Amanda went to the doctor on Monday, and she told Amanda that she was not dilated but she was 90% effaced.  According to my sister, this is apparently normal for first-time moms.  But, the long and short of it is that the doctor had no clue when Noah would arrive — it could be today, it could be 2 weeks.

So, we wait patiently, trying to get those last-minute things finished up.  The nursery is painted, and the next step is cutting in the paint and putting up wainscot — all things that I’ll continue working on for weeks to come.

Prayers for a safe, quick delivery and quick recovery would be much appreciated!  This is all new to us and a bit overwhelming at times.

Well, according to the doctor this morning, Noah is anxious to get out and see the world.  So, we may be seeing him sooner than we thought.    The doctor said that we should probably have a hospital bag packed next week, just in case…

Well, I’m finally making some progress getting the nursery painted.  I finally had a free weekend!  Amanda picked out colors, and I started painting today.  Next up, wainscot on the bottom half of the walls.

We head out Tuesday to visit my brother Ryan and his family for a few days.  Then, we’re driving to Victoria and Vancouver for a few days.  A final relaxing trip for the two of us, before Noah comes — well, I guess technically, he’s coming with us!

Vancouver should be fun, as the Olympics just ended there; and, we’ve heard that Victoria is beautiful.  We get to ride a few ferry boats across the channels, drive across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, and maybe we’ll catch sight of a few migrating whales while we’re there.

Can’t wait to see Ryan and Holly and their sweet boys — apparently, Pax has invited us for waffles.  Be there as soon as we can, Pax…  😀

Amanda had her first shower today, and she had an amazing time with church friends and our immediate family.  I don’t think she realized how much fun it would be!  And, the folks there were very generous to us.  Amanda brought home a Tahoe filled with amazing gifts — that just stunned us!  And, we’re very grateful (especially since we have no clue what we’re gonna need!).

Amanda has truly been blessed by the group of church friends that put on the shower today.  What an amazing group of friends.  Thanks, all!  🙂

Yes, it’s true.  But, I’ve got the flu, so I guess it’s OK.  I’m holding down the fort at home, just because Amanda didn’t want to get sick and all.  She even took the dog.  This is starting to sound like a country song…

Actually, I guess — truth be told — I kicked my wife out of the house.  😉  Can’t afford her getting the flu, too, with Noah.  Thankfully, she’s doing well.

Off to take my meds…

We got a glimpse of baby Noah today!

Everything went really well at the high-risk pregnancy doctor’s office.  He was very helpful and encouraging.  The cysts had all gone away, and we were told he looked very healthy and “active” — there’s that word again…

We got to see him open his eyes, yawn (really big!), and move around on the sonogram.  And, finally, we got a workable 4D sonogram.  Jasmin was our sonogram tech again, and she was amazed at the little guy yawning and fighting to keep his arms over his face.  The doctor said he had a strong heartbeat, and even showed us “fetal breathing” which was pretty wild.  We could even see the fluid being breathed in and breathed out.  Pretty amazing!

We had fun building a rather large snowman over the long weekend.  The snow was so wet, it rolled up like insulation off the ground.  So, building the snowman took about 5 minutes.  Amazingly enough, he is still there (though quite a bit shorter) this morning!

After much debate, thought, Internet searches, books, brownies, and ice cream, we decided on a name yesterday…

Our little boy will be named Noah (rest, peace, comfort) Lewis (famed warrior).

A little family background:  Lewis is my middle name and the middle name of my dad.  In my family, the name goes back several generations to my great-great uncle on my Great Grandmother Shaffer’s side — Colonel Lewis Limbert.  He was in the US Cavalry during World War I.  My dad was named for my Grandmother (Shaffer) Sharp’s brother, Lewis Hazen Shaffer, who was also in the military and died in the Battle of the Bulge in World War II in December, 1944.  From my Aunt Bette:

Uncle Lewis “Dude” Hazen Shaffer (3/21/1920-12/12/1944) was one of Mother’s 5 brothers.  He was married to Marjorie Jean Shaw in June 1942.  He was listed as missing in action initially. He died in the Battle of the Bulge of WWII.  His body was not returned to family until 1949. His burial site is the (rt 8) Rhyn Farm Cemetery, Rouseville, PA @ Titusville, PA.

It is also a family name of one of my closest and respected friends — Wade Lewis Shaffer.  Pretty sure we’re all related somehow…  Speaking of being related, Amanda’s maiden name is Shaw.  Hmm…  😉

7.5 inches of snow by this morning!  Mandy and Tigger had a blast playing “catch”.  She’s out of school, and has had a 4-day weekend!  I get to work from home….  🙁