It's Good to be Loved!

Having Bruce join our family in early December created the perfect opportunity for him to meet his extended family over the holidays.  As you will see from these pictures, he is one well-loved little boy!  We have loved getting to spend so much time with family over the past few weeks!  And we can't wait for Grandma Betsy, Papa Don, Andy, Libby, Kalo and Maggie to get here later today!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! 

We hope your holiday season is filled with peace and joy!

The first week

Perfect little man

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Bright eyes!

Sacked out

So precious

Hangin' with Daddy

Our family

Bruce turned one week old yesterday evening, and though we are all a little tired :), it has been a good week.  Bruce has met lots of family and friends throughout the week - hope to get the chance to post some of those pictures later!  Grandma Betsy has been staying with us since Bruce was born and it has been a God-send having her help around the house.  Andy, Libby, Kalo and Maggie all came to stay for the weekend, and with Aunt Libby's help, Bruce learned "eat" the first night they were here ... thanks Aunt Libby!!!  Up until that point, we had been struggling to get him to eat, even with a bottle.  He has some catching up to do weight wise, but he seems to be making up for lost time with all of the middle-of-the-night feedings he likes so well.  :)

Gage goes back to work tomorrow for finals week before he has two weeks of Christmas vacation - yea!  It will be so nice to have him home for two whole weeks!  Grandma Betsy is staying with for one more week, so I won't have to be on my own just yet.  :) 

Bruce Olen Werner

Meet our son, Bruce Olen Werner.  Born at 7:10 on December 5th, weighing in at 5 pounds, 4.4 ounces, 18 inches long.  As you can see, he is perfect.  More pictures to come soon! 

The Waiting Game

No news yet!  At my appointment yesterday, my doctor said that this week she would leave it up to Gage and I whether or not I should be induced.  After much praying and soul-searching, we have decided to wait ... to not rush our little boy, and see if he will come on his own.  It's wonderful how much peace I have with this decision.  Gage convinced me to spend my time this week resting and just taking care of our little boy.  I am so thankful to have a wise husband.  I feel more relaxed and calm today than I have in weeks. 

So, I am home ... fire stoked, dog at my feet, good book to read, and baby in my belly.  I am to make an appointment with my doctor again on Monday, at which time I will be scheduled for an induction.  Maybe we won't have to wait that long ... 

Pregnancy Trials

Since it has been weeks since my last post, I thought I owed to to everyone to explain why I have been so absent from the computer lately.  In the past month, my hands have become so swollen that I have developed carpal tunnel symdrome making it extremely difficult to type or do much of anything with my hands (I had trouble opening a box of cereal this morning.  And you should see what this post would look like without the backspace key! .... completely illegilble.)  In any case, I thought I would give it a go this morning - ignoring the numbness/throbbing in my hands - to catch everyone up on what has been happening lately.

Really, what we've mostly been doing is ... waiting. Waiting for our little boy to arrive.  Tomorrow is my due date, and I have a doctor's appointment at noon today to see if they will induce (my doctor started talking about that last week).  I will try to post an update later today with "the plan" (can there ever really be a "plan" when it comes to labor?)

Other than waiting, we have been occupying our time with Christmas decorating, visits to and from family, and getting last minute projects done around the house.

 

Gage and I went in search of a Christmas tree on Sunday and found a beautiful one at a Christmas tree farm outside of Rose Hill.  Gage wanted a big tree.  So we got a big tree.  :)  It was great to have time this past week/weekend to get projects done around the house.  I think I have definitly hit the "nesting" stage of pregnancy.  I have organized the pantry, closets, laundry room ... you name it, I've done it! 

The weekend before, we were SO blessed to have Mom, Libby and the kids come stay for the weekend.  Libby cooked feasts for us and froze a bunch of casseroles for later.  Mom cleaned for me, and they both helped me put away my fall decorations and decorate for Christmas.  Plus, I got to see my Kalo and Maggie - heaven!  It was a fabulous weekend, but of course I wasn't the one working.  :)  Mom and Libby, I hope you guys weren't too worn out after being here!