Picture Overload

I am too lazy to write what we've been up to. Pictures are the best I can do. Enjoy!

I had to make a comment about the bear. Yesterday we FINALLY installed the car seat. I am so glad that we did it because it took forever and had we waited we would have had one very upset infant. Anyways, after installing the car seat I wanted to make sure that we could actually put our child in the car seat without making him scream. I looked for a doll, and quickly realized that I didn't have one (why would I have one, seriously?). I did however find this poor bear who quickly was used as our baby boy. I figured out a great way to strap him in with minimal tossing about. I practiced a couple of times and then wanted Brian to try. After some grumbling (not saying it wasn't warranted, because what grown man wants to play daddy with a teddy bear?) I finally convinced him, or possibly nagged him into giving it a try. He did great, much to my relief. He was a little bit of a smart-aleck at the end when he decided to pull the strap in one swoop as hard as he could (like you would rope a calf hard), nearly crushing our poor stand-in. Happily the bear is alive and even smiling. Can you tell we need this baby to come soon?!?!?!?!

It's beginning to feel a lot like...fall

Today when I left school I realized the most beautiful thing had happened. The weather actually corresponded with the correct season!?!?!?!?! We live in Texas, Houston no less, and it felt like fall. What a beautiful day. It made me want to go to a football game and cheer for the home team. I was seriously on cloud nine. Usually I don't care if we have seasons, but being twice my regular size, I have a new appreciation for cool weather. Whether it feels like it or not, fall is in full force. We are 5 weeks into school, football season is underway, and the sick kids are already creating a symphony of coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. Speaking of which, I have had sooo many kids out sick, it's just plain ridiculous.
Although 1/4 of my class is gone, I am grateful to be teaching. Here are just a few of the things that I love:

Seeing a kid understand something for the first time.
Getting hugs from Kindergarteners you've never met just because you were standing there.
Watching a student gleam with pride when you had back a fast facts test when they realize they went up by 20 points
Having discreet 5th graders ask in the most polite way if you are pregnant
Having a not so discreet 1st grader ask what was up with your belly
Having blatantly obvious Kindergarteners do a double take and stare at you as you walk down the hallway
Joking with the boys about how they annoy me
Joking with the girls that I shouldn't have a boy because they annoy me
Seeing a sliver of hope when your most disorganized student manages to find a paper that has been missing for days
Having the kids ask you where you were like they actually cared
Watching boys and girls become more mature pre-teens

Today we (me and baby) hit a great mark. The 24 week mark! woohoo. At this point, babies are considered viable and are able to survive with serious medical intervention and a few miracles. At this point our baby is supposed to be about a foot long and weigh 1.32 pounds. I do not believe that this kid only weighs just over a pound; it feels like I'm carrying a watermelon around all day. Also for your viewing pleasure (mostly Vanessa's) here is a picture of me, with and without the shirt covering the belly. It just looks so much different I couldn't not post it.

Pictures

This is the crib that we bought. Its a Delta crib, and had awesome ratings. I love the wood color and should be able to find other furniture that matches.




This is me at 21 weeks pregnant. This T-shirt used to be loose fitting and now it is skin tight.

I can't believe how much I have grown already. Here's to another 41/2 months.

It's A

BOY!!!

I can't believe it took me this long to post the results of our ultra sound. Shame on me. Anyways, here are some pictures of our little boy.

Here is the picture of his spine. He is facing down in this one.

I love his little foot. So Cute!

In this one he is crossing his legs. He is facing the front. You can see his legs and one little foot.

We couldn't ever get a true profile picture, he liked facing the machine.

He was just shy of 20 weeks when we had the ultra sound. At the ultra sound he weighed around 11 0unces. Most babies at that point weigh just less than 10.5 oz., so he is measuring slightly larger. Today I am 22.5 weeks pregnant, ya. At this point he should be about 11 inches long and weigh about a pound. Thanks to him getting bigger, I am able to feel him every day. Brian has felt him several times, but baby doesn't always kick hard enough for him to feel.

I can't believe that we're now past the half way mark. This past week we got a little more prepared and purchased a crib. We should be able to pick it up with in the next two weeks. We get more excited as we continue to get ready for our wonderful baby boy. I have my next appointment on Monday, so I'll give another update then.

Lots of baby updates

Sorry this post is going to be a long and scattered. Brian and I have been up to a lot lately in preperation for school and this baby. First we went shopping for some baby stuff and this is what we got.

We really liked the carseat and the stroller was a great option for us because we live on the third floor and this is something that I can haul downstairs by myself. We also liked it because the carseat is the same style as a stroller that has two seats. No the blue does not mean that we are having a boy, we still don't know. BUT- we are going to find out Monday at 2:00. I am sooooo excited!

This week I went to the doctor just for a check up and everything looks great. Here are some stats for the baby. Based on the growth of my stomach, baby is looking the size it should. We will get more precise measurements when they do the ultra sound. The heart rate dropped again which they said is totally normal and should now start to steady out a little bit. It is now in the 140's. Our baby at this point (almost 19 weeks) is about 6 inches from head to hiny and 8.5 ounces. I can't believe how big it is getting. One of the most exciting things that has happened since our baby has gotten bigger is that I can now feel our little one moving. I can only feel it when I am still, and it usually happens right after I eat. Today our little one felt like it was throwing it's own party. All I could feel was kick*kick*roll*kick*roll...This lasted for a full 5 minutes. Apparently baby is really active at times.

Also new this week, I bought maternity clothes. I bought black and khacki pants and a black tulip skirt. I also discovered that I really hate shopping for maternity clothes. I usually hate shopping for clothes but this was a whole different level of annoying. Also for your viewing pleasure is my 18 week picture. You can see the belly a lot better when I pull my shirt up, but I don't think anybody else should have to see my belly. If you want it let me know and I'll email it to you.

A Letter to My Tire Theif

Dear Spare Tire Theif,

Thank you so much for stealing my spare tire off my Jeep Liberty. That really helps the little thing hold its value even better during these economic times. How did you know that I wanted to spend $300 replacing a tire? And wake up to that fabulous new this morning? I am grateful for the opportunity to file a police report in a city where the crime rate ensures that this will never be looked into. I know it looked really easy to steal, I mean who leaves their spare tire on the back in plain sight. But really, thanks for pointing out that major design flaw. I also appreciate that now I have to put wheel locks on both cars to ensure that this won't happen again. Because wheel locks are really cheap in Houston. How exactly did you know that the price of the tire falls beneath what insurance will cover so it comes right out of my savings account? Now instead of buying a crib and a glider which we so badly need for our bundle of joy, we get to replace that tire. That also makes it really convenient while I am trying to save for a 3 grand hospital bill. Appreciate it, I really do. Oh, by the way, should you choose to come back you will be greeted with wheel locks on several vehicles, I think we were an inspiration for our neighbors. Happy hunting for the other 3 spare tires that will make a set, because I would HATE to think that I was robbed for a measly $50 which is likely all you will get from selling one poorly rated tire. Because seriously, not that many people just need one. I thoroughly enjoyed being robbed by you. Have a nice day.

P.S. I hope the sky falls on your head, just a thought. Oh, and Karma is not a pleasant thing if you catch my drift.

Heather- the pregnant lady that you stole from

15 Weeks and Another Check-Up

Today I am 15 weeks along with our little bean. woohoo. Only 25 more weeks to go until he/she comes. Around this time, our baby is about 4 inches from head to rump. It weighs in at about 2.5 ounces. Exciting, our baby is getting bigger. On Monday we went to a much anticipated doctor visit. This was the first one where they did the doppler instead of looking at the baby with the ultrasound machine. I thought our baby would still be asleep since it was at our first appointment early in the morning. Boy was I wrong. As soon as the doppler went on my belly, we could hear a lot of random noise. It sounded kind of like sloshing? or water moving? It was a really weird sound that I've never heard before. She explained that it was the baby moving. Turns out the baby was moving a lot. She spent the next minute (the longest minute of my life) looking for the heartbeat. I think even Brian was concerned, probably because he knew that I was silently freaking out. By the time she found it I was well on my way to a heart attack. She was just about to give up and do an ultra sound when she finally found it. That is such a wonderful sound to a worry wart like me. The little peanut spent just enough time to get an accurate heart rate before it was off again. Little stinker!

At this appointment the heart rate went down, this is completely normal, but it ruined my theory that this baby is a girl. When the heart rate is towards the top of the scale, it is more likely a girl. Towards the bottom, more likely a boy. I now have no idea what it is. I thought no big deal since we should be able to find out in only 4 weeks but, after talking to the doctor its going to be more like 8 weeks. Grrr. I'll be almost 23 weeks before we found out what exactly we will be having. I guess I'll have to live with it and develop some patience.