15 Weeks

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.
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T said that tonight we're going to do a science experiment and watch the baby squirm away from the light. My eyes! My eyes!

I'm now back from Louisville - it was a good time and we even got to do some outlet shopping on the way home. :)

Tomorrow is a sad day - it officially marks the end of summer. I do not have kids in school yet - that's Tuesday. But, we start our meetings. I must say, I've never had a summer quite like this. I've never been so pale - I'm usually quite toasty brown by now. I had a swimsuit on once. I went out on our dock once. I never went on a boat. However, my couch got a lot of my quality time. Looking back, it was a very good summer. And a very good time to be in the first trimester and feel like crap.

Adventures in a strange town

Today the conference started and it is very good - it's nice to know that the way that I'm moving my teaching and the way that our district is moving in is progressive and can make a difference! I think when every teacher graduates from college and gets their first job, they think they can truly change the world. What happens to that drive?!? Umm... time, exhaustion, emotions, personal life, etc, etc... Anyway, I feel like I gain a few of the IQ points that I know that I have either lost or misplaced since college. I used to be pretty smart and use big words and speak eloquently. Maybe 9 years of trying to simplify things many times over for 8 year olds has taken some of that away. Being around smart people saying smart things that I actually understand, actually makes me feel smarter. Wow, that was really eloquent, eh?

Okay, so on to other fun things that happened after the conference finished today. Shopping! Of course, in preparing for this trip, I printed out info on several malls and other fun-looking attractions in the area. I was truly in need of a few things - my mom's bday present, for instance. Her bday is the day after I get home. I found a Brigh.ton store and promptly took care of that problem. :) We then had a lovely dinner - expense accounts are fantastic things. On the way back to the hotel, we needed to fill up the Exped.ition and the fuel card they gave us is only good at certain stations (read: crazily located and very random truck stops). So, thanks to Tom.tom, we found the station and then had many difficulties using the card and getting it to be accepted. Then, when it was accepted, the PIN wasn't accepted. Frustration!!! A very kind man, who we think worked there, pulled up and tried to help us - to no avail. He then informed us that we should go find somewhere else because that was a "pretty f-ed up neighborhood." Lovely. Us three blond women (two of whom are preggers) hauled ass back into the truck and managed to coast into a very handy and well-lit Mara.thon. It was a great adventure. Ugh! We managed to get back to our hotel safe and sound and that's the important part! T was just thrilled when I told him this story. From now on, no more scary truck stops in the dark in f-ed up neighborhoods!

It's so bizarre staying in a hotel room by myself. It's so quiet - it's just me. And it's not like I'm totally here by myself - the other girls with me are not far away. I had a crazy time trying to sleep last night - different noises and I was absolutely convinced that I was going to either miss my alarm or it wouldn't go off. I woke up in a panic a few times. T is now going to be my wake-up call. :) The only other time that I had stayed in a hotel by myself was my freshman year of college. I was coming home from spring break and got stranded in the airport. I had no luggage with me for carry on- wearing shorts, had to sleep in my contacts, I was 18 and terrified. I feel a bit better now! :)

Okay, I'm off to take my pills and head off to bed for another day of sitting and then probably some more shopping! :)

One last thought - heartburn sucks. Tu.ms are divine.

In the car...

How cool is this - I'm online on my laptop in the car on the way to the conference in Louisville. I was able to score a ver.izon broadband card from my technology director to take to the conference. Of course, I had to try it out at home. I must say, it puts my (pitiful) dial-up to shame! Yes, all of you who gasped at the mention of dial-up, I do still have it. It's all that we can get out in the boonies other than buying a lot of expensive equipment and having another dish on our roof. I am loving this thing. T said that we can get one as long as we get rid of something else. I would LOVE to get rid of our land line. I hate our phone. Not just the phones themselves - they do suck. But just the actual phone - it rings all the time whenever I don't want it to. I so so wish that we can - as long as we don't need it for our satellite, then goodbye land line!

Anyway, another almost 2 hours and we'll be there. YAY!

14 Weeks

Welcome to the second trimester! This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb. Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb. In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces.
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Okay, this week in our life:

- I've done lots and lots of cleaning in the bedrooms. With a lot of help from my mom, we actually got just about everything done that I had planned to do this summer. Of course, I planned to get all that done much earlier in the summer. Of course, I didn't plan on being so incapacitated so early on.

- One of the big reasons that I needed to get my butt in gear and get things cleaned up around here was because my mom and I hosted a shower for my good friend, K, at my house. She and her husband are adopting a beautiful 6 year old girl after many years of fertility issues. It's so amazing to see how life turns out. You think you want something for so so long and then BAM! Your destiny presents itself in a very different way. It's wonderful to see them all together - they all just can't stop smiling. :) I couldn't be happier for them! Anyway, the shower was this evening and everything went very well. It was great to see some folks from school that we hadn't seen in quite some time. We have a great group of women that work together.

- One of the other big reasons for the big clean up push, is because it's time to start going back to school. People who are not teachers have no idea how much time it takes to get an elementary classroom ready for the school year. No, we do not show up the first day of school - our first contract day, with the room and materials all set. Pretty much every elementary teacher I know spends at LEAST one, and usually two, weeks prior to the start of the year in their room every day getting everything ready. Yes, it's a lot of work, but those couple weeks are usually some of my favorite days that I spend in my room. I get it all the way I want and then the little buggers come in and mess it all up! j/k! I love diddling around in my room. Yes, the summer always seems too short. You finally get used to a summer routine and then it's time to get back to the school year routine. I'm anxious for school to start and see how I do with so much more packed into my day. I have had nightmares that I've fallen asleep during reading groups, or that I've taken my kids to music and fallen asleep at my desk and forgotten to get my kids.

- Some excting things happening- I'm currently taking a class through our ISD about writing. I did a similar class last year and LOVED it. Some days I wish that all I had to teach is writing all day. It's hard, it's challenging, but the program we do is awesome. Yes, I get geeked about learning new things. I'm a nerd and proud of it. But I'm a nerd with good hair. :) Also, I am going to a conference OUT OF STATE! Whoohoo! Hotel and room service here I come! This one is about assessments and when I get back, I'll be helping train other teachers in my district about what I learned. No pressure! I'm going to have to take very good notes! The conference is about 6 hours away, and I'll be riding with 2 other women. T asked me the other day if they are aware of how fun I am to ride in the car with. I sleep. The car turns on, and I'm out. Always have, always will. No wonder my parents and my grandparents took me all over the country when I was little - I was a fantastic traveler. No DVD player, no cds - all I needed was a pillow. Anyway - fun, crazy, busy times ahead. My next post will be from KENTUCKY! :)

13 Weeks

How your baby's growing:Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

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Okay, since my last post, I've thrown up 3 more times and been crazy nauseous. Things are supposed to be getting better!!! Next week marks the start of the second trimester when everything is supposed to be improving. Here's hoping!

Oh, let's see... what's been happening around the 'nac...
-T and I went to another Tiger's game on Friday. Saw another loss. Boo hiss. Apparently, we were not their good luck charm this year.
-Saturday we went and saw T's mom. Two weeks after a full knee replacement, she's up and around and only needs a cane some of the time. Much better than the last time we saw her - the day after her surgery.
-I got a new camera!!! As you all know, I'm a bit of a camera nut - I can't help it, I get it from my mom!! I've had my current digital for the last 4 years and it's still an awesome point and shoot. I wanted something with more zoom and a bunch more fun features. Mission accomplished! So far, in the not even 24 hours since I've had it, all I've taken are pictures of the dogs. They LOVE getting their pic taken. Remy knew the sound of the other camera turning on and would get all jumpy and happy. He doesn't know the new one yet, but I'm sure it won't take him long to figure it out. Anyway, it's 9.1MP, 15x optical zoom and lots of fun things to do with it. I seem to do a new camera every 4 years. My first was a Mavica that recorded to a floppy disc (scary thing= my school used the same camera until just a few months ago) and was 1.something megapixels. ACK! My second, 5.1MP, 3x optical zoom. This newest camera was also the cheapest of any of my cameras. Man, I love technology!! :) Now, we're looking at video cameras. I have a feeling we'll be getting one for bday or Christmas - in time for February 14! Shelley- if you are reading this - follow our example and get your booty to the store and upgrade, sweetheart!!!! (Shelley is my sister-in-law and has used the same camera ever since I've known her and I know she had had it a while at that point, what was that, 6 years ago that I met you!?!?) :)

I have some college friends coming over this afternoon, including one of my bridesmaids that I haven't seen since our wedding!! Fun times. :)

It's been a gorgeous weekend in Michigan- I hope it's been nice wherever you are! :)

Appointment

Today I went for my 12 week appt. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! Whosh-whosh-whosh-whosh. A strong and steady 150 bpm! :)

Everything else was great - blood pressure, proteins, sugar, and all the other stuff they can tell from my cup contribution.

In other news... tomorrow is my last day of teaching summer school. Yay! It's good $$, but I'm ready for it to be done. Sleeping in until 9am- here I come! I want to enjoy it for my last few weeks before real school starts.

12 Weeks

Today marks 12 weeks:

How your baby's growing:The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

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Does anyone else out there think that a proper lime is larger than 2 inches?

This week has been much more uneventful and that's great!! During the week, I mostly layed low in the afternoons to catch up on my rest. I felt much better. Maybe I'm getting to that "feeling not like crap anymore" stage. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Friday night we went out to a lovely fancy dinner with some friends at the English Inn in Eaton Rapids. Wow! I was impressed! I hope I get to go back someday! I had Lobster and enjoyed every second. :)

Saturday I slept in and then my mom came over to help with some reorganization. Holy cow, I can't believe all that we got done. Basically, my closet set-up was as follows: The closet off our bedroom contained all T's clothes, and my in season things, the closet in what will be the nursey contained my off-season clothes, and a closet in the basement held my fancy/show clothes that I don't need to look at every day. Please note that I love clothes. Therefore, I have a ton of them. Shopping used to be a part of my weekly routine. It was a rare weekend that I didn't visit a mall. And these closets I am referring to are large walk-ins and a 6 foot long closet. I wanted to condense things down to just have all my clothes in one closet. Crazy thought, I know! So my mom came over and I totally purged an ass-load of clothes. Many still had the tags on or were only worn once. I will be having a massive garage sale on Aug 23 - if anyone out there wears size L-XL, size 14 - it will be like a department store! We even got the things I dug out priced! It was a big day!

On Friday, we are getting a pellet stove insert for our fireplace. T did lots and lots of research, and after receiving our projected propane budget (which went up over $100 a month!), we took the plunge and ordered one. Basically, with the cost of the wood pellets, we would spend approx. $600 a winter to heat our home, as opposed to $3600 to heat with only propane. Ouch! We figured it would take only a couple years for the insert to pay for itself at this savings! With all the other expenses coming, wherever we can save, we're going to jump at it! I'm also very seriously considering using cloth diapers for the baby - save money and the environment. More on that research/decision later...

Oh! And because of the insert, we had to move the furniture in the living room (no furniture can be within 3 feet- and the coffee table was just inside that). Some switcheroo things happened today. I'm still getting used to it. Almost 4 years of having things one way and my diminished brain capacity as of late, have made this change not my favorite. I think that it will be just fine. However, my immediate concern is WHERE WILL THE CHRISTMAS TREE GO?!??! The former spot is now occupied by the giant brown chair. Ugh. I know I have many months to contemplate my options, it's just really bugging me right now. I have to obsess about something!

Heartburn has also entered my life this week. Lovely. I get to go to the doctor for my 12 week appointment on Wednesday. I will be able to hear the heartbeat at that one! **happy happy clap clap clap** More updates after my appt!