Baby Donovan is here!!!

Whew! It's been a busy last couple of weeks as new parents! Donovan Briggs Merrill was born on Monday, October 13 at 10:31 p.m. weighing in at 7 lbs. 4 oz. and was 20 inches long. My water had been leaking since the night before, but I wasn't sure what was happening because I didn't have the stereotypical gush of a water breaking that you hear about. So Josh and I went to work Monday morning as usual. Meanwhile, wildfires raged in the hills of the Porter Ranch community less than a mile across from the church where we work, and we decided to head home at 1 p.m. But the 118 freeway, which gives us a 10-minute commute home, was shut down because of the fires, and we had to take an alternate route home that took an hour. I called my doctor on the way, just to be find out whether or not I should come into the hospital. He said, "Angela, remember that I told you if you were sitting in a pool of water or your contractions became so painful that they take the smile off your face, you should check into Labor and Delivery right away?" Oopsies...

We were admitted into the hospital at 5:00 p.m. After the the nurse did some tests to make sure it was amniotic fluid, she called the doctor upon confirmation. At this point I was already three centimeters dilated. We thought it would be a good time for Josh to go out to the car and get our overnight bags, but while he was gone, doc arrived and broke my water completely. Soooo painful! A few minutes later, I started having major contractions. Josh came back into the room and I was like a different person--eyes closed, in the zone, trying to remember my relaxation techniques to get through each intense contraction as they came. Between each contraction, I got the words out to tell Josh I thought he needed to call both of our moms. I had a feeling this baby was coming soon!

"You know," the nurse said, "you can get the epidural any time. You're four centimeters dilated and you don't have to go through this pain any longer if you don't want to..."

A word to those who have labored naturally:

God bless you. You are superwomen. I can't imagine going through an entire labor with the pains I endured for an hour that were only going to increase in frequency and painfulness. My mom did it with all three of us girls, and my mother-in-law labored naturally for 24 hours with Josh--and he was nearly 11 pounds!!! I know that the Lord gives us the strength to get us through the pain, and women have done it without drugs for thousands of years...but needless to say, I took to the nurse up on her offer for that epidural!

Once again, I was a new person. The anesthesiologist was amazing and about 10 minutes after he administered the epidural, I was completed pain free--I couldn't believe it! Then Josh and I watched a couple of episodes of The Office on DVD on our laptop, and our moms arrived around 8:30 p.m. God was so good to clear up the traffic from the wildfires so they could get there right in time.

After about six hours of labor, I gave birth to Donovan. Besides meeting and marrying Josh, it was the most amazing experience of my life. We stare at this beautiful little guy every day in awe of God's goodness--how He perfectly formed this person, our son, and entrusted his life to us. Thank You, Lord, for this gift!

Stayed tuned for more Merrill Family news. This is the last post on this blog, but Josh and I will be starting a family blog soon! (And in "mommy time," "soon" could be a few weeks, haha!)

Love to you all,

Angie, Josh, and Donovan

Almost 38 weeks...and the serious countdown begins!

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. This little momma's been busy! I will be 38 weeks along tomorrow and this photo was taken earlier this week, at technically 37 1/2 weeks. :)

My tummy looks really big in this picture! Whoa. Baby Donovan is growing of course (according to babycenter.com he's about 6.8 lbs now and 19.5 inches). I still feel like my stomach is smaller than I imagined it would be and from other preggy women I've seen this far along--but that is great! I'm hoping for a seven-pounder, and since Josh weighed nearly 11 lbs. at birth (yes, God bless his momma!) I was worried in the beginning that I was going to have a huge baby, haha!

Feeling lots of movement every day. Donovan has been in the correct, "head down" position since about 30 weeks. He hasn't "dropped" yet (a settling lower into the pelvis to prepare for birth), so I feel him sometimes on my ribs, which is more uncomfortable than painful for a few minutes. It seems to help if I elongate my torso by sitting up straighter or change positions.

I got a fabulous pregnancy massage this week at Aveda Spa, thanks to my friend Sherri who got me a gift certificate for Mother's Day. (Thank you again, Sherri!!!) It was soooooo awesome. I could go for one of those every day. With my mid-back feeling more strained in these last few weeks, I'm so glad I saved the gift certificate until I got futher along. I told the masseuse I wish I could have her there with me when I go into labor, because I hear being as relaxed as possible is the key, and boy was I relaxed! I actually had to focus on NOT falling asleep so I could consciously enjoy every minute of it. :)

"Are you ready?" is the question I'm getting asked a lot lately. Josh and I packed our bag for the hospital today, and that was pretty much the last thing we needed to do to be all set if the baby came today. Thanks to help from my mom and Josh's mom the last couple of weekends, Donovan's room is completely ready; all his clothes are washed, organized by age group, and hung up. Josh and I love going into his room. The decor is so happy and colorful and it's neat to imagine our baby there.

Emotionally, I feel ready--very excited and thinking a lot about what it's going to be like to see and hold and cuddle Donovan. I have had a little bit of "fear of the unknown" regarding labor, because I've never experienced it before...but I pray, trust, and know that the Lord will take care of everything. Physically, Donovan's ready (at 37 weeks, a baby is considered full term) and so am I, although I haven't hit that miserably uncomfortable state that many women say they experience toward the end. I'm still at work (I want to use my time off to be with my baby), and have a good amount of energy.

And so, the countdown continues... Can't wait!

34 Weeks

Donovan is growing and growing! He's about 4.75 lbs. now, according to the books. When I see photos of myself at 12 weeks, I can hardly believe it's me! And when I look at my pre-pregnancy shirts they look so small! It's strange to think there was ever I time I fit into them, haha!

Having some mid-back pain now as I'm supporting more weight in front, so I may soon need to see a chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy. Six weeks away seems very short at times, but when I'm hot or having back or sciatica pain, it sure seems like a long ways away, haha! It's all worth it though. God bless! :)

Video: My Preggo Journey

Hi everyone - Check out this video Josh made for me as a surprise for my baby shower in San Diego last month. What a sweetheart! :)

First Braxton-Hicks contraction & 33 weeks

I had my first Braxton-Hicks contractions on Saturday night. Josh and I were at our friends Matt and Jamie's house playing cards, and at about 10:30 p.m. I said, "I feel funny." I had been craving lemonade for weeks and Matt and Jamie happened to have some (yes!) so I had a big glass with dinner. At first I thought the acidity from the lemonade or dinner was not sitting well with me. Then after a few seconds, my whole stomach got really tight and hard and uncomfortable. "I think I'm having a contraction," I told them. Then Jamie described perfectly what I was feeling. I'm so glad she was there. I'd like to think I would have figured it out eventually, but it was so good to have a friend and three-time mom there to reassure me. The guys were interested at first, and then they realized all our talking and bonding was infringing upon card time, haha!

It last several minutes, and then came back about 10 minutes later but not quite as long or intense. I felt really warm and prickly afterward, like I was having a hot flash. Jamie assured me that was normal, too. :)

I didn't have any contractions yesterday. For the past three or four weeks, my pregnancy book/journal asks you to indicate whether or not you've had any contractions, and I haven't had any, so it's kind of cool to be able to say "yes" now, and know what they feel like.

Donovan is 33 weeks as of yesterday and should be about 4 lbs and 17 inches long. I've been a little more uncomfortable lately as I've definitely "popped" now and I have to sit tall and elongated so that my ribs don't tempt Donovan to play the harp with them with his feet or so they don't dig into my ever-expanding uterus. Had some mid- and lower back pain and sciatica pain this week. I'm so blessed that I'm just barely starting to experience the major discomforts of pregnancy...but it's going to be a long seven more weeks, haha!

32 Weeks!

Can you believe we are less than eight weeks away from meeting Donovan?!! I can't wait! Well...yes I can, because there's lots to do yet to prepare for our little prince's arrival. At our 30-week check-up and sonogram, Donovan's head was already down, which is great!

He's definitely taking up more and more real estate in my tummy (he is about 3.75 lbs. and 16.7 inches long and should gain about a half a pound per week in the next seven weeks...ouch for momma!) and moving lots and lots. It's fun to watch my stomach warp and move as he kicks and turns. I'm feeling a bit more pressure on my back and against my ribs at times. But it's all worth it. :)

San Diego Baby Shower

My heart overflows with gratitude (or is that the shortness of breath from Donovan pushing increasingly on my ribs and diaphram? hehehehe).

Thank you, Grammy Sue, for throwing us such a cool shower at your home in San Diego! We loved the beach them with the monkeys on surfboards literally hanging from the rafters! Everything was so adorable and perfect.

Thank you Mom, Adeena, Sherri, Darah, Stacy, and Willy for all your help! And thank you to the rest of my family, friends, and neighbors who came to celebrate this blessing with us and shower Baby Donovan with awesome gifts. (Peggy wins the award for furthest distance traveled, coming all the way from Alpine. Thank you Peggy!!) You all are such gifts in our lives, and Josh and I are extremely grateful.

Donovan's Nursery

Josh and I knew that whether we had a boy or a girl, we wanted to do a modern, eclectic surf theme in the baby's room. We both love the beach, and now that we live a little further away from it than we did when we lived in San Diego, we wanted our baby to experience the joy of the ocean, sun, and sand...a little closer to home. We hope that Donovan loves his room--and surfing as much as his Daddy does!

Above: The photo above the mirrored closet doors is from one of Josh's surfing magazines that I cut and have been saving for almost two years now. It's a photo of an English Bull Dog (one of Josh's favorite breeds) chewing on a fin of a surfboard. We kept it knowing it would be so cute framed and put in our baby's room someday.

I want to thank Josh and my little sister Yoli for helping me paint the baby's room a couple of months ago! Thank you to Grammy SuSu and Papa for picking up this awesome Pottery Barn furniture I found on Craigslist for CHEAP in San Diego!
Above: A neat little art piece that Josh spotted when we were in Kauai last month. The cool thing is that 1.) we got it in the place we took our honeymoon; our favorite island in Hawaii, and 2.) it depicts a Hawaiian daddy surveying the surf with his boy.

Above: The triptych mural on the wall is a painting that our friend Daniel Furukawa did for the baby. We love it! We gave Daniel a few photos of what we had in mind and he took it to a whole other level! Written on the lip of the wave are the words "I have loved you with an everlasting.... love." "Love" is embedded in the sun. This a scripture from Jeremiah 31:3 in the Bible.

Above: I found these birds on my trip to Israel in May, in the heart of Jerusalem. The onesies I spotted in the gift shops throughout the trip were cute, but I knew Donovan would outgrow one fast, and I really wanted him to have something from the Holy Land that would really last forever. Josh and I fashioned them into a mobile we hung above the changing table.

Donovan thanks you for checking out his room! :)

Nearly 30 weeks!

I can't believe I've only got 10 weeks to go before I get to meet my son! It's amazing how much I love him and I haven't even met him yet. According to the books, at 29.5 weeks he's about 2.75 lbs. now, and his movements are so strong and distinct! The flutters have turned into full on belly-warping activity and Beckham-like kicks. I can definitely feel when he's pushing his head or butt up or turning, and I have felt limbs. He stills wakes up and does a slightly more restricted "happy dance" whenever I eat. We haven't seen hands and feet on the surface of my skin yet, as some people describe.

Strangers are able to tell I'm pregnant now, which is cool, but say I'm so small for seven months. At least I know that they don't think I've just got a gut, haha! My belly button is still an "inny," but I'm sure Donovan will take care of that soon!

Josh and I can't wait to see our little guy. We are also cherishing these last two and a half months we have of it being just the two of us, but we talk and dream about what he will be like and how our lives are going to be different.

I thank the Lord every day for this miracle and His amazing blessings. For me, there's no denying His presence and His goodness and His hand in our lives. "For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well." - Psalm 139:13-14

Donovan's cousin Sienna's Music Video Premiere

Aloha, baby!

Josh and I went with Norm and Sue to Kauai a couple of weeks ago for a relaxing little vacation. It was neat because our honeymoon was in Kauai nearly five years ago (our wedding anniversary is August 23) and I never thought we'd be back with a bun in the oven and with Josh's parents getting to show them a few of our favorite places! We stayed in a condo right on the water near Poipu (South shore) where sea turtles swam up to the rocks every evening. I just had to buy Donovan a little sea turtle stuffed animal to go with his beach themed room and to remind him one day that he was in Kauai with Mommy and Daddy!

Baby is 29 weeks today and I am officially in my seventh month of pregnancy and loving it!

Showered with Love

On Saturday July 12, my dear friends here in L.A. County threw Baby Donovan and me an amazing and unforgettable shower!

Melissa, Daphne, Miriam, Carla, and Ashley (listed in order of appearance in photo #2 above, from left to right) put together the cutest, most creative "Jungle Babies" theme, with sophisticated tropical flowers as the centerpieces, safari fabrics and netting, adorable labels for everything, and even baby monkey, giraffe, and elephant stuffed animals peeking out from various locations. The baby shower was held in a big room in our church.

My sweet little party planning committee had some of the guest personalize/decorate baby onesies, beanies, and shirts beforehand, and when I arrived, they were hanging from the ceiling on clothes pins and twine. One of my favorites was the little shirt shown in the last photo that my friend Jenny painted that has a globe and the verse John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son; that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." Precious!

Baby Donovan was showered with gifts and received a lot of cool stuff! Opening all of these CUTE baby accessories, furniture, and clothes makes our baby's imminent arrival more "real." What was surreal (kind of like on your wedding day) was the fact that I was the pregnant lady at her baby shower... I'm the pregnant lady. I'm about to have a baby. I'm going to be a mom. WOW! There's no turning back now, haha!

Guests got to take home baggies of sweet treats from these fabulous candy bins, complete with little ties that read, "Can't wait to meet you. Love, Donovan." :o)

Thank you, my wonderful friends, for such an amazing day! I am still beaming just thinking about it. Your hard work and creativity was so evident, as is your incredible love for me and your little soon-to-be nephew.

Introducing...

Several of my friends guessed the name right away...you little geniuses you! So, the suspense is over. We are naming our son...drum roll please:

Donovan Briggs Merrill

Donovan means "dark haired, darke skinned warrior" and we just really like the name. Briggs is a Merrill family name. It is Josh's grandmother's maiden name, and his and his dad's middle name.

Pretty cool, huh?

Acceptable nicknames: Dono (i.e. "dawn-oh") or Van
Nicknames no-no's: Don or Donnie.

The Name Game

Josh and I chose a name for our baby...but we are going to play a little game before we reveal it to you. (I know exactly who's cringing right now. Hey, our baby, our name, our rules, heh heh heh!) A few of you already know it, so don't spoil it for the rest...

I'm going to give you several clues. You can leave your guess or ask a question by using the "Comment" button below. Your clues for today are:

Landon
Restaurant
Eagles but formerly Syracuse
Not biblical

The clues will get easier as we go along...

P.S. Baby Merrill turned 25 weeks on Sunday and is moving A LOT!

23 Weeks!

Baby is 23 weeks today and moving around in momma's tummy more and more every day. I love it! I've been feeling him since 17 1/2 weeks, but now I feel him several times a day and much stronger. The pattern seems to be that about 0 to 10 minutes after I eat, he does his little happy dance. (Just like Daddy.) Sometimes, when he's kicking like David Beckham, Josh can put his hands on my belly and feel the thuds and thumps. It's very fun for him. Josh has also been talking a lot to my tummy, telling the baby all of momma's secrets, what to do when I give him "the look" when he's about to be in trouble, and to grow big and strong (only, between 7 and 8 lbs. in the womb, but as big as he wants outside of the womb, haha!).

What's new in baby's development? Well he's about a 1. 5 lbs now, the size of a large mango and the weight of three 8 oz. glasses of water. (I sure feel like I've got three 8 oz. glasses of water inside me when I have to go potty all the time.) He can hear my heartbeat, my laugh, my voice when I'm talking or rooting for the Boston Celtics, and the gurgles from my digestion. Outside noises like music, the vacuum, and the dogs' barking will all be familiar to him once he's born. To learn more about what he's doing this week and what he kind of looks like, check out: http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-23-weeks_1112.bc?intcmp=timeline

In other news: Baby's cousin, Jeremiah William Wagner, was born last Tuesday, June 10. My older sister Adeena gave birth to her second child, little Jeremiah, and he is just a prince! "Beautiful," "perfect," and "gorgeous" are words I've heard from others to describe him. Josh and I cannot wait to meet him the weekend after next, when we'll be down in San Diego for fourth of July weekend.

Also, Josh's sister Stacy just announced that she's pregnant again! Her first child, our niece Sienna, just turned 1 years old in May, and will have a new baby brother or sister in late February or early March. So, our baby will be four months younger than Jeremiah and five months older than Stacy's new baby. Cousins, cousins, cousins! The grandmas and grandpas are going to get more grandchildren than they could ever hope for in the next year, haha!

Hope you all are doing well and blessed. Stay tuned for an update on the baby's nursery and more photos to come...

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." Jeremiah 1:5

IT'S A................

The icing on the cake, after my two-week trip to Israel and Rome, was coming home to Josh (who I missed SO much), and getting to go the doctor’s with him the next day for my 19.5-week sonogram. After seeing the most beautiful and interesting places in the world, I can still say that seeing my perfect little baby moving around in my tummy was the coolest and most beautiful and miraculous thing I have ever seen! We also found out the sex of the baby, who was incredibly cooperative, haha! Let’s just say the baby was in full “hiking the football” mode, so it was plain to see that………………..it’s a boy! We are THRILLED!!! We were really hoping for a boy first, but would have been totally happy and blessed either way. The doctor said he’s 300% sure it’s a boy, in case you are wondering, and that he’s as perfect as a baby can be. Praise the Lord!

Unfortunately, we didn't realize that the video camera's battery had died, so we were not able to catch this on film and deliver one of Josh's famous Merrill Movies to you. :)

As for the name, Josh and I are tossing around a few that we like, and aren’t telling anyone until we’ve decided. So don’t ask, haha!

In other baby news, I felt him for the first time at 17.5 weeks at work one day, but I wasn't positive that that's what I was feeling. It was definitely confirmed for me the second or third day in Israel; I felt him move one time when my pastor and boss (Pastor Dudley) was speaking on the Mount of Beatitudes and another time he was speaking on the Sea of Galilee. I leaned over and told him quietly on the boat while everyone was singing worship songs, "My baby must like your preaching! I felt him move twice today for sure." Dudley got teary-eyed and it was a very cool and sweet moment. :)

Love you all and thanks for your continued prayers and love.

Baby's Big Adventure in Israel and Rome!

Me and the baby at the steps leading into the outer gate where the Jewish temple used to be and was destroyed in A.D. 70. These are one of the places that historians and archaelogists can say for sure that Jesus visited, because the Bible tells about several visits that He made to the temple, along with Mary and Jospeph when Jesus was just a boy.

The empty tomb at Golgotha "th--one of the two places that archaelogists, historians, and Bible scholars believe that Jesus was crucified and buried. The other place is inside the wall of the city of Jerusalem at Via Delorosa (the way of the sorrows).

Me and my friend and coworker, Carla, at Caesaria Philippi. One of my most favorite places in Israel. It was so beautiful. This is where Jesus revealed Himself to Peter as the Messiah for the first time (Matthew 16:13-20). It is also believed that the Transfiguration took place here (Matthew 17:1-3).

Hi everyone! I'm sorry it's taken me a while to blog. My computer has been in "the shop" for the last week and a half, so I haven't been able to update you all on my trip and Baby Merrill's progress. As many of you know, I got back last Monday night from an amazing, two-week trip to the Holy Land and Rome. We learned SO much about biblical, cultural, and historical relevance of Israel and the Jews--God's chosen people. We saw the places where Jesus and His disciples walked, as well as some important places that King Saul, King David, and the prophet Elijah were from some pretty familiar stories in the Old Testament.

Our guide, Julie, was amazing. The two places we spent the most time in Israel were Tiberias and Jerusalem. We took a boat on the Sea of Galilee, went to the River Jordan where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Mount of Olives, Jericho, the fortress at Meggido (or, Armageddon), Mount Carmel (where the prophet Elijah defeated the false prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:20-46), the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11), Caesarea Philippi, the Dead Sea, Masada, other significant places from the Roman rule and Islamic conquests of the land...and many, many more places...and that doesn't even include Rome!

Many people who have been before told me that this trip would be life-changing, but I didn't quite understand. I dont' think you can truly understand until you go, and see these places of holy and historical significance, and hear these things from Jewish historians who don't even believe in Jesus! It made the Bible come to life in ways I never imagined! I still can’t get over how God blessed me with this awesome opportunity to go. He is SO GOOD! He protected my health and I was energized and fabulous, despite several people on our trip coming down with the stomach bug or a cold.

How cool it will be to read Bible stories to my firstborn someday, and to be able to tell him or her, "You were there, in Momma's tummy!" :)