38 Weeks (but only 4 days left!)

Latrice and I never thought that we would still be pregnant at 38 weeks. We figured that the babies would have run out of room by now and would be on the outside hanging out with us. I had predicted that the boys and I would watch the Ag game together on Thanksgiving, but I was wrong. These guys are happy to stay inside of mommy's belly and grow a bit more. We are both okay with it since it means that the boy's lungs should be nice and strong when they come out this Thursday. As excited and ready that we are, we will wait just as long as these two guys come out healthy and strong ready to take on the world with us at their side.

We spent this weekend doing some house Christmas shopping just like we had decided. The house is coming along nicely. The tree is up and the house is taking on that "christmasy" smell. My job today is to put up the icicle lights and decorate the yard with a few items we bought. It is raining right now, so it's going to have to wait until it stops.

I will only be in school 2.5 days this week. Since the boys are coming on Thursday, Wednesday is a half day for me. Once the boys are born, I get 10 days of paternity leave. That is a really good thing that the military does for new dads. So, I will be home making sure that mommy and the boys are attended to and taken care of. That is a job that I am grateful to be home (and not deployed) to be able to do.

Contractions have been on and off for Latrice. They are really strong at night and they do keep her up. The boys do not like them at all. They kick up a storm in protest and that causes mommy more discomfort than the actual contraction. Her feet have also become swollen in the last few days. It is an unpleasant symptom and it hinders her ability to get around or to stand to long. She put on some super tight socks to keep the swelling down and it helped a little. One thing that she has done well though is staying hydrated. I have been filling her water glass quite often and that is a good thing. She will go through a glass and a half throughout the night.

So, we "celebrated" our last weekend together as just the two of this past week. By "celebrating" I mean that we realized that it was our last weekend together and we reflected on our past and our future. We took notice of some of our routines and appreciated them. Our weekend routine is quite simple, but it fits us both.

Next weekend will be hectic. My mom is coming out to help us and I have to go pick her up from the airport. Latrice should still be in the hospital on Saturday and be ready to be released on Sunday. So, the plan is to get mom here on Saturday, get her settled in and ready to receive mommy and babies at home on Sunday. We are very grateful that she is able to come out and take some time out from her many duties at home. My dad and 2 sisters are REALLY going to miss her. She is the center piece of their lives at home and does a lot for them. She works 3 jobs and keeps up with all of housework as well. I am sure she is looking at this opportunity to come out and help us as a vacation compared to her daily routine at home! I think her biggest challenge will be getting here by getting through the airport. She has only flown once in her life and it was with my dad at her side leading her through the process. Airports can be a huge challenge if you are unfamiliar with them. Adding to this daunting task is the fact that she will have to change flights in another huge airport like Chicago and figure that rat maze out by herself. So, she is stressed out about it, but we are sure she will manage.

4 more days! In 4 days our boys will be with us. Words can not describe the range of emotions we are going through as we await their arrival. We spend so much time talking about them, that we are now debating their middle names. Originally it was going to be Jacob Javier and Joaquin Andres. However, I feel like my name should go to the boy that is born first as a "birth rite". We both think that Joaquin will be delivered first, so he will inherit Javier as his middle name. The quandary is that Joaquin Javier doesn't ring as well as Joaquin Andres. However, I also feel that it is unfair to Joaquin that Jacob inherit 2 family names. Jacob's name comes from my younger brother who passed a few weeks after birth. He had a heart defect and died due to complications. So, I want to pass that name on to my son in honor of my baby brother. Thus, Jacob gets that family name. Again, if we name him Jacob Javier then he gets 2 family names and Joaquin doesn't get any. I just don't think it is fair to Joaquin. So, if Joaquin gets Javier, what do we give to Jacob? Andres does not ring well with Jacob either. The middle name for Jacob we are thinking about is Daniel. Latrice thought of that one. I am at a blank. So, we will spend the next few days thinking of a new middle name for Jacob. However, if Jacob is delivered first, then the problem is solved. He will be Jacob Javier as originally discussed. Wish us luck!

~Javier