Not too much to report...

Hi everyone! I know it's been about 10 days since our last post, but that's because things have been pretty uneventful around here, and we are more than thankful for that!

I am still tired, but it has definitely improved. Even when Rich calls me at night from work he can tell that my voice sounds more energized. When it's nice out I take Winnie out for as long of a walk as I can tolerate, and do my arm weights to prepare for holding a baby! I still don't feel like running a marathon (not that I have ever had that urge), but much better.

The second trimester seems to be going good. There is one part of my body that has decided to rapidly expand along with my belly. I guess I'm filling up with lots of milk for the baby, but GOOD LORD! I wore a shirt the other day that fit me in the morning, and by the time I got home I looked more like Pamela Anderson. Not good when you are teaching teenagers.

I am enjoying maternity clothes and love having elastic waistbands! I may never wear regular clothes again! Sooo comfortable!

Only 5 more weeks of work for me, and I am looking forward to the summer. I can't wait to decorate the nursery and pick out all the needed items. I've waited so long for this, and I feel like it's all still a dream sometimes.

We have our next dr. appt. in a few days...

Save the Date!

Save the date for Sunday, August 24th, 2008....that will be our baby shower.

We have chosen to have it at the Carmelite Monastery in Munster. It's a very pretty place to visit. Lots of trees, lots of beautiful landscaping and shrines to visit on the grounds of the monastery. It's very peaceful and Rich and I have taken walks through here many times, so it seems like the perfect place to celebrate our little one who's on its way!

They built a beautiful red brick banquet hall on the grounds a few years ago, and that is where the shower will take place. We're very excited and can't wait to celebrate this wonderful time in our lives with everyone!

Movement!

Hi Everybody! What an exciting week this past week has been. I felt the baby move earlier this week! My students asked if I could feel it kick, and I said, "No, it feels more like butterflies flittering around in my stomach." I think some of my boys were grossed out by it, but most of them seemed really intrigued and love to ask me questions about it. (And of course I love talking about it!)

I can feel the baby move when I am laying down (particularly on my right side) or when I am talking a lot. Today, my classes were reading Act II of Julius Caesar, and as I was giving them their daily notes, I could feel it moving around. It almost tickles.

The first time I felt it was in the middle of the night. (Actually it was probably midnight, but when I go to bed at 8:00....midnight feels like the middle of the night). Rich had just got home from work, and I woke up and couldn't imagine why my stomach felt so weird. It felt like gas, but there was no gas to pass. (heehee) Then it dawned on me that it was the little munchkin moving around! It must have been happy that daddy was home. What a sweetie! And its poor mother thought it was just a fart brewing...

Have a great week, and check back for more updates soon!

Fourteen Week Ultrasound

This is a picture of the ultrasound, so it's not the best quality. You can definitely see its head and tummy/shoulders. You can not see the legs (they are being blocked by the placenta). The nurse said he/she was sitting like they are in a race car...body straight up, and legs stretched out in front. I believe that is an arm/hand that is sticking straight up, it's just in a weird position.

Groggy, Rainy Day

Well, I spoke too soon! Spring was here, and now it's left again.
It's in the low 40's and raining. Very gray. Very dreary.

BUT, it's still a beautiful world, because there's less than six
months until we meet our little bundle of joy!

We went for our 14 week dr. appt. on Thursday. It all went very
well. They checked all my vitals, and everything was great.

In total, since finding out I was pregnant, I've gained seven pounds,
which is not too bad at all. Some of my coworkers at LC have commented
that I look great, and don't look like I've gained anyting but baby!
What a great compliment!

We had another ultrasound and we saw how big he/she is getting! We saw hands with little fingers, VERY long legs with feet and they were kicking away! On the head you can clearly see a nose and mouth, but it looks very alienish. The nurse said an alien appearance is normal at this stage since the fetus is very boney (bony?? sp?) and does not have a lot of fat deposits yet. The nurse could not get over how long its legs were! It must be coming from Rich's side....his dad is over 6'6". She assured us that it is growing rapidly, my uterus is the right size, and everything looks great.

I still feel tired and just peeled myself off the couch to write this, and yesterday was feeling very nauseous in the evening. We have our next appt. in 3 weeks, and will get to hear the heart beating away! We saw it during our last ultrasounds, but are anxious to hear our little munchkin.

Keep checking updates! The nurse said I should be feeling little flutters very soon!

Spring is Here!

I think spring has finally arrived!
It's supposed to be 63 degress today,
with perfectly sunny skies and we have a wedding
to attend today (the first out of ten this season!)

Thank you once again for all the emails and the cards!
We couldn't be happier and we are hoping the next six
months fly by! A lot of people have asked me how I am feeling
so I thought that would be our next update.

I am feeling pretty good overall now. The first 10 weeks or so,
I would literally come home from work and pass out on the couch.
And when I say pass out, I literally mean PASS OUT! I had a little bit of nausea
but only vomitted once. My mom had made me a big turkey dinner because I love
turkey, and it's nutritious, but I had 3 bites before it all came up.
I did eat the green beans, cucumbers, and a little stuffing though!

While we were on the cruise I was pretty nauseous. We took a day trip to the beach in the Dominican Republic and it took 45 min. on a widing pothole-filled road which made me extremely motion sick. It took me about 2 days to recover from that and I wasn't able to look or think about food for those 2 days. I ended up coming back from a 10 day cruise with not one pound gained, so that was great!

So, not too bad overall. At 13.5 weeks, I'm still pretty tired, but making progress. I have a little belly, and it seems to be growing rapidly. It's kind of making me nervouse of what nine months will look like! (But, in honesty, I can't wait for that big belly!)

I avoid caffeine, I try to eat fruits and veggies everyday, but seem to eat a lot more fruit. I drink a lot of milk and eat a lot of cereal, and truly crave pizza, especially from The House of Pizza in Hammond. My mouth just watered a little bit. Chicken and turkey, which are usually my favorites, don't really please me anymore. I also normally don't eat a lot of red meat, and that has changed. I want to eat steaks, sausages and a craving for burned (on the grill) hot dogs has arisen more than once.

I will try to take a belly shot tonight when getting ready for the wedding. Check back soon!

Time Flies!

As of tomorrow morning (Wed 4/2/08) we have officially reached the second trimester!
It really is amazing how fast time can fly!
And only 45 more days of work for me!!
Whoohoo!