The Past Week

So, this week started off nice and smooth. Rich was home all week on vacation, and during this vacation he was going to put up a four ft. fence around our property. We bought all the materials, and we were ready to go. The Nipsco, Cable, etc. lines were all marked and he marked the perimeter of the property with his friend Bill for the fence.

However, we soon realized that the 22 Arborvite trees we planted in September as a border/privacy were in the way. But, since 90% of these trees were dead as of April, we decided to yank them out and return them. We got our money back from Lowe's and just wrote it off as a life lesson. Can you believe we got our money back?? Woohoo!

Anyway, he saved 4 of the good trees and replanted them on Thursday. Thursday afternoon I call him to see how it's going and he tells me he threw out his back and that he could no longer move. I came home to him on the couch and out of comission.

So, I've been helping him out the last 24 hours, he seems to be improving SLOWLY, but we're making progress.

In the meantime I have had lots of time to clean the house (which I ignored), and addressed/assembled the shower invitations for our baby shower. I also finished registering and we are officially registered at Babies R Us, Target, and Restoration Hardware. That place has the cutest baby bedding!! Just what I was looking for...very simple, tasteful, and mildly elegant. Check it out... www.rhbabyandchild.com

Well, hopefully the fence will resume construction in the next few days. Winnie is thriled because it means lots of laying around with her daddy!

Advice

Advice for future moms:

Do NOT enjoy the delicacy of White Castle during pregnancy.
Never.

Enough Said.

Forgot to post...

I just realized I never posted the updates from my last dr. appt. It took place about 2 weeks ago when I was just reaching 21 weeks. Everything went well. We heard the heartbeat again. I don't know the rate, but it was beating loud and strong.

We also had another ultrasound done, and this time Gammie (my mom) was there to see little Mergatroid rocking and rolling and doing its tricks. Rich was at work, so that means Gammie gets a chance to come to the appointments and see all the magic.

The ultrasound somehow weighed the baby, and at 21 weeks, the baby was already over a pound. Usually babies are a pound around 23 weeks, so we are still on track for a larger baby.

I go to the doctor again June 23, and this time we are going to take a tour of the birthing suites. Should be exciting!!

Kicks!!

As of yesterday, I can feel kicks from the outside of my belly. I've been feeling them for a while from the inside, but now it's possible to feel them with a hand on my belly.

Unfortunately, every time Rich feels my belly, there are no kicks. He or she is already quite a stinker. It's usually in the EARLY morning, mid afternoon, and late at night that I can feel substantial kicking.

It's quite an amazing feeling. It was the first time I felt my baby with my own hands.

Simply a miracle.

Expanding Fast

Hi Again!

Well, the belly is getting bigger and bigger as we speak. Yesterday was the first time that my favorite bath towel would not wrap around my entire body. I guess it's on the smaller size of towel to begin with; however, normally it wraps around me just fine. Yesterday, there was a big belly peeking out of it.

All is fine and dandy. I'm growing but not getting "fat." This baby can cause me all the stretch marks, weird spider veins, fat folds, etc., and I won't care one bit. It will all be worth it in the end.

I am feeling great and am enjoying being pregnant. I've been told by a few different people that I have a cute pregnant waddle, so I guess it's very obvious now that there's a little munchking inside me.

Less than four months to go!

Summer has begun

Well, it's here...the first Monday with no school!
I have enjoyed every minute of it so far.
However, I did work for four hours at Hohman Floral, but that's my fun job.
Not that teaching isn't fun...but, oh hell, you know what I mean.

Mergatroid (Baby Novak) is getting bigger and bigger. The past three days we have enjoyed sandwiches, BBQ potato chips from Jimmy Johns, steak grilled by daddy, sauteed shrimp scampi, and ice cream. Plus lots of fruits and veggies.

On Saturday, I had a very special day visiting with roommates from college. It's so amazing to see us go from college sorority sisters to grown women with children. It's hard to believe we're at that point in our lives where having babies is the norm and not some juicy gossip circling through college campuses. It truly is amazing to see the circle of life and experience it first hand.

So, summer is off to a start. This is probably the ONLY time you will ever hear me say this, but I hope it flies by. I hope it's August before I know it...because little Mergatroid will be getting closer and closer.

First on the agenda...cleaning out the house. We need to get rid of all the extra crap that is just floating around in here. We plan on donating our "crap" to charities so it will feel good to clean out and help out! Then, we're starting on the baby's room. Rich and I are also putting up a fence (ok, Rich is) so Winnie can romp around the backyard without a leash and I'm sure the baby will appreciate in the years to come also.

Check back soon for more updates!

Busy Week

Hello Everybody!

This has been a very busy last week of school for me.
I had to grade about 90 research papers within this week because I've put them off for the last two months....bad teacher, bad.

BUT...I got them graded, and returned to my students.
They seemed pleased with their scores.

Tuesday night was graduation for the class of 2008. I work graduation every year, because it gives me a sense of fulfillment to see how proud they are of themselves, to see the proud parents, grandparents, etc. It makes all of my hard work worthwhile.

As I was sitting at graduation, I was listening to all of the speeches and ceremonies from a parent's point of view. I realized that in 18 short years I will be sitting at a graduation ceremoney for the little munchkin kicking inside me now. It made me wonder who this little person will be, what they will become, and, Godwilling, how many wonderful moments we have ahead of ourselves.

I was in the bathroom at graduation and a woman congratulated me, and I was so startled, I said, "For what, I didn't graduate today!" She said, on your baby, and for a second I was stunned. First of all, I guess it's now very noticeable that I'm pregnant. And second, she asked me boy or girl, I explained we don't want to know. And then she asked me how many others I have at home. I replied, "None," and she said, well then this certainly is a graduation for you.

Wow! Graduation to parenthood.
Graduation to being a mommy.
Is there a cap and gown for this one??

Congratulations LC Class of 2008!!!!

It's JUNE!!!

It's June 1st today! What a wonderful month! Why, do you ask? Because June is synonymous with THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! As a teacher, this means no work for 3 months, yet I still get paid! Does life get much better than this? Well, I'm sure it does, but this is pretty damn good.

So what are the plans for the summer?
We have a wedding or party to attend almost every weekend, so besides that...I plan on spending lots of time in my parent's pool soaking up some rays and doing some doggie paddling exercise(don't worry I'll be careful) and baby Novak and I are going to be starting prenatal aqua classes at the gym. Plus, there are the daily walks with Winnie that will keep us fit and in shape. (I have to work off those Dairy Queen blizzards somehow).

I have MY LAST COURSE to finish at Purdue this summer, and once that is done, I will have my Master's of Science in Secondary Education with a focus on mental health.
I will work a few hours a week at Hohman Floral to keep me out of trouble but will probably have to stop doing that once I can no longer bend over. We'll see how long that takes.

After a horrible bout of an upper respiratory infection (i.e. mild pneumonia) I am feeling great and recharged knowing WORK IS ALMOST OVER! Time to start setting up the nursery and getting ready for baby! Wow! I'm really pregnant and there really is a baby on its way. Crzay how life works itself out sometimes...