The Countdown Begins

"So far so good." The best words an expectant couple could hear at their check-up.  We are 32 weeks along as of right now, and I'm feeling great, and our little boy is growing and moving right on track.  Our doctor said that we are in the countdown phase, "Check-up with ultrasound in three weeks, then check-up in two and finally check-ups every week until the baby arrives."

WOW.

Needless to say Jason and I are really excited to meet this little man that we have been hearing about, feeling and praying for for the last eight months.  We feel very blessed to have all good news as of yet, and the fast that I am still pretty comfortable for the most part.

It still amazes me that there is a new little life, a new family member that we haven't met, but will get to know just growing inside of me.  It blows my mind that there is nothing of my own doing that is making him grow, but that God. in His masterful plan, is knitting my baby and growing my baby in me.  What a blessing to be a woman and get to carry new life; something I've dreamed about since I was a little girl, and never could have imagined it being as amazing as it truly is.  Very much looking forward to his arrival, and the changes that are to come for our family of two.

Baby Boy

I can't believe how fast time has gone! This was taken on our girls weekend that a group of my friends and I took to Tollgate, OR (right outside of Sisters).  I am feeling really good still, and have managed to keep up with all of my many activities like teaching, working out, youth group, teaching swim lessons, etc.  The little kids at swim lesson crack me up because they are constantly asking about the baby and what he is doing.  There is one little girl that has asked me each week since December if my baby is coming. :)  I also had a very sweet special ed boy at school amazed that my baby was alive inside of me and that he had the hiccups just like he gets sometimes. Very sweet :)

Our doctor visits are getting closer together now, and that makes it seem all the more real.  A couple weeks ago Jason and I took the birthing class at the hospital, and I think that made us both feel a lot more confident about what's to come.  We both learned a lot, and got some great tips that I'm sure come the day this little guys makes his appearance will go right out of our heads.  I am thinking I may be spending some time...that is if we have the time...in the jetted tubs that each birthing room has at the Salem Hospital :)

Thankful for feeling and seeing all his movements.  We are pretty sure we have seen his little feet pushing out, and I most definitely have felt his head and bottom sticking out. :) He gets the hiccups at least twice a day, and seems to be somewhat on a sleep schedule, waking up around 10:00pm each night. We love him a lot, and are looking forward to meeting him.

Working on the baby's room...stripes that worked AMAZING!!! Excited to see it all coming together.

Making a House a Home

We have officially been moved into our house for almost a month. It has been amazing, but A LOT of work at the same time.  When I come home it is still hard to believe that it is our "home," and that we don't have to leave.  We are so very thankful that we got to move into the house and start working on many of the jobs before the baby comes. 

One thing that we have learned is that when we start a job it seems to create about five more...but we are making progress, and what we have accomplished has definitely made the house feel more like our own place.

Living Room/Dining Room: Start of the cleaning and painting job.

Taking up the OLD/GROSS carpet in the two extra bedrooms.



Baby's Room: All the old carpet is up! Ready for the new stuff to be put in.



Painting! Lots of painting!

Getting some of our stuff out of boxes, and attempting to set up our place.

Kitchen: Jason and his dad installing the new dishwasher.

Home Sweet Home

Our new home :) Future Plans: New front door, freshly painted trim, landscaping, etc.

Upstairs/Bonus Room Future Plans: Built-Ins, new carpet, paint, hang-out space

Family Room/Dining Room Future Plans: New paint, new trim, making it a space that we can spend time in as a family.

Baby's Room Future Plans: New carpet, new paint, new closet doors, new baseboards and trim, built in window seat.

Master Bedroom Future Plans: New paint color, window treatments, new closet doors, a relaxing place to snuggle up in.

Kitchen Future Plans: New dishwasher and garbage disposal, new cabinets and counters (major future plan)

Master Bathroom Future Plans: New vanity for storage

We are SO excited about being in our own home! We have been living at our new place a little over a week, and it is getting there. :) As you can see from all the rooms, there is a lot of space to fill up, and work to be done, but we are loving it.  So thankful to be home, and thankful for the blessing of making this house our home.

Bed-and-Breakfast

This spring break was a lot more low key than last year when we went to Hawaii, but it was still a great break.  It started out with a snow day...that's right, not winter break, but spring break.  We ended up with a little over 6" on snow to enjoy for the first few days of break, which was very unexpected.

Jason and I went and stayed in Pacific City on the Oregon Coast in a bed-and-breakfast (The Craftsman Bed & Breakfast).  Staying in one is something that I have wanted to do, and we thought it would be the perfect getaway before our little baby comes into the world.  It was such a cozy home, and our room and bathroom looked exactly like the pictures on their website.  We would diffidently recommend the stay to anyone wanting an escape for a night or two. http://www.craftsmanbb.com/

So cute when we pulled up :)

Our cozy room with robes waiting for us.

My favorite part of the room! I wish I could have taken the whole bathroom home with me.

While we were there, we were able to get out on the beach, and the sun did shine on us for part of the time.  But, you almost can't expect to go to the beach without getting some rain...our second night there there were weather warnings for high winds.  They were right. There were winds up to 80mph all through the night!

24 Weeks 3 Days

We also got out and did some sight-seeing.  We took a longer drive to get to our ultimate destination of the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  It was a much needed break, and really relaxing...perhaps our last getaway before the baby comes? :)

Pacific City, OR

March SNOW

This last week has been anything but normal...

Sunday evening, my parents called from the ER while I was at the gym to let Jason and I know that my grandma Agnes (92 years old) had had a stroke and was being admitted to the hospital for care and observation.  Jason and I drove down there, and listened as the doctors informed our family that it didn't look good, and that the bleed in her brain was quite large. 

Well, grandma had other plans. In fact on Tuesday when I went to spend time with her at the hospital, she was being discharged! The bleed in her brain was practically gone, and she was up walking around, talking and letting the doctors know that she certainly didn't want to be at the hospital.  Kinsey called her the "Energizer Bunny," and I can't help but to agree. She is one amazing woman.

Then Wednesday came, and with that came a crazy winter weather system...it snowed the entire day, and didn't stop all night.  At our house we had about 6" on powder snow when we woke up Thursday morning.  Due to the weather, our spring break started a day early...can you tell we were a little excited about that?

Today I am 24 weeks along in growing baby boy Bernard.  During the snow storm I thought it would be fitting to take some pictures of my growing tummy, since he told me how much he loves the snow:

I have been amazed lately with how much he is growing, and how much I can feel him moving around.  When I had my monthly check-up on Tuesday while listening to his strong heartbeat, we could also hear tiny hiccups; so in love with this little one.  He is growing right on track, and like I said he makes his presence known to his mama when he wants some attention.  He is now, according to the doctors estimates, about 9 inches long and weighs about a pound.  I am getting so excited to meet him and hold him in my arms.

What a Day...

What a day...what a week...

It amazes me how sometimes the weeks can get so filled up with activities, events, meetings, work, etc. This week was one of those weeks, where it felt like Friday would never get here, and then when it did it was a crazy roller coaster ride that I wanted to get off of the moment it started.

With the sun making an appearance today, it seemed like the students at my school also decided to come out of hibernation and show their true colors.  I had kids fighting, cussing, throwing things, arguing, lying and stealing before school began to the bell ringing at the end of the day!  Needless to say, when the bell rang at the end of the day, and I had gotten the last of the kids out the door, I was ready for the weekend.

Some might wonder why someone would want to work with "those" kids or middle schoolers in general, but the truth is, they need adults in their life that care.  I love their energy, I love their excitement for life, and the passion they bring to the things that they love doing.  Sometimes it seems like they are trying to make you stop caring, but I love proving them wrong. 

Working with students and making an impact is why I went into teaching; and it is that passion that helps me get out of the bed in the morning.  The students at my school come from broken homes, many who come to school without having eaten breakfast, knowing that going into the weekend they won't have meals waiting for them at home.  Many of the kids family's are living on around $15,000 a year, with parents that didn't graduate from middle school. 

They are the success stories, even if that success doesn't show every day.

So for them I will not take my loving family, warm/safe home, home-cooked meals and sweet husband for granted.  If anything when I am at school I will create for them a place that they can know they are loved and cared for.  They may make it hard to like what they are doing, but their choices can't stop me from loving them.