17 weeks

Week 17

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

Cool!

I have been feeling great! I think my tummy is getting bigger, at least it feels like it for me! I've also been having weird eating things going on-like I will feel really full all day but then I will eat and I will feel better? Or I will feel really hungry and then I will eat something and I will feel instantly like way too full. Who knows? Pregnancy is weird.

In some sad news, I have been told my contract won't likely be renewed for next school year. I have been suspecting this for some time now so it wasn't a huge surprise for me. I am mostly sad about leaving my school, my coworkers, and most importantly my students. It is sad that they will just continue on with their music without me. But hopefully I have given them the foundation they need to succeed in their future.

The good news is we can get little BK insured as soon as it's born. There will be no underwriting so there will be no pre-existing conditions on the policy. Sometimes you have to wait two weeks for the baby to be insured, and what happens if they get sick? Is that sickness always uninsured? Like what if it is a lung problem or something? Anyway....some of these things I would never imagine I would be thinking about!!

At any rate, we are feeling very at-peace with the decision!

Till next time...

Flower Power!

It is so nice and sunny outside today I can't keep my thoughts from drifting to summertime!

I think I might get a start on some yardwork this weekend if it is nice. I also noticed lots of places having their plants out so I've been browsing for some ideas. Here are some I like so far:

A. Purple fountaingrass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum') -- 2
B. Coleus (Solenostemon 'Sun Velvet Red') -- 3
C. Plectranthus 'Variegatus' -- 2
D. Impatiens 'Dazzler Pink' -- 2
E. Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare) -- 2

I also like the way this looks in a normal looking pot. So many times I feel like photos of container gardens are some weird fancy container that I don't like!
For example:

However, if you do have those sort of things around your house by all means go for it!

This is an awesome pot in shades of green:

I LOVE IT!!!

Two of my favorite plants, sweet potato vine and creeping jenny with a little licorice plant added in.

Don't believe me that I am a green freak? Check out these babies:

Week 16 update

And there you have it-your weekly "how big is baby" fruit update!


Another week has gone by! After talking to a friend on the phone I realized how lacking my baby library was, so I went a little crazy and ordered about seven books on amazon.com. So, I've been reading alot! I only had one mistake and was sent a horrible book from the eighties about your pregnancy. It is pretty terrible!!

My mom also recommended the book "Childbirth Without Fear". So I looked it up on amazon and it was copyrighted in 1959!! What??
Also it is all about natural childbirth, and I am pretty sure I am not going to do that. :o) At least, I hope not!

In other news: Scott and I became official members of our church on Sunday! It was a long Sunday with church service in the morning and then a 3 hour class afterward but I feel like it was a positive experience. It is nice to be "official" after attending for three years!

Week 15

I am 15 weeks today!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 15:fetus in fourth month Your nearly four-inch long gymnast is happily mobile inside your womb and if you're really lucky, you’ll notice a point when your sneezing, coughing or laughing results in a little kick here or a poke there. Still, many women don't feel anything until the 17th week or later. Although the poking and kicking isn't very charming during sleeping hours, it’s a good sign as it means your baby is actually reacting to outside events. Yay! You’ve got yourself one active healthy baby! Their little elbows and knees are bending more freely this week and their little legs are finally growing longer than their arms and getting pumped up for prenatal Richard Simmons. Many of their major organ systems are increasing in capacity—particularly that amazing tiny heart and complex circulation system, which is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood per day, and will increase to a very impressive 200 quarts per day by the end of the pregnancy. As far as hair goes, we’ve got some new scalp patterns beginning to develop on the head, although actual head hair is not yet present.

And how's mom doing? Have your cheeks been rosier lately? (No, no, no-- we’re asking about your face.) Are you feeling especially radiant? This famed “glow” is brought to you courtesy of the pregnancy fairy who has waved her magical “rosy tinge wand” over you. Seriously though, your body is experiencing an increase in be aware that increased blood flow might cause your blood vessels to expand, resulting in a series of not-so-magical nosebleeds blood flow and you probably do have flushed skin and cheeks. Just be aware that increased blood flow might cause your blood vessels to expand, resulting in a series of not-so-magical nosebleeds for some women, which although perfectly normal, are a bit gory if you’ve got a day job. If you find the nosebleeds especially irritable, consider purchasing a humidifier to ward off future nose bleeds. Also, do your best to avoid irritants, such as aerosols, smoke, and dust.. Even though the placenta is regulating your babe’s hormones, you are still producing additional estrogen, which often causes swelling of the mucosa membranes, leaving you with a stuffy nose—potentially throughout the duration of the pregnancy. These are just a few of the charming physical experiences you can chalk up to the pregnancy fairy!


How am I feeling?

• wow-that is very accurate! Every day after band my face is so red and flushed! Also, humidifier has been purchased and I use it every night! I feel like I constantly have a cold or some sort of allergies.
  

• I noticed I am much more irritable at school without having my 8 cups of coffee a morning. It is like the littlest things will set me off and I really hate it! I just don't have the patience I used to have. I hope this is only temporary and maybe someone related to the stress of our concert being next week!

• At my next appointment I get to schedule the *big* ultrasound! Wow!

• Today I am going to announce the big news at school. I'm pretty sure lots of people already know, but I brought some yummy treats to school to celebrate. Unfortunately HyVee at a very limited selection at 7a.m. So much cupcakes have either Dora the Explorer or Elmo. I figured, hey, they will probably still taste the same!
  

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!

This has been a very busy weekend! I started my holiday weekend early with a trip to the OB for my 14 week appointment on Thursday. Friday was busy with grocery shopping and a special treat to a movie. I would highly recommend "I Love You, Man!". It has one of my current favorite actors in it: Jason Segel, aka Marshall Erikson.

Saturday morning I woke up early to volunteer at my school's egg hunt. Honestly, I was not really looking forward to it, but it was a beautiful morning and I had a great time! It is always nice to see the students outside of a school day setting.

We hid the eggs in the prairie area and also in the tree area. I liked to put the eggs in the tree branches, and later I even heard a little girl say those were her favorite ones to get!

Did I mention it was a beautiful morning?

Today we celebrated Easter with Scott's parents. We had a great brunch featuring:

Filo Sausage Egg Bake
Overnight French Toast
Butter Braid (frozen section)
Fresh strawberries, blueberries and yogurt

It was awesome!



For Easter dinner we had:

Crockpot Ham
Potatoes Grand Mere
Roasted Asparagus
Carrots
Rolls

It was also a hit!

And for dessert...

Strawberry Swirl Cake!

...which I am going to enjoy right now!

I hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday!

Breaking news...

This post will tie the number of posts in March! Yes, I must be feeling extra ambitious today! Actually, I am trying to avoid cleaning the house at all costs. Plus, this is more fun. :o)

So here is the big blog announcement: I'm pregnant!

And to prove it, here is the obligatory pregnancy test shot (and no, it's not gross, don't be alarmed)




Yay! :o)

I also noticed the date of the photo was 2-2-09, so that clarifies my memory on which day we found out. I actually had tested before that, but it totally freaked me out (I had been feeling "off" so I tested early in the morning and didn't wait the correct amount of time so I thew the test away. After my shower I was like, "wait, I should probably double check that!" and then it was just a very very faint line) so I tested again a few days later and the test apparently mis-functioned (is that a word?) because there were no results at all, so then I was really freaked out! So I waited a few more days and bought the expensive digital test and I figured this one was good to go! Man, that pregnancy test business has to be booming! Those things are expensive!!

But just for those of you that are worried, I have been to 2 OB appointments and everything is going very well! I have had no problems at all, and I've heard BK's (baby K) heartbeat two times! It is pretty amazing! :o)

So, stay tuned...and I will keep you posted!

Basement Update

It's that time again...time for another basement update!

What are all those huge boxes, you ask? Well, those are our cabinets for the kitchen area! And let me tell you, they are BEAUTIFUL! I can't wait to see them hung!

Anyway, on to more boring things--we've been painting!

Scott has surprised me by being the edge-painted extraordinaire! That is one hard job!

Here is the final paint color choice (I know, you've all been on the edge of your seats!!) : Sherwin Williams "Latte" on top and Sherwin Williams "Portabella" (or "portobello"....it seems neither one is the correct spelling!) on the bottom.

I like the way it looks with the maple trim separating the two. I love that piece of wood-it is beautiful!

Here is a whole wall done. Keep in mind, there is no trim work done yet, so it looks a little bare.

We are excited to not have to tape off trim while trying to paint!

And here is one artsy paint shot for you--do you know what it is?? :o)

Stay tuned for more updates in April...my goal is to break my March posting record!

April Showers....

...more like April SNOW showers!!

We woke up to the sound of ice hitting our windows and when we open up the shades this is what we were greeted with:

After a few hours, the ground was totally covered with snow! And it's still going strong!

Just a few weeks ago I celebrated the beginning of spring with these friendly daffodils I got at HyVee! What happened??

In other news...
Yesterday I spent some time shopping for a coworker who is having a baby shower on the 13th. I got a whole basket of fun things for her! (and also survived my first trip to Babies R Us-wow!)

I got a swaddling blanket/sleep sack, a crib sheet (that was on her registry) and two very soft receiving blankets in her nursery colors. It all goes in a little green basket! So springy! :o)

I couldn't resist this little picture of a baby on the package! He is all wrapped up and snuggly like a burrito from Pancheros! :o)

Hopefully next time I post it will actually look like spring oustide with tulips blooming and green grass growing!