Week 39 Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 39 Weeks

Size of Baby: a pumpkin is 38 weeks

Appointment Updates: Yesterday I had my 39 week appointment. I am progressing as I should be which I hope means the baby could come any day now. I am very proud of the amount of baby weight I have gained and hope it is just as easy to come off.  

Symptoms: I am blessed because I am feeling very well. Obviously having something the size of a pumpkin attached to your front mid section can be very uncomfortable but that is how it works. I look forward to easily being able to get off the couch soon instead of picking up momentum to fling myself off. A few problems I have encountered are indigestion (no more spicy food), swollen feet, and the lovely problem of having no control of my bladder.

Cravings: Food has been a hit or miss lately. Somedays I feel like I could eat all day and other days my stomach gets full so quickly. At this exact moment, I am loving chocolate cake!!!

Nursery Update: We can finally sit back and wait for the arrival of the baby because the nursery is complete! A man came in to add matching trim to the new wall as well as seal the carpet. Brand new window treatments were hung this weekend. Nancy helped me make a cornice for the window which turned out great! I sewed a bed skirt for the crib and made a "mural" for the wall. I wanted to make the mural into a tree but think it would look funny where I placed it. The baby's name will be on wooden, circle boards behind the nursery and that is finished, (well as much as it can be). Grandma Judie is working very hard at completing the baby's quilt which will make the room complete. I love the outcome of the nursery and can't wait for our little peanut to make the room perfect!

 Nursery before the wall went up

Thanks to Mom and Grandma for the crib!! The baby's name is going to go above the crib on wooden circles. (Notice the bathroom is still a work in progress.)

A little Chi Omega and Delta Upsilon love in the nursery!

Changing Area

The window valance Nancy and I made to add to the new blinds!

The baby's reading area

Circle mural to match the quilt

Crib skirt that I sewed

 

Looking Forward: Today was Kohler's first day of inservice and since the baby has not arrived yet I was in attendance. We have inservice Wednesday and day and our first day of school is next Tuesday. It has been very difficult getting me in the mindset of school as there are many "what-ifs".

Prayers: Please continue to pray for Josh and I as we anixously await the arrival of Baby TeBeest. I slight anxiety over the pain that might occur but know that God has his hand over me. I pray that the baby enters the world healthy, happy and knowing how truly loved her/she is!!

I am exhausted after a long day of work!

Week 36 Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of Baby: a honeydew

Appointment Updates: Last night we had our 36 week appointment which means I go see the doctor now every week until the baby is born. I had the strep B test and have not heard anything yet so "no news is good news". I am barely dialated and over halfway effaced. I know it could still take a lot of time before the baby arrives but it is exciting to know that we are beginning the labor process!! Another guess the doctor gave us is that the baby will be about 7 lbs when it arrives.

Symptoms: To say that the baby is sitting low might be an understatement. I am now frequently the bathroom 3-4 times a night. I can definitely tell that after working/cleaning for a few hours I am completely exhausted and ready for a nap. On two occassions now, I have woken up around 4-5 and can not go back to bed which I guess must mean the baby is trying to get me ready for my lack of sleep.

Cravings: I am definitely not as picky with choosing meals as I was in the beginning. Sweets are definitely my favorite!!!

Nursery Update: The nursery and bathroom are both painted and waiting for the trim to be installed next week. Josh has put in new light fixtures in the nursery and bathroom. Next week Josh will hopefully get to put in his toilet and sink which means his man bathroom is back open. Josh and I put the crib up this past weekend and are slowly adding things to the nursery. Hopefully next week I will be able to upload lots of pictures!!!!

Weekly/Monthly News: As it has been almost a month since I last posted I feel like a lot has happened. Josh and I survived and had an amazing trip camping with Kat and Trent. Yes, I managed to sleep in a tent (on the aero bed) and even kayaked on Saturday. My family threw us a "Look Whoooo's About to Pop Shower" last weekend. Josh was a trooper and joined me for the shower. There were so many little touches that made the shower so wonderful. We are truly blessed with how many family and friends were in attendance and all of the baby items we received. I definitely feel like the baby could arrive any time and we would have what it needs, not saying it is organized though.

Just a few of the pictures from our shower:

Can you tell how much he loves the Bears outfits?

Thankful Josh's family traveled from WI to IL!

I am truly blessed!!

This past weekend we celebrated Josh's fraternity son's wedding in Appleton. Josh and I feel very honored to be able to be part of their big day!

I almost forgot..we finished our Labor, Birth, and Beyond classes this week! I think we can both say that the classes really did help us prepare for the many stages of labor. Josh was happy to hear the appropriate times to come to the hospital as he thinks I will want to go right away. Last night was Josh's 26th birthday and he spent it in Breastfeeding Class. Man, do I love him for being so supportive and comforting throughout my whole pregnancy. 

Looking forward: This is one of our first weekends all summer where we decided not to go anywhere. We have quite a large to-do list that we hope to tackle this weekend. The baby could come at any time so we want to be "prepared"!!!

Prayers: Please continue to pray for Josh and I as we wait with excitement and anxiety on the arrival of our little one. I need to keep reminding myself everything will come together just like it should!! I also ask for prayers to help ease my anxiety of possibly not starting the school year with my students.



Week 32 Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 32 Weeks (today is 53 days away until the due date)

Size of Baby: a squash

Appointment Updates: I am now going to see the doctor every two weeks which seems to come very quickly. One thing the doctor was able to clarify for me was the burning/itching sensation by my right rib. The doctor explained that because my ribs have shifted the nerve is now being exposed. Starting on week 36 (aka Josh's birthday) I will start going once a week. I guess this is really not an appointment but we finally signed up for childbirth and breastfeeding classes. Childbirth classes will start on July 23rd for three weeks and breastfeeding is on the 7th of July (again Josh's birthday)!

Symptoms: I really can't complain, God is blessing Josh and I will something we have prayed about for a long time. The baby seems to be nice and cozy in my belly and is still finding room to move. Sleeping is getting a bit more tricky though. I think God is preparing me for nightly feeds because I seem to wake up around 3 and 4 and/or toss and turn all night. Last night, I even woke up at three thirty and was up until five thirty. As most of you know, I love sleep so not getting a "good nights" sleep might have been stressfull for me in the past but I am doing fine with no naps even.

Cravings: In one of my books I read that I would realize the things that baby might or might not like during the past few months. For instance, we got a buffalo chicken pizza from Pizza Ranch last night and I only ate a few slices because it was bothering my stomach. There are still many times when I make lunch or dinner and then don't even touch it.

Nursery Update: You can see that steps are being taken for the nursery. One of our family friends, Phil, has been hard at work mudding the walls so he can texturize soon. Once Phil is done my Dad will come up to help me do the painting for the bathroom and nursery. Next week the flooring guy is coming to complete the bathroom. I have bought most of my craft supplies so I need to start tackling some of those projects. Don't worry...I will definitely post pictures soon. 

Weekly News: Last week we spent the whole week in Little St. Germain with the TeBeests, Mentinks, and DeBruines. I thank God that the weather was only in the 80's/90's because it was much hotter in other parts of the midwest. The humidity was quite high so I stayed in the shade and would even take a nap in the air conditioned cabin. Josh loved his time on the lake skiing and wakeboarding. I did not miss skiing, as it is still hard for me, but I did miss tubing with the others. It is hard to imagine all of the "things" we will need to take Up North next year.

Thanks Jim for the lovely side profile.

Between Friday and Saturday we made the 8-9 hour drive to Champaign, IL for Jenni and Pat's wedding. Here the weather was in the high 90s and church had no air conditioning. It was definitely hard to breathe just stepping out of the car. The drive was a little long but the time spent with my childhood friends was priceless!!!

Most of us have known each other from almost 20 years!!

Looking forward: Today we have a co-workers wedding in Sheboygan which will be a great time to hang out with friends outside of work. Call me crazy but next weekend we are tent camping with Kat and Trent. Every summer we go camping with the Barnharts so I am putting on "my big-girl panties" and am going to make the trip. Spending time with the Barnharts will definitely outweigh sleeping on the ground or an air mattress. 

   32 week picture

Please continue to pray that these next few weeks go as smooth as possible and that Josh and I get to spend lots of quality time together before our little peanut arrives. 

Week 30 Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Size of Baby: a cucumber (I find it odd that we went from a head of lettuce to a cucumber so who knows!)

Appointment Updates: The last appointment was my 28 week check-up which meant I had to drink the tasty, orange liquid to check my glucose levels. Everything came back fine with the glucose levels but my iron is low so now I have to take a supplement. My next appointment is a very quick check up on Friday.

Symptoms: I have found that during these last few weeks I have gotten a bit more uncomfortable. As Josh stated last time, the baby seems to really like my rib cage but specifically the right side. I find myself constantly massaging the ribs just for comfort. Sleeping throught the night has also been a bit difficult as I have been waking up at 4 a.m. I am hoping my sleeping pattern is better now that I am not anxious for New York anymore and that I have found a better time to take the iron pill. My feet are quite sore toward the end of the night which just means I probably need to rest more. :) I don't know if I would call this a symptom or pregnancy brain but for the second time now I have not just walked into the men's restroom but have actually used the facility and then realized I was in the wrong location. Unreal, huh?

Movement: The baby has days where it moves a little and other days when it is constantly moving. The plane and car ride home last night seemed to be when the baby moved the most which was of course, at nine to two in the morning. I am definitely not complaining because feeling the baby move was something I prayed for a long time about.

Cravings: Ice cream is still one of my favorite things to eat especially the Snicker bar treat. I am also still liking salty foods such as chips and salsa or Doritos.

Nursery Update- The dry wall is up in the nursery waiting to be spackled then texturized. Josh and I ordered flooring for the bathroom which should hopefully be installed when we get back from the Northwoods and a wedding in southern Illionis (July 8th). People were asking what we have left of the nursery so below is our  To-Do List.

To-do List:
Texturize nursery and bathroom
Paint nursery and bathroom
Pick out wall sconces
Sew valance for window
Decide/paint tree mural
Decide on crib skirt
Pray that Grandma Judie finishes the quilt
Move all the baby gifts into the nursery

Weekly News- We spent Sunday through Wednesday with my family in New York. All of us Chicagoians had a hard time not comparing New York City to Chicago. One of the best ways to seethe city was the double decker bus which took us around Central Park, Harlem, Times Square, Financial District, etc. The 9/11 Memorial was very moving with all the names etched in the stones. There were a handful of names that had a woman's name and then unborn child next to it which was very hard to see. Central Park is enormous yet so peaceful. On our last night we did see Newsical the Musical which surprisingly made me laugh. My poor feet definitely did hurt by the end of each day but I held out. We had a great trip but will it rush back to New York as we want to cross more locations of our travel list.

Looking forward: The start of "The Summer of Weddings" begins this weekend as Josh is a groomsman in his high school buddies wedding. The reception is at The Bull which makes me excited to go back to our reception location. Sunday morning we will leave to drive to the Northwoods for the TeBeest, Mentink, and DeBruin week of fun!! We will leave Friday to start our nine hour drive to  southern Illinois for one of my childhood friend's wedding. We are definitly looking forward to the next week but it will be nice to get a little break when we get home from the many vacations!

About 10 more weeks until we get to meet our little bundle of joy!!

Week 27

Pregnancy Highlights - Daddy edition!!!

How Far Along: 27 Weeks 

Size of Baby: a head of lettuce

Appointment Updates: A week from tonight we will get to see our little Beast again which means more pictures!!!

Symptoms: The belly is continuing to grow. Feet are swelling depending on what Ashley eats. The baby is moving higher and expanding the rib cage. She is also having more difficulty maintaining any physical activity without getting winded and tired much quicker than usual.

Movement: The baby is continuing to move a lot within the belly. There are now points where you can see the skin ripple. The baby likes to wake up and move a lot after Ashley has desserts and sweets, which is usually right before she wants to go to bed. I find it quite comical.

What I Miss: I miss being able to plan out meals. At this point, the only time Ashley can commit to food is immediately before she is hungry. That prevents us from thawing anything in the morning for the evening meal.

Cravings: The big sweet tooth is still there. I do not see this leaving before the baby is born, or even thereafter for that matter.

Weekly Highlights: We had a little TeBeest family vacation down on the Florida gulf, north of Panama City over an extended Memorial Day weekend. It was a great opportunity for me to recover after busy season, finally. It allowed us to get a good base tan for the summer as well. I convinced Ashley to wear a bikini, and she was not the only pregnant woman to do so, which helped her feel more comfortable. My mother threw a shower for Ashley on the following Saturday. A lot of the college ladies Ashley has not seen since the wedding were able to attend. She had a wonderful time and our house now has piles of baby items spread out in the corners of various rooms.

Nursery Updates: I have made good use of my only free Saturdays the past couple weeks until the baby is born. The weekend before Florida I was able to rough in the wall. This past weekend during the shower. The door frame got plumbed in and I started hanging drywall with Chumley and my in-laws. During the weeks in between, I wired the rear speakers for the surround sound, finally, and finished all the electrical issues that I will be tackling with this project. I added a 20 amp circuit to handle the entertainment center, and included the new outlet in the nursery, and connected the NW outlet to this circuit as well since it was not grounded. I now have a total of 12 grounded outlets in the house. (When we bought it there were 3). I have some support boards to put in since I do not like how the drywall is attached, and then I can tape, mud, and sand, and get it textured. Then on to the flooring and trim work. Hopefully I can stay motivated and Ashley doesn't want me to spend time with her on the couch cause then things will not be ready without additional stress.

Looking forward: We now do not have a free weekend until August 11. Having a busy summer is an understatement at this point. I have begun telling people that I will not have a relaxing extended time frame for the next 25 years or so. Ashley doesn't have anything planned for the summer, so she is hoping to find something regular to keep her busy. We hope everyone reading this can enjoy their summer.

Prayers: We were able to get Ashley's FMLA leave figured out at a very minimal cost to us outside of the lost salary, which will be a tremendous blessing to her and our daycare planning. Pray for the continued growth and health of the baby. Kohler is having lots of changes at this point, so pray that Ashley will remain calm and realized that God has everything under control. I am struggling with whether I should look for jobs closer to home at this point. Deloitte is great, is a very respected name, and has so many great perks but its also the only thing I know at this point. It's also in MKE and can be extremely demanding at times. Pray for God to reveal where he wants me in the future.

Week 24

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of Baby: a cantaloupe

Appointment Updates: Yesterday I went to my 24 week appointment. The baby's heartbeat is continuing to go down and is now at 150 beats per minute. People keep saying how small I am which definitely made me nervous that the baby wasn't growing enough.The doctor also measured my belly and I am right on schedule which was a relief. I also gained a few more pounds from the last appointment which Josh was just thrilled about. I am starting to get used to the fact that I need to gain weight to have a healthy little one. Our next appointment is our last monthly appointment because then we go down to meeting every two weeks. I will drink the lovely concotion to test for diabetes and we will get to see the baby again to check on my placenta.  

Symptoms: Other than my belly continuing to grow and a little more pressure, I can hardly even tell I am pregnant. I pray that I will continue to feel just as good as I do now during the next few months.  

Movement: The baby is moving a lot within my belly but not that much for Josh or anyone else to notice. I know I might regret this but I CAN'T wait for the baby to be able to kick and for Josh to feel it.

What I Miss: There is nothing that I am currently missing.

Cravings: I read on one of my baby journals that the baby is just starting to get taste buds which is maybe why mine are still constantly changing. I think I have a new favorite food every day. Last week was teacher appreciation week and we were spoiled with barbecue pork sandwiches one day and cake pops another. After eating both items, that is all I wanted for the rest of the week. I am still LOVING ice cream and salty foods such as doritos, chips, etc.  

Weekly Hightlights: We "celebrated" my first Mother's Day this weekend! Josh was adorable and sent flowers to school from the baby. Saturday, I got to see Alyssa for the first time since December so she finally got to see my baby bump. I think Alyssa thought the baby would magically kick for her but no such luck. We spent Saturday at the Cubs/Brewers game with the Pasiewicz Family. The game was very chilly but I still managed to get a horrible burn. Sunday we spent the day in Milwaukee with the TeBeests and G & G Heinen having lunch walking though the Milwuakee Domes. Grandma T also made us a lovely dinner. To say I was exhausted after a long weekend was an understatement.

Nursery Updates: As we I write from the couch, Josh is working on moving the electrical boxes in the nursery. After the electrical is fixed he will begin the installation of the wall. Josh is such a hard worker that he has been staying up way past my bed time working on the nursery. I must be exhausted because I slept through the hammering and screw-driving last night.

Prayers: I have been having a lot of anxiety over my job for next year. My caseload is continuing to change so I am completely unsure on how many students I will be having. I have been giving a full time contract but there is a possibility that I might be able to discuss options depending on my exact case load. Please continue to pray for me tht I will continue to give my anxiety over to God as he has a plan for me.

We tried to take a picture this morning but I hated it so we will try again soon. :)

Week 21 1/2

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 21 1/2 weeks along, Wednesday will be 22 weeks

Size of Baby: a banana

Appointment Updates: Our next appointment will be on May 15th and will just be a regular heartbeat routine.

Symptoms: Before being pregnant, I never had a problem with bloody noses but that has changed now. Every morning I have been waking up with blood in my nose and now am having blood in my flem. Gross, I know. I am hoping nasal spray and/or vaseline will help my nose. Other than that, I am truly feeling great!!!

Movement: In the midlde of the week I felt little to no movement but God is good and Friday the baby began moving a lot more! Josh was laying on my stomach today and finally got to feel the baby!!

What I Miss: It was Jess' birthday this weekend so we met her and some friends in Milwaukee. I definitely would have enjoyed a cocktail but was fine with a water.

Cravings: In the beginning of my pregnancy I loved eating scrambled eggs for breakfast, then bagels, and now I am CRAVING sausage biscuits from McDonalds. I am holding back and have only gone to McDonalds twice so far. Just like my grandpa, I am loving sherbert ice cream. Josh was ever so kind to me today and bought me a gallon of sherbert.

Weekly Highlights: Yesterday Josh and I registered at Babies R Us for our little one! Yes, Babies R Us is far for our Sheboygan friends and family but there is one about twenty five minutes from my parent's house. Before going shopping, we got some great suggestions from other new moms so shopping went better than expected. I got a little sad after shopping thinking about how much more or different items we might have registered for if we knew the sex of the baby. On a positive note, we will have baby items for any future kids and we can always but pink or blue blankets and bibs after the baby comes. 

Nursery Updates: Poor Josh moved from tax season right to another home construction project. For those that don't know, we have two bedrooms on our main floor and two upstairs. Josh and I have decided that we would like the baby on the main floor with us. The family before us had a handicap daughter so they installed a sink and toilet into the second bedroom. To make a long story short, Josh is installing a wall to seperate the bedroom and bathroom as well as putting in new flooring and a vanity. After removing the old fixtures, Josh is hoping to begin putting in the wall this week. I am truly blessed to have such a handy husband!

The second picture is off the quilt colors that my grandma will know quilt together for the baby's quilt! I am very anxious to see the final quilt project!

20 Weeks

April 17th has came and almost passed which means my husband is done with tax season!!! It has been a huge weight lifted off both of our shoulders that he can now spend some time relaxing and enjoying life.

Size of Baby: TheBump says the baby is a cantaloupe which is very hard for me to think about. My belly doesn't seem that big that a cantaloupe is hiding in there.

Appointment: Today we had our 20 week appointment and it went great! The baby is measuring exactly what it should be for its arrival date of September 5th. It is so amazing to think that the baby is 14 oz yet you can see the ventricles of the heart, the thigh bones, spine, etc. Just as the baby is gaining weight so am I which I think is at a steady rate. The baby was not camera shy so we got at least three or four profile shots of it's face. Josh says the baby has a pouty lip just like it's mom. No glimpses of the baby's sex. The doctor did a great job not even hinting one way or the other. We will get another ultrasound at week 28 so the doctor can check on my low placenta which is something he told me to not even worry about now.

Symptoms: My headaches have disappeared this past week therefore I have not gone to the chiropractor in almost two weeks. I think I am drinking a lot more water so I am not feeling as dehydrated either. I am pretty sure I felt the baby flutter this past weekend which was a very neat feeling. The doctor said Josh probably won't feel the baby kick til about week 24-26.

Cravings: Bagels, particularly from Aldi, are the perfect breakfast food for me!! I can't say I have many other cravings. My love of ice cream has definitely not gone away either!!

Weekly Highlights: After many more hours of searching for fabric I finally found different ones. The original plan did not work because you could not buy the fabric in yards so we could not match the fabric for the valance or crib skirt. The new fabric came in today which I do need to look at for a little while to "triple check" that I really do like it. Josh and I are beginning to look at baby registry items which is exciting yet very overwhelming. Which bottle brand, nuk brand, etc? Way too many choices for me!! Now that Josh is nto working 80+ hours a week we can finally talk more about the nursery and will hopefully begin the installation of the wall in the next few weeks!!

Wow, do I feel blessed and loved right now!! This little peanut is so very special!

Photos of our little one at 20 weeks:

How Far Along: 17 Weeks- wow is time flying

Size of Baby: Every size states a different fruit or vegetable for the baby so it is hard to predict exactly what size the baby is. The doctor stated the baby is the size of an orange and TheBump says the baby is an onion. Whatever fruit or vegetable the baby is doesn't matter, all I know is that it is growing!

Appointment: Our seventeen week appointment was yesterday! The appointment went the same as usual. My Mom and Jess were elated to be able to hear a healthy 150 beat per minute heartbeat. Our next appointment is on the 17th of April where Josh and I get to have the 3D ultra sound done.

Symptoms: My every other day headaches went away until the Saturday of Spring Break. Being in a routine at school definitely helps with my water intake and consumption of the proper foods. I pray that the headaches will only continue to go away.

Cravings: I am loving ice cream! Bad news for me is that there is a cute, tiny ice cream shop walking distance from our house.

Gross: I am not really having any problems with eating. Jess, Hayley and I went for Olive Garden over Spring Break and all of the garlic did give me a tiny stomach ache. I can do without the greasy breadsticks for awhile.

Weekly Highlights: I am on Spring Break from school! I spent Saturday until Wednesday morning in Illinois relaxing and spending time with my Mom, Jess, Grandma and Grandpa. Dad left for Tennessee on Sunday so he only got to spend a day with lovely me! Grandma and I thought a lot about the nursery colors and finally have the colors chosen. Josh and I thought we had an idea on the colors we wanted but after putting colors side by side in JoAnn Fabrics my mind quickly changed. Good ole technology and picture messaging was able to keep Josh involved in all the decisions.

This is the website that I found the quilt on:

http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/2010/02/circle-quilt-tutorial-part-one-creating.html

Baby Bump:

14 Weeks- 2nd Trimester

How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Size of Baby: An orange

Appointment: My next appointment is during my spring break, March 28th. My Mom will be joining me for this appointment so she will get to hear the heartbeat too!

Symptoms: My headaches/head pressure are still consistent in that they are occuring every other day. I have seen a chiropractor three times now and he hopes that realigning me might relief pressure on my head and neck. I am still uneasy about going but I did feel less pressure this week after going. I might have found the right dose of vitamins and supplementals to help with my stomach issue.

Cravings: I guess it should not be a surprise to me but I am enjoying greasy/junk food. For example, friends wanted deli sandwiches for lunch but I prefered Culvers or Taco Johns.

Gross: I am still at the point where one idea for a meal sounds great in the morning but by the time I get home from work it is disguisting.

Weekly Highlights: Today is the first of two classes for my final grad class. I can't believe that I will be completed with my masters this May. What a relief and God blessing that I will not be working on my masters with a newborn.

Baby Bump: One minute I feel like I see a small bump and the next there is nothing. The What to Expect book stated that around this time I might feel a little frustrated about the stage my body is in. Frustrated might be much but I do feel overwhelmed when one outfit looks decent in the morning but akward later. Soon I will be at the point where nothing fits and then I will really be angry yet excitd for new clothes.

12/13 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 12 and a half weeks

Size of Baby: A plum!

Appointment Updates: Today we had our second appointment. The baby cooperated and I got to hear the heartbeat immediately. It's heartbeat is a healthy 165 beats per minute. I am also doing great in the weight area which is a relief for me. Josh left work early just to make the appointment but we caught each other in the stairwell walking out. Poor Daddy was bummed he didn't get to hear our little one!

Symptoms: The lovely symptom of constipation has not subsided. What used to work in the past (i.e. fast food, chocoloate milk, hot chocolate) doesn't seem to work anymore so I am trying some pills. Over the past month I have started to get more headaches or head pressure. The pressure will even wake me up in the middle of the night which is frustrating. I am going to see a chiropractor tomorrow to see if they can relieve any of the pressure. Something I did not realize would happen is the shift in my hormones which means lack of patience and irritability. A good friend told me "Make every moment with someone a divine appointment not as an annoyance." I really hope to be able to remember this saying everyday at school and home. I am also slowly losing my mind which people told me only gets worse. Great!

What I Miss: Nothing at this point as I am feeling very blessed

Cravings: I feel like I crave something new or different everyday. One item that I am really loving is ice cream but particularly a vanilla cone from Dairy Queen with crunch.

Gross: For some reason chicken is hard for me to eat but it all depends on how it is cooked. Who knows, I might love chicken next week.

Week Highlights: On Saturday, I went shopping to Babies R Us with my Mom, Dad, and Grandma P. Surprisingly we did not even spend a penny but just had a great time looking forward to the future. It was great to look at strollers and cribs in person rather than the internet.

Drum Roll Please.....12 Week Belly Picture (Please remember that it may look like this today but tomorrow might look completely different depending on my lovely "symptom").

10+ Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 10 and a half weeks

Size of Baby: A prune!

Appointment Updates: Our next appointment is on the 28th where we will hear the heartbeat again!! What a great feeling!

Symptoms: I am starting to hit a good point in my pregnancy. Nausea has almost subsided and queasiness to any type of food. It is interesting how one minute I want one type of food and then next it doesn’t even look or sound good. I am still enjoying my sleeping but getting through a full day of school is not as painful.

My newest symptom did pop up on Monday and was horrible. I have had stomach issues in the past but did not associate these symptoms with being pregnant. The pain began in my back during the early school hours and got worse. Of course, me the worry wart, started to get panicked when the pain came around the front. Relief came around 3 a.m. when I finally remembered having these lovely problems in high school. I am still working on daily relief and hope to find a remedy soon.

What I Miss: Josh and I went to a Valentine’s lunch at Olive Garden and I really missed not having a glass of wine. A sip of wine would probably not hurt but I would not be able to stop at a sip. Cravings: I am still really enjoying salty items! One item I have been eating a lot of is macaroni and cheese or any other type of pasta. Gross: Can’t think of anything right now

We have gotten the question a lot lately if we will find out the sex of the baby and the answer is . . . No! We can’t wait to hear the doctor announce the sex upon arrival! The only downfall/positive is that we can’t find any unisex outfits for the baby because most are boys/girls. If we knew the sex I would go crazy shopping so I think it is a positive!

I hope to post a picture of my slowly growing baby bump this week!!!!

An Emotional Rollercoaster

To say last week was an emotional rollercoaster is a small statement. On Thursday, I found out I was getting a new student whose diagnosis is EBD. I was definitely anxious having to change my schedule once again and nervous as to what behaviors we might see. It is now Wednesday and I have already "fallen in love" with the student even if he has some "large" behaviors. My poor life group from church had to deal with my pregnancy hormones as I cried through most of our teaching.

On Saturday we ended up staying at my parents house so we could go to the funeral of my great uncle on Sunday. Poor Grandma and Grandpa took us out to dinner with Jess. I almost blew it a few times thanks to the reuben sanwhich that made me lose my entire appetite. Seven hours after we arrived there we finally got all four family members in the same room (Alys on Skype) and was able to share our great news. My family was so excited, even if Dad did fell asleep within ten minutes. (The baby is going to have a great sleeping buddy!) On Sunday, we got to share the news with Gram and Grandpa and they were thrilled to hear they were going to be Great Grandparents.

Josh got to share the news with Kelsey Sunday night while I was in and out of sleep after a long weekend. On Monday we skipped the Bachelor so we could tell Josh's parents. They both had an idea what the big news was because we tried so hard to get ahold of Kelsey on Sunday. The baby's only uncle was also told Sunday night. Josh's grandparents were told on Tuesday so we are now trying to cross all of the other close family and friends off the list.


Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: Currently 9 weeks

Size of Baby: A green olive!

Appointment Updates: We had our first appointment yesterday and it went a lot better than expected. Many friends from work warned me that we might not get to hear the baby this early but they were wrong....we got to SEE and HEAR the baby. The feeling of seeing our baby for the first time was breathtaking. The baby is only a cm long but looks so big already.

Symptoms: Other than a lot of sleep, I am actually beginning to feel a lot better.

What I Miss: I really enjoy frozen drinks so it makes me sad not having any.

Gross: Completely dependent on the day and time
Planning dinner ahead of time has been very difficult.

Seven Weeks

To say this has been a long week is a complete understatement. Two of my students have had really rough weeks which makes it more draining on me. I am struggling with how to handle these students while not putting myself or the baby in harm. I really can't wait til I can share the news with my co-workers so I don't have to continue to hide it. Another hard time for me this week was that a student of mine had surgery to remove two different tumors. Yesterday was a very emotional day in that the diagnosis was not looking positive. Not being able to spend time with this student, if she had to undergo chemo, was all I could think about last night. The angels were definitely looking out for her as the tumor was benign.

Another close call with spilling the beans: I must not have seen some of my close work friends lately so they admired my new body. hehe They obviously asked if I was pregnant because they never noticed some of my features. haha Ahhhhh, I can't wait to announce this!!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 7 weeks

Size of Baby: A blueberry!

Appointment Updates: Our first appointment is on the 30th and can't come any sooner!

Symptoms: Poor Josh is barely getting to spend any time with me as I am sleeping so much. By the time he gets home and we start to watch one of our shows, I am asleep in five minutes. My average length of sleep right now is about ten hours.

What I Miss: After a long week of school I definitely wanted to join my co-workers for frozen margaritas tonight.

Cravings: My cravings change from day to day but are mostly salty items. The other item that I REALLY wanted the other night were cupcakes but we did not have liners. Boo

Gross: Ring Bologna or other types of meat

WE ARE EXPECTING....

During the week of Christmas I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my period or lack thereof. The whole week I felt unusual period symptoms or possible pregnancy symptoms but tried to not get my hopes up. The Tuesday after going back to school (January 3rd) I decided to take a test and to my surprise the test was IMMEDIATELY POSITIVE!!! I was in complete shock and awe. My next thought was can I keep the news from Josh so I could surprise him on Wednesday. I slept great on Tuesday from such great excitement plus I went to yoga for the first time. While Josh was in the shower on Wednesday and I was straightening my hair he randomly shouts, "You are pregnant, aren't you?" so I could not hold it in any longer and told him the great news! We are blessed beyond words on what God is providing for our lives!!


After using a few sites it looks like the baby will be due right around Labor Day, my birthday!!!

Way Too Many Close Calls

-A few days after realizing the great news I went shopping to try and find a neutral "I love my Daddy" gift and who is also in the baby aisle Grandma TeBeest. Luckily, I turned the corner without being spotted.
-The Saturday after finding out, Josh and I met my parents and Alyssa for dinner. Within a few minutes of sitting down to dinner my Dad told me how much I was glowing and seemed so happy. (Only if he knew why)
- A few of my co-workers and I are deciding to take one more class to get certified as an online teacher.The question right now is when to take the class this summer. Again, I have to keep my lips sealed.
- 01/11 I ended up having to tell two co-workers of our pregnancy due to my own safety. I definitely was not ready to tell anyone at work but need to make sure that the baby and myself are safe.