Awaiting Her Arrival!!!!

Well, Melinda is in the hospital and she is doing great!! She was admitted last night and we both slept pretty well. The bed is a little different than the one we have at home, but I will manage. We enjoyed our last evening together as a happy couple just talking, watching tv, and reading. We are more than excited to leave the happy couple stage and become a happy family!

We were up at 5:45 am to start the process!! The doctor came in about an hour ago and broke her water (Well, I guess it is really going to happen). We are ready and excited to meet her! The doctor said it was going to be a while, even though her water was broken, so we may have a long day ahead of us. Thank you to everyone for your prayers over the past several months, please continue to pray for us as we welcome one of God's greatest blessings into the world!!

Just a few more days...

So our due date has come and gone and little Arden is still not here! We had a doctor's appointment yesterday and I have made absolutely no progress towards labor so I am scheduled to be induced on Monday morning unless Arden miraculously decides to do things differently. Luckily, I am still not miserable and since the end is definitely in sight, it should be pretty easy to remain this way. We are so excited to meet Arden and can't wait for Monday to be here. I will be admitted to the hospital Sunday night so they can prep me for being induced. Please keep us in your prayers as our lives are about to be changed forever--for good of course, but it's definitely a big change! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend--we will do our best to update the blog with lots of pictures when Arden is born! Oh and Happy Halloween!

Nursery Pictures

Just thought I would share some pictures of our finished nursery! We LOVE it and are so excited for Arden to be here--only 11 more days until my due date! Thanks to everyone who helped paint the room and furniture--especially my mom. She worked so hard and did a fabulous job. Thanks mom--we love you!

I just couldn't help but add a picture of Murphy, the big brother-to-be :)

Busy Bees...

Warning! This is a long post!!!

Wow! It has been quite awhile since I've posted--things have been very busy for us since Labor Day weekend. Hopefully I can give you a short re-cap (haha!) of all that we've been doing over the last month or so.
Labor Day weekend, we travelled to Michigan to spend the weekend with Geoff's family. Geoff was in Chicago for a business trip the week before, so my mom, sister, and I met him there on Friday. We had a great time with his family and enjoyed the great weather. On Sunday, his aunts threw us a baby shower. It had been almost 2 years since I had seen many of his aunts/cousins, so it was great to catch up with them as well as meet a few new people too! We got a lot of cute clothes and other necessities for Arden which we are so thankful for! Thanks to his family for thinking of us during this special time in our lives.
The next Saturday, we were blessed to have our closest friends throw us a dinner party/baby shower. Nathan and Steph hosted it and we had a wonderful time with all of our friends. We had P.F. Changs for dinner and then spent the remainder of the evening chatting and enjoying one another's company. They also gave us a diaper bag full of goodies for Arden as well as a BEAUTIFUL piece of art for the nursery! (pictures to follow) Thanks to our great friends--we are truly blessed to have you in our lives!
Sunday, April P. hosted our church baby shower (we are SO blessed aren't we?!). It was a great evening full of fellowship with ladies from church. We received adorable outfits and cute nursery decor--thanks to each one of you. We are so honored to be part of a wonderful church family!
Friday, September 12th, Geoff and I had a dinner party to honor our friends Sy and Dasha who are moving to Iceland in just a few days. We are so sad they are leaving us, but we know God is going to use them in tremendous ways in Iceland! That night we also learned that they are expecting their first child--Praise God! We can't wait to meet their little one--please keep them in your prayers as they move overseas and prepare for their baby.
The 13th, we were blessed to have another shower hosted by April (my sister) and my good friend Jenni. My aunt Holly was so kind to host it at her house. This shower was for my family and close friends. Again, we received so many great things including diapers, clothes, pack-n-play, and our stroller/car seat combo. God has truly blessed us and we are so thankful for every thing we have received as we prepare for Arden's arrival. Thanks to all of our family and friends--not just for your generous gifts, but for your prayers as we prepare to meet Arden!
Our friends Nathan and Steph were married on the 26th--what a blessing it was to be a part of their special day! It was such an honor to witness two of our best friends commit their lives to each other. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, but I'm sure she will have some posted on her blog very soon!
Whew---I think that pretty much covers everything! Oh, except for one small bit of exciting news. April, my sister, is also pregnant and is due November 30th! We are so excited that Arden will have a cousin so close to her age. April is having a boy, and has named him Silas Alan. Please keep her in your prayers as she prepares to welcome Silas into the world!
Alright, so enough talking--here are some pictures from the last month or so. Maybe soon I will post a picture of mine and April's bellies!

A couple of pictures from my church shower:

Pictures on Lake Michigan:

My Michigan shower:

4D and Swollen Feet

Last Friday, we had our 4D ultrasound! It was very exciting to see little Arden again, even if she wasn't as cooperative as we would have liked ;) Towards the end, she started making cute faces and "interacting" with us more, so we were able to get some good pictures.

My next appointment is Wednesday, August 27. I started rotation last month, so my appointments aren't very exciting. I do start going every two weeks after the next appointment--that means we are getting closer to Arden's arrival! Geoff and I are so excited--we cannot wait to meet her!

On a different note, I have had a few requests to blog about my swollen feet! My sweet friend, Steph, was so kind to take a picture of my "watermelon" feet and send it to me, so I guess I really don't have a choice do I?! Yes, over the last month or so, my feet have been swelling to record sizes! Luckily they aren't ALWAYS this bad, but when they are, it is definitely not fun! Oh well, another joy of pregnancy right? Really though, I can't complain--I've had a pretty easy pregnancy so far. I try to remind myself to enjoy every minute of it! So, for all of you out there curious about how my feet look, here you go:

Finally, AN UPDATE!

I know you've all been waiting on pins and needles for me to post again--sorry to make you wait so long! Things have been very busy for us as I'm sure you all can imagine. (And yes, I know that things are only going to get busier 3 months from now!)

Baby Arden is doing great--our last appointment was July 1st. We were lucky enough to have another ultrasound done and they confirmed that she is indeed a girl! Good thing, since I had already picked out nursery decor and furniture! We were also able to get a better look at her face and heart and everything looks perfect. She is also measuring right on target with our due date, she weighed 1lb. 4oz. and her heartrate was 154. My next appointment is July 30. Unfortunately most of my appointments from now on will not be very exciting, but I will do my best to keep you updated on her stats as we get closer and closer to her due date! We have scheduled our 4-D ultrasound for August 15--I PROMISE I will post those pictures as soon as I can!

As for me, I'm feeling great! My tiredness/exhaustion is starting to creep back in, but that's definitely to be expected. I'm also starting to experience the joys of swollen legs and feet, but again, this is not coming as a surprise. Otherwise I'm feeling great and just trying to enjoy every minute of this pregnancy. The wonderful Alabama summer is a bit difficult to deal with as I am already very hot before even walking outside, but I know I will manage. At least we are blessed to have A/C! I can't imagine having to go through pregnancy without it!

Well, I guess I've made you all wait long enough--here are the long awaited pictures! I don't really many because I've done a terrible job remembering to take them, but these will have to do. The first 2 pictures were taken when I was 20 weeks. The others were taken this week--week 25. Enjoy!

20 weeks

25 weeks

I forgot that I had this ultrasound picture with me (remember, I'm still not able to update from home. Please remember to encourage Geoff to get our computer fixed!). I know it has been awhile since I posted a picture of Arden--she definitely looks more like a baby now!

Update coming soon!

I know, I know--I've been a HUGE slacker (thanks to all of you who have pointed this out to me!) I am making it my mission this weekend to give you an update on what's been happening in the VanZoeren house. You may even get lucky and get pictures! In the meantime, please encourage Geoff to get our computer fixed so we can have internet at home again--that's about the only way you are going to get more frequent posts! Hope you all have a great weekend--stay tuned for an update!