Week Twenty's Baby Bump

Greetings from Netty!

We are so, so excited to announce that we are having a GIRL! Neither Jon nor I are surprised but we're so glad that we finally have the proof. Contrary to Aunt Stephie's wishes, Netty has her mother's modesty. Her legs were crossed through most of the ultrasound, but the ultrasound technician was persistent and wasn't going to let us leave without knowing the gender for sure. So Jonny and I decided that we're not quite ready to embarrass her yet, and we've opted out of posting her "parts" (or I guess lack of parts). There will be plenty of opportunities for her to lose faith in us after she's born.

 

Here is a profile shot. The little blob above her head is her fist. She's a wiggle-worm, but she kept her hand kind of over her eye. I think she's shielding her eyes from the light. It's day, after all, and if she's anything like me, she'll come out saying, "I hate sunshine! I hate it!"

 More evidence that she is in fact my child. Here is her yawn. Her nose is on the right, her chin on the left.

 This is probably the best as picture as far as a profile is concerned. The ultrasound technician was trying to get a 3-D shot, but she was moving so much that none of them turned out very clear.

This is also a good profile shot except that she's practically kissing the placenta.

Everything is still on track. Her heartbeat was very strong and clear, and right now she is in the 55th percentile for her weight. We couldn't be happier!

Week Nineteen's Baby Bump

We have had a VERY crazy week! We only have two weeks left of the semester, so Jon and I are both in panic mode now. The good news is that this is often when the "Kay Kick" starts. For those who aren't familiar with this term, it refers to the burst of energy at the end of a race, and it was made famous in the Puyallup School District. To my knowledge, all of my siblings who participated in junior high and high school sports exhibited the "Kay Kick." What I have found, though, is that I can also use the "Kay Kick" in any intense moment when I'm closing in on a finish line of sorts, end of semesters included. I am always much more productive in the last week or two of the semester. Somewhere inside me I find energy that I didn't know existed, and suddenly I can accomplish the impossible (maybe the "Kay Kick" also goes into effect during labor and delivery???).

We made a bit of a drastic purchase this week, but we feel totally justified in our decision. Jon's laptop has been on the fritz for months, and it has caused many rants and intense moments. On Monday night I was afraid he was going to throw it across the room, so I quickly pushed him out the door to go for a walk while I frantically looked online for computer deals. There were several Cyber Monday deals, but still none that were in our price range. So on Tuesday night we made a trek down to Best Buy in Idaho Falls and within twenty minutes, we were walking out of the store $500 poorer but with smiles on our faces. We bought the computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse for $508 after tax. We already had the webcam (a $6 Amazon purchase), and tonight we bought the speakers at Walmart for $11.

Another big happening this week was that Jon and I cut our hair. Well, it wasn't such a big happening for him except that I clipped a little too short around his ears. At least he's not picky and is perfectly happy with his non-shaggy hair. Just today I went to a salon on Main Street and got my hair cut. You can see it best in my "baby bump" picture at the top of the post. It is MUCH shorter, and feels kind of weird. My hair had been nearing the bottom of my back, and it was looking unhealthy. I think it will take some time to get used to, but I like it, and Jonny likes it (which is really what I was going for).

Week Eighteen's Baby Bump

Week Seventeen's Baby Bump

 

Seventeen weeks today!

 

And flowers from Jonny last week!

The Miracle of Modern Medicine

This morning we had another appointment. Can I just say how happy I am that I live in this time period when I can listen to my baby's heartbeat every few weeks? It sure takes away a lot of my anxiety about the baby's health. The nurse said that the baby's heartbeat is very strong, and it was easy to find. For those who don't know, last week we went to the Emergency Room because I had a UTI. It seemed like a drastic step for such a little problem, but because of the pregnancy and our insurance's nurse hotline, we decided to get it taken care of. While there the ER nurse had a hard time finding the heartbeat, and when they did, it was sounded faint. Luckily, this was only due to the fact that the monitor was old and not very good. Even still, I feel so much better after today's visit to the doctor because now I know that the baby is doing really well.

This has been an exciting week because the baby has been moving around a lot. I've been feeling it for several days now, and Jon has been able to feel it a few times over the last couple of nights. On December 9th, three weeks from today, we have an ultrasound and will at last know the gender of our baby. Jon and I can hardly wait!

Popcorn Popping on the Christmas Tree

This Weekend: More Christmas!

Friday's date night led Jonathan and I to Walmart to buy a Christmas tree. I know it's early, but holidays at school seem to be skipped over. If I wait until after Thanksgiving to begin celebrating Christmas, I don't feel like I have enough time to truly get into the Spirit of Christmas. So we bought a tree, lights, some red and green balls, and a star. We forgot to buy hooks for the balls, so they are hanging on the tree by red and white and green and white paperclips that we had on hand. My former roommate NaDene came over for dinner tonight and the three of us cut out snowflakes for the tree with nifty Christmas scissors. We had such a fun night, and the tree has certainly rocketed us further into the Christmas Spirit!

Also this weekend I took the English content Praxis test required for student teaching. I had been studying for weeks, but I still felt anything but prepared. I took an old Praxis test this week and did really well on it; however, the test I took on Saturday was harder. I'm not sure how I did, and I won't find out until December. At least it's over now and I can stop focusing on studying for it and I can concentrate on the miracle that will be passing my classes!

I have really resisted putting a picture of my belly on the Internet. I'm self-conscious about my stomach enough as it is, and now that's the whole point of posting the picture. But Jon convinced me that yes, my middle is getting bigger but that the smaller numbers on the scale are evidence that the baby is growing, not me. We are now at week 16, and in the last week I have felt the baby move a few times. I can also find the baby sometimes when I'm lying down, even if I can't feel it move simply because of how hard it is compared to the rest of my tummy. And so, here is a picture, and here's hoping I at least look a little pregnant and not just fatter and fatter.

Snow is Falling All Around....

As I wrote in my last post, my cousin Nicole came over last weekend to watch Christmas movies. The night kept getting more and more festive, particularly once we broke out the scissors and paper to make snowflakes! It's pretty much one of my favorite things to do around Christmas. I must take this moment to thank my high school Cross Country coach and eleventh grade math teacher Mrs. Thompson for teaching me how to make such nifty snowflakes.

It's Beginning To Look (& Sound) A Lot Like Christmas

I don't know what it is about this year, but I feel so much more in the mood for Christmas than I have in the last few years. I've been itching to watch Christmas movies and bake cookies and decorate a Christmas tree! Jon said we don't really need a tree since we will be in Utah for Christmas, but I say otherwise.... We will be having a tree this year, even if it's only for a few weeks. It's our first Christmas together, and I'm determined to start tradition-building now.

This quilt was a wedding gift from my grandma, Ruth Yukish. She started a tradition many, many years ago of making quilts for her grandchildren when they are born, when they graduate from high school, and when they get married. My mom and I picked out the fabric. She doesn't typically do patchwork, but she was so excited when she saw all of the bright colors we chose. I couldn't be happier with it!

Today Jonathan made the BEST hot chocolate I have ever had. He made Stephen's raspberry hot chocolate and put French vanilla creamery in it. I drank it while watching the snow fall outside and listening to Christmas music. Life doesn't get a whole lot better than that. Tonight my cousin Nicole is coming over to watch Elf. She is bringing taco soup for dinner, and we're going to have more hot cocoa and eat sugar cookies and crescent rolls. I'm pretty sure this is how heaven will be.

Rexburg is already absolutely freezing. Last fall we didn't have snow in Rexburg until after Thanksgiving. This is our second snowfall so far this semester. Pretty good considering we've made it passed midterms without a ton of snow. Now is when the semester really gets crazy. Jon and I are both trying to do well in our classes. Midterm grades are never very accurate, but I'm afraid we still have a lot of work to do if we're going to get through this semester. Most of my classes right now require a large amount of teaching at Madison Junior High. The good thing about this is that it has forced me to become more comfortable in a real classroom. In fact, a few semesters ago I wasn't able to give presentations in my classes because I was too afraid of being in front of people. Now, even though I still get a little nervous, I get up in front of classes all the time with relative ease. I have been surprised at how much I truly enjoy teaching. I guess I'm going into the right field.