It's a boy!

Today we went for our anatomy scan. It was so exciting and surreal to see our little baby a. actually looking like a baby, and b. moving around in there. Our ultrasound tech was completely amazing and spent so much time with us, showing us all the important parts...plus the most important "part" that let us know we're welcoming a little mister! With two male pets, my husband, and this little guy on the way, I'm going to continue to be in a house surrounded by boys...or as Doug put it, "The house of dude prevails!" Doug was so excited, he immediately wanted to go out and get Lego sets and Star Wars onesies. I think I'm gonna need some serious lady time in the near future...pedis anyone?

I think the most amazing thing is to see how he's grown from this itty bitty bean:

6 weeks

To our little "Casper":

8 weeks

To this cute little peanut with a teensy nose and tiny feet:

I seriously can't believe that in about 4 1/2-5 months we get to meet him! I feel like he already has quite the personality. He was tapping his little feet in there today, scratching his head, and rolling around. He even had the hiccups (which I think is hilarious since I get them all. the. time). I found out I'm feeling so much because he's positioned really close to the front of my stomach, and my posterior placenta means there's no cushion to muffle the movements. He also has a beautiful set of kidneys, a nice strong spine, no signs of birth defects, and the four chambers of his heart are formed.  The u/s tech said we got a "A+" and that he was a very active baby (oh dear). Since he's so close to the front, she'd nudge his little body from the outside and he'd sweetly settle into a new position so she could examine his different parts. What a good little guy! We even got a (slightly creepy looking) 3D since he was so cooperative:

Look at his little 3d gremlin face!

I'm going to be honest, the anatomy scan was a BIG deal to me, especially seeing the spine. I used a heating pad on my stomach very early in pregnancy to deal with muscle cramps (before I found out that's a big no-no) and had myself convinced I gave the baby spina bifida (and was driving everyone around me crazy worrying about it). I burst into tears in the car afterwards because I was so relieved that he was healthy and growing normally. I think this is just the start of a lifetime of mommy-worry. God help me. 

So, now we get to start planning the nursery and considering names. It feels so much more real now than before, knowing that "it" is a "he". I admire people that have the patience to wait to find out what they're having, but I wouldn't trade this knowledge for the world. I can't wait to meet this little gentleman. 

Um, Mrs. Laura...

"...somebody told me that you're having a baby!"

So begins some of my most favorite conversations with my kids lately. Usually, my pregnancy been discussed in the lunch room or on the bus and they want confirmation (and are always surprised when I tell them it's true), though one little girl told me her younger sister announced it at the dinner table (Apparently she shouted, "I HAVE GOOD NEWS! MRS. LAURA IS HAVING A BABY!") There have been some truly hilarious reactions from my students, especially since they span Kindergarten all the way to 4th grade. Here's some of my recent favorites:

A K boy (as he runs after me down the hall): "HEY! HEY MRS. LAURA! I heared you're gettin' pregnant!"

A K boy: "You're pregnant?! (cue disgusted look on his face) Why?!"

A 1st grade girl: "Congratulations! I can't believe you just had a baby!" (I explain I haven't had it yet. She stares at my stomach for a good minute) "Wait. It's IN there?"

A 1st grade boy: "You're having a baby? Ugh. ANOTHER one?" (I explain this is my first child, so yes, I'm having a baby, but no, not another one)

A 3rd grade girl: "Are you excited?" (Yes) "You won't be when it's time for it to come out."

A 3rd grade boy: "You're pregnant? Well that's not good news. Who wants a baby?"

A 4th grade boy (shaking his head sadly): "I really hope it's a girl...for your sake. Boys can get pretty messy."

A 4th grade girl: "If it's a boy, I really like the name Carlos. Yep, definitely Carlos. It sounds AWESOME."
(I told her I'd run it by Mr. Laura)

Just a mini update

This one's gonna be short & sweet...
Today marks the last day of month 4! Tomorrow I'm officially a 5 month preg-Nancy. Wowza!

Here's my end of 17 weeks photo. I wish I was better about taking pics earlier each week, but I usually look like trash during the work week (thanks to a 15 minutes-before-I-leave-the-house wake-up time lately) so its generally a no-go. According to my husband's family friend, I'm "really bumping out!"

I also think I'm feeling more frequent movement. I really can't wait to a. find out what I'm having and b. feel the first real kick from the outside. Thursday is the anatomy scan! Eeee!

In other news, we just got a new camera and we're picking it up tonight. I'm hoping to get a little fancy with the picture taking from here on out...and practice for some major paparazzi once this little bebop arrives.

Also, big congrats to my former lib co-worker Kari--we're due on the same day! If we happen to be in the hospital at the same time, the plan is to find each other and high-five mid-labor...if I'm not crying inconsolably/unconscious/dead since my vision of childbirth is decidedly horror-movie quality. Mommas out there--tell me it's not so bad? Or am I right on?

Oh,and one last thing. I want everything from this etsy store for the nursery. I mean, seriously! Adorable!

Hey, hey baby!

Well, it's been a pretty ridiculously long time since I posted on here, and an update is fully in order.
Since my last post:
I went to New Orleans for a conference with my mom:

My best girl since age 5, Jessica, got married:

My dog wore this:

My cat did that:











I've been continuing to cake pop it up with Sarah, and...

Oh yeah. I got knocked up.

Doug & I are over the moon about it. We kept it a secret from everyone but closest friends & family through the first trimester, but the word is out now. As of Saturday, I'm 17 weeks along, and we scheduled the anatomy ultrasound at my doctor's appointment today, which means in 2 weeks I'll be decking this blog out in either pink or blue. My inner crazy, type-a, super control freak self has been secretly counting the seconds until we can find out if this is a little miss or a little mister. I mean, hello! We have a nursery to decorate! Bedding to consider! Clothes to buy! And probably worst of all...names to pick! D & I have been finding names to be a particular challenge. If it's a boy, we're pretty set on our name (but keeping it a sorta secret until the baby is born. I think it's creepy when people refer to a pregnant woman's stomach by name) but if it's a girl...oh dear. Lourdes Hospital may just be posting "baby girl" on their announcement page instead of an actual moniker at the rate we're going. I think it may be a teensy weensy bit because my personal criteria for our future little person's name is somewhat extreme. I'm looking for a name that:
1. Is not made up, trendy, invented, or so unique that no one has ever heard of it...
2. But not so common that a million little ones will have it--I'd like something kinda unique
3. Is classic but not common (see #1 and #2)
4. Sounds good with Laura (this is the hardest part)
5. Lends itself well to nicknames
6. Can work for a cute little baby all the way to a professional adult
7. Is easy to spell and pronounce, and not so out there that people scrunch up their noses and say "ugh" when they hear it
8. (This is where the list narrows waaaaay down) Does not remind me of one of the 500+ kids I teach daily
9. Does not already belong to a member of our family or friends or even acquaintances, really, because see #2

The problem (I mean, before you get to #8 and #9 which I can acknowledge are a little impossible) is that some of these criteria are in direct opposition to one another. Elizabeth is easy to pronounce, classic, lends itself well to nicknames...but fails #3. It's too common. Penelope meets #1, 2, 3, 4, 5...but majorly fails #7 and Doug hates it. I could go on for ages! How does anyone ever choose the name that their child will live with for the rest  of their life? This is quite possibly the hardest decision I've ever made...and don't even get me started on cribs, strollers, and baby gear. It's enough to drive you to drink (virgin, please).

Anyway, this has been the all-consuming portion of my life lately, and D & I still can't believe our house will soon be inhabited by another living, breathing (pooping, crying, puking, never-sleeping) human being. It's all a little surreal. Thank God I have other mama-friends going through it now or already having done it to be my safety net/support group, and of course, my awesome husband, although sometimes we look at each other and say, "What did we just get ourselves into?" with a combination of joy and panic in our voices.

Also, I've been taking weekly belly pictures, and can I just say, I look SO much more pregnant at night? It's really amazing. Here's the latest and greatest as of today (16 weeks, 5 days).

In other news, our basement should be (finally) getting fixed from the great September flood. I'm pumped (ha! literally! we're getting new pumps installed!) since the contents of the basement may or may not be currently residing in the soon-to-be-nursery. However, that mess is a post for another night. In the meantime, I'm off to drink my nightly banana chocolate milkshake--I might as well enjoy it while I can!