It's a...

Girl!

We had our 20-week ultrasound this morning. Christmas Eve. What a great present. We have known for the last week and a half that we were having the ultrasound today, but we wanted to keep it a secret and surprise our families on Christmas. (Of course, we've already called them and told because we just couldn't keep it in.) So, we got to the hospital this morning at 8:15 for our appt. The technician was very nice and took a million pictures of the baby. She has two arms, two legs, 10 fingers, 10 toes, 4 heart chambers, and she had the hiccups. Very cute. She is perfect.

Now, we have a little bit of a conundrum because we felt we had the perfect boy's name, but we have no clue for a girl's name. I have been blurting out a million of them for weeks to which E has boisterously responded, "Veto!" As educators we have met more than our fair share of girls who are nothing but trouble. It is very hard to find a name with whom we cannot attach a girl who was truant, drug involved, pregnant, or btchy. We know we will find a name, but it sure isn't coming to us right now. So, she will be Baby Girl and we'll see if something better comes along.

Yesterday we were snowbound as yet another winter storm came through, so after the appt. we went shopping. Even though many people are out finishing their shopping, it still wasn't too bad. We looked at cribs and strollers and maternity clothes. E got a shirt for $5 with a coupon. Now that we know she's a girl, we broke down and bought a few outfits. What do you think? Cute? We're very happy that our little girl will be born in the warm May weather instead of this cold, snowy winter stuff.

So, we are dreaming of a white Christmas...and pink dresses and warm weather.

m

Christmas Vacation!

We are free. We actually survived the long haul from Thanksgiving to Christmas with children, parents, and fellow staff members. It was very hard the last week of school, but we made it and now we are FREE!

We went to the doctor's last week and all is going well. Our doctor is so funny and smart. She said my eye twitch is about stress and she bets it goes away during my vacation. I am measuring perfect and my weight gain has been slow, but fine for someone who started out with "a little meat on her bones." I have gained 6 pounds, so far and I am half way through the pregnancy. I am betting I gain a little more this month.....

That doesn't mean that my belly isn't sticking out like crazy now. I actually just feel fat, but when I put on my maternity clothes, I look pregnant. I am in need of maternity clothes and we had planned to go to the big city clothes shopping last weekend, but a crazy winter storm stopped us. We hope to go later on this week.

Yesterday we ran all of our last minute xmas errands and I got my Christmas toes. Every year I have a pedicure and get red toenails. It makes me feel better. Today we wrapped all of our gifts, watched another winter storm blow through, watched the Packers get creamed, cleaned the house, and are settling in for an evening of lasagne and bad TV.


E-

always the optimist

SNOW DOG....She loves it out there.




TABLE FOR FOUR....no waiting.


In E's last post, she said that we were expecting some snow and we were hoping for a snow day. Wish granted. 7 inches. I am a huge optimist about snow days. Every time we have a forecast that includes 3+ inches of snow or some icy conditions, I believe it may happen. E, on the other hand, can hear a blizzard forecast and still say, "We're going to school." Drives me crazy. So, I ignore her and go to the store and get some food. I check the weather every 2 minutes. I sleep lightly through the night listening for the snow plows and wondering what it's doing outside. Then, the phone rings...I give E a huge grin and throw my arms in the air in victory...Snow Day!!! We spent much of the day reading and staring out the windows as the snow fell at up to an inch an hour. In the early afternoon, we fired up the snowblower and cleaned up the sidewalks and driveway. It was a great day...forced relaxation. You can't drive anywhere. No one is moving. The world is silent. I love it.

Speaking of love...I think I look for it more during this time of year...Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, New Year (new start)...whatever you believe.

1. I was in line at the store tonight. A woman and her 20ish son were in line behind me and an old guy walks up with his purchase and loudly wishes everyone in earshot (that was quite a way in his tone of voice) a Merry Christmas. A few moments later he was talking to the woman about the busy-ness of the store and season. She asked if he was in a hurry and offered to let him go ahead of her. He was very happy and proceeded to push past me and go to the head of the line to wait for the clerk. After he was past us, the woman tapped me on the shoulder and apologized. I assured her it was completely okay. I thought it was a very nice gesture on her part to let him go. I also thought it was ironic that this old cooter was wishing everyone a Merry Christmas but was really in a hurry.

Footnote: Old cooter is not meant to be disrespectful. I worked in nursing homes for years and love the old folks. He really was a cooter in a "worked hard his whole life and now buying Nutcracker ballet" sort of way.

2. I got a phone call from a friend I haven't talked to in a couple years. We used to work together and I taught her daughter. My friend called to congratulate us on the baby. I hadn't told her we were trying or even contemplating it, but I included it in a holiday card to her. When I returned her call, she said she had had a horrible year of family illness and death and was just so grateful to hear something good. We talked for an hour, catching up on our lives. She invited the three of us for a visit this summer. When we worked together, I didn't even share with her that I was gay, but she has always been in my corner. I love that kind of friend. The "I will take you for who you are and what you share with me and cheer you on the whole way" friend.

3. My sweet E. She always makes me laugh and knows I need chicken and potatoes when I don't feel good. She can lay around the house with me all day doing nothing in particular and miss me the next day when we go back to work. She will mischievously put her dirty socks on my pillow and grin until I threaten her with endless tickling. She will suffer through small cramps and ill-fitting clothes to wake up in the morning with "Look how much I grew overnight!"...and she's right. She knows when my kids at school are driving me nuts and will quietly empty the dishwasher while I unwind. She is smart as a whip and rarely forgets anything...a real bonus for me who forgets everything. She soothes my soul and recharges my battery. I love her madly.

4. Our baby whose kick I got to feel a few days ago.

m

18 weeks

What does it mean to be 18 weeks pregnant?

It means that you can no longer sleep on your back, so you must spend most of the night flipping from one side to other.

You must convince your loving, adorable, kind partner to switch sides of the bed so you can sleep on your left side more.

You must be prepared to eat food that isn't fat-free or low cal and be okay with it.

You should expect that every once and awhile you have the amazing experience of feeling a little kick coming from inside of yourself and if you are really lucky your partner gets to feel it as well.

When you lay down at night to fall asleep. you get to feel the little one rolling around within your tummy. It is so thrilling you don't want to fall asleep.

You can know that your pants are going to be too tight and you will need to buy maternity pants or invest in an bella band.

Know that people will start saying things like, "oh, I can see it now!" which is endearing and little off putting.

Various Random Tidbits

1. Motherhood Maternity store completely sucks. If you buy something on sale - you can't return it - EVER - even within their stupid 10 day return rule.

2. We got a front row parking spot at Target, during the xmas season, in the snow....small pleasures in life.

3. I had a minor breakdown on Saturday regarding baby furniture. Shopping for all that stuff is extremely stressful for me. M doesn't know whether to yell at me or comfort me. I think she wants to do both.

4. M bought me the most awesome snow pants this weekend. I can now take long walks with her and the dog all year long. I love it.

5. 9 more school days...it seems like forever. We are expecting more wintry conditions tomorrow and we are both hoping for a snow day??? I would even enjoy at 2-hour delay....

E-

what's in a name?

Hello Blogworld~
We thought you might need an update. Major events in no particular order...

1. E is still feeling great. She has a lot of energy and no food issues. It has made our day to day lives much easier.

2. We got the results of our Quad test today and everything is perfect (Nurse's words, not mine).

3. We went shopping for maternity clothes this weekend. First, we went to Macy's thinking that E might have an easier time with a good fit. What we found out was that they didn't fit well at all and they were pretty expensive even on sale. So, we went to Motherhood in the mall. I don't think the clothes will last forever, but they'll be great for as long as we need them. She got some great sweaters...some that are really say "I'm a pregnant woman." I love it. She looks great.

4. We braved a snowstorm to see a play on Saturday night. Before it started we were looking around, thinking we wouldn't see anyone we know and there was my nephew, one long row away from us. We waved and he found us afterward for a quick talk. Very fun.

5. I applied for family leave for next year, so I can stay home with the wee one. It won't be finalized for another week, but everything is looking good. I am soooo excited to be able to be with our baby for the first year. We are also very lucky because as educators and with amazingly lucky timing, E and I will both be home with the baby for the first four months.

6. We have finally decided to start buying things like a crib, etc. It helps that the store we're going to is having a big sale. hehehe

7. We cannot find a girl's name that works. We have decided to call her "Baby Girl" -- it will just be easier and when she is old enough she can pick her own name :) Just Kidding...right?

That's what's news here. We're just waiting for our next appt. where we'll make the 20-week ultrasound appt. where we will find out the gender.

m