Charley Horse

I think I freaked Gus out this morning. At around 5:30, I jumped out of bed with excruciating cramps in my right calf. I was whimpering, it hurt so badly. I could feel it coming on while I was still in bed, and I tried to reach down and pull up on my toes to prevent it-- but it was too late this time! Once it started, it was so severe that I couldn't budge my feet in the slightest. I ended up having to force myself to stand in order to flex my foot a little. It was HORRIBLE!!! As I sit here now, nearly three hours later, my leg is still sore. I am thinking that was probably the worst Charley Horse I have ever had!
Sadly, I have been getting these lovely Charley Horses much more frequently since I've been pregnant. I'm not sure why, since I drink plenty of water and am eating well. I've become pretty adept at recognizing the early twinges and launching a preemptive strike by grabbing my toes, but it doesn't work 100% of the time. sigh... I feel like the guy in the board game Operation-- I need someone to grab some tweezers and get the little horsie out of my leg! STAT!

(ooh check this out: "Leg Cramps (Charley Horse): As your baby grows and puts pressure on your lower body, your legs may not get enough blood. Leg cramps can develop when you are tired or not getting enough calcium in your diet." I definitely get enough calcium-- probably too much, since I'm a milkaholic-- but the blood flow thing is interesting!!)

An End in Sight!!!!!

The French Occupation of 2007 will officially end on July 17th! I am so happy, I just did a little dance. :) I've mentioned the Frenchman numerous times in this blog, but I haven't really explained who he was or why he was here. Here's the scoop:

In January, Florian came to the U.S. to work as an Engineering Intern for Gus' company (the parent company is based in Paris). He was living in a hotel, but that was getting expensive and he needed to get an apartment. Slight problem: he only needed the apartment for two months, because he would be going to work on-site at a plant in Illinois at the beginning of April-- a job that would last for five months. So Gus helped him look at various places, but his options were really limited. Most places didn't want to rent to him for just two months, especially since he had no U.S. credit history. Gus finally brought up the idea of renting him our third bedroom. The extra cash would definitely come in handy, and we'd save a lot of money on gas because the two guys could carpool to work. Plus, Florian was around our age (24), really quiet/shy, and he loved Charlie right off the bat (he has a kitty at home in France). And it was only for two months-- no big deal, right???
Well... Obviously, he didn't leave at the beginning of April, because he is still here! The company in Illinois (a client of the company Gus works for) started dragging its feet... It clearly wasn't ready for such a major installation. They kept giving vague deadlines... "Oh, maybe toward the end of April..." and "Maybe sometime around Memorial Day..." It was really irritating, but it wasn't Florian's fault. And we couldn't really kick him out, because there was no way to tell whether he'd be leaving in a week or a month. Plus, we are pretty much the only people he really knows here. Anyway... there was a big teleconference with the Illinois company this morning, and they finally set a firm date: July 22nd. Florian will leave on or before the 17th, since he'll be driving cross-country and wants to do a little sight-seeing. I just can't believe that an end is finally in sight!
Truthfully, he is a very nice guy. I was just planning on him being here for 2 months, and he will have been here for five-and-a-half by the time he leaves. Little things that he does- things that probably wouldn't bother other people- are really starting to get on my nerves. On top of that, I found out I was pregnant *right* after he moved in. So I have been itching to get my hands on his room, and it's been occupied this whole time (though he has let me put splotches of different paint all over his walls). Anyway, today is a happy day!! HALLELUJAH!!!

We Have a Color!

Joy of joys, we have a paint color! Who would've thought this would end up becoming a week-long ordeal?? After numerous trips to the local Sherwin-Williams store and several failed attempts, I have finally found the shade I have been looking for. And what is it called, you ask? Nothin'! I am calling it "Briar's Special Blue," but I ended up having them do custom color-matching for me. In retrospect, I should have just done this in the first place and saved some of the hassle, but that's okay. It's funny, though, when you walk into the paint store and the guy behind the counter asks, "How did Cosmos work out?" or "Did you like Danube??" hahaha! It's always the same guy in there, and he's got to be around my age. Anyway... Today, I brought the crib bumper in with me so he could try to match it using his photospectrometer or whatever (I think that's what he said it was). It didn't really work-- I guess the machine was looking right THROUGH the fabric, and it kept coming out too light. So he messed with the mixture for a good 20 minutes, trying to get it just right. While it was mixing one of the times, he went in the back and then brought out a deck of the old paint chips from about 10 years ago (before the company did a complete color overhaul, I guess). We looked through it, and- lo and behold!- found a near-perfect match in a color called "Holland Tile" (makes sense, since it looks like all the Blue Delft stuff my mom has). Since he was already mixing a sample, he used some of the specs from "Holland Tile" as a guideline, and was able to come up with the *perfect* shade of blue! It's not quite the same as Holland Tile, but it is just right! I was so happy! All I have to do is bring back the sample with me when I'm ready to buy a gallon, since it has the Secret Recipe printed on it. Hooray!

A-HA!!

The paint color saga continues... I wasn't hallucinating! I just called my mom, and when I mentioned the paint, the first thing out of her mouth was, "You know, I was looking at it again today, and it's got a lot of purple in it... are you sure you want to use that in his room??" So it's not just me! Anyway, I think I have decided to go with more of a cobalt/French blue color... more like this. I think it'll be much bolder and crisper, anyway, especially with all the white furniture and the vibrant colors in the bedding. :P

Lively Tune

So, I am having Lively Tune flashbacks today... What's that, you say?? Well, when we first moved into the house, I went on a mad painting rampage and painted pretty much every room (except the room that would ultimately become the nursery... see how I was thinking ahead?). Anyway, Gus really wanted our home office to be a light blue color. We went to Home Depot and picked out a shade called "Lively Tune." Sounds nice and happy, right? Well, once it was up on the wall, it looked very... off. It was more of a periwinkle than an actual blue-- it had too much purple in it. When people would come visit, I'd ask them what color they thought it was, and the results were split between "light blue" and "lavendar." After a month or two of living with it (and growing to hate it more and more each day), I finally repainted the room "Faded Denim," which was much better.

So fast-forward to this week... On Wednesday, I drove up to my parents' house to visit for the day. They happen to have the set of ALL the Sherwin-Williams paint chips, so I brought along the crib bumper to do come color-matching. I actually found matches for ALL the colors in the bedding, since my mom is working on some sort of Top Secret project, and she needed to know the colors. Anyway, the light blue in the bedding matched a color called "Cosmos." I picked up a sample of it today, and convinced the Frenchman to let me slather some on a wall in his room (hehe! part of my passive-aggressive "get out of my house" campaign). And sadly, I am reminded of Lively Tune... it has just a *hint* of purple in it, and I'm not sure whether or not I like it. Gus, on the other hand, thinks it's perfect. Then again, he picked Lively Tune in the first place! Plus, I think he might be a little bit color blind. But who knows... It's growing on me a little. All I can say is that I love Sherwin Williams-- not only do they have the BEST paint (seriously.. coming from someone who has painted a LOT), but they will also mix up a sample quart of any color for only $4.99. I ♥ them!

P.S. I should add that I have nothing against the color purple. What I don't like is when a color can't make up its mind! :P

Second Thoughts...

So I'm already having second thoughts... about the paint! I thought I was sold on the yellow, but the more I look at it, the more washed-out it seems. The baby's room gets a lot of sunlight, too, so I'm afraid it might be blinding!! Anyway, I am now leaning toward blue or green. I found a perfect match for the green in the bedding, but I'm still looking for just the right blue. Either way, what do you think about how these colors look (as opposed to the yellow)?
Blue Walls
Green Walls

Choosing Paint...

I am jumping the gun on getting the nursery started, since that room is currently under French occupation, but I can daydream, right?? Our very first piece of baby bedding arrived the other day, and Gus and I started talking about what colors to paint the walls of the room. All our furniture is white, and the bedding is pretty vibrant: red, green, yellow, white, and several shades of blue. At first, I thought we should paint the room blue (maybe two shades, even), but now I'm thinking it would make the bedding "disappear" into the walls. So, when I went to visit my parents yesterday, I brought the bumper with me and went through all their Sherwin-Williams paint chips (they bought the whole set-- very handy!). I am thinking now that we might go with yellow, since it's a nice bright color and not one that's too dominant in the bedding. I found a perfect match called "Daffodil," which also happens to be my favorite flower. Is it paint destiny??? Who knows! :P Anyway, I was playing around in Photoshop to see what it would look like... The color didn't come out as an exact match to the bedding, but it is in real life. What do you think??

Now, if only I could get my hands on that room... sigh... Long story...

Sugar Sugar

So I just got back from this month's doctor's appointment, which was pretty routine. The only differences were that the doc measured my belly for the first time, and that I had to take my 1-hour glucose test. Basically, I checked in for my appointment, did the usual pee-in-a-cup thing, then went downstairs to the lab to chug a pint or so of wonderful glucose drink (yuck!). It tasted like non-carbonated orange soda. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever tasted, but it wouldn't be my drink of choice! I actually drank it so quickly that I had a serious burping problem for about 30 minutes afterward. Anyway... I needed to kill an hour before they could draw my blood, so I went back up and had my appointment. I got to hear the heartbeat again, which is always awesome! It was strong and steady at 154 beats per minute. Then the doc measured my belly, which was new and exciting... He used a little tape measure to determine the distance between the top of my pubic bone and the top of my uterus-- 24.5 centimeters. He said that the measurement corresponds with how many weeks big I am measuring-- so 24.5 weeks. Right on target! The doc also said that my weight gain so far has been "excellent," so that made me feel good (since I've been feeling like a cow lately!!).

After the appointment, I went to schedule another... My doctor's office always likes to schedule two appointments into the future, so I already had one scheduled for the end of July. But the one I was scheduling today will be my first two-week appointment!! Up until now, my appointments have been every four weeks. In the third trimester, they switch to every two weeks. And, in the final month, they are every week (sometimes even twice a week). I just couldn't believe I was scheduling my first two-week appointment already... Time is seriously flying!

Anyway, after that was all taken care of, I had to go back down to the lab and get my blood drawn. (well, first I had to kill another 20 minutes... Luckily, I brought a good book to read!) Basically, they wanted to see how my body responded to sugar-- to see if I might have gestational diabetes. Considering that my mom had G.D. when she was pregnant with both me and my brother, I can't help but feel a little doomed. sigh... At any rate, they won't know the results for a few days (and even then, they operate under a "no news is good news" policy, which means I might not hear from them at all). In the meantime, I plan to eat lots of delightful, sugary treats in case they tell me I have to modify my diet for the rest of the pregnancy. Hot fudge sundaes, anyone? :P

P.S. While I was typing this blog entry, the crib bumper was delivered!! We did decide to go with the "Baby Boats" bedding from Pottery Barn Kids, and it is SO CUTE!!! I only ordered the bumper so that we could start figuring out paint colors for the room. I am so happy! :)

Two Years

Today is our two-year wedding anniversary, which I find hard to believe! Where did the time go? I still remember everything so vividly, and yet two years has somehow flown by. Anyway, a lot has changed since then (like my waistline, for one!). :P

Anyway... Where was I exactly two years ago at this time? I think I was still at the house, getting ready for all my hair appointments and whatnot. Ikuyo was here (she stayed at the house that weekend), and we were waiting for my mom so we could all eat breakfast before getting our hair and makeup done. By this time the following day, Gus and I were married and at the airport, getting ready to board our flight to Maui. sigh... And what will I be doing tomorrow? Not going to Maui, that's for sure! Instead, I get to take my 1-hour glucose test at the doctor's office. Hooray! :P

P.S. Check this out! Behold my growing belly!

What a Difference a Month Makes...

Holy moly... I decided to take a belly pic tonight as we were getting ready to go out to dinner (our second anniversary is on Monday... yippee!). When I looked at it on the computer, I was shocked. I mean, I know I'm getting bigger... But I have grown a LOT in the past month! And I still have three-and-a-half more months to go! YIKES!

Almost 24 Weeks
P.S. Try to ignore my nice farmer's tan... :P

WHOA!!!

WE SAW MY BELLY MOVE LAST NIGHT!! It was so weird. We were watching tv in bed, and Gus had his hand on my belly to feel the baby kicking. Well, he wasn't cooperating... it seemed like whenever Gus put his hand there, he'd stop moving altogether! (I told Gus he must be some sort of Baby Whisperer) Anyway, he pulled his hand away one time just seconds before a particularly powerful kick. I wasn't even paying that much attention, but my bouncing belly caught my attention!!! I don't know what body part it was, but something was definitely sticking out! A minute later, the baby did it again-- and this time, Gus got to see it. I am still so weirded out by it, but at the same time it was AWESOME! He really is in there! :)

Things I Crave

We had our end-of-the-year luncheon the other day, on the last day of school, and a few of my coworkers were saying to me how I've been pretty even-tempered and not a "crazy hormonal pregnant woman." To be honest, I think they're right, and that I've been really lucky (*knock on wood!*). I've felt pretty much the same as I always have, with the exception of my "evening sickness" early on. I mentioned it to Gus, and he said pretty much the same thing. Maybe it's because I'm having a boy, so I don't have that monster surge of estrogen flooding my system?? Who knows!

That being said, I have come to realize that I do, in fact, have food cravings. For a while, it was hard to say whether or not these were cravings, because the things I want have been things I have ALWAYS liked (pregnant or not). But I realized I had a craving this afternoon when, after finishing off my second bacon cheeseburger of the week, I suddenly wanted ANOTHER one. I still want it, actually. Bacon cheeseburgers are soooooooo goooooood!!! :) Anyway, I thought I'd make a list of the foods I am craving (take notes if you plan to visit... bring a food offering and you'll be set!):

• TACO BELL- this has been the biggest craving by far! I want it every day and, sadly, have been getting it two or three times a week. I am worried that the baby might come out looking like a Burrito Supreme (mmm... burrito supreme!)
• Bacon Cheeseburgers (see above)
• Homemade Biscuits, but only the kind made with Bisquick (I just about cried when I realized we were out of Bisquick, and I made a special trip to go get some.)
• Steak. And I've never been a huge red-meat-eater!
• Hot Fudge Sundaes

I think that's pretty much it, for the moment. Which reminds me... time to go eat dinner! Too bad I don't have any of these things right now! *sigh*

A Baby Baby!

Here is little Owen, at just 26 hours old... It was so hard to put him down! I can't wait for our little guy to get here! The two of them are going to be buddies! :)

New News!

So Kori actually had her baby right before I posted that last blog entry!!! She named him Owen Thomas, and he was born at 4:08pm. HOORAY! I'm still waiting for the stats, but I'm guessing everyone is pretty tired right now. Still- YAY!

And in other very exciting news, Gus finally felt the baby kick!! I've been feeling the kicks get progressively stronger lately, and the little guy was doing quite a tap dance in there after I finished a bowl of ice cream tonight. Gus felt him a whole bunch of times! I didn't even say anything-- I just let him tell me when he felt them (and yup, he was right). Happy, happy day!! :) :) :)

**UPDATE: 7 lbs., 14 oz. and 21 inches long... The doctors were predicting that he'd be at least 9 pounds, so that's kind of a surprise! And she had to have a C-section. I can't wait to go see them!

The Waiting

...is the hardest part! Ok, so I have that Tom Petty song seriously stuck in my head now... Oh well! Today was the second-to-last day of school, and we had our big Promotion ceremony for the 5th graders (who are going on to middle school next year). Promotion is sort of my "thing." It's basically a graduation ceremony, only we don't use that specific word (since they're not technically done with school yet, and we don't want to give them the impression that they are!). I've been leading practices for the past few weeks, and making sure that all the little details were taken care of (the room arrangement, slideshow, all the awards, etc.). Luckily, I've had a really superstar team of volunteer parents this year, and everything went off without a hitch! This was especially relieving because, as of 6 pm last night, we were still having technical difficulties with the slideshow. I had to leave to go home, and one of the parents involved finally figured out a way to fix it at around 7:30. Long story short, they had used some songs they'd purchased off the internet which were, of course, licensed to be used only on their home computer and not the one at school. It's a little more complicated than that, but it ended up working out just fine in the end!

So Promotion went really well, except for the fact that I was on pins and needles the entire time, waiting to hear from Kori! Yup, my pregnant friend/coworker was induced yesterday, and I thought that for sure she would have the baby overnight. She said that she and her husband would send out a mass text message when the baby was born, and that I was definitely on the distribution list. I was checking my cell phone obsessively all morning! Finally, right after Promotion, I saw that I had a new *voice* message from her (I was so excited!!). I had been up on the stage presenting awards, and had missed the call. She said that she was 4 cm dilated, 90% effaced, they had just given her an epidural (which she was loving) and the nurses predicted that she was about to enter the "active labor" phase. I couldn't believe that she hadn't had the baby yet!! She sounded completely exhausted. So then I was waiting... and waiting... and waiting for an update. At 1:00 this afternoon, I got the following text message:

No baby yet- tonight most likely
So, that's where we're at now. I'm hoping that she has the baby fairly early tonight, and then I can go and visit her tomorrow. It's really weird-- I have totally been living vicariously through her this entire pregnancy. She told me the same day that she got the positive pregnancy test- I'm pretty sure I was the first person (after her husband) to find out. For months before that, we were both charting our periods and would consult each other daily to compare charts. So I feel really emotionally invested in this whole thing, and I hope she has the baby really, really soon! I am DYING to see what her little guy looks like! And I am really curious about which name she'll pick (she had settled on one along time ago, but was having second thoughts when I talked with her last week). Ooooh, I can't wait for him to get here!!!!

(On a side note... the day she told me she was pregnant, we figured out when her due date would be-- July 3rd. I said, "You know what? I bet you're going to have the baby on the day of Promotion!!" I was joking, but now I wish I had put some money on it... Who'd a thunk it??)

Viability!

Now that I have reached 22 weeks, the baby officially stands a chance (although a very, very small one) of surviving if it were born! That being said... this baby is definitely not done cooking, and needs to stay in there until at LEAST mid-September (you hear that, baby? I'm talking to you!). Still, this is sort of an exciting milestone. And, I'm also at the 5-month point now! More than halfway! Hooray! :)

An End in Sight!

I've mentioned here before that we have a Frenchman occupying what will eventually become the nursery, right? It's a long story (sigh...). BUT... Gus tells me that it looks like he'll probably be leaving us by mid-July! HOORAY! I am so excited to get that room back! Merci beaucoup!

Holy Heartburn, Batman!

So far in this pregnancy, I've been counting my blessings... I have read about all the horrible ailments and conditions that can affect pregnant women, and have considered myself one of the lucky ones. After all, I never had morning sickness so bad that I was throwing up all the time (though I did feel nauseous in the evenings). And since I safely made it out of the first trimester, I have really not had any major problems besides some ongoing back pain. I haven't even had constipation, like everyone told me I would (*knock on wood!*). Really, things have been pretty good... until this week! I have now discovered the joys of heartburn! I never really had heartburn before, or at least not very frequently. I am now living in a state where I feel perpetually "on the edge" of some serious burn. I did myself in yesterday, too... We went to the Greek Festival, and I ate all sorts of fun things (feta fries, loukomathes, souvlaki, frappe, banana soda...). Then, after that, our koumbari (sponsors) took us all out to dinner at a great restaurant, where I managed to find enough room to eat some delicious gnocchi with a creamy tomato and mushroom sauce. It was so good!! By the time I finished eating, the heartburn had already begun... And by the time I went to bed, it was so bad that I couldn't sleep. I propped my head up with a bunch of pillows and took some Tums. It seemed to help a little bit, but I was still miserable. Anyway, what's my point? Never count your chickens before they hatch. (I will keep my fingers crossed on the whole constipation-thing, though... yuck!!)

P.S. I am very glad I passed on the fried cheese yesterday... I can only imagine what that would have done to me!!

Equilibrium

Today, we went on the greatest field trip I have ever had the chance to participate in! It's strange enough that we had two field trips scheduled in the same week, but it's even more odd that they would end up being two totally opposite experiences. I guess this was the universe's way of making up for the living hell we experienced on Tuesday?? Anyhow, our kids got to run a mock town for the day, and it was such an incredible thing to watch. For the past month and a half, we (all the 5th grade teachers) taught the kids lessons on business and money management, and they all applied and interviewed for various jobs within the town. It was a tremendous amount of work for us, and there were a lot of kinks to work out (it's a brand-new program-- the place has only been open a week!), but it was all worth it! Here are a few pics of our fabulous experience (I blurred out all the kids' faces, just to be safe):

• Picture #1: View from the second story of the "mall"... you can see a Public Works project underway!
  
• Picture #2: Some of our distinguished lawyers hard at work
  
• Picture #3: The staff at Jack-in-the-Box prepares for a busy day

The place, which is run by our regional Junior Achievement program, has already been getting a lot of local press coverage. There were even more members of the press there today (I got interviewed for our local newspaper, hooray!). Our school was one of only a handful of pilot schools, which meant that we got to go for free (the actual value of the experience is about $50 per kid-- but they plan to subsidize a lot of the costs through donations. Next year, they will charge $18 per student).

Anyway, I guess I am just syaing that this field trip kicked butt. I am completely exhausted, but it definitely made up for the horror that was Tuesday's trip (*cringe*). :)

Worst. Field trip. Ever.

Subtitled: Why I dislike hate my school district's transportation department

I am so exhausted right now, and it's largely because I am still worn down from our big field trip yesterday. I was just thinking last week about how something might go wrong, when I read in Alayna and Sacha's blog about Sacha's recent field trip transportation woes. I have never had good luck with my district's transportation department, since they are really bad at following instructions and giving out information (they actually get kind of secretive when you ask if buses have been confirmed for a trip... they don't exactly give me a lot of confidence in their abilities!). Two years ago, I actually had it out with the woman in charge of the department... I was so fed up with them after that whole experience that now our school secretary always deals with them. (strangely enough, the woman I was so annoyed with has a kid at my school, and he's going to be in my class next year. yippee...) Anyway, if you want to read the long version of the story (which I had to write up for my principal today), click here. But to summarize: A trip that should have taken two hours ended up taking four-and-a-half when our bus was stopped at a highway patrol checkpoint and found to be unsafe to drive (a tire was so bald that the steel treads were visible-- the driver received not one, but FOUR tickets for four different violations). By the time we got to our destination, it was just about time to turn around... And going both directions, the driver had no idea where he was going or how to get there, and spent 90% of the time talking on his cell phone while going a million miles an hour. To top it all off, I had a student start throwing up repeatedly on the ride home, causing me to gag and nearly start vomiting myself. Then I had to get her cleaned up, which was not at all enjoyable. Oh, such a fun day! The part that stinks the most is that I planned the entire field trip, MY class has done the bulk of the fundraising (as usual), and MY students' parents have put in the majority of the man hours to make all our fundraisers successful. And my students (and their parents, and me) were the ones on the messed up bus who suffered the most, while the other kids from other classes had a slightly-less-crappy experience. Sometimes, I guess, life really isn't fair. My kids learned that lesson the hard way yesterday. I have to give them credit, though, for really being troopers throughout the whole ordeal. They were so quiet and well-behaved while sitting at the highway patrol checkpoint for nearly three hours. Gotta love them for that!

Nursery-in-progress!

Ok, so we can't exactly make progress on the actual nursery, since there's a Frenchman living in there and all (sigh... another story for another day). But I think I have finally made some decisions! I was going back and forth on whether or not I wanted to do a rainforest-themed room, and I have decided not to. But I have picked out some really cute bedding from Pottery Barn Kids that both Gus and I love! We also received our changing table the other night (a gift from my parents), which I assembled in about 2 hours. It was such a pain! But it looks great, and I can't wait until the aforementioned Frenchman leaves so I can move it into the room (and when will that be? who knows?!?). The crib (another gift from my parents) is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. I'm so excited!! I think we'll probably paint the nursery in two different shades (of blue? not sure yet) with a white chair rail in the middle and a white valance over the window. So cute! I can't wait to get my paws on that room! :)

Added on 6/6: Well, I think we've changed our minds again... Don't count on that PBK bedding! But we at least have the crib and changing table set to go! :)

Random...

I am now the proud owner of a VHS copy of the movie Return to Oz, hooray! One of the other teachers was getting rid of it, so I grabbed it. Why is this so exciting?? Because I hadn't thought of the movie in about a million years until recently, when I met my doctor for the first time (see this blog entry). Since then, I've kind of wanted to see it again. And then poof, it magically appeared today. I think I must be psychic!!

(Oh, and I also snagged a hardcover copy of the book The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. That one's for the baby's library! Yay!)

Halfway Point

Today I am 20 weeks pregnant, which means that I am officially halfway through this pregnancy! Woohoo!! It's hard to believe how quickly things have gone... and how quickly my belly is starting to expand! Just in the past few weeks, I've gone from looking slightly bloated/frumpy to definitely having a little pregnant belly. As a matter of fact, today a stranger (the checker at Albertson's) actually asked me how far along I was-- for the first time! So other people are starting to see it, too! Every day, I feel his little kicks and jumps more strongly, and today I got to hear his heartbeat again at my doctor's appointment. It really is a miracle. The Nurse Practitioner (who, by the way, rocks!) told me that every single measurement taken at my big ultrasound last week is just perfect, and that he has a really strong, healthy heartbeat. While we were listening to it today (using the Doppler), the little guy started kicking like crazy-- I was able to feel the kicks AND hear the movement, which was so weird!
Anyway, I guess what I'm trying to say is that this part of pregnancy is really cool. I actually get to "look" pregnant, I get to feel the baby's movements, I get to see him on the ultrasound, and I'm past all that first trimester yuckiness. And in four-and-a-half months, I get to squeeze out a baby. I have a feeling it'll be here before we know it!

(P.S. Our changing table arrived today, and the crib will probably be here in a few weeks... So this kid already has furniture! CRAZY!)

"Quickening"

There is definitely a baby in my belly!! I first thought that I might be feeling movement in there right around Mother's Day. It felt almost like gas bubbles, but then I didn't have gas (sorry, TMI!). I still wasn't 100% sure. But in the past couple of days, I have DEFINITELY been feeling him moving! Even right now, I can feel him squirming around in there. It is the coolest and most bizarre thing ever! It's difficult to describe the sensation, because there's really nothing else like it. It feels like something is moving around in my lower abdomen, making little thuds and thumps inside as it goes. It doesn't hurt or anything- it just sort of tickles. There is no doubt in my mind now that it's the baby moving. I have been feeling him a lot today, and he seems to be really active right now (probably because I just ate, so he's getting a little burst of food power!). It's so unreal! I can't wait for Gus to be able to feel this, too!!

(By the way, quickening is defined as "the stage of pregnancy at which the mother first feels the movements of the fetus." I think it's an awful word for something so cool, but what can I do? Oh, and another "by the way": I've felt him move probably 15 times while typing this. Hooray!!)

Our Son, Skeletor

So we had another ultrasound today, and got some more pictures. They looked really similar to the ones we got last time, with the exception of this (kinda scary) one. Doesn't he look like Skeletor here?? The good thing is that we know (from seeing his profile) that he does, in fact, have a nose and lips and whatnot. And at least he appears to be a friendly little skeleton! (he's waving hello!)

Anyway... Long story short, he is still measuring right on target for my adjusted due date of October 16th, and he weighs around 12 ounces now. That's as much as a can of soda! Hooray for our little soda-can-sized Skeletor! :)

Amnio Results...

So the results are in, and it's good news all around! He is perfectly normal, with 46 well-formed chromosomes. And he's definitely a "he!" Not that I really doubted it after seeing the ultrasound (it was pretty clear), but it's nice to know that he definitely has one X and one Y chromosome. I've been feeling more movement in there today, too, so he must be celebrating the good news. Hooray!!

Old Wives' Tales

This is really weird... Last night, Gus' parents met us for dinner (since it was Gus' name day). That's not the weird part. The weird part is that, once we got there, Nick sized up my belly and told me, point blank, that I was having a boy. Sure, I already knew that, but he didn't!!! Ever since I found out I was pregnant, he told me not to tell him the sex so that he could have his chance to work his magic. I couldn't believe it! I know he had a 50-50 chance of being right, but he said it right away and was so confident about it... It was unnerving! When I asked him to explain how he did that, he said that he goes by an old wives' tale that says that if a pregnant woman's belly is higher up and rounder, then it's a boy (lower and not as round means a girl). And apparently (according to both him and Fofo), he has never once been wrong in his predictions! That is so weird! I need to tell my coworker about this... she swears by this Chinese calendar that she has, but she's been wrong the last 3 out of 4 pregnancies. Maybe it's time for her to go Greek?? :)

Misc. Stuff...

Wow, what a productive weekend we had! On Saturday, something came over Gus, and he decided to go out and weed this one area of our front yard that desperately needed it (if you've been here before, it's the little strip along the bottom of the retaining wall that runs parallel to the side of the house). I'd been complaining about it for a while, and I thought we should just hire someone to rip out all the weeds. The strip itself is narrow, but it runs for at least 50 feet and was just overgrown with weeds. It was really bothering me!! Anyway, he spent the majority of the day out there, and got most of it cleared! He even had to make a trip to the dump, since we had nowhere to put the junk. I am really impressed. While he worked on that, I got some spring cleaning done inside the house, did the grocery shopping, and put my new license plates on my car (woohoo!). I still can't believe he pulled all those weeds.

Yesterday, I figured he'd want to sit on his butt and watch tv all day, since he worked so hard the day before... Instead, we went to our local nursery and picked out some nice plants for the small strip in front of the house (where the bushes used to be- he ripped them out a while ago). He planted them and laid down mulch, and I fixed up the drip system so they'd get enough water (I am the resident sprinkler expert around these parts). When I wasn't outside, I was giving our bedroom a makeover. Gus had been complaining about our overabundance of white pillows (with our white duvet, it was just too much white), and I didn't like the wall art we had up on my side of the bed. Anyway, I spent a grand total of about $22, and I have to admit that I am really proud of myself!

I got the two mocha-colored pillow shams using a gift card (so free for me!), I made the chocolate-colored pillow cover out of some silk I bought and a pillow we already had, and I bought the wall shelf for $16 at HomeGoods (I already had the glass votives). Hooray!! I don't have a great "before" picture, but this is definitely an improvement! YIPPEE!

So, that was our weekend... Today was not nearly as interesting, though my coworker sent me this funny email. I started the day really grumpy with my class, since it's the end of the year and they are acting like it (translation: they are turning from nice, sweet 5th-graders into rude pre-teens... lovely!). Now, I'm just waiting for Gus to call and update me on our dinner plans, since today is his name day (it's a Greek thing!) and his parents are in town. I hope he calls soon, because the baby and I are starving!

Changed My Due Date...

...grudgingly!! I'm still convinced that my dates are accurate. After all, I got my positive pregnancy test (and a very faint one at that!) one day after my period was due. Anyway, the first lady I saw (Nurse Practitioner) calculated my due date as October 18th, based on the first day of my last period. That's actually not a very reliable method, but whatever (it assumes everyone has an identical 28-day cycle and ovulates on day 14... which I don't!). Then, the next Nurse Practitioner I saw (different lady) did an ultrasound, and said I was right on track and was due October 16th. Ok... Then at the Perinatal Center this week, the ultrasound tech said the same thing, and also told me that the early ultrasound was the most reliable thing to determine the actual due date. So, one of two things must have happened: either my dates are off by an entire WEEK (which I don't believe), or else the baby is measuring about a week ahead in terms of growth (which is entirely possible). At any rate, I've finally given in and updated the little ticker over on the right with the new due date. sigh...

Cuteness

Now that we know it's a boy, all I want to do is go on a shopping spree and buy a zillion little baby boy outfits! Because of the amnio, though, I wasn't able to go out anywhere yesterday. Luckily, my friend Kori took care of that for me... When I got to work this morning, she gave me this onesie that she bought at BabyGap yesterday afternoon:



I think it is just about the cutest thing I have ever seen!!! It says "Swingin' Single and Lovin' It." I seriously LOVE it. We're also thinking of doing sort of a jungle-themed nursery, so it's just perfect. Yay for cute baby clothes (and cute babies to put in them)!! :)

IT'S A BOY!!!

Great profile shot of the little guy!


Left arm, as viewed from behind


The money shot! This view is from looking up at his bottom... You can see his two legs and a little something extra in between-- definitely a boy!

What an exciting day!!!! At around 9am, we had an appointment with the genetic counselor, a really nice lady who explained everything to us. It was really reassuring to me, because she pretty much said ALL of the same things I had outlined in my post below about why I should get the amnio-- including the fact that the "1 in 200" statistic was totally out of date. She said that at this particular clinic, the odds are more like 1 in 1,000. Anyway, I decided to have the procedure done. After we met with the counselor, we had to sit in the waiting room for a while before our ultrasound appointment. I chugged 16 ounces of water, thinking my appointment would be in about 10 minutes (my scheduled time). I didn't get called in until 45 minutes after my scheduled appointment time, and I thought I was going to DIE! During the wait, I went to the bathroom twice (trying to just go a little each time), and then forcing myself to drink more water. They wanted me to have a full bladder for the ultrasound, and they definitely got it! The ultrasound tech even stopped halfway through and told me I should go (I guess my bladder was REALLY full). After that, the experience was much more pleasant. She said that the baby looks perfectly normal, with none of the soft markers that might indicate Down Syndrome. She also said he weighs about 9 ounces right now. The whole time, he was wiggling around and putting on a little show for us. It was AWESOME! (OH, and they even recorded the entire ultrasound on a videotape for us! IT cost $5-- I think it's worth it!)

After the ultrasound, the doctor and another ultrasound tech came in to do the amnio. It took all of two minutes. First, they swabbed that brown medical disinfectant all over my belly. Then, the tech used the ultrasound to find a nice pocket of fluid, away from the baby and the placenta. Then the doctor inserted a needle (not as big as I thought!) into the pocket, and proceded to draw out about 3 tablespoons of amniotic fluid. It was so weird to see the needle on the ultrasound screen! At one point, the baby must have bumped it, because he started moving around like crazy (he has reflexes, yay!). Anyway, they got the fluid, pulled the needle out, cleaned up my belly as best they could (it's still stained slightly yellow in spots), and stuck a band-aid on the puncture spot. Now I just have to take it easy for the rest of the afternoon, which is no problem at all! I should get the results of the amnio in seven to ten days, but I would be really surprised if it is anything but normal. It will be nice to have the reassurance, though!

So, yes... that was our morning. I'm going to go rest on the couch for a bit, and maybe watch the ultrasound video. We're so excited for our little baby boy! :) :)

Mother's Day

Gus and I just walked in the door after a long day spent with our families. We actually left the house at 7am today to have breakfast with my mom (and dad and brother). Then, at around 11, we left to meet Gus' parents for lunch, then hung out with them at their house for a bit after that. It was great to see everyone, but I am completely exhausted right now (and have a splitting headache, to top it off!). The avocado-baby and I need to rest for a bit!

Anyway... Today got me thinking about what things will be like at this time next year. I'll get to be the mommy! It's been kind of interesting this week, chatting with various people about whether or not I "qualify" as a mother today. Some people (like, Gus, for one) think that you're not truly a mother until you can hold the baby in your arms. Meanwhile, I received a handful of Mother's Day cards and well-wishes from various people ("For the Mother-To-Be"), and I even got two gifts! One of my students brought me a little flower arrangement (awww!), and another student's mom gave me a 3-pack of sleepers for the baby. So... I don't know if Mother's Day is meant for pregnant people or not! Of course, I love all the presents and attention... but I have a feeling that next year will be VERY different, when there's an actual little baby to hold and love. But I guess I'll have to wait a year to find out for sure!

Speaking of the baby (like I speak of anything else!)... I *think* I've felt movement a few times now, though I'm still not 100% sure. It felt kind of like little bubbles-- almost like I had gas, but then I really didn't (I know, I know- too much information!). I am pretty positive I felt it move during the yoga class yesterday. It's hard to be sure, though! I guess I'll have to wait for the movements to become more obvious, so that I can look back and figure out if that's what I've been feeling. Boy, I feel like such a great mom already... I can't tell if my baby is moving or if I might need to use the restroom! Greeeaaat...

Oh, and one more thing! I had a dream last night that the baby was a little boy. I dreamt that I was at school on Wednesday, after my Tuesday ultrasound, and I was telling her how Santa was going to have a little buddy (we call her baby Santa for fun. Who doesn't love Santa??). I've been thinking it was a girl up until now-- and now I just have no idea. Anyway, it seemed pretty real, but who knows??? Less than 48 hours until we could possibly have some answers to that question!

P.S. For the record, my coworkers have named my baby Zeus- regardless of whether or not it's a boy. Zeus and Santa are fetus friends, hehehe! :)

OMMMMM....

I tried something new today! Kori convinced me to go with her to this prenatal yoga class at a small studio in town, and I did! You have to understand... Not only have I never done yoga before in my LIFE, but I have also never gone to any sort of group-exercise-type-class. Seriously. So this was a huge deal! Anyway, it was actually pretty nice, and I think I did well (for a novice). I'm pretty flexible, but my balance isn't too great. The poses I had the most trouble with were Triangle pose, Warrior I pose, and King Dancer pose. With King Dancer, the instructor actually had us partner up and use our partners for stability-- haha, right! Kori and I were wobbling all over the place (oh, and giggling... did I mention that?). The instructor finally had to come over and hold onto us so we wouldn't fall down. :P We ended the session with like 10 minutes in the Goddess pose, and I was so comfortable I could've easily fallen asleep. The best part of the entire class was when the instructor came around and massaged our heads and necks while we were lying there. I think I'd consider going again just for that!

Anyway, I wanted to share, because I was proud of myself for getting out of my little box and trying something new. It was a little on the touchy-feely side (she went on and on about the goddesses we all are, how we are bringing forth sacred new life, etc.). It was hard to keep from giggling at certain points. Beyond that, though, it was very relaxing and the stretching felt pretty good. I think I might just go there again! :)

Amusement

So my book tells me that my baby is about the size of an avocado right now. A few days ago, one of my students was asking me how big it was (they like all the food comparisons), so I described it as "an avocado with legs." My student teacher thought it was funny, and drew this little illustration on the white board:



Now I can't bring myself to erase it! I had one kid ask me why there was a green peanut on the board, and another one asked me why "that pear has legs." hehe!! One girl thought my baby *actually looked like* an avocado, and asked me when it would grow arms. It took a while for her to understand that the baby actually looks like a baby right now, only smaller. But it cracked me up!

Anyway... I just wanted to share. That little avocado amuses me, especially after a stressful couple of days. :P

Update

My doctor finally called me back yesterday, and he was very reassuring. He basically said that this sort of thing is fairly common, and that it is almost certainly nothing to be worried about. Her referred me to a local clinic that specializes in perinatal services, and I'll be going there at 9:00 on Tuesday (5/15). First, Gus and I will meet with a genetic counselor, who will go over my test results in detail. I have a feeling that my scores were just barely outside the normal range, so this will be my chance to find out! (the reason I think this is because my friend, Kori, was told she had the exact same risk- 1 in 130- and her scores were actually within the margin of error for the test.) After we meet with the counselor, I'll be taken into a room for my Level II ultrasound. At that point, they will ask me if I want to get the amnio. If I do, they will perform the procedure right then and there (with the help of the ultrasound to guide the needle).

Which brings me to the one topic I keep returning to: Should I get the amnio or not? While I was definitely leaning towards "no" yesterday, doing some research and talking with my coworkers has changed my mind (many of them have had amnios). So, as of right now, I'm thinking I might get it... Here's why:

Amnios are at least 99% accurate in determining whether or not the baby has any sort of genetic abnormality Nearly half of all babies with Down Syndrome can't be identified by looking for soft markers on a Level II ultrasound If everything turns out fine, I can relax and not be a stress case for the rest of the pregnancy (no wondering "what if...?") If something IS wrong, I can prepare myself properly and/or make sure that the best people are on hand at delivery (for things like heart defects) While the posted rate of miscarriage after amniocentesis is 1 in 200, the odds are probably a lot better at a center that specializes in this sort of thing, where amnios are done on a daily basis by very skilled people. Women who get amnios are generally at high-risk-- most are "higher" risk than I am. That "1-in-200" number likely includes women who would have miscarried on their own, with or without the amnio. I read a few different places that the miscarriage statistics are based on a study that was completed in the 1970s, and techniques have certainly improved since then. I trust my doctor, and he thinks I should do it. And, a perk: With the amnio, I would be 100% certain of the baby's sex. No room for error!

Anyway... there are my thoughts for the day. If you have any advice, please share! At the very least, I will get to see the baby on Tuesday, and hopefully find out if it's a boy or a girl!

AFP Test... Ugh!

As I sit here waiting for Dr. Roly-Poly to call me back, I thought I'd share today's drama... Last Tuesday, at my appointment, I elected to have blood drawn for the AFP test. AFP (alpha fetoprotein) is a protein produced by the fetus and placenta that is also present in my bloodstream. By measuring the amount of AFP in my blood, doctors can determine my odds of having a child with various abnormalities, such as Down Syndrome or neural tube defects (spina bifida). Well, the doctor left me a message with my test results earlier. He said that my AFP numbers were low, putting me at a slightly higher risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome. Basically, my chances are 1 in 130 (0.8%), and the cutoff for "normal" is 1 in 190 (0.5%).

Normally, I think I'd be freaking out right about now... Luckily, I have a good friend who went through this same exact thing a few months ago. She's 32 weeks pregnant now, and her baby boy is just fine. So I was sort of prepared for the results, and I think I have a much better understanding of how to interpret them than I did before. I still have a 99.2% chance of having a perfectly healthy baby, and there is really no reason to get hung up on that teeny-tiny .8%.

The good news (and yes, there is some) is that I now qualify for expanded screening services! Like I mentioned above, I still need to talk to my doctor... But based on my conversations with my friend and my research on the internet, my doctor will either have me re-do the test (which I doubt), or he will refer me to a special clinic to get a Level II (detailed) ultrasound. At the ultrasound, the tech will look for any of the physical markers that indicate Down Syndrome. If everything appears normal, then my odds of having a baby with Downs will pretty much drop to 1 in 260, or .4%. No matter what the ultrasound shows, I will probably be given the option of having an amnio... and while amniocentesis is 99% accurate in identifying kids with Down Syndrome, it also comes with a 1% chance of spontaneous miscarriage. So, I don't know if I'd agree to that test, but we'll see (probably not). And no matter what the results, I will probably get a lot more ultrasounds than usual so that they can keep an eye on the baby. And any chance to see the baby is awesome, right??

At any rate, it's been a long afternoon, and I really do need to talk to my doctor. Kori (my pregnant friend) thinks they'll try to schedule my Level II ultrasound ASAP, which means we could be finding out the sex sooner than May 25th! That, at least, is exciting news!

More info on the AFP Screening Test: UCSD, About.com, Epinions.com, iVillage

Four Months

Doesn't this look like some sort of optical illusion? So do you see a vase, or two faces? :P Just kidding, it's my belly!!! I've decided to take belly pictures every four weeks (I started at 12 weeks), and tomorrow will be 16 weeks. The black-and-white version above is for the faint of heart. If you want to see the real, bare-bellied deal, click here! Don't worry, I'm not totally nekkid... just my belly! And yes, I do have one! No matter how much I try to "suck it in," I am hopelessly unable to button most of my old pants. I have yet to get a comment from someone who doesn't already know I'm pregnant, so I'm guessing that, for the moment, I just look like I've eaten too many Twinkies. sigh... Soon enough, though, the whole world will know my secret! mwahahahahaa!!

WhooshWhooshWhoosh

Well, no ultrasound today... But I got to hear the heartbeat!! The doctor used this fun little doppler device, which is about the size of a hand-held tape recorder:

My friend warned me not to worry if the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat right away, since the baby is still pretty small... but he found it on the first try! I couldn't believe it. I could hear my heartbeat on there, too, which sounded like you'd expect it to (lub-dub, lub-dub). The baby's heartbeat was a lot faster, and sounded like a series of swishing sounds (whoosh!whoosh!whoosh!). We even heard some garbled static noises that the doctor said were caused by the baby wiggling around. Hooray! I was so excited!!! The heartbeat measured pretty high, at 153 b.p.m (normal range is between 120 and 180). If you look at one of the old wive's tales about pregnancy, that supposedly means it's a girl (which is my guess, anyway!). So... we'll see in a few weeks! :P

It was interesting to meet my doctor, too. He's really nice, and answered all of my questions to my satisfaction (and I always have about a million questions, so that's a quality I really need in a doctor!). He is this completely round guy-- I nicknamed him Dr. Roly-Poly (not to his face, of course!). Everything about him is round-- completely spherical body, head, fingers... I was trying to think of who he reminded me of, and it just now hit me. Have you ever seen the movie "Return to Oz?" There's a character in it named Tik-Tok, and he looks just like Dr. Roly-Poly!!! Mustache and everything (except Dr. Roly-Poly is a human, not a robot... supposedly). Anyway, besides an eerie resemblance to Tik-Tok, he is a very nice guy. I'm officially happy with my Ob/Gyn team. :)

Our Baby, the Lemon-Softball-Avocado

So, tomorrow I will hit the 15-week mark. Hooray! It's not a particularly special number or anything, but I am partial to multiples of five (seriously... laugh at me all you want). I'm experiencing a bit of confusion, though. My book (Your Pregnancy Week by Week) says that the baby was the size of a lemon this past week. Fine, not confusing. This week, it's supposed to be the size of a softball. Again, fine. But next week, it's supposed to be the size of an avocado. Maybe I am nuts, but aren't avocados smaller than softballs??? So is my baby supposed to shrink?? Maybe they are talking about the giant avocados my family always gets in Hawaii. Because the avocados I buy here to are definitely smaller than softballs. And California is the #1 avocado producer in the world, so there!

Anyhow... Gus and I had fun yesterday. I talked him into going to Babies R Us with me so we could register. Yippee!! Of course, it's totally early... But I heard we'd get a free gift if we registered, and I am a sucker for free gifts. As it was, Gus had fun using the little scanning gun (though I had to do some deleting later on... he had a little too much fun). The whole registry process was a novel one for him. When "we" registered for our wedding, Gus never went with me. Patty, my Maid of Honor, was the one who went with me to the stores and helped me pick things out. So I guess Gus was trying to make up for lost time? Who knows. At any rate, we are officially registered now! If you want to take a look, here it is! :P (And for the record: the free gift contained a bottle, a pacifier, a diaper, a pack of wipes, breast pump wipes, a coupon for formula, one disposable washcloth, and a Babies R Us magnet... Ooooh! Aaaah!)

In other news... I have an appointment with my Ob/Gyn on Tuesday. That's right, I will actually be meeting the real doctor! Up until now, I've only seen the Nurse Practitioner (who I LOVE! She is awesome.). So this should be interesting! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll get another ultrasound, but who knows? At the very least, I should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat on Doppler for the first time. Unfortunately, Gus is in Kentucky all week for business, so he won't be able to come... My mom is going to come with me instead. Stay tuned for an update on Tuesday!

Second Trimester!

Happy Dance!!

I MADE IT!!! I mean, I was pretty sure I wouldn't have a problem, but the first trimester was still scary and nerve-wracking. The statistics are terrifying-- nearly one out of every five pregnancies end in miscarriage in the first trimester. Sure, the odds are still in favor of not miscarrying, but the whole 20%-thing isn't exactly reassuring. But now the odds are much better... From what I've read, there is something like a 97% chance that I will go on to deliver a perfectly healthy baby. And I'll take those odds any day! :)

In other news... My prayers seemed to have been answered! For the past few evenings, I haven't felt nauseous. I've also been able to stay up later (like before I was pregnant). I didn't even realize it until Friday night, when I went to bed at around 10:30 before even realizing how late it was (VERY late, compared my my 9:00 bedtime recently). I can actually keep my eyes open past 9:00- this is quite a development! Everyone says that the second trimester is the best... So far (in my vast, one day's worth of experience), I'd have to agree.

One more thing... I have my next doctor's appointment a week from tomorrow! I hope I get another ultrasound... At the very least, I'll finally be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Yay! I can't believe how quickly things are going!

YES!!

First new car in seven years... And first one I actually bought myself (okay, fine, Gus helped a little okay, a lot!). HAPPY, HAPPY DAY!! :)

(Here are the specs, if you're interested! I got the Grand Touring Edition with the Technology Package. Yippee!!)

New News!

So this is totally unrelated to the jumbo shrimp in my belly, but... Grant got engaged!! Yay for my little brother! I told him to send me a picture of him and Melissa (and the ring!), but he has been noncompliant so far. As usual! Anyway, I am so happy! Babies and weddings!! Happy happy happy! And since he has been so uncooperative, I will post a picture of them from June 2005 (right before our wedding) that I just found on my computer. So there!! :P

Jumbo Shrimp Baby

How your baby's growing: Your belly may soon be big enough to announce to the world that you're expecting, but your baby is still tiny. In fact, he's only about 3 inches long crown to rump — roughly the size of a jumbo shrimp — and weighs just about an ounce. Despite the small proportions, there's a fully formed baby inside your womb now. Much more proportional than it was a few weeks ago, his head is now only about a third the size of his body. His tiny, unique fingerprints are already in place. His kidneys and urinary tract are functional, and he's starting to urinate out the amniotic fluid he's been swallowing. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed, and your odds of miscarriage will drop considerably. (BabyCenter.com)

Hooray, my baby is the size of a jumbo shrimp! Good thing I don't really like shrimp, or I might be tempted to eat my baby. :P I also read that it's currently practicing making faces inside the womb (seriously). It's still so surreal... I can't believe that I will already be in the second trimester one week from today. YAY!! :)

(P.S. Keep your fingers crossed that second trimester = the end of my "night sickness"... ugh!!! I am SO over that!)

Mommy-mobile!

Well, the time has finally come. My trusty little Mazda Protege, which my parents bought for me when I graduated from college, is finally going on the market! It almost makes me a little sad. It's been such a spunky little car! Anyway... Anyone want to buy it? Email me if you do (seriously!):



Gus and I have been talking about getting me a new car for a while now, but having the baby on the way has officially mobilized things. I wanted to get a slightly bigger vehicle, and one where I wouldn't break my back dealing with a carseat, baby, stroller, etc. So, I've decided on the Mazda CX-7:



It's one of the new crossover SUVs, and I love it!! We went and took a test drive yesterday, and we were both impressed. The best part? It is the perfect height for me! (yes, I'm easy to please!) I just slid right into the driver's seat. It's not like my Protege, where I'm pretty low to the ground, or Gus' Nissan Titan that I have to climb up into. I felt like Goldilocks- it was *just right*! :) It had so many cool features, too. I am so excited about it!!!! Just the idea of having a new car is so exciting! Anyway... I need to sell my little car first, but hopefully I will get my CX-7 in the next month or so. Hooray!!

Not-So-Cute Story...

I have a student this year who is a compulsive liar. I mean, she makes up these totally absurd lies, and then won't ever admit that she's lying... she just tells more lies!

One example... Earlier this year, I was teaching the kids what few phrases I know in Greek. This girl asked me how to say "Good afternoon," so I told her ("kali mera"). She then tried to tell me that she spoke Portuguese, and that the Portuguese phrase sounded almost the same. Coincidentally, I had been sort of casually studying Portuguese at the time, so I knew she was full of it. I mean, it sounds like Spanish or French, maybe, but not Greek! So I called her on it. I said something like, "Wow, that doesn't sound quite right to me... I'm just going to look that up on the internet." Her response? "Oh... well, it might not be on the internet, because I speak ancient Portuguese." (Did you hear my jaw hit the floor?)

Anyhow, yesterday morning, this same girl came to me and told me that her mom had just found out that she was pregnant, too! I totally didn't buy it. So I emailed her mom a nice congratulatory note to see what would happen. Lo and behold... she is not pregnant, nor does she plan to be, ever again! So I confronted the girl about it today. Her response? "Well, I must have misunderstood something that I heard on the phone." OMG, she is such a liar!! My friend Kori suggested that her mom must have been speaking in modern Portuguese (which would explain the confusion, since the girl only speaks the ancient dialect). :P Anyway, I had to share. Note to self: Cross this girl's name off the list of potential baby names. Yikes!

Cute Story...

After school today, one of my former students was waiting for me outside my classroom (he's a 7th grader-- so he was in my class two years ago). His name is Reed, and he is one of those kids who will always have a special place in my heart. When I first got him in class, he was a total troublemaker and a slacker. For whatever reason, I was the right teacher at the right time for him, and he really turned things around that year. He worked SO HARD for me, and has kept it up into middle school (he's made Honor Roll almost every grading period!). Anyway, I just love this kid, even though he started off as kind of a stinker. It sounds weird to say this, but I know I am pretty much his favorite teacher ever. I mean, this is a kid who brings me birthday and Christmas presents, even though he doesn't go to my school anymore. For whatever reason, something really "clicked" for him when he was in 5th grade.
ANYWAY... I saw Reed waiting outside my classroom today, and he had three roses for me from his yard. It turns out his mom had told him I was pregnant (his little brother still goes to my school, and news travels fast!). He came by to congratulate me and give me a big hug. But the cutest part was when he explained the roses. He said, "The big one is for Mr. P., the medium one is for you, and the little one is for Baby Reed!!" Hahahahaha!!! He told me to feel free to name the baby after him if it's a boy. Yeah, right! Anyhow, I still thought it was really cute. That kid cracks me up! :)

12 Weeks! Yeah, Baby!

Am I showing? Am I showing? Am I showing??

I think I am, although my overall weight gain has been a whopping two pounds so far. I think most people wouldn't know it to look at me, but I can definitely see a little belly. And it's not the same as having a pudgy belly that I can "suck in" when necessary. This little belly doesn't go anywhere!!

Anyway... Yesterday and today were great days. We spent Easter with both our sets of parents at Gus' parents' house. They had a big party, with 30 or 40 people, and not one but TWO lambs roasting on spits (with teeth and eyeballs and everything!). It was fun! We broke the news to Maria and Manolis, our wedding sponsors (or koumbari). According to Greek tradition, the koumbari become the godparents to the couple's first baby-- which means this pregnancy is a big deal to them. They even earn the titles of Nouno and Nouna. Needless to say, they were ecstatic! :) Letting the cat out of the bag also finally allowed Nick and Fofo to tell all their close friends that they were going to be grandparents-- something Fofo was very excited about. So we had a good time, although we didn't get home until after 10 (and if you've read my previous posts, you know that is way past my current bedtime). It was tough getting out of bed this morning- ugh!

Today was fun, though, because I gave the poster (see previous post) to my boss to display in the staff lounge. She posted it after school started, but before the first recess at 9:45. From that point on, it was a day of hugs! I swear, I got hugged by everyone. It was so happy! On top of that, today was the first day of Teacher Appreciation Week. My students all brought me little boxes and bags of candy (the theme of the day, chosen by my room mom), and one mom brought me lunch from Taco Bell (I've been told I'll be getting lunch all week from different places- very exciting!). Awesome day!

I finally broke the news to my students after recess, and their reaction was pretty hysterical. I actually didn't know how to tell them-- isn't that weird? I was tongue-tied! But I basically told them that I had something really important to tell them, and that I had been keeping a *SECRET* from them. That caught their attention! And then I asked them if anyone had any guesses. A few kids guessed some really random, school-related things, and then my classroom phone rang. As I went to answer it, I heard someone say something about being pregnant, and that sort of sent the kids into an uproar ("Why would you SAY that?" "She's not even fat!!" "Oh my God!! I'm telling!"). So when I got off the phone, I asked what all the commotion was about. The kids were more than happy to rat out the poor little girl that suggested I was pregnant. Which was perfect, because I got to say, "Well, you know what? She's RIGHT!" The kids went absolutely NUTS! It sent them into a frenzy of asking me questions, all of which were school-appropriate (miracle of miracles!).

By the end of the day, all the students in the other 5th grade classes knew, along with most of the parents in my class. Have I mentioned that my school is pretty small, and everyone basically knows everyone else? Well, news traveled FAST- I think one parent must have started a phone chain or something. I even had parents of former students coming by to see if it was true. But it was great, because everyone was really supportive and congratulatory. And like I said, I got lots and lots of hugs. Plus, I have about twenty little girls who have all volunteered to babysit (haha!). All in all, I'd say I've had a pretty good couple of days. HOORAY!!

Why you shouldn't Google your own name

So I was bored, and Googled my own name to see what would pop up. This is what I found:

Warren E. "Gene" C. Resident of Walnut Creek: Gene passed away at his home January 30, 2007 at the age of 80. He is survived by his wife, Patty. They had been married for nearly 59 years. Gene retired in 1983 after 37 years with the Bell System. He spent several years at Bell Laboratories in New Jersey, and with American Bell International in Tehran, Iran. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children: Jeffery C. and his wife, Kristen of Murrieta, California; Stacy C. of Grass Valley, California, and Dana C.W. and her husband, Robert, of Los Angeles, California. He leaves five grandchildren: Briar P., Grant C., Evan B.,Emma W. and Nathaniel W. At his request, there will be no services.

That was depressing. I wasn't expecting my grandpa's obituary to show up.

Breaking the News

So, Sunday and Monday are going to be the big days! On Sunday, we are going to tell our extended family members the exciting news. I can't wait!! It has been so hard to keep it a secret, especially since I have spoken with a few of my relatives since we found out. I really hope they aren't upset with me for keeping it a secret from them... I just felt like there was more at stake in telling them. I know that sounds weird... but it's one thing if your friend has a miscarriage. It's more tragic if that baby was going to be your first great-grandchild. I just didn't want to get anyone's hopes up until we were pretty much in the clear. And even though the first trimester doesn't end until 13 weeks, I'll be one day shy of 12 weeks on Sunday. That, combined with the fact that I have seen the heartbeat, makes me feel pretty good. It should be a great Easter!

After we tell our extended families, I'm going to tell my coworkers. Yesterday, I hosted a baby shower at school for Kori, my friend and coworker who is exactly 16 weeks ahead of me (her baby boy is due in July, right around Gus' birthday). After the shower, we had another coworker take a picture of the two of us together, which I used to make this poster:



Typically, when one of my coworkers is pregnant, someone covertly puts up clues on the board in our staff lounge. Everyone spends the entire week guessing who it could be, and then the answer is revealed. Well... I posted clues when Kori decided to announce her pregnancy, but there were really only two suspects: me and her. We even made sure that the clues were vague/misleading enough that they could point to either one of us. Now, there is really only one possible suspect (yours truly). So, we decided that clues would be pointless- we're just going to post this picture on the board and see what happens! It should be a lot of fun. I'm sure that at least a few of my students' parents will find out right away, too, since they are always on campus helping out with various things. Monday is really going to be an interesting day...

And you know what I'm looking forward to the most?? I want my students to know I'm pregnant! Every other teacher I've talked to said that their class was super well-behaved when they announced their pregnancy... it's like they're scared of hurting the baby! Believe me, I plan to milk that for all it's worth! :)

Why I love my job...

So, my birthday is on Sunday. And when I walked into my classroom this morning, here are a few of the things that greeted me:

  

Seriously, I love these kids! My birthday isn't even for two more days, but I feel like it was today. It was such a great day... We worked on a science lab project for most of the day (testing conductivity, buoyancy, etc. of different materials), then opened my birthday presents, ate cookies, and went to outside for P.E. On top of everything, it was "Groovy Dress Up Day," which meant the kids all looked really funny. Good times!

The best part of the day, though, was that I finally told my principal that I'm pregnant! I had my annual review this morning before school, and the "review" portion lasted for about a minute, as usual. We got into a conversation about next year, since right now it seems kind of uncertain who the 5th grade teachers will be. One of my teammates is trying to transfer to a school with a later starting time, and the other one is almost 27 weeks pregnant (yay!!), and isn't sure what she's going to do after the baby is born. So my principal was basically telling me that I would once again be the "rock" of the 5th grade (this will be the third team I will have worked with in 4 years... So really, I am kind of the only one who knows what's going on.). Sooo... it seemed like the time to tell her the news. Honestly, though, she was very happy (of course, because she is an awesome boss!), and said that my timing was good... I will be able to start out the school year and get my classroom routines set up the way I want... then I'll get a good sub to take over until after Winter Break, and then I'll be back in time to cram my kids full of knowledge before STAR testing. Hooray! I was just so happy to get that off my chest... I mean, I knew she would be supportive, but I was still a little scared. I'm glad it's over with!

The next step, now, is to tell the rest of the world ("What? You mean you haven't already told everyone??"). As of right now, the only people who know are our closest friends and immediate family members. We are waiting until Easter (April 8th) to tell the rest of our family members, and I'll tell my coworkers on April 9th or 10th. Why the wait? It's hard to explain... But the risk of miscarriage is so high in the first trimester... I didn't want my extended family to get excited about something, just to lose it... But only one more week! I can't wait! :)

Meet the Fetus!

Click image to enlarge

So... I had my second appointment today, and it was AWESOME!! The baby is exactly 10 weeks today, and everything looks great. We weren't sure if I would get an ultrasound at this appointment or not, but I convinced Gus to come along just in case. And look what happened! It was so... surreal!!! As I sat there watching the ultrasound monitor, I felt like I was watching one of those baby shows on the Discovery Channel or TLC. But then it was like, "Wait a minute... that's inside ME!!" Such a trip! It was such a relief to finally see the proof that I was pregnant. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to see the fetus in the picture, but both Gus and I had no problems. The little peanut was wriggling all around!! We were also able to see its little heart beating away. It was really, truly an incredible thing. I wish I had a video of it- it was SO COOL!!! Anyhow, I just wanted to share our excitement for the day. Yay for the fetus! :)

Nine Weeks!

So today, the little embryo is nine weeks old... awww! :P The cool thing is that it's starting to look more like a human, and should start swimming around in there by the end of the week. Check out this neat picture of a nine-week embryo:



And now for my random pet-peeve of the day: I keep thinking to myself, "Wow, I've already almost made it to ten weeks... I'm just about one-fourth of the way there! I can do this!" But the way that the week-counting process works is, well... really dumb (if you ask me). Physically, the baby has not existed for more than seven weeks. The doctors base your week count on the first day of your last period (when, obviously, you weren't pregnant. duh.). So they tack on an additional two weeks to the beginning, since most women ovulate about two weeks into their monthly cycle. Then, after you ovulate, your body doesn't start releasing a measurable amount of the pregnancy hormone for about two more weeks (this is the dreaded "two week wait" for people who, like us, have been trying to get pregnant for a while). Confused yet? How about a flow chart??

First day of period
|
(~2 weeks pass)
|
Sperm meets egg
(therefore, technically pregnant)
|
(~2 more weeks pass)
|
Positive Home Pregnancy Test

So really, by the time I discovered I was pregnant, I was already at four weeks (by the doctor's count). Which means I've only KNOWN about being pregnant for five weeks. Which therefore means that the next thirty-one weeks are going to take FOREVER!!!! Whew, that was a lot of scientific babble, just to explain why I am annoyed. Hopefully you were able to follow along! :P

In other, totally-unrelated-and-random news: one of my students stole money from my wallet today! A whopping $2, but I was (and am) really ticked off. Heads are going to roll tomorrow... I am pretty sure I know who did it, but that doesn't make it any better. It happened during P.E. time this afternoon, probably when a kid asked to go to the bathroom (the bathroom is right by my classroom). My purse was hidden in a closet, but I bet a bunch of my students have figured it out. When I went back in after P.E. (which was the last activity of the day), my wallet was sitting on top of my purse and my cash was gone. PUNKS! Tomorrow I need to find a new hiding place. And I'll definitely be locking the room ALL the TIME now! I usually lock it, anyway, just not during P.E... sigh... Isn't that sad?? I have never once had a kid steal from me before-- not even when I taught in Los Angeles. And I actually have a very nice group of kids this year, minus one or two. Oh well... :(

Tenure!

This past Thursday was March 15th! That doesn't mean much to most people, but it was actually a pretty big day for me. For one, it marked the 4-year anniversary of when Gus proposed (awww!). But, perhaps more importantly, it marked the deadline for the school district to notify me if I won't be invited back to teach next year. Since I didn't hear anything, that means I am guaranteed a job. And, since I am guaranteed a job, that means I will finally become a tenured teacher on the first day of school next year!! I wasn't exactly worried about losing my job, but I wanted to make sure I got tenure before the baby arrived. It just means that I will have more options and flexibility when it comes to my maternity leave. Even if I chose to stay home for the rest of the year (which won't happen!), I would still be guaranteed to get my same job back when I returned. People who don't have tenure and choose to go this route basically have to start all over at square one: filling out applications, interviewing, etc. So this is a pretty big deal! And honestly, it feels pretty good to finally get tenure after teaching for six years (has it been that long already?? yikes!). I would have already had it two or three times over if I had stayed in one district. So, happy day! Hooray!!!

P.S. Today the baby is growing eyelids... Weird!!!

Fatness

So, my pants are tight! I was noticing today that the button on my pants left a really nice red mark on my stomach. I also had to really "suck it in" when I buttoned them earlier, and it felt soooooo good to undo the button as soon as I got home. I was thinking that maybe I was imagining the whole thing- I mean, 8 weeks seems too early to have any sort of belly. But then I received the following email from baby-gaga.com (I subscribe to these weekly emails that tell me what's going on, developmentally... interesting stuff!):

And how's mom doing? Your slightly-larger-than-a-cherry embryo is also starting to have a physical impact on you this week—and not just hormonally, as you may be noticing a slight bulge at your midline. Most people wouldn’t even notice the change, but since you’re tuned in to every little change in your body, it hasn’t slipped past.

So I'm not hallucinating! This could be the very beginning of an actual pregnancy belly! I have a feeling that most of it is due to bloat and bowel distention (ah, pleasant thoughts!), but still! This is so exciting! Soon I can wear maternity pants or, if you remember that episode of Friends, "Thanksgiving pants"! hehe! It will be so much more comfy than buttoning my pants. Hooray!

In addition to feeling fat and really, really tired, I am getting really annoyed with some people (heightened irritability?). For example, today at lunch I was talking with my coworkers about my TMJ problem. It's been flaring up the last few weeks, making it painful to chew my food. So my one coworker was going on and on about how I should take ibuprofen, or maybe a few Aleves, etc. I can't take any of that stuff!! Of course, she doesn't know I'm pregnant yet, and it's not her fault, but I was really annoyed. I guess it just frustrated me to think about how much my stupid jaw hurt, and how I couldn't really do anything about it. Stupid TMJ!!!!!

Added at 7:10p.m.: I took a picture of my belly (very hard, since nobody else was around to hold the camera!). Click here to see what it looks like when I "suck it in" as much as possible.

(Finally) Told Gus' Parents!

Let me preface this by saying that the only reason we hadn't told them sooner was because we knew Fofo's birthday was coming up, and we knew that a grandbaby would be the best gift ever! So we decided to wait. Meanwhile, we decided to tell my parents a few weeks ago while they were still in Maui, with hopes that they'd bring back some cute Hawaiian baby stuff (which they did, hooray!). So there is a method to all this madness! :)

We drove up to Anaheim yesterday to have lunch with Gus' family, since his mom's birthday was on Friday. His mom (Fofo) and sister (Maria) were both home, but his dad (Nick) was still at the restaurant. Nick typically gets home from work around one or two o'clock on Saturdays, so we planned to wait for him before eating a late lunch.

When we got to the house, we set Fofo's birthday present on the counter. The plan was to wait until Nick got home from work, and then to have her open the present in front of him. Inside, she would find this bib and, inside a nice box, this picture in a fancy frame. Everyone would be surprised, and tears would start flowing. It would be perfect! But, you know what they say... "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry..." That plan never exactly came to fruition.

Nick called us and said that he was running late, since some family friends had decided to pop by the restaurant to visit with him. He told us to go ahead and eat without him, and that he would get home as soon as possible. So, we ate. After a great lunch, we sat around the table and chatted some more, and then Maria mentioned that the cable TV in her room wasn't working properly. Being the nerds that we are, Gus and I both followed her upstairs to take a look. Apparently, though, as soon as we were all out of the room, FOFO OPENED THE PRESENT!! Next thing we knew, she was standing in the doorway to Maria's room, crying, saying, "I opened it!" It took a minute for it to sink in, but Gus started saying, "Why did you do that??" and I started crying and hugging her. Meanwhile, Maria is standing there wondering what the heck is going on. She later said that she thought we had gotten Fofo a really nice card or something. But after a minute, Maria said, "What, are you pregnant???" The cat was out of the bag!

Meanwhile, though, Nick still wasn't home, and had no idea what had happened! Fofo started to feel a little guilty about opening the present, so she wrapped it back up. The new (revised!) plan was to wait until Nick got home, and then pretend like she was opening it for the first time. It worked like a charm! When he finally got home (around 4:00), Maria had secretly set up the video camera, and Fofo opened her present. More crying from everyone (this time, Nick too). We would have pulled it off, but Maria finally confessed that Fofo had opened the present earlier and discovered the news.

Anyway, it didn't go as planned, but it made for a better story! We all had a good laugh about it (honestly, it was pretty funny). The nice part is that we at least got to capture Nick's reaction on video, and it was a great one! This little baby has some very excited relatives, that's for sure! :)

Spring!

Alright, so this is entirely non-pregnancy-related, but the fruit trees in our yard are looking so pretty that I wanted to share! Our peach tree is absolutely covered in pink blossoms, and white blossoms are just starting to appear on the apricot tree. Our peach tree makes the BEST peaches-- only a few more months before we can eat them! :)



And in belly news... The idea of eating after 5pm makes me want to barf. Seriously. I have a feeling this is a mild variation of that wonderful thing called "morning sickness," only in my case, it hits me in the evening. Ugh. It's 6:00 right now and my stomach is churning. Last night, all I could get down were some chips and guacamole (dinner of champions!). Tonight I am attempting a chicken burrito (with guacamole, brown rice, salsa, and cheese on a whole wheat tortilla). It would normally sound really good to me, but... blechhhh. Actually, the only thing I want is the guacamole, which I could eat all by itself with a spoon. Could this be my first craving??? I just hope this feeling goes away soon. I don't even like writing about it! UGH!! :(

Life after 9:00 PM??

All I want to do is sleep these days... I mean, that's pretty much all I've wanted to do since I graduated from college, but since getting pregnant it has become an all-consuming desire! I can't even stay up past 9 o'clock most nights. Take yesterday, for example. It was Saturday. I slept in until around 8 o'clock (which is actually kind of late for me), and had a nice, not-overly-strenuous day. I got some work done for school, and the three of us (me, Gus, and Florian) went to go see "Zodiac." I should have been able to stay up until 10 or 11 o'clock without any problems... but, once again, I was in bed by 8:30 and asleep by 9. I'm like an old woman! From what I've read, though, this is extremely common in the first trimester. I just feel constantly fatigued. It's really bad when I'm at work, and I start fantasizing about taking naps. sigh...

First Appointment

Well... I had my first appointment yesterday! Everything is fine, but the appointment itself was a huge disappointment. Basically, I just sat in the room with the nurse practitioner while she copied information from the questionnaire I had completed into my chart. She gave me some packets of information, and then told me a whole bunch of stuff I already knew. I kept waiting for her to say, "Alright, let's get your ultrasound started," but it didn't happen! When I asked her about it, she looked really confused, and said something to the effect of, "Oh, hunny, it's way too soon to see anything on the ultrasound... We won't do that until you're further along." Anyway, I know that's not true-- you can definitely see a sac and an embryo at this point (case in point: click here and check out all the 6/7 week pics!). But whatever-- I wouldn't have even expected the ultrasound if they hadn't told me it was going to happen! The letter they sent me a few weeks ago says:

Your first visit: Congratulations on your pregnancy. The first obstetrical visit typically will be conducted by our nurse practitioner. The focus of this visit is reviewing information and the physical exam, which includes the initial fetal ultrasound, and ordering the necessary laboratory studies. Any questions you may have will also be addressed.

So, silly me, I was expecting an ultrasound, and was totally disappointed! The nurse practitioner said she didn't even know why the letter said that. Anyway, I should be able to see the baby at my next appointment on March 26th... only a few weeks away. I think I can make it!

Some good things did come out of the appointment, though. We scheduled my BIG ultrasound for Friday, May 25th. That one will take place at a special, high-tech radiology facility. At that point, I will be 18 weeks and 4 days pregnant, which means we should be able to find out if it's a boy or a girl (and yes, we want to find out). Hooray! I also learned that I will be giving birth at Mary Birch Women's Hospital, which is awesome!! It's one of the best places around, so I was thrilled. The nurse practitioner also gave me the listing of all the pregnancy and parenting classes that are offered through the hospital, and it was really exciting! We're definitely going to do a childbirth class together, and probably the "baby care basics" one, too. They even offer a bunch of post-partum classes that include childcare for newborns-- very cool!

So, all in all, it wasn't a bad appointment... just not what I expected! They ordered a bunch of bloodwork, which meant that I had to go to the lab after work today. They took 8 vials' worth of blood, and that was kind of a nightmare. I am totally not squeamish about needles or blood, but the lady in the lab really messed up my arm... I told her that I usually have much more success with my right, and that the veins in my left arm are a) hard to find and b) collapse easily, never giving enough blood. She didn't listen, insisting that she use my left arm because I already had a small bruise on my right arm from Tuesday's bloodwork (which, by the way, was done by a much more skillful lady!). Guess what? She could barely get enough blood to fill one of the vials. So she started jabbing the needle all around, and it hurt like crazy! My arm is still sore- I'm sure I'm going to have a spectacular bruise. Finally, she gave up and used my right arm, which started spurting blood right away and gave her no problems as she filled up the other seven vials. I was really annoyed (can you tell?). I can barely bend either one of my elbows right now, because they're all bandaged up. I think I need to ice my left arm. Yippee.

Anyway... enough of my whining! I will end this on a positive note by sharing some of the clothing my parents brought back from Maui. This baby is going to be ready for a Hawaiian vacation, that's for sure! :)