The drive from Oklahoma City to Warner Robins, Georgia is about 15 hours. Since Meredith and Ryan live in Arkansas, we decided to spend the weekend with them and then make the second-half of our trip. We were hoping that sweet Madalyn would make her grand appearance while we were there, but she opted to stay in the warmth of her Mommy's womb. I have to admit that it was VERY disappointing for me...and for Meredith.
Right before Jackson was born, Ryan and Meredith came to stay with us over Thanksgiving. I went into labor two days after they left. It was sad for me to be so far from family at such a joyous time. I really wanted her to be there when he was born, but it didn't work out that way. We were hoping that the same thing wouldn't happen this time. Mer is 7 hours from Houston and almost that much from me in OKC. When you've dreamed your whole life of sharing the birth of your child with your family, it's difficult to accept that you'll most likely be doing it without any of them there. I hoped this time would be different and I found it difficult to accept the Lord's timing. In our minds, a birth over Easter weekend was perfect. We could all be together and my parents could come up and share the occasion with us. For some reason, the Lord did not allow it to happen that way.
Our time in Georgia was scheduled to last for two weeks, but they cut the conference short and we are leaving tomorrow. As I type this, I am praying for Meredith to spontaneously go into labor. If she doesn't, then she has a scheduled induction for 6 o'clock tomorrow morning. You can read the details of their decision on her blog. Even though I won't be there for the birth, I will get to see their new family of three on Friday. I am so thankful for this and can hardly wait to be there. My parents are also driving up from Houston, so we'll get to see them as well. (Jason and I could really use a dose of my parents right now!)
So let me backtrack to last weekend. We got to Ryan and Meredith's late Friday night. On the way, we dipped into Texas and I got to see bluebonnets for the first time in 8 years! I couldn't resist the stop even though we were eager to get to Arkansas.
He didn't like something that touched him:
He wasn't very enthusiastic about sitting still. Once I got the photos of him and Jason, it was nearly impossible to get another.
Now, this is what a little boy calls fun. Running up and down the hill:
25 weeks pregnant with out baby girl:
Saturday, we had a great lunch at a cafe in Ryan and Meredith's town. I ate chicken salad on a croissant and it was DELICIOUS! Later, I got an unsweetened blueberry muffin from their small health food store. I enjoyed that treat while Ryan, Meredith and I walked around the park...hoping to encourage labor to come along...and Jason and Jackson played at the playground.
Sunday, we went to church to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. The service was wonderful and we really enjoyed attending their church and meeting some of their friends. After church, we prepared lunch while it stormed outside. The weather was suited more for Good Friday than Resurrection Sunday. I have to be honest and say that my mind was more on Meredith having her baby than on the holiday. That is shameful, but true. Although I know that average gestation for first-time moms is 41 and 1/7 weeks, I was hoping that Meredith wouldn't be in that group.
It was so nice to spend quality time with Ryan and Meredith. Typically, we see each other when we're all in Houston. As wonderful as it is for us to all be together, there is never enough time to have one-on-one with each person. Being at there house gave us lots of time to spend together without any other distractions. (Well, except for being distracted by the hope of Meredith going into labor!)
I have been terrible about taking pictures lately. I had to get at least one photo of me and Meredith with our daughters in our bellies. Before we left Monday morning, I woke her up for one quick photo. She was very gracious to allow me to post this picture. I know that I wouldn't be as gracious if I had just rolled out of bed! Here we are with my parents first granddaughters!
Girl cousins in the womb:
Sunday, we went to church to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. The service was wonderful and we really enjoyed attending their church and meeting some of their friends. After church, we prepared lunch while it stormed outside. The weather was suited more for Good Friday than Resurrection Sunday. I have to be honest and say that my mind was more on Meredith having her baby than on the holiday. That is shameful, but true. Although I know that average gestation for first-time moms is 41 and 1/7 weeks, I was hoping that Meredith wouldn't be in that group.
It was so nice to spend quality time with Ryan and Meredith. Typically, we see each other when we're all in Houston. As wonderful as it is for us to all be together, there is never enough time to have one-on-one with each person. Being at there house gave us lots of time to spend together without any other distractions. (Well, except for being distracted by the hope of Meredith going into labor!)
I have been terrible about taking pictures lately. I had to get at least one photo of me and Meredith with our daughters in our bellies. Before we left Monday morning, I woke her up for one quick photo. She was very gracious to allow me to post this picture. I know that I wouldn't be as gracious if I had just rolled out of bed! Here we are with my parents first granddaughters!
Girl cousins in the womb:
Monday, we drove from Arkansas to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and finally Georgia. Jackson was awesome! He is such a traveling trooper. We made one wrong turn right at the beginning of our drive that put us almost 2 hours behind. That was a real stinker and it was my fault. I was the navigator. I was talking to my mom about something upsetting when we made the turn. Then, I was telling Jason all about it and never paid attention to what road we were on. When we arrived into a small town, I didn't recognize any of the signs. I knew something was wrong. I thought we were in Louisiana, but we were actually in Arkansas! In all fairness to me, the directions were very misleading and there was construction where we made the turn. That didn't make for a happy girl, but food, a good cry, and a little nap finally lifted my spirits.
We're on the road again tomorrow. We've decided to leave tomorrow evening and drive through the night so that we can get there as soon as possible. We want to avoid traffic and we'd rather not waste a whole day in the car. I've packed our bags and we are ready to go. As I type this, Jason and Jackson are out eating and shopping. I stayed back at the hotel to catch up on my blog, journal, and have some time to myself. I don't like missing out on time with them, especially when we're traveling, but I'm never going to catch up if I don't. Now, I'm hoping to hop on the treadmill for about 30 minutes. Until next time...
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