A Long Couple of Weeks

You know how you have those times when you feel like Murphy is following you around and everything that can go wrong does?  Well that pretty much sums up the past couple of weeks for me.  Although I haven't been especially emotional during my pregnancy, I think I have cried almost every day this week.  As I think I have mentioned before, I am the Relay for Life team captain for my school.  Our fundraising attempts have all been duds so far, and the event is Friday.  It seems that I have been met with adversity in everything I have tried to do.  Our team has only raised $1,000, a drop in a bucket compared to last year's $8,000.  No one at school (including the girl who is supposed to be my co-captain) has stepped up to the plate to help me.  If Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society were not very important causes to me, it would be easier to cope with feeling like a failure.  I am hoping that our final attempts at fundraising will be a success. 

On top of Relay not going well, a student recently posted some threatening comments on my classroom blog.  Fortunately, I can moderate comments, and they never made it to my page.  But now I am going through the process of deciding whether to file a police report to get to the bottom of it.  Kids today feel empowered to say things they don't mean behind the mask of the Internet.  I want whoever made these comments to realize that these things have to be taken seriously before he/she makes mistakes that can't be taken back.  I also feel that if the girl who wrote the derogatory note about me a few weeks ago had received a punishment, students wouldn't feel like it's okay to say these things about their teachers.  Any advice here?

Enough of the bad stuff.  Let's brighten this post up!

Eric and I went ahead and bought a crib for our nursery.  Here's what we went with:

It's the Delta Bentley 4-in-1 convertible crib from Target.  I feel like the style and color will work for either a boy or a girl and I love that it can grow with them.  We're trying to get a little at a time so that it's not so hard on the budget.  Next month we will probably get the mattress and maybe the matching rocking chair.

Here's a little update on me:

How far along? 13 weeks

Total weight gain: I'm back to my starting weight.  I feel like my scale may be a little off, so I'll have a more accurate weight after my next appointment.

Maternity clothes? I must admit that I wore maternity pants a few days this week.  I'm in this in between stage when I don't really NEED the maternity clothes but my regular clothes are a little uncomfortable.

Stretch marks? No

Sleep: I bought a body pillow thinking that would help alleviate my fears of rolling over onto my belly, but I still find myself waking up in the same positions.  Plus, it takes up a quarter of the bed.  Maybe it will come in handy more in my second and third trimesters.

Best moment this week: Finishing the CRCT!  Thank God that is over.

Miss Anything? Wine.  I have definitely wished I could come home and have a glass after having so many hard days this week.

Movement: Not yet.

Food cravings: Still bacon, egg & cheese biscuits.  I guess I need protein.

Food aversions: I am rarely in the mood to eat certain foods, but once I force myself to take the first bite I can stomach most things.

Gender: I had a dream a few nights ago.  I was taking what looked like a pregnancy test, but when I looked down at it, it said, "It's a Boy!"  Maybe it's a sign.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: I have been having some soreness in my belly around my bellybutton.  I have been reading some things and some women say they can feel growing pains from their growing uterus.  I plan on talking to my doctor about it at my next appointment.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: SUMMER!  I know I still have 4 weeks of school, but I can't wait to have some time to relax and just enjoy being pregnant without all of the pressures of teaching.

11 Weeks

Look at these little gems I found on Pinterest.  I can't wait to find out the gender and embark on some serious sewing projects this summer.  (Click on the images to view the link.)



Make your own custom bibs from this easy pattern.



Order your little one's favorite princess dresses.

Being on Spring Break this week has been so wonderful!  My dogs are going to be so lonely next week.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my students do not forget everything that they have learned this year when the CRCT starts next week.  On a lighter note, here's my weekly progress:

How far along? 11 weeks

Total weight gain: Still down a pound and a half even though my tummy is starting to become more prominent.

Maternity clothes? Not wearing them yet, but I finally broke down and went to Motherhood and got 3 pairs of pants to finish out this school year.  I foresee a monthly visit to that store.

Stretch marks? No.  Have any of you used Mother's Friend?  If so, did it smell bad?  As much as I want to prevent stretch marks, my sensitive nose really does not like the smell of cocoa butter.

Sleep: I wake up almost every morning at 4 am to pee and I toss and turn a lot throughout the night.  Maybe this is nature's way of preparing me for having a baby at home.

Best moment this week: Having lunch with my hubby yesterday.  Being a teacher doesn't exactly allow for long and luxurious lunch breaks, so even though we work close to one another, Eric and I never get to have lunch together.

Miss Anything? Being able to lift things.  I have been cleaning out closets and rearranging things this week so that when the baby comes, he/she will have his/her own closet.  I'm so afraid to carry around things like my sewing machine and the vacuum cleaner.  I know they are probably not too heavy for me to carry but I always find myself worrying after I pick something up.

Movement: No.  I can't wait to feel the baby for the first time though.

Food cravings: Egg salad sandwiches...speaking of things that stink.

Food aversions: Most meat grosses me out unless I'm really in the mood for it.

Gender: ??  If we stay on track with our 4 week appointments, we will be having a 18/19 week appointment in the last week of May.  I'm hoping that we will be having an ultrasound that week.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: To help with my night sickness I changed the time of day I was taking my prenatals.  When that didn't help, I switched to 2 Flintstone vitamins a day.  I am still feeling nauseous at night though.  Hopefully the second trimester will provide me with some relief.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Easter Sunday...church and lunch with the family.  Happy Easter everyone!

Busy Bee

Ok so the past week has been really hectic, but finally Spring Break is here and I have a little time to relax.  The beginning of last week was especially difficult.  On Monday, the internet was down for the entire county on a day that I needed internet access to successfully conduct my lesson.  On Tuesday, my first Relay for Life fundraiser had to be cancelled based on a lack of ticket sales.  Then on Wednesday, I was presented with a nasty note filled with profanity that one of my students wrote and I believe was directed toward me.  Needless to say, I was really looking forward to a week off.

My husband and I used part of the weekend to get some tasks checked off of the home improvement list.  On Sunday, we finished fencing in our yard!  It has been wonderful just to open the back door and let our dogs run free.  Here are a few pictures of our current "babies."

Riley

Sadie


I also decided to restore a little birdhouse that has been hanging from a tree in our back yard.  Here are the before and after shots.  I'm thinking I may distress it a little to give it an outdoorsy quality.

Before

After

Today I spent the day helping my best friend do some shopping for her wedding, and I had a doctor's appointment.  Here's where I stand after 10 weeks:

How far along? 10 weeks

Total weight gain: The doctor confirmed today that I am actually down 2 pounds even though I already feel like I look big. 

Maternity clothes? No, but I did make my first maternity purchase this week.  It's a cotton maternity dress from Target.  Should be light and comfy this summer.

Stretch marks? No..Palmer's is my friend.

Sleep: My dreams are becoming a little scary.  I dreamed a few nights ago that I delivered the baby way too early and that the baby would never be able to walk or feed itself.  I know every mom has these fears.  I am just prayerful that we have a healthy baby.

Best moment this week: Hearing the heartbeat at my appointment today.  :-)

Miss Anything? Being able to paint.  We were planning to stain our bathroom cabinets, but now I can't do it so that is just one more thing on hubby's honey-do list.

Movement: None yet.

Food cravings: I am all about Firehouse Subs.

Food aversions: Most foods still do not appetize me.

Gender: Still a mystery, but according the the heartbeat today (150 bpm) we may have a little lady on the way.  There is a wives tale that girls have higher heart rates than boys, but I still am feeling like it's a boy.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: I have been feeling sick right before bed.  I'm thinking it's because I take my prenatals with dinner, so for the next few days I am going to try taking them with lunch and see if my nighttime sickness goes away.  I have also had stomach problems (sorry to be graphic here but...diarrhea) every morning.  I'm hoping this all goes away soon.

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Looking forward to: Joy's wedding dress fitting on Wednesday and cleaning out my closets and the basements.