Easter

I wanted to share the few pictures from Easter (before we all came down with the stomach bug!)....

 Last family photo of us three!

 Elena and Great Granny Velma

 Daddy and Elena

Uncle Aaron & Elena (sporting some cool shades from Great Aunt Ginger & Uncle Bruce!)

April

Whoa, like where did April go?  All of a sudden, everything is green outside.  The temperatures are rising.  Easter has come and gone.  My due date is fast approaching and I would like to have this baby any day now!

We have been BUSY!  I have been ordering furnishings and home decor at a record pace trying to get things settled.  Pictures are ready to be hung.  Nursery is near finished.  Elena is in her big girl room.  I'm growing larger by the minute it seems.  All the while, this little guy has been staying cozy and comfortable in my rib cage.  He is clearly running out of room because I can hardly breathe and my heartburn has been terrible.  Hate to break it to him, he's making Mom pretty miserable and it's time to experience how cozy Mom's arms will be.

It's nice to finally feel like I can breathe (figuratively, of course...I seriously can't breathe) though.  Most the *important* items have been checked off our list and we are definitely ready for baby. A few more weeks and our house should be finished on the outside, then we can finally plant grass in our mudpit of a backyard.  I know Chad and I will be thrilled when this year long project will be OVER!!

Besides all the crazy preparations for baby and getting settled, we have had time to enjoy the beautiful spring weather.  This past weekend we took Elena to her first baseball game.  While she only lasted three innings, I fully enjoyed a smorgasbord of ballpark delicacies in those short three innings.  Sunday was Easter and we had a great day with family.  That is until Elena came down with a stomach bug, that she passed along to seven of the 15 people we were with that day.  Nothing like enduring a stomach bug 39 weeks pregnant!  Thankfully it was fast and furious and we are all starting to feel better.

I'll end this mishmash of a post with a HUGE thank you to all of you who have donated to Elena's Walking for Dreams team.  We have been totally overwhelmed with your generosity.  It means so much to us to have such amazing support for Elena and the Jackson Center.  There's still plenty of time to donate (any donation amount is SO helpful and appreciated!).  You can simply CLICK HERE, where it says "Credit my donation to" select individual walker, scroll down to Hinton, Elena.  You can always mail a check too if you feel more comfortable.  Again, THANK YOU!

Elena's first baseball game!

Walking for Dreams

Walking for Dreams is a wonderful organization that helps small Indianapolis non-profit organizations raise money.  Our family is currently raising money for the Jackson Center through Walking for Dreams.  And since I happen to have a few readers, I thought why not solicit all of you!  :)  Below is our letter.  Whether you feel compelled to give to the Jackson Center or not, we CHERISH your love, prayers and support.  These are what truly get our family through each day!  But, the Jackson Center holds a very dear place in our hearts and helps kids like Elena achieve every single day.

Elena sitting at the ladder back

As many of you know, our sweet Elena began a rigorous therapy program last August at a place called the Jackson Center in Mooresville, Indiana.  From the very beginning, we were not only amazed at the accomplishments Elena quickly achieved, but also the community of families we entered into.  We instantly became part of a larger family of people who understand.  They understand our struggles, our joys, our hopes and our dreams for our children. It is because of this that our family is asking your help to raise money through Walking for Dreams, benefitting this enormous blessing in our life, the Jackson Center for Conductive Education.  

The Jackson Center practices a therapy called conductive education to help children and adults with motor disorders develop motor skills through repetition, peer interaction and positive reinforcement.  Its goal is to help each participant achieve the highest quality of independent life. For our family, it means so much more. We are grateful to have this resource; as the Jackson Center is the only program offering this method of therapy in Indiana.

Walking for Dreams is an annual family and pet walk that benefits both the Jackson Center and Elena directly.  If you would like to support the Jackson Center, you may donate to our team via the following: 

• Donate online at www.walkingfordreams.org.  Click on "Donate," Select "Individual Walker," then choose "Hinton, Elena.”

• You may mail a check to the Jackson Center  – Walking for Dreams. 

Please be sure to include Elena's name in the memo line if you mail a check. 

• Call the Jackson Center directly at 317-834-0200. 

Your gift, no matter what the amount, will help us achieve our goal.  More than that, it will give Elena and all of her friends at the Jackson Center a greater chance at independence.   

Love, Chad, Emmalee & Elena Hinton

If you would like to donate to the Jackson Center on Elena's behalf, you can use one of the methods above.  The easiest is to click HERE and where it says "Credit my donation to", select "Individual Walker" and a bar will appear with a list of individual names, scroll down and select "Hinton, Elena".  If you have any questions, feel free to call the Jackson Center at the number above or send me an email.  Let's raise some money for an organization that literally changes lives!

Elena walking to the lunchroom!

She Rides!

Elena enjoyed round #2 of therapeutic horse riding last week.  Chad was able to join me.  We were some serious paparazzi for Elena and that poor old horse.  I'm just glad we were the only parents in the waiting room that day because we were FOR SURE "those parents".  Elena again loved it and was happy to be back in the saddle...she must take after her cool Frey cousins Kim and Anna, who are real equestrians!

On the Hinton baby front, all is well.  I'm getting pretty (ok, extremely) uncomfortable here in my last few weeks.  This little guy really enjoys slowly extending his feet into my rib cage or out my side.  I don't really have an appreciation for that.  We saw him via ultrasound last week to get a weight check.  He was clocking in around 7lbs.  We saw him practice his breathing and some sweet shots of his little face.  All was healthy, so we are very thankful!  We'll keep you posted!

Surprise Baby Shower!

This past weekend I was totally set up!  For at least a month my sister-in-law, Amber, and I had been looking forward to a lunch and nails day before this little guy arrives.  Or so I thought!

I thought it was strange when the hostess practically walked us around the entire restaurant looking for "the perfect table".  Then, it was really strange when I saw my friend Sam at this "perfect table".  Then, it was totally confusing when Sam was at a table with a huge group of my friends!  Turns out, I had been set up!  They were all there to celebrate Baby Boy Hinton!  Needless to say, I was pretty surprised...and confused!

We had a great afternoon together.  I'm so lucky to have such special and thoughtful friends.  Seriously, they're the best.  I so appreciated them sharing the love for this little fella!

 The schemers!  

My fabulous friends!

I guess I will go ahead and give an update on Baby Boy Hinton too.  We're going in this week for an ultrasound since in the last two weeks I started measuring 4-5 weeks ahead.  I'm hoping it's just his position and not a reflection of his size!  Something tells me, though, he's been enjoying all the sugar that I have!  We'll see what the doctor says but I have a feeling that he won't be giving us the full 40 weeks to prepare for his arrival :)  For now, I'm just waddling around everywhere I go!

Cuteness Overload!

I sooooo wish I would've been able to snap a picture yesterday but unfortunately for everyone, I couldn't.  But, I have to tell you about the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

Elena rode a horse.

I know, right?  The visual is just too much to take.  My little 2.5 year old sweetheart was saddled up, helmet on, reigns in hands, clippity-clopping around a barn.  I almost cried.  She loved every second and was all smiles the whole time.

Elena started horse therapy yesterday.  It's going to be great.  I will NOT miss the opportunity next time to snap a picture and video.  I can hardly wait.  

Buckle up Daddy, a pony may be in our future!

Pregnancy Perspective

I've blogged many times before about having a grateful heart. In the last few weeks, I've had so many opportunities to reflect and be thankful. Between the chaos of being eight months pregnant and moving to a new house, you would think I've had very little time for reflections. However, I think the last few months my heart has been really full and thankful.

I often feel a bit ashamed of how naïve and ungrateful I was when I was pregnant with Elena. We were so fortunate to easily get pregnant and, aside from the normal heartburn and aches and pains, had a very easy pregnancy and healthy baby. Looking back, I’m so embarrassed about how much I complained about being pregnant the first time. I mean, honestly, what did I really have to complain about? 

One very obvious blessing that has come from our family’s struggles has been the ability to be reflective and most importantly, thankful. It literally feels like I had a veil lifted from my eyes that allowed me to see beyond my own day to day life and appreciate the world around me and what others, loved ones and strangers, must deal with.

Throughout this pregnancy, I have found myself saying a prayer of thanksgiving for every single week that the little guy stays safe, growing inside me. Every day I sit with moms who never saw the 30th week of pregnancy with their children or who would’ve given anything to have a complication-free pregnancy. How dare I complain about my aches and pains or wishing away this time? Every day I carry this little boy is a blessing. Every day I’m healthy and he’s healthy is an even bigger blessing. Sure, I’m looking forward to having him safe in my arms, but I can honestly say I have appreciated every single day of this pregnancy.

Looking back on when I was pregnant with Elena, I wish I would have realized that there was an entire world around me of people who were struggling with infertility when I just expected to get pregnant when the time was right for me. I wish I could have known that life can change in an instant, your entire world can be flipped in a single moment, and it shouldn’t take those moments to realize we are not in control. I wish someone would have told me that my life was not difficult; that having a healthy baby girl was not going to be the most difficult time in my life. I wish I would have taken a moment to stop complaining about silly things and realize what truly mattered. I didn’t take the time then to pause and lift the veil, but through all the heartaches of the last 2 years, I am incredibly grateful to have that perspective now. It has softened my heart in a way that I didn’t know it needed softening. I’m so thankful for that.

As I near the end of this pregnancy, I’m trusting God to keep this little guy safe inside for a few weeks longer and not taking anything for granted. Even though I’ve been through it before, I know I will be in awe of the little miracle God has created for our family. I’m really thankful for the perspective I’ve had these past eight months. In my case I’m going to call it pregnancy perspective and not hormones! :)