30 Week Sonogram Pictures

Last week when I saw Dr. Carey, he said he wanted to schedule one more ultrasound for me. I was so happy because I thought that I wouldn't get another one at all. My appointment wasn't until 12 this afternoon, so I went to work this morning. I love taking half days at work because with my schedule the morning time always flies by. Before I knew it, I was leaving school heading across the bridge to the doctor's office. On the way, Eli and I had a little talk. I told him that we were going to take his picture today and it would be so nice if he would cooperate and let us see his little face. He had been moving a lot that morning so I knew he was awake and active. I just hoped that his face was facing us and not the back of his head.

Josh and Sue, Josh's mom, met me at the doctor's office. This was Sue's first time to go to the doctor with me so I'm glad that she was able to come. Now both sets of grandparents have been able to see their grandbaby on a sonogram. I know both of them, my mom and dad and Sue, can't wait to hold him and love on him once he arrives. They're both super excited about finally becoming grandparents!

It didn't take very long before the ultrasound tech came to get us and she started the exam. She measured and calculated, pressed and pushed, and did a very thorough job examining Eli. She said that everything looked really good. He measured 4 days ahead of his projected due date, so that would be October 30th, but she said my original due date wouldn't change. She said that he looked like he was going to be a big baby-no surprise there. Josh and I were both healthy babies when we were born. I weighed almost 9 pounds and Josh weighed almost 8 pounds. I'm hoping that Eli's around 7 or 8 pounds when he's born. Right now he weighs 3 lbs. 8 ounces and is approximately 15 inches long. That means he's got at least 4 more pounds to put on before he's born. We were able to see and hear his little heart beating. We saw his little stomach, arms, legs, head, and we even got to see his face. She used the 4D tool and we were able to get some really good shots of his little face :) Josh was worried that he would look creepy, but he looked so peaceful, like he was just taking a nap inside his cozy little home. As you'll be able to tell from all the pictures, he wouldn't put his arm down. He kept it by his face the entire time, but we were able to get a good enough look of his face to start making comparisons. I think he's got my cheeks and nose. Josh thinks he's got my forehead, too. I'm hoping that he will have Josh's eyes, but obviously we couldn't tell now. Some of Josh's co-workers think Eli already looks like Josh. What do you think? Let us know!

Introducing....Eli (Middle Name Undecided) Wilson

He's looking at us.

Another shot of him looking at us.

Profile of his face

Turn your head to the right and you can see his little nostrils and lips

Yes! We don't have to return anything. He's still a BOY!

30 Week Belly Shots

Yesterday I started my 30th week of pregnancy. It's weird to think that in just a few more days we'll be down to single weeks, then eventually single days! School is in full swing. Eli is getting his share of the first grade curriculum already. He seems to stay awake more now that I've started teaching again. I guess hearing my voice constantly for 7 hours can do that to a baby. The kids at school love talking about the baby. I think they're just as excited as I am. In fact, one of my kids brought me some chewy Now and Later's and told me that they were for the baby. I don't know if Eli liked them, but I certainly did! My students know that I love anything sour, fruity, and chewy. I hate that I'm going to be leaving them for 3 months, but I'm going to enjoy spending that time bonding with Eli. I know how important it is during those initial months to establish routines and to bond with your baby. I'm looking forward to just being a Mommy and a wife for 3 months and not a Mommy, wife, and teacher.

Here are the 30 week belly shots. My belly's getting bigger and bigger every day. Sondra, my aide at school, laughs at me because my belly always seems bigger after lunch than it did before lunch. Hey, I've got to feed this growing boy! We want him to be big, strong, and healthy when he arrives in 10 weeks!

29 Weeks

I went back to see the doctor yesterday for my first 2 week visit. Like I said before I can't believe that I'm already starting my 2 week appointments. Pretty soon I'll be going every week! I was a little nervous about going to my appointment just because it's the first one I've had since I've been back at school. I thought that my blood pressure or pulse might be out of whack, but both were completely normal. My blood pressure was the lowest it's been since I started getting it checked (96/59)! I guess my kids don't stress me out as much as I thought, or it could have been the 45 minute wait before I got to see the doctor. This year feels so different to me. I'm in a new room, with new kids, and every day in the back of my mind I think "I'm going to be leaving these kids for 3 months." I don't know if I'm not attached to these kids like in the past, but it already seems like my priorities are shifting. School used to be a HUGE part of my life, but now I think about my little boy who is going to take up my life when he comes. I guess, in a way, that every day at school puts me one day closer to seeing my little baby boy. 

Everything at the doctor went great. Dr. Carey measured me and listened to Eli's heartbeat. He was moving around a lot. Josh is convinced Eli already has ADHD...LOL! Ever since I started teaching again, he's been moving around SO much more. I guess it's because he's hearing me talk more than ever before. This is really good though because this means his little ears are going to hear my voice in the delivery room and know it's me immediately...I can't wait! I asked Dr. Carey if he could tell which direction Eli was facing and he said he thought head down. I just wanted to know because I'm starting to feel lumps and bulges in my stomach and I'd like to know which body part I'm feeling. Dr. Carey went ahead and ordered another ultrasound for me to check and see how things are going. I'm so excited! I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get another one before I delivered, but now I do. I want to see how much he's grown. It's been 11 weeks since I've had one and I can't wait to see how big he is now. For now, I'll leave you with the 29 week belly shots. My flash was on so there is a glare on the mirror, but you can still see that I've grown quite a bit! 

Tagged

Jamie, one of our friends, tagged me. For those of you that don't know what that means, here are the rules to this fun online game. Attach a link to the person who tagged you, mention the rules, tell six quirky, yet boring & unspectacular things about yourself, tag six other bloggers by linking to them, and then go to each person's blog and leave a comment letting them know they've been tagged. Unfortunately for me, I don't know six other bloggers, so I guess I'm going to tag some random people to make my six. Anyway, here goes.

1. I have never broken a bone in my body. I am a very cautious person by nature and don't really take chances when it comes to possibly getting hurt. I am an active, sort of athletic person (I snow ski, water ski, kneeboard, etc.) but I am always very careful. I've never even sprained an ankle either, but that doesn't count as one of my six. 

2. My favorite hobby is reading. Very early on my parents allowed me to stay up late in my bedroom as long as I was reading. Since then I have been an avid reader. I read voraciously during the summer, but usually slack off once school starts again. About the only thing I read during school are children's books!

3. I was a baton twirler when I was little from 2nd grade until I graduate high school. I twirled fire batons, fire knives, hoops, ribbons, and regular batons. I also taught baton twirling to 5, 6, and 7 years olds for six years during middle and high school. I still have all my batons to this day and can still "WOW" an audience! Ha ha! 

4. I eat a bowl of cereal every night before I go to bed. This is a habit I got into when I was in college. Cereal became my favorite snack food and eventually I just made it my bedtime snack. The type of cereal doesn't matter, but I usually eat any kind of Cheerios, Honey Nut Bunches of Oats, Frosted Mini Wheats, or Cinnamon Toast Crunch (my ALL TIME favorite cereal).

5. I love candy, much to the chagrin of my dentist :) I can bypass the chocolate aisle any day, but I can never turn down Skittles, Hot Tamales, Sour Patch Kids, Laffy Taffy, or jelly beans. I love all their gummy goodness!

6. I love watching movie trailers. We subscribe to Netflix and every time we watch a DVD Josh knows he can't skip the trailers for upcoming movies because I love them so much. I rate the movies using my own scale--Skip It, Rent It, Go See It. 

Now you know six, unspectacular things about me. Fun, huh? Okay, now the only people I know that haven't already done this are Mary and Jordan, Dan, and Shonda, but if Nicki, Audra, and Cheryl would like to do it again go right ahead! 

First Day of School and 28 Weeks

It finally came. The first day of school. I can't believe that it's already here. For the past two weeks straight I have been working at the school in my classroom to prepare for this very day. Last Friday was the first day of school for teachers. It was so good to see all my teacher friends who I had not seen all summer and to catch up on their lives.

I love the beginning of school. I love getting my new pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, stickers, and other supplies I need for the year. I love setting up my grade book. I love getting my list of new students and looking to see who I have-sometimes this can be very scary, too, though! I love getting back into a routine; I'm a person who happens to like being stuck in a rut :)

So when I woke up this morning and got ready for my first day with my students I was excited but anxious at the same time. Every class is different and sometimes what worked with one group may not work with another. I couldn't wait to see just how my class was going to be once they all got together in one room. Before I left, Josh took a picture of me on my first day back at school. In just a few years, we'll be doing this picture with Eli! Today just happened to be the day that I was 28 weeks as well, so you can find those pictures later on in this post.

First Day of School 2008-2009

I got to school and quickly took some pictures of my room. I knew once 20 first graders arrived my room would never quite look the same again! This is what I have been working on so diligently over the past two weeks. I love my new room! It's bigger, brighter, and I'm right across the hall from my good friend, Sarah Atkins. We love doing special monthly lessons together so this arrangement makes it easier for us to plan. Very soon, my new first graders started to arrive and I went into teacher mode. I must say that I love my new little group of first graders. They are so sweet! I can't wait to see all the progress they are going to make this year. As a teacher I know that my job consists of a lot more than just teaching. These students quickly become like my own children as I play the role of mother, nurse, teacher, coach, dentist, and counselor. First grade is a year where they will make lots of memories and it's my job to make sure they have some great ones! I'm nervous about leaving for three months, but I know that they'll be in good hands while I'm away. Speaking of my leaving, I did talk to my kids about that today and explained to them that they were going to be the luckiest first grade class at the school because they were going to have three teachers-me, my aide, and the sub that is going to take my class. They thought that was pretty neat so I think they'll be okay.

My Classroom

Right before lunch, our P.E. teacher brought me something very special. Someone had delivered flowers to me! I knew who it was immediately...my sweet, thoughtful husband. Every year he always sends an arrangement to me on my first day of school telling me to have a great first day. I was so happy to see them! How blessed I am to have a husband that thinks of me like that! Several people thought it was my birthday, but it wasn't. I explained to them that it was just Josh being sweet and then they oohed and ahhed.

My day flew by and before I knew it, it was time to go home. I got all of my children loaded safely in their vehicles and let out a huge sigh of relief...the first day was over and I had survived. Thank you, Jesus, for another great start to a year in first grade.

In other news...I'm 28 weeks! Today is the first official day of my third and FINAL trimester. WOW! This pregnancy is passing so quickly-only 12 weeks left!

Glucose Test

This past Tuesday I went to see Dr. Daigle for my glucose screening test. I woke up starving but knew I couldn't eat. I was so hungry for my Kellogg's Nutrigrain blueberry waffles but knew I'd have to skip them on this morning. I was told to take the sugar drink about an hour before my appointment time so around 8:00 I started drinking the juice. If you've never had to drink it, it tastes a lot like flat fruit punch Fanta. I finished around 8:15, got ready for my appointment and made the trip over to the doctor's office. I was so excited to see that Dr. Daigle's nurse, Rhonda, was back from maternity leave. She just had a precious little boy and he was visiting the ladies in the office that day. She took his pacifier out so I could see his little face and he started grinning from ear to ear. How sweet! Rhonda took my temperature-normal as always, my weight-I gained only 3 pounds...WOO HOOO!, and my blood pressure-113/63. Everything looked great and I was so happy. Dr. Daigle came to see me before they drew my blood for the glucose test and measured me and listened to Eli's heartbeat. I love Dr. Daigle because she always makes me feel so good. She got out her doppler machine to listen to Eli's heartbeat and as soon as she put it on my stomach the room filled with the sounds of my little man's heart beating so strongly. She made the comment that she loved examining skinny people because it's always easy to find the heartbeat...see, wasn't that nice of her to say? She said that everything looked really good and that she couldn't believe I was already this far. She told me that I was going to start seeing them every two weeks now and I started smiling so big. She laughed and said that most people get upset when she tells them that, like it inconveniences them...WHAT? I would go see them every week if they let me! I love being measured and seeing how big my little man is getting. It's so much fun! Finally, Rhonda came to get me to draw my blood. She told me that they would know the results by the next day, but if I passed it I wouldn't hear from them. Well, I haven't heard anything from the doctor's office, so I guess that means I passed :) I worked in my room at school all week-big surprise-and every afternoon when I got home I would anxiously glance at the answering machine to see if the light was blinking. No messages from the doctor all week so I guess everything is okay. Thank you, Lord! I've been so blessed this entire pregnancy :)

Getting ready to drink my flat, fruit punch flavored Fanta.

Yummy, yummy to my tummy...Not!

Last Week of Summer Vacation :(

Can you believe that it's my LAST week of summer vacation? Where did my summer go? No more afternoons at the pool, no more summer novels, no more lack of responsibility, no more lounging around in shorts and t-shirts, no more running to the store when I need to, no more lunches with my husband (really sad about this one). Now I get to enjoy early morning duty, first grade novels, mystery lunches from the cafeteria, faculty meetings after school, surprise observations from my principal, amusing conversations with first graders, snot, sneezes, sticky objects, and dirty hands. I wouldn't trade it for anything though! Teaching first grade is so much fun. They come to you at the beginning of the year not knowing anything and at the end of the year the progress they have made is remarkable! First graders are young enough that they still LOVE their teacher and give hugs and squeezes every time they see you. It's great for your emotional bucket! On the other hand, first graders are old enough that they can blow their own nose, dress themselves, and go to the restroom on their own-Thank God! Kindergarten is definitely not what I was called to teach!

I've been working in my classroom now for two weeks and it's almost ready. I'm so OCD with my work space. I like for everything to be just so and will work until I can get it that way. I have to have a neat classroom, because when a teachable moment happens in my classroom I have to be able to put my hands on whatever classroom book, object, or material I need. Hopefully, like I said in older posts, I'll have pictures of my classroom to post soon. Now would definitely be the time to post them before I get 20 first graders in there!

Switching subjects, here are my 27 week belly pictures. WOW! It's hard to believe that this is my last week in my second trimester. Next Monday I start my third and FINAL trimester. Hooray! Delivery day is getting closer and closer :) Tomorrow I go for my glucose tolerance test. Please pray that everything goes well. I've never had any issues with my sugar and I'm not expecting to start now, but I always like to give these situations up to God. It helps me not stress out and worry as much. I'll let you know as soon as I know something after my test. We'll all thank God together!

Feeling Sentimental

Have you ever found a quote or a saying that really spoke to you? I know I have. I love quotes, so much in fact that I get a quote every week from this website www.quotations.com. Ever since high school I've been collecting quotes. I even have a special book that I keep in my desk drawer dedicated to all the quotes that have truly spoken to me. Every now and then I'll read through them and I always find some sort of inspiration from them.

Shortly before Josh and I found out we were pregnant two quotes came to me-one in my weekly email and then one in my devotional book. It was one of those times in my life when I really needed to hear something from God. I'm sure you've all had those moments when you would love for God to just write the answer to all of life's questions in the clouds or speak to you in a loud, audible voice. It was one of those times for me. I was searching, looking for meaning, needing to find God's plan for my life. You see, my desire to have a baby did not just happen this year; it's something that I have desired for a couple of years now. Josh and I didn't really start talking about having children until a few months before we found out I was pregnant, but having a child has been a dream, a desire of my heart for so long. I guess it's something that's harder for girls than it is for guys. It was something I wanted so much, so badly, that every time I heard about one of my friends getting pregnant all I could do was cry. I wanted to be them. I wanted to be the one that was sharing the wonderful news that she would bring a child into the world. And even though we weren't "trying", month after month, I felt like it would never happen. It was during one of these down periods that I ran across these two quotes.

"You must realize that it is the ordinary way of God's dealings with us that our ideas do not work out speedily and efficiently as we would like them to. The reason for this is not only the loving wisdom of God, but also the fact that our acts have to fit into a great complex pattern that we cannot possibly understand. I have learned over the years that Providence is always a whole lot wiser than any of us, and that there are always not only good reasons, but the very best reasons for the delays and blocks that often seem to us so frustrating and absurd." ~ Thomas Merton

"Learning to wait patiently allows us to accept God's timing. Trusting in His watch care, we remain faithful when nothing seems to be happening. We put the situation in His capable hands and leave it there with hope and expectation."

You see, since my sophomore year in high school, the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11 has been my life verse. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord," plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a good future." I drew so much from that verse which was full of promise for my life. I knew from that verse that God has a plan for my life, a perfect plan, and all I needed to do was submit myself to His will. Reading this quote seemed to echo my life verse. God truly does know best. He knows the exact plan for my life, for each of our lives. Sometimes we get so impatient and we try to make things happen on our own when all God is asking us to do is to wait on Him, to be patient for his perfect plan that He has for our lives.

As most of you know from the blog, God did answer my prayer. Josh and I are expecting :) But you know what, even if that weren't the case, I would still feel so incredibly blessed. There is no way I can ever fully thank God for answering my prayer. I thank Him every day not only for little Eli that I am carrying inside me, but for all of the blessings that he has so graciously poured out on my life. I know that I do not in any way deserve any of them. God, in his wonderful mercy, has blessed Josh and I in so many ways I cannot even count. Eli coming into the world is just the tip of the ice berg. God has been so good to us, but not only in this time during our lives. God has ALWAYS been good and he will ALWAYS be good. God is good during those times in our lives when we feel like we don't have a way out and he's good when everything seems to be going our way. God's goodness does not change with our circumstances; it's who He is and nothing can change that.