Some Summer Fun

We have had a fun summer together.  Here are some of the things we've been doing!

Jenna has enjoyed helping Daddy wash the cars in the driveway.

Playing in the soap!

My sister Eliza had her final ballet show with the
company she's danced for for the past 6 years.

Jenna and I went on a date to the show.

All dolled up and ready to head to the show!

My 20 week belly.

Mama and Jenna

We spent some time at Grandma and Papa's house digging up the rocks in their garden.

Claire and Jenna helping with the digging.

Best friends and cousins!

Jenna is now in a BIG GIRL BED!

We took off the front of her crib and turned it into a toddler bed.

The transition has been awesome.
I was worried about her being up and down
all the time in the night, but she stays in bed until morning.

She loves the freedom of getting up on her own.

Showing off her bed!

Such a big girl!

Playing with Play-Doh has been one of Jenna's favorite summertime activities.

The teacher in me loves how this is helping her fine motor skills!

Rolling a snake.

Using a cookie cutter to make a cat.

POTTY TRAINED!!

This summer we tackled the task of potty training.  

It has been frustrating because Jenna is the one who totally calls the shots.

However, she's done really well.  We've been lucky to have very few accidents.

She asked to have a magazine to look at while she went.

She is so a "monkey see, monkey do" girl!

Having some fun at Pottery Barn!

We spent an afternoon with Grandma Summerhays,
aunts, uncles and cousins at the Living Planet Aquarium.

It was a lot of fun!

The highlights were the otters (we saw one eat a fish right in front of us),
the penguins, and the sting rays.

Jenna kept going over to the sting rays to watch them.
She thought it was neat to be able to be so close to them.

Measuring up to an Emperor Penguin.

(She's taking a picture of me with her fingers. Little goof!)

It came...

AND WENT! Friday, September 25th was a beautiful day. Unfortunately it was just like any other day. Got up, went to work, came home, blah, blah, blah. Our little girl is taking her sweet time to join us, but there is an end in sight. No matter what I will be induced on Friday. Austin is hoping for sooner than that so she'll have a September birthday.

I did have a meltdown Friday morning before going to work, but I survived the day. I made Austin take me out so we wouldn't have to stay at home and dwell on the uneventful evening. We went to Chili's for dinner and then to a movie. We saw the new Bruce Willis movie Surrogates. It was entertaining and did the trick to take my mind off not being in labor. When we got up to go from the movie, my ankles were so big I could barely make it down the stairs. It hurt so bad to walk.

I had major cankles. Compared to Austin's nicely sculpted ankles, mine are huge!

My ankles didn't go down all weekend. After church today, I was propping them up and guess what I saw? STRETCH MARKS! Can you believe it?! I can't. Of all the places to get them, especially during pregnancy! The things we women go through to bring life into the world. It's a good thing it'll all be worth it!

40 Weeks

Still Waiting...

If you've been wondering if we've had the baby yet, wonder no more! We are still waiting for this little girl to decide when she would like to make her grand entrance into the world. I'm not overdue yet, thank goodness, but I've come to the resolve to live each day as if she is NOT coming. Then I'm not disappointed that she didn't. It is actually working. :o) At the doctor yesterday he told me that I was between a 2 and a 3 and 90% effaced. At least I'm making progress and not standing still. We'll keep you posted! Hopefully the next post we will be able to announce the big event!

39 weeks! Never thought I'd make it!

Funny story - I was standing up today at school in our First Grade music time and the shirt I was wearing wasn't tight up against my belly, it was just hanging down. I was looking out over the group of kids when I noticed movement right in front of where I was standing. I looked down and there was a little boy from another class trying to look up under my shirt. I don't know what he thought he'd find by looking. Luckily I had the kind of maternity pants on that cover my whole belly and he couldn't see anything. I have never seen a kid do that before. I mean you hear of little boys trying to look up little girls dresses, but trying to look up the teacher's shirt? Especially a pregnant teacher? That is definitely a first!

Any day now!

Went to the doctor again yesterday. I was at 2 cm and 80% effaced. Progress is slow, but at least it's progress right? The doctor also stripped my membranes. Yeah! I do believe it is helping a ton because I am contracting quite a bit. Unfortunately not consistent enough for any trips to the hospital. But I am hopeful that it is sooner than later!

I was a little annoyed today at work. I went into my box on my prep. and found a new student form in it. Aaaaggghhh! Why do they do this to me? I understand that I am the one with the least amount of students, but HELLO I'm about to have a baby. Sometimes my secretary drives me bonkers. She did the same thing to me the week I got married. I guess the next time I have a life changing experience while teaching I'll just expect to get a new student. I spent an hour and a half after school getting things ready for this new student. And as my luck would have it, I was having the worst contractions I'd had all day. Maybe the stress will put me into labor tonight. Here's hoping! :o)

Grocery Shopping

A couple of weeks ago Austin and I had some grocery shopping to do. We went to our favorite place first, Costco. Even though it is just the two of us, we seem to shop there more than any other place. Thankfully, we didn't have much to get, but walking around was soooo painful. We were also planning on going to Smith's Marketplace to finish up our grocery needs, but Austin was insisting we go home. I didn't want to stretch out the grocery shopping more than one evening, so I said I'd be fine and that we should just go. We were going to need the stuff anyway. Austin then got this "brilliant" idea that at Smith's I'd ride one of those old people scooters while we did the shopping. I protested and protested, but to no avail. We got there and I was made to ride. I was really embarrassed at first, but once we got going I was grateful I wasn't walking. It took me a few minutes to get the hang of driving the thing. The hardest part was trying to turn around, but by the end of our trip, I was a master! Here are a few pics Austin took with his phone to document the event. He figured this was a once in a life time chance to taunt and tease me, especially since there was nothing I could do about it! :o)

How excited to do I look to be driving this thing?

Looking serious as I contemplate a grocery choice.

One of my attempts to back up and turn around.

Kinda Bumbed...

I just got home from my doctor's appointment. I was hoping to have progressed farther than I have. Last week the Dr. I saw told me I was 1 1/2 cm and 50% effaced. Today the Dr. I saw told me that my chart said I had only dilated to 1 cm last week and I am at a 1 1/2 cm today and 70% effaced. He tried to tell me that that was a lot of progress, but it didn't sound like it to me. For as many contractions as I had over the weekend and during this last week I was hoping to be at least fully effaced. Can you tell I'm anxious? I just want the aches and pains and swelling to go away. She has dropped which has put added pressure on my pubic bone and makes it even harder to walk. At this point I do a waddle-shuffle combination. It's kinda sad that my students have to wait for me to catch up so we can go places.

My beautiful swollen ankles

Austin took one of the balloons from my shower and put it up his shirt so he could be like me!

My 36 week belly

I am truly grateful I am not as big as Austin with that balloon in his shirt!
I am big enough as it is!

35 Weeks and Counting!

Because I have sciatica really bad, sitting on my couch gives me no support and is extremely painful when I get up. I have to stand still for a minute and then can barely walk. On Sunday I decided that I would sit on the piano bench to have a little more support under me and put my feet on an ottoman as we watched television. It helped my sciatic quite a bit, but soon my back got sore from not being able to sit up against anything. Austin thought my attempt at comfort and relief was worth documenting.

I look thrilled don't I?!

Thursday August 20th was our first day back to school. I was on my feet so much that day that they tripled in size and haven't gone back down. It's hard being a First Grade teacher and being able to sit for long periods of time. My students are so needy right now with it only being the beginning of the year. I am constantly walking (or waddling) around to help them. I am feeling grateful though that I have a very good and easy class so far. I hope they stay that way so I don't have to worry about leaving them when I go on maternity leave. I don't think I could handled the group I had last year in this condition!

My gigantic 35 week belly!

Prenatal Class - Week 3

This week in our prenatal class we learned about registering at the hospital and billing. Definitely not as exciting as last week! I think we were both glad for some relief from blatant visuals of birth. We also talked about what to expect after the birth with baby and mom. That was helpful and informative. The funniest part of the night is when they were talking about circumcision. Austin turns to me and very seriously asks who is going to do our baby's and how soon after the birth we shoud get it done and if the insurance will cover it, etc. I said to him, "Sweetie we are having a girl. She won't need one of those." He busts up and it took both of us a few minutes to compose ourselves. He was grateful for one less thing to worry about.

I'm sad to say that my wedding ring no longer fits my finger. I was hoping I could make it through the whole pregnancy without that happening. It has been really weird to not put it on everyday. My fingers are just too swollen. The heat isn't being very kind. Another ailment I'm going to complain about is my sciatica has spread from just my right side now to being on both. I hate laying down at night to go to sleep because there are no comfortable positions and switching positions in the middle of the night is excruciating! It takes me a few minutes every morning when I get out of bed to have the pain subside so I can walk. Oh, the sacrifices we make to bring life into the world!

Prenatal Class - Week 2

So we had our class again on Monday and I am now freaking out. We had to watch a birthing video that showed 4 different births. After watching the first birth and seeing EVERYTHING, I was panicking. I turned to Austin and said, "I don't want to do this anymore!" We have a couple in our class that is hearing impaired and have to have an interpreter. She was sitting up front by the screen and said to all of us, "You should see what all of you look like. Your eyes are all huge!" I'm sure we all had the deer in the headlights look. It was a little disturbing to watch being this close to having to go through it. We also learned about epidurals from the anesthesiologist and went on a tour of the Labor and Delivery floor as well as the Mother/Baby floor to see the different rooms. I am really nervous now, but I know that it is going to happen regardless.
I am excited for this little person to come into our home and be apart of our family. I often find myself wondering what she looks like and who she looks like. I wonder what traits she'll get from me and what she'll get from Austin. I hope she gets his dimple! I love dimples. Austin wants her to have my green eyes. I keep picturing her with dark hair when she is born. I had black hair at birth, but it fell out and came in very blonde. Austin had very blonde hair as a baby and then it went dark. My mom thinks she is going to be a toehead. But whatever she looks like, I'm sure she'll be beautiful!

Prenatal Class

We went to our first prenatal class last night. We go every Monday night for the next 4 weeks. Last night we learned some terminology we'll need to know before I deliver and while we're in the hospital. We also covered warning signs to look for during these last few weeks as well as the signs of true and false labor. Then we talked about the 3 Stages of Labor. Not the part I look forward to. The class lasted for 2 1/2 hours. By the time we got out I was feeling pretty good about what had been talked about and had a lot of my questions answered and apprehensions relieved. Austin felt the opposite. He became more nervous and apprehensive about the delivery and being in the delivery room. He has no desire to be anywhere but up by my head during the birth. I don't blame him. I really don't want to see anything either. I'm sure he'll be just fine though.
I'm now 30 weeks. 10 weeks left! So much to do between now and then, but I'm looking forward to not having a basketball on my front constantly. I can't believe I'm almost done! I know it'll be here before I know it! I'm excited and scared all at the same time. So much unknown ahead.

30 Week Belly

My 6th Month Watermelon

We brought this watermelon to a family function last week and I thought it was a comparable size to my belly. What do you think?

What about now?

The close up!

I am still amazed at how much my body can and will stretch. I still have 3 1/2 months and I already feel huge. I know I'm only going to get bigger. Yikes! Another aspect that I have mixed feelings about is how this baby is a heater. Thankfully it has been a cool summer so far and I have not had to endure terrible heat. But I, the one who is usually cold most of the time, have been unusually warm, thus the chopping of the hair. I lost about 9-10 inches. I was not that sad to see it go. My hair dresser kept commenting on how calm I was as she cut it all off. I've been prepping myself for it for months, so I was fine. I was also able to donate my hair so that was an added bonus. Haven't had much swelling yet, but I'm sure the worst is yet to come. Living in a basement has never been better!

1 Week Down, The Rest of The Summer To Go!

School is finally out and we are loving the time off already! The school year did go by quickly and we are grateful for the break. We don't have big plans for the summer. Just getting ready for the little one. We have lots of cleaning out to do and re-arranging so she will fit into our already small and cramped space. I have been making some purchases for her room. It has been a lot of fun. Her room will be pink, green, red and black. Her bedroom set will be decorated in lady bugs. It is so cute! We still have to find a car seat, pack and play, stroller and all the other things a baby needs. Austin hates to think about the cost of it all. But I'm excited for it all to come together!

The bedroom set we picked out!

It's A Girl!

On Monday May 18th we were able to have the ultrasound that revealed that we are going to be having a little baby girl. We are so excited and can't wait for her to arrive. We have a lot to do before she arrives, but we are anxious none the less. Well...I should say I am anxious. Austin is fine with having more time. The baby is healthy and everything looked good in the ultrasound. She is quite the mover. I love feeling her move and kick. My stomach is continually stretching and growing. The increasing heat in the outside temperature is becoming quite uncomfortable, but I am so glad for the warm weather. I had to break down and finally buy maternity clothes. I was too afraid to go alone, so I made my mom go shopping with me. I was able to find some pretty cute stuff. The thing I'm dreading the most is purchasing a swim suit. I want to be able to swim and stay cool, but I don't want to look or feel like a whale.

Anyway, here are some photos from the ultrasound.

Here is her nose and lip.

Here is her hand.

Here is her heart and abdomen.

Here is her spine.

Here are her feet.

Here is her bumb showing that she is a girl!

Buying for Baby

Austin and I were at Kohl's a couple weeks ago and they were having one of their fantastic sales. I convinced Austin to go look at the baby clothes because of the super low prices. I was wishing we knew the sex so I could buy gender specific because of all the cute clothes. We did our best to buy generic things that a boy or a girl would be ok wearing. Austin believe it or not actually picked out the pj's and the colored onesies. I was very impressed and touched that he got into it...well a least a little bit.
We are anxiously awaiting our ultrasound that is scheduled for next Monday, May 18th. Stay tuned for the big announcement!

It's Gone!

The morning sickness is gone! Hallelujah!! Hitting the 12 week mark did the trick. I am back to feeling good again. I can eat breakfast and not get sick. It is truly a blessing. I now feel like I can make it through the last 6 months of this journey. It's good to feel almost normal again. I'm happy and so is Austin! :)

Morning Sickness

This morning was like any normal morning with morning sickness at home before I left for work. I was still feeling kinda squeamish as I drove to school, so I popped a Mike-n-Ike in my mouth to suck on. Those have been really helping me lately. Bad idea. First of all it was a lemon one. I should have picked cherry. Instead of helping it made it worse. I had the urge to get sick and tried my best to suppress it. Didn't work. I had to quickly pull over, get out of the car and throw up on the side of the road. To make things worse, my friend's mom saw me pulled over on the side of the road. A little embarrassing. I hope I never have to do that again! I'll be glad when the sickness ends.

We're Expecting!!

Our family of 2 is going to be expanding to 3! Our baby will be due Sept. 25th. It all started at Christmas when Austin told me I could have my baby and quit taking my birth control. It was a wonderful Christmas present. We didn't expect to get pregnant so fast! Austin says he could have used a little more time. :) We found out about our little one Jan. 18th. Thinking by that time I was only about 3 weeks along, I scheduled a doctors appointment and marveled at the miracle. On Tuesday Feb. 24th we went to the doctor and discovered that I am farther along that we had expected; about a week and a half farther. So as of today I am 10 weeks. I can't believe it. At about week 6 the sickness set in. I was hoping to be one of the lucky ones to just breeze through with nothing to worry about. I was so wrong. I'm hoping to be on the way out of the sickness stage. I want to eat normally again and actually enjoy it! Austin has been a sweetheart through all my sickness and throwing up. He laughs at me when I get an impulse craving. Like last night, when I went to Wal-Mart and smelled the fries at the McDonalds. I called him and asked if he wanted any. He was at school putting in grades and so I'd have to bring it to him. Small sacrifice for for what I wanted! He is wonderful and I'm blessed to have him in my life!
We were fortunate enough to have an ultrasound at our appointment. It was exciting to see the baby and the little heartbeat.