Well, since I can't do anything else at the moment, here's a we-almost-know-the-gender ticker. Yes, I tend to get obsessed and I have to know EVERYTHING all the time. It's like nature is keeping a big secret from me, and I don't like it much. Last night I had a very vivid dream about having an ultrasound and finding out that it was a girl (I high-fived Craig, which was funny, because he wants a boy) so of course that means it will be a boy. But everyone else on the planet seems to think it's a boy, so maybe it's actually a girl. (And if I hear one more old wives tale about how this or that means it's one or the other, I'm going to hurt someone....ARGH! "If your left eye twitches before midnight on a Tuesday, it's a girl...") At least it's almost the weekend, and weekends go by way too quickly, so it will be here before we know it.
I'm still waiting for bean sprout to kick me...it's early yet but every night before I fall asleep I lay very still and concentrate so that I don't miss anything if it IS moving around. The other night I could've sworn I felt something--it felt like a finger jabbed me twice from the inside--but I've not felt anything since, so it was probably just a twitchy muscle. That happens.
Anyhow that is all for now, I promise I'll put a few pictures up, including that of the ridiculous 17-week baby gut, this weekend.
Ten days! TENDAYSTENDAYSTENDAYS!!!! I am completely going out of my mind, I swear, I will just about lose it if the kid is turned around funny and we're unable to tell what it is. (I will jump up and down until I shake it into a better position is what I'll do!) Anyhow, I've been kind of wanting a girl rather than a boy this round but after seeing a commercial for "My Little Pony: Live!" today and realizing I have very little tolerance for some of the super-girly crap that I'd inevitably have to endure with a female child, I think I'd be just fine with a boy.. ;o)
Completely unrelated, this is a true story about something that happened today at school that completely cracked me up: I was walking down the hallway and one of my former students walked by and said, "Mrs. Haynor, I just heard about the baby!" Before either one of us could say anything else, a little sixth grade boy (I have never taught him but I know who he is) stopped dead in his tracks, looked at me with his eyes almost popping out and said, "YOU are pregnant?! Oh CRAP!" and took off down the hall. HA HA HA! I about fell down, I was laughing so much. This is why I love middle schoolers, they are completely mental.
...but this is still going to be a short post because I am exhausted right now! I've tried to talk Craig into posting every now and then but I don't see it happening. Oh well. Anyhow, the only baby news here (and it's good news!) is that it looks like we've found affordable and convenient child care, woohoo! Originally I wanted to try to find a person who just baby-sat a kid or two out of her home full time, but I need something reliable so that's out....what if one day they just decide they don't feel like doing it any more? My biggest problem with day care is that it is really expensive...I swear, it's extortion. People are desperate for child care so they charge ridiculous amounts of money (most places, I'd be forking over half of my paycheck....LITERALLY.) and they even charge for when the kid isn't there. I have 13 weeks of vacation a year and I would have to pay for all of those weeks. So anyways a few months ago, they started building a new center about five minutes from our house, directly on my route to work....I found out that the same group has a few more centers in the area so I went and picked up enrollment information and about died of happiness: only $800 a month for an INFANT! That is unheard of! They do charge for track-out, but only a half-price holding fee which, at their already affordable prices, is entirely reasonable. And something else I've never heard of--they allow you two vacation weeks that you don't have to pay for, which is really nice. I'm completely thrilled....the center by our house opens in another week so I'm going to go over and talk to the teachers/managers/whatever and take a tour of the place and if it looks good I only have to pay a $75 fee to hold a spot starting in April. Our baby is still a fetus of undetermined gender and it already has a day care center. This baby stuff is crazy.
That's it. I have a pretty good "rude and insensitive people who don't understand what it's like to actually have to work at it to get pregnant" rant saved up, but I'm too excited about day care to get properly worked up at this time. ;o)
...is Christie, for sending me my first-ever baby gift, which is THE CHICAGO BEARS BRIAN URLACHER ONESIE JERSEY!!!!!! :o) I'll post a picture in the near future....it's also the 24-month size, which ensures plenty of wearing time for the bean sprout. It's ridiculously adorable....so tiny! YAY! (I'm pretty sure when we heard the heart beat last week I also heard the sprout say, "GO BEARS!" Craig just thinks he heard submarine noises.)
Speaking of Craig, I have proof that I definitely married the right man: last week he randomly bought me the Discovery Channel Shark Week DVD collection. He can never seem to remember that I don't eat tomatoes, but he still knows me so well! I'm currently watching a Great White rip the guts out of an elephant seal....I did the same thing to a poor, defenseless pizza not too long ago (yes, I ate lots of healthy food today too)....in about the last week, I have developed a ravenous appetite. I am eating constantly....am I eating for two, or am I eating for me and a football team?! Jeez! At least I know now where those thirty pounds I'm supposed to gain will come from....
That's about it. As of tomorrow this will have been almost a 60-hour work week for me, so I'm ready for the weekend and some rest. (I do after school day care...supposed to be just two days a week but they are scrambling to hire more people so I'm by myself....I need the money though, that's what's going to help tide us over when I'm on maternity leave, and it's going to buy me my cute nursery too. I'm trying really hard not to get ridiculous with this baby stuff, but hey, it's our first one. I'll be practical next time.)
Aren't there enough dummies reproducing already? Is it really necessary to produce a manual to make it easier for them? COME ON!!
First, the most exciting news of all: I went the ENTIRE DAY with no anti-nausea medication! Woohoo! The morning sickness has left the building!
Second, here's evidence that I'm getting bigger! Yeah, I'm not *that* big yet, but I really don't have any normal pants that fit, even when I rig them with the rubber-band-through-the-buttonhole thing. I'm loving maternity pants, they are soooo comfortable! No buttons or zippers, just a giant stretchy band across the top! I may never be able to go back to real pants after this. The jeans in the picture are Old Navy maternity, and when I have the shirt down like it's supposed to be, they're actually pretty cute.
(Yes, I am severely lacking a butt. I don't want to talk about it.)
And this next thing is for Anna.....it's the creepy developing fetus ticker! ;o)
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This post is a day late, but yesterday was our four year anniversary! Sadly, I spent the evening wearing my happy teacher smile for open house, greeting this year's batch of spawn and their parents, but Craig and I celebrated tonight with a long, decadent meal at The Melting Pot. Luckily, our anniversary happened just as I'm exiting the first trimester, so I have been feeling almost normal again and could actually enjoy it.
I can't believe it's been four years...as I was clicking through a file of pictures, I came across wedding shower photos, including one of the cake at my Illinois wedding shower, which bore the message, "God's Blessings on Craig and Melissa." We certainly have been blessed. :o)
Exhausted after the ceremony...and we still have the reception ahead of us!
Just your typical wedding picture.
Cutting cake #1 at the little cake-and-punch reception at the church right after the ceremony. Big dinner and dancing reception was later that night. (Yes, I know that my cake is covered in hideous pastel flowers. There's a story there, believe me....)
This weekend I'll post a photo of the 14-week belly. I've just about blown up in the past week, totally out of the blue. It's actually pretty funny, because I'll glance at myself in the mirror and for a split second think, "Holy crap, I have GOT to do something about that gut!" Then I remember why it's there in the first place and I'm like, "Woohoo! Nevermind! No crunches for me!" It's going to be quite the wake-up call come January when the kid is out and the gut remains, and I have to attempt to tone it up again. UGH.
