I am a bad blogger

I have thought of writing several times this week but didn't. I can't say I didn't have the time because I did have time to check out other people's blogs, facebook, etc., so my only excuse is I am a bad blogger.

This week is Spring Break for teachers and kids alike - yea! Although the pros of being a teacher may not be longer than some other professions, Spring Break definitely makes the list.

So far I have:
-Test driven a few cars.
-Done a lot of sleeping. Meeeee? hehe.
-Checked out some local baby stores and started the process of figuring out what I would like to register for. Time consuming because there are so many things to get and I want to research them all, so this is the perfect week for that.
-Caught up with friends ... usually accompanied with food = my favorite.
-Had my teeth cleaned, wax appointment (turns out waxing is more painful when you're prego), and a facial/backcial, aka back treatment.

Things still left to do:
-Test drive more cars.
-File my taxes.
-Cook a meal.
-Go shopping for maternity clothes with mi madre and mi hermana.
-Grade papers.

All in all, not a bad Spring Break, if I do say so myself.

I had my first experience last week with a random stranger coming up and touching my belly. Well, maybe I shouldn't say random stranger. It was a mom from my school, but I have never met her or talked to her before, so it still counts as a stranger to me. It is definitely a strange (that's probably why they call it "stranger") situation to have someone you don't know touching your belly - I wasn't a big fan.

The other night I was seeking out some ice cream. I checked the freezer and was happy to find not one, but TWO different flavors...



But when I opened them, they both looked like this...



Whaaaaaat? R has told me many times that sweets (mainly ice cream and cookies) will not last long in the house. I can accept that, but for the love of all things holy, please don't leave EMPTY containers to trick* a prego lady who has ice cream cravings! *He wasn't trying to trick me - his reasoning is that he was waiting until trash day to throw them out, so it was decided that I will just have my own ice cream container that he cannot touch. Lesson learned for me but problem solved. :)

A website I have started perusing with some frequency is etsy.com. There are some good finds if you are willing to take the time and look. I haven't purchased anything yet, but I have bookmarked many items for the future nursery of Little Bean. R was looking over my shoulder the other day and gave this shirt I happened upon on etsy two thumbs up:



Go figure.

One of things I mentioned earlier (if you have made it this far in my random post) is that I had a dentist appointment. I have been with the same dentist all of my life and pay extra money with my insurance to be able to still go to him. The hygienist that usually cleans my teeth wasn't there, so I ended up with another lady ... older, very nice. However, during my teeth cleaning, she is asking me if I have a birth plan?

1) It's hard to talk when someone is cleaning your teeth. 2) That's kind of a personal question, but whatever. I tell her that I want to avoid a C-section if I can, and that otherwise, I will listen to my body and see how it responds in regards to needing pain meds, etc. She is quick to tell me that she had 2 C-sections and how great they were, she wasn't in any pain, her scar is so small, she left the hospital w/in 24 hours, etc., etc.

So my first thoughts are: How long ago was this? Everyone reacts differently to different procedures, including an epidural, C-section, whatever. But I keep my mouth shut (not literally since she is still cleaning) and just nod my head. But THEN she goes on to tell me the mother of all stories. How one of her friends had a natural birth and tore from her v* to her a* (she said the whole word - I just can't bring myself to do that on this blog). AND that every time her friend would stand up, all of her poop and pee would just come out.

Okaaaaaaay, so now my thoughts are: Why oh why are you telling me this?!? And, please hurry up cleaning my teeth so I can get out of here!

It was the most interesting dentist visit I have had in a while. I hope my regular hygienist is back next time.

Things Pregnant Women Never Want to Hear...

"You're going to have a big baby!" - from my favorite custodian at school. The same one that at 8 weeks asked if I was fat or pregnant.

"Are you having twins?" - from a random stranger in the waiting room at work tonight.

Yeaaaaaaah, so apparently people think I'm showing more than I should at 16 weeks. My next appointment is tomorrow, but alas, no ultrasound is scheduled. My first question to my doctor will be, "Are you sure it's just one?" My sis was gracious enough to share a story about a recent delivery at her hospital where a woman gave birth to twins, even though all throughout her pregnancy they had only detected one baby on the ultrasound, one heartbeat, etc. Makes me nervous!

I might try to pressure cook my doc into letting me get an ultrasound before 20 weeks just to ease my mind. When I asked R what he would think about having twins, his face became a shade paler. My grandmother had two sets of twins and my mom is a twin, so it's not totally out the question. We are hoping that if there were really two they would have caught the other by now. Unless he's really good at hide-and-seek. Oh please, Baby Jesus....

On the brighter side, my big sis gets to find out this Thursday what they are having!!! It's crazy being pregnant at the same time as my sister and only 3 weeks apart!

March Madness

Wow, I cannot believe it is already March! The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind, and I am just doing my best to keep up with everything and everyone.

My kids were very excited to see snow at school. We went outside twice just long enough for them to get their excitement out and to have the experience of snow in Texas. Most of my class had never seen snow before, so you can only imagine how wound up they were! We celebrated the snow day with hot chocolate at the end of the day. Since it was also Little Bean's "first" snow experience, I felt compelled to document it:



I've made a goal of cooking one meal at home per week. I busted out my recipe box and decided on meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a squash/zucchini mix. R enjoyed it and said he would eat it again, so mission accomplished. I'll probably attempt something this week that I've never made before - that way I know which recipes to keep and which to throw out.



Pam and Jim had their baby on "The Office" this week. If you don't like this show, we probably wouldn't be good friends. Of course I HAD to watch, and I told R it was important because I wanted to compare my future birth to Pam's. Hehe. In addition to me not wanting to imagine my body going through what I know is inevitable in just over 5 months, I also worry about having a baby that is not good at latching. However, since that one sperm managed to find his way to the golden egg through the birth control gates, I'm thinking it must be of the super sperm variety so I probably shouldn't worry too much.

P.S. Two movies that I have seen advertised for rent that I have no desire to ever watch:

Dear Baby,

Every time I think of you, I smile.

Love,
Mama

2nd Trimester Is Here

I am officially 6 months from my due date as of today. Things that have changed within the past couple of weeks...

It is not uncommon to have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. Unlike R, I never get out of bed. Ever. I have a bladder of steel and unless I am really sick, I will not get up once I am down. Not so much anymore as nature has been calling with urgent frequency.

My belly has definitely popped out. I haven't gained much weight at all, but you would never think that by looking at the tummy. One older teacher at my school commented that I'm not supposed to show this much this early on, and my family has been teasing me that I am having twins. Awesome. Not so much. I will be asking my doctor at my next appointment if my belly growth is anything to be concerned about. A shopping spree is in order asap because my wardrobe has been drastically reduced.

Lower back pains. Not terrible, but they are there. It might be the fact that I'm up on my feet all the time. Or maybe it's the new protrusion from my mid-section. Either way, I will soon be getting regular prenatal massages and starting prenatal yoga.

Nothing much else to report. I wish I could have a lazy day tomorrow instead of going to work in the cold sleet/snowy weather that has been predicted. Having snow while you are at work and trying to teach six and seven year olds and keep them calm = fail. We are heading up to Connecticut this weekend to see some of R's family, so I might as well get used to the weather. So much for the 70 degree weather yesterday.

p.s. Belly pics to come soon!

12 weeks down, 28 to go

This past week I went in for my 12 week appointment. The ultrasound pictures were SO much more exciting than the 8 week pics (thank goodness). It actually looks like a baby now! And hearing the heartbeat was surreal but amazing. Little bean is 2 1/2 inches long and the size of a lime now. There was so much growth in the last month - I could see the arms and legs, the brain, the umbilical cord, etc.



It was bizarre to see the little bean moving around when I still can't feel anything. I tried, of course, to see if they would give me any indication as to what they think it is without any success. Too soon to tell. Boo.

The next ultrasound will be at 20 weeks, so if baby cooperates, we should know if 2 months. It feels like forever from now, so let's hope these next 2 months stay busy and go by fast!

Other than feeling my normal tired self (except for waking up at 8 a.m. this morning - what is that?!?), I have also started to experience lower back and hip pain. Not terrible pain, but it's there. I might "have" to start getting massages regularly soon! :)

The nurse has forewarned me that as I approach the second trimester I may experience heartburn and acid reflux-like symptoms. My baby book also says that it's normal to gain one pound/week from here on out. Ewwww. The one thing that I haven't quite come to terms with is my new size. Not that I'm huge or anything, but I just don't like not being able to wear the majority of my clothes because of growing body parts. I better just learn to embrace it because there is still a long way to go and, I'm sure, more pounds to pack on!

Is it a creature?

Eleven weeks along and the baby is a size of a fig. Some of you may be wondering, how big is a fig? So I thought I would attach a picture to give you an idea.

2 more weeks until the first trimester is officially over! Crazy!

Speaking of crazy, I have been having some crazy dreams lately. I had my first dream about being pregnant the other night. I was 11 weeks along in my dream and was going in for a blood draw (this appointment was yesterday, so maybe that's why it was on my mind?). When I got to the doctor's office, the nurse called me back, had me change into a gown, and then started to inject me with something. I started to freak out because I realized she wasn't taking blood, and then she reached down and tried to manually break my water with her hand. I somehow put it all together that they were trying to harvest a creature that I was carrying, and it had to be birthed at eleven weeks. So of course I bolted from the scene (still in my gown) and the nurses came after me (shots in hand). That is when I woke up. Crazy!

I have my next ultrasound next week at my 12 week appointment, so I'm sure I'll get some new pictures to prove that it's really not a creature after all. :)

This weather we've been having is starting to get on my nerves. Why is it that we have the most miserably hot and dry summer and are now having a miserably cold and rainy winter? No me gusta. Especially when I can't take the kids outside to recess. They are starting to get the friskies and are driving me crazy, but I feel for them (and for me) being stuck inside. I heard our principal got bit and scratched today by two separate kids. At least I don't have it that rough!