Dear Jace,
These last nine months have been the most difficult, emotional, exciting, and exhausting time of my life. But in less than a week, we'll be meeting you for the first time, and I know it will be the most rewarding moment of our lives. Your Daddy and I just cannot wait to hold you in our arms. And I wanted to give you a little timeline of our last nine months together:
Friday, June 13th, 2014: I took an at-home pregnancy test, and it was positive-such a surreal and exciting moment. I was speechless all night...I didn't even tell your Dad right away. I took two more tests and there was no denying those two pink lines. Your Dad was at a friend's house that night, so I bought Father's Day cards (from the pups of course) while he was out and left a little surprise on the bed when he came home. I was so excited to tell him and he didn't come home until after 1 AM. Sooo frustrating but ended up well worth it. Your Dad could not even believe it.
Wednesday, June 18th, 2014: We headed up to Hammondsport, NY for our wedding. Yes, we had been engaged since July 3rd of the previous year. And yes, we planned on having you. Josh made me stop at a CVS somewhere in Pennsylvania just to quadruple check that you were real. And of course, we got another positive test :)
Saturday, June 21st, 2014: Your Momma and Dad got married. It was a perfect ceremony and it was so exciting to know that you were there with us. Nobody else knew about you (except for Scott and Camille because apparently your Dad can't keep a secret!), so I walked around with half a drink the entire night and took the smallest of sips of champagne. I faked any celebratory shots and made Josh drink them instead. Needless to say, he had a fun night :)
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014: We had our first doctor's appointment, and I got to hear your heartbeat for the first time-what a cool sound to hear! They told us your due date was February 12th - the day before your Dad's 40th birthday. You also got your first picture taken. Our little peanut...it was love at first sight :)
Friday, July 11th, 2014: I told our best friend, Pete, while on a work trip to Kentucky. He told one of his favorite retailers and in true Kentucky fashion, we did the "pencil test" to find out if you were a boy or girl. The pencil test said you were a boy! Not so scientific, but I believed it :)
Monday, August 4th, 2014: We elected to go to the high-risk doctor to make sure you were perfectly healthy. They had really fancy ultrasound machines that took fantastic pictures. They took all sorts of measurements and tests and even took my blood to make sure you were going to be a healthy baby. Not that it mattered, but we wanted to make sure we were going to be fully prepared for anything. We got all good news and also got some very cute pictures of you. They said you were a "wiggly" little thing, but still no word of whether you were a boy or girl though!
August 10th - August 16th, 2014: Your Mom and Dad went on their honeymoon...all the way to Cabo. I was a little hesitant to eat some of the food while there as I did not want to get us sick, but all went perfectly and it was such a relaxing vacation. Already a little world traveler :) We hit the three month mark with you and announced your upcoming arrival to the world.
Sunday, August 24th, 2014: We still didn't know if you were a boy or girl, but we wanted to get started on your nursery. Your Aunt Kara and Grammy came in town and we picked out a gray color for the walls. It was such a fun time with family, and I wish I could describe how much your extended family loves you. You'll learn soon enough :)
Monday, September 15th, 2014: Your 18 week ultrasound - also the appointment where we could "officially" find out your gender. Your Dad and I elected not to find out at that appointment. Instead, we had our nurse call your Aunt Kara with the results, so she could help prepare a gender reveal party for friends and family. As always, it was so much fun to see your picture:
Saturday, October 18th, 2014: Your gender reveal party! Your Aunt Kara kept your gender a secret from us for five weeks. We were just dying to find out. We had tons of family and friends over to our house. Aunt Kara filled a big black box with balloons. We opened up the lid and blue balloons came flying out of the box. It was probably one of the most exciting moments of my life! I jumped up and down and clapped my hands and your Dad got a little woozy and turned a little pale. It really hit him that he was about to have a sweet little son. We already had a name picked out: "Jace Dwight" - your Dad came up with the name Jace and I fell in love with it. Dwight is a family name - it's your Dad's middle name and your Papaw's first name! You have some big shoes to fill, mister :)
Tuesday, December 9th, 2014: Your 4-D ultrasound. This was another picture-taking opportunity that we elected to do. We have wanted to see you every chance we can. I didn't get to really enjoy the ultrasound because I struggle with laying on my back...but I sure loved the pictures and the video! We had the appointment first thing in the morning, and you were sleepy and laaaazy. I think you might take after your Dad :) and from what we can tell, you look just like him too!
Saturday, December 27th, 2014: Your Aunt Kara hosted your first little mini-shower. Your Grammy, Great Aunt Cindy, and Lauren all attended. It was such a cute little afternoon, and you got some good stuff too!
Sunday, January 4th, 2015: Your Dad and I are planning on being pretty laid back parents (for now...). We both accept that we don't know what we're really in for when it comes to taking care of you - and that just makes it all that much more exciting. I will say that I have, in fact, read tons of books about what to expect...but we aren't so big on taking classes. We did, however, decide it would be a good idea to at least take a labor and delivery tour so we could get a heads up on your arrival. Little did we know that we would be spending the next month in and out of that special section of the hospital:
Wednesday, January 7th, 2015: This sounds like such a ridiculous story, but your clumsy Momma stepped on a dog-bone before work and kinda collapsed a little bit. I later had some worrisome bleeding that had me speeding to the hospital. We ended up having to stay the night and your sweet Grammy drove three hours to spend the time with us. I was so worried that I had done something to hurt you, but the doctors kept reassuring us that your heartbeat was "textbook perfect."
Saturday, January 24th, 2015: Your baby shower!! There were so many people that came to show their love and support for you, and you got so many good presents. I hope you aren't always going to be so spoiled...we are going to do our best to raise you to be self-sufficient and to always work hard. But a little bit of spoiling shouldn't hurt anything :)
Sunday, January 25th, 2015: Your clumsy Momma was at it again. I was walking down the stairs and looking at my phone and completely missed the bottom step and fell hard on my side on the tile. Your poor Dad was out eating tacos and rushed home so we could go to the hospital. I wasn't in any pain, but I cried so hard because I was so worried again that I hurt you. They had us plugged into machines and all looked great. You are a tough little monster and your heartbeat stayed strong. You had another ultrasound, and you were fast asleep (per usual). The doctor had to put a buzzer on my belly to wake you up. Poor thing. Your dad was a trooper to spend his whole Sunday sitting on an uncomfortable chair...but we had a good time and kept me laughing that whole afternoon :)
Tuesday, January 27th, 2015: We put the final touches on your nursery! You better thank your Dad someday for all of his hard work that he put into it. He put together your crib and your dresser. He moved tons of furniture in and hung your shelf and curtains. I know these seem like small things now, but I am pretty certain he would move mountains for you if he had to :)
Wednesday, January 28th, 2015: I had a routine check-up and had some very, very high blood pressure. They kept us there for the entire day to run tests to make sure I didn't have preeclampsia or anything else. I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension. Nothing too terribly horrible, but the doctor said we needed to go ahead and schedule labor induction. Soooo....the plan is to head to the hospital at midnight on Sunday, February 8th. Your Grammy and Dad plan on being in the room with me to welcome you into this world. And your Papaw Dwight, Mimi, and Jackie plan on being there that day too :) Now...Josh and I know that plans change and you may come sooner than Sunday, but no matter what...I'm looking forward to the most exciting day of our lives. In the meantime, I am just now getting over the flu...but I am on my way to getting healthy and strong so we can have a safe delivery!
So Baby Jace...that's your life so far in a nutshell. In less than six days, your Mom and Dad get to hold you in our loving arms. We are so anxious to meet you. We're nervous and scared and hopeful for a healthy delivery and a healthy you. I have never prayed so hard for anything in my life. I haven't even met you yet, and the love I have for you is indescribable. I'm not typically an emotional person, but you have turned me into a complete piece of mush. And I kinda like it. We love you, Baby Jace. No matter what, you will always be our little sunshine. Please just get here safe and sound :)
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