week twenty-five!

 

Steve's Master's graduation from G.U. on May 7th :)

 

me at 24 weeks :)

 

on Monday night on the border between New Hampshire and Maine!

A little background story to the Maine picture... 

Last summer, Steve's parents gutted their kitchen and dug a big hole in the backyard to begin an addition to the back of their 1890 house.  Steve's full-time summer job was to help build the addition.  On the side, we made three trips to pick up "vintage" or "antique" pieces for the house.  We drove to Revere (Boston) Massachusetts to bring back a wood-burning stove.  We made a trip to Youngstown, Ohio for a back door.  And we visited the suburbs of Detroit for a set of French doors.  

This week, our destination was Providence, Rhode Island for twelve white oak window sashes (wood frames) that were new, made specifically for the house.  I decided if we went to New England, I was going to see my friend and old roommate, Emily, in New Hampshire.  So on Monday, we drove 9+ hours to New Hampshire, and we spent four hours with sweet Emily and her new fiance Andy. We had a delicious pizza dinner in downtown Portsmouth, and we saw where Andy works on the border of Maine.  From NH, we drove to Massachusetts to spend the night at a hotel, and of course watch the season finale of our favorite show, "Castle".  (What a sad and intense finale!  Kate is so alive, by the way.)  Then yesterday morning, we drove from Massachusetts to Providence and picked up the windows.

I had heard via Facebook that my very close family (Aunt Tina, Uncle Paul, and cousin Tim) from Nebraska were in Connecticut, vacationing for a few days with my aunt's relatives.  At the last minute of our trip, I pieced together that Steve and I would be driving right past them.  And amazingly, we were able to have a two-hour lunch feast with them at an Olive Garden outside Hartford!  I used to live just a couple blocks away from them in Nebraska, and now we live a 2-days drive apart, and only see each other once or twice a year.  So of course, it was wonderful to see them!  (If only Katie had been with too!)  Steve and I made it back home at 10 PM last night, 38.5 hours after we left. :)  It was so worth it.

As for being twenty-five weeks, I feel great.  I'm definitely growing, although so far, it's been at a very slow rate.  The bump is not always visible, depending on what I'm wearing.  I feel hungry almost every hour (ahh!)  The best part about the pregnancy is feeling him move, which happens a few times a day, especially if I'm at home relaxing.  How exciting, right!!?  Pinch me, is this all real?  ;)

this is the week I've been waiting for.

We find out the baby's gender tomorrow!! (provided that the baby lets us see.)  It is crazy to think this is the last day that I will not know this vital fact about my firstborn child.  I cannot wait to see what he or she looks like now!  and I pray that everything appears healthy and normal.  :)

and after the ultrasound in the afternoon, Steve defends his thesis in front of his board!  Then he graduates with his Masters on Saturday!!  This is the week I've been waiting for, for months!

Last week was not the easiest, as my expectations for the upcoming summer have not been met.  I had a couple overly emotional days as we have made some tough decisions about housing and work after we move out of Erie within the next month. God will provide for us, I know.

I need to go to the store to buy a special edition PEOPLE of the Royal Wedding.  I, for some reason, am a little obsessed about it. 

must get out.

here is me last Wednesday!  as much as there is a definite bump, I've been told on the street, "You can't even tell!"  and the kids that I teach don't notice.  (which is incredible, because this baby is supposedly 7 inches long, and nearing 1 pound!)

We were just listening to an old Maroon5 song called "Must Get Out" that I used to listen to in high school.  One line of the chorus is, "This city's made us crazy, and we must get out."  As I was mouthing the words, Steve says to me, "Is this your theme song?"  Today, at 34 degrees with a mix of snow and rain, I answered "Yes!"  Aside from our actual apartment, I feel no strings pulling me to stay here.  No one is going to cry when we leave.  I will be sad to say goodbye to these four walls that we've made our home for the past two years.  Steve and I have spent so much time together in this apartment!  But I know that our next place is going to become even more special, as it's where we'll bring home our first baby. 

I am excited for Easter: to celebrate Jesus' resurrection, relax with my mom, get my hair cut for the first time since last July, hear Steve sing in church, play with my 9-month-old niece Natalie whom I haven't seen since Christmas, make layered Jello, and unofficially start looking for a new home, in a new town.

week nineteen

This morning, it is finally sunny outside, with a high of 57!  After a week of 30-some degrees again, I am craving some nicer weather so that I can go out and walk comfortably.  We even had snow flurries more than once this week!  When Steve gets home from his Saturday morning class, we'll head to my mom's house for the day (a 2.5 hour trip).  We are going to an all-church birthday party this evening, for all the months of the year.  Both of our moms are praying that more than 5-10 people show up after all of the work they put into it.  My mom writes the Facebook updates for our church daily, and I think that is a great form of advertising, so we'll see what happens.

Steve and I are noticing that I'm growing a bit more this week.  I can still hide my stomach, but if I put on a tight shirt, it definitely looks like I've gained the 8 pounds all in my middle.  I am slowly on the lookout for a new-ish maternity wardrobe, although I still think it'll be a while before I outgrow everything I own.  Baby continues to kick quite a bit, including right now.  On the days that I work, baby doesn't seem to move at all.  I think all of the kids must sound really scary, or my stress level gets high and the baby gets nervous or something.  Last night we got another delicious pizza (I finally found a good pizza place here at the end of our time in this city), and a little while after I ate it, the baby was really dancing in there!

I am trying to be the best version of myself, to really knock out all of the negative feelings that I have, and to watch my words before I say them, but at least once a day, I still embarrass myself or get disappointed in how I have managed my time and my energy.  I am such a work in progress!  And as much as I would like to rewind 2 years back to college and change some things, or rewind 6 years back to high school and make some different decisions, I think that is life.  In 2 years, I'll probably want to redo what I am doing now.  Right now I just have to do the best that I can. :)

Steve just texted me to say that he is the "Outstanding Grad Student" in the English department this year!  Yay!

week seventeen

I just bought this beauty this afternoon.  I was debating what new hobby I should start, and I knew it had to be some kind of art or craft.  I've always wanted a sewing machine.  My mom's was never in operation while growing up, and all I really sewed were tiny pillows by hand.  So this "Singer Stylist" is a luxury that I splurged on, in hopes that I will create really cool things.

This week was a milestone week in my pregnancy because since Tuesday, I can feel the baby moving!  I am still stunned that on Monday, I couldn't feel a thing.  Then all of a sudden on Tuesday, I felt every flutter, kick, and punch!  It is so reassuring to feel those little movements because it is a consistent daily reminder that the baby is okay :)  I didn't expect to feel him/her quite so soon, as I'm still not very big, and it can happen anywhere from 15-26 weeks.  I am so glad I can now!  It is amazing to feel spontaneous movement coming from inside, from some tiny little legs or arms.

Steve has been limping around yesterday and today with an injured foot.  He isn't sure if something is broken, sprained, or if he has an infection, but he really can't walk.  So I've been worried.  (I worry much more than he does about anything).  If it's not one thing, it's another, right?

and to finish: a little bio of Ivy puppy, who brings us so much laughter.
favorite people food: popcorn and goldfish crackers.
favorite activities: going for long walks, running as fast as she can in giant circles, waiting in the driver's seat for us to return to the car from a store, playing ball, watching out the window for us to come home, and chewing Nylabone.
best quality: unconditional love.
most anticipated event: becoming a big sister.
favorite color: green, of course.

week sixteen!

I subbed three days for an 8th grade language arts teacher.  The 8th graders were very easy and self-sufficient.  I taught 6th and 7th grade grammar as well.  The most difficult part about subbing is that I feel like a stranger in the room.  I was sooo tired by Wednesday afternoon.  But I guess the kids liked me, as I had two students attempt to add me on Facebook.  :)

On Wednesday night, we went to Texas Roadhouse with one of Steve's coworkers and her husband, who have been married since October.  They are a lot of fun to be around, and they are in a similar stage as us:  they're preparing to move to Boston at the end of the summer so she can start law school.  On Friday night, we went out with another couple and their 3-year-old girl and 8-month-old baby girl.  After dinner together, they invited us back to their townhome for coffee and a game.  Steve and I left their place saying to each other, "Why are we finding these good friends right before we are moving away?"

The dinner that we had on Friday night was a Lenten fish fry at one of the Catholic churches.  This is my year as a pretend Catholic, I suppose.  I have been to my first Catholic wedding, three masses, I sub exclusively at a Catholic school, and now I am attending Friday night fish dinners.  Haha.

For St. Patrick's Day, I made a green cake with green Cool Whip mint frosting (that tasted like a shamrock shake) and a layer of fudge topping in-between.  It was really delicious.  However, this week my weight spiked a little bit more than I wished, so I am learning to be more cautious.  At the beginning of the pregnancy, I was really picky with what food I wanted.  And I was lenient with myself because I knew my appetite would eventually return and I could eat healthier fare.  But now, I'm realizing I need to step up my game a little and start forcing some vegetables and whole grains down.  Yesterday I gave up fries and bacon as well, as they've become a slight problem.  ((Side note about bacon, we made a couple trips to Subway this week for BLTs, and I found out that Friday night, our Subway (in a good neighborhood nearby) was robbed at gunpoint.  This just adds to my paranoia about how unsafe this town has been.))

I am trying to teach myself how to sleep on only my left side or my right side, because back and stomach are now bad for the baby.  This week, I can feel where he/she is, and I hope one of these days, I'll be able to see the bump!  We have our monthly appointment tomorrow afternoon, so that's exciting :)

 

(my St Patrick's Day cake)

chicago, preschool, vitamins, and charlie's angels

Our trip to Chicago was so well worth it.  We were able to see everyone that I had the goal to reconnect with, even though two days went by speedily.  My friendships were really solidified.  And now I can go on feeling more confident that these relationships will withstand time and distance.  One thing Steve and I really enjoyed was spending time with two young, Christian, married couples who understand us and relate to us so well.  It was refreshing.  And it was fun to see three of our friends as parents, knowing we'll be joining that club soon.

Today, I subbed in 2 year-old preschool.  I wasn't quite willing to go this young (I had done 3 & 4 year-olds reluctantly already).  But I was asked, so I'll try anything once.  I somehow managed to make it the whole time without having to change a diaper.  But I won't be that lucky on Friday, when they asked me back.  The best part of today was a little boy named Ryan, who bonded with me when I sat down to play cars with him.  I was flattered because even though he was a boy's boy, he wanted to stay by my side for the rest of the day, holding my hand and sitting on my lap at times.  He called me his friend and got jealous if other kids tried to sit on my lap or steal my attention.  So this adorable Ryan, and many of the other boys in these preschool and kindergarten classes that have really liked me, reassure me that if this baby inside is a boy, I will be so thrilled.  This is surprising, because for a long time I didn't know what I would do with a boy, having grown up without males in my house.  There's a quote on one of the ending episodes of "Friends" where Monica says to her baby boy, "I am going to love you so much, no girl is ever going to be good enough for you."  I feel this way.

I just got home from CVS, where I purchased 8 boxes of prenatal vitamins.  They only last 30 days, so these will carry me through the pregnancy.  They were $7 (about half off), instead of the $16 One-A-Day name brand.  I feel like I got such a steal!  I hope the baby is enjoying my Cool-Whip & Jello love right now.  I made pistachio Jello salad and a berry Jello/Oreo pie yesterday which have been extra delicious to me.

On to watch some Tuesday night TV, and maybe an episode of Charlie's Angels when Steve gets home from night class.  We are almost done with watching the original first season from 1976--I love it.  Farrah's hair, their cars, their clothes, female crime-solving: fantastic.