Jackson is Here!

Jackson Kennedy Roberts was born on December 30, 2009 at 2:17 P.M. He weighed a whopping 8 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 inches long. We are so proud of him and have enjoyed every moment we have been able to spend with him so far. I was very blessed to have a smooth delivery with no complications and a beautiful, healthy baby boy. Here are a few pictures of our little blessing.

Don't you just love him? He is absolutely adorable! We are so blessed. :)

Counting Down

I am really trying not to get my hopes up, but I am hoping that we will be checking into the hospital in 24 hours or less. I have to call tomorrow at 3:00 to find out what time we need to be there and to make sure there is still a room available. I have a feeling there will be a lot of inductions taking place this week, as January 1 is quickly approaching. We are really not out to get the tax break. We just want the baby to come before our insurance changes. We have been very blessed to have great insurance, but we found out that GE's insurance is changing after the first of the year. With the insurance we have now, we should not have to pay less than $1000 for the delivery. With the new insurance, we would have to pay thousands of dollars. We would not be inducing if the baby was not ready, regardless of cost. However, the doctor says the baby is ready.
Today has been somewhat of a busy day for us. I did not sleep well last night and was pretty tired today. After doing some cleaning this morning, Fred and I went to Chick Fil A for lunch. It was a mad house. The food was really good, but the place was packed. After lunch, we went to Wal-Mart and Lowes. Then we came home, and I watched Days of Our Lives. When Days went off, I fell asleep. Fred played video games while I slept. I have taken a nap almost every day over Christmas break. I guess those days are about to end. I will miss Fred like crazy when he goes back to work. I really love having him around.
After I call the hospital tomorrow, I will try to get on and give everyone the details. I am starting to get nervous, but Fred keeps reassuring me that everything will be okay. I hope and pray that he is right. We are so ready to meet our precious baby.

Productive Weekend

Fred and I have been pretty productive over the weekend. We have managed to clean the kitchen, do laundry, sweep and mop most of the downstairs, and get stuff together for the donation truck. I have been trying to make a list of things that need to be done before the baby arrives so that we can stay organized. I know that if I don't write things down, I will forget about them. My suitcase and the baby's bag are both packed, and the carseat has been installed. We have a freezer full of food we have cooked so that we will have things to eat when we're too tired to cook. Fred had a dream last night that the delivery was great with no complications. I hope he's right. Maybe it was a sign that things are going to go smoothly for us in the delivery room. We are anxiously awaiting the baby's arrival and would be completely fine with him making his entrance before the induction date. The sooner he comes, the more time Fred can spend with him before he has to return to work. Fred goes back on January 4, and my parents are planning on coming up for a few days to help out with the baby. I don't think this baby has any idea how many people are extremely eager to meet him. He will definitely be the center of attention. I know Fred will hate to leave him but will take lots of pictures to work. I have been asking Fred for years now to put a picture of me on his desk at work, but he still hasn't done so. However, I am willing to be that his desk will be covered in pictures of the baby. I can't say that I blame him. I'm sure I will be passing around the photos as well when I go back. I will also be putting his picture on my blog and facebook for your viewing pleasure. Hope everyone has a great week!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you have all had a wonderful day surrounded by the ones you love. Fred and I have had a really great day together, even though it was just the two of us this year. We missed being seeing our families but just didn't have the option of traveling this year, with me being 38 weeks pregnant and all. Santa was very good to me this year, and I got lots of wonderful presents. Fred and I cooked breakfast this morning and then opened gifts. We tried out our new video camera and made lots of pictures. Here are a few pictures from our morning.

Our Beautiful Christmas Tree

Fred's Penn State Shirt

A Gift to Mommy & Daddy from Baby Roberts

Fred LOVES Christmas cookies!

Induction Date

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and she scheduled a time for me to be induced. Unless there is a rush of pregnant women who go into labor, we should be going in the night of December 29 and delivering on December 30. I am really hoping everything goes well and runs smoothly for us. We are anxious for Baby Roberts to get here, and I am honestly getting tired of being pregnant. If everything goes according to plan, we should have a baby in less than a week. Wow! It's actually pretty hard to believe.

Fred and I have had a really good week off work. We have made a gingerbread house and cookies for Santa. I think we will probably make these things a yearly tradition for us.

We have had a lot of fun together, and there was been a lot less stress without all of the traveling. We want our baby to know what it's like to wake up in his own house on Christmas morning, so we will probably stop our traveling around the holidays. If people want to see us, they will just have to make the drive to South Carolina.

If anything exciting happens between now and the time Baby Roberts arrives, I will let you know. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

38 Weeks

Today marks 38 weeks of being pregnant. Fred and I are both so ready for Baby Roberts to get here. School could not have ended at a better time. I have to say that I am quite proud of myself for making it until Christmas break. In fact, I only missed one day during the entire first semester. That's a record for me.
There was pretty bad weather here on Friday, December 18, which was the last day of school. School dismissed at 12:30, which was nice. I was glad to get home because I don't like driving in bad weather. Unfortunately, Fred's truck would not start when he was ready to leave work. I had to go pick him up around 5:20. Thankfully, there wasn't much traffic. We went back to his work on Saturday, but the truck still wouldn't crank. We had to go buy some jumper cables, and he was able to get it started on Sunday. He made it back to the house and put in a new battery this morning.
I was very blessed to receive some sweet gifts from my students at school. I received some homemade goodies and some things for the baby. My 3rd period class all chipped in and gave me a $100 Target gift card. Aren't they just too sweet? I have to say that I think I will actually miss my students while I am out on maternity leave. The students I have this year are by far the overall best group I have ever taught. I feel very fortunate to have them.
I am trying to decide what Fred and I should do for Christmas. It will just be the two of us this year. However, I still want to do some cooking. I plan on making a breakfast casserole for Christmas morning, but I'm not sure what I want to do for Christmas Eve. I will probably make some dressing and a sweet potato casserole, plus whatever sides we want to go with it. We'll have plenty of leftovers to freeze so that we will have some food to eat after the baby arrives. I'm sure we won't feel like spending our time cooking when we could be spending time with him.
Fred and I made a gingerbread house yesterday. It was a gift from my Secret Santa at school. I think we'll try to start making one each Christmas. It was fun, and it also makes a nice decoration.
We go to the doctor tomorrow afternoon, so I'll let you know what we find out. I am hoping the baby will be arriving sooner than later, but that decision is really out of my hands. Merry Christmas, everyone! :)

Christmas Break

Christmas break is officially here! It seems like I have been waiting for weeks to be able to say those words. However, now that it's here, I can't say that it has been too terribly exciting. This is the first year that I won't be going home for Christmas. Things around Greenville have been quite boring lately. My Christmas shopping is complete. The gifts are wrapped and under the tree. My suitcase is packed for the hospital. I have tried so hard to stay on top of things, and now I have nothing left to do. I am sure I will be quite busy once the baby comes. However, until he gets here, I am at a loss as to how I should fill my time.

Last week was a pretty busy week for both Fred and me. I was busy making a cake, candies, and breakfast casserole for school. Fred made a Christmas tree cake for work. It was too cute. He is so talented.

I would have loved to have tasted a piece, but he didn't bring any leftovers home with him. However, I can't say that I'm surprised. I'm sure it was delicious.

In only two more days, I will be 38 weeks pregnant. I can't tell you how ready I am for this baby to come. However, I don't think he's in any rush. He's enjoying lounging around. I am getting to the point of being miserable, and I am ready to NOT be pregnant any more. I would really like for the baby to come while Fred is off for Christmas break, but I'm not holding my breath. I go to the doctor on Wednesday, and I am hoping that she will still be willing to induce on December 28. If she's not, then who knows when this baby will finally get here.

Well, I guess I don't really have any other updates for now. If I don't post again before December 25, I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy every minute of it! :)

Full Term & Three Years

I guess I should start this post by explaining the title. Yesterday made 37 weeks of being pregnant, which means that the baby is now considered full term. Yay! It's hard to believe we've made it this far. It really seems to have gone by rather quickly, but I'm sure these last few weeks will drag on forever. Fred and I have been married three years today. Happy anniversary to us! He is such a great hubby, and I am so blessed to have him. It makes me smile just thinking about him.
A couple of people have commented that it looks like the baby has dropped, which really excites me. It's just one step closer to delivery. The bump does look lower, and I am hoping he won't wait too terribly long to make his grand entrance. His movements have become very distinct and are rather strong. I can put my hand on my stomach and feel his little foot moving around. It's actually a pretty cool thing. Fred talks to the baby all the time and is also able to feel him move. I don't think this baby has any idea how much we already love him and can't wait to meet him.
I'm not sure what we are going to do to celebrate our anniversary. We will probably go out to eat dinner, but I have no idea where we will go. I'm not in the mood for anything in particular, and I'm sure Fred will tell me to pick a place. We put out presents for each other this morning and opened them after breakfast. Fred gave me perfume and a Glee CD. I gave him jeans and a dress shirt. I really like my gifts, and he seemed to like his as well. I am just hoping his fit. However, if they don't, I saved the receipts.
In other news, I only have a few more days of school until Christmas break. There's just something about knowing that I don't have to get up early every morning that puts a smile on my face. I have been super busy making homemade candies and hope to fix up little goody bags for the teachers. We are having a breakfast on Friday, and I am taking the famous breakfast casserole. I am definitely going to miss all of the teachers while I am out on maternity leave, as well as some of the students. However, I'm sure there will be lots of tears shed when we leave the baby at daycare for the first time.
Well, I guess that's about it for now. I will try to post somewhat regularly until the baby is born. After that, I seriously doubt I'll have much time on my hands. Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Party Time Tonight!

Friday is finally here, and I am so relieved. Fred's work party is going to be held tonight at Sassafras, a restaurant in downtown Greenville. While I am excited about a night out, I am also tired. It's only 9:17 in the morning, and I am ready to lay back in the recliner and relax. My back and neck hurt, and I am tired. I plan on taking a shower when I get home, in hopes of waking myself up. I have been sleeping an extra fifteen minutes each morning, which has seemed to help a little. However, getting up about four times each night to go to the restroom really doesn't help the situation. I am starting to wonder if my bladder will ever go back to normal, even after the baby comes.
The weather is supposed to be really cold here this weekend. There's even a chance for some icy rain and snow. I'm not holding my breath, and I actually hope it doesn't get bad out. I still have some Christmas shopping that I need to finish, and I'm not driving by myself in bad weather.
I thought I was going to be productive yesterday by going to Wal-Mart after school. Boy, was I wrong! They had pretty much nothing that I needed. I wanted to get Fred a couple of small things for Christmas, but they were sold out of everything I had on my list. The main reason I went was to pick up a gift card for one of the coaches at school. His wife is expecting a baby this month. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone, but I was mistaken. I left the store tired, aggravated, and hungry. At least traffic wasn't bad on the way home.
On a positive note, Fred and I decided on a name for the baby. Yay! However, don't ask me what it is because I'm not telling you. It's a secret. In fact, we have heard time and time again that it is a good idea not to tell anyone. If no one knows, then no one can complain. We even ordered his Christmas stocking with his name monogrammed on it. I need to take his diaper bag by the Pink Monogram so that I can have his name put on it as well.
I have a good bit of laundry to do this weekend, but not nearly as much as last weekend. We did manage to get all of the baby's laundry done last weekend. This weekend I have to get my own laundry done. I still haven't washed my things for the hospital yet. We also haven't installed the carseat. It was on Fred's "to-do" list last weekend, but he just didn't get to it. We were super busy and both exhausted. I don't know what I would do without Fred. He has been so good to me, and I know that he is going to make an excellent Daddy.
Well, I better get going for now. It's time to give my students a quiz on poetry. Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

36 weeks

We have officially made it to week 36! Yeah! We went to the doctor yesterday for the Group B strep test and to confirm that the baby is head down. We also got to hear his heartbeat...music to our ears! He is growing exactly as he should. We go back December 23 to begin our one week visits. I have eight more days of school before my very long Christmas vacation, a.k.a. maternity leave.
Yesterday was super busy. We went straight to the OB after school, then home for 15 minutes, then to the family doctor. I have had this strange rash on my legs for months, and my hands are so dry that they have started cracking open. Fred has some kind of burning rash on his wrists. We both went last night to get ourselves checked out. I was given a prescription for some steroid cream, and Fred was put on two kinds of oral pills. I'm glad that mine is a cream because I don't like taking pills any more than I have to. When we left the doctor's office, we dropped our prescriptions off at Wal-Mart and went to Chick-Fil-A for supper. We then headed back to Wal-Mart to pick up our medicine. Thankfully, it was only around $25 for everything. Yay!
Today has been a really good day. My back hasn't been hurting too badly, and I have actually had a little streak of energy. I'm sure Fred was shocked to come home and see me in the kitchen cooking supper. I even did some laundry, folded towels, and put away baby stuff. I really didn't do too terribly much, but anything is better than nothing.
I'm hoping the rest of the week goes well and passes by quickly. I have to admit that I will probably miss my students while I'm out, but I am going to love every minute I get to spend with my sweet hubby and baby. Life is good! :)

35 Weeks

Well, we have officially made it to week 35. I feel like I have a rock in my stomach. It stays really hard most of the time, which is a sign of Braxton Hicks contractions. These are not "real" contractions, but they are supposed to help get me ready for the main event. We are hoping the baby will come before his due date, but I guess that's up to him. I am worried that he is a little too comfortable inside me. He moves all the time, especially at night. This past Sunday night, he kept me up almost all night moving around. He gets the hiccups on a regular basis. I read that he has already developed his sleeping pattern, which means he will probably have his days and nights reversed...oh joy!
My parents came last week for Thanksgiving break, and we had a great time. They brought tons of stuff for the baby and even bought us a Lazy Boy recliner. I have already been enjoying it. We had good food and a very nice visit. I assume their next visit will be when Baby Roberts makes his grand entrance.
My next doctor's appointment is on Monday, and I am hoping that the baby will still be measuring ahead. It's hard to believe that I will be considered full term on Tuesday. Where has the time gone? I'm sure time will start standing still now that I'm getting pretty uncomfortable. However, it will all be worth it when I see that precious baby for the first time. I know Fred will be absolutely ecstatic.
We plan on getting things ready this weekend...car cleaned, carseat installed, suitcase packed, laundry washed, pack n play set up, etc. We still have a lot to get done before Baby arrives. We have done a pretty good job of staying on top of things, but there are always those last minute things that have to be accomplished as well.
Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!