No Baby Yet!

I am getting so tired of waiting for this baby to come out and join the family. Every night is a whirl of mixed feelings. Is is going to be tonight? Will I get up to pee and find that my water breaks? Surely something will happen tonight? Oh well, I guess that means I am not ready yet, or that the baby needs a few more days to develop. I am really tired of my routine right now. I think I am ready for a little stress in my life! I say that now, and two weeks from now I will be dying for relaxation instead. You never can win, can you!
Poor Joe has to go into work everyday and is bombarded by the same questions he gets asked everyday. Any changes yet? Has she felt any contractions? Etc Etc Etc! I feel for him. I just don't answer my phone unless I know it is someone that won't ask me those annoying questions. Even though I am only three days away from the due date I still feel like it will be ages before it happens. I having felt a single contraction, or been super tired, or super energetic. I feel like I have been in my nesting stage for the past 4 weeks now.
I feel like when I do go into labor I will probably cry out, "NO, not today! I am not ready!" :)
Summer Camp is over til next year. Joe is glad to have some extra freedom and more rest at night. We already miss the summer staff and aren't prepared for a long boring winter. Actually, it probably won't be boring with our baby around to hang out with.
As of right now Joe is out on a run with Maximus training for his hike up Mount Rainer. It started pouring about ten minutes ago. He He He! They are going to be soaked! Joe leaves on the 23rd of September with our friend Todd Rielage from Anderson. They will be gone for 5 days. My mom will hopefully come stay with me for the time he is gone.
That is pretty much all I have for now. I hope to have more interesting things to blog about after the little one is here.

Thoughts on Being a MOM!

The picture to the left is of some wonderful women from Beford IN. Most of them are sister-in-laws, mother-in-laws, and neices and one nephew. The others are from Joe's home church, Popcorn Christian Church. We drove down to Bedford a baby shower given by these wonderful ladies. We had a great time eating and opening gifts. I received a lot of great items that I can't wait to use.

I've been getting restless during the past week. I often walk into the baby's room and pace around wondering if I am missing anything, or if there is something I can do to get my mind off what labor is going to be like. It has been hard not having much to do since I am prepared for this home birth. I got my birthing kit in the mail at the beginning of last week and bought the list of things my midwife wanted to me have at the house.

I often spend most of my time thinking about being relaxed and releasing any stress that I may be feeling in the present. My goal during the past month has been to focus on all the positives, to feel strong and confident, so that when the time comes I know the labor I experience is going to be normal and the pain is only temporary.
During my last appointment with my midwife she asked if there was anything I feared. My only fears are the point at which my contractions are so close together and the pain so intense that I will not be able to focus on using the relaxation techniques I have been practicing over the past two months. I have no fears of pushing what so ever. She said she is very curious to know how I will handle labor versus the way I handled hiking up and down mountains for 6 months. She seems to think that it won't be much different. Hiking up mountains all day long was no easy task but I don't think it wil compare to having a baby. So far hiking for 6 months is the hardest thing I have ever done but I'm guessing that will change once I experience delivering a baby.
As far as my feelings about being a mom I am indifferent. Two weeks ago I would have told you that I was not excited about being a mom at all. The last 7 years with Joe have been amazing and it is hard for me to picture our life being interupted with a new member of the family. Joe and I love the time that we get to spend together. We have spent a lot of time talking about how we will juggle time together and time with our kids. We understand the importance of nurturing our childrens' needs but also see the importance of nurturing our marriage. We both feel that in order for us to have a better than stable, crazy in love and meeting each others needs marriage, it will require us to make "Joe and Mel Time" a big priority. I want my kids to grow up seeing Joe and I madly in love with each other to be a good model of a healthy marriage. I don't want my kids to feel our stress because we put our marriage on the back burner. When kids see that their parents are in love with each other that gives them a confident and secure feeling in themselves and the life that they live in.
Being a mom is such a big idea for me to wrap my arms around and understand at this point. However, I know God gave me all of the abilities I will need to be the mom that he intended me to be.

Baby's Room Preview and more Belly Pics

Well, there it is, your sneak peak. I spray painted this table back to a new white finish and bought the baskets at Walmart.

I love how I don't look pregnant from behind!

Oh my belly! Can't wait to do this same pose again except without the belly!

Is it really the middle of July already? Summer is passing much too quickly, although I am partly glad for that since it means I am only 5 weeks away from my due date! Who knows? I could go much sooner than 5 weeks which would be awesome. I am so ready to be a mom and not have this basketball belly anymore (please keep your comments to yourself about why I shouldn't wish away my belly). The one thing that has probably annoyed me the most about being pregnant are the comments I get after I share my feelings about pregnancy. I have had it very easy, but that still doesn't mean I need to love being pregnant like some people think I should. My least favorite comment has been, "Oh just you wait until the baby comes and you have sleepless nights, then you will wish you were still pregnant." Really any comment that starts with the phrase, "just you wait" irritates me to no end! Maybe, just maybe I will have a baby that sleeps well through the night, or I just happen to not stress out about stuff like that and am able to get enough rest to keep me sane. Alright, dismounting my horse and moving on.

The babies room is started and will not be finished until after the baby is born. I registered for curtains, bedding and a few other things for the room and won't be having any other showers except for one until after the baby comes. So for now you just get a little sneak peak of my black and white theme.

I am going on my 36th (?) week and still feel great. The ol' bladder likes to send me to the bathroom about once every hour and I toss and turn during the night to stay comfortable. My lower back hurts if I am on my feet for too long but I am still very mobile and stay as active as I possibley can be at this stage in the game.

My midwife is making a house visit this coming Monday to become familiar with our home so she is ready for action when the time comes. She is the best thing that has happened to me during this pregnancy! I am so glad that God sent her my way!

Joe is still working incredibly hard at the camp. We only have three full weeks of camp left and then he will get some down time before lil Wisley shows up.

I made a random trip down to North Carolina to visit with my sister Heather. My youngest sister Kim picked me up on her way down from Chicago and we had three wonderful days of sister time; our last before the lil terd makes its' appearance into our lives. We had a great time a laying out at her pool, going to watch "My Sister's Keeper," which instead of crying our eyes out, we actually laughed so hard Heather and I peed our pants. I know it sounds so insensitive because the girl dies at the end but I ended up thinking of something so funny I busted out laughing and got the other two on the laughter train with me. All three of us had our shirts over our mouths pretending we were crying so the other movie watchers wouldn't be disgusted with our insensitive response to a very sad movie. Anyway, my sisters and I are one of a kind and a lot of people don't get our sense of humor.

I think that covers it all for now. Hope you all are having a great summer!

Pimped Out Ride and a Random Facebook Message

Well, there it is! My birthday present for the next 5 years! I never thought I would love it as much as I do. It is a Nissan Quest SL and thanks to our other vehicle for blowing it's engine we are looking forward to hulling our family around in it.

So my random FB message episode this week came from someone that I have never met and who is not one of my FB friends. This person is from Palastine and in her very poorly written English grammar she tells me that "anybody can be pregnant, babies are cute, pregnant women are not, they are not pretty and are ugly." My first thought to this message was, 'wow, apparently someone thinks I am ugly.' I wrote her back and asked her what she meant by her statement. She replied, "It just seems like you think you are the only pregnant women on earth, and your aren't." My reply, 'okay, but what are you basing that opinion on since you don't know me and have no access to my FB profile?' Her reply, "please don't send me anymore messages. I have three kids and a cat to care for and don't have time to read them. If you send me anymore message I won't read them and besides, why would I since you are not my facebook friend." Well there you have it. Odd! Apparently she is an Aunt of someone I know and she had the time to write me to tell me how she felt but doesn't have the time to answer my questions about her accusations against me. After her rude comments she actually requested my friendship on FB. Ha! So to all you pregnant women out there. You are not ugly! You are very pretty and your babies will be very cute!

22 lbs gained and 8 weeks to go to Show Time!

I can't believe how fast time flies when you are pregnant! I am very ready to have this baby and 8 weeks feels so far away, but really, it's not. Before I know it I will have the most adorable Joe or Mel JR. in my arms. I am starting my 32nd week this week and still feeling great. I don't feel like I have gained 22 lbs, but when I look in the mirror, that is a whole different story. I feel huge when really, I'm not. I'm just not used to having a belly in the way of everything I do.
I had my 2nd appointment with our midwife today. We spent a lot of time just talking about our families, our life, our desires, and of course camp stuff. She is very tuned in to getting to know us and I have felt like we are building more than just a professional relationship. Our next appointment will be at our home so she can become familiar with our environment. The last thing she usually does before we leave is check my blood pressure, listen for the baby's heart rate, and feel for the baby's position which is head down, right where it should be!
Other updates in the Wisley family. Joe and I have a new niece from Tailand! Her name is Noni and she is 8 years old and speaks very little english. Joe's step-sister and brother-in-law adopted her two weeks ago and she was so excited to go home with them. We are very excited about having her join the family and she is adjusting very well to the American culture.
I went to visit the Wisley clan last week and on my way there our one and only vehicle died on me about 20 miles south of the camp. Luckily, I was close to home. Joe was out of town, of course. These things always happen to me when Joe is gone. I called our maintainence guy from the camp and he came to pick up the car and take it into the mechanics. For now all we know is that the engine is probably blown and we will more than likely be car shopping this weekend for a family car. Not excited about having to have a car payment because we haven't had one for several years, but we trust God and know we won't have to worry about the finances because God knows our needs and if he wants us to get another car then he will provide us the funds to get one. So there you have it. We continue with a very busy summer at the camp. Joe returned home from his Wilderness trip this past weekend and jumped right into another week of camp that he is co-dean of called Kingdom Week. I don't know how he does it, but he seems to work well with a tight and busy schedule. I always look forward to his days off, but am very glad that I can take a short walk across the dam and see him whenever I want too! I am very blessed!

Who's Problem is it?

I am way past due on a new blog so sorry for the two week absence. So today's blog will be about something that really hit home for me while at church today. I am really not a church type person because I think there are better, more effective ways of doing church but haven't figured that all out yet, however, that is an entirely different topic. My decision to go to church today was well worth my time. Today's topic was about generosity and sharing (2 Corinthians 8:8-15). I think the whole chapter is an excellent chapter so if you want to read it go for it. What I loved about this lesson today was the challenge it gave me to find even more ways to share and give more generously to others. Almost two years ago before we left for our hike I would have defined myself as a slightly selfish person that held onto my possessions tightly. I hated tithing and wasn't good at letting people borrow our things. That soon changed once I gave up all my possessions for 6 months to hike the A.T. I was amazed at how little I could live on, the things I took for grated, and how much generosity we received from complete strangers the entire distance of the trail. It was truly overwhelming to accept the fact that people wanted to help us and let us stay in their home, cook us meals, wash our stinky clothes, buy us a meal or our groceries, and drive us where ever we needed to get too. It was so incredible to gain a new respect for strangers and see that their are people out there that want to serve others. This gave me a big desire to do the same when I returned home from the hike. Joe and I started tithing consistently, which we were before but not always on a regular basis. Our tithe doesn't always go to the same place, or person. We have found so much pleasure in finding people or non-for profits, like the camp, who are in need financially or even something as simple as sharing our things with others. The more often we give the more we want to give and the blessings in return have opened our eyes to God's hand at work. Joe and I have so much less than we have ever had in our marriage but are so much happier now. God has blessed us with so many friends who have been very gracious in passing on items for the baby or things that we can borrow for a few months, like maternity clothes, which are so expensive. Thanks to all of our friends who have thought of us in our time of need. Having a baby is not inexpensive! Friends, family, baby showers, and garage sales, help a ton!
So to conclude, let me explain the title of my blog. "Who's problem is it?" That was the question that was answered in church today. Answer: It's my problem; our problem, to take care of the needy, the starving, the homeless, and the sick. The more we give, the happier we are and more blessed we will be in our efforts towards generosity.
With that said, if their is ever something you need, not hesitate to ask us. We are always more than happy to share what we have!

2 Tim 6:17-19
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Baby Belly Update 29 weeks

Well, there it is! I can't believe that I have less than three months until this little person comes into our life. I have been day dreaming about what that moment will be like for us. My dreams at night have gotten a little crazy too! My favorite thing to imagine or picture is that moment when I see Joe's eyes light up and get to bond with the baby in his own way. I feel that I have had a special bond with it inside of me, feeling it move around all day. It will be so wonderful to see Joe develop a special love for it as well. I am really excited to make my mom and dad grandparents for the first time, and my sisters first time aunts. That is about all for now. Short and Sweet!