Third Trimester!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my third trimester...only 13 weeks until we get to meet Will! I could not be more excited. I'm starting to get slightly uncomfortable - my stomach feels like it's stretched to its max (which I know is far from the truth!) and my back gets achy if I sit or stand for a long time. Plus Will has decided to stick his feet under the ribs on my right side and kick...hard! Not so pleasant for mommy! But aside from all the uncomfortable parts, it's fun getting bigger! Strangers have been asking me when I'm due and an HEB employee nearly knocked me over to keep me from picking up a case of water. And I really do enjoy feeling Will moving around nearly constantly...his movements are becoming much more defined and much more noticeable!

He also officially has the most ornaments of any unborn baby ever ;) My parents got him one, Greg's parents got him one, both of my grandparents got him one, and my aunt got him one. Greg says we're going to have to get a bigger tree next year to fit all of them...I agree ;) Speaking of Christmas trees, here is a really horrible picture of our Christmas tree from this year. I took some with the nice camera, but I don't feel like searching through the memory cards to find it right now!


I can't believe it's almost 2009! Time is flying by so fast. My weekly baby email said that Will weighs about 2 pounds this week and is about the size of a head of cauliflower. His lungs are developing and maturing a lot and if he were born now they would be able to function fairly well (with lots of medical help). He's also started opening and closing his eyes...not much to see in there, I'm sure! I can't wait to see what color they are :) Here's a tummy picture for this week, plus a few other fun ones!

Sammy trying out the sling that one of my mom's friends generously gave us...She approved!

Greg and the girls...Riley is showing just how fond of having her picture taken she was!

I hope everyone has a safe New Year's Eve and a wonderful start to 2009!!

99 Days Left...

Sorry it's been so long since my last post! I was sick all last week, then I had graduation this weekend and Greg and I finished up (most of) our Christmas shopping. Let me just say this - being sick is not fun at all, but especially when you're pregnant! I don't know if I had a mild version of the flu or some other stomach bug, but I'm so glad it's gone! I ended up going to the doctor just to make sure everything was okay with Will since I'd been running a fever. He's doing great (and is as wiggly as ever!) His heart rate on the doppler was 155bpm. There was a moment while listening to it that I could hear two heartbeats and I think the panic must have shown on my face because the doctor laughed and assured me that it was just MY heart beating on top of the baby's ;) Whew! I go back in on January 7th for my last monthly appointment before they move to every two weeks. I also have my one hour glucose test that day to see if I'm developing gestational diabetes. Before that I have to drink a sugary orange drink they gave me and then they'll draw my blood to see how my body handles the sugar. I'm a little nervous since I've had some issues with low blood sugar in the past and hoping that I don't have gestational diabetes...Even if I do have it, though, it would only mean that I'd have to go on a restricted diet and check my blood sugar levels for the remainder of my pregnancy. Not too bad!

I graduated from UMHB on Saturday with my BA in Education. I can't believe it's over, but I'm very thankful that it is. I learned a lot through all the hands on experience I was able to have being in classrooms, but I'm definitely not itching to get into graduate school or anything like that! I'm also very thankful that I have a job and that I don't have to begin subbing after the holidays. God is wonderful and He truly has a plan for my life that is greater than anything I could ever imagine!

We almost have the nursery all put together! We bought an upholstered rocking chair from USA Baby (and got an awesome deal on it!) and a bookshelf from IKEA in the past couple weeks. Our JCPenney bedding finally arrived and I love it. Now I've just got to get the decorations in there and it will be completely ready for Will. Here are some pictures:




I don't have a belly picture yet for this week...I'll try to get that before we leave for Christmas! But here's what is going on with Will this week. The nerves in his ears are becoming more sensitive and he's beginning to be able to pick up on the sounds of other people's voices; not just mine anymore. He seems to love when I'm listening to music too - no matter what kind it is, he'll start to wiggle around. He's still gaining all that baby fat and practicing breathing with amniotic fluid. He weighs 1 3/4 pounds and is around 14 inches long. We're hoping to get a 3D-4D ultrasound in the next month, so we'll have some good pictures of him and hopefully some video too!

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Christmas!

Happy Viability Day, Will!

Today marks 24 weeks of being pregnant...the special thing about that is that Will is now considered "viable" outside the womb if he were to be born today! All his major organs are functioning, and although his lungs aren't working properly, he could live with a respirator. His mommy definitely wants him to stay in there and cook for awhile longer though...no early appearances, please!

Will weighs about 1 1/2 pounds this week and is the length of a foot long hot dog. My baby book said that he looks pretty cramped in there now...I can imagine so! I can feel him moving around very often! It's pretty fun if he's kicking to put my hand over the spot and press down a little bit. He usually goes into a fit of kicking as if to say, "Hey! I'm cramped enough in here already. Please don't make it any smaller!" He also looks like an infant now and the next 16 weeks will be spent accumulating fat (for cute, chubby cheeks!) and continuing to perfect his breathing/organ functions.

This past weekend we painted our Craigslist find dresser...It looks great! It was an exhausting, all day affair, but we managed to get it completely painted, clear-coated, and moved into his room! The silver knobs we bought for it look great too. Now we just need a rocking chair or glider and a bookcase. Our bedding should be here any day (provided JCPenney doesn't mess up our order again!) and his room will really start coming together. I have a bunch of cute decoration ideas and I have a friend who is an interior decorator to help :)


I started my job at Robertson last Wednesday and was in a math training today. I'm slowly getting my room set up and will start teaching my kiddos on Friday! I'm really excited about working there and I'm really enjoying everyone I work with. I think it's going to be a great fit...God is so good to me!

Big news!!

I have some big, exciting news...I got a job! It's all been a crazy, fast experience, but I am now the newest 5th grade teacher at Robertson Elementary. I'm so excited to not have to worry about finding a job next August and to have a position in the district I want to be working in.

God is amazing and he takes care of our every need so well! I wasn't seeking this out at all, but it seems like it's going to be a perfect fit. I got to observe today and see my room...I'll fill out paperwork tomorrow and observe for the rest of the week...I'll actually start teaching on Monday. It still seems very surreal - yesterday I was a student teacher and today I'm a teacher! UMHB was wonderful and released me from my student teaching early to go to Robertson (and they all say that they're very proud of me!) They are alright with me leaving in April to have the baby and then coming back in August for the following school year. I know that it will be stressful at times, but it's such a huge weight off my shoulders to have this job.

23 weeks

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We sure did. Lots of time with family and great food! On Friday, I braved the crowds and did some Christmas shopping. I got quite a few things accomplished (although I still have to shop for Greg - he's so hard to shop for!) and found some bargains on maternity clothes and baby clothes for Will...he's growing quite the wardrobe of sweet little boy clothes!

On Wednesday, Greg and I found an awesome dresser off of Craigslist. We'd been looking for something that could double as a changing table and found a great, sturdy one that was selling for a great price. It's an ugly green color that I'm not too crazy about, so next weekend we're going to be spray painting it white. We got some brushed silver knobs for the dresser that will look great on it once it's painted! When we got there, the lady wouldn't budge on the price but she did throw in a changing table. We'll have to paint that white too, but Will's nursery is definitely coming together! We're still searching for a rocking chair...but everything we've found so far is about $200 more than we want to spend!

Yesterday we spent the day doing some Christmas shopping and then put up our tree. It looks awesome and it's so exciting to have all our decorations up. I love Christmas time :) We also found some icicle lights in the attic of our garage that Greg is going to put on the house next weekend. I'll put pictures of everything up later.

As you can see, it's been incredibly busy around here! I graduate in three weeks (hooray!) and I'm trying to get all the last minute things tied up with my student teaching. I had a job interview last Tuesday that I should be hearing back from sometime this week...it would be an amazing opportunity and I'm really praying that it works out. Even if it doesn't, I know God will take care of us and that's all that matters.

I'm 23 weeks along this week...only one more week until his "viability date," or the day when he has a greater chance of surviving outside the womb than not. He's now weighing in at over a pound and is about the size of a large mango. He's able to hear talking and music from the outside and can even feel movement now when I sway from side to side! He gets so active at church when the music gets loud...it seems like he really enjoys it! I'm enjoying all his kicking and moving around too. He's getting so much stronger. Last night I could even see my belly moving from his kicks! I really can't believe how fast everything is going - we're going to be meeting him so soon, which is very exciting! Here's my 23ish weeks picture, taken tonight before church. I had many people commenting on how it looked like I'd "popped out" and was really starting to look pregnant. I'd say so!

Bedding Ordered!

This afternoon, Greg and I ordered Will's bedding from JCPenney! I had actually picked out a few weeks before we found out that he was a boy...and in the meantime changed my mind and decided to keep looking. Well, I kept looking and kept looking, just sure I'd find something else I liked better. I think I've looked at every single baby bedding available on the internet! After talking to my mom for a long time this afternoon, we decided to order it! It's on back order until December 5th, but I'm very excited to have it picked out (finally!)

Yesterday, I had my last wedding until after Will gets here...and boy am I thankful it was my last one! I've been in tons of pain all day today. I think being on my feet for 10 hours combined with the weight of my camera, lenses, and bag caused something in my lower back to get strained. I've spent most of the day laying on the couch with a heating pad on my back. I also took a hot bath. Everything helps temporarily, but the pain is still lingering. I'm planning to go to bed early (read: after I write this post!), take some Tylenol and hope that a good night's sleep fixes the problem.

He better be a kicker for a pro football team...

Will seems to be quite proud of his new-found ability to kick me right as I'm about to fall asleep. He then proceeds to wiggle around for awhile, making it impossible for his mommy to go to sleep. I'm hoping that all that kicking inside there is practice for when he becomes the kicker for a professional football team. Then he can repay me for lost sleep ;) He also enjoys wiggling around for me right after I get home from school. I usually have a little glass of orange juice and lay down on the couch for a few minutes. The orange juice really seems to get him going! It feels like pieces of popcorn popping all inside my tummy. It's very fun!

Our good friends Aaron and Veronica had their baby boy, Bryce, last night. We went to see them at the hospital tonight and it was so fun! It definitely made me want April to come fast - and I know it will be here before we know it! I know that before long, Bryce and Will are going to be causing chaos at church! It's really fun to have friends who are having kids around the same time we are - it will be neat to watch the boys grow up together.

Here's a 20 week belly picture. Will's getting bigger by the day :)

(On a side note: I hate the fact that my bellybutton is growing with my tummy. It is stretching and getting shallower, and I fear that soon it'll no longer be an innie. And I hate the fact that despite it being covered by TWO shirts in this picture, you can still see the indentation of it!)

What's in a name?

After going back and forth for a few days, Greg and I finally made a decision on a name! We will be naming the little peanut William Matthew and calling him Will for short. We really wanted something classic, but not too popular for a first name. William Graham was a close runner up, but we really liked that Matthew was a biblical name, and the meaning of Matthew is much better than the meaning of Graham! :) William means "protector" and Matthew means "gift of God." He certainly is a gift from God, so the name seems fitting :)

Greg and I went to Babies R Us yesterday and completed our baby registry. It was very fun, but also a little overwhelming at the same time. I had done tons of research on the safest (and affordable) carseats, strollers, bottles, etc. So it was more a matter of finding the items we wanted and scanning them with the little gun. Will also got his first real baby items - a onesie, a Kenneth Cole leather jacket, jeans, and white waffle-weave shirt, and then a UT pacifier (courtesy of Greg!) :)

Tomorrow, I will be 20 weeks pregnant! My pregnancy is officially halfway finished. How crazy is that? Time is going so fast! This week, Will is about the length of a banana and weighs about 12 ounces. He has begun to hear sounds, which was very evident at church this Sunday! He began wiggling around every time the music would start and would settle down when it stopped. Very cute! Sunday was also the first time that I'd really felt him move - I think the ultrasound helped a lot! I was able to see him moving on the screen and then put the butterfly-like feelings together with his movements. His eyebrows, different skin layers, and fingernails/toenails are also beginning to grow in this week. All of his organs are completely formed and will just continue to grow with him until he is born. He'll be growing much bigger in the coming weeks!

It's a...

...boy!! I'm not sure there's many people reading this who don't already know, but the little person who has taken up residence in me for the last twenty weeks is a boy! It's so nice to know for sure and to be able to say "him" instead of "it."

We had our very long anatomy ultrasound today and it was amazing! We got to see him squirming and kicking and sticking his feet in his mouth (yes, he did that a lot!)...and he wasn't afraid to show off his boy parts ;) We had two technicians in our room first who measured everything for about an hour. Then they left and cardio-thorasic specialist came in and did another entire ultrasound to capture some of the pictures that hadn't come out clearly the first time. He spent about 30 minutes studying the little heart (160 bmp this time - he was so active he got his heart rate up!) and he said everything looks perfect! We got to see all four chambers of his heart, his brain, his kidneys, stomach, bladder, hands, and feet. The second technician that came in said that he was opening and closing his hands, which is great because it means that he more than likely will not have Downs Syndrome.

Here are some pictures from the fun day!

His face (looking straight on) and his foot...getting ready to stick it in his mouth!


His precious tiny feet!


His legs (crossed at the ankles)


His hands (up above his head - he was lounging!)


Yup, he's a boy ;) He made sure we got several good peeks!


The technician who came in last definitely had a sense of humor ;)


This picture of his profile amazes me...you can totally tell that this is the same baby from the 12 weeks profile picture! I can't wait to kiss that sweet little nose :)


We do have a first name picked out, but we're still deciding a middle name. I'll let you know once we have the whole name picked out (hopefully by tomorrow!)

In less than 24 hours...

...peanut will have a new name! I hope that I can get some sleep tonight - I've been counting down the hours until our ultrasound since yesterday! I'll be sure to post an update tomorrow to let you know if Team Blue or Team Pink has a new addition :)

I'm 19 weeks and 2 days along now. This week the baby might be able to start hearing our voices...how neat is that? S/he is sprouting hair and has arms/legs that are in proportion to the rest of the body. The baby is about the size of a large heirloom tomato (one of the big ones)...there's a long ways to go until we reach the size of a small pumpkin, but there's no doubt that growing is happening! I had a stranger at school come up to me on Tuesday and ask when I was due. That was the first time that had happened! I'm glad that strangers are starting to be able to tell that I'm pregnant and not just chubby.

...13 and a half more hours!

Less than a week!

In less than a week, we will (hopefully) know if the peanut is a he or a she! I cannot wait...I usually am a pretty patient person. Heck, I can deal with sixth graders who throw binders and pencils at me and still be patient ;) But ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've wanted to know if our baby was a boy or a girl. I hate saying "it" all the time. And I want "it" to have a name! So I've been counting down the days until November 7th and hoping and praying that the peanut will be cooperative.

Greg and I both think that "it" is actually a he...although the poll says otherwise! No reason why, really...it's just something I've thought since the beginning! I've played around with some Old Wives Tales just for fun...There is a Chinese Gender Predictor calendar...according to that we are having a girl. Another one says that if you prefer sleeping on your right side at night (I do), then you're having a boy. I've totally craved salty foods my entire pregnancy...I was pretty turned off by sweets in my first trimester, and if you know me well at all, you know that that is weird! I love my ice cream! According to the wives tale, craving salty foods means you're having a boy. Lately though, I've been craving grapefruit. Wives tale says that craving citrus fruits means you're having a girl. One last tale says that if the heartbeat is above 140 you're having a girl; if it's below 140, you're having a boy. The baby's heartbeat was 150 at the first appointment and in the upper-140s at the second. So if we go by that, "it" should be a she! It'll be very interesting to see which tales proved true for us :)

If forgetfulness was a predictor of gender, we'd know for sure by now. Yesterday marked the THIRD time in THREE weeks that I've locked my keys in my car! Poor Greg had to drive them to me at school before he went to work so I could get my stuff out of my car. How do you lock your keys in your car with all your things in it too, you ask? Well, it's easy. I left all my bags in the passenger seat, planning to go around to open the door and get them out that way. I put my keys in my purse and set my purse on the seat too. Then I pressed the unlock button on the door...however, for some reason, that didn't unlock all my doors. Perhaps I pressed the wrong direction? Anyway, I walked around to the other side and the door was locked...Needless to say, the driver's side door was shut and locked too. I think I need to start wearing a car key on a necklace or something!

I've been battling a nasty cold all week long. And it wouldn't be half as bad if I could take something (anything!) that would drain everything out of my head. But I can't...so instead I've been complaining and sniffling and coughing and complaining some more. I even had to stay home on Thursday from school. I was feeling a little bit better yesterday, but after a late Halloween night, it's back in full force :(

Here is a tummy picture from last week. It was taken at exactly 18 weeks. Sorry for the awkwardness of the picture...I was trying to hold the black shirt out of the way so you could actually see how big the peanut is getting! I'll have to take another (better one) this week.

We have a crib!

Greg and I spent the afternoon putting together the baby's new crib! I'm very excited about it - we love it and we got a great deal on it...always a good thing! Hopefully we can find a dresser and rocking chair or glider that match to go in the room for just as good of a price. We'll see!

It wasn't too complicated to put together. Greg did most of the work while I held pieces up. Riley and Sammy oversaw the entire project and checked out all the pars to make sure they didn't have anything scary hiding inside!

Greg working hard while I take pictures...hey, it's what I'm good at!

Sammy and Riley making sure we're doing a good job.

The finished product! I can't wait to get cute bedding to go inside :)


The "babies" get to try it out! :)

Rough couple of days!

I know that God has a purpose when we go through valleys and that all of our time on Earth can't be spent on the mountain top, but I feel like it's been a long, hard struggle to get up the mountain for us!

First of all, I apparently hit something (without knowing it!) in our Mustang and came out to a gigantic oil leak. Basically every bit of oil that was in my car had leaked out onto the ground. We had to have it towed to Leif Johnson...and then, since it wasn't a manufacturer defect, we have to pay for all of it. And it's not cheap! We pick up the car tomorrow, and I'm seriously considering giving up driving...I mean, all the bad things in that car happen while I'm driving! Like the rock that cracked the windshield three days after we bought...Who was driving? Me! Or the time that the key wouldn't turn in the ignition and I was stranded at the apartment. Or the time that I was trying to fill up with gas and the gasoline came shooting back out all over me? Yep. Me driving. And then if we go back further in my driving history (before the Mustang) there was the incident in the Explorer where the passenger side mirror randomly shattered. I swear I'm a careful driver. Bad luck while driving just seems to follow me.

Then this morning, I had a scary moment where I thought I was going to pass out. I got really shakey, dizzy, and broke out in a cold sweat with a horrible headache. Since I've had moments of low blood sugar before I got pregnant, I thought that could've been what was causing everything. So I got my snack out of the fridge at school (crackers and a cheese stick) and ate that. Thirty minutes later I still felt horrible, so I went down to our school nurse's office. My blood pressure was on the "low side of normal" (101/70). She had me drink a juice box and then we took my blood sugar. Normal sugars range from 70-120...After eating crackers and drinking the juice, mine was only 84, which is pretty low for having sugar in my system. She had me drink another juice and we waited about 15 minutes and tested it again. It had gone up to 99...I felt a little bit better, but definitely not great! My doctor said to watch it and to mention it at my next appointment. Unfortunately, this puts me at a higher risk of having gestational diabetes - which I do not want to have! Although, if this is the only real complication I have with my pregnancy, I'll be glad. So many other things can go wrong and this is relatively minor.

It's really hard to stay positive when it seems like so many things are going wrong...but I'm trying so hard to trust in God and really put my faith in Him. I know he will provide for us and take care of us.

On a happy note, here's a tummy picture from last week. You can't really tell from this picture, but the little peanut is definitely growing! I'll try to take a better one this weekend.

Healthy baby

I had my monthly appointment with my doctor this afternoon...after locking my keys in my car at school, having to call Greg and have him leave work to pick me up, and then getting to the doctor's office only to find out that they had my appointment scheduled for tomorrow, not today! Thank goodness everything worked out alright!

My doctor measured my tummy - I think she said it was around 16 inches, which she said was "tiny" for being 17 weeks. Nothing to worry about though - either it means that I'm actually due later than April 1st or I just have some catching up to do. I also got to listen to the heart beat on the doppler...it's so fun to hear the little wa-wa-wa-ing from our baby's heart! It was right around 146-149 beats per minute. Last time it was in the 150s, and she said it sounded strong and great.

She asked me if I wanted to have any genetic testing done, but I declined...it's wouldn't change anything with the way we viewed the baby, so there's really no point. Plus, there's a high rate of having false positives, which would cause me unnecessary stress and worry. I feel good about that decision!

I also scheduled our "big" ultrasound to find out the baby's gender...The big day is November 7th! Pray that the baby is cooperative so s/he can get a name, clothing, bedding and all that fun stuff! I'm putting up a poll so you can vote on whether you think the baby is a boy or a girl...I'll tell you what I think after a few days!

17 weeks

Today, our baby is 17 weeks old! I get an email every Tuesday telling me about all the growth and development that will be happening that week. This week's email said that our baby's skeleton is hardening into bone and that sweat glands are beginning to develop this week. The baby is now the size of a turnip and weighs about 5 ounces. Last week's email said that the baby would be doubling in weight approximately every week for the next few weeks...Crazy, isn't it?!

I have my second doctor's appointment tomorrow. I'm not really sure what is supposed to go on at this appointment, but I will be scheduling our "big" ultrasound...the one where we get to find out the sex of the baby! I am praying that s/he is cooperative during this ultrasound so we can find out...I don't know how much longer I can last not knowing. Unfortunately, my insurance only pays for two ultrasounds, unless more are medically necessary. So if our little peanut isn't being especially cooperative, we could potentially not know until the delivery!

Greg and I are looking into paying to have a 3D/4D ultrasound done. There are some various centers in Austin that do them...it would be so fun to have "real" pictures of the baby, but we'll see!

New baby, new blog

I figured it was time to start a blog to keep everyone up to date on what's going on with me and the surprise baby in the next coming months and years. I hate living far away from family and friends, but at least the internet makes it a little easier to keep in touch!

For those of you who need to get caught up on things, here's some background information. I'm in my second trimester, 15 weeks 5 days pregnant (or about 4 1/2 months) with a surprise baby! Greg and I definitely weren't expecting this, but the Lord knows better than we do what He has planned for us. We are only along for the ride, and what a fantastic one it is turning out to be! Our baby is very wiggly and active, although I have yet to feel anything. I hear that will come in the next week or two and I'm very excited for it! I am due on April 1st, 2009 - April Fool's Day. Hopefully there will be no more big surprises to come! I've had my first doctor's appointment so far and have the next on October 23rd. We should find out if it's a boy or a girl sometime around Thanksgiving and I couldn't be more excited!

Here are a few pictures of the baby:







I will try to update this every few days or so to keep everyone informed! I'm definitely looking forward to the coming weeks and months...everything is going by so fast and I'm really trying to savor every moment of it (good and bad!). A blog seems like the perfect way to do that!