Get Comfy

So, I'm going to apologize in advance if I ramble my way through this post. It's been a while, and I've got a head full of thoughts.

Most recently...school is almost over. Our seniors have 4 more regular class days and 2 days of exams. The rest of the kids have 9 regular days and 2 exam days. The time is going both so slowly and so quickly...people who work in a school know how this feels. I love my students and am going to miss a lot of them. It seems kind of bittersweet, though, because I know that next year I won't be able to share this time of the year with them...I'll be slightly preoccupied.

Speaking of my preoccupation: I had another doctor's appointment yesterday and got to hear Baby's heartbeat again. What a wonderful sound. My pants don't fit so well anymore (which is terribly frustrating given the aforementioned number of school days left that I'd like to be able to wear my clothes!), and I'm becoming quite adept with safety pins. It's amazing how much I love my little baby already. I know that it gets better once I get to meet them, but I'm completely in love already...this is coming with me getting more excited about this whole prospect. There's still a good amount of fear and anxiety pulsing through me, but I've got faith that we'll be able to see our way through this (with some help from all who'd like to offer it).

Speaking of that help: We had a wonderful long weekend with my extended family out in Sandusky, Ohio last weekend. Matt was truly a champ as he drove the whole way there and back (something like 1600 miles total). We got to spend the day on Saturday with a chunk of my cousins and their kids (who are getting so big!), and we had a lovely time. Everyone seems to be doing so well and it's so nice to see the family, although it doesn't happen that often. We got to meet the new baby Elizabeth, who was 4 weeks old. She's quite a pleasant little baby, although she and mom are getting over a little infection. My cousins gave me a chunk of maternity clothes that apparently make the rounds--thank you so much! Everyone was so excited and happy for us as our little family is growing; it was an amazing feeling, and it just made my heart swell.

In addition to visiting with family, we did make it to Cedar Point on Sunday. We had a perfect day for it--overcast and thunderstorms in the forecast. It wasn't too hot or crowded, so everyone else got to ride a good number of rides. Lucky for us, Sunday happened to be the first day that the new roller coaster (the Maverick) was open, and Matt and Max got to ride on opening day! We had a good time at the park. I always like being there, although I only got to ride the train and the merry-go-round. Next year we'll take turns babysitting and maybe I can ride a big ride then :)

I think that's about it. I probably wasn't as articulate as I would've liked to be--especially about how wonderful it was to visit with all of my cousins and how much I admire them as people and parents. But, so goes my life these days. I hope that all is well with all of you.

Ryan

So, this morning when I logged onto my school computer (with 20 days to follow, but who's counting?!), I saw an email from an old and dear friend of mine from middle and high school. Ryan is one of those wonderful people who I can go a long time without seeing or talking to, and then over an innocent breakfast when he's back in town, the time seems to melt away. Well, it's been a little while...and Ryan mentions in his message that he's getting married next week in Hawaii! So, congratulations to you, Ryan! I'll be thinking about you and wish you all the best. I can't wait to hear about it :) Love you, Buddy!

Mother's Day 'n Stuff

So, Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there--yesterday! Matt did a wonderful job for me with a "Pregnant Mother's Day," he got me a Pajama Gram for us preggos. Then had dinner over with my folks last night.

Another wonderful aspect of the weekend was that it was the first time that we were able to take the Chevelle out! I've got to say that I LOVE THAT CAR! It's probably my favorite thing that we've ever bought. Nothing compares to the smell and sounds and feel of Old Blue rumbling along. The dog is so funny, too. It took a while for Matt to get it started (after it'd been sitting for 6 months). Once it finally turned over, little Staley got so excited! She was practically jumping out of her skin--she loves riding around. Hopefully, the Chevelle will get to come out and play a good amount this summer, although gas prices may become prohibitive...we'll see.

Also, my brother and Miss Jackie are coming home from school today! They've been driving from Norman, OK since Saturday morning and should be about home by now (4:00 on Monday). They've stayed with family and friends along the way, but have really mostly been driving. It'll be nice to see them both for a while, until they head back again in August.

Otherwise, we're just cruising along here. Matt's doing well with his Master's course. I'm trying to knit some more and am just about ready to be done with school (June 18 is my last day). It'll all come with time.

In the meantime, I'm just trying to decide how much hair to get cut off on Wednesday...big decisions, I know :)

First pictures

So, yesterday Matt and I went for our first ultrasound of our little one. It was amazing. According to the tech, I'm a little over 12 weeks now. That makes me feel pretty good because it means that I'm just about out of that first trimester growing period. I'm starting to feel a little better. I seem to be having more good days than bad days, but I still get so tired so quickly. However, it would seem that there's something in the air (as there always is in the springtime) that I'm allergic to. Unfortunately, this time, I can't rely on my Singulair to cut it down a bit. So, I'm working through stuffy noses and itchy eyes: a small price to pay, I guess.

I'm posting one of the pictures from yesterday. My mom scanned it for me and labeled a couple little parts, since the whole thing is kind of fuzzy. Hopefully you can pick out some little parts. Matt says that it must be a boy because it has his profile--a longer nose and not my chin. We'll see how that ends up working out, though. I'm just thrilled that everything seems to be fine. We actually got to see a little hand with fingers at one point.

I go for my second ultrasound on June 27. That's when we can find out what kind we're having, if we want to know. We haven't decided about that yet...we'll see how it rolls, I guess.

Odds...

We're quite fortunate to know a whole bunch of people who are doing this baby thing at the same time as us (approximately). I think that knowing that there are these people out there that we actually know and hear about is making this whole thing a little easier for Matt and I. It's seeming to make the whole process a little less alien (ha ha, little critter growing in my belly).

Anyway--my cousin Nathan and his wife Melanie (well, really mostly Mel...) had a healthy little baby girl last week. Congrats to you and new Elizabeth Ann! One of the guys that Matt works with is pregnant (again, really his wife...) and they found out last week that they're having a girl in September. And, one of the ladies that I work with has a daughter (and son-in-law) who also found out last week that they'll be having a little girl in September. Seeing a trend?

So, we're due in November. Another guy that Matt knows from work and his wife are due in November (like a week after us), and a friend of ours has a sister who is due a few days before us in November. I'm seeing 3 girls to Nate and Mel, Jeff and Crystal, and Christina and Lucas, which, odds would say, should leave 3 boys to the three of us due in November.

That probably won't be the case, and it really doesn't matter. 10 fingers and 10 toes and screaming its little head off is all I really want, but it's fun to speculate :)