Baked Potatoes and X-Files

The kids at school had baked potatoes for lunch today and they smelled amazing. Normally, just about all food I'm around smells amazing, but the potatoes smelled especially good today. My potatoes are on the verge of going bad (and some of them were closer than others) so today was the perfect day to bake all of them and get some toppings! They are currently in the oven baking away and smelling sooooo good. I picked up sour cream and more cheese to shred and I am going to enjoy chowing down on these golden brown lovelies. If I end up eating all of them (there are six small ones total), I'll also be making buffalo chicken quesadillas when Dan gets home so I'll get some protein too ;)

I finally restarted my X-Files marathon. I had stopped close to the end of Season 8. I don't really remember why other than Season 9 is the final season and even though I'm aware that the series ended years and years ago, finishing my marathon is just another reminder that it's over. Finishing the series, even though I could start over at any time, would be so...final. I grew up with the X-Files, I didn't start from the very beginning but I have fond memories of watching it with my dad on Sunday nights after my siblings had gone to bed. The partnership between Mulder and Scully is pretty much the bar to which all other male-female partnerships have been measured for me. I think that's one reason why I like Bones so much, Brennen and Booth's partnership is a lot like Mulder and Scully's. That's probably another reason why I stopped marathoning, Doggit and Reyes show up and Mulder disappears and Scully makes less appearances. It's not the same X-Files that it was and I think the writers knew that, which is why 9 was the last season.

Info For Men

A friend of mine loaned me this book for Dan to read. Typically men don't like or won't read pregnancy books. She said that her husband actually read this one. I would say he enjoyed it, but I'm not sure how much men actually enjoy reading pregnancy books, even if they are written for them. I read this book in one sitting and it was pretty funny, even if some of the stuff in it was purposely vague on the actual information. They would say things like "we don't know why this is, just go with it", when really the information is actually available and they could explain what they were talking about. There are also comics in it, for the guys who don't even read this and just want pictures ;)

Wordle

I stumbled across a fun toy online called Wordle.net and all it does is create a pretty "word cloud" using text that you give it. I used my most recent post in my other blog, Pregnancy On a Budget and voila, my word cloud. I think it's pretty darn cool-looking.

Surprise Cake is The Sweetest

Yesterday I found unopened cake mix and frosting in the pantry. I vaguely remember how and why they came to be in the pantry, but I know that apparently I didn't need them then which means I can make them now! So tonight, we're having cake :)

Weekend Before The Weekend

A second snow day this week was a pleasant surprise. Since I had a sub for me on Monday, I'll only have 2 actual days of classes again this week. I'm getting spoiled by these short work-weeks. I don't know what I'm going to do when we have full weeks again. Today I actually attempted to be productive. I did some dishes and Dan and I ran some errands. We also found out that last night's storm was worse than the one before because lots of people (my in-laws included) were out of power. We also found out that half the strip mall where Michael's is located (I was trying to get more yarn for Cheryl's mittens) was without power and therefore closed. No yarn for me today :(

Snow Day...Again :)

We got another snow day today because of the sleet. We didn't think it was going to happen because as of 8pm last night, nothing had really started. It wasn't until after I got home that the storm rolled in. I listened to it as I was falling asleep and it was pretty hard at certain points. I woke up this morning to check the website we use to call snow days. Everything outside was covered in ice, I was pretty sure that we wouldn't have school at least right away. I was about to start getting ready for school at my normal time because I hadn't heard any different (the snow alert website wasn't working) when my mom texted me and said that school was out for the day! Apparently an e-mail had been sent via school e-mail (which I also never got) but then the school's facebook also updated saying school was out. However it happened, I was glad for the break and the chance to sleep in. Every opportunity to sleep in now I take because I know those opportunities will be rare in a few short months.

When I wasn't sleeping today, I was knitting. I'm working on this pattern for Cheryl, but had to test it out first to make sure I could get the size of the mittens right. Also I wanted a pair for myself so it's a win-win, practice on my own pair and then get it right the first time on Cheryl's :) I'm going to have to frog this glove again because the size is still slightly too small, but I know what adjustments to make and how so the next set of gloves I knit will be Cheryl's and I'm hoping to finish them in time for when she gets back from Miami in a couple weeks.

The War of The Lap!

Right now Computer is winning but Belly is not far behind! It's been weeks since I've been able to lie in bed with my laptop on my stomach or at any sort of angle other than flat on my lap. The battle between Belly and Computer is only going to get more intense from here ;)

March For Life

Today I went with our 8th Grade class to the March For Life in DC. I wanted to go for a number of reasons and I was really glad when everything worked out so that I could go with the school. My church also sent a good number of youth so that was awesome too! There were so many people there and I haven't seen any estimates of the size yet, but it was well in the hundreds of thousands. Not surprisingly, the media coverage was sparse at best. John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity got more coverage and they did the same thing we did, with fewer people. The media will not touch this issue and when they do, sometimes they attempt to make it seem as though both sides of the abortion fight were equally represented--which they weren't. We made sure and had our kids looking for those who were pro-choice and we couldn't find any. Usually they're up by the Courthouse and we didn't make it that far (we made a left instead of a right to go meet our bus) so that could be why we didn't see them. Normally, there are only a handful, no way do they have equal numbers come out.

Lazy Sunday

I finally scanned the ultrasounds from Friday. This one is by far my favorite, the others are just profiles. In this one, his hands are up by his face and he's butt-down with his feet all the way up! I laugh every time I look at this picture, he's already doing high kicks and karate stretches ;) This isn't the first time he's had his hands up there during an ultrasound either, Dan says that he's already keeping his hands up for sparring XD

Today we went to Frederick to visit Dan's friend Darryl from the hospital. His birthday was last week and Dan takes him to lunch for his birthday every year because his family lives out of state. We also went to Wal Mart after lunch because Darryl had some stuff he needed to get and I got my hair cut while they guys walked around. I thought it was a bit risky getting my hair cut at Wal Mart, but it's been shaggy for a while and I've been saying I'm going to get it cut since September or so, it was definitely time. I also figured it would grow back if it was completely horrible. The girl did a good job and I'm quite satisfied with my cut. It's pretty much a shorter version of what I had before, layers in the back and shorter hair towards the front to frame my face. I like having short hair because it's easier to take care of and my face is a short hair face anyway so it's win-win.

Wings in The Water

Today I had an appointment at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. They do teacher orientations for teachers who want to bring their classes on field trips. Our science teacher will be taking the whole middle school in February and the aquarium has an awesome program where you can bring your school (students AND chaperones) for FREE during the months of September through February if you have at least one teacher take this orientation. The science teacher would have gone herself, but her Saturdays are not available in the mornings when the orientations are. I volunteered to go because a) I love the aquarium, it's one of my favorite places in the world b) after the orientation you're allowed to visit the rest of the aquarium at no charge and c) by me taking this class, I've cemented my place as a chaperone on the February field trip.

While I was waiting for the class to start, I went to the ray tank (which is one of my favorites even though it's not one of the "prettier" exhibits) and got to see the feeding. I watched not only the animals in the tank (they've added some new species since I was last there), but the divers and the people around the sides whose first time it was watching the feeding. I especially liked seeing the really little kids and it made me really want to be able to show Orson what was going on outside his current home ;) I can't wait until he's big enough to understand and see the cool stuff that the aquarium has because we'll be there a lot once he has!

How To Decorate A Nursery For $15

Top: North By Northwest, Bottom: Thelma And Louise

Top: Singing In The Rain, Bottom: Jaws

I had another ultrasound this week, this one was a medical diagnostic one that my doctor ordered to see if we could get a better look at Orson's heart. I guess we got a look at his heart, the tech did the whole once-over like last time, it's hard for me to know if the view was "better" or not. I had a nicer tech than last time though, she was more friendly and talked to me more throughout. She estimated his weight to be about 1.5lbs which is right where he should be at 22 weeks (they have me as 23 weeks for some reason, but 1.5 is good for both).

This appointment wasn't anything like last time in that the tech kept going back to this black void on my right side. We'd look at the baby, she'd take pictures and measurements, but eventually she'd go back to this big black spot. Towards the end of the appointment, she asked if I was having any pain on my right side. I told her not specifically on my right side, I'd been having what I thought were Braxton Hicks but those pains were in the middle and low. She pointed at the black mass again and said she thought it might be a ovarian cyst. I didn't freak out immediately because in all my internet scouring when I first became pregnant, I read how common they are and that they usually aren't a big deal.

When we were done, she had me wipe off my stomach and wait for her to come back while she went and talked to the doctor she worked with. I stared at the pictures she had printed out for me (of the baby, not the cyst lol) and when she came back, she said that they'd send the report to my doctor. I verified that it was a cyst she saw, she said that the doctor was pretty sure, and I also verified that they're common. She said that they are, but mine was kind of big, 10cm big. I found out later that's the size of an orange. So I have an orange AND a baby growing in my stomach. Awesome. It possibly explains why I started showing so quickly but not why the cyst itself was missed during my previous ultrasound 3 weeks ago. Unless they just didn't tell me it was there. If they had seen it, they would have put it on the report that my doctor got and she would have told me about it. The cyst had to have been much smaller then and since I wasn't (and am still not) having any pain they probably didn't think to check.

(Jump to Part II of The Mega Cyst Saga)


Rather than sitting around the apartment by myself waiting for Dan to come home (and further researching ovarian cysts), I went to Target for some retail therapy. Amanda had given me the movie stick figure cards as a Christmas present and I had been inspired to frame them for the baby's room. Normally, I walk right past Target's $1 section up front but, since I was killing time and on a tiny shopping spree, today I stopped. Turns out I was very glad that I did because everything I got today was from the $1 section! I walked through the maternity clothes, baby clothes, and the other picture frames to no avail. I headed straight back to the $1 section and picked out 9 picture frames, scrapbooking paper for little boys, and a couple other odds and ends. All said and done, I spent just under $15. Quite proud of myself :)

Is it over yet?

This is only day 2 of working this week and I am completely glad for it. I think that having the extra days off somehow made the 2 days I worked harder, not sure why. On the bright side, cool Aunt Sarah got her newest nephew some pretty cute outfits :)

Back to work

Wednesdays are easy. I don't have to teach any classes, but I do have a couple of groups of students who borrow my room throughout the day so I'm not completely lonely. We had our Geography Bee today and that was cool to see the students who have done well within their class. A sixth grader came in first, seventh grader second, and another sixth grader third.

When I got to my parents to meet my mom for our carpool, she had more baby clothes for Orson. These are definitely some of my favorites, especially the firefighter onezie. When Dan and I were in Babies R Us looking at clothes, I saw an outfit that said "Mommy's Hero" with fire trucks on it and that was adorable. I mentioned it to my mom so now she's on the lookout for firefighter stuff and she found this one at Target I think.



Dan asked me how I would feel if we end up with all boys like in his family. This was not the first time I considered that idea. I told him I would be completely fine with that because I would get to stay a princess and have all these boys taking care of me. Dan's mom doesn't have to carry groceries unless the house is empty. So if I end up with all boys, I won't have to do much around the house until they all leave ;) I would love to have at least one little girl and it's always been a dream to adopt a baby from Korea. So if I end up with all boys, I think we'll adopt a little girl from Korea.

Another new development with the pregnancy is what I'm pretty certain are Braxton Hicks contractions. For the last couple of days, I've had weird cramps but no spotting. Spotting itself isn't necessarily bad unless you're soaking through maxi pads like crazy, it's spotting + cramps that can be worrisome. Early in the pregnancy, I had period-like cramps which is one reason I didn't test for so long, I could have sworn my period was coming. These cramps are different and slightly painful. From what I've read, Braxton Hicks can start as early as 20 weeks, earlier if it's not your first pregnancy, so I'm pretty much on target. They're more noticeable during rest, which is definitely when I'm noticing these--they always show up when I'm sitting. I try to get up and move around but there's only so much walking around the apartment I want to do, especially with being on my feet a lot of the day already.

My shirt is here!

I ordered it about a week ago and it's finally here! I'm so excited, M2K is less than a month away and since last year's retreat was canceled, it's been two full years since we've been on this retreat! It's funny too because the last actual retreat (2009), I made a comment to one of the kids we went with "oh I'll be pregnant next Mount 2000!" and turns out, it was a true statement.

View of the back, since I can't seem to get a good picture of my back while wearing the shirt.

I had off today too because of weather. We had "sneet" yesterday, snow + sleet, and it left everything covered in a layer of ice this morning. At the very least, I figured we'd get a delay since the ice was so bad (it was still going when I went to bed close to midnight), I was surprised and happy to have off today. Any other job, I wouldn't be happy about a "snow" day (or "ice" day), but since this is my first salaried job and it doesn't affect my pay, I'm quite happy making this a 4-day weekend + a 2-day workweek. I have off Friday for the diagnostic ultrasound and then Monday is the March For Life. So this week I only have one day of actual classes (Wednesdays I don't have any classes) and next week my classes don't start until Tuesday.

I can't wait for Mount 2000! I'm still in my t-shirt, watching CSI, and eating Subway while waiting for Dan to get home. I actually got bored earlier. I had been knitting since noon and stopped around 7:30 or 8. I tried cleaning but got overheated (a pregnancy symptom that I haven't been able to avoid since Day 1), so I've been doing little bits here and there. Not the overhaul of the apartment that I would like to do though. The floors need vacuuming, the bathroom needs the shower/tub and floors done, the den is crazy messy because that's where the rabbit lives and she sheds and poops like it's her job (although besides running and sleeping, it's about the only thing she has to do all day). Our bid on the house was accepted and now what we're waiting for is inspection and then we can settle! I really want to start cleaning and packing things we don't need right away (summer clothes for instance) so even if we don't end up getting the house, at least we've de-cluttered a bit.

That's My Baby!

Today was "Gender Monday" at That's My Baby Ultrasound in Bowie. I knew ahead of time that I would get MLK day off so I made an appointment. I was so glad that I did! Gender Monday is a determination/validation of your baby's gender via 2D ultrasound and 4 prints for only $40. Comparatively speaking (since we've paid full price for diagnostic ultrasounds), that's really, really cheap! Since it wasn't a medical ultrasound, I invited the grandparents along so they could see the grand-baby moving around and not just the images after the fact. Dan's parents were especially happy to come along since this is their first grand-baby and my mom was happy because I'm her oldest and she got to see her "first born's first born".

Upon initial entry to That's My Baby, we weren't overly impressed. There was a candle burning for aroma therapy that made both Dan and his mom uncomfortable and they waited in the hallway for a bit before Dan blew the candle out while nobody was looking and then they felt better. There appeared to only be one person working (from the website and my correspondance making the appointment, I think her name was Jennifer) and several families waiting to get their ultrasounds. My appointment was at 12:15 originally but I don't think we got seen until closer to 12:45 or 1, but once we nabbed a spot in the waiting room we were fine.

Jennifer was really friendly and thankful for everyone's patience. I got the impression that they frequently ran behind (there was a sign that said as much), but it seemed well done in that Jennifer did spend the same amount of time with everyone and didn't rush anybody through their appointment. I'm ok with running behind as long as nobody feels rushed. The ultrasound room was big, with seating for family, and the bed was actually a bed not just a gurney with a sheet over it. We got to see the ultrasound projected on a big screen on the wall, so I didn't have to crane my neck to see the tech's tiny screen. That was really nice because everybody in the room had a great view of the baby.

He was pretty cooperative today too. Flashed the camera a couple times for us, confirming that he is very definitely a boy. But he was also moving around, stretching, sticking his tongue out, opening his mouth, and kicking like crazy. We could see all different parts, like his big hands and feet, long legs, ribs, and his big head. She measured him and said that by measurements he was coming in at 26 weeks along instead of just 22--which is what I said my ultrasound tech had told us, he was measuring big. I'm still going by my original due date because that's based on my cycle, if we went by this ultrasound I'm a month farther along than what I actually am and we know that's not possible because of when my last period was (I kept good records). He's also weighing in at around 2lbs. which is pretty big. At 19 weeks he only measured 12oz. which means he gained over a pound in 3 weeks. At that rate, by my math, he'll be around 8lbs. or more when he's born! 8 is decent, Dan was 10 and I was 6, so that's meeting halfway ;)

I also liked that Jennifer did some quick 3D peeks at him even though our package didn't technically include it. This isn't a medical facility in any way, they're based off their customers' satisfaction and word of mouth, which means they're going to treat their customers really well. We even got 9 prints instead of the 4 that the package said, the ones I posted were the best, though I put them all up on Facebook. :) The 3D picks were pretty blobby, I'm kinda glad that we didn't pay for them at this point, maybe farther along I'll think about it when he's bigger. I really want to do a maternity photo shoot and that money will take priority over a 3D ultrasound. Even in the blobby 3D pictures we can get some details like chubby cheeks like Dan and a pronounced chin like mine. It's hard to tell but he even might have Dan's wide nose.

Overall, it's been a very good day :) We go in for a diagnostic ultrasound on Friday to have another look at his heart, they couldn't see it very well last time, just to check for defects. My doctor called me up and said they needed another ultrasound specifically to look at it and my thought was, "You're telling me to go see my baby again? OK!" Despite what it costs us with our huge deductible, I'm not stressing about the money because we've been well taken care of so far. We'll keep trusting in God and let him do his thing since his planning is, by far, so much better than ours.

Pregnant Food

The idea behind this is so amazingly brilliant and yet the execution left much to be desired. I'm pregnant and will eat almost anything. This picture looks better than the sandwich actually was, much to my disappointment. This was at The Great Steak and Potato Company at Arundel Mills. The cheese steak part of the sandwich was good, but it wasn't the best I've ever had. The mac and cheese part was cheap mac and cheese, like out of a box. Glory Days' Mac 'n Cheeseburger is soooo much better because a) their meat is USDA Choice (which is the #2 grade of meat, Prime being #1 and they will swap out the patties for you and give you Prime for a slight upcharge) and b) their mac and cheese is literally to die for. It's more grown up mac and cheese, it's not something all of the kids like because of how rich it is, but it is OMG-good for adults. Crazy awful for you in calories alone, but if you ignore that and live in denial for your dinner, it's nothing you'll regret later ;)

The good thing that came out of this was the idea of what I'll be getting the next time I go to Glory Days: Philly cheesesteak with a side of mac 'n cheese and make my own version of Great Steak's lame sandwich.

Buffalo Chicken Salad Quesadillas

I'm so pregnant. My food choices aren't super crazy (still not eating pickles with my ice cream), but they do remind me of either hang over food or stoner food. Today's dinner was awesome, it wasn't so much chicken salad as it was shredded chicken being held together by mayo and spices, but it was still amazing. I love my square skillet, that's what makes the grill lines, especially because it's non-stick and non-round. Somethings fit better in a square skillet, like bacon.

Progression Through Cataclysm

It's been a while since I've had a WoW post, so it's time for an update. My healer is getting ready to heal heroics. Currently I've only gone with other guildies as dps, and holding my own I might add, but soon enough I'll have enough healing gear to be able to keep people alive with out mana starvation. I'm half a level away from a second 85 character, my warlock, and have been having fun re-doing all the new stuff. I'm doing quests that I didn't get to before as well as kicking butt and taking names since I know what's coming in the beginning of the new zones.

My bank alt is still wearing her cultist attire from pre-Cata, I liked the outfit so much I never finished the quest line. With all of the new items, cooking recipes, etc., I'm more and more glad about having a bank alt to hold onto all my crap for me.

"Dancing Phalanges!"

I can't say enough about how much I love Netflix. I love the Instant Que especially but I also love that it's available on the Xbox and my computer. As a film major who has had trouble picking movies to watch, Netflix makes my decisions both super easy and enables me to be super lazy. I can sit on the couch and if I don't like the movie I put on, or decide to watch something else, I can just take the controller and choose something else, all the while Netflix will remember where I stopped in case I decide to come back. It has been a very big comfort to me during this pregnancy, allowing me to sit on the couch, eating ice cream out of the carton, and thoroughly enjoy being pregnant and lazy.

Our current favorite show is Bones. Dan and I are being very good about only watching it while the other is present (we have a tendency to blow through TV shows, especially since our schedules are different and have large gaps of free time) and I like that because while we are on Season 4 out of 5 on Netflix, it took a lot longer to get here than any other show. We're taking our time and enjoying it, savoring it is more like it. I find Brennan absolutely hysterical, her straight-forwardness and lack of social skills make for some very interesting scenes. The addition of John Francis Daily's character was an excellent choice, even if the pretense of keeping him was kind of thin, and I like seeing Stephen Fry at brief intervals randomly through the show. The cycle of new interns keeps things fresh, and both Dan and I have our favorites (the Depressed Intern is both of our favorites, but I also like the British guy and Dan likes Carter). I hope Netflix adds more seasons to the Instant Que soon!

I still say "Villa Julie"

They changed their name a semester after I graduated (the very end of the semester, after the May graduates received their diplomas). Now Stevenson University, it will always remain Villa Julie to me. The recent grads (including myself) were offered a new diploma with the new name on it, and as far as I know, all my friends and I declined. We got accepted by Villa Julie, we attended classes and made friends at Villa Julie, our diplomas would say Villa Julie. This bag was a surprise Christmas present from my mother-in-law who randomly found it at some kind of job fair thing. They were giving them away and she snagged one for me, knowing how I felt about the name change. Sure it says "nursing" and I wasn't in the nursing program, but it has the name of my college on it, and that means the most.

Braving Wal Mart (1-11-11)

The night before a supposed snow storm makes a trip to the Super Wal Mart a brave thing. Any time there's a threat of snow, the grocery stores get pounded by people who have a sudden need for a two month's supply of toilet paper. But in desperate need of regular groceries and armed with a gift card from Christmas, I braved what I feared would be one of the bigger crowds at Wal Mart.

When I arrived, I couldn't believe my luck, I managed to snag a parking space right next to the handicapped parking! I managed to turn down the aisle just as the person was pulling out and nobody else was waiting for it, making it the best parking space I ever managed to get at this Wal Mart. I entered and found that my good luck continued inside the store: an ever smaller crowd that when I had gone in the middle of the night before work one morning. I got all my shopping done and very happily found my favorite flavor of sunflower seeds. :)

New Appreciation for Veggies

I am not a veggie person. I never have been. Not a huge fan of fruit either. It wasn't really an issue until I got pregnant when suddenly I became responsible for someone else's health besides my own. I have an allergy issue that makes it uncomfortable to eat raw fruits and veggies, on top of my own picky-ness about textures of foods. So getting the amount of vitamins and things pregnant women are supposed to have has been interesting. I haven't come anywhere close, besides feeling guilty. It's not like I eat crap 24/7. We eat out yes, but we also make meals at home. They could be more balanced, yes, but who's dinner couldn't use more balance?

I was on my favorite podcast's website (Pregtastic) and they have a section of books they recommend. That was when I stumbled on both books shown in my picture. The cookbook looks amazing and I can't wait to start making the recipes. The soups especially appeal to me as a way to get my veggies in because most of them call for pureeing the soups before cooking. Not only can I get out of my whole texture thing, but I can also cook the veggies and therefore avoid the allergy problem!

I also got the drink book because it's got a whole bunch of recipes for "mock-tails" that look totally delicious. I can have a drink with the girls and not have a shred of guilt because I'm not actually drinking. I'm also not constantly ordering Shirley Temples which is also very nice. I do like virgin daiquiris. I drank them a lot before I turned 21--to the point where I don't like their alcoholic versions, I actually like them better as fruit smoothies.

Gift Card Shopping Spree

I love gift cards. They let you go shopping without spending any of your own money (unless you go overboard!). Saturday while Dan was at karate, I had a shopping spree on my own and got some really good deals. I did my best at Target, but didn't fair too badly at Best Buy and Motherhood Maternity either ;) I got the bowls above to use as "pinch bowls" in cooking. You can pre-measure ingredients and leave them in the bowl until you're ready for them. It lets you get cooking more smoothly and you don't have to stop what you're doing to measure things. Bonus: These bowls have lids so they can also be used for storage. Score!

This is our new "charging station", I saw some online and decided to look while I was at Target. I did even better in the store than I would have on their website, I got this station for $7! It came with an extension cord already in it and three slots for three different chargers. Right now my walkie-talkies are charging (I hope, they've been dead since September because I'm a horrible walkie-talkie owner), but I also put the phone charger in there. I like being organized and not having tons of cords all over the place :)

At Best Buy I found seasons of CSI for $40 and got really excited! They were fairly recent ones too, normally they run anywhere between $60 and $80, but I guess with Blu-Ray getting more and more popular, they'll sell them anyway they can now. I got the next season that I didn't have (I'm now up to 8 out of 10) and only had to spend $5 real money.

I spent a good amount of time at Motherhood trying to figure out what to get. I finally decided on a cute brown, zipper sweater and did not regret my choice. It's warm, adorable, and goes with all the shirts I already have so I can layer. It doesn't go with any of the work pants I have, which just means I can get some more work pants eventually ;)

You know you're pregnant when...

You sit on the couch, eating ice cream, and watching movies on Netflix Instant Que that you already own because you don't want to get up. ;)

I got a pink ice cream pink sleeve off our wedding registry and have only used it maybe once. I can't even remember using it before the Starbucks Ice Cream (which is amazing ice cream btw) but it's amazing and I'll be using it a lot before the baby's born.

"Mrs. Gibson's baby is sleeping!"

I haven't done a belly montage in a while (since 14 weeks, I went back and looked!), so today's picture is down at the very bottom. :)

17 Weeks.

18 Weeks.

19 Weeks.

20 Weeks.

I am officially halfway and everything is still looking good, thank goodness! I picked up some onzies today at Target because they were adorable, on sale, and I had a gift card--a trifecta of awesomeness. 3 for $6 and they were Carters (which I'm finding out is a name brand = expensive). Work went pretty well today. My favorite moment came from the first graders when I told them about the baby. Bless their little hearts for having no clue up to this point. After I told them, they had questions, but not the same questions as the 7th and 8th graders did.
"Can you feel him kicking?"
"Is he kicking now?"
"Is he sleeping?"
"When is the baby coming out?"
"Will you bring him to school so we can see him?"

My absolute favorite when my heart just melted was when the class was getting fairly loud and one little girl announces, "Everybody be quiet, Mrs. Gibson's baby is sleeping!" I will be remembering that line and using it on the younger ones when I want them to quiet down! I absolutely love the first grade approach to unborn babies. They don't have unborn and born babies separated in their minds, they are the same. There's no gray area, just a baby who sleeps like all babies do. Before I even told them we're having a boy, the first graders were using pronouns, "him" and "her". I only heard a few "it"s, way more "he"/"she"s. They were really funny when I showed them the sonogram picture, I'm pretty sure several of them think that an actually camera was used INSIDE my stomach ;) They did like to see the picture of my actual baby though, in addition to the baby on the poster.

I get a kick out of you ;)

Our awesome science teacher was going through her closet and found 9 posters in her closet. The former science teacher's wife was pregnant when he was here so I imagine that's what he got the posters for. Anyway, I love them because they give the kids info on what's going on with the baby month-to-month. I've been doing a weekly chart, but I like the big, full sized, color poster and I think the kids will too.

And if I needed another reason to love my dishwasher (which I don't because it's amazing :) ), bending over has been getting more and more difficult as my belly gets bigger. Our counter top dishwasher, being on the counter, is the *perfect* level for me to load and unload it comfortably. When we move, if we have a regular dishwasher, it's going to end up being Dan's job to do the dishes because I won't be bending ;)