2 Months Already!

It is hard to believe that 2 months have already flown by! Ellis has changed and grown so much in such a short span of time. We've all adjusted to life with him around, and we made it past our first big hurdle this past week. Davis started his new job, so he was out of town the whole week, I went back to work, and Ellis started daycare. As anxious as I was about everything happening at once, it all went surprisingly well, for which I am incredibly grateful.

Our daily schedule looks something like this:
Between 12 and 1am: Wakes up to eat
Between 4 and 6am: Wakes up to eat
                   If he wakes up before 5, I feed him and put him back in his crib. If he wakes up after 5, I
                   feed him and put him in his tub in the bathroom (no water) while I get ready.
6am: Wake up and dress Ellis
6:15: Feed Ellis/top him off
6:45: Load the car and head to school
7:15: Drop Ellis off at daycare - he's usually asleep again thanks to the car ride and full belly
7:15  - 4pm: Ellis is at daycare. There hasn't been any discernible pattern to his schedule there. He usually eats twice during that time, occasionally 3 times. He seems to be getting worn out with all the stimulus, which is why he's sleeping longer stretches at night.
4:45: We get home; Ellis eats.
5:15 - 7: We snuggle or Ellis sits in his bouncy seat. I try to get bottles and my lunch ready for the next day during this time. Also, I eat sometime in this time span,
7pm: Bathtime!
7:30: Ellis eats again
8:00: Ellis goes to bed by 8, if not a little earlier and sleeps until his 12-1am feeding.
9:30: I go to bed

Things Ellis enjoys:
Being the center of attention at home (i.e. being held whenever possible)
Looking at the fan spinning
Bathtime (A complete 180 from his first several baths; now we use them to him calm him down)
Being held upright and bounced on Davis's stomach
Walking around and being bopped on the behind
Riding in the car (this only works if he's not hungry)
Riding in the Moby (another surefire way to put him to sleep if you walk long enough)

He is definitely developing his little personality. We've seen a lot of smiles, gurgles, coos, and even some giggles in the past several weeks. He'll reply to the noises we make so that it's almost like having a conversation. The past couple nights he has been all smiles (the big, goofy, open-mouthed smiles) when I change his diaper and re-swaddle him - things he tends to dislike. It makes waking up in the middle of the night totally worth it :)

We have his 2-month checkup on Tuesday, and I'm interested to see how long/tall he is now. He's been wearing 3 month clothes for the past few weeks because his torso is so long. His 3 month pants are still a little long, but that's easily solved by rolling them up a bit. I'll comment with his new stats after his appointment.

A Birth Story

Ellis and I are writing this post together. By that I mean that he's curled up in my arms sleeping as I type. I could probably put him in his bouncy seat, but I really don't want to. I love holding him while he sleeps, which is what he does most of the day.

I find it ironic that my last post expressing my frustration at being "overdue" was on the same day I went into labor. That Sunday I had finally decided to try the eggplant parmesan myth, so Davis and I got all dressed up for our last date night pre-Ellis. On the way to Scalini's I started having contractions that were about 20 minutes apart and lasted through dinner. By the time we got home, I had a feeling that we were finally headed in the right direction. We were both too excited to sleep, so I started bouncing and rolling on the yoga ball as we timed the contractions. My doctor had said to call when they were 5 minutes apart for about 2 hours. I waited 3 just in case (I didn't want to be that crazy lady who went to the hospital and wasn't really in labor). At 3am I called my doctor and we headed to the hospital. (By the way, there's almost NO traffic at 3am!)

**Note: The rest of this post is about labor and delivery. I'm pretty sure I left out the gross parts, but if you don't want to read about labor and delivery, I'd stop now.**

Once we got there, they took us to the "triage"area and told us we were probably staying but that my doctor wanted me to walk around for 2 hours to see if we could get things to progress. So, Davis and I walked around in a big square until 6:15am. They checked me again, and went ahead and admitted us, at which point Davis called our family to let them know. A little after 7am we were brought to our room where we began the boring part of waiting. I tried sitting on the yoga ball some more, but every time I did, the monitor that was monitoring Ellis' heartbeat would slip which made the nurses nervous. So, I ended up alternating between sitting, standing, and walking around the room.

Around 1:30 that afternoon the doctor came in and broke my water, which almost immediately intensified my contractions. Once they got to the point where another contraction started as soon as the previous one stopped I asked for the IV pain medication. That pretty much knocked me out for the rest of the afternoon. Davis says I would wake up with a contraction and fall right back asleep. In retrospect, I wouldn't do the IV pain medicine again because I remained disoriented for the rest of labor, delivery, and the move to our mother/baby room.

At some point that afternoon they started pitocin, and that evening I asked for an epidural. I faded in and out for a few more hours until about 10:50 when we started getting ready to push (which I'd like to say is really difficult when you can't feel anything from the waist down). Ellis finally entered this world at 12:10am on Tuesday, October 8, 2013. He weighed 7 lbs, 13 oz and measured 20 inches long.
It seemed like they took forever to get him cleaned out enough to move him to my chest where they finished cleaning and drying him off.

Over the next couple hours we had our skin-to-skin bonding time, Ellis got his first bath, and I got "unplugged" from the epidural (and started getting feeling back in my legs). Around 3am we were moved to the mother/baby room. Once we got there they told me a bunch of stuff that I don't remember (hey, I hadn't slept in about 40 hours and was still groggy from the IV meds).

Okay, this post is long enough, so I'll post again later about our perfect little boy and his first week home.

4 Days Overdue

Ugh. 4. Days. Overdue.

Now, I know that statistically, most first time moms go past their due date. But I really hoped I wasn't going to be one of them. These last 4 days have seemed like 2 months as I (figuratively) sit around and wait and hope and pray that today will be the day.

There is obviously some progress - I've been having contractions off and on since Thursday night. At my appointment Friday morning I was dilated about 3 cm (sorry if that's too much info for anyone). Friday night I dragged Davis out to The Forum to walk around and had contractions the whole time. Since nothing transpired of that, we went out to the Norcross Art Fest yesterday morning to do some more walking (and early Christmas shopping). After about an hour and a half, the contractions and heat had done me in, so we headed home where I continued to have contractions all day. However, the contractions were very irregular and lasting quite a long time: 1-2 minutes long. (If anyone has any insight into what that may mean, I'm all ears!) Since 4 this morning I've had some contractions that actually woke me up, again very irregular.

Once Davis wakes up (I don't know how he can sleep through these contractions!), I'm going to make him go walking with me again. And tonight, we're going to have a date night at Scalini's, whose eggplant parmesan is known for supposedly helping induce labor. Now, I've never had eggplant parmesan, and there's a chance I won't like it, but at this point I'm willing to try anything to coax Ellis into this world sooner rather than later.

My next appointment is Wednesday, and I'm really hoping I don't make it that far. However, if I do, then we'll be making a decision on whether or not to induce. As much as I'd rather let this happen naturally, it can get riskier for the baby as time goes on past the due date since amniotic fluid decreases over time.

Prayers are much appreciated that Ellis will be born healthy and that everything goes well with delivery. Also, if anyone has insight into those irregular contractions that lasted a long time, I'd love to hear them!

Maternity Leave and Food

As of Friday evening, I officially entered the land of Maternity Leave...for better or worse. For those of you who know me, I don't do well with nothing to do. Since Ellis has yet to make his arrival (not for lack of encouragement from his parents....), I'm attempting to find other things to fill my time. Granted, I spent yesterday polishing off lesson plans for this upcoming week, and I still have the following week to finish up as part of my "teacher duties", but then I'm pretty much finished with all major teacher duties for the next 2 months. I've also got plenty of things I can work ahead on for my graduate classes as soon as I get the motivation to do so.

However, I spent a good portion of this afternoon on Pinterest. Ah, Pinterest - that lovely place where you can find crafts, projects, teaching activities, and recipes! Today was all about the recipes.... I'm going to go back to school in December still wearing maternity clothes if I try all of these recipes! Okay, I know, moderation is KEY. What I do hope is that I'll be able to use some of these before Ellis is born (and the freezer is already stocked for after he's born). Unfortunately, with my crazy schedule thus far and the pure exhaustion I inevitably find myself in, we've been doing a lot of eating out. An embarrassing amount, actually. So, I am really looking forward to some home cooked meals - and having the time and energy to enjoy making them! Tonight's dinner is crescent pizza rolls (which are smelling delicious) - not very innovative, but it's pretty much all I had ingredients for without grocery shopping! That's on tomorrow's to-do list :)

3 Weeks

Only 3 weeks until Baby Ellis is due. When I think about it in terms of work, I have this week (Fall Break) and two more weeks until I'm on maternity leave. Those last two weeks are crammed full of trainings, meetings, and preparing to be on maternity leave.

I'm guessing this short timespan (and generally being pregnant) accounts for all the bizarre dreams I've been having lately. Besides the fact that I get up every couple hours during the night to use the bathroom...again, I have dreams all night long. Last night every dream I had was about going into labor and my subconscious's interpretation of what it would feel like. In one I had normal contractions, in another I had back labor, and in the third my water broke. Another night last week I had a dream that worried me so much that I had to wake Davis up to reassure me that everything was going to be okay.

Besides the abundance of weird dreams, everything else seems to be going smoothly (oh, except for constantly swollen feet and fingers). We have the car seat installed in my car and a second that needs to be put in Davis' truck. Sunday we packed the hospital bags and purchased some more baby stuff. We got sheets put on the crib, the bassinet relocated into our room, and started getting the dresser/changing table packed and organized. I plan to do a load of laundry today to wash all the remaining clothes, sheets, and other items that are Ellis'.

As far as grad school goes, I was given the opportunity to change my internship project to something I can do from home during maternity leave. My initial project was going to have to be pushed to the spring due to the time frame and scope of the project. With my new project, I'll be providing feedback and guidance to 3rd grade teachers who are implementing some of the same lesson types that I've done in past semesters. My other classes are going well, and it looks like I'll be able to work ahead a bit this week thanks to Fall Break. Now I really should get to work on the literature review I have due tonight for the Action Research project that I never have to implement.

At my check-up yesterday, everything was measuring right on track. Davis and I joke that Ellis is our "Textbook Baby". He's done everything exactly when the books and other information said he would. This makes me believe that he'll probably come right on time - my guess is October 3 (though I'd be thrilled if he came September 28 - the first day of my maternity leave!) So, my question to all of you is...when do you think Ellis will decide to make his appearance?

36 Weeks - Ellis is the size of a honeydew

Tomorrow is officially when we hit the 36 week mark, but I had a few spare moments so I figured I'd go ahead and post.  While Ellis is apparently only the size of a honeydew, if feels like he's a watermelon! A growing, kicking, punching, head-on-my-bladder, making-it-uncomfortable-to-sleep watermelon. As the next 29 days approach quicker than I can imagine, I'm feeling just about every emotion that What to Expect When You're Expecting says moms-to-be feel in the 9th month.

Exhaustion pretty much tops the list of symptoms. Thankfully we just had a 3-day weekend and next week is Fall Break, so I'm looking forward to a little more rest to finish out my last 2 weeks before maternity leave.

Then there's the mixture of anxiety and "hooray we're almost there". While I'm SO ready to meet Baby Ellis in person, I don't feel prepared - at least in the physical sense. The crib made it's trek up here a couple weekends ago and we've had the changing table/dresser for several weeks now. However, everything else is still in bags and boxes. Hopefully next week I can get in some good organizing. (Speaking of which....has anyone seen my nesting instinct that I keep hearing about?)

This past weekend I took advantage of Davis' birthday and the fact that it was Labor Day to do a "stay-cation". We rented a hotel room here in Norcross and spent the evening/morning being lazy, eating hibachi (and NOT doing dishes), and - best of all - sleeping in a KING sized bed. There was just enough space for me, Davis, Ellis, and the myriad of pillows that I seem to require while sleeping at this point.

On the positive side, my new para started today, and she is fabulous! You wouldn't have known that it's her first day with us. (Here's where I breath a HUGE sigh of relief at knowing that everything is on track for when I go on maternity leave in 3.5 short weeks!)

Now I'm headed out to our infant CPR class. Goodbye from Ellis (the watermelon) and me!

A Strange, Crazy Week

Well, we've made it to Week 33 (and a half), and Ellis is now the size of a durian fruit. Yeah, I didn't know what a durian fruit was either, so Davis and I had to look it up. I particularly liked this sign we found about no durians on the transit system in Singapore (apparently they have a particularly strong odor and taste).

As of my last appointment, Ellis was doing great. He's growing a LOT right now, and he spent all day Friday kicking me to let me know he doesn't have enough space in there. At least, that's what it felt like.  Ironically, everything going on with Ellis was the "normal" part of my week.

Last week my graduate classes started again, and I have class on Monday and Tuesday. I've been very fortunate to have professors who are going to work with me to ensure I am able to complete all my classwork even though I'm going to miss several classes once Ellis is born. Thankfully, my classes are done by Thanksgiving with the exception of attending one class in December to watch presentations by the other half of the class. This weekend my goal is to try to work ahead a little, but we'll see how that works out.

Thursday morning I woke up to an email from my new para explaining that he was resigning effective immediately, so I am currently para-less. I'll be working with a sub next week until we interview and hire a replacement. Thankfully, it will be the same sub all week, which will provide some consistency for the kids - and me! I'm feeling some anxiety because I've got 6 weeks before I go on maternity leave and only 4 weeks to prepare the new para to take over the class for 2 months. Several people have told me that while I'm gone, I shouldn't worry and that there's nothing can I do. If anything goes awry while I'm gone, I'll just have to fix it when I get back. However, as a planner and a worrier, it's difficult not to think ahead about what may happen. I just have to remember that maternity leave is my time to love on Ellis - not fret about work. 

If anyone has any suggestions for preparing my classroom for maternity leave, I'd love to hear them! 

Falling in Love

Well, I've got just over half of the meals prepared and stored in the freezer. There are still about 5 meals left, and I plan to work on those tomorrow. Hah, maybe. Also, I've gone through most of the children's books and textbooks I held on to from college (because everyone goes back and references those, right?). However, I'm having issues with taking pictures to post - my phone battery keeps dying, and the bending over to put the books on the table is quite painful.

On Sunday the pain was so excruciating (I wish that was an exaggeration, but I couldn't even walk up the stairs to the bedroom); I finally decided that the back pain was bad enough that I should see a chiropractor and get some advice from someone besides Google. Through research I had come to the conclusion that my back pain was caused by my sacroiliac (SI) joint. It was originally on my left side, but moved to the right in the last few weeks.

After consulting with the chiropractor, she agreed it's my SI joint. I'll be seeing her 3 times a week for a few weeks and then move down to 2 times a week, then once a week pretty much through the end of my pregnancy. I do a couple rounds on the intersegmental traction table which basically rolls a bar under my spine from below my hips to my neck. Then I do some stretches as the doctor presses/massages the area of the SI joint. Oh, but the best part is the percussor - it's like an intense vibrating massager used on my lower back/hips.

Okay, so the real point of this post was to say how much I am in love with Ellis, already! With the more I feel him move, kick, and bounce around in my belly, I love him a little more each time. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about when he finally makes his arrival and I get to hold him. If you had asked me 6 months ago when I wanted to hold him, I would have said to clean him up first; however, now I want to hold him as soon as possible - even if he is all gross and slimy! Now we're down to 77 days until the due date, and it seems like forever away and right around the corner at the same time.

Hello Third Trimester!

As Davis and I plunge into the third trimester, I'm realizing there's still a LOT to do in order to prepare for Ellis' arrival. For one, the nursery is still a holding zone for all the junk that we cleaned out from other areas of the house. There's no furniture in there except a rocking chair and couch that need to be recovered/refinished at some point in the next couple months.

As Ellis' due date gets closer, I become more and more anxious about being a mom. It gets more real with each day (and my ever expanding belly) that in a very short time he will be here. I'd like to think that my maternal instinct will kick in, but I feel so unprepared.

While I may not be able to predict what's coming, I can prepare food for after Ellis is born. That's my goal for this week - prepare freezer meals. Yesterday was my grocery shopping day, and I bought ingredients for about 12 different meals including some of my favorites - lasagna and broccoli cheddar soup! Each recipe should yield about 6-8 servings which means we'll have plenty of meals plus leftovers. I'll post the recipes and some pictures (hopefully) in the next post.

After I finish these meals up, I plan on going through the many boxes of books that have been sitting in our basement/garage/storage for the last 2+ years. I promised Davis that if/when I got the Pre-K position, I would get rid of any books that I can't use. That being said, if anyone has use for books in the 1st-5th grade age range, let me know. I'm more than happy to pass them on to friends or family members with children in that age range or to an elementary teacher!

Ellis is the size of a Cauliflower!

Well, Ellis is certainly growing - quite a bit in the last few weeks! People are finally commenting that I actually look like I'm pregnant now (something I've been able to tell for over a month now!)

As of today, I am at 25 weeks and everything is progressing fairly normally.

Ellis's Heartbeat: Yesterday it was registering in the 150s and is getting easier to pick up on our home fetal doppler. We don't listen to it quite as much since Ellis has started kicking and we know he's actually real. (Sometimes it's still surreal to think that we're having a baby!)

Weight gained: 9 pounds total for Mama. My doctor told me that's in the normal range, but that I can definitely eat to satisfy my appetite - which is what I've been doing all along! Ellis should weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds with a length of 13.6 to 14.8 inches.

Kicks: As I said, Ellis has been kicking. A lot. And flipping, twisting, and hitting.  I haven't distinguished any specific times of the day when he is moving, but there are definitely activities that get him active. Generally he'll kick when I'm sitting on the couch reading (he's probably bored to death of the Learning Theories textbook I've been reading for class!) If I'm laying in bed and switch from my right to left side or vice versa, he must sense that change and starts moving. He also responds to his Daddy! Whenever Davis rubs my belly, Ellis kicks him. Also, Davis has fun "shaking" my belly to wake Ellis up and get him moving. (He did this one night as I was trying to fall asleep, so I told Davis I'd kick him every time Ellis kicked me!) It has been such a JOY to watch Davis's face as he feels Ellis kick and move. His movements are getting stronger, and I can often see my belly move when Ellis does.

Back: As Ellis grows, so does my back pain. I've pretty much figured out that it's my left sacroiliac joint causing all the problems (it's near that dimple to the left of the bottom of your spine). Up until recently I was able to treat it with a heating pad and Tylenol, but nothing is working at the moment. Basically, it hurts to sit, stand, walk, bend, go upstairs or downstairs, and so on. I can essentially immobilize that portion of my back if I lay on my side with a body pillow between my legs, but that is not convenient for doing anything other than sleeping (and even that is restless at best). I'm about to the point of finding a chiropractor who works with pregnant women and see if we can come up with any other solutions.

Maternity Clothes: Well, I put this off as long as I could (and longer than Davis wanted me to). A couple weekends ago I gave in and went shopping for maternity clothes. I feel like I spent WAY too much, but I got 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of capri-style pants that can become ankle-length, 2 pairs of dress pants, 2 pairs of leggings, and 2 shirts. I'm hoping that between that and the clothes I already own I'll be able to make it most of the way through my pregnancy. I'll probably have to invest in more shirts, but that will only happen when I absolutely have to. The beautiful part of looking at maternity clothes is that they have elastic stretchy bands as opposed to typical waist bands - it has NEVER been this easy for me to find clothes that fit! As I told Davis, I may pretend to be pregnant forever just so I have an excuse to wear comfy pants :)

Here's some other, non-baby news:
- I've got a week left in my summer classes - and it can't come quickly enough! I am worn out trying to juggle 2 classes and work.
- My last day teaching Preschool is July 3rd, and I'll return on July 25th as a Pre-K teacher.
- My brother has moved to Atlanta and just began Physical Therapy school at Emory!
- Davis and I are taking a much-needed vacation in a couple weekends to the mountains.
- We were able to get together my family and my Uncle Ed's family for the Giants-Braves game over Father's Day weekend. Although we spent a LOT of time in traffic, it was great fun to see everyone!
- Davis and I put in a bid on a house, and we should hear back about it this week. We're not getting our hopes up, but it would be incredible if we actually got it.

Now I've got to get back to work (but thank goodness for those little things you can do to procrastinate, like writing a blog!)

A Big Week in the May Household

Okay, this is another post taking place quite a bit after our last appointment (which was last Tuesday), BUT I couldn't share the gender last week because we hadn't told our parents yet. So, here are all the details about our Big Week last week.

First of all, I have to say that waiting to find out Baby May's gender was so hard. Especially since our appointment got pushed back a week until the regular ultrasound technician could come back from medical leave. When we got to the doctor's office, the waiting room was buzzing with excited couples - a majority of them were there to find out their baby's gender as well. There was even an entire French family with the parents and siblings of the expectant couple.

When we finally got called back for our turn, it took an excruciatingly long time to go through the checklist of other things the technician had to locate in Baby May - kidneys, lungs, spine, fingers, toes, etc. And yes, all of those things are important - thankfully God has blessed us with a baby who shows no signs of risks or complications. But we all know that the fun part of this appointment was finding out the gender! FINALLY the technician got down to the business of finding "girl parts" or "boy parts" - not an easy task since Baby May decided to curl over, face down (obviously taking after Aunt Amanda!) When she announced that we were having a BOY, Davis said, "YES! I win!" (Think he was excited?) I was not particularly shocked at the announcement - I've said since the beginning that I had a feeling it was a girl, which meant it was probably a boy. I probably would have been more shocked if she had said girl.

As silly as this sounds, Davis and I have had a boy name picked out for several years now - probably since shortly after we got engaged in March 2009. I have always wanted to choose names that were meaningful and somehow connected with familial names. We chose Ellis James May. Both of our fathers are Robert (and both go by Bob); we opted to choose their middle names (Ellis from Davis's dad and James from mine). To us, these are two of the strongest, most inspiring men in our lives. I pray that Ellis will grow up to be like these two men and like his Daddy.

However, our Big Week doesn't stop there (bet you thought you were done, huh?)

After the gender appointment, I had an interview at my school for a Pre-K position (which is certified). I felt like I was flying the whole time I was in the interview from our Baby May news, which probably made me less anxious about the whole process. I left feeling pretty good about the interview (hey - I talked until I was hoarse, so I knew I gave them as much information about me as I could). That evening as I was driving home from getting a hair cut and oil change, I got a call from the school. The call came at 6:15 which immediately made me question what's wrong? Ms. Kennedy said she just wanted to go ahead and let me know that I was being offered the Pre-K spot, which I accepted multiple times!

I'm not sure how I made it through the end of last week, but we finally made it to Friday afternoon when we got to go home and announce the job and Baby May's gender! (For more information on the big reveal and for some pictures, look for a follow-up post in the next few days.)

Baby Names

In just over a week we will hopefully get to know Baby May's gender.

Davis and I have already decided on a boy's name, but the girl's name is proving to be tricky.  The problem with a lot of the names I've always liked is that my aunts and uncles named my cousins by them already - Sarah, Lily, Grace, Katharine...

I want to use or incorporate a family name or a version thereof. We've done that with our boy's name, but can't seem to find a girl's name we both like. I realize not everyone knows our families' names, but I (we) would love to hear some suggestions.

So, any thoughts? PLEASE no names that have topped the "top baby names" lists in the past couple years.

Baby May is the Size of a Sweet Potato!

Weeks: 18

Size: Baby May should be about 5.6 inches

Weight (mine): I lost 1 pound between Week 12 and Week 16. My doctor didn't seem too happy about it, but I've been eating significantly healthier so I figure I'm okay. (Also, you can't win when it comes to weight and doctors - you lose weight it's bad...you gain weight it's bad!)

Last Appointment: We had our most recent appointment last Monday (April 22), and Davis went with me this time. They took some more blood from me - and I'm still sporting the green bruise! Then came the fun part - listening to baby's heartbeat and seeing it on the sonogram! I bought a fetal doppler to use at home, and we've been able to hear the heartbeat pretty well using that; however, the doctor's doppler provides a much clearer sound.

Then we got to check in on what Baby May was up to! We could tell that Baby May had the hiccups because it curled up each time it hiccuped. It was also very active, moving around and twisting and turning while we were watching. I must have been holding my breath while watching because I got light-headed and we had to stop (Darn!)

(As a side-note, I don't like calling Baby May "it", so I usually switch back and forth between "he" and "she". I didn't here because I don't want to confuse anyone. With any luck we'll find out the gender at our next appointment May 14!)

Cravings: Salad, fruit, cereal, Wendy's cheeseburgers
I'm finally getting my appetite back enough to have nearly full-size meals again!

Aversions: Pasta, apparently. This is frustrating because it's quick and easy to fix; also, it was one of my favorite foods pre-pregnancy.


I've finally figured out what Baby May's movements feel like. They feel like little nudges or bubbles. I tend to feel them when I'm sitting still, and they've gotten more consistent (at least the ones I can identify).

This weekend my parents brought some of the baby supplies that we've inherited from family (or that my Mama bought from a neighbor). It took us at least an hour to figure out the stroller, pack-n-play (including a bassinet and changing tray), and car seat. I guess our next task is to test the car seat in the car.

Davis has been absolutely wonderful throughout the whole pregnancy. I've had a lot of back issues over the last couple months (my sacroiliac joint, I think), and he's given me lots of back rubs. He's also been taking on more of a role in chores and cooking, which is appreciated more than he knows!

Baby May is the Size of a Peach!

This is going to be a brief update (I promise!)

Yesterday I got to meet my NEW doctor for the first time, and she was fabulous! She took plenty of time to talk to me about my medical history, pregnancy symptoms, and get to know me in general.

I got to hear the heartbeat again (and she let me listen for a good long time). The heartbeat is about 160 beats per minute, which is (apparently) a little on the higher side of the normal range. We also did a sonogram and got to see the baby in profile. The baby measured in at 51.9mm (2 inches for those of us who can't convert that in our heads). And we know that there are at least 5 fingers because it has its little hand up waving to us.

Now, some pictures!

This is a picture of me at 11 weeks - no baby bump just yet... (Also notice that I'm wearing a summer dress because it was 70+ degrees that day!)

And I'm going to end this post with Baby May's first official picture:

Baby May is the Size of a Plum

Time for an update!

Weeks: 12

Size: 2.1 inches (unless he/she's short like his/her Mama!), .49 ounces

Baby News: We went to an appointment on March 12, and we got to see the heartbeat pumping away! Unfortunately, we were incredibly disappointed with the doctor and clinic, so we have since found a new one. The doctor I saw for this appointment spent more time showing me my kidney and bladder than the baby (Um, who cares about seeing their bladder - you know it's there every time you go to the bathroom!) We also felt rushed and a little bullied into making choices and appointments without receiving a lot of information, so we knew it was time to find a new one. I found a new OB in Decatur who was recommended by a coworker. We don't have much time before we have to do the first trimester screen (done between 11 and 13 weeks), so I'm jumping in head-first with this new doctor. Hopefully, it's the right choice.

Symptoms: Exhaustion is still hanging around, but it's getting better. A bit of Barq's root beer is a nice pick-me-up if I want to do something besides go to bed as soon as I get home. Morning sickness is pretty much gone, as long as I eat breakfast and lunch with my students (as opposed to skipping breakfast and eating a late lunch).

Aversions: I've found that Italian food and pasta have become generally unappealing. Whatever I think sounds good for dinner at 3:30 on my way home sounds terrible by the time Davis gets home at 6. I've also had problems with actually taking time to cook food and then deciding when it's finished that, no, I really wanted cinnamon rolls instead. I don't eat desserts much any more, because I find they are just too rich for me.

Cravings: Okay, no real cravings yet, unless you count wanting a Smoothie King raspberry collider and Little Caesar's but not being able to find either. I do eat a lot of cinnamon/sugary things, like Cinnamon Toast Crunch, cinnamon-sugar bagels, cinnamon rolls. It seems that lightly flavored, sweet foods are always an okay choice. Three boxes of cereal has been consumed over the last couple weeks as well. Also, most forms of chicken are acceptable.

Comments from Others: I've gotten a kick out of hearing baby-related comments from others! In the past week I've heard "Oh, you've got a little pooch showing.", "Looks like you're losing weight. That's good because it means you'll be all baby!", "I think you've got a butt now. (To which I responded "I think I've always had one...")". I'm also getting a lot of "Don't carry this...don't lift that." "Stop reaching above your head, it'll make your boobs get bigger."

Stay tuned for more updates as Baby May goes from Plum to Peach to Lemon!

Scared

It would seem like "scared" would be an appropriate emotion right now, but I'm guessing most of you would pair that word with "having a baby". And you would be wrong, at least at the moment. Yes, I'm occasionally unsure and sometimes worried about the whole being a mom part, but in general I feel pretty okay about it.

Rather, what I am scared about is my search (once again) for a certified teaching position. It's the time of year when resumes are updated, jobs are posted, and applications are completed. It's the time of year when I must make a decision that will impact my future. Do I stay with City Schools of Decatur, or do I try other, much larger districts? Do I stay at College Heights where I know and love the staff, or do I strike out for another school? Do I stay with Pre-K where I'm comfortable, or do I venture into Elementary, my first love?

This year, the first question is easy - I will certainly be staying with CSD. This is a district that inspires me and makes me want to be the best teacher I can be. I've only been here two years, but I can honestly say that I feel right at home here.

As for the questions about whether to stay at College Heights and hopefully move into a certified Pre-K position, I can't answer yet. Yes, I would like to stay at College Heights; I know the staff, the routines, the expectations. But I also have to try for the other Elementary positions that have been posted in the district. (Because, let's face it, I can't keep making what I'm making! To put it in perspective, I could work 22 years as a preschool teacher and my salary still would not be as much as a first year pre-k - 12 teacher. On the bright side, I'll never complain about how much I make as a certified teacher!)

Although only time will tell, I am nervous about the next several weeks. I pray that I will be invited to interviews - Elementary and Pre-K! I pray that God will show me where I'm supposed to be. I pray that after this year, I can stop searching and finally find my classroom home.

Baby May is the Size of an Olive!

So, I'm taking a page out of my friend, Katie's, previous blog posts. She recently had an adorable little girl, and I enjoyed the way she kept everyone updated about what was going on.

Katie, if you're reading this, thanks for the ideas!

Weeks: 9.5

Morning Sickness: I think I've finally got a handle on handling the morning sickness - at least most of the time! I usually get it right when I wake up, especially if my stomach is empty. This hunger-induced nausea is most easily solved by eating something light like a cereal bar. Other nausea that occurs can last either all day, or it pops up around dinner and lasts until bedtime. Ginger ale and peppermints usually help alleviate some of the symptoms.

Fatigue: I have been SOOO tired this past week. There have been several days when I use my 30 minute "break" to nap. Of course, right after my break is nap time for the kids, so I have to be careful NOT to sit down in the dark, quiet, lullaby-filled room; that leads to me napping along with the kids. I've needed to go to bed early pretty much every night, but that's impossible on Monday and Tuesday when I have grad school. On those days I usually nap in my car before I go into class.

Happy Foods: I've found that there are some foods that tend to agree with my stomach, especially when it comes to combatting nausea. Grilled chicken, goldfish, raspberry cereal bars, ginger ale, fruit-flavored popsicles, and deli sandwiches (the kind from Arby's or Lenny's). I've also been eating a lot of Crispy Rice cereal and rice-based dishes (like gumbo and stir fry).

Smells: On days when I've felt particularly sick, certain smells have nearly knocked me over. The smell of the grocery store when you first walk in, spaghetti being served in the cafeteria, and spending time in certain restaurants are some particular times when I've had to leave rather quickly.

Baby Bump: Not really at this point - just bit of a pudge that I'm pretty sure was forming before I got pregnant. However, my checklist on "Thebump.com" keeps telling me to take a belly picture. I have yet to take their advice.

Clothing: My pants are definitely getting tighter, as are certain shirts. The pants problem I've been able to solve by pushing them a little lower below my stomach, right on my hips. I'm having to wear slightly looser shirts, which are more comfortable anyway. I'm hoping that I'll be able to save some money on maternity clothes by wearing sundresses and loose summer clothing. It just needs to warm up first! Also, I just found a cute dress shop here in Norcross that has incredibly reasonably priced clothes that are nice and flowy (and you get 20% off on your birthday!)

Thankful: I am so thankful for everyone who has made this process as easy as possible (so far). In particular, my husband, who has done everything from massage my back to clean the house to stand in the freezing cold to get the cookie dough ice cream I wanted.
My graduate professor understood when I was too sick for class last Monday, and has already worked out me missing some classes in the fall when I have the Little One.
Also, my principal is working with me on making my doctor's appointments since I have to leave work around 2 to make it on time.
And I can't forget my Mama! She makes a great sounding board when I need to ask someone whether I can still eat deli meat without fearing contracting listeria or how to "fix" morning sickness!

We haven't had our first OB appointment yet, but that's set for March 12. I'll be at the end of 11 weeks, and we're hoping we can hear the heartbeat! I'm ready for a sonogram, because right now, all I can envision is a raspberry or olive or whatever food the baby is currently the size of - and what an image that is!

Baby May: 8 Weeks

Over the past week, as I’ve battled fatigue and morning sickness, I’ve tried to spend a few minutes here and there thinking about the first official blog entry about Baby May. I think the best way is to begin at the beginning with how we found out…

A few weeks ago I started to feel like my stomach muscles were tight, especially when I stretched; I mostly noticed it when I was putting away mats after nap time since I stretch to put them on top of the cabinets in our classroom. I knew it wasn't because I was exercising - hah! - so I decided to take a pregnancy test. Exactly 1 year and 8 months from the time we got married, I tested positive on a home pregnancy test. (I then woke Davis up at 8:00 on a Sunday morning to show it to him - he thought it was a Hot Pocket at first!)

Of course, the rest of the week was chaotic as College Heights prepped for the President’s visit. I managed to get an appointment with a nurse just to confirm the pregnancy for Thursday afternoon (Valentine’s Day)! So, needless to say, I was ready for the President’s visit to be over so I could get to that appointment. However, we weren’t allowed to park at the school that day, so I’m pacing around frantically as we wait for the shuttle bus to the high school that was 30 minutes late. When I do make it to my car, I called the doctor’s office to let them know I’d be late; they told me if I arrived after 4:30 I would have to reschedule. I was NOT about to let that happen.

I picked up Davis at a gas station, and we hustled to the doctor’s office, arriving at 4:35. I was almost in tears because I thought for sure they were going to make me reschedule. (I was ready to give them the whole story about how it was the President's fault we were late- not mine!) Fortunately, the nurse was still able to take me, even though she had to switch out with another nurse halfway through the appointment. We found out rather quickly that I was pregnant at 7 weeks and 1 day!

Not much has changed since we found out. I stopped drinking alcohol (of course). Davis started reading a book – The Caveman’s Pregnancy Companion: A Survival Guide for Expectant Fathers. And I realized that crackers and cheese make a decent meal when you really don’t want to eat anything at all. Also, now people ask me how I “feel” instead of how I “am”; it’s kinda funny, actually.

Well, it's nearly 8:30 on a Friday night, so that means it's bedtime! 

"No."

So, I think I finally came up with a decent life resolution (not the same as a New Year's Resolution in case you were wondering). My new life goal is to NOT be taken advantage of, and so far it's going okay. Here's why I've decided this is my new resolution:

The building that Davis and I are currently living in is for sale. We live in one of the four units, and the selling agent, Jamie, has contacted us several times about showing our apartment. The first time, he just took some pictures. About 2 weeks ago, we got another request for a different agent to bring by a buyer, which went really well. I figured any other showings would go that well. I was wrong. A fiasco has ensued.

• Last Saturday we set 1:00 as a time for a different agent to show it to a potential buyer; at 1:30 we found out they were going to be at least another hour, so we told them to reschedule. 
• They tried to reschedule for Wednesday by tell us at 2:00 they wanted to see it at 5:30. I told them NO and that our lease allows us a 24 hour advance notice (my first step towards not being taken advantage of!). They set it for Thursday at 5:30. After cleaning our house from top to bottom, we found out at 4:30 on Thursday they couldn't make it. Immense irritation has set in. 
• Yesterday morning, Jamie told us the same buying agent wanted to bring by another potential buyer at 3:00 today. And at 2:30 that agent calls me to tell me she has to reschedule.

At this point, I'm just about ready to tell Jamie that this other agent may no longer come. We've been burned by her 3 times now, and I am fed up, especially since we've put our lives on hold for her.

The other area where I have decided I'm not going to be taken advantage of is at work with a certain co-worker, but I won't discuss the details here. It's about time I stand up for myself and start telling people, "NO."

Quick Update

Does anyone else have those moments when you think you have something great to say (or blog about), but no time to blog. Then, when I do have time to write a new post, I can't think of anything to say. Well, today's one of those times. So, here's just a few words to let the world know that I'm still kicking here in Georgia.

1. I started my second semester of grad school this week, and I attend class on Monday and Tuesday nights. This makes for a very tough beginning of the week. I'm hoping that I'll get adjusted to the new schedule - soon!

2. Davis is getting a new project car - a 300zx turbo... I think. Which means that my warm, cozy garage parking spot is being relegated to the new project.

3. I didn't make a New Year's Resolution. I haven't for ... well, I can't even remember the last time I made a Resolution. I figured I probably wouldn't keep it any way, so why make one? What I am attempting is to cook more meals at home and be better about cleaning. This seems to be a goal every semester since it's easier to start fresh when everything is clean and organized.

That's all I've got for now. I'm going to take a nap until it's time to cook dinner.

Oh, and Roll Tide and Go SEC!