Emotional Rollercoaster

Well, folks, tomorrow is the big day. :) We go for our appointment and ultrasound to find out if our sweetie is a boy or a girl! I have a slew of emotions running through me...

-I'm super excited to find out the sex of the baby! I can't wait to call my parents and brother and his family! I totally want to stop by the store and buy an outfit on the way home! :)

*Part of me wants a girl because of this cutie... Look at those sweet cheeks!
Another part of me wants a boy because I absolutely love having a big brother!

-I'm pumped to finally call the baby by his or her name! We will announce the name once we find out what the baby is. :)

-I'm nervous about what the ultrasound will show... will there be 10 fingers and 10 toes? Are all organs developing on track? Will I still be due around the same time? Earlier? Ugh. I'm fairly sure all of these are normal questions that mommies-to-be have at this point, so I'm desperately trying and reminding myself every minute of the day to give this stuff to God and let Him deal with it. :)

-Believe it or not, I'm a wee bit sad that this whole pregnancy thing is halfway over. :( I love being pregnant! Not that I'm not excited to meet this little person growing inside of me that is going to change our world forever, but I'm kind of attached to it right now... Now, check back with me in a few months. I'll probably totally be ready to meet the little bundle of joy! :)

Ok, that's it for my emotions for now. No new pregnancy info besides the fact that sometimes I just cry for no good reason. :) My energy is still in good shape. I've started walking/working out with some friends from work, and we have a great time! It is a little harder to get around and maneuver while carrying around a *cantaloupe, but thankfully, I have Eric to help me! He is such a blessing. :) I can't wait to see him as a Daddy.

*On Friday, we'll be 20 weeks. Here's what The Bump shows about our babe:

I will spare you the details it says about the digestive stuff and oil/skin cells our baby is making... :) He or she does have sweet little fingernails now, though! :)

Oh, one more thing I always want to remember... I'm in my class during Writing Workshop today writing about tomorrow and how exciting it will be, yada yada... I told my kids that the doctor will tell us if we are having a boy or a girl. One child yells out, "Or if you have a boy and a girl in there!" Another said, "Or if you have twins or triplets!" OMG. I almost fell out of my chair! I sweetly told them that hopefully there's no one playing hide and seek in there! We also took a vote: 15 think it's a boy and 6 think it's a girl! :) They want me to call them tomorrow night to tell them! I told them it would be a surprise on Thursday! :)

How can you not love them? :)

3 months :)

Well, we have officially entered the second trimester! :) Hooray! Here is the latest picture of our little baby:
We saw the head and limbs, but right when the picture was taken, we got this lovely picture of his or her back. Isn't it precious?! :)

My fave website says the baby is now the size of a lemon! Yum! I've loved those throughout the pregnancy! The site also says:

Your adorable little fetus is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, and (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo(thin, downy hair) is growing all over the body for warmth.

I am still feeling well. My energy is coming back little by little. I can now last until around 8:30 as opposed to 6:00 like usual. :) My likes and dislikes are still similar... except I really love Mexican food. Not so fond of the heartburn that I've gotten to experience, though. Eric even got to run to Kroger one night around midnight to get me some Tums. He's so sweet. :)

I'm hoping to get back to a normal exercise routine this week. The weather is simply amazing now that all of the rain is gone! It is fall and we are loving it! :) Hopefully, I'll get some belly pictures on here before too long!

Mommy's Likes and Dislikes

So, our appointment yesterday went very well! It was just a check-up, but we did get a quick ultrasound pic that I'll have to scan to put on here sometime... although Baby J. did turn sideways right before Dr. Tom-Tom took the picture so we didn't get a good picture of the head and arms. Camera shy? I sure hope not! :)

I got to thinking last night that I haven't really kept any kind of a Pregnancy Journal, so I've decided to write things on here when I get the time so that I'll have them for later. :)

So far in this pregnancy, these are my likes:
-sleeping
-Blue Bell mint chocolate chip ice cream (in a cone... well, in a cone, in a bowl, off the floor... whatever! :)
-vegetables (but not salad)
-ranch dressing
-soup of any kind
-sleeping
-Nutty Bars :)
-popcorn in a big bag from Kroger
-sleeping
-crackers
-maternity skirts and pants (a true Godsend)
-chocolate malts from Marble Slab :)

Some dislikes:
-not sleeping
-pepperoni
-baked/grilled chicken (crazy!)
-salads (another crazy!)
-the fact that my taste buds sometimes make me not like things that I normally would like

All in all, things are going great! No morning sickness... just exhaustion! I feel a bit queasy sometimes, but crackers and Sprite fix that right away! I know everything will be worth it when this little miracle arrives in about 6 1/2 months!

Lime, anyone?

Woo hoo! Our sweet baby is now the size of a lime. :) One of my favorite websites, The Bump, compares the baby each week of pregnancy to the size of a food. It makes comparisons so much easier for us! My how we've grown since our days as a poppy seed (week 3). Here is what the site says about this week of development:

Your fetus currently enjoys a 1:1 ratio between body and head, and has skin so transparent that blood vessels show right through. But, fingers and toes are no longer webbed, and hair follicles, tooth buds and nail beds are forming -- setting up a significantly more attractive future.

Exciting, huh? :) We go to the doctor tomorrow for our monthly check-up, so we're pumped! Please pray that sweet baby Jackson is still healthy and that all is well for Mommy, too. I should have a new "lime-sized" pic to share tomorrow!

Baby J. is on the way :)

Well, our pregnancy is in full-swing... and here is our first picture to prove it! :) This was taken at almost 8 weeks. We absolutely love our doctor and how he truly cares for us and our baby. He goes to our church, so that is a great comfort to Eric and me. He even prayed with us before we left his office... I'm not sure if he knows how much that means to this brand new Mommy and Daddy team. :)

Overall, I've been doing very well! I'm now two weeks away from entering my second trimester! :) I haven't had any sickness (crazy, I know) so teaching has been nothing different... aside from the fact that I am tired pretty much all the time. I'm not scared to turn off the lights in my room and take a nap during my break. :) Not a big deal if you think about it, though. I can handle being tired as long as I'm not having to juggle teaching with being sick! Fingers crossed that this continues! :)

P.S. My students ask me all the time if I can feel the baby yet... they can't wait for the baby to kick! :) They are so sweet...

Eric has been wonderful so far, too! He's a little confused sometimes as to why I'm so dang tired, but he's starting to just let me be. :) Hopefully, I'll get my energy back in the next couple of weeks so I can get moving again! I miss working in the yard and going to the gym! I'm ready to get going!

That's all for now... thanks so much for your prayers as we get ready to be parents! I am totally ready to decorate the nursery, by the way! :) There are SO many choices out there! We should find out the gender of the baby in November! Can't wait!

I'm one blessed girl...

When I told my family about our newest addition to our family, they were so excited! It was the greatest feeling to know that they were (and are) truly excited that Eric and I get to experience the miracle of bringing a child into the world! We told our parents on the same night and they were hilarious! We gave them all bags of "souvenirs" from one of our trips, so they thought... in the bags were actually small magnets telling them the good news (my Mama's said, "I'm going to be a Grandma again!"...Eric's mom's said, "I'm going to be a grandma! ...you get the picture! :)! Mrs. Pam kinda figured it out, ripped into her bag (literally), and started jumping up and down! My dad was ticked because he thought she got the prize or something! :) ha They were all so elated... and they immediately got on the phone to share the good news. It is certainly a night we'll never forget!

The next day we went to the lake and told Trae and his family. Here are some pictures we took:

Love this one! :) Nothing like pointing to your belly with your brother! ha :)

Talking with Abbie. She's all dressed up after her birthday party! Don't you love the crown and tutu?! Precious.

Ab is pointing to the baby. :) She said, "I can feel it!" I'm just glad the sweet thing didn't say, "It's squishy!" :) ha

Kisses for the baby! :)

Nonna, Papa, Mommy, and Daddy :)

...with my sweet sister-in-law :)

...and with the great-grandpa! :)

Eric's brother and sisters were very excited, too! Kyle has been asking us for a while when he would get to be an uncle. He wanted a ring bearer or flower girl for his wedding next June, but I'm afraid our baby will be a little too young. :) ...and I can almost guarantee that Julie has already gone shopping and/or already bought something for her niece or nephew! :)

Needless to say, it is so touching to have people in your life that truly care about you. I felt it when Eric and I got married, and now to experience it again... just awesome. :)

P.S. When we told Mr. Terry, he cried... in Chili's. :)

Abbie, the big cousin!

It's true! Sweet Abbie is going have a little cousin! Eric and I are excited to announce that we are expecting our first child in April. :) We are amazed at the miracle that God is performing even as I type... it is just awesome that such an incredible thing is going on while we go about our daily lives!

To say the least, we are looking forward to meeting our little one! As you can see, Ab is pretty excited to be the "Big Cousin," too! She has already told me that it is going to be a girl. :) We shall see if she is correct in a few months. :)

Your prayers for us and little Baby Jackson are truly appreciated!

I will keep you posted as Baby (and Mommy) grow! :)