Ruby - One Week

Little Ruby Ann is one week old today! She is doing wonderfully -- eating, sleeping, and pooping by the book. :) Rae has been adjusting very well. She gets a little bored and whiney during feedings, but that is getting better, too.
Here are some pictures!

Resemblance?

Here are some comparison pictures of Rae & Ruby as newborns in the same outfit. Rae has the bow in her hair. Ruby has the pacifier. See any resemblance?

Ruby Ann!!!!

Hi everyone, and sorry for the delay on the news and pictures!
For those of you who haven't heard, our darling daughter, Ruby Ann, was born Monday morning around 6:35 am. She was 7 lbs, 11 oz (one ounce smaller than Rae) and 20 3/4 inches long. I started having contractions around midnight and by the time we got to the hospital, I was already quite far along! I only had to push for 15 minutes (a HUGE difference from the 2.5 hours of pushing I did with Rae!) and there she was, beautiful little Ruby.
She has been healthy and wonderful from the get-go and is nursing like a true champion. We got home tonight (Tuesday) around 7:15 pm. Rae LOVES her little sister and always asks to "hold you." She gives her kisses and helps me with diaper changes (bringing the diapers, throwing the dirty ones away...). We are believing God for a smooth transition for all of us.
Anyhow, I'll stop typing and give you what you really want: pictures! Thanks to all of you for your prayers, wishes and love!

Overdue

As of today, I am officially "overdue."
I went to the doctor yesterday. He said that while I am making some progress, the baby really hasn't dropped very far. He said it could be up to another week before she makes her grand appearance.
I was fairly bummed out by that news, but I know she will come when she's ready to come. As of right now, I have another appointment scheduled for next Tuesday. Hopefully she will have come on her own by then, but if not, the doctor said he may want to look into some options for inducing labor. I don't want to be induced, so please be praying that she'll come soon!
On the bright side, I lost 3 pounds last week. :) It must have been that hour-and-a-half I spent sitting with my feet propped up every day (yeah, right).

One Week Left

Today I had my 39-week check-up. Much to my horror, I learned that I gained SEVEN POUNDS last week ALONE! That's a pound a day! And that's NOT NORMAL!
The doc said 3-4 pounds could probably be attributed to water retention (my ankles and legs are a bit swollen). He recommended I sit down with my feet up for AN HOUR AND A HALF (straight time, not broken up) every day. Moms -- do any of you have an extra hour and a half to sit down with your feet up each day? Because I certainly don't!
All that said, we are very excited to be only one week away from Ruby's due date (Wed, the 24th) and are ready for her when she decides to come! Here is a picture of my 39-week belly. It has taken on a very strange bullet shape as the baby moves into "ready position."

A Visit

My dear friend Nicole and her son Beckett were in town for the convention this week. We were so blessed to be able to spend the day with them today (Friday) before they headed back to Virginia.
It's crazy to see the two of them grow up and interact with each other so much. Here are some pictures from our fun day at the park.

Belated State Fair Blog

Rae and I made it out the state fair three times this year; once with our friend Sarah, once with JP's family, and once just with JP.
Our first visit was on opening day. It was beautiful outside and not crowded yet as we got there in the morning. Rae loved seeing all the animals, especially the "babies" in the Miracle of Birth center. We originally planned to just go with Sarah, but two international students ended up coming with us, and I was so glad they did! They were a blast -- everything was completely new, exciting and very "touristy" to them. They wanted pictures of everything. They had never heard of cheese curds or funnel cakes. It was a blast! But there was one sad spot in the day -- my first fair food stop is always the meat patties from the West Indies Soul stand in the food building, but when I went there this year, the stand was gone!!!!! I was heartbroken.

Rae meets the miniature horses

Sarah and the cow
Bird's eye view
Thanks for a fun day, Sarah!

We returned to the fair on Saturday with the Charlebois side of JP's family. We're now a two double-stroller family...with Ava & Rae in one and the twins in another. The highlight of this trip was the giant slide. JP took Rae down it twice. She absolutely loved it and kept wanting to go "again!" Here's a low-quality video for your enjoyment (Margie & Ava are on the left, JP & Rae on the right; the yelling comes from Margie):

Rae also loved the carousel. This is not the best picture we got, but it's the only one I have on my computer right now.

Another beautiful thing happened this day. On the drive to the fair I decided to go online on my iPhone and check the food finder to see if my meat patties were really gone. Much to my delight, I found out that they had only moved!!! They are now located in the new Bazaar, and if you have never tried a meat pattie from West Indies Soul, I HIGHLY recommend you make the Bazaar a stop on your visit next year (don't forget the sauce!)!

The chubby prego discovers her food is still at the fair!
Rae & Daddy at the Bazaar
The whole crew (the babies are in their bjorns)

The final trip back was just the three of us (JP, Rae and myself) and consisted of all the major food stops (meat patties, french fries, sweet martha's, corn on the cob, etc.), Rae's first mini donut, and three more rides on the giant slide. JP also took Rae "up high" on the Sky Ride. She thought that was pretty awesome.

Helping Out a Friend

Hi everyone,

A friend of ours is competing in an online school talent contest as an artist. Please check out this video of her drawing a sketch of Anne Hathaway. The video will be partially judged on the total views it gets.
Please login to your YouTube account if you have one so that the view will count.

Thanks for your support. Enjoy!

Full Term

Today I had my 36-week OB checkup. I am officially "full term" -- just one month left till sweet Ruby makes her grand appearance! I've gained 19 pounds, and I'm blaming the state fair for every pound over 20 that I end up gaining. :) Everything is still going well. I can't believe what an easy pregnancy this has been.
Rae also had her 18-month checkup today. She is 27 pounds, which is 80th percentile for weight, and 33 inches long, which is 95th percentile for height. Where she gets her height is a mystery! She continues to amaze us every day with how verbal she is. She speaks (in my opinion) extremely well for her age. She is also excited for Ruby to come. She has started caring for her baby dolls in ways such as feeding them bottles, burping them, and laying them down to go to sleep. She comes up to my tummy just to say hi to Ruby and give her a kiss. She is going to be a wonderful big sister, and (I believe) a big help to mom.
I will be going back to the doctor every week now until the baby comes, so stay tuned for more updates.
And here -- for your viewing pleasure -- is a new picture of the twins, Vincent and Florence. This is my favorite picture of them so far! Aren't they cute?

He comes bearing gifts!

JP came home from work today with this gorgeous bouquet of flowers for me. It wasn't one of those pre-arranged bouquets you can buy just about anywhere. He personally selected each flower with me in mind and had the flower shop lady arrange them for me. I think he did a beautiful job.
In addition to the flowers, he also brought CHOCOLATE (my man knows what I like) and a stuffed koala bear for Rae. He's a good man! :)

Three Years

"I, Audra, according to the Word and will of God, submit myself to you, JP, as the church submits to Jesus. Today, I covenant with God and with you to be your wife, to be your helper, suited to you in everything. I will follow you as you follow the Lord, respecting you, bringing honor to you, and loving you. By God's word and by His Spirit, I vow to live by faith and pursue holiness, to minister grace and peace to our home, to comfort and encourage you, giving preference to your needs above my own, as unto the Lord."

Happy Anniversary, my love. Thank you with all my heart for three beautiful years of love, leadership, provision, and friendship. You are an amazing husband and father, and I will love you forever!

Micah and Missy's Blog

Missy has started a blog to keep family and friends updated on their new adventures in the U.S. Army. The address is http://mandmharpel.blogspot.com. Check it out!

Goodbye, Micah

This morning, I went with Missy to Fort Snelling to see Micah take his oath and enlist in the U.S. Army. Minutes later, he was on his way to Fort Benning, GA.
Emotions couldn't be any more mixed. We are so proud of him, yet so sad to see him go. The good news is that we found out that he'll be home for Christmas for about a week! That makes a huge difference, especially for Missy & the boys.
According to Micah & Missy...

"Basic training lasts about three months. He will graduate with the MOS11B, which means 'Infantryman.' We will fly down to see him graduate at this time. This will be sometime in November.
"Since Micah's goal is to become '18X,' Special Forces, he continues at Fort Benning to Airborne School. This 3-4 week course consists of parachuting out of airplanes.
"After passing Airborne school, Micah moves to Fort Bragg, NC where he starts his training and selection process for the Special Forces. For one month he will be in Special Forces Prep Course.
"After passing the Special Forces Prep Course, and after about 6 months TOTAL time of him being in training, he will be able to come home on a one-month leave; hopefully around February 12th. Once home, he will gather up our things, and us, and we move down to Fort Bragg, NC. Micah then continues Special Forces training, which can take up to two years. It is unsure exactly where we will be during those two years of training, but we will be together in the same home, and for that I (Missy) and thankful!"

Here are some specific prayer requests Micah and Missy have for all of you:

• For Micah's body to recover quickly from one day to the next
• For favor from his commanders
• For Micah & Missy to both stay spiritually strong
• That he would pass all his training
• That he would not worry about his family back at home
• That his time away from the family would be no more than 6 months
• For Godly friends/fellowship
• That their marriage would stay strong
• For frequent communication opportunities
• That the boys would do well during this transitional time
• That Micah and the boys' relationship would stay strong
• For baby #3 to stay healthy
• That Micah would be able to come home for the birth of baby #3
  

Please do keep them, and all of these things, in your prayers!

Last night, we had one final farewell dinner together as a family. Here are some pictures of that as well as from today. They wouldn't allow pictures during the actually swearing in ceremony, but I was able to get some of the final goodbyes between Micah, Missy and the boys.










We love you, Micah, and we are so proud of you!!!!!!

Micah's Going Away Party

There are only two days left until my brother, Micah, leaves for 6 months of basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. On Sunday, my sister hosted a going away party for him at her home. It was a great time for people to come by, say their goodbyes, and spend time with Micah before he leaves.
Every day gets a little more emotional. This is the first time anybody in our family has ever moved out of state. But we're so proud of him.
Thanks to all of you who made it to the party. I know Micah and Missy really appreciate all of the support, love and prayers around them.