Starkville is better than space...

The volleyball season is winding down.

As I write this, Josh is with the team in Baton Rouge, LA preparing for a 1:30pm match against LSU.

Next Friday, the team heads to Starkville, MS, for their last match of the season against Mississippi State... which is also the last possibility of Josh being out of town when I go into labor.

However, after reading this article, I decided that Josh being an hour and a half away when I go into labor is a whole lot better than some other possibilities! =)

And so it begins...

How far along? 36 weeks

Labor Signs? Frequent braxton--hicks contractions... enough so that I am 50% effaced and about 1 cm dilated as of yesterday!

Sleep? Some nights yes, some no. I've found that I sleep great on the couch where I can prop myself up against the back pillows.
Best moment this week? Josh NOT having to go on a recruiting trip on Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
Movement? Yep. Even as we speak.
Food cravings? Frozen yogurt... cools that pesky heartburn and we have a great new place in T-town (Yogurt Mountain)
What I miss? Having more that about 3 outfits that actually fit on my body, two of which include sweatpants
What I am looking forward to? Having T-Von in my arms.
Milestones? Under 30 days until my due date!

Wordless Wednesday... Fall in Alabama

Wanna build a kindergarten?

I read my fair share of blogs. Even use Google Reader to keep track of them all. Most are blogs written by friends or those I wish were my friends... but a few like Cake Wrecks and Stuff Christians Like I read for a daily dose of humor.

So yesterday I was catching up on my blog reading and discovered that I missed a miracle in the works... Jon Acuff, author of the often hysterical entries on Stuff Christians Like, wrote a post about a conversation with his kindergarten-aged daughter as she discovered that there are children in the world who are starving. Her reaction made him realize that he needed to do something. And that something I am going to shameless encourage you to participate in.

Jon decided to partner with a Christian relief organization called Samaritan's Purse and tap into the huge numbers of people who read his blog on a regular basis (potentially up to 75,000 folks)... Samaritan's Purse suggested raising money to support a project in Vietnam to build a kindergarten for 240 little kids in the Hoang Then village. The cost of the project totals $30,000. He hoped to raise the money by Dec. 31st.

Here's the miracle. Are you ready?

He raised the money in 18 hours.

By the time I read his post and thought to myself, "Self, maybe you should give $5 or $10 to this project", and then went to the website to donate... all the money had already be raised. Simply awesome.

I decided to donate my money anyway.

Overwhelmed with the response, Jon has decided to push the envelope a little further and try to raise another $30,000 to build a second kindergarten... the goal now being $60,000 by Dec. 31st.

Will you help? Your donation doesn't need to be large... most of those donating are giving less than $20... and the end result will be completely worth it!

Here are a few helpful links...

Samaritan's Purse

Charity Navigator's evaluation of Samaritan's Purse

Link to make a donation

Self-portrait

Don't be jealous of my excellent photography skills... here I am at 35 weeks...

And the countdown continues...

How far along? 35+ weeks

Total weight gain? More than I care to admit.

Movement? Oh yeah. Sometimes I think T-von is hatching escape plans and is testing all his options. I've got feet, elbows, and a butt poking out in all kinds of places.

Name? None decided yet although we are working from a short list. As as many of you know, when we decide it will be top secret until the little guy makes his debut.

Nicknames?

• T-Von: Given by his dad and uncle Nick...the "T" stands for Traugott, which was Nick's contribution to the name dilemma, and the brothers (all 5 of them) decided that adding a "von" in front of Lauer makes a better last name for all of us.... thus "T-von" for short.
• Yadi: Given by our STL friends here in Tuscaloosa after I revealed that Yadier Molina is my favorite player for the STL Cardinals.

Labor signs? Stronger Braxton-Hicks contractions, some uncomfortable but not painful. But that's about it!

Latest from the doc? After measuring my belly at my appointment on Thursday, Dr. R announced... "You're measuring big!" I have a feeling my eyes got a little wide at this pronouncement, because he quickly added, "But he hasn't dropped at all yet so he may be actually be right on the mark." Either way, Dr. R wants another ultrasound when I am closer to my due date!

Prayer requests?

• Timing: We will be excited whenever T-von decides to arrive, but if we had our choice he would wait until after Thanksgiving weekend. That is the end of the volleyball season for Josh and will assure his presence and my peace of mind!
• Feeding: I was not able to breast feed Noah. The simple reason for this was that I didn't make enough milk. But we have often wondered if that was somehow related to Noah's leukodystrophy, but no one was able to give us any conclusive answers. I would very much like to breast feed this baby... and need my body to cooperate!