Well folks, today marks the day that I am considered full term. I am officially 37 weeks pregnant. AND I could potentially have 5 more weeks (**groans inwardly**). Right now it is just a waiting game. Every new pain or twinge that I have I wonder "could this be it", and then it goes away and another day comes and goes. I am REALLY trying to be patient and know that she will come when the time is perfect (for her...not necessarily for us). It is hard to imagine though that I could be anymore full of baby! She takes up so much space right now and is so cramped. It makes me wonder how big she will be. She will ocassionally poke a foot out on my right side and I can't help but think how in a few weeks (hopefully less), I will be able to see and touch those feet. Very bizzare indead!
With this new beginning looming on the horizon, I think back over the past two years and I am amazed at all that has happened.
Two years ago this time, I was just getting back from General Assembly with Mindy and Chris. I was not married (about 5 months from it), living in Manhattan, KS with a semester left in my undergraduate at Kansas State University. At the time, I was living with our good friends, Bobby and Lindsey in their home and working at Big Lakes Development Center...getting up at 5:40 am M-F to work (bleh!)
Now two years later, I am sitting at my desk waiting for the arrival of my first child, a little girl. I have been married now for a little over a year and a half and Ben and I live in our house in Shawnee, KS. I am JUST completing my first year of graduate school at MidAmerica Nazarene University. I currently work for the Johnson County Government as well as TLC as a student therapist...and I am still getting up at 5:40 am M-F to get ready for work!
Can you believe how much has changed? Not just for us either. Mindy and Chris (who I went to GA with the summer of '05) are preparing to leave in a matter of days for a brand new adventure in Germany! They have a handsome little boy, Luke, who is 13 months old and another on the way!!! Bobby and Lindsey have moved into a new home and Lindsey is halfway through vet school...on her way to being Dr. Lindsey! It is just amazing where a couple of years can take you.
Sorry for the little trip down memory lane, I am just a firm believer that you can't know where you are going unless you know where you came from. I know that so many of my friends are scattered across the country (and now across the world!), but being able to stay connected, even if just through blogspot, is such a blessing!
Well that is about all I have time for today. I see the doctor in a couple of hours and hopefully I will have made progress this past week. If you think about it...pray that this little girl shows up sooner rather than later :)
Amber
7.23.2007
Doctor Update
Well, this past Friday marked the beginning of my weekly appointments. While I am sure that I will get tired of waiting in the office once a week, I am really excited as this means that the end is in sight AND that I will be able to get weekly updates on my progress. Friday was the first time that the doctor checked me.
Just a little warning...this may be too much information for some. You are now warned.
As of Friday, July 20th I am dilated 1 cm! I am fully aware that this process can be a long one, however I was very excited to hear that I had made a little progress. The doctor wasn't able to tell if it was the head or the bum she was feeling, so she sent me over for an ultrasound. I was very excited to have this done, considering I haven't *seen* my baby in 16 weeks! After waiting in THAT waiting room for an hour, the tech was immediately able to tell that our baby was in fact in the head down position. I also asked the tech to confirm (if possible) that it was in fact a girl. Yes, it was a little too late for all the pink we have, but I figured it didn't hurt to ask. Sure enough...she is WITHOUT A DOUBT girl! I also got a great ultrasound picture of her foot. She kicked me in the side just as the tech was taking pictures and got a picture of her foot. From the looks of it, she may have feet like her daddy's :)
Over all it was a very good doctor's appointment, and I can't wait to go back this Friday and find out where things stand! Only downside...now I get to be weighed EVERY week :(
Friday night was also my baby shower. I could not believe my eyes when my friend Jacqui walked in the door. Jacqui and I used to live across the street from each other. When we were about 2, my parents moved to Fort Worth, TX and moved into the house across the street from Mike and Tyrena. They had 3 children...and Jacqui (their youngest) and I became best friends. We moved when I was about 4, but we were able to stay close because our moms were best friends! My mom and Tyrena, despite the distance, have stayed close for the past 24 years! Jacqui and I have also been close, however with our schedules (she and her husband live in Shreveport, LA where he is a pastor) we haven't seen each other in 4 years! Well, Friday night I was sitting in the living room chatting with the ladies that had come to my shower and suddenly in walks Jacqui and Tyrena! To say the least...I was shocked! It was such a nice surprise and even though I only had a short amount of time with them, I couldn't have thought of a better gift. We spent the day on Saturday doing "girl" things and it was incredibly sad on Sunday to say goodbye. We just can't let 4 years go by this time.
The shower was wonderful too. Jacqui, Tyrena and my mom did a great job with everything and I had a blast. We got so many great things and I can say with absolute certainty that we are just about ready for our little ones arrival! I am just so grateful to everyone that came and really appreciate all the wonderful gifts. It was also so nice to see how many people, friends and family, really are there for our child and how many are anxiously awaiting her arrival, too! I can't wait for the day when we can call and tell them she is here.
Just a little warning...this may be too much information for some. You are now warned.
As of Friday, July 20th I am dilated 1 cm! I am fully aware that this process can be a long one, however I was very excited to hear that I had made a little progress. The doctor wasn't able to tell if it was the head or the bum she was feeling, so she sent me over for an ultrasound. I was very excited to have this done, considering I haven't *seen* my baby in 16 weeks! After waiting in THAT waiting room for an hour, the tech was immediately able to tell that our baby was in fact in the head down position. I also asked the tech to confirm (if possible) that it was in fact a girl. Yes, it was a little too late for all the pink we have, but I figured it didn't hurt to ask. Sure enough...she is WITHOUT A DOUBT girl! I also got a great ultrasound picture of her foot. She kicked me in the side just as the tech was taking pictures and got a picture of her foot. From the looks of it, she may have feet like her daddy's :)
Over all it was a very good doctor's appointment, and I can't wait to go back this Friday and find out where things stand! Only downside...now I get to be weighed EVERY week :(
Friday night was also my baby shower. I could not believe my eyes when my friend Jacqui walked in the door. Jacqui and I used to live across the street from each other. When we were about 2, my parents moved to Fort Worth, TX and moved into the house across the street from Mike and Tyrena. They had 3 children...and Jacqui (their youngest) and I became best friends. We moved when I was about 4, but we were able to stay close because our moms were best friends! My mom and Tyrena, despite the distance, have stayed close for the past 24 years! Jacqui and I have also been close, however with our schedules (she and her husband live in Shreveport, LA where he is a pastor) we haven't seen each other in 4 years! Well, Friday night I was sitting in the living room chatting with the ladies that had come to my shower and suddenly in walks Jacqui and Tyrena! To say the least...I was shocked! It was such a nice surprise and even though I only had a short amount of time with them, I couldn't have thought of a better gift. We spent the day on Saturday doing "girl" things and it was incredibly sad on Sunday to say goodbye. We just can't let 4 years go by this time.
The shower was wonderful too. Jacqui, Tyrena and my mom did a great job with everything and I had a blast. We got so many great things and I can say with absolute certainty that we are just about ready for our little ones arrival! I am just so grateful to everyone that came and really appreciate all the wonderful gifts. It was also so nice to see how many people, friends and family, really are there for our child and how many are anxiously awaiting her arrival, too! I can't wait for the day when we can call and tell them she is here.
7.11.2007
Are We REALLY Prepared???
So this past weekend we had our meeting with the Maternity Care Coordinator at our hospital on Saturday and then on Sunday we went to our Childbirth Prep Class. This is what the hospital calls the "Marathon Sundays", because we went ALL day from 9 - 4:30 pm. The time frame wasn't too bad and for the most part it moved quickly. The funniest part was watching all the 34-37 week pregnant ladies leaving the room at random times to go to the bathroom. It was also funny when we went on break and we all lined up for a stall. There were 13 couples and only 2 stalls in the little bathroom...you do the math.
For the most part we learned a lot. However, I am sure that when the time comes, most of that information will go right out the window. We learned all about the various stages of labor, the "physiology" of labor, and of course watched the exciting videos of a natural birth, the laboring process, and a C-Section. Most of the parents in the room were "first timers" like us...so occasionally you could hear the ripple of giggles go through the room...mostly just nervous laughter. It was pretty hilarious looking over at Ben during the video of the natural birth and seeing his eyes the size of saucers. I don't imagine he had ever seen anything like that...but I am glad that he at least is going into the situation with SOME idea of how things will go.
There were several times when the instructor was giving us "worse case scenario" situations (i.e. breaking your tailbone during the birth, C-Section, NICU, etc), and Ben would look over at me and say "don't do that". I just had to laugh at him...since we all know how much control I have over THOSE things. We also went on a tour of the labor and delivery section of our hospital. The first thing that Ben noticed...the waiting room is VERY small and VERY uncomfortable. We are going to make sure our families know that before we encourage them to come wait for 18 hours while I labor. ;) Our hospital is in the middle of doing a lot of renovating and rebuilding and the L&D has had a few changes. Almost all of the labor and delivery rooms have been updated and are REALLY nice. Five of the rooms have whirlpool tubs that you can labor in. Most women that use these are going the natural birth route, and I don't think I will be comfortable in a tub. When I told Ben this he said "well what if I wanted to use the tub". Yeah...ever the jokester :)
The post-delivery rooms are not nearly as nice, as they have not been remodeled yet, however, ALL of their rooms are private, so we won't be sharing a room. I was very excited to hear that. In general, I am very happy with our choice of hospital, and I look forward to when we are there to have our baby!
Well I am now almost to 35 weeks. We have friends that were due 4 weeks before us and just had their baby on Monday! That just made it even more real to me that we could go at anytime. I am now past the point of feeling under-prepared and I am moving on to "I am ready to get this baby out of me" :) I will miss feeling her move all day long and knowing she is with me everywhere, but I can't wait to begin to get to know her and see her develop, physically and in personality.
Sorry no pictures today, as I am updating at work (they don't allow you to hook anything up by USB). More to come later.
For the most part we learned a lot. However, I am sure that when the time comes, most of that information will go right out the window. We learned all about the various stages of labor, the "physiology" of labor, and of course watched the exciting videos of a natural birth, the laboring process, and a C-Section. Most of the parents in the room were "first timers" like us...so occasionally you could hear the ripple of giggles go through the room...mostly just nervous laughter. It was pretty hilarious looking over at Ben during the video of the natural birth and seeing his eyes the size of saucers. I don't imagine he had ever seen anything like that...but I am glad that he at least is going into the situation with SOME idea of how things will go.
There were several times when the instructor was giving us "worse case scenario" situations (i.e. breaking your tailbone during the birth, C-Section, NICU, etc), and Ben would look over at me and say "don't do that". I just had to laugh at him...since we all know how much control I have over THOSE things. We also went on a tour of the labor and delivery section of our hospital. The first thing that Ben noticed...the waiting room is VERY small and VERY uncomfortable. We are going to make sure our families know that before we encourage them to come wait for 18 hours while I labor. ;) Our hospital is in the middle of doing a lot of renovating and rebuilding and the L&D has had a few changes. Almost all of the labor and delivery rooms have been updated and are REALLY nice. Five of the rooms have whirlpool tubs that you can labor in. Most women that use these are going the natural birth route, and I don't think I will be comfortable in a tub. When I told Ben this he said "well what if I wanted to use the tub". Yeah...ever the jokester :)
The post-delivery rooms are not nearly as nice, as they have not been remodeled yet, however, ALL of their rooms are private, so we won't be sharing a room. I was very excited to hear that. In general, I am very happy with our choice of hospital, and I look forward to when we are there to have our baby!
Well I am now almost to 35 weeks. We have friends that were due 4 weeks before us and just had their baby on Monday! That just made it even more real to me that we could go at anytime. I am now past the point of feeling under-prepared and I am moving on to "I am ready to get this baby out of me" :) I will miss feeling her move all day long and knowing she is with me everywhere, but I can't wait to begin to get to know her and see her develop, physically and in personality.
Sorry no pictures today, as I am updating at work (they don't allow you to hook anything up by USB). More to come later.
7.07.2007
Belly, Nursery and the New "Do"
As promised, here are a few updated pictures. I am very proud of myself for getting it up so soon! Enjoy.
Here I am on July 4th. In honor of the holiday, I wore my red top, however it is probably the last time I will be able to wear it considering all day I was pulling it down in the front. It is incredible how much my belly has grown in the past couple of weeks! So there I am...Big and...well just big :)
Some of you may notice the new "do". On July 3rd I called the salon and they said they could get me in that day. I went in and had them cut about 9-10 inches off. The stylist kept saying she was afraid of making me cry. I just knew I was VERY ready to have it off. I LOVE my new cut and it is so easy!
Here is another, closer, shot of my new hair. Excuse the mess behind me.
On to the nursery. We are essentially done!!! All we have left is the bumper for the crib (my mom is SOOOO close to being done with that) and the rocker/glider. Otherwise, the nursery is done!
Here is the shot from the door of the nursery.
Close up of the crib. My mom just finished the quilt a week ago. I can't believe how it looks JUST like what I had planned!
Our boppy and the inside of the crib...
The port-a-crib that friends in Manhattan got us. Thanks guys! It is beautiful and we can't wait to use it! (also pictured...the beautiful quilt that Lindsey made us!)
A shot of the dresser and our wall hangings. My mom and I found these at Hobby Lobby, but they were pink and neon green! You can do wonders with a can of spray paint! All pictured is the hamper I got for the room yesterday. Yes, I am going all out on the pink :)
Another shot of the wall hangings.
She is already taking after her mama :) Look at all those clothes!
Here is her "coming home outfit" It is very simple, but embroidered across the front says "baby" and we thought it would be perfect and comfy for her first car trip :)
This was taken from the corner by the closet. Changing table and the new shadow boxes I just got. This is also the corner that the glider/rocker will go in eventually (the port-a-crib will most likely be in the living room/our room).
Here is a close-up of the shadow boxes. On the top of the shadow box on the right hand size are little tiny new born cowboy boots! They are tan and pink. Soooo cute! Pretty soon there will be a little girl to wear them.
Well that is all I have for now. I am so proud of myself for catching you up so soon. I will post again soon.
Have a great weekend!
Here I am on July 4th. In honor of the holiday, I wore my red top, however it is probably the last time I will be able to wear it considering all day I was pulling it down in the front. It is incredible how much my belly has grown in the past couple of weeks! So there I am...Big and...well just big :)
Some of you may notice the new "do". On July 3rd I called the salon and they said they could get me in that day. I went in and had them cut about 9-10 inches off. The stylist kept saying she was afraid of making me cry. I just knew I was VERY ready to have it off. I LOVE my new cut and it is so easy!
Here is another, closer, shot of my new hair. Excuse the mess behind me.On to the nursery. We are essentially done!!! All we have left is the bumper for the crib (my mom is SOOOO close to being done with that) and the rocker/glider. Otherwise, the nursery is done!
Here is the shot from the door of the nursery.
Close up of the crib. My mom just finished the quilt a week ago. I can't believe how it looks JUST like what I had planned!
Our boppy and the inside of the crib...
The port-a-crib that friends in Manhattan got us. Thanks guys! It is beautiful and we can't wait to use it! (also pictured...the beautiful quilt that Lindsey made us!)
A shot of the dresser and our wall hangings. My mom and I found these at Hobby Lobby, but they were pink and neon green! You can do wonders with a can of spray paint! All pictured is the hamper I got for the room yesterday. Yes, I am going all out on the pink :)
Another shot of the wall hangings.
She is already taking after her mama :) Look at all those clothes!
Here is her "coming home outfit" It is very simple, but embroidered across the front says "baby" and we thought it would be perfect and comfy for her first car trip :)
This was taken from the corner by the closet. Changing table and the new shadow boxes I just got. This is also the corner that the glider/rocker will go in eventually (the port-a-crib will most likely be in the living room/our room).
Here is a close-up of the shadow boxes. On the top of the shadow box on the right hand size are little tiny new born cowboy boots! They are tan and pink. Soooo cute! Pretty soon there will be a little girl to wear them.Well that is all I have for now. I am so proud of myself for catching you up so soon. I will post again soon.
Have a great weekend!
7.04.2007
Pictures....As Promised
Ok I won't type much since I have a lot to accomplish during my day off....BUT I wanted to post pictures for ya'll. I have a camera cord. Yay! So here they are with brief captions. Keep in mind, some of these pictures are from FOREVER ago...sobear with me as I catch up. I promise more updates to come...
Here is a cute one of my true love. I think he was a little embarrassed that I took this in a store, but he was a good sport. Is it any wonder why I love him so much???
Here is my baby girl, Olivia experiencing her first snow. It was deep enough that in certain parts it was up over her torso! She didn't know what to think of it at first and then she LOVED it. It was so funny watching her put her face in it and come up looking like she had a beard. This of course was taken at our apartment before we moved into our new house (Oh...7 months ago...YIKES!)
Here is Ben in our new home...sans our furniture. We moved in a week early because we had made an addition to our family. MOOSE! He is the little guy there on the right. We didn't think we could handle even a week in our apartment with TWO puppies....SO we moved a few essentials over and stayed at our new house with a backyard. It was a long week, but it worked out.
Here is a cute one of my true love. I think he was a little embarrassed that I took this in a store, but he was a good sport. Is it any wonder why I love him so much???
Here is my baby girl, Olivia experiencing her first snow. It was deep enough that in certain parts it was up over her torso! She didn't know what to think of it at first and then she LOVED it. It was so funny watching her put her face in it and come up looking like she had a beard. This of course was taken at our apartment before we moved into our new house (Oh...7 months ago...YIKES!)
Here is Ben in our new home...sans our furniture. We moved in a week early because we had made an addition to our family. MOOSE! He is the little guy there on the right. We didn't think we could handle even a week in our apartment with TWO puppies....SO we moved a few essentials over and stayed at our new house with a backyard. It was a long week, but it worked out.
Here are our two little pups playing with eachother. They had so much fun without any furniture in the house. They had this HUGE play area and all you head on the wood floors was the "clack, clack, clack" of their claws.
Here I am with the two pups, unknowingly pregnant. Ah...how I wish I still had that figure :) Pardon the exhausted expression. That whole couple of months of closing on the house and then moving really took it out of me. And of course being 6 weeks pregnant didn't help either
Here is a comparison of our baby Moose. He was little and cuddly :) Now he is a big boy that still THINKS he is little and cuddly.
Ok...so our little pup isn't so little anymore. Here is Moose at about 6 months old. He is so pretty and this picture really doesn't do him much justice, but I love how he lounges on the back deck in the sun!
21 weeks
This one was taking in April on Easter Sunday morning. So that would have made me about 5 months along. Whew, I thought I was huge then but I hadn't seen anything yet. I WILL post a current picture in the next couple days so you can see me at almost 8 months along.
Here is Ben beginning the trim work in the nursery.
Second coat, please. I DID help...I promise :)
Painting...Check. Crib put together...check
Once we got the mattress in I HAD to put a sheet on it. The nursery is now almost done, so I will post more updated pictures when I put up my new belly pictures. Man, I have so much to catch up on!
Here is another shot of the nursery. I had the letters on the wall at this point and the curtains up. Once again...we have done more, so there will be more to come.
I hope you enjoyed the little picture update. I promise to do better now and not let it go so long between pics!
Have a happy Fourth of July!
Here I am with the two pups, unknowingly pregnant. Ah...how I wish I still had that figure :) Pardon the exhausted expression. That whole couple of months of closing on the house and then moving really took it out of me. And of course being 6 weeks pregnant didn't help either
Here is a comparison of our baby Moose. He was little and cuddly :) Now he is a big boy that still THINKS he is little and cuddly.
Ok...so our little pup isn't so little anymore. Here is Moose at about 6 months old. He is so pretty and this picture really doesn't do him much justice, but I love how he lounges on the back deck in the sun!
Ok, so I have been really bad about taking pregnancy pictures. I just don't think about it at the right time. Here are my few pictures I do have.
13 weeks
Ok...this one may be more than some folks want to see. But I was just finishing my first trimester in this picture. It amazed me how you can see the belly already but when I had my shirt down you could barely tell. Of course everyone said they couldn't see anything but I already felt huge!!! I soon found out "huge" is a relative term.
13 weeks
~about~ 16 weeks
This one was taking in February. I don't know how many weeks I was. Like I said I am bad at pictures. I would have been right around 3.5 months along.
21 weeks
Here is Ben beginning the trim work in the nursery.
Second coat, please. I DID help...I promise :)
Painting...Check. Crib put together...check
Once we got the mattress in I HAD to put a sheet on it. The nursery is now almost done, so I will post more updated pictures when I put up my new belly pictures. Man, I have so much to catch up on!
Here is another shot of the nursery. I had the letters on the wall at this point and the curtains up. Once again...we have done more, so there will be more to come.I hope you enjoyed the little picture update. I promise to do better now and not let it go so long between pics!
Have a happy Fourth of July!
6.29.2007
Rolling, Rolling, Rolling
Well, time just keeps marching on. I am getting bigger...even though it is hard to imagine! I am starting to run into things! LOL. The other day I was using the restroom at work and went to open the stall door and wasn't standing far enough away. I opened the door right into my belly. Or when I try to walk behind people in class the other day and actually hit one of the guys in the head with my belly (that one was pretty embarrassing). I am also REALLY waddling now...especially when I have to use the bathroom...which is all the time.
We are also really close to being "ready" for her. We have almost all of the essentials and have the nursery pretty well set up. I can't believe shortly we will have a little baby to bring home to it. And who knows, maybe that day will be sooner than later. Last week I had a doctor's appointment and I was measuring a week ahead. So...I will either go early OR I will have a ginormous baby! I have my next appointment next Friday and then after that I will begin going every week. That fact just makes it even more real that this is happening and it is happening soon.
The internship is going well. I am seeing two individual clients at my placement and then facilitating two therapeutic process groups. I am also seeing four couples through the MNU clinic. So my schedule has filled up quickly! Most evenings I am not home for good if at all until about 8:30/9 pm. Which is late considering I leave the house by about 6:50 or 7 am. Long days followed by restless nights, as sleeping has become a chore. Really...I am not complaining (at least not much). I really do enjoy doing therapy and it is exciting to think that I am at this point considered a therapist. A student therapist, yes, but a therapist none the less. Someday I will be able to ONLY do that and my days will hopefully be a little shorter and a little easier.
Next weekend we go for our tour of the hospital and pre-registration. We will fill out our paperwork, submit our birthplan and learn a little more about the hospital, its services and the layout. I am excited to learn more about it and get the chance to do a "dry run" so to speak. Next weekend is also our childbirth prep class. It is an all day class held on Sunday. They offer classes over a 4 week time period, but our schedule is so crazy that taking 4 evenings up would be insane! So instead we will do this class from 9-4:30. I am excited and I know there is plenty for me to learn, but at least I am going in with a little bit of knowledge. I have seen childbirth before and while that can never quite prepare you for it yourself I have a little idea. Now, Ben on the other hand...I think he is in for an eye opener. Hopefully this class will prepare him for that a little.
Other than that we are just going through the daily motions and waiting for our little one to make her appearance. We have decided that we will not be traveling anymore before the baby comes. It is just so uncomfortable AND we are nervous about risking being too far from our hospital. As it is, I love the fact that we are about 5 minutes from our hospital...which is honestly the primary reason we chose this hospital. So, as I get more and more uncomfortable...I will find comfort in knowing that when the time comes I am just moments away from my hospital, the staff there, and my epidural :)
July 9th marks the end of this module and then I get a 5 week break! We start the next module on August 13th...4 days before my due date! Yikes! Pray for me as I wrap up this module and the final involved.
We'll be seein' ya!
We are also really close to being "ready" for her. We have almost all of the essentials and have the nursery pretty well set up. I can't believe shortly we will have a little baby to bring home to it. And who knows, maybe that day will be sooner than later. Last week I had a doctor's appointment and I was measuring a week ahead. So...I will either go early OR I will have a ginormous baby! I have my next appointment next Friday and then after that I will begin going every week. That fact just makes it even more real that this is happening and it is happening soon.
The internship is going well. I am seeing two individual clients at my placement and then facilitating two therapeutic process groups. I am also seeing four couples through the MNU clinic. So my schedule has filled up quickly! Most evenings I am not home for good if at all until about 8:30/9 pm. Which is late considering I leave the house by about 6:50 or 7 am. Long days followed by restless nights, as sleeping has become a chore. Really...I am not complaining (at least not much). I really do enjoy doing therapy and it is exciting to think that I am at this point considered a therapist. A student therapist, yes, but a therapist none the less. Someday I will be able to ONLY do that and my days will hopefully be a little shorter and a little easier.
Next weekend we go for our tour of the hospital and pre-registration. We will fill out our paperwork, submit our birthplan and learn a little more about the hospital, its services and the layout. I am excited to learn more about it and get the chance to do a "dry run" so to speak. Next weekend is also our childbirth prep class. It is an all day class held on Sunday. They offer classes over a 4 week time period, but our schedule is so crazy that taking 4 evenings up would be insane! So instead we will do this class from 9-4:30. I am excited and I know there is plenty for me to learn, but at least I am going in with a little bit of knowledge. I have seen childbirth before and while that can never quite prepare you for it yourself I have a little idea. Now, Ben on the other hand...I think he is in for an eye opener. Hopefully this class will prepare him for that a little.
Other than that we are just going through the daily motions and waiting for our little one to make her appearance. We have decided that we will not be traveling anymore before the baby comes. It is just so uncomfortable AND we are nervous about risking being too far from our hospital. As it is, I love the fact that we are about 5 minutes from our hospital...which is honestly the primary reason we chose this hospital. So, as I get more and more uncomfortable...I will find comfort in knowing that when the time comes I am just moments away from my hospital, the staff there, and my epidural :)
July 9th marks the end of this module and then I get a 5 week break! We start the next module on August 13th...4 days before my due date! Yikes! Pray for me as I wrap up this module and the final involved.
We'll be seein' ya!
6.07.2007
Holy Cow....literally
Yes...I am huge. You don't have to point it out. It seems this last week I must have "popped". I have had so many comments about my size and my belly. I am getting to the point where I can't just graciously nod my head and say "yes, I am". If people are already saying this now...imagine what they will be saying in 7 or 8 weeks! I recently read a very funny post on my Birth Board on Babycenter.com. It is where mom's-to-be of August 2007 babies can discuss their pregnancies with people that are going through it RIGHT NOW with them. There are lots of interesting topics, but the other day someone posted a letter to Non-pregnant people.
One of the laws was that the ONLY appropriate response to "We are pregnant" is "CONGRATULATIONS!". Just yesterday I had someone break this rule. I went with some girlfriends (all of which are pregnant too...very amusing to see us all waddle in there) to get pedicures. This is the pregnant woman's DREAM! You get to sit in a massage chair and soak your feet, and then have someone massage your aching calves and ankles (even though it's hard to distinguish between the two) and then you leave with your toes looking pretty. Anyway, I am just settling into my chair when the man who is giving me my pedicure asks me if I am having a boy or a girl. I smile and say "girl". He then looks at me and says "oops". I wasn't quite sure what he meant considering he was Korean and there was a bit of a language barrier there, so I asked what he meant. He pointed to my belly and said "accidents happen". Let me tell you, this is NOT the thing to say to a pregnant woman in her 7th month when her foot is at your crotch level! I couldn't believe that he said that! I just looked at him and said "no, we are VERY happy about it". It kind of tainted the whole experience and I am pretty sure he rushed through it a bit. But in the end my legs felt better and my toes were pretty :) Mission accomplished.
Another law is that a woman's body does not become an open book. I have noticed in the last week that my belly is a magnet for people. You can see it in their eyes when they become transfixed on the belly in front of them and that they are moving in for a rub. I try to get out of the line of fire, but it doesn't always work and my belly ends up getting the rub down. This isn't nearly as mortifying as when someone questions me about OTHER parts of my body. I have had mere strangers question me on everything from the condition of my bladder, my girly parts and even my breasts! I had one gal tell ask me if I was planning on breast feeding. When I told her that I would most likely have to do both because of my schedule she *tsk'd* me and said that it was better for mommy and baby if I breast fed. Hm...where did I read in an etiquette book that it was OK to discuss a woman's breast and what she does with them??? I must have missed that one.
Another law that EVERYONE should abide by. There is a little saying that you never ask a woman her age or her weight. Apparently, this does not apply to pregnancy. This law goes on to say that despite what you may have heard, a woman, pregnant or not, does not want to hear how huge she is. I have had people proclaim "Holy Cow (not sure if the pun WAS intended), you are getting huge!" or "Wow...imagine how big you will be in two months!" or my favorite "Please tell me you aren't going to have that baby right here in front of me!" Up until now, I have just smiled sweetly and kind of shrugged, but inside I am thinking all kinds of one-liners to put them in their place. I just have to keep saying to myself "what would Jesus do...what would Jesus do"...and then I realize that Jesus wouldn't be in my position because he was a MAN and can't have a baby. Hm...I will have to reconsider this :) Yes, I know I am big, and YES I know that I will only continue to get bigger! I don't need to be reminded.
On this note...another pregnancy law. I am fully aware that summer in Kansas is hot and humid. I have suffered through it almost my entire life! I am also aware of how MUCH HOTTER it will be seem as I am to be pregnant until August. Reminding me of such things (or any pregnant woman) is just cruel and unusual. I have A/C and fans...I will survive as so many women before me have.
Enough of the pregnancy laws. There are more, so if you would like to see the rest let me know and I can send them to you. It is pretty amusing...but oh so true.
Tomorrow marks 30 weeks for me. For some reason this is another huge milestone. As long as I was in the "20's" it still seemed so far away...but now with only 10 weeks left (7 weeks until full term), I am finding myself daydreaming (and panicking) about my soon-to-be newborn. I can't wait until I have my little one in her nursery...and then I realize that the nursery isn't done. I can't wait until our little one is crawling around our home...and then I realize that our house is SO NOT baby safe. Then I think about holding and cuddling with my baby...until I remember that I will be holding and cuddling her at 2, 4 and 6 am!!! Yikes. Truth be told...I am so very excited that even those small moments of anxiety can't damper how ready I am to be a mom. I keep going back to Psalm 121:
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
He has truly provided for us thus-far...why should I doubt that he will continue to watch over us and provide the help that we need to every venture in our lives!?! His Grace has been so prevalent in so many things that Ben and I do...and often we forget to give him the glory. But I will NOT deny him the glory in the life of my little baby. HE knew the perfect time for us and HE led us into the best lifestyle possible to bring a child into this world. HE has equipped us to be good parents by giving us wonderful examples in OUR parents. His Grace and mercy in our lives is so evident as you look back over both our life together and our lives apart. This gives the name that we have chosen for our little girl even more meaning. We find the name Gracelynn beautiful aesthetically, but every time I use it I pray that it will remind me to give that glory back to God. We are truly blessed with all that God has given us, and soon we will see yet another of His blessings through our baby. I found this verse that I hope will remind me that my baby is a blessing from God.
Psalms 45:2
You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
Not wanting to take the verse out of context, but the words are so beautiful. I see this verse as saying that my little girl will be the most excellent part of Ben and I and that she will be anointed with grace and blessed forever.
This blog has become very long and if you have made it all the way through...you probably have no life. :)
Until next time...
One of the laws was that the ONLY appropriate response to "We are pregnant" is "CONGRATULATIONS!". Just yesterday I had someone break this rule. I went with some girlfriends (all of which are pregnant too...very amusing to see us all waddle in there) to get pedicures. This is the pregnant woman's DREAM! You get to sit in a massage chair and soak your feet, and then have someone massage your aching calves and ankles (even though it's hard to distinguish between the two) and then you leave with your toes looking pretty. Anyway, I am just settling into my chair when the man who is giving me my pedicure asks me if I am having a boy or a girl. I smile and say "girl". He then looks at me and says "oops". I wasn't quite sure what he meant considering he was Korean and there was a bit of a language barrier there, so I asked what he meant. He pointed to my belly and said "accidents happen". Let me tell you, this is NOT the thing to say to a pregnant woman in her 7th month when her foot is at your crotch level! I couldn't believe that he said that! I just looked at him and said "no, we are VERY happy about it". It kind of tainted the whole experience and I am pretty sure he rushed through it a bit. But in the end my legs felt better and my toes were pretty :) Mission accomplished.
Another law is that a woman's body does not become an open book. I have noticed in the last week that my belly is a magnet for people. You can see it in their eyes when they become transfixed on the belly in front of them and that they are moving in for a rub. I try to get out of the line of fire, but it doesn't always work and my belly ends up getting the rub down. This isn't nearly as mortifying as when someone questions me about OTHER parts of my body. I have had mere strangers question me on everything from the condition of my bladder, my girly parts and even my breasts! I had one gal tell ask me if I was planning on breast feeding. When I told her that I would most likely have to do both because of my schedule she *tsk'd* me and said that it was better for mommy and baby if I breast fed. Hm...where did I read in an etiquette book that it was OK to discuss a woman's breast and what she does with them??? I must have missed that one.
Another law that EVERYONE should abide by. There is a little saying that you never ask a woman her age or her weight. Apparently, this does not apply to pregnancy. This law goes on to say that despite what you may have heard, a woman, pregnant or not, does not want to hear how huge she is. I have had people proclaim "Holy Cow (not sure if the pun WAS intended), you are getting huge!" or "Wow...imagine how big you will be in two months!" or my favorite "Please tell me you aren't going to have that baby right here in front of me!" Up until now, I have just smiled sweetly and kind of shrugged, but inside I am thinking all kinds of one-liners to put them in their place. I just have to keep saying to myself "what would Jesus do...what would Jesus do"...and then I realize that Jesus wouldn't be in my position because he was a MAN and can't have a baby. Hm...I will have to reconsider this :) Yes, I know I am big, and YES I know that I will only continue to get bigger! I don't need to be reminded.
On this note...another pregnancy law. I am fully aware that summer in Kansas is hot and humid. I have suffered through it almost my entire life! I am also aware of how MUCH HOTTER it will be seem as I am to be pregnant until August. Reminding me of such things (or any pregnant woman) is just cruel and unusual. I have A/C and fans...I will survive as so many women before me have.
Enough of the pregnancy laws. There are more, so if you would like to see the rest let me know and I can send them to you. It is pretty amusing...but oh so true.
Tomorrow marks 30 weeks for me. For some reason this is another huge milestone. As long as I was in the "20's" it still seemed so far away...but now with only 10 weeks left (7 weeks until full term), I am finding myself daydreaming (and panicking) about my soon-to-be newborn. I can't wait until I have my little one in her nursery...and then I realize that the nursery isn't done. I can't wait until our little one is crawling around our home...and then I realize that our house is SO NOT baby safe. Then I think about holding and cuddling with my baby...until I remember that I will be holding and cuddling her at 2, 4 and 6 am!!! Yikes. Truth be told...I am so very excited that even those small moments of anxiety can't damper how ready I am to be a mom. I keep going back to Psalm 121:
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD watches over you— the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life;
8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
He has truly provided for us thus-far...why should I doubt that he will continue to watch over us and provide the help that we need to every venture in our lives!?! His Grace has been so prevalent in so many things that Ben and I do...and often we forget to give him the glory. But I will NOT deny him the glory in the life of my little baby. HE knew the perfect time for us and HE led us into the best lifestyle possible to bring a child into this world. HE has equipped us to be good parents by giving us wonderful examples in OUR parents. His Grace and mercy in our lives is so evident as you look back over both our life together and our lives apart. This gives the name that we have chosen for our little girl even more meaning. We find the name Gracelynn beautiful aesthetically, but every time I use it I pray that it will remind me to give that glory back to God. We are truly blessed with all that God has given us, and soon we will see yet another of His blessings through our baby. I found this verse that I hope will remind me that my baby is a blessing from God.
Psalms 45:2
You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
Not wanting to take the verse out of context, but the words are so beautiful. I see this verse as saying that my little girl will be the most excellent part of Ben and I and that she will be anointed with grace and blessed forever.
This blog has become very long and if you have made it all the way through...you probably have no life. :)
Until next time...
5.31.2007
...
I had been putting off posting, because I have been trying to get a new camera cord in order to post pictures. Apparently, it is much harder to find the correct cord than I thought. So...still no pictures.
This last weekend was both good and bad. Both Ben and I had off Friday AND Monday, so it was a four day weekend. Friday we went to my 28 week doctor's appointment. I am measuring right on track and (according to my doctor) so is my weight gain. All I have to say is as a female, it is incredibly hard to watch that scale creep up every time I go in. But all in all, I feel lucky that I have only gained what I have and hopefully we can keep it under the 30 lb. mark. I also had my glucose test that day. It was disgusting. Not only did the drink taste bad...but there is so much of it. It pretty much "filled" me up and made me feel super icky for a couple of hours. Exactly one hour from the time I finished drinking that sickly sweet concoction, I had to have my blood drawn. For those of you that know me...you know that blood draws are always a bit dramatic! I have the worst veins ever. They seem to be at the surface and then as soon as they stick me, my vein will bury itself. I ALWAYS have to be stuck twice and in the past up to 5 times! Fortunately this time it was only twice, but I always come out sore and bruised from my blood draws. I joked with the nurse that was taking my blood that the other pregnancy symptoms wouldn't deter me from getting pregnant again...but the frequent blood tests might! So far I haven't heard any "bad" news about my one hour glucose test, so we will keep our fingers crossed and assume that no news is good news. I also found out what was going on with my blood pressure. I am not sure I posted this, but at my last appointment my blood pressure read at 130/90. MUCH higher than it typically is (115/60). The nurse had me lay on my left side (which isn't that comfortable on an examining table) and then came in to check again. It was the same. So they tested my urine for protein and said I was clear. The doctor seemed really nonchalant about it, but it freaked me out. Over the past four weeks I was watching my salt intake, drinking tons of water, and in general worrying about gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. I go in last Friday and the nurse tells me my BP looks great! I went "Whew...I am glad its better from last time" and she tells me that the nurse that checked it TWICE is no longer with the practice and routinely had a hard time with taking blood pressure! What the heck! No one could have told me that FOUR weeks ago, so I wasn't freaking out the whole time! Anyway, all in all I am VERY happy that my BP looks normal and I don't have anything to worry about in that department.
Other pregnancy news. My swelling seems to be better lately. I still have a bit by the end of the day, but I am guessing all that water and lower sodium really helped. So, I am keeping that up. I also have started having some of my first Braxton Hicks contractions. Not routinely, but particularly at the end of the day after I have been up and going for 12 hours straight, I will get one or two. It is REALLY uncomfortable, but not painful. I am also noticing that shaving is a pain in the hiney! Why, oh why did I have to be majorly pregnant through the whole summer! Someone suggested Nair, but I am not sure I could handle the smell. Baby girl doesn't appreciate my bending over either. That is usually the time she goes a little crazy and tells me to stand up straight again. Can anyone say "DIVA"!
This weekend was also busy with the nursery. Once again, this is something I had planned on posting as I took LOTS of pictures. We painted the nursery on Friday night and Saturday and got that all done. It looks fabulous and I am so happy with the way the color came out. It was pretty funny...I had originally had a color all picked out and when I got to Home Depot I freaked out and decided I didn't like that color. I was afraid the "taupe" I had chosen would have too much yellow in it for the chocolate brown in the bedding. So I opted for a darker taupe with more of an ash base. It looks so great! It goes well with the white trim AND really warms up the room! We also got our crib and changing table on Friday. So Saturday, after the painting was done, Ben and I put those together! They are a natural oak color and just look beautiful with the paint color. Ben's aunt and uncle gave us their crib mattress and I went and bought a couple of crib sheets so it wouldn't look so stark. It is actually starting to look like a baby's room. Then on Monday my mom began sewing the pieces of the bedding and curtains together. She got the curtains done and then the top of the quilt/comforter done. I put the curtains up and can't wait to get the rest of the bedding in there. Now we are in search of a dresser (that will hopefully match closely to the wood of the crib and changer), a glider, a couple of lamps (one floor and one table), and some wall art. The wall art may prove to be the hardest as I am VERY against anything too cutesy...so we will see what we come up with.
This weekend was also filled with other various activities. Ben played drums for the other team since their drummer was out of town for the holiday, we moved ALL of our garage sale stuff over to my mom's for her garage sale this weekend, I cleaned the nursery from top to bottom, we moved things into storage that weren't going to be sold (but Ben couldn't part with), and we spent time with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew who were in town. VERY busy!
Monday...Memorial Day, we went down to Hillsdale Lake with another couple. It was pretty relaxing and just fun to enjoy the outdoors. Not to mention, it got me a little bit of sun so I don't look nearly as washed out. We then rented a pontoon boat for a couple of hours. We got on and started heading out on the lake. About 10 minutes out it start pouring. I am not talking about just a little bit of rain but torrential down pour! We were soaked! I definitely put a little bit of a damper on our boating trip, but we still had a good time. We will miss Justin and Christie (and little Joel) this summer while they are in Hays :(
So that is a detailed account of our weekend. It was so nice to have to time to get things done, but it was also a very busy weekend. Tuesday we both went back to work and hit it with full force. I acquired another client this week and this Friday and Saturday I have a seminar on Psychopharmacology (I get class credit for it).
I promise as soon as I figure out the camera cord thing there will be pictures. That blog will probably be huge!
Amber
This last weekend was both good and bad. Both Ben and I had off Friday AND Monday, so it was a four day weekend. Friday we went to my 28 week doctor's appointment. I am measuring right on track and (according to my doctor) so is my weight gain. All I have to say is as a female, it is incredibly hard to watch that scale creep up every time I go in. But all in all, I feel lucky that I have only gained what I have and hopefully we can keep it under the 30 lb. mark. I also had my glucose test that day. It was disgusting. Not only did the drink taste bad...but there is so much of it. It pretty much "filled" me up and made me feel super icky for a couple of hours. Exactly one hour from the time I finished drinking that sickly sweet concoction, I had to have my blood drawn. For those of you that know me...you know that blood draws are always a bit dramatic! I have the worst veins ever. They seem to be at the surface and then as soon as they stick me, my vein will bury itself. I ALWAYS have to be stuck twice and in the past up to 5 times! Fortunately this time it was only twice, but I always come out sore and bruised from my blood draws. I joked with the nurse that was taking my blood that the other pregnancy symptoms wouldn't deter me from getting pregnant again...but the frequent blood tests might! So far I haven't heard any "bad" news about my one hour glucose test, so we will keep our fingers crossed and assume that no news is good news. I also found out what was going on with my blood pressure. I am not sure I posted this, but at my last appointment my blood pressure read at 130/90. MUCH higher than it typically is (115/60). The nurse had me lay on my left side (which isn't that comfortable on an examining table) and then came in to check again. It was the same. So they tested my urine for protein and said I was clear. The doctor seemed really nonchalant about it, but it freaked me out. Over the past four weeks I was watching my salt intake, drinking tons of water, and in general worrying about gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. I go in last Friday and the nurse tells me my BP looks great! I went "Whew...I am glad its better from last time" and she tells me that the nurse that checked it TWICE is no longer with the practice and routinely had a hard time with taking blood pressure! What the heck! No one could have told me that FOUR weeks ago, so I wasn't freaking out the whole time! Anyway, all in all I am VERY happy that my BP looks normal and I don't have anything to worry about in that department.
Other pregnancy news. My swelling seems to be better lately. I still have a bit by the end of the day, but I am guessing all that water and lower sodium really helped. So, I am keeping that up. I also have started having some of my first Braxton Hicks contractions. Not routinely, but particularly at the end of the day after I have been up and going for 12 hours straight, I will get one or two. It is REALLY uncomfortable, but not painful. I am also noticing that shaving is a pain in the hiney! Why, oh why did I have to be majorly pregnant through the whole summer! Someone suggested Nair, but I am not sure I could handle the smell. Baby girl doesn't appreciate my bending over either. That is usually the time she goes a little crazy and tells me to stand up straight again. Can anyone say "DIVA"!
This weekend was also busy with the nursery. Once again, this is something I had planned on posting as I took LOTS of pictures. We painted the nursery on Friday night and Saturday and got that all done. It looks fabulous and I am so happy with the way the color came out. It was pretty funny...I had originally had a color all picked out and when I got to Home Depot I freaked out and decided I didn't like that color. I was afraid the "taupe" I had chosen would have too much yellow in it for the chocolate brown in the bedding. So I opted for a darker taupe with more of an ash base. It looks so great! It goes well with the white trim AND really warms up the room! We also got our crib and changing table on Friday. So Saturday, after the painting was done, Ben and I put those together! They are a natural oak color and just look beautiful with the paint color. Ben's aunt and uncle gave us their crib mattress and I went and bought a couple of crib sheets so it wouldn't look so stark. It is actually starting to look like a baby's room. Then on Monday my mom began sewing the pieces of the bedding and curtains together. She got the curtains done and then the top of the quilt/comforter done. I put the curtains up and can't wait to get the rest of the bedding in there. Now we are in search of a dresser (that will hopefully match closely to the wood of the crib and changer), a glider, a couple of lamps (one floor and one table), and some wall art. The wall art may prove to be the hardest as I am VERY against anything too cutesy...so we will see what we come up with.
This weekend was also filled with other various activities. Ben played drums for the other team since their drummer was out of town for the holiday, we moved ALL of our garage sale stuff over to my mom's for her garage sale this weekend, I cleaned the nursery from top to bottom, we moved things into storage that weren't going to be sold (but Ben couldn't part with), and we spent time with my sister, brother-in-law and nephew who were in town. VERY busy!
Monday...Memorial Day, we went down to Hillsdale Lake with another couple. It was pretty relaxing and just fun to enjoy the outdoors. Not to mention, it got me a little bit of sun so I don't look nearly as washed out. We then rented a pontoon boat for a couple of hours. We got on and started heading out on the lake. About 10 minutes out it start pouring. I am not talking about just a little bit of rain but torrential down pour! We were soaked! I definitely put a little bit of a damper on our boating trip, but we still had a good time. We will miss Justin and Christie (and little Joel) this summer while they are in Hays :(
So that is a detailed account of our weekend. It was so nice to have to time to get things done, but it was also a very busy weekend. Tuesday we both went back to work and hit it with full force. I acquired another client this week and this Friday and Saturday I have a seminar on Psychopharmacology (I get class credit for it).
I promise as soon as I figure out the camera cord thing there will be pictures. That blog will probably be huge!
Amber
5.17.2007
Movin'
Hey folks! Well the title above does not indicate that we are moving (hopefully we won't be doing that again for several years!). No, it is in honor of my little girl! She is quite the acrobat. I can't believe how much she moves around in there. She has recently begun this somersault-flip thing where I can feel and SEE her actually rolling around in my stomach. It is so strange to feel it...yet I can't get enough of it. She moves after I eat, she moves when I sing or when daddy plays the drums (she LOVES praise team!), she moves when I have to use the restroom, she moves AFTER I have used the restroom. If you aren't getting the picture, she pretty much moves constantly. And to be quite honest...I wouldn't change that for the world!
It is a pretty regular thing now that I MUST get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I just can't make it that long anymore. So between 2:45 and 3 am EVERY morning I wake up to the urgent need to run to the bathroom (thank goodness we have a bathroom off our bedroom). The urgent need becomes even more urgent when I actually get up out of bed, as my little baby shifts and does the macarena on my bladder. There have been several times when I have just made it in time. So then, after momentarily falling asleep on the toilet, I crawl back in to bed to finish off my night of sleep. BUT NO!!! Now the little baby inside of me thinks it's play time and she begins doing her series of flips, karate chops and high kicks. She finally gets the picture that it is still "sleepy-time" about 30 minutes later. I guess this is just preparing me for AFTER she is here and I get to spend many sleepless nights rocking her, holding her and feeding her.
Internship is going pretty well. I currently have two individual clients that I see weekly and then I facilitate two group therapy sessions every week. They told me yesterday that next week they will probably be adding another client to my schedule. So I am beginning to rack up the hours and the experience. I have to be honest, I still get little butterflies in my stomach (no it's not Gracelynn), every time I enter the building, but as I begin my sessions, something else takes over. I believe that God truly gives me the words and wisdom to guide these teens and I find myself really LOVING it. It is not by my own strength, that is for sure! I am still learning all the "legalities" and the paper work process, but my supervisors and the other therapists have been great and helping me through that and answering any questions I may have. One therapist, the Substance Abuse Counselor, actually was in MAC 6 (I am in MAC 8). So he has LOTS of words of wisdom for me and we compare notes of the classes I have already had. In general it feels so good to begin to see my goals and aspirations start to take shape and to be in an atmosphere and setting with other therapist.
Mother's day was fun...as this is my first mother's day as a mommy (to-be). We went after church to join my family in St. Joe, MO. We had tons of food and my Papa was on the grill (making black hot dogs...mmm, I love those). We sat around in the gazebo on their land and talked. It was so relaxing...until it started to get pretty hot. I couldn't believe how quickly I got overheated out there. I cooled down, but felt sick for the rest of the evening and even into the next morning. I guess I will have to be really careful this summer to stay cool! My mom did give me a mother's day present. A mother's bracelet. It is beautiful and spells out in sterling silver blocks G-R-A-C-E-L-Y-N-N. I love it! I wear it every day! It reminds me constantly of my little girl. Seeing her name around my wrist makes her life and her presence even more real. I know it may sound strange, but it makes me realize even more that I am not just feeling little flutters and kicks, but my daughter! That is very powerful to me.
This weekend we are off to Manhattan again for Emily's graduation. I know that she must be so excited to be done with high school and ready to move on to the next phase of life. We will be traveling with the dogs again...and that is always fun :) So since we will be gone this weekend, I have set a goal for myself to have all the laundry and housecleaning done BEFORE we leave, so that when we get back on Sunday evening, I can crash! We'll see how well that goes.
Well have a good weekend folks!
It is a pretty regular thing now that I MUST get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I just can't make it that long anymore. So between 2:45 and 3 am EVERY morning I wake up to the urgent need to run to the bathroom (thank goodness we have a bathroom off our bedroom). The urgent need becomes even more urgent when I actually get up out of bed, as my little baby shifts and does the macarena on my bladder. There have been several times when I have just made it in time. So then, after momentarily falling asleep on the toilet, I crawl back in to bed to finish off my night of sleep. BUT NO!!! Now the little baby inside of me thinks it's play time and she begins doing her series of flips, karate chops and high kicks. She finally gets the picture that it is still "sleepy-time" about 30 minutes later. I guess this is just preparing me for AFTER she is here and I get to spend many sleepless nights rocking her, holding her and feeding her.
Internship is going pretty well. I currently have two individual clients that I see weekly and then I facilitate two group therapy sessions every week. They told me yesterday that next week they will probably be adding another client to my schedule. So I am beginning to rack up the hours and the experience. I have to be honest, I still get little butterflies in my stomach (no it's not Gracelynn), every time I enter the building, but as I begin my sessions, something else takes over. I believe that God truly gives me the words and wisdom to guide these teens and I find myself really LOVING it. It is not by my own strength, that is for sure! I am still learning all the "legalities" and the paper work process, but my supervisors and the other therapists have been great and helping me through that and answering any questions I may have. One therapist, the Substance Abuse Counselor, actually was in MAC 6 (I am in MAC 8). So he has LOTS of words of wisdom for me and we compare notes of the classes I have already had. In general it feels so good to begin to see my goals and aspirations start to take shape and to be in an atmosphere and setting with other therapist.
Mother's day was fun...as this is my first mother's day as a mommy (to-be). We went after church to join my family in St. Joe, MO. We had tons of food and my Papa was on the grill (making black hot dogs...mmm, I love those). We sat around in the gazebo on their land and talked. It was so relaxing...until it started to get pretty hot. I couldn't believe how quickly I got overheated out there. I cooled down, but felt sick for the rest of the evening and even into the next morning. I guess I will have to be really careful this summer to stay cool! My mom did give me a mother's day present. A mother's bracelet. It is beautiful and spells out in sterling silver blocks G-R-A-C-E-L-Y-N-N. I love it! I wear it every day! It reminds me constantly of my little girl. Seeing her name around my wrist makes her life and her presence even more real. I know it may sound strange, but it makes me realize even more that I am not just feeling little flutters and kicks, but my daughter! That is very powerful to me.
This weekend we are off to Manhattan again for Emily's graduation. I know that she must be so excited to be done with high school and ready to move on to the next phase of life. We will be traveling with the dogs again...and that is always fun :) So since we will be gone this weekend, I have set a goal for myself to have all the laundry and housecleaning done BEFORE we leave, so that when we get back on Sunday evening, I can crash! We'll see how well that goes.
Well have a good weekend folks!
5.11.2007
Happy pre-birthday!!!
Well folks, I am officially 26 weeks today. I don't know why I find that so exciting, but I do. That means that in 11 (very short) weeks I will be considered full-term. With this excitement also comes the anxiety (it's a wonder my blood pressure isn't any higher than it is). This week I am in the process of scoping out Childbirth Prep class, making appointments to meet with the Maternity Care Coordinator at the hospital, talking with pediatricians and making a final decision on daycare providers. Whew...glad it's Friday :)
We did make a decision on our daycare provider yesterday! I am so excited to have that taken care of and I am even more excited about who we chose. She is very organized and detail oriented (sound familiar). Her home is very simplistic, yet baby friendly. She even gives "boo-boo reports" and daily diaper reports. Oh! And get this, she also makes her own baby food...organic! She will provide all the food for our little girl and her price is about the lowest we could find for this area! I really feel like God put her in our path for a reason. She has a little boy that is 21 months right now and is currently due any day with a little girl of her own. She is taking another 2 year old and then my little girl...and that is it! I am super excited about this and it takes that huge pressure off for this fall when I return to work.
We also determined that we are going to use our family practice doctor instead of a pediatrician. They can refer if neccesary, and my insurance allows us to go to specialist WITHOUT referal, but we like the idea of keeping ONE family doctor for the whole family. Both Ben and I really like our doctor and the practice she is in, so we feel comfortable with that. So...that means one more thing checked off my list.
It is still a little early to plan our childbirth prep class date and to make an appointment with the Maternity Care Coordinator, but we have the time frame down. We will be making those appointments here in the next three weeks and will (hopefully) have that out of the way by the first of July!
So life is moving right along. Heck, pretty soon we may even say we are READY for this baby...well maybe not that, but we are getting there. As for my garage sale this weekend, we have had a change of plans. It IS supposed to be nice tomorrow, however since we don't really have a garage and it would have to be in the yard, I would have to set it ALL up tomorrow morning. And, I am not sure how much I want to spend a whole Saturday doing a garage sale when there are TONS of things to cram into the weekends. So we are packing everything up and taking it to my parents for their garage sale in June. That way we may still make a little money, but it will be out of my house (and the nursery) so we can get started on getting things done. This means we can start taping off the nursery this weekend and get to painting pretty soon.
My internship started this weekend and was it every exhausting. Not so much physically, but mentally. I am still learning, so everything is awkward and takes FOREVER, but I know that with time I will get the rhythm of things down. I had my first group AND individual session this week. It was really exciting to get started, but also (as I have expressed before) overwhelming. I know that with time, I will get more confident and therefore more therapeutic...at least one can always hope.
Ok, I guess I should get back to work now. Have a great weekend!
We did make a decision on our daycare provider yesterday! I am so excited to have that taken care of and I am even more excited about who we chose. She is very organized and detail oriented (sound familiar). Her home is very simplistic, yet baby friendly. She even gives "boo-boo reports" and daily diaper reports. Oh! And get this, she also makes her own baby food...organic! She will provide all the food for our little girl and her price is about the lowest we could find for this area! I really feel like God put her in our path for a reason. She has a little boy that is 21 months right now and is currently due any day with a little girl of her own. She is taking another 2 year old and then my little girl...and that is it! I am super excited about this and it takes that huge pressure off for this fall when I return to work.
We also determined that we are going to use our family practice doctor instead of a pediatrician. They can refer if neccesary, and my insurance allows us to go to specialist WITHOUT referal, but we like the idea of keeping ONE family doctor for the whole family. Both Ben and I really like our doctor and the practice she is in, so we feel comfortable with that. So...that means one more thing checked off my list.
It is still a little early to plan our childbirth prep class date and to make an appointment with the Maternity Care Coordinator, but we have the time frame down. We will be making those appointments here in the next three weeks and will (hopefully) have that out of the way by the first of July!
So life is moving right along. Heck, pretty soon we may even say we are READY for this baby...well maybe not that, but we are getting there. As for my garage sale this weekend, we have had a change of plans. It IS supposed to be nice tomorrow, however since we don't really have a garage and it would have to be in the yard, I would have to set it ALL up tomorrow morning. And, I am not sure how much I want to spend a whole Saturday doing a garage sale when there are TONS of things to cram into the weekends. So we are packing everything up and taking it to my parents for their garage sale in June. That way we may still make a little money, but it will be out of my house (and the nursery) so we can get started on getting things done. This means we can start taping off the nursery this weekend and get to painting pretty soon.
My internship started this weekend and was it every exhausting. Not so much physically, but mentally. I am still learning, so everything is awkward and takes FOREVER, but I know that with time I will get the rhythm of things down. I had my first group AND individual session this week. It was really exciting to get started, but also (as I have expressed before) overwhelming. I know that with time, I will get more confident and therefore more therapeutic...at least one can always hope.
Ok, I guess I should get back to work now. Have a great weekend!
5.07.2007
Rain Rain Go Away...
Once again...not much to report on. It is raining and has continued to rain, essentially non-stop, for days. My house is a muddy mess (from the dogs) and my hair has stayed in a continuous state of frizz for the past week. We have had to have the air on, because we can't really have the windows open when it's pouring, and in an attempt to escape the rain, our house has been infiltrated by ants. Hundreds of ants. It is very disgusting! And as much as I hate them, Ben hates them even more. He has declared war on the ants in our house. One of their favorite places to "hang out" is inside our dishwasher. BEN'S favorite thing to do is to turn on the dishwasher and "listen" to them die in the wet, hot sauna! It is actually quite amusing to watch him wait and listen for that exact moment when the water rushes through the dishwasher and he knows that the hundreds of ants chillin' in there are now dead. Just today he stopped at Home Depot and got Terro. This is a type of ant killer that is supposed to draw the ants and then they carry the product back to their colony and kills all the ants back at the nest. SWEET! Hopefully it is as good as it's reviews! I just want to be able to cook without risking having extra "pepper" in my food. Bleck!
I start my internship tomorrow. I am super excited, anxious, scared, overwhelmed... Yes all of those things and more! I meet tomorrow with my first group session and hopefully the adolescents I am meeting with don't see right through me! I pray that God gives me the words, patience, and understanding, as I work with these clients and all the clients I will be working with throughout the next fourteen months. As far as paperwork goes, I feel pretty prepared and fortunately there seems to be a bit of a learning curve and all the therapists seem very helpful and understanding...they've all been there!
I am hoping that the rain will let up enough for me to have a garage sale this weekend, however if not I think we are going to just pack it all up and take it to the Salvation Army. Having it out of my house is much more important right now than making a few extra bucks. We are then going to start painting. I am anxious to get started, as the end of this week marks 26 weeks for me! Life isn't getting any slower, so I really want to get the nursery under way. It will be nice to see that start to take shape. This weekend my mom and I started cutting the pieces for my nursery bedding and I am so excited to see it start to take shape! We even have enough material left over to make some throw pillows! Friday night I painted the letters for the nursery wall (spelling her name). They are pink and then I sprayed a sheer sparkle over them. I topped it all off with small rhinestones in the corners of the letters. We are going to hang them with chocolate brown ribbons. I can't wait to get those on the wall.
Mom and I went garage saleing on Saturday and at first it seemed to be rather fruitless. She dropped me off at praise team practice and all I had were a couple sleepers. But after she left she hit the jackpot!!! She got a ton of baby girl clothes, some of which still had the tags on it! It's hard to believe that in a few months there will be a baby girl wearing them.
Well, that is all I have for now. Perhaps when I update again I will have more exciting news to report on. Later...
I start my internship tomorrow. I am super excited, anxious, scared, overwhelmed... Yes all of those things and more! I meet tomorrow with my first group session and hopefully the adolescents I am meeting with don't see right through me! I pray that God gives me the words, patience, and understanding, as I work with these clients and all the clients I will be working with throughout the next fourteen months. As far as paperwork goes, I feel pretty prepared and fortunately there seems to be a bit of a learning curve and all the therapists seem very helpful and understanding...they've all been there!
I am hoping that the rain will let up enough for me to have a garage sale this weekend, however if not I think we are going to just pack it all up and take it to the Salvation Army. Having it out of my house is much more important right now than making a few extra bucks. We are then going to start painting. I am anxious to get started, as the end of this week marks 26 weeks for me! Life isn't getting any slower, so I really want to get the nursery under way. It will be nice to see that start to take shape. This weekend my mom and I started cutting the pieces for my nursery bedding and I am so excited to see it start to take shape! We even have enough material left over to make some throw pillows! Friday night I painted the letters for the nursery wall (spelling her name). They are pink and then I sprayed a sheer sparkle over them. I topped it all off with small rhinestones in the corners of the letters. We are going to hang them with chocolate brown ribbons. I can't wait to get those on the wall.
Mom and I went garage saleing on Saturday and at first it seemed to be rather fruitless. She dropped me off at praise team practice and all I had were a couple sleepers. But after she left she hit the jackpot!!! She got a ton of baby girl clothes, some of which still had the tags on it! It's hard to believe that in a few months there will be a baby girl wearing them.
Well, that is all I have for now. Perhaps when I update again I will have more exciting news to report on. Later...
5.01.2007
Happy May Day
*** Edit ***
I realized after I had published this post that I am essentially rambling. If that tells you anything about the state of my mind right now...you can have a little peek into my life. Last night was fairly productive though. I caught up on some house work and got laundry started (not done though). I also got groceries, which is always good. Ben came home and we made hamburgers on the grill RIGHT before it started raining. All in all it was a good night. Tonight I am going to continue working on the laundry situation and start in on the task of organizing the office! Woo-hoo! Then it's homework time. This weekend will be reserved for getting ready for the garage sale (mixed in with praise team practice, starting the baby room bedding, and church on Sunday). Whew...if all goes according to "plan" I should come out of this weekend feeling prepared for next week. Well...as prepared as I can be. Thanks for listening to the crazy ramblings of a pregnant woman. Sometimes my thoughts are jumbled and as you can see, this week is one of those time!
*** End Edit ***
Happy May Day all! I hope this blog finds you well. Things are getting ready to kick into high gear here! I had a meeting with TLC, my internship placement site this morning to discuss various things, including my start day. Officially, I will now be starting May 8th. Yikes...that's in a week! I am honestly pretty excited about getting started...and a little nervous. More nervous about the paperwork involved than anything. Medicaid, Medicare and other insurance companies rely on my paperwork to make the funding process work, so there is a lot more riding on this than just information. I assume that it is typical to feel underprepared and a little overwhelmed when you are starting something this huge. Next Tuesday I will be in my first group session and eventually will be taking a part of that group to form my own. Then next Wednesday, I will have my first individual session. Next week I will be with one of the other licensed therapists, however after that I am essentially on my own. Once again...Yikes! I already have homework for it too. Apparently in the group sessions, the therapist comes with a group activity or lesson that the group can do. The therapist I met with today gave me two books to begin my research for group. Whew...I am glad we go to just one class a week after May 14th! I have a feeling the next year is going to fly by...whether we like it or not!This Saturday, my mom and I are going to begin the nursery project! I am so excited to get started and to see my baby bedding start to take shape. Right now I look at the fabric we have so far and just think of all the great things we will do with the room. Of course that means painting has to get done soon! Ben and I also decided to paint our office while we were at it. Hope we didn't bite off more than we can chew...but it will be nice to have that looking nice and clean! That brings us to the next bit of spring cleaning...GARAGE SALE! I am hoping to have a garage sale the second weekend of May...which means a week from this weekend. We don't have a TON of stuff to sell, but we do have several pieces of furniture, some clothes and other odds and ends that would be nice to get out of our little house. This next week I am planning on going through things again and just giving it a once over to make sure we have everything out there that we possibly would want to get rid of. I will be cleaning out my desk (being sold) and getting organized! Once again, I hope we didn't bite off more than we can chew, but it will be nice to streamline before we start filling our home with baby stuff.
Other than that, we are just making it through each day. I know I have said it before, but life never seems to slow down, so we will probably be going at this break-neck pace for a while. Love you all!
4.26.2007
Confessions of a Clothes Horse
Ok, for some of you, you may not understand this post. I, Amber, am a clothing addict. I love clothes. And it doesn't just stop there. Purses, Jewelry, Shoes...pretty much everything you can wear on your body. (I even went through a phase where I LOVED buying and having TONS of underwear) My closet is typically packed to the gills and even when I buy more hangers, within a week or two they are all filled and I am out again. My poor husband has a tiny corner of our walk-in closet. My heels take up the shelves along one wall, my jeans and sweaters take up the shelf under the top rack of clothes. My jewelry hangs on hooks inside the door of the closet. I have a lot of STUFF! Sometimes when you are feeling down, there is just something about getting something new (or new to you...I LOVE garage sales and consignment shops) that can lift your spirits.
I am in withdrawl!!!
Pregnancy not only changes the way you eat, sleep and use the bathroom, it also effects your fashion capabilities. Yes, there are PLENTY of super cute, trendy clothes out there for maternity wear, but unless you have the money to spend on not one but two additional wardrobes, you are out of luck. I am reduced to wearing the same things week after week. Then to add some more insult to injury, it got warm this week, and my possibilites were reduced even farther. I keep looking at my spring and summer things from last season as they hang, untouched, on the other side of my closet and I weep a little :( I now know how my husband must feel. The clothing that I can wear is now reduced to a tiny little patch in the closet :(.
Then there are the shoes! Heels and I have a love hate relationship, I LOVE the way they look, but I HATE, HATE, HATE my little sausage toes that I have for about 24 hours AFTER wearing heels. Anything that is too confining, by the end of the day, makes my feet feel like I am cramming a size 12 into a size 6 (I wear a 9).
Then we come to jewelry. You can't go wrong there...right? Well my necklaces still fit, and yes my earrings are fine (I don't think your ears can swell), but my poor wedding ring! If I get too hot or stand too much, my fingers are like hotdogs and I have to take my ring off. I know before long I will most likely have to retire it completely or risk getting it stuck.
So...What do I have left. My purses :) You can't go wrong with a purse. No amount of swelling, growing or heat will keep me from using whatever purse I want to.
Oh... I'm sad :(
I am in withdrawl!!!
Pregnancy not only changes the way you eat, sleep and use the bathroom, it also effects your fashion capabilities. Yes, there are PLENTY of super cute, trendy clothes out there for maternity wear, but unless you have the money to spend on not one but two additional wardrobes, you are out of luck. I am reduced to wearing the same things week after week. Then to add some more insult to injury, it got warm this week, and my possibilites were reduced even farther. I keep looking at my spring and summer things from last season as they hang, untouched, on the other side of my closet and I weep a little :( I now know how my husband must feel. The clothing that I can wear is now reduced to a tiny little patch in the closet :(.
Then there are the shoes! Heels and I have a love hate relationship, I LOVE the way they look, but I HATE, HATE, HATE my little sausage toes that I have for about 24 hours AFTER wearing heels. Anything that is too confining, by the end of the day, makes my feet feel like I am cramming a size 12 into a size 6 (I wear a 9).
Then we come to jewelry. You can't go wrong there...right? Well my necklaces still fit, and yes my earrings are fine (I don't think your ears can swell), but my poor wedding ring! If I get too hot or stand too much, my fingers are like hotdogs and I have to take my ring off. I know before long I will most likely have to retire it completely or risk getting it stuck.
So...What do I have left. My purses :) You can't go wrong with a purse. No amount of swelling, growing or heat will keep me from using whatever purse I want to.
Oh... I'm sad :(
4.23.2007
Weekend Report
I am so proud of myself. I believe this is the fifth post for April! Don't let that fool you though, life is still pretty boring here.
Friday was a busy day at work. We threw our annual Volunteer Appreciation for our volunteers of our agency. April is considered Volunteer Appreciation month, so we always try to do something to say "Thanks" to all our dedicated and overused volunteers. Our theme this year was "Volunteers Rock" and we decorated it in a 1950's theme. We had balloons and crepe paper. We played old 45's and LOTs of music from that decade. We served banana splits and even had a costume contest. It was a ton of fun. BUT also a lot of work. I got there at about 8:30 that morning to start setting up and didn't sit down until I left at about 5 pm that evening. Whew...that is a long time to be on your feet and working when you AREN'T pregnant. I can really feel my limitations these days. I just don't have the stamina that I used to.
To top off my Friday, I had a clinical training that evening at 5:30. So instead of getting to drag my tired, swollen self home to bed after my day of festivities, I had to go to campus for a 3 hour training. I wasn't super excited. Fortunately it went fairly quickly, and it was very informative. I will probably be doing additional hours at the MNU clinic, so it was valuable for me to know this. Also, I had a chance to talk to my clinical supervisor and she instructed me that I am to take AT LEAST 3 weeks if not 4 off from internship. Up until then I had only planned on 2 weeks, so this was a huge relief to know that she is willing to work with me and really is looking out for me!
Saturday was a day spent cleaning, grocery shopping and baking. Yes, I said baking. I decided to try a new recipe this week and it was wonderful!!! I made an Applesauce Cake. It was heavenly. I even made my own cream cheese frosting. Yum!
Sunday we had our friends Troy and Becca over for Sunday lunch. We really love entertaining others when we can, but because of our schedules it isn't always possible. I love cooking...and cooking for two is sometimes hard. I made Homemade Manicotti, Garlic Bread, Ceasar Salad and Green Beans. And then for dessert of course I served my Applesauce Cake. It was so good to break bread with friends.
That afternoon I decided to forgo my Sunday nap and joined my mother and grandmother at Joann Fabrics. We found the material for our baby girls nursery!!! It is all sort of pinks. There is a satin-y light pink, a stripe with all different colors of pink, a fuscia solid in flannel and then a chocolate brown. My mom and I will be making the quilt, curtains, bumper, and dust ruffle in the next couple of weeks. We also found wooden letters that spell our baby girls name:
G-R-A-C-E-L-Y-N-N
We are going to paint these and then use them over the crib. I am so excited to get it all going. I am not good at "starting" a project and then just sitting on it. It just really hits home with each passing day that in less than 4 months, we will be bringing home a little baby girl! I absolutely love that thought. It makes all the stresses and anxieties seem like they don't even matter.
I also hit a new milestone last night. Well, it isn't a milestone from a book or the doctor, but for me it was a big deal. I was sitting on the couch and with every little kick and punch that my baby girl made, I could SEE it. She was hanging out right about my belly button and I could see my stomach jump and sway as she moved. It was so strange and amazing at the same time. There had been times I thought I might have seen my belly move before every once in a while, but this time it was constant! She is growing...
Well, that is all I have to share from this weekend. We have out 24 week appointment this Friday, so we will see what happens after that.
Have a great week!
Friday was a busy day at work. We threw our annual Volunteer Appreciation for our volunteers of our agency. April is considered Volunteer Appreciation month, so we always try to do something to say "Thanks" to all our dedicated and overused volunteers. Our theme this year was "Volunteers Rock" and we decorated it in a 1950's theme. We had balloons and crepe paper. We played old 45's and LOTs of music from that decade. We served banana splits and even had a costume contest. It was a ton of fun. BUT also a lot of work. I got there at about 8:30 that morning to start setting up and didn't sit down until I left at about 5 pm that evening. Whew...that is a long time to be on your feet and working when you AREN'T pregnant. I can really feel my limitations these days. I just don't have the stamina that I used to.
To top off my Friday, I had a clinical training that evening at 5:30. So instead of getting to drag my tired, swollen self home to bed after my day of festivities, I had to go to campus for a 3 hour training. I wasn't super excited. Fortunately it went fairly quickly, and it was very informative. I will probably be doing additional hours at the MNU clinic, so it was valuable for me to know this. Also, I had a chance to talk to my clinical supervisor and she instructed me that I am to take AT LEAST 3 weeks if not 4 off from internship. Up until then I had only planned on 2 weeks, so this was a huge relief to know that she is willing to work with me and really is looking out for me!
Saturday was a day spent cleaning, grocery shopping and baking. Yes, I said baking. I decided to try a new recipe this week and it was wonderful!!! I made an Applesauce Cake. It was heavenly. I even made my own cream cheese frosting. Yum!
Sunday we had our friends Troy and Becca over for Sunday lunch. We really love entertaining others when we can, but because of our schedules it isn't always possible. I love cooking...and cooking for two is sometimes hard. I made Homemade Manicotti, Garlic Bread, Ceasar Salad and Green Beans. And then for dessert of course I served my Applesauce Cake. It was so good to break bread with friends.
That afternoon I decided to forgo my Sunday nap and joined my mother and grandmother at Joann Fabrics. We found the material for our baby girls nursery!!! It is all sort of pinks. There is a satin-y light pink, a stripe with all different colors of pink, a fuscia solid in flannel and then a chocolate brown. My mom and I will be making the quilt, curtains, bumper, and dust ruffle in the next couple of weeks. We also found wooden letters that spell our baby girls name:
G-R-A-C-E-L-Y-N-N
We are going to paint these and then use them over the crib. I am so excited to get it all going. I am not good at "starting" a project and then just sitting on it. It just really hits home with each passing day that in less than 4 months, we will be bringing home a little baby girl! I absolutely love that thought. It makes all the stresses and anxieties seem like they don't even matter.
I also hit a new milestone last night. Well, it isn't a milestone from a book or the doctor, but for me it was a big deal. I was sitting on the couch and with every little kick and punch that my baby girl made, I could SEE it. She was hanging out right about my belly button and I could see my stomach jump and sway as she moved. It was so strange and amazing at the same time. There had been times I thought I might have seen my belly move before every once in a while, but this time it was constant! She is growing...
Well, that is all I have to share from this weekend. We have out 24 week appointment this Friday, so we will see what happens after that.
Have a great week!
4.17.2007
Busy Busy Busy
Hello guys!
Well I am coming off of an insanely busy weekend. At about 9 pm on Sunday when I sat down I recounted what I did:
Went to a banquet
Sang for 300+ people (in heels)
Visited my grandparents...just back from Florida looking tan and fabulous.
Praise team practice
Grilled with friends
Sang in both church services (in heels again)
Sunday dinner at friends
Study group with classmates
Visted my mom
Grocery shopping
Laundry and other misc. cleaning
Paper due on Monday
And all of this took place from Friday at 5pm to Sunday at 9 pm!!! Crazy!
I also had the pleasure (???) of experiencing my first swelling! I was standing up in church for the gospel reading and suddenly I had a huge heat wave just roll over me. I had to excuse myself because I was so warm. I went to the ladies room and took off my jacket to cool down. I looked down and realized that my ankles were HUGE!!! I pretty much tried to sit for the duration of the day and I think I have to now officially retire my heels for the remainder of my pregnancy :( I am particularly saddened by this considering that it is just now getting nice out and I have some really cute heeled sandals. I know, sounds silly but I guess I will be resigned to flats this summer.
I had a little bit of a freak out moment yesterday. I was reading a thread on Babycenter.com about hospital bags when you go to deliver your baby. It was all so overwhelming, and they say you should have it essentially ready to go by 32 weeks so you have it ready if you go early and you don't have to think about it. Yes, I know I am only 22 weeks, but that still seems not that far away. So then I started thinking about other things I/we need to do such as make a visit to the hospital to tour the LD facilities, speak with the care coordinator at the hospital to pre-register, take a childbirth prep class...etc. All of this stuck in between work, school, internship, housework, etc. Yeah...you could say I was freaking out a little bit about things. However, today I woke up and was calm again. Don't know what made me calm down, but after a night of sleep I seemed to feel better. I still have these things on my to-do list but I am working on it one step at a time.
In light of "thinking" about things, it also made me realize how soon my baby will be here. I am very excited and anxious at the same time. Anxious only because we haven't really started the nursery. Yes, we haven't really had time and No, we haven't cleared the room out of all our garage sale stuff (being that until this weekend it had been in the 30's and below). So, it's not like I have been slacking, but I suddenly have this urge to have everything READY. I believe this is called nesting and I think I have been doing it since about week 16!!! My need for organization has gone THROUGH THE ROOF and I believe I might be driving my dear husband batty! I have lists for everything, I coordinate our calendars, I clean non-stop, and I have started a new banking system for our check register and accounts. While this may sound highly productive, it is serving to stress me out because I have to also keep up with homework, go to class, prepare to start my internship in a couple weeks and go to work every day. Whew...just preparing me for when the baby's here, right?
Well, that is all I have for now. It's a pretty typical week here, so nothing too exciting to report on.
Love, Amber
Well I am coming off of an insanely busy weekend. At about 9 pm on Sunday when I sat down I recounted what I did:
Went to a banquet
Sang for 300+ people (in heels)
Visited my grandparents...just back from Florida looking tan and fabulous.
Praise team practice
Grilled with friends
Sang in both church services (in heels again)
Sunday dinner at friends
Study group with classmates
Visted my mom
Grocery shopping
Laundry and other misc. cleaning
Paper due on Monday
And all of this took place from Friday at 5pm to Sunday at 9 pm!!! Crazy!
I also had the pleasure (???) of experiencing my first swelling! I was standing up in church for the gospel reading and suddenly I had a huge heat wave just roll over me. I had to excuse myself because I was so warm. I went to the ladies room and took off my jacket to cool down. I looked down and realized that my ankles were HUGE!!! I pretty much tried to sit for the duration of the day and I think I have to now officially retire my heels for the remainder of my pregnancy :( I am particularly saddened by this considering that it is just now getting nice out and I have some really cute heeled sandals. I know, sounds silly but I guess I will be resigned to flats this summer.
I had a little bit of a freak out moment yesterday. I was reading a thread on Babycenter.com about hospital bags when you go to deliver your baby. It was all so overwhelming, and they say you should have it essentially ready to go by 32 weeks so you have it ready if you go early and you don't have to think about it. Yes, I know I am only 22 weeks, but that still seems not that far away. So then I started thinking about other things I/we need to do such as make a visit to the hospital to tour the LD facilities, speak with the care coordinator at the hospital to pre-register, take a childbirth prep class...etc. All of this stuck in between work, school, internship, housework, etc. Yeah...you could say I was freaking out a little bit about things. However, today I woke up and was calm again. Don't know what made me calm down, but after a night of sleep I seemed to feel better. I still have these things on my to-do list but I am working on it one step at a time.
In light of "thinking" about things, it also made me realize how soon my baby will be here. I am very excited and anxious at the same time. Anxious only because we haven't really started the nursery. Yes, we haven't really had time and No, we haven't cleared the room out of all our garage sale stuff (being that until this weekend it had been in the 30's and below). So, it's not like I have been slacking, but I suddenly have this urge to have everything READY. I believe this is called nesting and I think I have been doing it since about week 16!!! My need for organization has gone THROUGH THE ROOF and I believe I might be driving my dear husband batty! I have lists for everything, I coordinate our calendars, I clean non-stop, and I have started a new banking system for our check register and accounts. While this may sound highly productive, it is serving to stress me out because I have to also keep up with homework, go to class, prepare to start my internship in a couple weeks and go to work every day. Whew...just preparing me for when the baby's here, right?
Well, that is all I have for now. It's a pretty typical week here, so nothing too exciting to report on.
Love, Amber
4.13.2007
Pregnancy Survey
I just couldn't resist :)
About Mommy!
Name: Amber
Age (when we found out):: 24 (The day before my 25th Birthday!)
Age (when the baby is born):: 25
Is this your first child? Yes
About Daddy!
Name: Ben
Age (when we found out): 26
Age (when the baby is born): 27
Is this his first child? yes
Finding Out!
When we found out: Sunday, December 10th
Mommy's feelings upon finding out: I was stunned...it was an absolute surprise! I cried for about 5 seconds and then went into shock :)
How did Daddy react? Ben is very "even-keyed" he just said ok, and then hugged me.
Who was there when you found out? Just Ben and I.
Who was the first person you told? Mindy Scott :) I HAD to tell someone other than Ben...someone that would understand from my point of view.
How did she/he/they react? SO excited!
Telling the Grandparents!
How did Mommy's parents react? My mom screamed a little and cried. My step-dad just beamed from ear to ear! We told them at Christmas so we gave them a little card that invited them to be grandparents!
How did Daddy's parents react? They were really surprised AND excited.
Are they helping choose names? No, we did that on our own.
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? No, not really. We were waiting to find out what we are having.
How often do you talk to them? I talk to my mom just about every day and Ben talks to his parents several times a week.
About the Pregnancy!
When was your first appointment? December 29th
When are you due? EDD August 17th
How far along are you? 22 weeks today!
How much weight have you gained so far? As of 2 weeks ago at my last appointment 10 pounds.
Have you had an ultrasound yet? Yes...3 of them
Have you heard the heartbeat yet? Yes, every time we are in we get to hear our little one's heart beat.
About the Baby!
Were you hoping for a boy or a girl? I didn't really care...just healthy!
What about Daddy? I think he really wanted a boy.
What did your intuition tell you you were having? I had really begun to think girl...
Have you had your "BIG" ultrasound yet? If you have, is it a boy or a girl? Yes! On the 30th of March we found out we are having a little girl!
Are you happy with what you're having? Of course...we are so excited!
About the Birth!
What are you bringing to the hospital with you? Other than the basics, we were told to bring a DVD player and DVD's...just in case.
Who are you bringing to the hospital with you? Hopefully Ben can make it ;) And then my mom.
Will you videotape the birth? Um...well we don't have a video camera and that isn't exactly "home movie" material :)
Will the birth be natural or medicated? Meds all the way!
Do you think you'll need a c-section? I'm thinking no...but you never know.
Will you cry the first time you hold your baby? You can count on it.
What will you say to the baby the first time you hold him/her? I imagine I will be speechless
Are you nervous/scared about labor and delivery? Yes and no...no matter what I have to go through it will be ok, and every delivery is different. We will see what I get.
Names!
Have you chosen a name yet? Yes...She will be named Gracelynn DeAnne (at least that is what we are planning on for now).
Will the baby be named after someone? My mother's middle name is DeAnne
Random Questions!
Where was your baby conceived? In our old apartment ;)
Have you felt the baby move yet? Yes! All the time. She moves pretty much constantly!
What heritage will your baby have? A little bit of everything
Do you have stretch marks? Not yet...but bring 'em on, I can handle it.
What was your first symptom? Um...we found out early, so just a missed period
What religion will you raise the baby with? From which side? Christian...both sides!
What music or interests will you share with the baby? I can't imagine our child being anything BUT musical! We both love music so much, she will be around it all the time!
Will your baby have godparents? not planning on it
What theme will the baby's nursery have? I am planning on the colors being soft pinks and chocolate brown. Probably using geometric shapes.
What was the first thing you bought for the baby? So far...nothing
Are you ready to be a mommy? I'm not sure...I will learn as I go (hopefully there is a learning curve)
About Mommy!
Name: Amber
Age (when we found out):: 24 (The day before my 25th Birthday!)
Age (when the baby is born):: 25
Is this your first child? Yes
About Daddy!
Name: Ben
Age (when we found out): 26
Age (when the baby is born): 27
Is this his first child? yes
Finding Out!
When we found out: Sunday, December 10th
Mommy's feelings upon finding out: I was stunned...it was an absolute surprise! I cried for about 5 seconds and then went into shock :)
How did Daddy react? Ben is very "even-keyed" he just said ok, and then hugged me.
Who was there when you found out? Just Ben and I.
Who was the first person you told? Mindy Scott :) I HAD to tell someone other than Ben...someone that would understand from my point of view.
How did she/he/they react? SO excited!
Telling the Grandparents!
How did Mommy's parents react? My mom screamed a little and cried. My step-dad just beamed from ear to ear! We told them at Christmas so we gave them a little card that invited them to be grandparents!
How did Daddy's parents react? They were really surprised AND excited.
Are they helping choose names? No, we did that on our own.
Have they bought anything for the baby yet? No, not really. We were waiting to find out what we are having.
How often do you talk to them? I talk to my mom just about every day and Ben talks to his parents several times a week.
About the Pregnancy!
When was your first appointment? December 29th
When are you due? EDD August 17th
How far along are you? 22 weeks today!
How much weight have you gained so far? As of 2 weeks ago at my last appointment 10 pounds.
Have you had an ultrasound yet? Yes...3 of them
Have you heard the heartbeat yet? Yes, every time we are in we get to hear our little one's heart beat.
About the Baby!
Were you hoping for a boy or a girl? I didn't really care...just healthy!
What about Daddy? I think he really wanted a boy.
What did your intuition tell you you were having? I had really begun to think girl...
Have you had your "BIG" ultrasound yet? If you have, is it a boy or a girl? Yes! On the 30th of March we found out we are having a little girl!
Are you happy with what you're having? Of course...we are so excited!
About the Birth!
What are you bringing to the hospital with you? Other than the basics, we were told to bring a DVD player and DVD's...just in case.
Who are you bringing to the hospital with you? Hopefully Ben can make it ;) And then my mom.
Will you videotape the birth? Um...well we don't have a video camera and that isn't exactly "home movie" material :)
Will the birth be natural or medicated? Meds all the way!
Do you think you'll need a c-section? I'm thinking no...but you never know.
Will you cry the first time you hold your baby? You can count on it.
What will you say to the baby the first time you hold him/her? I imagine I will be speechless
Are you nervous/scared about labor and delivery? Yes and no...no matter what I have to go through it will be ok, and every delivery is different. We will see what I get.
Names!
Have you chosen a name yet? Yes...She will be named Gracelynn DeAnne (at least that is what we are planning on for now).
Will the baby be named after someone? My mother's middle name is DeAnne
Random Questions!
Where was your baby conceived? In our old apartment ;)
Have you felt the baby move yet? Yes! All the time. She moves pretty much constantly!
What heritage will your baby have? A little bit of everything
Do you have stretch marks? Not yet...but bring 'em on, I can handle it.
What was your first symptom? Um...we found out early, so just a missed period
What religion will you raise the baby with? From which side? Christian...both sides!
What music or interests will you share with the baby? I can't imagine our child being anything BUT musical! We both love music so much, she will be around it all the time!
Will your baby have godparents? not planning on it
What theme will the baby's nursery have? I am planning on the colors being soft pinks and chocolate brown. Probably using geometric shapes.
What was the first thing you bought for the baby? So far...nothing
Are you ready to be a mommy? I'm not sure...I will learn as I go (hopefully there is a learning curve)
4.12.2007
Faith Lesson
Hey guys! If you haven't noticed...we changed our site layout. I figured that I (Amber) was the one getting on here the most AND in honor of our little girl, I changed it to pink. I also changed our title. As of late Ben and I have had several lessons of faith that have really challenged us. First off, there is the obvious. It is growing in my tummy. It is the most bizarre feeling in the world to be SO incredibly excited and elated about something while at the same time being so incredibly terrified. Not terrified of the baby itself (I mean hello...she is tiny!), but more of what it means. Our lives will be changed forever. As trivial as it sounds, little things will change. We can't just drop everything and go to a movie for the night or even leave town for the weekend NEARLY as easy as we do now. As we begin to prepare for the nursery and daycare arrangements, we also realize the huge financial change we will have to make. The "extra" that we have (never really EXTRA) will soon be dedicated to diapers, daycare and other miscellaneous baby things. Our home will change. Our little three bedroom ranch (that is already pretty little for 2 adults, 2 dogs and a cat) will now have baby things jammed and stuffed into every corner. And then...don't even get me started on school and work!
But then I think...how amazing it is that this little life has been given to us. I already sit and feel her moving about inside of me (and trust me she is going to be quite the little acrobat!) and I seriously could make a full time job of feeling her movements...and waiting for the next movement! I think of all the things I want to tell her already, about love and life and God! I get so excited to see Ben be a father toward her and the other children we may have, and I know that he will do a phenomenal job! I know that I already would do ANYTHING for her. My life and needs is now second place...she already is that important. And THAT is what my HUGE faith lesson is. Every day when I start to get anxious or worked up about ALL that stuff up above, I realize how Jesus' mother, Mary must have felt. Her life was completely turned UPSIDE DOWN from the get-go. She was talked about, turned out by everyone but Joseph, she gave birth in a BARN, and then had to flee her home all because of this one little baby. I can't find a single time in the Bible where is talks about her doing this begrudgingly. Up until now, I NEVER could have understood that kind of love. I know that because God had already given us a love for our new daughter, everything else can fall away and we will be OK. Don't get me wrong, this is a DAILY choice that I have to make to give this up...but it is teaching me to really put my faith in God.
As for other faith lessons, lately we have had a huge financial upheaval. In previous posts I have talked about my accident, my ticket, Moose's trips to the vet AND our sink. (BTW, our sink was finally revived...for a pretty penny, but you gotta have a kitchen sink!) We have just been really relying on God and our communication with each other...and it looks like we might just pull through! It's amazing how through times of adversity and trials you can really learn things and even like it! Because of this we have been really careful to cut back on eating out and spending unnecessary money. One, this is really preparing us for when the baby comes and (as mentioned above) we have less "extra". Two, it has really brought us together in the evenings as we plan meals at home and cook together (well I cook...Ben grills when the weather is nice). And finally, it is healthier. We are taking our lunches to work and eating at home more so the type of food we are eating is better and more rounded AND it is smaller portions! I think that this time could really be a new habit forming that will help us financially and physically.
Well, I know that this post was the conventional "what's new in our lives", but this is what has really been weighing on my mind. Thanks for letting me tell you about it!
But then I think...how amazing it is that this little life has been given to us. I already sit and feel her moving about inside of me (and trust me she is going to be quite the little acrobat!) and I seriously could make a full time job of feeling her movements...and waiting for the next movement! I think of all the things I want to tell her already, about love and life and God! I get so excited to see Ben be a father toward her and the other children we may have, and I know that he will do a phenomenal job! I know that I already would do ANYTHING for her. My life and needs is now second place...she already is that important. And THAT is what my HUGE faith lesson is. Every day when I start to get anxious or worked up about ALL that stuff up above, I realize how Jesus' mother, Mary must have felt. Her life was completely turned UPSIDE DOWN from the get-go. She was talked about, turned out by everyone but Joseph, she gave birth in a BARN, and then had to flee her home all because of this one little baby. I can't find a single time in the Bible where is talks about her doing this begrudgingly. Up until now, I NEVER could have understood that kind of love. I know that because God had already given us a love for our new daughter, everything else can fall away and we will be OK. Don't get me wrong, this is a DAILY choice that I have to make to give this up...but it is teaching me to really put my faith in God.
As for other faith lessons, lately we have had a huge financial upheaval. In previous posts I have talked about my accident, my ticket, Moose's trips to the vet AND our sink. (BTW, our sink was finally revived...for a pretty penny, but you gotta have a kitchen sink!) We have just been really relying on God and our communication with each other...and it looks like we might just pull through! It's amazing how through times of adversity and trials you can really learn things and even like it! Because of this we have been really careful to cut back on eating out and spending unnecessary money. One, this is really preparing us for when the baby comes and (as mentioned above) we have less "extra". Two, it has really brought us together in the evenings as we plan meals at home and cook together (well I cook...Ben grills when the weather is nice). And finally, it is healthier. We are taking our lunches to work and eating at home more so the type of food we are eating is better and more rounded AND it is smaller portions! I think that this time could really be a new habit forming that will help us financially and physically.
Well, I know that this post was the conventional "what's new in our lives", but this is what has really been weighing on my mind. Thanks for letting me tell you about it!
4.05.2007
Playing Catch Up
Wow...have I ever let this thing go. I have to first apologize for the lack of posting. I have been playing a bit of catch-up since I got back from Georgia. So let me catch you up.
1. We got our car back! It is nice to have our Honda back and running. It seems to have a little shudder every once in a while, so we are going to take it back in next week to just have them tweak a few things. Fortunately, we have a lifetime warranty on the work they did, so we don't run the risk of a warranty "running out".
2. School is going well. These classes are ALL ABOUT putting into practice what we will be doing in our internships. It is actually really neat to learn all about the different techniques and such. We are also learning about ALL the paperwork we will be required to do. Just to fill you in. I have to have 500 client hours before I am eligible for licensure. That means 500 hours of meeting face to face with clients either in individual sessions or group sessions. I then have to ALSO have 500 professional hours. Which means paperwork, research, planning, etc. So it is a 1:1 ratio of the amount of time spent in the therapy room to the time spent out. AHHH! Another really daunting thing about that is that as therapists we will be required to assign a diagnosis after the first session. HOLY COW...the first session (50 min-1 hour) isn't nearly enough time to know what this persons lifetime of issues means. Hopefully they will begin giving us the techniques to do that too :).
3. For some that may not already know...we are having a little GIRL! We just found out last Friday, and I completely meant to post right after and then of course life happened. We are excited, mostly just to know (and to get to start decorating!). Plus...someone had to supply the female population in 2007. We know eight couples that have either recently had a baby or are having one that have boys! It was time for a little girl power. Ben is adjusting to the idea of what it means to raise a girl ;) I told him it would come to him. Most important, she is very healthy and we are excited to be more than half way through! August will be here before you know it.
4. Moose had his first big adventure to the vet. While I was in Georgia, Ben took him to the vet because of a troubling little bald spot on his side. It wasn't red or an open sore, but it was just completely bald (about the size of a nickle). Well, he was diagnosed with Demodex Mange. UGH..it just sounds so dirty, but really it is something he probably got from his mommy and it just now had started to show itself. Fortunately, our other animals haven't had any problems with it since they are older and their immune systems can fight it off. So, this past Tuesday, Moose went to stay at the vet for his first of two Mytoban Dips. He wasn't super happy and came back completely exhausted! Poor guy, but hopefully this will take care of the problem and his coat will continue to be a beautiful chocolate brown with NO bald spots :) p.s. He is getting huge. 6 months old and 42 lbs already!
5. I felt the baby move! I had different times of thinking I MIGHT have felt her, but while we were sitting in the waiting room for our sonogram last Friday, she just went to town. It was as if she knew we were there to take pictures of her and she wanted to make herself known! It is the most amazing feeling, and even though people tried to describe it to me (popcorn popping, butterflies), there is truly no description that does it justice. I will tell you one thing, when it happens you KNOW! Now I feel her all the time, and it is so awesome how connected I feel to her already. She really starts going to town when I get hungry...she likes her food :)
6. Our sink died again. This just happened last night, and this time the problem seems to run a little deeper. Fortunately, my cousin who lives in the area and is a plumber came over to check it out. Hopefully it is something he can help us with and it will save us a little money. In general...Ben and I are not so plumbing savvy. So pray for our sink...that it will be ressurrected!
Ok, I believe that is all for now. I feel that I have suffeciently caught you up on the going ons of the Weyrauch household. Have a wonderful Easter!
Amber
1. We got our car back! It is nice to have our Honda back and running. It seems to have a little shudder every once in a while, so we are going to take it back in next week to just have them tweak a few things. Fortunately, we have a lifetime warranty on the work they did, so we don't run the risk of a warranty "running out".
2. School is going well. These classes are ALL ABOUT putting into practice what we will be doing in our internships. It is actually really neat to learn all about the different techniques and such. We are also learning about ALL the paperwork we will be required to do. Just to fill you in. I have to have 500 client hours before I am eligible for licensure. That means 500 hours of meeting face to face with clients either in individual sessions or group sessions. I then have to ALSO have 500 professional hours. Which means paperwork, research, planning, etc. So it is a 1:1 ratio of the amount of time spent in the therapy room to the time spent out. AHHH! Another really daunting thing about that is that as therapists we will be required to assign a diagnosis after the first session. HOLY COW...the first session (50 min-1 hour) isn't nearly enough time to know what this persons lifetime of issues means. Hopefully they will begin giving us the techniques to do that too :).
3. For some that may not already know...we are having a little GIRL! We just found out last Friday, and I completely meant to post right after and then of course life happened. We are excited, mostly just to know (and to get to start decorating!). Plus...someone had to supply the female population in 2007. We know eight couples that have either recently had a baby or are having one that have boys! It was time for a little girl power. Ben is adjusting to the idea of what it means to raise a girl ;) I told him it would come to him. Most important, she is very healthy and we are excited to be more than half way through! August will be here before you know it.
4. Moose had his first big adventure to the vet. While I was in Georgia, Ben took him to the vet because of a troubling little bald spot on his side. It wasn't red or an open sore, but it was just completely bald (about the size of a nickle). Well, he was diagnosed with Demodex Mange. UGH..it just sounds so dirty, but really it is something he probably got from his mommy and it just now had started to show itself. Fortunately, our other animals haven't had any problems with it since they are older and their immune systems can fight it off. So, this past Tuesday, Moose went to stay at the vet for his first of two Mytoban Dips. He wasn't super happy and came back completely exhausted! Poor guy, but hopefully this will take care of the problem and his coat will continue to be a beautiful chocolate brown with NO bald spots :) p.s. He is getting huge. 6 months old and 42 lbs already!
5. I felt the baby move! I had different times of thinking I MIGHT have felt her, but while we were sitting in the waiting room for our sonogram last Friday, she just went to town. It was as if she knew we were there to take pictures of her and she wanted to make herself known! It is the most amazing feeling, and even though people tried to describe it to me (popcorn popping, butterflies), there is truly no description that does it justice. I will tell you one thing, when it happens you KNOW! Now I feel her all the time, and it is so awesome how connected I feel to her already. She really starts going to town when I get hungry...she likes her food :)
6. Our sink died again. This just happened last night, and this time the problem seems to run a little deeper. Fortunately, my cousin who lives in the area and is a plumber came over to check it out. Hopefully it is something he can help us with and it will save us a little money. In general...Ben and I are not so plumbing savvy. So pray for our sink...that it will be ressurrected!
Ok, I believe that is all for now. I feel that I have suffeciently caught you up on the going ons of the Weyrauch household. Have a wonderful Easter!
Amber
3.21.2007
I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane
Ok the titles a bit cheesy...but I don't care cause that is how excited I am to be going to Georgia in less than 24 hours. I have most of my list crossed off and I actually started packing last night (you should be proud, usually I wait to pack until a couple hours before) Of course that may have something to do with the fact that my flight leaves MCI at 6 AM!!! Ben and I are leaving the house at 4:30 to make it there by 5. Holy alarm clock, Batman...that is early! I am hoping that I will be tired enough that I will sleep the entire 2 hour flight and arrive refreshed and wide awake in Atlanta at 9 am (EST). Considering that I haven't flown in 7 years, I am a little nervous. Not so much about the flight itself, but getting lost in the ginormous airport in Atlanta! Thank goodness for cell phones. And then I will get to see Mindy! I am so excited to get to have 6 days to spend with Mindy, Chris and their beautiful little boy, Luke! Ok, I will get off this kick for a while.
In other news...my car is getting better. I spoke with the repair shop yesterday and so far their estimate is right on. It should be done in another week or so. Whew! I will be glad to have my vehicle, and hopefully everything is still in fully operating order when I get it back.
School is going well. Everyone is jealous that I am taking off a couple days. We don't get a spring break...but I am taking one. We just started a class called Structure and Process of Therapy. It sounds a lot more boring than it is. In reality we learn different counseling skills (or helping skills as the book calls it) and then practice them in class. Not only do we get to learn the skills, but we also get to learn more about our classmates, as we are each others mock clients. It is really exciting, and I want to apologize in advance if I start doing "that therapy thing" on you. They are actually really great skills for anyone to learn that can improve communication between two people.
So this next week Ben will be all by his lonesome. He will probably get sucked into the dark world of World of Warcraft and by the time I get back he will have to go through detox and rehab :). If you think about it, give him a call and make him come out of the haze for just a moment. He will have the dogs too, so I do feel a little bad for him (just a little). Those two pups are quite the handful.
Alright, I have wasted enough time on here. This day just can't go fast enough.
I'll post again soon!
Hugs and Kisses
In other news...my car is getting better. I spoke with the repair shop yesterday and so far their estimate is right on. It should be done in another week or so. Whew! I will be glad to have my vehicle, and hopefully everything is still in fully operating order when I get it back.
School is going well. Everyone is jealous that I am taking off a couple days. We don't get a spring break...but I am taking one. We just started a class called Structure and Process of Therapy. It sounds a lot more boring than it is. In reality we learn different counseling skills (or helping skills as the book calls it) and then practice them in class. Not only do we get to learn the skills, but we also get to learn more about our classmates, as we are each others mock clients. It is really exciting, and I want to apologize in advance if I start doing "that therapy thing" on you. They are actually really great skills for anyone to learn that can improve communication between two people.
So this next week Ben will be all by his lonesome. He will probably get sucked into the dark world of World of Warcraft and by the time I get back he will have to go through detox and rehab :). If you think about it, give him a call and make him come out of the haze for just a moment. He will have the dogs too, so I do feel a little bad for him (just a little). Those two pups are quite the handful.
Alright, I have wasted enough time on here. This day just can't go fast enough.
I'll post again soon!
Hugs and Kisses
3.12.2007
Time Flies...
...When you're having fun, right? What about when you are just plain too busy! Our life seems to be keeping up with the break-neck pace that we have set for ourselves. In general the past week has just flown by, although there isn't anything super significant to report on.
I start a new module for classes tonight, and while that is always somewhat nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time, it makes me realize how fast the past few months have gone by for my Masters program. I started in August, meaning I have already put in 7 months of my 26 month program. Pretty exciting to me. Also, after this module we start our internship (another source of nervousness AND excitement), so we will go down to just one class per module. It really puts into perspective how quickly life just passes you by. I start internship in May and the Baby is due in August. I walk for my diploma in May of 2008 and then finish my internship in July of 2008. I will be completely done in October of 2008. I know for some that may seem forever away, but when you consider what all will happen in that time frame it makes it seem just around the corner.
Speaking of internship, my boss has approved my new schedule for when my internship starts. SO...I can keep my 40 hours a week AND get my intern hours in. It will just mean taking shorter lunches and coming in 30 min early every day. Not a biggie if that means I will be able to leave on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:30 to go do client hours. AHHHH! I will have clients in about 2 months. That is so unnerving (for me...hopefully not my potential clients), yet it also really makes me feel that I am making progress. I look forward to seeing my "book smarts" put to use in the real world. I also know that there will be a TON to learnt hat no book could ever teach me.
I am also working with my boss on a way to work part time while I am on maternity leave. Yes...in a perfect world it would be wonderful to take the full 12 weeks that FMLA gives me. However, FMLA isn't kind enough to pay me for 12 weeks, AND since I technically only get 2 weeks off from internship, it wouldn't do me much good. If I can take 6 weeks and work part time for the last 4 that would really help us out. Also, Ben gets 4 weeks of paid paternity, so it will give him a chance to "bond" with our little one :) All in all...it will probably be an "interesting" year as I finish up graduate school with a baby, but it is possible. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
We did have an unexpected event take place this past Thursday. As I was leaving class on Thursday night to go meet some of my classmates for dinner, I rear ended a woman in an SUV. Her car seemed to have little or no damage. Mine on the other hand wasn't so lucky. They also sent the paramedics out, being that I am pregnant, to check me out. Everyone, paramedics, police, Ben, classmates, was so nice to me...and the whole time I am thinking "Don't be so nice to me...tell me how stupid I was". I was pretty shaken up, but after checking me out everything with me and the baby seemed fine. Really all that seemed to hurt was my left knee from hitting the underside of the dash. I have come to terms with the fact that I obviously didn't mean for it to happen and that's why it is called an ACCIDENT! We have a rental car that I am driving and we are awaiting the news from the body shop on the extent of the damage. Thank goodness for full coverage.
All right folks...I must go.
I start a new module for classes tonight, and while that is always somewhat nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time, it makes me realize how fast the past few months have gone by for my Masters program. I started in August, meaning I have already put in 7 months of my 26 month program. Pretty exciting to me. Also, after this module we start our internship (another source of nervousness AND excitement), so we will go down to just one class per module. It really puts into perspective how quickly life just passes you by. I start internship in May and the Baby is due in August. I walk for my diploma in May of 2008 and then finish my internship in July of 2008. I will be completely done in October of 2008. I know for some that may seem forever away, but when you consider what all will happen in that time frame it makes it seem just around the corner.
Speaking of internship, my boss has approved my new schedule for when my internship starts. SO...I can keep my 40 hours a week AND get my intern hours in. It will just mean taking shorter lunches and coming in 30 min early every day. Not a biggie if that means I will be able to leave on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 2:30 to go do client hours. AHHHH! I will have clients in about 2 months. That is so unnerving (for me...hopefully not my potential clients), yet it also really makes me feel that I am making progress. I look forward to seeing my "book smarts" put to use in the real world. I also know that there will be a TON to learnt hat no book could ever teach me.
I am also working with my boss on a way to work part time while I am on maternity leave. Yes...in a perfect world it would be wonderful to take the full 12 weeks that FMLA gives me. However, FMLA isn't kind enough to pay me for 12 weeks, AND since I technically only get 2 weeks off from internship, it wouldn't do me much good. If I can take 6 weeks and work part time for the last 4 that would really help us out. Also, Ben gets 4 weeks of paid paternity, so it will give him a chance to "bond" with our little one :) All in all...it will probably be an "interesting" year as I finish up graduate school with a baby, but it is possible. At least that's what I keep telling myself.
We did have an unexpected event take place this past Thursday. As I was leaving class on Thursday night to go meet some of my classmates for dinner, I rear ended a woman in an SUV. Her car seemed to have little or no damage. Mine on the other hand wasn't so lucky. They also sent the paramedics out, being that I am pregnant, to check me out. Everyone, paramedics, police, Ben, classmates, was so nice to me...and the whole time I am thinking "Don't be so nice to me...tell me how stupid I was". I was pretty shaken up, but after checking me out everything with me and the baby seemed fine. Really all that seemed to hurt was my left knee from hitting the underside of the dash. I have come to terms with the fact that I obviously didn't mean for it to happen and that's why it is called an ACCIDENT! We have a rental car that I am driving and we are awaiting the news from the body shop on the extent of the damage. Thank goodness for full coverage.
All right folks...I must go.
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