Keeping up with the Joneses

41 Weeks: The End is Near!

After much agonizing, Tim and I decided to schedule the induction for January 2nd.  Yes, we do miss out on a sweet tax break. On the other hand, 1-2-12 is a pretty cool birthday, right?  Aaand maybe he'll show up sooner!

In the meantime, we are keeping busy.  Sunday was Christmas Day.  Tim and I went to our church's Christmas service.  Generally, there are two services; one at 9 am and another at 11 am.  However, in light of the fact that the majority of the congregation is in their 20's and 30's with family out of town, there was only one short 10 am service.  We thoroughly enjoyed it.  Instead of a traditional service, our pastor called all the children that were present to the front.  He then proceeded to relay the Christmas story to them.  As he did, he let them volunteer to play different parts.  Only one little girl was willing to play the donkey.  And as she went back to her seat, she said, "Mom! Dad! I'm a donkey!!!"  The kids were absolutely adorable.

I had a bit of insomnia Christmas Eve, so I was exhausted after church.  I took a nap and eagerly awaited my family's arrival. 

When they did arrive, it felt like we had our own personal Santa.  Mom cooked a ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls.  She even washed all the dishes afterwards!  I felt bad that she came to my house and worked so hard, but I also super appreciated it. 

Gina and Jeremy were also able to come with the kids.  Poor Jeremy had not slept.  He worked Christmas Eve, drove the 100 miles home, opened presents with the kids, and then drove another 100 miles to Louisville.  Needless to say, he was exhausted!  But I'm so happy he was able to come.

They also brought us lots of presents.  First, we opened some baby gifts like this one from Grandma:
Not only did Gina and Jeremy bring us some amazingly delicious homemade candy and Ruth Hunt's Candy as well as a book, they brought us a ton of baby clothes from when Lucas was a baby.  I think our amount of baby clothes increased by 10!  I can't imagine using all those clothes, but my sister assures me that Lucas wore them all.  Oh. my. goodness.  I'm gonna have to figure out a better laundry routine!
Tim was super excited to receive a new iPod.  His old one quit working moments before opening presents, and he was crushed; it was probably his most favorite possession.  You can really see in these pictures how excited he was!

Mom must have been eavesdropping on Tim and me talking about wanting to get a camcorder because she got me one along with a GPS, a snowflake necklace, and a monogrammed baking dish...not to mention that we each got stockings full of goodies.  Mom and Dad also brought us all of our wonderful goodies from Grandmas.  We were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. 

 
We got Dad a subscription to Golf Magazine and some Callaway Golf Balls.  Who knew, by the way, how complicated golf balls are?  I researched and researched to find the "right" ones (that I could afford)!  For Mom, I decided to get her a hard copy of her favorite book, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
I got Emma a "Big Girl" present...the first three books in the Anne of Green Gables series.  I loved them when I was a bit older than her, but she's an advanced reader, so I think she can handle it.  I hope she loves the saucy Anne as much as I did.  And we got Lucas a toy that can be rearranged into a plane, helicopter, car, and train.  We got Jeremy a gift card to hopefully help with the gas prices since he drives so far to work.  Gina got a Keurig coffee maker, and I was worried about how expensive those cups can be, so I got her a reusable cup where you can put regular coffee in it as well.  

 
I tried to talk them into spending the night...especially since Jeremy hadn't slept.  But my ever busy family had work and other things that they had to get home to. :-(  Still, it was nice to get to spend a few moments with everyone.

We slept in Monday and then I made these Pumpkin Muffins.  (I made 12 regular-sized muffins instead of 24 mini muffins.  I find it easier and less messy.)  I froze half of the muffins for later.  Then, we spent the rest of Monday trying to get our house together and finish up little odds and ends in preparation for our son's arrival.

Tuesday morning, we had our doctor's appointment.  Here's a picture of Amos:
(Tim had trouble seeing it.  At this point, he is so big that it is just his profile and his little hands clasped together.  Maybe he's praying, "Lord, get me out of here!")

We spent the rest of the afternoon praying and talking with friends and family.  While pondering our options, we walked around Meijer (where Michelle and I deliberated on the phone for a while).  Ultimately, we decided to wait until January 2nd in hopes that I will begin to labor on my own before then.    

Tuesday evening was Gabe and Elizabeth's "rehearsal dinner."  (They didn't actually have a rehearsal since they don't have a wedding party, but we still partied!)  The dinner was at Shirley Mae's Cafe, and it was some of the finest southern cookin' that I have had in a while.

Here, Elizabeth is giving a speech and inviting us to dig in.

The Holts and Bac Nghi chowing down. 

The best thing about weddings of good friends is that you get the opportunity to see some of your favorite people in the world in one place.  I love these guys.

It was also super fun getting to catch up with Gabe's brother, Michael, and the Boyer brothers.  The Boyers both have young kids. Roy has a 4 week old, so they were full of interesting information for this new momma.

After dinner, the party moved to Akiko's for a little karaoke.




Aren't they cute?

Tim and I left a bit after 9:30 pm when the club went public.  As we were walking out, I had two rather intense contractions in the alley leading to the parking lot. 

Wednesday was the wedding.  We were so thankful that we were able to attend.  Held at Buffalo Trace Distillery, everything was just perfect.  As we arrived, we were greeted by the Dobring Family.
The dress code was red and gold.  All the women were looking sassy and the men were quite debonair.  Here are Jean and I:
The Shepherds were especially rockin' it:
And the Holts were as cute as ever:
(I also love the laughing boys in the back.)

Ross!!!
Best buddies:

Awaiting his bride:
A major portion of the ceremony was family and friends offering blessings to the couple.  It was so touching.  Here is Gabe's mom sharing her blessing:
Most of us agreed that our favorite blessing was given by Gabe's dad, who tried three different times to speak, but was overcome with emotion the first two times.  When he was finally able to speak, he made us all cry.

Listening to Frank speak:

After all the blessings, Gabe and Elizabeth exchanged vows.  It was so beautiful.
During the ceremony the chairs were arranged in a circle.  Afterwards, the chairs were moved around tables, and the reception began.

Waiting for the party to start:
Gabe and Elizabeth came back in and first hugged and thanked family.
Meanwhile, we started chowing down.  There were mini hot browns, fried green tomatoes, and lots of yummy food.  Plus, Gabe and Elizabeth made bourbon margaritas that Shelley especially enjoyed.

Gabe and Elizabeth came by to say howdy do:

Soon after, they danced their first dance as man and wife:
We danced a bit before the toast.

(Look how cute the Dobring kids are...Alice and Aeden can really move!)
(Jenny Lou and Jean look on as Gabe, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's dad speak.)

Jessica, Gabe's sister, made the wedding cake.  She had NEVER made a wedding cake before.  Isn't she brave? But it was perfect.  And the bourbon glaze was soo good!
Cutting the cake:

We chatted and danced the rest of the night away.






Such a lovely evening.  Everything was perfect.
We hated for it to end, but we are so excited for Gabe and Elizabeth to begin their lives together as husband and wife.

After such a fun-filled couple of days related to the McKinney wedding, Tim and I stayed in Thursday and recovered. 

Friday, we planned to try to encourage Amos to come.  We ate spicy Indian food at Little India Cafe and then we walked around World Market and the mall.  During that time, we received a couple of calls from Gabe (who was on his way to N'Awlins for his honeymoon) to see how we were doing and if Amos had arrived. 

We also received a surprise call from Tim's mom to see if they could drop by on their way to Lexington to see Tony, Tim's brother.  We agreed and just as we arrived home from the mall Tammy got there while Roberta and Bill arrived an hour or so later.  We ate dinner at the Ole Hickory Pit and then opened presents.




Then, they made their way towards Lexington.  It was good to see them for a few moments.  They plan to come back through on Monday and meet Amos.

Stay tuned:  Amos will be here MONDAY!

 

Our son's name is...

Amos Clive Jones!

Tim and I have been a couple since the end of 1998.  During that time, we always believed that our first child would be a boy.  As such, we often talked about what we would name a boy in particular.  Surprisingly, these two names were never tossed around.  Since finding out he was a HE, I just felt like his name should be Amos.  Not only is it a biblical name, it was my great grandfather's name.  Tim felt equally strongly about the name Clive because it honors his cousin Levi, who was killed by a drunk driver the December before we met.  (If you take away the "C" and rearrange "live," you get "Levi.") 

Levi was Tim's only cousin that was his age.  At the end of his life, Levi's spiritual journey had an important impact on who Tim is as a person.  A year later, when Tim met me, he was struck by some striking coincidences.  Levi's Mom's name is Carol and his sister's name is Gina.  So is mine.  Levi was a huge Tom Petty fan...at the time, I was super into Tom Petty as well.  Tim's cousin Levi's birthday is September 28th while my cousin Melissa's birthday is also September 28th.

Tim also liked that Clive is C.S. ("Clive Staples") Lewis's first name.  However, we were conflicted about if the names worked together.  We kept waiting and waiting to see if we'd come up with anything else.  We literally could not think of anything else.  Sooo, Amos Clive it is.

Decisions: When will he come?

Sooo, I had an ultrasound at 10 am this morning.  The baby got an A+ according to the technician.  His heartrate, fetal breathing, and movement were all excellent.  They also told me that this was an indication that he was getting plenty of oxygen and that the placenta is functioning well. 

With that said, they STILL want to induce.  Soo, I have to decide today whether to go on December 30th or January 2nd. 

The biggest perk to the 30th would be that Tim would be able to be home with me longer...and then there's the tax break.  I obviously don't want to base my baby's birthday on money, but given that we will be living on savings in order for me to take off 12 weeks, it's hard not to at least think about.

The perk to the 2nd is that my preferred doctor would be on call and this also may allow me to go into labor naturally before then.  I was really hoping to labor at home for as long as possible.  Also, it would allow me to be off longer at the end since my maternity leave doesn't officially start until the baby is born. 

Please be praying for us as we decide what to do. 

UPDATE: He will be here by January 2nd...hopefully before!

40 Weeks: The Waiting Game

I am officially TEN MONTHS pregnant today.

Whuuh?

 

Just last week, I was anxious about making it to the end of the work week before he arrived.  Now, I'm starting to think, "What do I do if he hasn't come by the time school starts back?  Do I go back to work??" 

After church on Sunday, Tim spent his time preparing lesson plans for the week after break.  I picked up hummus from Al Watan (where they threw in free hot falafel! Yum!) and headed to a church friend's house for a Christmas Party. 

I would say Tim's mood Sunday and Monday was kind of tense and anxious.  He was really worried about getting everything done.  I, on the otherhand, felt really calm.  I just knitted and wanted to sit near Tim while he worked. 

Tuesday morning, we woke up to go see Dr. Price.  Dr. Price was my regular doctor prior to getting pregnant.  Once I got pregnant, though, they have had me seeing all the doctors in the practice since any one of them could be delivering our son.  I have liked all the doctors, but the unknown of who will be in the delivery room has caused me some anxiety.  Anyway, it was so nice to get to see Dr. Price.  She is my favorite; she seems the most reassuring of all the doctors.  Also, the other doctors are younger, which is fine, but Dr. Price has a calm demeanor that I really like.  (She also hurt the least when she checked me!)

Dr. Price told me that we could induce if I wanted, but it would increase my chance of a C-section.  I told her that so long as he and I are both healthy, I am fine to wait.  She seemed to like my answer and indicated that there really wasn't any reason to induce right now since we were both so healthy although a lot of her patients asked for an induction at this point. 

Then, I asked Dr. Price if I could travel to my grandmother's for Christmas if I was still pregnant.  I got a thumbs down. :-(  She said that while in reality I could probably drive there and back 5 times while in labor, if my water broke or something, they really want me to be within an hour of the hospital.  She did, however, give me permission to swim as much as I want.  (I checked about this after my mom expressed some concern about me swimming in a public pool.) 

I scheduled my next appointment for Tuesday, December 27th to reevaluate how we are doing.  As I was checking out, I asked which doctors were on call this weekend.  Dr. Price is on call Christmas Eve.  I would love for her to be able to deliver our son, but we'll see what happens!

After our appointment (and talking to my mom, sister, and friend Raechel about our appointment), Tim and I enjoyed massaman curry at Simply Thai.  (We had a BOGO coupon, which always makes food taste better, eh!?!)  Both of our moods had started to relax a bit, so we really savored our time together.  Then, we headed to A Reader's Corner Bookstore.  Tim and I have always loved spending time at bookstores.  So, we were there for quite some time perusing their shelves.  I did get tired of standing after a bit, so Tim kindly brought me books to look through while I sat in a comfy rocking chair.  We ended up purchasing a few books for our boy with a gift certificate that Tim's sister gave us last Christmas.  As we headed home, we stopped by to see my friend Whitney at her hair salon.  She gave us a baby present, and I made a hair appointment for the next day.

THEN, I remembered that we had a gift card to get Graeter's ice cream.  I chose the Snickerdoodle sundae, which Tim graciously helped me finish since it was HUGE.  A waffle cup was covered in scoops of made-from-scratch cinnamon as well as cookie dough chunk ice cream topped with homemade whipped cream, butterscotch, and a cherry.  So good and so decadent!

Wednesday morning, I woke up and headed to my hair appointment with Whitney.  Then, when I got home, I crashed for about 30 minutes.  I don't usually nap, but this week, I have given myself permission to nap a few times.  I guess my body needs it!  

As we ate our Simply Thai leftovers for lunch, Tim and I began to make some predictions about our baby. 

Tim said:

"He will be born at 4:32 pm on December 29th with a little bit of curly, light brown hair and blue eyes.  He will weigh 8 lbs 6 oz and will be 21 inches long.  He will resemble me and have unattached earlobes."

I said:

"He will be born at 4:32 am on December 24th with lots of straight, dark blonde hair and blue eyes.  He will weigh 7 lbs 8 oz and will be 20 inches long.  He will resemble me and have unattached earlobes."  (Note: Tim's earlobe are unattached while mine are attached...we think the dominate gene is unattached.  Okay. We're super nerdy.)

Generally, Tim's way better at these prediction games, as evidenced by the fact that I've already gotten the birth day wrong!  It will be fun to look back on these predictions soon. :-)

That evening, we decided to check out Lights Under Louisville, an underground light show in Louisville's Mega Cavern.  I thought it would be a fun thing to do (that was also not physically stressful for me) since you can drive through the entire cave.  However, when I saw how crowded it was, I was afraid that we had made a big mistake.  I generally need to use the restroom once an hour and there were no bathrooms in sight.  There was just an insane amount of cars!  Thankfully, they were very organized.  Tim and I chatted and listened to Sojourn's newest Christmas CD, A Child is Born, while we waited.

Tim was worried about us being stuck in the traffic and then my labor beginning.  An app on his phone about the stages of labor made him feel better, though.

The light show was pretty fun to watch, though I can imagine doing it in a few years with a little one would add to the delight of the moment. ;-)

It has been insanely warm here (in the 60's!), so after the light show, Tim and I decided to walk around our neighborhood to take in all the pretty lights.  We ended up playing a game to see whether more houses had colored lights or white lights on their tree.  We had lots o' fun trying to find the tree in each home. (By the way, white won...it was 60% to 40%.)  There's not much that I like more than taking a stroll through our neighborhood with my honey.  By this point, it was chilly, so we warmed ourselves up when we got home with warmed homemade banana bread and fresh-ground coffee that I french pressed.  Such a lovely end to another lovely day.

Thursday morning, I whipped up some omelets, turkey bacon, and toast.  Tim and I were preparing to go enjoy some Christmas chaos (enjoy since we had no plans to partake in the craziness, but yet I wanted to be able to walk around on a very rainy day) when Elizabeth Nelson rang us up!  Gabe and Elizabeth are in town because THEY ARE GETTING HITCHED!  We are so so, so excited for them and very much want to celebrate with them as much as possible.  Knowing that I'm super pregnant, they wanted to see us in case something happens to prevent it.  We agreed to meet up after doing our various errands.  After our (almost) free lunch at Chick Fil A thanks to some more coupons, Tim and I drove to Babies R Us.  There were a couple of odds and ends that we picked up there, then we struck out at Bed Bath and Beyond where we were hunting for a mirror and shelf for the baby's room.

Soon after, we headed to Aunt Jean's house where we chatted about the baby and the wedding while nibbling on yummy pumpkin bread and chocolate truffles.

Gabe has been such a dear friend to us.  We are so happy that he has found such an amazing woman who makes him so happy.  We also hope that there will be a way that we can share in as much of their wedding celebration as possible...but we'll see what our son decides!

Friday was a low-key day.  I was feeling pretty pregnant and more uncomfortable that I had in a few days, likely from doing too much the previous day.  I did some light cleaning while the hubby vacuumed and scrubbed the tub for me.  I also talked to my friend Michelle and played a rousing game of phone tag with Gina, Mom, and Dad.  Gina had her second iron infusion yesterday--the first was on Monday--so I wanted to see how it went.  They gave her Benadryl at first, so she was tired, but it seems to have gone well.  We are still praying that insurance will cover the costs of the procedure.  She also found out yesterday that it is possible she may have to have more infusions.  Please pray for her full recovery...we want a healthy Gina for a long time to come! 

Then, we decided to play some games.  (Yes, our choice of red and green pieces were intentional!)
After playing one round of sequence (that I lost), we stopped to finish off the banana bread and have some hazelnut coffee. (It was decaffeinated...don't tell Tim!)

 
Here's Tim in the zone, trying his best to beat me.
I emerged victorious the second round.  Here Tim is rehashing his loss and my victory.
Then, we played Trivial Pursuit, where Tim (per usual) soundly beat me.  I was okay with that because I like to be impressed with all the useless things my love knows. ;-)

Yesterday the reality of NOT having a baby by Christmas sort of set in.  One of my favorite things to do for the holidays is go to my grandparent's for Christmas Eve.  Then, I enjoy spending Christmas Day with my parents and sister + family.  Even though Mom, Dad, Gina, Jeremey, Emma, and Lucas plan to come up Christmas afternoon, I'm sad to miss all the other festivities.  We also hoped to see Tony and Michelle and their kids before Christmas, but that didn't happen either.  Sooo, we plan to try our best to distract ourselves and focus on both "the reason for the season" and the impending arrival of our son.

Speaking of the impending arrival of our son, this has been the strangest Christmas for us.  Generally, I am anxiously awaiting getting out of school to finish up my shopping and baking, eagerly anticipating all the fun family time.  This year, Christmas Eve translated into "Baby's due date," so I have felt very removed from the normal hustle and bustle of the holidays.  In some ways, that makes me sad...especially the part about being away from family.  But in others, like the last-minute panicking shoppers, I see how silly so much of all this buying stuff really is and I am relieved that I am not in the midst of it all. 

(By the way, this is a very thought-provoking blog post called "The Christmas Conundrum."  With all the posts lately I've seen on FB about CHRISTmas and keeping the Christ in Christmas, I wonder: "Are we accidentally sabotaging ourselves in the Christian community?")

For Christmas Eve, Tim and I went to our church's first ever Christmas Eve service.  It was really lovely.  The hardest part for me was the standing up.  I finally gave myself permission to sit down, enabling me to really worship without being distracted by petty aches and pains.  Afterwards, we decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory.

Their menu is so overwhelming.  I finally settled on the Chicken Madeira while Tim ordered the Fried Shrimp Platter.  Unfortunately, we were so stuffed from our entrees that we could NOT eat a single bite of cheesecake.  We thought about taking some home, but then remembered all the goodies that Tim had received from kids for Christmas.  We need to remember to go back and just have dessert!  As it was, look how much food we had leftover:
We were both feeling a little family-sick and I so didn't feel like cooking.  For the first time ever, I am so thankful for places like this to be open.  It would have been so depressing to stay home!

In regard to our son, it is clear to see that there is not much room left for him.  Santa style, my belly is often jigglin' like a bowl full of jelly!  I think he must really be enjoying his time in there.  More and more, I can feel his little toes and little fingers.  I finally figured out that one certain sensation that had puzzled me before were his little fingers moving.  On a more vain note, the one thing that I didn't want to happen, happened.  I found some faint stretch marks that have shown up below my belly button.  Sigh.  I guess the downside to waiting for him to arrive when he wants is that it will be more wear and tear on my body.  Still, I hope he is able to come when he is ready. 

39 Weeks

Less than a week until my due date!

My goal was to make it to the end of the school semester...and I DID!  Yay! 

Last weekend and Monday, I was a little skeptical that I could make it.  But then, on Tuesday, I started to feel better again.  A funny way that I motivated myself is that each morning, I put on underwear with the day of the week on the back.  My goal was to make it to using my Friday underwear.  Hehe.  (Whatever works, right?)

Tuesday morning, I dreamed that I went into labor.  And I woke up thinking it was true.  My first thought was, "Oh no!  I have labs all day.  How do I write lesson plans for that?  I don't have a back up plan!!"  Then, of course, I felt terrible that this was my first thought.  Needless to say, when I got to school, I tried to come up with a back up plan just in case.  Also on Tuesday, by the way, I had Awkward Student Comment of the week.  I have this one male student who is unbelievably sweet, conscientious, and smart.  Also...maybe a bit naive.  Recently, he has had a lot of questions for me about labor because he was really concerned that I would go into labor during class and he would have to help deliver the baby!  Last Friday, he started to ask me a final question after the bell rang, then he said, "Never mind. I'll ask my mom."  Well, during class change on Tuesday, I heard him say to a a friend, "I'm asking Ms. Jones."  The friend got sort of a panicked look on her face.  So, as he approached me, he said, "Ms. Jones, can I ask you a question?" I asked if it was another pregnancy question, and he said, "No. Before that.  All my friends are making fun of me because I don't know what premature ejaculation is.  What is it?"  The kid genuinely wanted to know!  And he figured that since I was a science teacher, I was a good source of reliable information. (!!)  I very calmly tried to provide a PC and professional answer.  He thanked me and then went into class.  Kids!

I already wrote about Wednesday when I went to a very long doctors appointment.  Even though it was long, I really tried to focus on enjoying the moment to relax and just read magazines, which was actually pretty nice.  And then what a neat bonus to get to see our son!  I just wish that Tim could have been there.  There were a couple of odd moments with the doctor.  She asked if I was going to get an epidural.  I told her that I was flexible to whatever happens, but I wanted to see if I could not get one.  And she said something like "Well, it will be the be the worst pain ever."  Also, she told me, "Don't worry...he'll for sure be out by 41 weeks."  And I told her that I was in no rush so long as he was healthy.  She said, "Well, you might feel different in a week!"  I don't think she was intentionally trying to scare me, but she kind of did.  On the other hand, her nurse made me feel really optimistic about my options.  She told me about how her first child was a C-section and then her next two were natural.  She was really encouraging.  I guess I just have to trust that God will take care of us and things will go as they should.  Ultimately, if we have a healthy baby boy at the end of this, I'm happy.

I was so excited that I was "still standing" on Thursday after school because I was able to attend the science Christmas gathering at AP Crafters, a new little gastropub near school.  It was nice to just have a moment to eat and chat with colleagues without the normal stresses of school.

WARNING:  Skip over this next paragraph if you don't want to hear gross pregnancy stuff.

 

Friday morning, I woke up and went to the restroom.  I heard a kind of "Plop!" noise, and I think I said, "Uh-oh."  I had lost my mucus plug!  I had a moment of panic, but then I reminded myself that this is just a sign that my body is gearing up for labor not that I am in labor.  Plus, I reasoned, even if I went into labor, I have a good 12-14 hours ahead of me.  I'll be out of school by then.  (Aren't I crazy!?!)  I felt pretty bad 1st and 2nd period, but by 3rd period, I just felt normal pregnant uncomfortable.  During my chemistry classes, by the way, they submitted their periodic table games.  Students self-assessed and then played another group's game that they then assessed.  The kids really seemed to enjoy playing their games, and I was really impressed with their creativity in making various board games.  By last period, my replacement teacher came by so that I could give her the tablet laptop, my classroom keys, and last-minute instructions.  Then, I met my friend Raechel for a swim in the pool.  That was a wonderful reward for finishing the semester!

Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early.  I make homemade blueberry muffins and banana bread.  Then, we did some tidying and laundry before the hubster agreed to take me to see Breaking Dawn.  Since I knew I was torturing him, I didn't protest to his purchase of the ginormous popcorn and soda.  I liked the movie.  It was pretty much what I expected.  Afterwards, we ate a J. Gumbo's.  And then, I finished out my evening by making an answer key for the chemistry final review, chatting with my friend Ashley (whose son Charlie is almost 7 months old), and wrapping Christmas presents.  Oh. AND I pretty much packed my bags. 

So, now I'm just waiting.  When will he arrive?  I feel ready and yet patient to wait for when he's ready to enter the world.

Midweek and Counting My Blessings

I am just so overcome with my blessings today that I needed to gush it out here.

I thankful that today I have felt pretty well.  I'm still very pregnant, but I was able to walk around the school today at most points without feeling lots o' pain.  That was a blessing.

I'm thankful for unexpected kindnesses.  A coworker who I don't know well, but who also just had a son in September brought me a baby tub and diapers yesterday.  Totally unecessary and yet exceptionally kind and thoughtful.  Those little acts of kindness challenge me to be a better me.

I am thankful that I found a sub who seems as conscientious and work-aholic as I am.  She came in today to work on things.  She also brought with her a "staying home" gift...a tea infuser mug from World Market.  How neat is that?   

I am thankful that have a pretty good 12-week sub plan in place.

I am thankful that my friend Raechel let me borrow a laptop for my long-term sub.  I am also thankful to know someone going through pregnancy at exactly the same time as me. 

I am thankful that I have so many of my to-do's checked off: baby room finished, essential baby items ready, room renovated, new vehicle, child care in place, pediatrician chosen, etc., etc.

I am thankful for thoughtful students.  Today, during advisory students were given an opportunity to write thank you notes.  They could choose to write a letter to whomever they wanted and then the letters were delivered.  I was just so overwhelmed by all the kind notes I received.  

A sampling of what students said:

"Thank you for being patient and caring."

"I loved being in your class."

"Chemistry was the only class I liked at Ballard."

"I like how you teach and actually go through everything.  It makes me understand a lot.  When I found out I had chemistry, I thought it was going to be hard, but it's actually really easy if you know how to do everything.  And I loved what you did for Halloween.  And good luck with the new baby. :)"

"All of your lessons are so creative and I learned so much. Good luck with your baby!"

"Congratulations on the pregnancy, and I hope everything goes alright.  I hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.  You were a great teacher and you were really funny too.  I learned a lot in your class and had fun while doing it."

"Mrs. Jones! Thank you, thank you, thank you for being such a great teacher! I actually loved your class and learned a lot.  I wish I could have you again. :-(  Plus, congratulations on your baby boy!"

"Thank you for being such an awesome teacher!"

"You helped me a lot with chem last year.  Thank you."

"Thanks for being harsh and fun at the same time so I could do the best I could and learn all I need."

"Thank you for being so great chemistry teacher! I wish you nice Christmas ever and wish your baby to born so happy!  You will be remember forever and ever!  The thoughts will always be with you.  When I would think about high school, I would think about "you"!  Have really nice teaching years! Have happy end joyful classes, success for you, be happy! Nice wish for your family." (This is a former student from the Ukraine.)

"You understand that chem is hard and you know how to make it easy for the students.  You explain it very well."

"Thanks for being a great teacher this year! It stinks that you have to leave, but I wish you luck to you and your baby.  See you in spring!"

"You are the best teacher at Ballard.  I love your class because of all the fun labs and fun times in there.  I just wanted to wish you the best with your new baby! Hope it all goes well.  P.S. Name it Joey!"

(I mean, how sweet is all of that!??!  We often think about how self-centered teens are...I couldn't believe how many former students remembered me and thought to write me a letter!  And then, my student aide capped off the niceness of students by bringing me a Christmas gift.)

I am also thankful for such a blessed pregnancy.  It has been such a neat experience.  Most importantly, I am thankful for my son.  Today, my appointment ran 1 1/2 hrs.  The doctor (who I had never met) came in and said, "I have a peace offering," as she rolled in a portable ultrasound machine.  I got to see all 7+ pounds of our boy.  He looks completely healthy and is head down.  (She and another new doctor who was in the room also gushed over "how perfect" my weight gain is.  And they told me that I was a good centimeter dilated.) 

In this season, I have just generally been overwhelmed by the kindness and support of my family, friends, students, and coworkers.  I am so abundantly blessed.

38 Weeks

I am now 9 1/2 months and so hoping to make it at least one more week.

This week took a lot out of me.  Every single day of the week (other than Wednesday), I had to get to school earlier than usual to set up labs.  Because of all the physical pressure I've been feeling, I'm literally slumped over the lab stations trying to get things ready.  (I keep my door closed otherwise I'm sure it would be very comical to watch!)  Then, I'm staying late to help kids who need it, put away things from that day's lab, work on sub stuff, prepare finals, and complete all of the usual grading.  Once I feel like I can't possible stay in my windowless room any longer, I pack it all up and waddle across the school to the parking lot.  (We have to park what is increasingly feeling like a million miles away from the school!)

Wednesday, I had a chemistry professional development meeting all day.  I thought that this day would be easier for me since I would mostly get to sit and work on curricular issues.  I always forget how intense these sessions are, and I ended the day super exhausted.  Nonetheless, afterwards, I had to head over to the doctor's office.  Hear, I heard some good news.  The doctor this week told me that though I was thinned out, she thought I could make it to the end of next week.  Shew!

I think this good news gave me a tiny boost of energy to fulfill my dinner plans with my friends Raechel and Kari.  Ultimately, I decided that even though I was tired, I needed to embrace these moments with friends as much as possible.  We dined at BRAVO! Cucina Italiana.  It was nice to chat with the girls.  AND Raechel told me that she had a computer that my long-term sub could use...YAY!  That was something I was worried about.  Then, I went home and continued working on my lessons for the next day.

Friday morning a student from last year brought me a baby present.  Isn't that super sweet??  Her note said, "Congratulations, Ms. Jones!  I know your little man will be just as amazing as you!   Thank you for everything you've done!"  It was a lovely way to start the day.  Unfortunately, by the end of the day, I just felt miserable.  Nonetheless, I pushed myself and got all my exams graded and a class of student science journals before heading home.  I certainly don't want grading hanging over my head if I go into labor!

Thankfully, Derek and Abbi brought us  Al Watan for dinner so I didn't have to cook.  It was delicious, but I think I had gotten a bit too hungry and ate too much.  Then, I compounded the problem by drinking a rich cup of homemade cocoa after dinner.  My body is not processing food so well at the moment, and I think it was all, "Woah!!  Slow down...we can't handle this quantity of food!"  I suddenly got super hot, flushed, and sweaty.  It scared me a bit.  However, after changing into a cooler shirt, I felt better.

Right before the Holt's arrived, our new camera arrived.  So, I was able to take a couple of us chatting.

While I was in the other room preparing the cocoa, Abbi and Derek stole the camera:

Tim left around 9 pm to go to some holiday party that Laurel from work was hosting.  I was so not up for a late evening, but I was happy to have the Holt's to keep me company.  I sort of have a fear that I will go into labor when no one is around!

Saturday morning, our son woke me up with his antics.  Lately, he's really been kicking around on my ribs.  I tried to ignore the early morning wake up call, but finally gave in and read for a bit until the husband roused.  Then, said husband made me breakfast.
(He so loves his Jammers...it's probably his favorite gift that I've ever given him.)

After breakfast, Tim and I set to work cutting tags and washing baby stuff.  We also tried to map out what we need to pack for the hospital.  Then, Raechel dropped by to give me the computer she said I could use.  (Seriously, how awesome is she??)  Raechel is due the day before me, but it seems like she is not in as much discomfort as me...maybe it's the extra few inches she has on me! 

Then, we headed to the mall for Christmas shopping.  OMG.  You know how annoying Christmas traffic is and having to park a gazillion miles away from the door?  Way worse when you're 9 1/2 months pregnant.  By the time I had parked and walked to the door, I was spent.  (Yes, I insisted on driving, so Tim couldn't drop me off at the door.)  Suffice it to say, our trip was not very successful.  I had all these ideas, and Tim was trying to help me as best as he could.  It was just not pleasant.  (Note to self: The next time you get pregnant and have a due date of Christmas Eve, do your Christmas shopping in June!!!)

So, we headed home.  I sat on the birth ball and my honey massaged me.  Then, because I'm insane, we headed out to see our friend Brother Dismas.  The good friar doesn't make it in very often, so how could I not see him?!!  I actually felt the best I had all day at his parent's house.  Sitting in their kitchen chair was especially nice for some reason.


Br. Dismas arrived in town Thursday around midnight.  He surprised his parents by entering their home and serenading them.  Obviously, they were overjoyed.  His brother Vince and Vince's wife Claire along with their two children were heading out at 8:30 PM for New York.  I was so happy to have a few moments with them. 

I felt so wonderful after visiting the Klines that I told Tim I felt like maybe I could get groceries and a couple items at Target.  Nope.  We got there, and I walked a bit...it was just too painful.  Mind you, if I didn't care to go into labor it would be one thing.  But I am really nervous about accidentally walking all over the store and inducing labor.  So, we headed home.  I'm pretty sure that it's super frustrating for my husband to have all these failed attempts at shopping.  It's also pretty frustrating for me to feel like I can't finish checking to-do's off my list!  I am so thankful for Tim, though.  At this moment, as I'm sitting her typing this blog, he is finishing the laundry for me.  Then, later today, he is doing our grocery shopping.


He really is pretty swell. 

Speaking of swell, I now have cankles and fat feet.  The swelling has arrived with a vengeance.  And it's pretty comical to see me try to tie my shoes.  In fact, my awesome hubby insisted on tying my shoes for me this weekend.  I'm really not sure what I would do without my feller.

37 Weeks

I am now 37 Weeks!

On Tuesday, I had a doctor's appointment.  I am 70% effaced and 1/2 cm dilated! At this point, I don't want to be any of that!  My sister did reassure me that she went for about a month in a similar position.  That made me feel better.  I'm really hoping to make it to the end of the semester.  There are a lot of pretty labor-intensive labs and important chemistry content that would be difficult for a sub to do.  So I really want to be there for that.

Wednesday, my replacement teacher (hopefully!) spent the day for me.  Initially, we didn't think she was going to be able to do my maternity leave.  However, assuming her paperwork clears this coming week, we should be good to go.  She seemed very open to the inquiry-based curriculum, and she interacted well with the kids.  She is a bit hesitant on technology integration, but she is super ready and willing to learn.  It really put my mind at ease by spending time with her.  I can tell that she cares, and that she will work hard to ensure my kids learn.  On the other hand, she is kind of leaning on me to prepare everything.  And there is A LOT to do.  I have a plan in place, but creating the day-to-day stuff may be tough.  Hopefully, I can get it all done.  I bought a memory stick this week to compile worksheets and assessments.

In the evenings this week, I have felt quite a bit of pressure.  This has made me a bit nervous.  But the show must go on.  Thursday, we worked a little bit in the nursery putting up window appliques that my cousin Amy gave us and a clock from our friends the Olsons.  (We finally took the batteries out of the clock, though, because my overly-sensitive-to-noise self couldn't take the perpetual ticking.  I felt like I was living my own personal Tell-Tale Heart!)

Friday we were double booked.  We were supposed to have dinner with a few couples from church.  Then, dessert with the Holts and our friend Br. Dismas who was coming into town.  As it turned out, though, Derek got the date wrong for when Br. Dismas was arriving, so we ended up just hanging out at the Durecs for the evening.  It was nice to have a moment to chill and chat with friends.

Saturday, I intended to do some Christmas shopping and packing our bag for the hospital.  I did attempt to go to a few places, but my endurance was terrible.  I felt so much pressure standing up.  We ended up only getting essential grocery items.  I guess I'm going to try to do my shopping online or something.  We also really want to find a special outfit for the boy.  So far, though, I can't decide on anything.

Tuesday, I was really worried about going into labor early.  I was especially worried because I wasn't feeling a lot of movement.  Thankfully, though, the little guy is back to his old ways of kicking around like crazy.  There are moments that make me laugh.  My ankles sometime pop.  Often, when they pop, he jumps!  It must sound really loud inside, eh? :-)

It's crazy to think that we will be meeting our son soon.  In the meantime, here is a picture of Tim with our Christmas tree.