these pics with our dear friends Ed & Leslie. The first was taken back in February, just before we announced to each other we were expecting while walking on the beach in Sanibel Island, FL. The second this past Friday night. They are due just a week after us and it's been a blast going through the pregnancies together.

Approx. 2 months preggo - fighting the morning sickness
(I blame the ocean breeze for my funky hair)

A matter of weeks before delivery - enjoying a final pre-baby night out

Camo Couple

I've been told this camouflage shirt does nothing to disguise the belly. But I figure it's worth a try!

The pic was taken at Barry's big birthday bash on Aug. 24 (pregnancy week 36). Here are a few more pics from the big event:

Triathlete vs. Baby bellies - Franki & Sarah

Passing on some new mama love - Julie, Sarah & Kim

One last hurrah for the awesome party deck

9.13.07

How does that sound for a birthday?

Just in case Baby Westy does not come on her own beforehand, we have scheduled a c-section for NEXT THURSDAY, 9.13.07 (yes... it seems so far away... at least to my body...). For those keeping track, this will be one day into week 39 and is already baby's Aunt Katy's birthday. For those in When Will Baby Westy Come? pools, please note that we did not pick this date - rather, the MDs and their surgery schedules did. Honest! We're keeping our fingers crossed that she'll decide to come sooner!

After a battery of tests at yesterday's appointment, it appears as if Baby Westy is still thriving in my belly (praise God!)... and as if she is still a big girl. The MDs aren't convinced about the accuracy of the size estimates (they say my belly doesn't look/feel as big as she's measuring)... so we're just saying she's big enough to warrant a c-section. And we will all be surprised at her actual size on her birthday (maybe we should start some pools for this)!

So for now, here's the latest update on my growing belly, and our growing baby (I think the belly scared Jonathan, our 'pseudo-brother' and childhood neighbor):

Encouraging Words While We're Waiting

Well, Labor Day came and went with no labor in the Westrom home. During this time of *sometimes impatient* waiting, I've found great encouragement from the following words:

For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me were written in your book before they came to be.

Psalm 139: 13-16

I'm sure this passage is one I'll come back to frequently as a mother. Right now, three big lessons are encouraging me:
1) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful: Am I praising my maker and my baby's maker for wonderfully making us both? Or am I too distracted by my own discomfort and impatience to do so?
2) All the days ordained for me were written in your book before they came to be: Wondering if every day will be 'the day'... and when it's not, wrestling with impatience/contentment... this verse is a great reminder that God has a perfect plan for both me and the baby inside me. He knew/knows just how many days I will go through discomfort just like he knew/knows how many days this little girl will hang out inside me. And trusting his perfect plan, I can take comfort in this... even when I'm uncomfortable.
3) As I've mentioned before, I've also wrestled with guilt/responsibility for not managing my diabetes well enough during this pregnancy... possibly resulting in the baby's size and/or future health issues. Throughout this passage I find encouragement to let go of this guilt. The same sovereign maker knit together me and this baby. And (as shared in other verses), he perfectly loves and will care for both of us - no matter what these days bring.

The Finished Products: Our Bedrooms

Back in July I wrote about our incredibly productive prepare-for-baby work weekend, during which, with the help of my parents, we tackled everything from painting our bedrooms and changing light fixtures to moving furniture and shopping for new decor.

Since then, we've added the finishing touches and are excited to share the below pics of the finished products (well, finished today... is design ever really finished?).

Special additional thanks to:
- Tom, Kim & Natalie for giving us their gently used crib
- Stephen for helping assemble the crib
- Craigslist friends for the great deals on all other furniture
- Stephen, Alisha, Tracy & Tracy for helping move Craigslist furniture
- Rye for tackling my long to-do list (usually with a smile)

Note: I had to be very strategic with the baby's room pics because we just hung letters for her name over the crib... and since the name is a surprise, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Our new room (makes us feel like adults)

More 'real' furniture for the adult room

Baby's room - view from the door

Baby's room - view from the rocking chair

The crib from the rocking chair

Baby's room - view from the rocking chair

The rocking chair (No, we're not trying to make the baby a techie with that giant old computer. It will disappear once Rye gets a laptop!)

Our current little girl, Allerton (Ally) Dakota

With most of my posts focusing on the anticipated arrival of our human baby girl, I realize I haven't really introduced the girl who currently has run of the house, Allerton Dakota (Ally). So blogging world, meet Ally, and Ally, meet the blogging world.

We adopted Ally through the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Relief & Rescue on Memorial Day weekend, 2006. We believe she's 2.5 yrs. old and probably a Chesapeake Bay Retriever (Chessie)/Lab mix. We're not 100% sure on any of this because her life prior to the spring of 2006 is a little murky. You see, Ally was actually abandoned in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. After being rescued, she spent some time in a few shelters, waiting for her original owners to claim her. When the given time had passed with no claims, she was transferred to a kill shelter (like many dogs, post-Katrina). Praise God, this is where the CBRR folks found, rescued, and got her into their adoption system. She then spent time in two CBRR 'foster' homes - one in FL & one in GA - before we selected and adopted her. Her name, Allerton, is after Robert Allerton Park, one of our fave college date spots. And her middle name, Dakota, is a tribute to Rye's homeland.

It's amazing how perfect a fit she's been with our family, considering her traumatic past and the fact that we'd only seen pictures of her before adoption. Like most Chessies, she is very people-friendly and incredibly loyal (sometimes this means she's possessive around other dogs). She's also pretty intelligent and strong willed, which means we have to keep her mind stimulated and challenged, or else she finds ways to do this on her own.

It's now difficult to remember life before Ally joined us. And we're excited (and maybe a little anxious) to see how she welcomes the newest family member. I can't point to any certain signs that she knows I'm pregnant, but she has been curious about the recent changes around the house, and some of the new baby toys (which she thinks are hers). We think she'll probably be a little jealous for attention at first, but are hoping her loyalty will extend to the baby and she'll become one of the baby's first friends.