Today is THE DAY

"Today is the day that The Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24

I took the most amazing nap ever yesterday afternoon after I blogged.  There was drool everywhere when I woke up- evidence to me of a good sleep!

This was the screenshot I sent out yesterday to our faith family.

As soon as I woke up I went through all of the text messages I had received and saw a bunch of notifications on Facebook.  I immediately saw posts from my friend Toni in Oklahoma.  They had bad storms the day before but I had no idea they were continuing.  We texted and I watched the live coverage on The Weather Channel.  She was only a mere ten miles from the destruction path of the storm.  As my eyes were welling up with tears I called out to God asking for Him to keep her safe.  At that moment I promise you that I watched the tornado disappear back up into the clouds.  In my own selfishness I had only prayed for her, along with her husband and daughter.  The three of them were fine, but the tornado left behind so much devastation and many lives lost.  This is not one of the happy memories that I wished to record on the day before my daughter's birth.  My heart is at rest knowing that my friend and Elliana's honorary Aunt Toni is alive today, yet I still grieve for all of those who perished.

My experience with the first two cervical checks was easy.  I left the office feeling the same way as when I walked in.  That cannot be said for the past two- last Wednesday and yesterday.  My belly feels even lower and I have battled more contractions and back pain.  It actually felt like my tummy could fall off of my body.

Weemail is hilarious. (It's a free app in the apple store)  You get a "message" from the baby everyday.  Some of them are funnier than others and this one is one of my favorite so far!

Brandon had to run to a few meetings with customers yesterday and wasn't home until close to 4 pm.  He worked until past 5:30 pm trying to wrap things up knowing that he wouldn't be able to fully sit down and take care of people until next week.  My pain and anxiety level from watching the storm coverage kept me from doing much at all until he was able to help me.  We did wash, dry, and put our sheets back on the bed. I absolutely love the smell of Gain and having clean sheets!  We packed the diaper bag, snack bag, car seat, and nursing pillow in the car to get a jump start on today's packing.  We finished up two additional loads of laundry and reevaluated our hospital bag.  Brandon did a quick clean of both of our bathrooms again and vacuumed throughout the house one more time.  All of the trash has been taken out and this is about the cleanest I've EVER seen our house!

I added this PicStitch collage to Instagram yesterday.  I've taken so many pictures of my growing belly throughout the pregnancy.
I can't believe that I'll look so different when I return home at the end of the week. 

Once we finally stopped running around we decided to go ahead and get gas in the car and grab some dinner.  We could have went out for a nice sit-down and romantic dinner but I was feeling too crappy honestly!  We grabbed McDonalds instead and I enjoyed my last fully-loaded caffeinated Dr. Pepper.

Joy was here at the house when we got back and we spent some time with her and the kids, and Dad showed up as well.  Joy prayed over me and I surprisingly only shed a few tears.  After she left Dad came in for just a few minutes and then he went home as well.

God has blessed me with an amazing family.  Joy's kids call my Daddy "Pops" now.  It's so awesome how your family doesn't always have to be blood related.  My faith family chooses to be a part of my life and I am blessed by them.

My Joy.
Where would I be today without her?
This is my favorite picture of us because we could pass for sisters.  She is like a sister to me.  She know all of the personal serious stuff and the embarrassing things too!

I have no idea how I went to bed.  I guess I was tired.  But here I am now not able to sleep anymore.  This is about my usual time to wake up and drink loads of water or sweet tea before falling back asleep on the couch.  I'm being good and am NOT drinking anything (doctor's orders for induction).

A friend I met through Joy is also in labor right now.  Brandi's water broke yesterday morning and she has been at the hospital since.  They are planning her c-section today and I know that she is beyond ready to hold her daughter as well.  Her labor experience has been long and hard and she has failed to progress past 4 cm.  They have two beautiful children through the gift of adoption, and God also blessed them with Miss Annalise after a severe battle with over twenty miscarriages.  Please remember Brandi today.  She's been through so much already and I'm just praying that her c-section is quick and that she recovers swiftly.

I messaged with her earlier telling her that I had an inkling our daughters would share a birthday.  My hope was that I'd magically go into labor yesterday after my cervical check... not that she would labor and labor and labor through the next day.  But she and I were both products of what Joy calls "Nesia's baby dust."  I've only met Brandi once, at Nesia's first birthday last year.  In that one week Nesia was with us at the fertility clinic during the FET and then saw Brandi and her husband during the time they must have conceived their own miracle baby (who thrived with one of the LOWEST progesterone levels I've ever heard of).

So here we are today.  I should be sleeping right now but I'm wide awake.  I may regret not getting more rest later, but for now I am glad that I've been able to type away more memories.  Elliana's arrival is getting closer and closer and I cannot even comprehend the amount of love I will feel for her as I give birth and she is placed in my arms.

I have some anxiety and nerves about today, but for now I feel God's overwhelming peace flowing through me.  He brought us to this day and I will trust Him to help us through it.  Our journey doesn't end today because Elliana will be born.  Our journey is just beginning as a family of three, but I will never forget what it took for us to get here.  The friendships and relationships we made along our infertility path are so special to us and we will never be the same because of them.  I would not trade our journey for anything.  Brandon and I are so lucky and blessed to be on this side of infertility now, but know that there are still so many others waiting to complete their own families.  We will always pray for those still in the family building process-no matter how they are trying to achieve their forever family.  He and I do not know what our own family future holds, but I do know that we will continue to trust God and rely on Him.