Waiting for Baby V: Thirty-Five Fun Weeks!

What a wonderful week again! This weekend we had our 3rd baby shower thrown by some amazing Norman High ladies, and we were overwhelmed with all the love shown to us! We also got A LOT done with Ellie's room! YAY! We finished her crib, organized all of her new stuff, put up one panel of curtains, and did some more of her laundry. We also got to simply relax and rest. It's hard to believe how soon she will be here; I have only days left until Spring Break/maternity leave! I am not going to lie...I am feeling REALLY excited about that! We had our last ultrasound on Thursday, and she is looking cuter and cuter, especially because they said she has some thick hair.

Here's more of the details of the shower:
Baby Shower #3

Hosted By: Brenda, Roxanne, Kendel, Liz, and Katie

Invitation: A lovely Momma and Baby Bird invite with pretty patterns!

Decorations: A name banner made with burlap and stamped letters, beautiful yellow tulips, carnations, and roses, and sweet yellow sparkly flower shaped decorations.
Food: An amazing breakfast spread of quiches, casseroles, pastries, mimosas (none for me...boo), and sausage!

Activity: Playing with all the babies! It was such a fun time altogether, because we all know and love each other, so there was a big party the whole time. We passed the babies around, ate food, and just had fun together. I love these people so much.
Guests: Mostly Norman High friends, a few of my student teachers, a college professor, and of course, Mimi and Lola!

Gifts: Lots of must haves from fellow mommas, our swing, and a ton of stuff from our Target registry!

Our Favorite Part: The food! It was all so delicious! Each of the hostesses were so amazing, and we so appreciate all that each one of them did!

And our accomplishments on the room:

Hey Preggo!

1. Total weight gain: +39 lbs. (+2 lb. again this week)

2. Maternity clothes?: Yes and some of those are getting too tight!

3. Stretch marks?: No new ones yet...

4. Sleep?: Still only sleeping really good on the weekends, because I cannot get comfortable at night! Geez! That leaves me so sleepy during the day, and needing naps a lot. 

5. Best moment this week?: Seeing little Ellie's face at our doctor's appointment on Thursday! We had a non-stress test, which we passed again, and then also our last ultrasound. We saw her little face, one of her feet, and they said that she probably has a lot of hair!

6. Miss anything?: I am getting so tired, and even getting up or walking around is getting more and more difficult. This even happens at night when I am trying to sleep! Goodness! So I miss endless amounts of energy!    

7. Movement?: She moves a lot, and I really love it. She moves all throughout the day too! 

8. Food cravings?: Cheese and dessert! YUM!

9. Anything make you queasy or sick?: Nope!

10. Gender?: All the tiny clothes we have been folding making so excited to put them on our tiny girl.

11. Labor signs?: No thankfully!

12. Symptoms?: Swollen hands and feet at the end of the day, and not having as much energy to do all that I want to do still. 

13. Belly button in or out?: In still, and getting strangely flatter!

14. Wedding rings on or off?: On but getting more snug each day it seems!

15. Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy happy happy! Especially now that Chris has finished the crib, and we put her room together mostly. We still have a few things we'd like to do, but all the most important stuff is complete. So glad! And we spent a lot of time organizing all her stuff, and for the most part, it fits in the house! What a relief! 

16. Looking forward to most?: This is my last full 5-day week with my students and my awesome student teacher Becky. She and the kiddos are organizing to have a baby shower for me on Thursday at lunch. I am so excited for that, and can't believe the kids are this thoughtful! AND we have our fourth and final baby shower this weekend hosted by my sister, Jennie, and my best friend from junior high, Joellen. I am sad that the showers are coming to an end! After this week, I only have one week until Spring Break aka maternity leave! YAYAYAY!!!! There is still much to do, so I can't get too excited. I hope Ellie stays where she's at for a couple more weeks at least.

Can't wait to meet our Ellie girl, and to share this exciting new time with you all! Thank you for reading!

Waiting for Baby V: Thirty-Four Fabulous Weeks!

What an incredible week! We had a good doctor's appointment, where Ellie pass her non-stress test again, AND we have an induction date of April 4th! That is 5 weeks from Thursday! It just got REAL!


We also had two incredible showers: one inspired by UP! by our good friends and one owl themed by Auntie Ashley and Lola Tess. And actually both had elements of one another as part of them! So we had a two showers that were very much us where we felt very much loved. Here are some of the wonderful details of each shower:

Baby Shower #1
Hosted By: Danielle, Lindsey, Francesca, Melissa, Jennie, Joellen, Darin, Loan, Alisha, and Emily
Invitation: A colorful, scrapbook paper owl! So cute!
Decorations: A name banner made with swatches or quilt fabric, bright tissue paper poof balls, balloons, a hair bow board, and Ellie's very own purple mail box!
Food: Mexican food! Yum! Also had some fruit, vegetables, and dip. And lots of leftovers to take home too!
Cake: The most beautiful cake I have EVER seen in my life!!! It was a 6 layer white cake, covered in blue fondant, and covered in amazing UP! decorations. It had the house, the balloons, and on top, there was a purple quilt with a "Welcome Baby Ellie!" frame, and a little wooden-like bird.
Activity: They had an alphabet book making station, where each page was made a different person. They also had a hair bow/headband making station, and Chris even made one! Last thing that they did was had us each fill out a "Wishes for Baby" page.
Guests: College friends (from near and far), high school friends, Pride friends, and our parents.
Gifts: Handmade items such as blankets and shoes, two Pack-and-Plays, bath items, toys, books, clothes, and so many other sweet things!
Our Favorite Part: All the thought that went into the details...The cake, the activities, the decor! It all brought tears to my eyes!

My response to all of the above beautiful things! Oh my!

Baby Shower #2

Hosted By: Auntie Ashley and Lola Tess

Invitation: Woodland creatures in a forest, with an insert about bringing books instead of cards!

Decorations: Tissue paper poof balls, a clothesline of tiny girl clothes, baby stickers, and baby confetti!

Food: TONS of delicious food, including Filipino favorites, brisket, mashed potato, veggies and dip, and a homemade Italian cream cake from Nanny Johnnie! 

Cake: A 4-layer almond cake, with fondant owl decorations and her name too!

Activity: Ashley and her friend, Sydney, went around and had everyone vote about which qualities would Ellie would have. I'm not sure which qualities we each "won", but I know she will be cute!

Guests: Chris's aunts and cousins, Nanny Johnnie, Lola Tess's friends from work, my parents, and grandparents

Gifts: Lots of sweet baby girl clothes, books, toys, her crib mattress, and a breast pump! We also got our quilt from Grandma Cash and one made by Tess too! Oh and we can't forget...Eloise's name in UP! and Monsters Inc. letters!!! We love them Auntie Ashley!

Our Favorite Part: The food and the invitation! So much delicious food and thoughtfulness in the invitation with asking for books instead of cards. Loved it!

Now pregnant stuff...

1. Total weight gain: +37 lbs. (+2 lb. this week...Maybe I should stop weighing myself???)

2. Maternity clothes?: Yes and some of my early pregnancy clothes aren't fitting anymore.

3. Stretch marks?: No new ones yet... 

4. Sleep?: I am still waking up every few hours to go to the bathroom or get comfortable, so it's okay, but not the good deep sleep I once could do! Maybe it's over though....Waaaaahhh! 

5. Best moment this week?: This ENTIRE weekend was AMAZING! With two awesome baby showers, we felt so loved and so grateful! And we also got to see our maternity pictures! I love them and can't wait to post them!

6. Miss anything?: Unlimited caffeine! And a glass of wine or swirl from time to time.    

7. Movement?: She moves a lot, and sometimes so much that I am afraid my kids at school will see my tummy move. She moves so much that others, besides Chris, have been able to see and feel her move too. 

8. Food cravings?: Still anything dairy or dessert. YUM!

9. Anything make you queasy or sick?: Not really...

10. Gender?: I love this tiny girl so much! I am loving getting her room almost done, and looking at all her beautiful gifts.

11. Labor signs?: Don't think so, and certainly hope not! 

12. Symptoms?: Swollen hands and feet at the end of the day, and not having as much energy to do all that I want to do. 

13. Belly button in or out?: In still, and getting strangely flatter!

14. Wedding rings on or off?: On but getting snug!

15. Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy usually! But this week I had a few melt downs. One was related to school stress and one was related to baby room stress. So each time I have some anxiety ending in crying, I am learning to let more things go. Because soon, in about 5 weeks or less, I will be holding by little girl and staying at home!

16. Looking forward to most?: I am so excited for our third baby shower this weekend with my Norman High family! These last few weeks with them are so special to me, and I am so thankful to have such amazing colleagues as friends my friends too.

The progress on Ellie's room...Here's to hoping it gets done this weekend! 

 Love you guys and thanks for reading, even if it's a few days late! 

Waiting for Baby V: Thirty-Three Thrilling Weeks!

Hello there! This week seemed like the longest week ever, so this three-day weekend is just what I needed. We were busy busy all weekend, but we accomplished quite a bit! I don't know if it's the nesting instinct (though I hope it's not too early), but we did a lot! We are trying to work and get her room done, but there is still so much to do. Maybe it won't get done until she is actually here, but we are going to keep chipping away at it! We finished the leaves today (thanks to Francesca) and got two almost two coats on the last two pieces of the crib. I also contacted our pediatrician, cleaned the house, and did the laundry today. That is, AFTER I slept in, ate doughnuts, and watched some Rachel Ray. Besides the sleeping in part, I feel like I got a little taste of stay-at-home life, and boy am I excited! Seriously, I think that being home with Ellie will be so amazing that I will not even know what to do with myself. I don't think motherhood will be anything close to easy, but it will be so much less stressful and so much more simple than what I am doing right now. I hope I can still be so grateful when it is actually here, but I CANNOT WAIT. I will miss seeing my friends everyday, but I will love being a momma!

This week we also had our first non-stress test, but everything went well, and Ellie's heart rate increased as she moved. We will still have one every week until she gets here, but this first one was really stressing me out! Which is exactly what I don't need to be doing. It was a relief to see that my hypertension isn't really effecting her. On Saturday, we had a Prepared Childbirth class, that ended with a tour of the Norman Health Plex and preregistration. I had visited a few friends there when they had their babies, but had not seen all the labor and delivery rooms, or nursery. Though the class was a bit awkward at times, I am glad that we went, and at least I got to spend the day with Chris thinking about our tiny girl. After a good nap, we then headed out for our Valentine's date to Cheesecake Factory. We know we won't be able to go to that area very easily any more, so we are trying to take advantage of each opportunity together.  Yesterday, we ended our weekend with a birthday celebration for three special people in our life, my Dad, our niece, Hazel, and our nephew, Jacob. They are so funny, all three of them! Here are a few pictures from the party:

Pregnancy Time!

1. Total weight gain: +35 lbs. (+2 lb. this week.)

2. Maternity clothes?: Yes! And I am trying not to buy too many more things since I am nearing the end, but I am also wanting some cute things for the upcoming baby showers. Hmmm...

3. Stretch marks?: No new ones yet... 

4. Sleep?: Having a bit of third trimester insomnia these past few days, but also because there is so much to do still and so much to think about! And poor Chris is sicky, so I'm worried about him too. 

5. Best moment this week?: Passing the non-stress test this week at Dr. Parker's! They hooked me up to a heart monitor for both myself and Ellie, and her heart rate increased with her movements, which is what they were wanting to see. Whew! What a relief! We'll have one every week until she is here now.

6. Miss anything?: Energy to exercise. For realz. That is too weird! 

7. Movement?: She is moving and shaking this week! I think this is the best thing about being pregnant. It reminds me that she is doing good!

8. Food cravings?: I still love Little Debbie snack cakes! And anything dairy...milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and so on...

9. Anything make you queasy or sick?: Nope! 

10. Gender?: After updating our registry and rounding the bend on the progress in her room, I am getting more ready to meet this tiny girl! Stay in there a few more weeks though silly one!

11. Labor signs?: Still think I've had some Braxton Hicks, but not as many.  

12. Symptoms?: Sleepy, kicking girl in my tummy, and hungry for dessert always!

13. Belly button in or out?: Still an innie!

14. Wedding rings on or off?: On, but they have been tighter this week. I don't want to have to stop wearing them! I have stopped wearing my watch though, because it is a little too snug now. Boo.

15. Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy most of the time! Not much can make me sad right now. I only have 4 weeks left of school and then about 5-6 weeks until she's here! AND the next three weekends are baby showers! YAY! 

16. Looking forward to most?: BABY SHOWERS! Next weekend, we have TWO, yes TWO, baby showers for us! SO much love for us and Baby Ellie! And we can't wait to meet her! There is still much to do, so I will feel more prepared as we accomplish those things, but I am still so looking forward to seeing her sweet face. 

Waiting for Baby V: Thirty-Two Tremendous Weeks!

Another week down! And now probably 6 weeks or so left actually! With elevated blood pressure (though it's going okay and they are monitoring it), my doctor said that he will probably induce the end of March, or a little after 38 weeks. That is, unless she decides to come earlier! I hope she decides to stay in there until then though!

This week on the Ellie front: finished her first loads of laundry, put them away in her dresser, worked on painting her bed, finished packing her hospital bag, received her baby book, and cut out the leaves for her tree. We also just relaxed a lot and spent time with friends and family. On Friday, we went out for dinner AND a movie with several other Norman High couples, and had such a fun time! We were living life on the edge! Haha... Saturday was a fun-filled and busy day too: we celebrated a good friend's birthday by doing random acts of kindness all around Norman. It was such a great idea to give back to the people of Norman, even just in small ways! We then headed to my niece Hazel's 3rd birthday party in Yukon, and finally dinner with family that are friends too! We had a wonderful weekend, as always, and we'll be looking forward to the fun times of next weekend too!

Big and Preggo Me:

1. Total weight gain: +33 lbs. (+0 lb. this week...this might be a fluke!)

2. Maternity clothes?: Yeppers! Now that I am getting to the end though and the weather is changing, so my beloved sweaters, scarves, and colored pants are not as helpful! But I hear there is snow in the forecast this week. I can only hope!!! 

3. Stretch marks?: Not yet! 

4. Sleep?: A GREAT sleep last night...from 11 pm to 11 am! :) Doing better though, and seem to get in a nightly wake-up routine.

5. Best moment this week?: Going to see Dr. Parker, and him saying that I probably don't need to go back after Spring Break, since Ellie will most likely be here the last week of March, if not earlier! Oh MY!

6. Miss anything?: Coffee this week. I have been struggling to wake up at a decent time all week! But otherwise, not so much. 

7. Movement?: She is a wiggly little girl! I love it though, because it reminds me that she's there and doing good!

8. Food cravings?: This week, Braum's chocolate shakes. Or most nights, at least a glass of milk.

9. Anything make you queasy or sick?: Nope! 

10. Gender?: Finished packing our little girl's hospital bag this weekend, and I love looking at all her tiny girl outfits and headbands. OH MY GOODNESS! She is going to be so cute!

11. Labor signs?: I think I've had some Braxton Hicks contractions, but not 100% sure. Usually after a long day at school, but not really this weekend. 

12. Symptoms?: Always ready for a nap or a back massage, that's for sure!

13. Belly button in or out?: Still in, but I think it's going to get really flat. :)

14. Wedding rings on or off?: On, but had a slightly swollen hands this week. Hope I get to keep wearing them!

15. Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy usually! Especially when I think about all the fun that will be happening these next few weeks! Baby class, registering, and showers!   

16. Looking forward to most?: We have a baby class next weekend at the Norman Health Plex, and get to go on a Valentine's date afterward. Though we are overjoyed to meet this little girl in about 6 weeks now actually, I am also looking forward to savoring the time I have left with just Chris and me. I am going to miss it being just us two! He is such a good man, and I don't know what I would do without him. I love him so!

Ellie's homecoming outfits!

Happy Valentine's week friends! Love you guys!

Waiting for Baby V: Thirty-One Wistful Weeks!

 WOW! We are in the single digit countdown people! 9 weeks maximum left! Though I think she will be here sooner than that, but what do I know? I have only been pregnant once! This time has been flying by, but before Christmas, it seemed to be taking forever! This past week has been a bit crazy and busy, including a little blood pressure scare on Tuesday. I wasn't feeling very good Monday night, took my blood pressure, and it was a bit high. Tuesday morning I still wasn't feeling 100%, but went to school. During 2nd hour, I decided to go have my blood pressure taken again. It was 150/96! I then got upset, thinking the worst was going to happen (bed rest, delivering Ellie 10 weeks earlier, etc.), so I headed home and called the doctor. I was relieved though, when Dr. Parker saw us and told us simply to keep taking my medicine and rest for the day. I've never been more thankful to go home and then go back to work on Wednesday! We had another appointment on Friday, where we got to see Eloise! She told us that she is now head down, which explains why my back has really started hurting. I think I can even pinpoint the day when she turned too, on Thursday, because I had to go to the bathroom a lot more too. Our ultrasound lady got some awesome pictures of her in regular and 3D ultrasounds before Ellie woke up and put her hands in front of her face. She is looking like a real baby! Well, "DUH!" you might say, but she even has some distinct features now too. It looks like she has some big lips like Chris, and they are so cute! This weekend we kicked it into high gear with Chris finishing the dresser and he also started working on the crib. We bought most of the items needed for our hospital bag, and packed it too, just to be one step closer to being ready for Ellie! And one more thing that we have been looking forward to for months, our maternity pictures with Loan! She showed us one so far, and I can't wait to see more. They will be the sweetest, I know it!

My view of my toes, which is much better now that Kendel treated me to a pedicure!

A golden retriever pillow from a fellow golden
retriever lover, Debbie!

After the little scare we had and with just a few weeks left at Norman High, I start to feel a bit wistful. Don't get me wrong: I am counting down the days to when I get to be home with Ellie and start the life I've always dreamed of. But I am also feeling sad. This wistfulness is found in the little moments of the day: a gift from a colleague, a friendly greeting from a student, lunch in the lounge with my friends, a visit from an old student just to say hello, a smile from an administrator, or a student remembering something you've taught them. These little things are what I am going to miss, and most of all I am going to miss the people. I have been shown so much love these past five years at Norman High, and it's the only place I've ever been where almost everyone thinks I am pretty awesome. Though I am no where close to perfect, the people at Norman High see me for who I want to be and therefore see the best in me. They see me as a hardworking, positive person who wants to make an impact on others. They love me even when I screw up. And they pour out their love for me, whether it's on a good day or a tough one. I am so thankful to work at a place with such amazing, generous, and thoughtful people, who are students, administrators, and colleagues alike. How am I going to leave at the end of this year? I have no idea, but I do know that I have so many friends and memories that I am leaving with. This is some of the love that has been given to me, and each gift has been so special in it's own way!

A beautiful blanket handmade by Calypso!

Crocheted blanket from the one and only Doc Ballard!

One of the prints from "the twins", Leslie and Carla! Love them!

Pregnant Moi!

1. Total weight gain: +33 lbs. (+2 lb. this week again...Welp, not sticking with my goal of lbs gained = weeks pregnant.)

2. Maternity clothes?: Yes! Still try to squeeze into a few regular clothes, but not much fits anymore!

3. Stretch marks?: Not yet! 

4. Sleep?: Better sleeping overal, and napping regularly, which helps. 

5. Best moment this week?: Seeing Ellie's sweet face in our 3D ultrasound! Her features are much more distinct, and she has a smooshed nose and some big lips! She is so cute! 

6. Miss anything?: This week probably sound sleeping and not having back pain. Everyday my back hurts now.

7. Movement?: ALL THE TIME! It's getting to the point that some kicks hurt though! Ouch little girl!

8. Food cravings?: Little Debbie seasonal snack cakes. Or petit fours. Whichever is available! 

9. Anything make you queasy or sick?: Not really though I have felt nauseous with my elevated blood pressure.

10. Gender?: Putting away all her little girl clothes tonight in her dresser makes it one more step to seeing her face. They are so pretty tucked away in her drawers and hanging in the closet!

11. Labor signs?: I don't think so, just feeling more and more uncomfortable now

12. Symptoms?: Totally pooped at the end of the day and this tiny one sure does like to kick! Good Lord!

13. Belly button in or out?: In and I think it's going to stay that way. 

14. Wedding rings on or off?: On

15. Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy now that I know everything will be okay with Ellie. Trying to stay relaxed and not stressed, which then will allow me to be happy!  

16. Looking forward to most?: Finishing the baby's room, which will hopefully happen in the next two weeks! We are also SO looking forward to baby showers, which I might have said last week, but that's the truth. They are going to be so fun!

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart, for reading my ramblings, and loving me still. I am one lucky gal! I so appreciate each one of you!