33 1/2 Weeks

Yup, here I am at 33 1/2 weeks. Dennis and I just had our 4th (or rather 3rd since we missed last week) childbirth class. We only have 2 more classes to go. Tonight was pretty good for me since the class was mostly about relaxation and massage. I was pretty sleepy when we left. I should have gone to bed but....well, that just didn't happen did it.

We saw the baby doctor today and everything is going well. I'm on a weekly basis now due to my blood sugar and next week we'll reevaluate my meds. Oh, but on Friday we'll get another peek at our daughter!!! I hope we can get another picture printed too!

Ooooo boxing!

I don't know who's fighting, but I'm excited! Plus, next week there is an Elite XC fight with Kimbo Slice.....should be pretty interesting. The last fight he was in he busted open the guys ear....super gross and awesome at the same time!

Today (sniff) I had to take off my wedding ring and put it on my necklace. I thought it was a bit challenging to take off, but since it's sized small I didn't think too much of it. Well, I was struggling a bit more to put it back on and Dennis thought it might be a good idea to keep it off rather than have it cut off if it got to that point.....so I kept it off and put it around my neck. I didn't realize how much I play with it during the day! My hand feels so naked!

Well, the fight starts in about 30 minutes so I must finish all my online stuff beforehand. Have a great Saturday evening!

Um...

I know I should have something to blog about after not blogging for several days, but I'm drawing a blank. I think pregnancy brain is taking a hold of me. Oh, but we did have a dinner party tonight for the presidential debate and my new dose of diabetes meds are working rather well.....in fact, I had pasta, potato, and pie and my sugar was within normal limits an hour later!!!!! Woo hoo! I would hope that this trend continues, but as I have seen in the past, it usually only does that for one day and then gets really high again.....It's all so confusing and I just don't get it sometimes! But like the doctor reassuringly said, only a couple weeks to go!

SEX AND THE CITY on DVD!!!!!

IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT! IT'S OUT! Finally this day has come! Dennis went out this morning around 8am and picked it up for me....that way I would be certain to get a copy of the extended version! I wonder how many times I will watch it? I know I've watched the entire SATC series about a gazillion times and that never gets old! It's so exciting I can hardly stand it!!!!!

By the way, I'm still a bit sick but at least I feel a bit more peppy.....maybe the SATC movie has something to do with it??? :)

Darn Cold!

I still have it! Although, my nasal passages are clearer today but I am left with a headache on my right side and the great thing is.....when ever I cough, it feels like my head is going to EXPLODE!!! So, when I can, I try to compress my head when I cough just in case that happens. I feel really bad for my students when I'm like this.....I'm just blah rather than BLAM! Oh and no child birth class tonight....I just need to lie on the couch and do absolutely nothing....except look at the inside of my eyelids.

When I was little...

I actually remember this photo being taken. I think we were sledding at my Nana's house. We ALWAYS use to go sledding there when all us cousins were little. It would be an all day event with hot chocolate, cookies, and usually a family dinner. We had so much fun and I always thought it was so weird how hot my pee was when I came in from the cold! Okay maybe that's a little TOO much info for some of you, but I really thought it was odd. Now that the cousins have gotten older and moved on, I can't remember the last time it snowed enough to go sledding in Nana's back yard.....or maybe it has and, as an adult, I'm too busy to notice. Anyway, I hope when our daughter is older, Dennis and I will be able to share similar moments with her.

Birthday dinner update:
We didn't end up getting to the brewery until 7:30. Dennis kinda didn't want to go because he wasn't feeling well either, but I had been wanting to go so bad that I wasn't gonna let a cold stop us. Well, apparently it was Civil War Days and the place was completely PACKED! I new it was going to be a bit crowded, but it was crazy crowded. So after several people cut in front of us, I was able to ask the waitress how long the wait was. Turns out it was going to be at leas an HOUR before we could get a table!!! I (and Dennis) was very upset at hearing this news and practically stormed out of there fighting the tears as I went. Because we were in a different town, we didn't know of any other restaurants and were not in the mood to go searching for one....so we did the next best thing (or rather closest option).....we went to Denny's which was about 2 blocks away. So there we were having my 29th birthday dinner in Denny's. On the one had it was pretty sad, but then again, I was also really happy to be getting food within 30 minutes. It was actually pretty good. Dennis had a make your own Grand Slam and I had a chicken ranch sandwich thingy. It hit the spot and the food put us in better moods. Then one the way home (around 9pm) Dennis suggested we do our grocery shopping right then so we (or rather I) wouldn't have to do it tomorrow. I agreed apprehensively because we had neither a shopping list or a dinner list planned. We did the best we could so hopefully I won't have to pick up any last minute items this week. Really, it was kinda nice shopping so late because it was super quite and there was hardly anyone there! And when we got home, I had a message from my dad from Buck Camp (Sterling Mountain) wishing me a happy birthday......it was a nice way to end a crazy evening.

It's Official

I am sick. Today (my birthday) is the first official full day of my cold. Yesterday started off a little more sniffily and sneezy with a sore throat chaser....and today I am feeling the full effects of it all. However, Dennis made me eggs and toast this morning for breakfast! It was really good and pretty too! Then we headed to the North Coast Country Fair. This is a pretty cool fair with tons of local vendors. I didn't get anything for myself, but I did find a birthday present for my mom, a Christmas present for our niece and nephew, and Dennis got some really good BBQ sauce and hot pepper jam. Now I think we're gonna head to the mall and get some baby stuff but later tonight we're going to the Eel River Brewery for some yummy steak!!!! My new diabetes meds are working pretty well so I'll be able to eat more like a regular person tonight! Woo-hoo!!!!! Alright, time to make a grocery list and gather my coupons. :)

Have a great day!

The Carseat Has Arrived!

And it's gorgeous!!!! I spent the evening reading the manual and then took off the padding to wash it....but that wasn't before I took a picture of the backside so I would know what it should look like when I put it back together! Yes, the manual does include pictures, but come on....they aren't the greatest in the world! I plan on washing the padding along with a full basket of clothing tomorrow....it'll be the first load of baby laundry!!!!!

Tomorrow my friend is taking me out for a night on the town! Well, okay, she's taking me to dinner and a movie to celebrate my birthday....it's not like we're going bar hopping or anything! :) Unfortunately, my "sniff, sniff" and scratchy throat has returned....I seriously hope it goes into hibernation within the next 12 hours.

Alright, it's off to the couch to "veg"! Until we meet again!

one day (event) at a time

Friday, September 12th
We headed over to Redding to stay with J, K, and B-man and arrived around 6pm to a kitchen counter piled high with baby gifts and birthday presents. J, K, and B-man showed up about a half an hour later with In N Out burgers and fries which I devoured within seconds!.....I only had about 5 fries, but I seriously wanted the whole bag of them! Brady is getting so tall and can do and say so many more things! Dennis had a blast chasing him around the house and through his dinosaur tunnel.

Uncle Dennis reading a story before bedtime.

What a silly boy!

Saturday, September 13th
Today was the day of my shower. My sister and mom threw it for me and around 20 family members were able to come. It was so awesome and my sister made me cupcakes (my favorite) and a diaper cake! Everything was so awesome and I received the cutest little girl clothes ever! Our girl will be dressed so cute!.....at least for the next 6-9 months! I even got boots that look like mini Uggs! Plus, my dad and step-mom gave us the stroller we'd been drooling over for the last several months.....a BOB stroller in chocolate and light blue!!!! It's absolutely fabulous!

So how many squares did it take to go around my belly?.....10! And most everyone went WAY over!....except Kelly and 2 others!

It's like wine tasting, but with baby food! I won this game by the way!

My super cute (and yummy) baby shower cupcakes!

Isn't it so beautiful!!!!!!

My diaper cake! It took only 84 diapers to make it!

My mom, sister, Hunter and me....in front of my brother's newly planted lawn!

Monday, September 15th
When I arrived at school, it felt like I had been gone for a month! Apparently, there were several meetings held Thursday afternoon or Friday about STAR testing, our GROW program, and my schedule. I felt completely clueless as to what was happening and I didn't like it one bit. It made me realize what it's going to feel like when I come back from maternity leave....completely out of the loop! Then I found out early that morning that at our afternoon staff meeting they were going to have a "surprise" baby shower for me and the music teacher....with cake and goodies to boot! It was a surprise for the music teacher but because the principal didn't have a chance to grab the agenda out of my box, I was aware that the first item on the agenda was the joint baby shower! It was still a wonderful surprise though! The staff gave Dennis and I a gift card to Target, Diane (the other K teacher) gave us super cute cupcake onesies, the cook made an adorable quilt, and Kris.....well Kris went a bit overboard with onesies, a blanket, pants, and picture frames. It was all so nice of them!

Tuesday, September 16th
So remember the GATE application I was working on last school year and how much a pain it was? Well, today the principal tracked me down in Kindergarten to let me know that we got a THREE year approval!!!!! It's the most we've ever gotten! Normally, we get 1-2 years so this was HUGE!!!! I'm so happy!!!! I guess all that work paid off!

Today
As if a surprise baby shower wasn't enough, the staff threw me and the librarian a surprise birthday lunch!....with cake too! People brought really good food too! Barb brought an awesome (and spicy) black bean soup, Diane brought egg salad and crackers, Deb brought homemade applesauce, Teresa (I think) brought watermelon, and Will brought pasta salad. I helped myself to EVERYTHING (carbs or no carbs!) and I had 1 1/2 pieces of cake too!!!! Take that blood sugar! Surprisingly, an hour later, my sugars were within a normal range which completely blew my mind! Wouldn't it be awesome if that could happen everyday! Now that's some wishful thinking!

I'm really happy there was cake today because I'm definitely not having one on my actual birthday (Saturday) because it'll just sit in the fridge and taunt me.....cake is mean like that you know. Anyway, the party was also really awesome because in the 4 years I've been at the school, this is the first time it was remembered and celebrated by more than just a few! It was just really awesome and I want to thank everyone involved!!!

....but I like the smell of tuna fish better

That is what a student said to me today after he thought my room smelled like peach perfume! And coming from this child (a second grader who is VERY quiet and barely speaks) completely cracked me up and I seriously had to control myself!

As I am super tired, I will post about the following at a later date:

1. Family Baby Shower
2. Childbirth Class - Week 2
3. "Surprise" Work Baby Shower

Coffee Happiness

Today I splurged and had a decaf coffee! It only had (at most) 2 grams of carbs and tasted fabulous! I used half and half and a bit of sugar-free English Toffee syrup.....yum-O! I actually felt like a normal person! And since I caught up on all my sleep, I was almost on the giddy side this morning!

While I was teaching one of my morning classes, the baby was (again) having quite a time kicking and rolling around. So I moved my overhead projected and told my 3rd graders to look at my belly.....and sure enough, she bobbed around for all to see! The kids were so excited when they saw her move and loads of questions ensued. Some questions I've been asked from the kids have been....well...on the odd side. Today a child asked me if I had had my baby already and then last week I had a student who didn't realize I was pregnant and asked if I had eaten to much! Kids are so darn funny!

By the way, I must wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kris!!!!! She's turning 32 today!!!!! I'd post a pic of her, but I actually don't have any.....I could post her school pic, but that would be cruel....no one ever looks good in them.....at least I don't anyway. :)

Necessary Nap

This morning I woke up exhausted like I didn't get any sleep at all. But on the contrary, I slept rather well. So as I was in the shower (willing myself to wake up) I thought about calling in sick to work. Since this thought crosses my mind once or twice a month, I decided I could tough it out and snap out of my exhaustion (like usual) by the end of my first group of students.....well, that really didn't happen. I was the same, if not more tired than I was when I first arrived at school. So I made the executive decision to go home. When I called Dennis to let him know, he was about to do the same thing! He was extremely tired, but unlike me, he was going to tough it out for the rest of the day. I ended up crawling into bed around 10am and didn't wake up until almost 2pm! And boy, oh boy was it a great nap! Then I got up, had some lunch, and when straight back to bed. I didn't go back to sleep though, I just laid there watching Seinfeld until Dennis got home. Now I feel much better and should be good to go tomorrow morning!

Childbirth Class - Week 1

Well, both Dennis and I didn't learn anything new that we haven't already read in our books. I bit disappointing for me, but I'm really hoping it's better next week. I think the worse thing was how LONG the class was. Okay, it was only 2 hours but having a class in the evening for a 3rd trimester pregnant lady is torture! I was trying so hard not to fall asleep....especially when they showed the video and turned off all the lights! Most of the women there were due in October and there was one due in December. By far, Dennis was the most engaged out of all the men.....many of them had their heads down twiddling their thumbs or had extremely bored looks on their faces.

Ooooooo, this morning the baby was pushed to my right side so my tummy was completely misshaped and freaky looking! She eventually moved back into a position that made my tummy more rounded. Now that I've been seeing kids for the past week, she's decided to do somersaults while I'm trying to teach a class. I have to use all my energy to concentrate on what I'm teaching and not what she's doing.....it's challenging at times and like the childbirth teacher last night said, it's like they have 8 limbs!.......But I do love every minute of it!

All By My Lonesome

Dennis left this morning around 4:45am and arrived in San Fran around 9am. I just got off the phone with him (actually we got disconnected due to bad reception) and he said the game was kinda boring and they were surrounded by unusually large and drunk people. After phoning the wives, they were going to head to dinner. They'll be home sometime tomorrow morning and I can't wait! The house is so quiet with him gone.....not that he's loud or anything. I ended up spending a long time in Target and then went to the mall to pass the time. I've also made a lot of phone calls to busy my self. I plan on watching TV in the bedroom until I can't keep my eyelids open anymore....to help me sleep. I have quite a few items DVR'd, so this shouldn't be too difficult.

Tomorrow evening Dennis and I will attend our FIRST child birth class! I'm really excited and a wee bit nervous about it. The class is from 6:30-8:30.....kinda late for pregnant ladies I think....but whatever. I hope Dennis won't be too bored or uncomfortable......me too now that I think about it. You never know with these classes!

Until tomorrow!

Argh!

The "sniff, sniff" has mostly gone away replaced by a freaking scratchy throat!!! I seriously hope I don't get much worse. Dennis is leaving for San Fran tomorrow morning to go to a 49er game, so I will be all by my lonesome tomorrow night. Then we go to our first child birth class on Monday so I have to feel okay so I can absorb all the information!

Today around 3pm I met my friend at a bridal shop so she could try on wedding dresses. It was so much fun and we made her try on some of the poofiest and hideous ones we could find! She ended up finding 2 she liked and they are COMPLETELY different from each other in style and price. Thankfully, she's not getting married until next August so she has time to weigh her choices.

It's off to finish up the Firefly series!.....and put my feet up to get rid of my hideously ugly puffy ankles.....they're not THAT bad I guess, but to me they are completely gross looking!

Sniff

Every day last week there was a student in the office on the verge of or getting sick in the nearest trashcan. The 3rd grade teacher got sick on the 2nd day of school, the 1st grade teacher got sick the 4th day of school, and the other 1st grade teacher went home sick this Monday. This morning I woke up with a "sniff, sniff" to my normal routine.....followed by a sneeze an hour later. It went away for a bit, but returned about a half hour ago....YIKES!!!! I seriously hope I'm not catching a cold or what ever the other teachers had! I just have so much to do at school, plus I need to save all of my sick time for my maternity leave.

On a much better note, I made homemade pasta sauce with tomatoes from Nancy's dad's place. Mmmmm it is SOOOOO good! I just love it! Dennis likes it to be more saucy (turning his noodles red) so I add a bit of tomato sauce for him.....that is after I put the original recipe on my noodles first. :) Uh oh, I feel another sneeze coming on!!!!......okay, it went away....whew! Anyway, my pasta was oh so yummy tonight and I have plenty of leftovers for next week!

Right On Track

I had an OB appointment today and I'm doing pretty well. My ankles were a bit puffy and I'm having to increase my blood sugar meds, but all in all, I'm doing very well! I was very happy to hear that. Now that I'm 30 weeks, I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks! I can't believe how quickly time is going by! I really need to start making preparations for my leave from school. I've got months to plan ahead for! Thankfully, I have a wonderful and awesome long term sub! She'll be subbing for me tomorrow afternoon while I attend a "wonderful" CELDT training (don't ask, just nod your head). Then we have Back to School night at 6:30......it's gonna be one LONG day!

Beaumont Livingston vs. Jerky

Let's just say the jerky didn't have a chance!

Surprise!

Yesterday (after my sister left) Dennis told me I needed to get out of the house. Not really understanding why he needed me "out," I questioned him. He said he was going to work on a project for the baby. Immediately I thought he was going to paint the baby's room or do something with paint that I wasn't aware of....so I asked him "Does it have to do with paint?" His scary response: "I can neither confirm, nor deny it has to do with paint." Needless to say, I was convinced he was going to paint something. So off to the store I went at a super slow pace (not that I needed to try too much to go slow.....pregnancy tends to do that anyway in the 3rd trimester). When I arrived home, I heard him hammering in the garage and was instructed to STAY OUT! Confused and exhausted, I took a nap. About an hour later he said the surprise was ready to view....and this is what it was:

We'd been eying this dresser at Target for quite some time and I was just itching to get it so I could begin putting things away. We were waiting for it to go on sale, but I didn't know when that would ever happen and thus, didn't think we'd end up getting it. Well apparently Dennis speeded off to Target on Sunday morning to pick it up (on sale too!) while my sister and I went out to breakfast....what a sneaky little guy! I'm so excited we finally have a dresser! I can't wait to start doing laundry and putting her things away.....plus it's super cute and goes with her other furniture! Isn't my husband the greatest!