The day before baby...

The time has come to welcome our sweet little boy! After our doctor appointment yesterday, we got some not so great news that my blood pressure had gone up again.  At about 35 weeks, my blood pressure went up a little bit but it always went back down after lying on my left side.  After the doctor told me I would need to work half days, my blood pressure seem to be much better and I thought we were over that little issue.  Well out of nowhere, my blood pressure was higher than ever yesterday which of course the doctor did not like.  He told us he was sending us to labor and delivery for some tests.  If the test looked okay, he would induce me on Thursday.  If they didn't look so good, he was going to induce yesterday.  Luckily my tests came back good so we were able to go home until Thursday.  In case you haven't been able to keep up, yes, this was our 3rd visit to L&D.  As some of you probably know, spending the night in L&D is not enjoyable.  Thankfully our third visit only required us to be there for a few hours.  And we were still good sports, smiling through it all!  We just wanted to make sure we had the routine down!

After we got home, the news began to sink in that we are having a baby this week!  You would think that being nearly 39 weeks pregnant, the news wouldn't be so shocking, well for some reason it is still just now sinking in.  Maybe it's because we have been dreaming and praying for this day for so long, but it is a little surreal to think that the most precious desires of our hearts are finally coming true.  I was just thinking about where we were this time last year.  We were hoping and praying for a baby.  And after all this time, God has been so good and faithful and He is revealing a sweet, sweet blessing to us.  

Since realizing that the time is here, I have had a mixture of emotions.  It's probably just those good ole hormones!  Even though I have been quite uncomfortable and very ready for this baby to be here, I've also been a little sad that today will be the last day I will get to enjoy Hampton's sweet movements.  This will be the last day that I get to carry him with me every where I go.  I know that I will never get these sweet moments back so I plan to enjoy these last moments of carrying our baby boy in my tummy.  I've also been a little sentimental about the fact that we will no longer be just "Kole and Ashley."  We have been married almost three years and for those of you who know us, you know that we do everything together.  I have truly enjoyed the time we have had as just the two of us.  I love everything about our simple, everyday life and I am going to miss that.  But I know that this new chapter will be even more amazing!

So how we will be spending our last day before our baby boy arrives?  Well first and foremost, I will be following doctor's orders and getting plenty of rest as delivery could mean I'm in for a long day tomorrow.  Just so happens that Kole is on Spring break this week which means he gets to be right here with me.  We plan on getting all the rest we can while we still have that luxury, double checking to make sure we have everything ready for the hospital, probably eating a lot since I won't be able to eat anything after midnight (I'm just being honest), and of course we will be giving this sweet fella some extra TLC.  He doesn't know it yet, but he will soon be meeting his little brother!  He doesn't like it when his mommy and daddy leave him alone for a few days so we will make sure we spend some time with him before baby Hampton is the center of attention.

We also got to spend one last night with our favorite people, the Steltenpohls!  Next time we get to hang out with them, we will officially be a family of three!  Anna Lee is so excited to meet Hampton and she told me we have "two days" left!  Looks like we aren't the only ones counting down the days.  I know this sweet girl is going to love bossing around Hampton and her baby brother Mac.  I can't wait to see them all together.

Now I am off to enjoy my last day with my sweet husband before we become a mommy and daddy!  Next time you hear from me, the Skinners will be a family of three and we will be introducing you to our most precious blessings.  Until then, we pray for a happy, healthy baby and safe delivery.

A sweet friend shared this verse with me and it has been on my heart since....

"And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him."

Luke 2:40