We're getting bigger!

20 weeks

24 weeks

27 weeks

30 weeks

33 weeks

34 weeks









I took my 34 week picture today, and am amazed at the difference in my belly size! I thought I would post the weekly pictures that I have and show off how I have changed. I guess it takes a picture to realize how much bigger I have gotten. I haven't understood why people were saying that I looked so big until I saw it for myself! Enjoy!

Now you see it, now you don't!

Can you tell what is different in the two pictures? I'll give you a hint: It isn't the cars, the cat or the garage door! There are two differences in the pictures. One difference might be hard to see....

In case you didn't figure it out, we had two trees removed. I have a feeling that the pine tree in the front yard was pretty obvious, especially with the pile of mulch that was left over. The other tree is on the side of the house, on the right side of the picture. It's a magnolia that never bloomed, and didn't do much other than drop leaves on us. Our next (or one of the next) project is to get some sod and get grass growing in the front yard. Yes, I will go with Erik to get the sod, but he knows that it's going to be his job to put it in! We may have to hire some guys. Any volunteers?? I can cook!!! :)

Swollen ankles

It's official. The ankles are starting to swell! I already had fat ankles to begin with, and now they're even bigger! I am trying to put my feet up more, and I have been giving tests and quizzes this week, so I haven't been on my feet too much, but they're officially swollen!
I am trying to make it through these next few weeks. I am so busy with school that I hardly think about the fact that I'm going to be a mom soon! Pray that 1. the students don't drive me crazy, and 2. that I can get enough sleep and keep up the energy level. Another Spanish teacher is 38 weeks pregnant and is still here for another week and a half, so I try not to complain too much. I have one more chapter to teach, and I want to make sure that I do a good job and don't slack off before the exams. I know the kids want to slack off, but I still want them to be prepared!

Baby shower

I know that this is late, but I didn't have time to post this before. Last Wednesday (I told you it was late!), Godmother Drew had a surprise baby shower for me here at school. She had been planning it for weeks, and somehow left me totally in the dark! There were about 25 teachers that showed up, and none so much as peeped about it! Here's the story:
About 3 weeks before the shower, Drew sent out an email to my department and hers (she teaches English), along with some other teachers and administrators that I'm friends with. She told everyone that she would pick up a gift card, and they could contribute if they would like. She sent a couple of cute students around to take up the money. One girl said that the teachers weren't going to sign the card unless they gave some money!! I guess it worked, because in the end, Drew was able to get the stroller and car seat combo that I wanted! I was quite impressed.
Let's move up to baby shower day. That morning, Erik was leaving for work and called me out to the garage. I went out there and there was a cute, furry dog that wanted to be friends. We had never seen the dog before, and it had a 3 ft. vine entangled in its fur. We weren't sure what to do, but I eventually decided that Erik should put the dog in the back yard and I would call animal control to pick it up. Our back yard is great because you can see through the fence. We figured that if the owners came walking through the neighborhood, they would be able to see the dog and take it home. We also locked Ginger and Tracy in the house so that they couldn't escape with the dog or get picked up by animal control, and the dog couldn't sneak into the house.
That might not have seemed relevant to the story, but it is, I promise! I can count on one hand how many times Drew has beat me to school in the morning. She got there early, and I was late, because I wanted to give Ginger and Tracy a chance to potty outside before locking them in the house for the day. Drew called me about 7:15 to make sure I was coming to school. She was worried that I was sick, and almost mad at Erik for letting me stay home! She had the stroller and car seat in her car, and wanted to send a student out to get it. Amazingly, I didn't pay attention to her car in the parking lot, and didn't hear the panic in her voice! She had students working undercover for her all morning, and somehow they didn't blab, either!
The shower was a great success, and a complete and total surprise! Drew is really earning her Godmother title!! :)

33 week check up

First, I'll admit that this isn't my best picture, but it's a picture, so quit complaining!!! I had a doctor's appointment today. I saw a different doctor, so maybe I'm finally getting to see some of the other doctor's at this practice! He was very nice, and I had heard great things about him, so it was okay. I still prefer my lady doctor, but only because she's a lady. Here's what I learned today:
1. I've only gained 18 pounds!!! I'm proud of myself for that one!
2. Baby's heart rate was 138 bpm today.
3. I'm measuring at 34 weeks instead of 33 weeks! YIKES!

I'm not too worried about the baby measuring big, but I'm really not hoping for a big baby. I think that they will keep a closer eye on me and make sure that she doesn't get too big. No offense, Chat and Shirley, but I do NOT want a 9 pound baby! I just hope that she had a growth spurt, and things will get back to normal. We'll find out in a couple of weeks when I go back for my next appointment.

Palace Saloon 5K

I know that I do a lot of talking about myself, so here's something about Erik. He and Drew ran a 5K this weekend. Being a good wife, I went to cheer them on. Most of the races they have run did a loop, so the start and finish line were in the same spot. This time, it was a straight shot, so I left them a few minutes before the start of the race to drive to the finish line. While gone, I bought myself breakfast, after going first to Tropical Smoothie (only to find out that it's closed at 8:00 AM), to the bank for cash, and then to McDonalds. I forgot to eat breakfast, and I get sick to my stomach now if I wait too long to eat. Anyhoo, I made it to the finish line with time to spare. Erik ran a personal best 21 minutes and 42 seconds! The official time said 46 seconds, but he's pretty sure that it should have said 42. Drew came in at 22 minutes and 20-something seconds, also a personal best!
Their next race is going to be a 10K on May 5th. It's to benefit the animal shelter, so it's for a good cause! I may do the 1 mile fun run/walk that day, depending on how I feel. I'll be 9 months pregnant then. Maybe I could get my name in the paper again!! Hmmm...:)

Oklahoma!

Last night, I went to see the school production of Oklahoma. It was FANTASTIC! Our principal had a small role in the play, and it was great to see him up there with the kids. It really cracked me up, because I know that it made him uncomfortable. Wait...that's not a good reason to think it was funny. Let's just say that it was adorable, although I'm not sure he's going to leave his job to join an acting troupe any time soon.
While the baby doesn't like to perform on demand (i.e. she won't kick and move around when I want her to), I am predicting that she's going to be some kind of performer. Both at the musical last night, and at our Good Friday service last Friday, she moved around to the music almost the whole time! I'm afraid that she doesn't like my singing, because she doesn't do it when it's just the two of us in the car, but she really seems to get into the music when it's live and actually good.

Godmother Drew

For all of you who don't know, my very good friend, Drew Heid, has offered to be the baby's godmother. Yes, offered. Actually, I told her I was pregnant and she told me that she was the godmother. She called it first, so she wins. Sorry to all of you who thought you were in the running! :)
Godmother Drew would like some kind of gift for achieving godmother status. Any suggestions? She is thinking some kind of plaque, bust, oil painting...Hopefully someone else can come up with a cheaper idea!
Before going on, you must know that godmother Drew and I are sitting in the library at school. Right after posting this, the baby gave her a big kick in the hand! Godmother Drew was so excited because she has been waiting almost 8 months to feel the baby kick! I had to put that...

32 weeks and counting

I can't believe that there are only 8 weeks left until I'm a mom! Wow! And, to make things even better, I only have 6 weeks and 1 day until the end of the school year. I can't say that I am horribly depressed about the end of the school year. I am sure that every year I'm ready to get out of this place by this time, but at least this year I get to blame it on baby! :)
The baby is still moving around. I saw my belly do a couple of waves yesterday, which was really cool. I see her kick all the time, but this was the first time that I both felt and saw a big movement! I guess the moms know what I mean, but if you really want a better explanation, you'll have to ask!
I will post a picture soon. I am just wearing a big shirt today, not a maternity shirt. That's important, I think, because my belly sticks out more in maternity clothes! :)

If you're bored...

Happy Easter everyone! Erik is watching golf, and I just woke up from a nap. We are having a nice and quiet evening after going to church this morning and having lunch with his parents.
I just saw this on my favorite website. I'm afraid to say the name of it because I get teased for going there all the time. Okay, okay...I got it from babycenter.com! Here's what you need to do:
1. Go to www.google.com
2. Click on maps
3. Click on "Get directions" (it's right under where you can type something in to search)
4. In the "from" box, type "New York"
5. In the "to" box, type "London"
6. Look at #23

Venting time

Did I really say that I was having so much fun being pregnant that I didn't think I wanted to have the baby?!?!? It's coming to that time in my pregnancy where sleep is not coming as easily as it once did. I always get a pimple right next to the left side of my lip when I get overly tired. That pimple came out this week. My schedule is just getting busier as the weeks go on since it's the end of the school year. I know it's good to keep busy because it makes the time go by faster, but I'm not crashing onto my pillow for the night like I was once able to do. I keep waking up from being either too hot or cold, or from having to use the bathroom. Thank goodness it's Friday and I have a weekend to relax. I need to enjoy it because the next couple of weeks are jam packed without much of a break! Wish me luck!!
Oh yeah, Happy Easter!!

Single digits

Wow! I can't believe that I am down to 9 weeks before the baby is due! The past 31 weeks have flown by. I will say that January lasted for 3 months. I don't know why it was such a long month. Maybe it was waiting to find out that we are having a girl. Now that it's April, I am sure that these next couple of months are going to fly by. The end of the school year always goes by quickly.
I am still enjoying my pregnant life. I love feeling the baby kick and watching myself grow. I'm sure that I'll be excited about meeting her face to face, but I am not so sure about the whole delivery process...

GO GATORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Springtime Tallahassee

Every year in Tallahassee, there is a big outdoor festival called Springtime Tallahassee. Erik used to have a booth set up there, but since he's not selling his picture frames anymore, it's been nice to go and enjoy it without working. This year, though, Erik has been running, and one of the events is a 10K run. He and Drew planned to run it again. There have also been a group of teachers who have started walking together after school. Not being as ambitious as Erik and Drew, the teachers decided to do the 1 mile Fun Run/Walk. We teachers have gotten a lot of press for our outdoor activities, and after Springtime, made it into the newspaper. I have to say that I was quite proud of myself for making it into the Sports section! I don't think I have ever seen my name there! When you read the article, you'll notice that it says that I'm 8 months pregnant. Okay, I know that I'm not, but doesn't that sound better than 7 1/2?? I just rounded up! Here's the link to the article. I'm quite proud of all of us! Leave me a comment if the link doesn't work, or (obviously) if you want to congratulate me on a job well done!!! :)
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704010342
You might have to copy and paste the link, FYI.

Jim Gaffigan

For those of you who don't know, Jim Gaffigan is one of Valerie's and my favorite comedians! For Christmas, Matt bought Valerie, Erik and me tickets to go see his show in Jacksonville on April 1st. Erik and I drove to Jacksonville that morning so taht we could have time to see mom before she left. (She was there visiting on her last weekend of her spring break.) We hung out and tried NOT to get addicted to their Wii (a gaming system). We had dinner at the Loop, which has pizza, sandwiches and salads. Good food.
Jim started his show about 7:30. It was a hoot! I think that all of us knew at least some of his material, but it was awesome just the same. Because it was too late for Erik and me to drive home, we stayed at the Wurdeman's new house. It's BEAUTIFUL for those of you who haven't seen it. Valerie, of course, was a good hostess and had some extra pillows for preggy. All of us, but Matt, were asleep by 9:45, so it's definitely a good thing that we had a place to stay.
The next morning, we had to have some more Wii playing time. We went to Panera for bagels for breakfast. Matt couldn't go because he had to work. :( Erik and I left around 12:15 to head home. The dogs excitedly greeted us at the door. They were well taken care of by Erik's parents while we were gone, but they are smart and give their parents a good welcome whenever we return.