15 Weeks

I might not be able to get in the habit of posting every single week on here but I did want to post today because I just got back from the doctor. We had a pretty good appointment today. The baby's heart rate was at 140 which is good and the doctor had no concerns. The only issue was I still haven't gained any weight. My belly is growing though so I'm convinced I'm losing muscle because I haven't exercised as much as I would like in the last 3 months. I really haven't done much at all:( I've also still been sick so that might explain some of the non-weight gain. But I'm on a mission by our next appointment on December 2nd to gain some weight. Holiday Season while trying to gain weight is going to be AWESOME!!! And Matt and I went to Papa Del's for lunch after the appointment to help with the whole weight gain thing too. Finally, I got a flu shot at the doctor's today and my arm's a little sore, but it's totally worth it not to get the flu.

15 Weeks

In other news, we tried to vote early today after my doctor's appointment and were thwarted by a very long line. I guess I'll have to vote on the actual election day.

Smelly Ice No More?

I know some of you think the smelly ice is a pregnancy issue but I'm convinced it's not. IT IS A REAL PROBLEM PEOPLE!! Yesterday someone mentioned to me that it might be a filter issue and today a friend of mine sent an email with the following...

"i have the same problem...and a solution. in my basement (so somewhere in your house) is the water line that goes to the ice maker. there is a water filter on that water line. changing the filter gets rid of the smell. the directions on the box say to change it every 3 months. i go anywhere from 6 months to a year and that seems to be ok. whenever i notice the smell i know it's time to change it."

I've have my freezer for over 2.5 years so I'm thinking a filter change is in the near future. That's a job for the husband.

Lost and Found

Found:

1 pair of lacy red thong underwear on my classroom floor today after first hour. If you are or know the owner of these please pass along this message...
Don't bring that to school or at the very least zip your backpack so they don't fall out!

Smelly Ice

I think I'm going crazy:) On Sunday I was convinced that there was a weird smell coming from our freezer and then yesterday at school I was convinced there was a weird smell coming from my water bottles which were filled with ice. So last night I emptied my ice tray and washed it and started my icemaker making brand new ice. Now, I think my ice water smells again. Does anybody else in Champaign have smelly ice/water? Could it be something in my freezer? (I don't think my freezer smells anymore though).

The NBA Is Back

Amidst national turmoil in the economy and a coming presidential election, there are many who are losing sight of an amazing development that is upon us. That's right. The 2008-2009 NBA season begins tonight. Forget about the recession and about politics, and focus on the best basketball league in the world. It's better than basketball in Europe, it's better than college basketball (don't get me started on proving that), and it's definitely better than hockey.

The team I follow, the Milwaukee Bucks, is not looking so good this year. They had a bad year last year and were 1-7 in the preseason this year. Most experts are projecting the Bucks to win around 30 games (and lose 52). You would not find me disagreeing with that. The team doesn't really have an identity, and they haven't shown they can play solid defense. The Bucks do have some scoring pop led by Michael Redd, newly acquired Richard Jefferson, and Charlie Villanueva. However, with a new coach and a lot of new players, I expect the Bucks to struggle a lot.

As an aside, I love apple cider.

14 Weeks

14 weeks

Now according to all sources I have officially entered the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. I never knew there was so much discrepancy as to when it actually starts. Depending on what source I was reading it could have started as early as 12 weeks, 13 weeks, 3 months, or 14 weeks. So, I went with the latter and I have made it. Our baby is now the size of a lemon.

Here are some more FAQ's...

1. How are you feeling?

I'm still not great. I keep hoping that this nausea and vomitting will end soon. I bought something called sea bands for my wrists that are suppossed to help by using accupressure. I'm willing to try anything. Now my wrists just feel annoyed and I'm still nauseated but maybe I'd feel worse without them so I keep wearing them.

On a positive note...I don't feel as exhausted and think my normal energy is returning which does help with my overall feeling of ickyness. I think I'm less nauteous than I was 3 weeks ago. And I'm noticing a surge in my appetite which is good since I had lost weight at my last doctor's appt.

2. Are you staying in your house when the baby arrives?

Yes for a variety of reasons.

a. We don't want to move and have a new baby all at once, that seems stressful.

b. We really like our house payment.

c. We're not sure we'll be in Champaign for a long time so we might as well stay in our current house.

d. We love our home!

e. Babies are small; how much room do they need:)

3. Are you going back to teaching after the baby?

I am planning on staying home with our baby and am very excited about it. It has been weird starting the school year knowing that I won't even finish it and then I'm done teaching for a while. I'm really trying to be faithful to teaching and what God has called me to for the next 6 months so I can finish strong.

Clean Ceiling Fans

I'm really excited because I bought a new cleaning product yesterday. A ceiling fan cleaner! In the past couple of weeks we have been running our ceiling fans less because it is cool outside, but because they are not running I notice the dust that has accumulated on the edges and it really bugs me. So Saturday night while we were at Home Depot I saw this great product. Matt said we could get it if it was less than $10. It was $9.97. Woo hoo. So I went home and cleaned the fan I can't reach without a ladder (which we don't have) and it worked pretty well. So if you're looking for a fan cleaning product, I'd reccommend anything that looks like the picture above.

My First Maternity Clothes

Sorry that I am posting more about pregnancy stuff. I promise we'll post about different things sometime soon. But, since I've been feeling crappy all I seem to do is go to work and sleep so I don't have much else to post about. Anyway, I was really excited to borrow 2 tubs full of maternity clothes from my friend Amy yesterday. Her baby was born last April so I'm on the same timeline as her just one year later, she works in education, and we wear similar sizes. Read: her maternity clothes are perfect for me to wear. So she graciously offered to let me borrow them. Anyway, we picked them up last night and I found a pair of jeans that I wore to school today! Although it may not be necessary for me to wear the clothes yet how can I turn down a stretchy waistband! I can't button my own pants comfortably anyway. Amy's husband Tim works at my school so it's going to be funny when he sees me showing up in Amy's clothes everyday. I'm hoping to buy some clothes of my own, because I'm a girl and will need to do a little shopping, but it's nice to have clothes to start with. I actually bought some pants from Old Navy already. So, I don't know if you'll be seeing me in regular pants for a while:)

Telling the Students

Yesterday I told all of my students that I was pregnant and got an array of sweet and funny reactions. Most kids were really excited so it was fun to share with them. Here are my favorites though...

Student: "So, you're going to have a baby in 9 months?"
Me: "Well actually 6, most people wait a little while to tell others."

Student: "Did you just find out this weekend?"
Me: "Nope, I've been keeping it a secret since before school started."

Student: "Are we going to get a good sub?"
Me: "Of course, and I'm sure they'll be a way better teacher than I've been since school started."

Student: "Does your husband want a baby?"
Me: "Yes, he is just as excited as me."

And many students suggested we name the baby after them. Ha ha, that is the main reason I don't like names because of students I've had.

Side Note: I put a pregnancy ticker at the top of this blog so you can see how far along I am. For all you Google Reader folks this means you'll have to actually look at our blog. So, I understand if you're not interested.

Matt Got Anne Pregnant

You heard it right...we are going to have a baby! We are both pretty excited and feel very blessed to be able to take this journey together. Today I had a doctors appointment that ended up going really well. First, the doctor tried to hear the heartbeat and wasn't able to find it so she gave me the option of coming back in a week or going to get an ultrasound today. Of course we chose the ultrasound today. It was really neat to see pictures of our baby. We even have a great picture of his/her feet sticking up in the air. I already think its the cutest baby ever:)

Here are some answers to questions you may be asking...

1. When are you due?

April 22nd or 5 days before if you ask the ultrasound lady.

2. How have you been feeling?

Horrible. But I have been improving over the last week and really I know it could have been worse. I only threw up a couple of times and I'm starting to feel better.

3. Are you going to find out if it's a boy or girl?

Yes

4. Any feeling on which one it will be?

Matt wants a first born son and I want a cute little girl. I think we'll be thrilled with either but I have no gut feelings on what it is.

5. Was this planned?

Not only were we hoping that we could get pregnant soon after our one year anniversary we also have confidence in God's plan for this child and our family. Yes, this pregnancy seemed to be what we wanted but more importantly it is what God wants for us right now.

Finally below is my first belly picture taken today. My pants are a little tight but you might just think I'm getting a little chubby:)

Almost 12 Weeks