Monthly Dr. Appt

On Wednesday, I went for my monthly checkup. So far so good! The midwife said all my blood work came out normal and the overview from the sonogram was perfect. They bumped up the due date up to February 27th, which is only two days sooner. Our little one's heartbeat was strong and high again. I told her about how I thought we were having a girl earlier, because the heart rate was consistently high (160s). She said she agrees that it tends to be the case. As Tim says "There's something to those old wives' tales." I am also much bigger this month. Most of it is belly, but also indulging my cravings doesn't help. So I'm hoping my new prenatal yoga classes will put me back on track, and the colder weather is also encouraging us to take longer walks.

I'm sad to report, that I think fall is on its way out :( The leaves have decided to stop changing, and I think with the next cold front, they'll all be gone. Hopefully, I can still get some last pictures of my favorite season.

Everything is starting to change...

I am finally looking like I'm pregnant! Last week, I told our friends John and Jess about how I wish I had a sign that said I was pregnant, not fat. So Jess found me this perfect shirt that says "I'm not fat I'm pregnant!" Tim and I thought it was only appropriate to take a picture while we went to McDonald's for lunch :)

In the fifth month of my pregnancy, I am starting to feel the little girl move! I don't know what she's doing, but it feels like somersaults. Unfortunately, Tim can't feel it yet outside of the belly. I can also feel myself getting a little more emotional. A few times when I'm frustrated (for example, obnoxious parents emails) I can feel the tears welling up. Normally, those things wouldn't affect me, so I blame it on baby hormones. I go to my monthly check up next week, and I'll find out my weight gain. So far, I can still fit into my regular pants but I can't zip or button them. That's where the amazing Belly Band comes in! It holds up my pants and looks like a white undershirt. I'm also have my appetite back, so we decided it was perfect timing to go to our favorite restaurant in the city, Fogo De Chao. It's a Brazilian steakhouse that has amazing food. It is pricey, but it's all you can eat and your meant to spend at least 2 hours there dining and enjoying company. Below are some pictures of the night:

John and Jess

Pete

It is finally looking like fall! My favorite time of year is here and I'm ecstatic! This means decaf pumpkin spice lattes, long sleeves, cool breezes, and beautiful leaves. God's best work is in fall. We are getting some much needed rain, so the leaves are starting to gracefully change color. For the Florida folks...if the tree is too dry, the leaves just turn brown and die and don't really change color. Here are some pics from my walk with Brinkley around the neighborhood:

IT'S A GIRL

Yesterday, we found out we're having a baby girl! I am so excited, and Tim's excited too. Although he was hoping for a boy, we both had a feeling it would be a girl (as mentioned before with the high heartbeat). This was our first ultrasound where the baby actually looked like a baby, not a peanut or tadpole. We were fascinated with the whole process. Our technician was really nice answering all my questions and informing us about what we were looking at. The baby kept her legs crossed during the whole show, she's such a lady. But she's also stubborn, it took about 15 minutes to take a good picture of her heart because she wouldn't flip over. So far though everything is going well!

Today after work, I went to Kohls and bought some cute pink baby clothes. I know I need to pace myself and account for gifts, but I can't help myself. Everything is so freakin' cute! I was so excited to finally by tiny baby shoes. I can't believe Tim and I are going to have an adorable little girl in a few months :)

Football and Friends

Today, Tim and I had a few friends over to watch the Redskins vs Eagles game. Unfortunately, the Eagles lost, but we had a lot of fun. Tim made his award-winning chili, while I prepared pigs in a blanket, cheesy dip, and a veggie platter. I ate so much yummy food I'm already getting sleepy. Here are a few pictures from the night...

Mike & Tim on our balcony

Mike, Kate, Jenny, and Sam
Pete, Jess, and JohnTim and John serving up beverages

Growing

Yesterday, Tim and I were getting ready for work. He looked over at me with an odd expression and said "Wow. You're getting big." To which I responded "Ya Babe. I'm pregnant."

It is now obvious that I'm not fat, just pregnant. Most people at my school and friends now know. And good news! I didn't receive any obnoxious emails from class parents! I guess my info sheet worked, and I've only received congratulatory emails. If you are a teacher, I highly recommend this. So anyways, my belly is growing bigger and bigger. Slowly my regular clothes aren't fitting and my eyes are wandering to the maternity section of Target. I tried taking a belly picture but it didn't turn out, so hopefully one this weekend will be better...

WE'RE PREGNANT!!!

For those of you who don't already know... we're pregnant! Tim and I are finally moving past nervous and into excited! I thank God every day that this pregnancy has been so smooth and that he's given us another chance on becoming parents.

Tim and I found out we were pregnant in June and tried to keep it contained as long as possible. I can't believe my mom kept it a secret this long! Good job Mom! My first trimester was spent on the couch. Unfortunately, house projects were not top priority this summer. But on the bright side, I didn't have to work while being nauseous. I told Tim that if we could plan the second child, doing the first trimester during the summer is the way to go for a teacher.

So just after I started the second trimester school started. I am 17 weeks along now, and just told my class and their parents. I sent them a Q & A page hoping to avoid 25 emails and answer any questions ahead of time. I know they won't be too excited, but we'll see. I'm due March 1st, so I'll take off March and April. Then I'll be back for six weeks and finish up end of the year assessments.

I had a doctor appointment yesterday, and everything seems good! Tim and I are going to find out the sex of the baby in about 2 weeks. I'm so excited to finally see the baby actually look like a real baby! At my appointment, the baby's heartbeat was higher, so I think it will be a girl. We don't care either way, but I kinda want a girl and Tim kinda wants a boy (funny how that happens).

So I'll keep you update on everything and hopefully get a belly picture soon :)

Quick Update

Summer: The rest of our summer started to quickly pick up after I went to FL. Tim and I had a chaotic trip to IA. Between flight problems and staying at a no lake "lakehouse" we were happy to relax at home again, although we missed IA friends. Tim's job starting picking up with him training newbies to the FAA project. School meetings also became a weekly event.

House: I have had more energy lately, so I put more love and effort into the house. However it came back to bite me, because I wore down my system and got sick the second week of school :( We're hoping to have our Open House in two weeks!

School: The first day of school was September 7th. I have a cute and crazy crew this year. Tim says that I say that every year, but this group has some special challenges. Almost half my class is bilingual, which I love! However, some of those students didn't have preschool, so the first week was rough. My class this year is also very loud! Our poor new music teacher is I think overwhelmed with my class. We started out with 26 kids again, which makes me cringe because last year we had 6 new kids show up during the year. Every day gets a little better, and I'm looking forward to October when things are more settled.

Please continue to read our blog! More excitement soon!