Some of my faves...

Alina Grace


Mommy and Baby



Soooo happy!!

Wow, it's been a while...

Well, I have been debating keeping a blog vs. not keeping a blog. I think only about 3 people read it and I am always worried about online safety. (I know, freaked out mom.) Anyways, until I decide I guess I will post a catch you up on my life post. Haha.

As most of you know, we had our beautiful baby girl, Alina. She was 7lbs, 8 oz and 19.5 inches long. The last time she went to the pediatrician's office she was already 11.5 lbs soooo needless to say, she is growing like a weed!!! She has the best pinchable cheeks ever.

The latest things Alina is doing...or has been doing for a few weeks...

-rolling from her back to her side (although she is rolling more in her sleep - we put her on her right side and Joshua found her almost on her left side...Joshua put her in on her left side and I found her allllmost on her tummy!)

-cooing, "talking" like crazy! I ask her questions and she responds with coos and grunts.

-BIG smiles! Now, she has smiled since she was a newborn but this is reactive smiling. When Joshua or I walks into the room to see her, she smiles...she smiles when we talk to her and tickle her now. It is fabulous!

-Bubble making. I do not know why she likes to do this...but she loves making bubbles with her mouth. She also sticks her tongue out a lot. We think she is discovering her mouth. Haha.

-She has had great head control for a while but now she can sit up (holding my fingers of course).

-She has gone to restaraunts and done well!! She even sat in my lap, happy the entire time I ate at Cracker Barrel with my folks last week. Amazing!

Needless to say, she is growing way too fast...not only physically, but personality wise. We love her to death and can't wait to see the next thing she tries!

The good, the bad and the ugly comments

I have learned soooo much being preggo. I have learned what you should say and what you should NEVER say to a pregnant woman. I have also learned not to never gawk at a pregnant person. Oh my goodness...I walk into a store and it's like I no longer have a face. All eyes are on my belly. One woman was walking into Ingles, and was plenty far away...but felt like she was in my way I guess. She said "Oh excuse me." I told her she was fine. The guy with her said..."Whoah." Nice. I decided to make a list of comments I have received. Some are cute ones from some kids at school. The rest are from adults.

The cute kiddie comments:
1. "Are you pregnant?"-2nd grader last week
2. "Is it a boy or girl?"-little girl (maybe 5 yrs old)
"Girl."-Me
"Girls are late, you know."-little girl
3. "I'm pregnant."-Me
"Are you MARRIED?!?!"-student
4. (Joshua drops off a water for me while I am in the classroom tutoring a student.)
"So do you know who that is?"-Me
"Your boyfriend?"-student

Adult comments: (Guess which ones made me smile and which ones made me cry.)
1. "When is your due date again? You look like you're about to explode!"
2. "How much longer do you have?" (I tell her 7 weeks.) "Are you sure there's just one in there?!?"
3. "You look so cute!"
4. "You look like you're six months pregnant." (Told to me today.)
5. "You don't look pregnant from the back."
6. "Does your belly button hurt?? Oh-I can't look at it."
7. "All pregnant women are beautiful!"

I will think of more, I am sure. I try to block out the mean comments...haha. I guess when you feel ugly, huge and are pumped full of hormones, some things hurt more than others. The important thing is that my daughter and I are healthy. I cannot wait to meet this precious little girl!! =) (We will see if she comes on or before Dec. 22nd.)

Time for an Update

1. Well, I passed the one hour glucose test-YAY!
2. I had a strep scare but I did not get strep. I had a nasty cold and think I am in for round two of it since everyone at work has it.
3. I think we have decided on a name..at least a first name.
4. We took a childbirth class-thanks, Moores. Your suggestion was great! (And the one day went by so quickly. I was a bit shocked!)
5. Soccer season is still going, so life is still busy and Joshua is exhausted.
6. I feel large.
7. I am on a doctor rotation now and have been told I have gained too much weight. Pleasant.
8. I got a new haircut that I love.
9. Teachers have not had a day off of school since Labor Day, and don't get another day off until Thanksgiving.
10. We found some great baby stuff for cheap at the Flea Market at school. (whoo-hoo!)
11. I met with my doula last night...you may know her as Jessica Hoover! Yay!

Well that about wraps it up for now. I should try to blog more, huh??

May the third trimester begin...

Well, so I think I am beginning my third trimester...I am 27 weeks now and feel big. Tomorrow I go for the one hour glucose test. For those that don't know what this is...well, you have to drink a very sugary sweet drink...I hear it tastes like orange Fanta but without the bubbles...then you sit and wait for an hour...then your blood is taken to see if you have signs of gestational diabetes. If your sugar level is too high, you get to go back for a 3 hour test and drink a more sugary drink, and get blood taken every hour. Needless to say, I hope I pass tomorrow's test! I hate needles, and getting my blood taken but I am hopeful that I will only have to do this once. We shall see....pray that it goes well tomorrow..please!

Oh and I read and have heard that there are more flavors for this sugary substance besides orange...fruit punch, and cola flavored. I also read that some clinics let you drink it on ice in a cup. Ha. I bet I will not be allowed to, but you can believe I will be asking for that. As for the flavor, I would take the cola but I bet I will be offered the orange. So, good thing I like orange soda I guess.

Sick

So, I have come down with a stinky cold/cough combo. It has NOT been enjoyable. Since strep was starting to circulate at school, I must say I am very thankful it is not strep...but it still stinks to be sick and preggers. I called my nurse to see what I could take, but unfortunately some of the over-the-counter meds she recommended they no longer make for some reason. So, I am drinking lots of water, sucking on Luden's cough drops from time to time, and hoping this nastiness goes away.

The Diaper Dilemma

I think it would be a wonderful thing to be able to use cloth diapers...especially with all the new ones out there! There are SO many websites, brands and types you can buy that it becomes overwhelming. They are becoming more popular, and with that comes competition! They range in price, dependant on the type of cloth diaper you buy, and can be expensive--but so are disposable diapers! I think in the long run, the cloth diaper route is less expensive, but more work. However, I would love to try using them! Of course, I am registering for both disposable and cloth because when they are newborns and go non-stop, I am probably going to be wanting those easy disposable diapers. Also, when they are older and on the run, those disposables will always come in handy! Anyways, if you have any thoughts or insights on different brands of cloth diapers, puh-lease let me know. I have a feeling that this may be a trial and error adventure for me, and I will find what works best for me and Baby Girl...but at the moment I am overwhelmed and tired of looking them all up online. Shoo!

This is National Geographic LIVE!

Alrighty...two bears in one week. Here is the scoop. When we moved into this house almost 3 years ago, the people who lived here before left a bunch of stuff! One thing they left was a trash can full of birdseed! Well, as you know birdseed goes bad after a while, and when we moved in, it had already been sitting for quite some time...but what do ya do with a trash can full of bad bird seed?? So, my hunny was cleaning out the garage this past weekend and decided it was time to dump it! So, he dumped it in the side yard thinking...I wonder if we will have little critters soon... Since then we have had 2 bears (numbers 4 and 5)...rather large critters if you ask me! Number five was a BIGGIE and we took lots of pics of him from our bedroom window. Hope you enjoy...

The other night the window was open and I thought we had another bear in the yard since I heard something scuttering in the seed area. Joshua shined a flashlight and there were a bunch of little eyes staring back at us. It was our racoon babies all grown up! (Okay so I like to think it was the same babies from a few months ago..who knows.) Today I came home to a big turkey. Usually when we have turkeys it is more than one...well, this guy was a loner. I couldn't get a good, up close picture because they are skittish. This is the best I could do...

This concludes the wildlife lesson of today. I think we should start charging people admission to come over...we could be the new Nature Center! Ha.

Bear Sighting Number Four

So, we were driving back into our driveway last night (a little after dark)...we were in the truck and Joshua decided to pull all the way up the driveway so I wouldn't have to walk all the way up (what a sweetie!). Well, something was in the backyard and when the headlights hit it, we saw black bear number four! He looked right at us, and walked into the woods. We stayed in the truck for a few minutes, listening to where he was going...meanwhile, I have to use the restroom so badly (the baby likes to sit low). Finally, Joshua got the basement door open for me to get inside, but then he had to park his truck back down. He took a broom with him, parked the truck and dashed back up the driveway to "safety." It was quite a humorous sight. That was our excitement on a Sunday evening! Again, I have no picture but he was smaller than bear number 3 (if you are keeping track). Joshua called him "a junior in high school."

My finds at WeeTrade

So, we went to the WeeTrade sale on Friday morning. I am glad I was only going for certain big items or it would have been completely overwhelming. We looked for a stroller but didn't find the kind we wanted. (There were a lot, but we are picky.) We did find a bassinett (it said "new" and it looks it!), a car seat with an extra base (only a year old, great condition, for less than half the price of a new one) and a crib set (with bumpers, sheets, skirt and quilt). We were given some money from family and then only allotted some money from extra tutoring Josh did last week. We only spent what we brought and it was great! So, I am feeling more prepared as the days go by...well as far as the "stuff" goes...haha. It was definitely worth going to!