Our Sweet Boy!

We got to see Ben today! He is adorable! I just want to kiss those chubby cheeks. Allen says he has my cheeks. I think that is only because I still have full, round cheeks! Anyways, he is a sweet boy. He is also a big boy! Weighing in at 4lbs. 8oz at 31 weeks and 5 days. He has gained almost 1 and a half pounds in 3 weeks. I am getting a little nervous about his size and actually giving birth to him. But my sister assured me that he is probably just going through a growth spurt and will slow down soon. He is so precious and I am continually amazed by the work of our Father! The doctor said he even has a little hair on his head, not much but a little. (I have had heart burn this week and they say that heartburn can be related to the amount of hair. Is this a wives tail? Or is it true?)

I have been so blessed with a great pregnancy! A little sore and really tired but other than that doing great!

Love you all! And can't wait for you to meet our son!!

The start of Ben's Room!

Allen moved into an office this week which moved his office out of our second bedroom. So, it will be Ben's nursery and guestroom! I am pretty excited about getting Ben's room ready. We put the crib together and bought a big wardrobe to go in the room. We do not have closets here so we buy wardrobes. We also bought a dresser to use as his changing table.

On the funny side, nothing we do gets done the first time. We bought the wardrobe and they sent shelves to go in the wardrobe, but two of the shelves were too small and they cut the pipe for the hangers to go on but they cut it too short! So, the wardrobe is installed but missing two shelves and the poll to hold the hanging stuff. Next, we put the crib together and the mattress is too small by six inches all the way around. Just the perfect size for Benjamin to roll into and get stuck! We would like our child to be safe, so we will now have to go order a mattress to the right measurements!

Here are the pictures of the room before the redo. I will post pics as we do things to the room.

Words of Wisdom...

So, I have been given lots of "words of wisdom" from those around me. Arabs love to give advice. Before I was pregnant, I got all kinds of advice about fertility issues. It is very unusual for someone to have been married for 5 years with no children. To have a baby in your first year of marriage is a great blessing here. So, many wondered why we did not have children, including taxi drivers! I had a taxi driver tell me to make my husband eat an apple and a spoonful of honey every day and that would make him "strong". Or others would give me names of fertility doctors that they had used...Anyways, it is nice to be out of that phase of advice, however now we are on to a new set of advice. Advice about pregnancy...

I came home from the gym one day and had a big bottle of water in my hand. My landlord looked at me very seriously and told me to, "Be careful, Sara, do not drink too much water. Too much water is not good for the baby."

They believe that eating all different kinds of food can be dangerous during pregnancy. For example, ginger can cause a miscarriage. I mistakenly offered gingerale to my language helper one day. She is about a month behind me in her pregnancy and has had terrible morning sickness. So, I thought I would help...instead I just made her very worried about me. She asked me how much ginger I had been drinking and wanted me to call my doctor to make sure I was going to be ok.

This is a great one for pregnant ladies...They also think that if a woman does not eat something that she is craving and touches her body, then her child will have a birth mark there. So, every time I think that french fries would be yummy, I ask Allen if he really wants Ben to have a birth mark in the shape of a french fry! Just kidding...

Those are some random cultural thoughts for you today!

"A little ahead of schedule'

We had a doctors appointment last Monday at 28 1/2 weeks. Ben is doing great and enjoyed all the Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuits I ate in the states. He is weighing in at a hefty 3lbs. 2oz. and longer than normal. The doctor said, "He is a little ahead of schedule!" So, as a nurse, I was a little concerned but I think that he is just going to be a tall guy like his dad. I had my glucose tolerance test this week and everything was normal so that is great! I have to admit, I did enjoy all of that good food in America! But my weight is also within the normal parameters. If you were Arab you would ask me how much weight I had gained...there is nothing off limits here. Thought you might enjoy belly pictures and the difference 3 and a half weeks can make! The top picture is from last week and the bottom picture with Ashleigh is at 26 weeks.