Sweet-ness 7 Cafe

We found it. It took a while, but we found it. We found our coffee house. It is perfect. About half of a mile from our house, in a rough neighborhood, is the best coffee shop.

The building was purchased about a year ago by a grieving mother that lost her son in a car accident. She found this run down building and saw the potential it had, despite it's questionable location. Taking a risk, she purchased the building and started renovating, using materials from other buildings that were rundown and, with the assistance of many friends and neighbors, created a beautiful place to hang out.

This morning we ordered our drinks and sat at the counter, hoping to strike up some conversation. The owner was working the grill, efficiently putting orders together while sharing with us a bit of the building's history. I did a google search and found some very interesting details to fill in more of the story that she shared.

On our way back from the coffee shop, I felt my heart connecting with this new city. I can see us here, creating a home here. There was something deeply rewarding about finding this coffee shop. Maybe it was the sun and the fresh air combined with the great opportunities of meeting and connecting with new people this week and that made this great find even more exciting.

36 Weeks

Time flies. Today marks the 36th week. I am 90% of the way through my pregnancy, and have 28 days left. I think the scariest number is the 28 days. That is such a short amount of time.

I had another appointment today and am very excited. Things are going so well. My blood pressure was back to normal and I have even lost a pound. (I'm thinking it was the stomach bug diet that made me lose that pound)

It is mandatory in the state of NY to have an HIV blood test done when you are pregnant. I understand, but in my case I know I don't have HIV and think it is a waste of time and money to test me for it. But either way, they took my blood today.

They also did the Group B Strep test and checked my cervix. I am about a 1 and she said about 60-75% effaced. She said she was able to touch his head and that it isn't going anywhere. The head is in the -1 position, which means his head is dropping.

After feeling my belly and pushing on the baby she said he already weighs 7 pounds and that if she didn't know better she would think I was further than 36 weeks.

All of a sudden this feels real. This baby is coming and from the sound of it, sooner rather than later. I am so excited! I can not wait to meet Levi, to hold him in my arms, to get to know his personality, to stare at him for hours on end.

The time is coming and I am getting very excited!

Nothing Much

Here is what has been going on with us:

-Friday my dad called around 2pm letting me know he was about an hour away from Buffalo. This was a surprise. My dad and his wife came by and we all went out to dinner. They are currently staying in Cleveland while my stepsister is undergoing brain surgery and other procedures.

-Friday night my mom and my sister arrived around 11pm. This was a planned visit. Unfortunately, Beth had been throwing up in the car ride over and was not feeling well. My mom decided she needed to go the hospital, so we spent Saturday morning in the children's hospital. Beth quickly perked up and felt great the rest of the weekend.

-Saturday night we made a trip to see Niagara Falls. Had a good time. We only live about 20 minutes from there, so it might become a routine trip for us.

-Sunday we had dinner with my mom and Beth and my mom's friend PJ. PJ is a "magician" that my mom has known for a longggg time. He had a show in Buffalo and offered to let my mom and sister ride with him, making their visit possible. Dinner included homemade mini pizzas. Nothing fancy, but it did taste good.

-Monday I had an appt. I started bleeding a little in the morning and was concerned. My blood pressure is still a little high, but other than that everything is good. Five more weeks.

-We have finally finished decorating and organizing Levi's room. I am pretty proud of how it turned out. There is only one thing missing- Levi.

Big Boy

The men in the Petty family are known for a few things. One is baldness. Most men go bald at some point in their twenties. Tony still has a full head of hair, much to his disgust. The Pettys are also known for making bib babies. Tony's grandma's first son weighed 14 pounds at birth.

I have been warned of this "Petty curse" and didn't think too much of it. After all, that was at least fifty years ago when he was born and she went two months past her due date. In addition, Tony and I had normal birth weights. So, of all the things I had been worried about, this was not one of them.

Last week at my appointment, my midwife said I was measuring large and wanted to have an ultrasound done. I was measuring 37 and at most should have been 34, according to her.

So today I went in for my ultrasound. Everything looks wonderful. His heart has all four chambers with a good heart beat, he has all of his limbs, his head is already positioned low, and the tech was even able to see that he has hair.

The first measurement was his head. I am 33 weeks along and his head measured 35 weeks. Once the tech was done, she said that according to their estimates he already weighs 5 pounds, 6 ounces. And he is supposed to gain half a pound each week, with 7 weeks left. Yikes. If these numbers are accurate and I go full term, I will have a very big baby.

Road Trip

Friday I dropped Tony off at work and headed to Muskegon. I normally love road trips, but was really nervous to be on my own for a seven hour drive. Fortunately, the drive went well and I made it quicker than I expected.

I spent the weekend with family and friends and really enjoyed being back "home." It was very comforting to be in a place that I know so well, where I can drive around without first having to map where I am going. The sad part was that my other half was at home. So I felt at home but missing a piece of me.

I was able to spend some quality time with my sister who is now 11. We went out to eat and had some time for just the two of us to hang out. I am amazed at the woman she is becoming. She is very kind and generous, smart and quite funny, but also has a bit of an attitude.

Between my baby shower and Jaely's birthday party, I spent some time with friends and family that I haven't seen in a while, and who knows when I will see again.

I hung out with my cousin and her boys at their new house. I stayed one night with Tony's dad on my way home. It was great to see him, but I felt very lonely being there without Tony.

I stayed with the Rudds and they did a great job making me feel at home. It is amazing how the volume level changes in that home when the children are home. Sunday I was able to hang out with the four kids and loved it. Willow showed me her guitar skills, Will enjoyed showing me his room and toys and many tricks. Ginger was a siamese cat and also had quite a few impressive tricks to show off. And Isaac informed me that when he is big and has a baby in his belly that it will be a Levi. They are all growing up too quickly.

I met with a Lamaze coach in Grand Rapids on my way home, and stayed Monday near Flint. Tuesday I finished the trip home, after locking myself out of my car at a gas station.

I was able to get Tony early from work and I came home to a house completley unpacked and clean. The dishes were done, the laundry was done, and the floors were uncluttered. My husband is great. We spent the evening together going through the shower goodies, and going over every detail of the weekend that we had.

I am so happy to be home, to be with my best friend. This is home. And life is good.



***note... I was unable to take very many good pictures. I do have a couple videos that may be posted in the future***