Grow Baby Grow!

So, once again I find myself apologizing for the lack of updates. Although I think I am just setting realistic expectations upon baby's actual arrival! We are still busy as ever, but extremely happy to see the light at the end of the tunnel as another school year draws to a close. Chris was reappointed for next year and even managed to "recruit" new students to fill the vacancies left by their departing 5th graders. He was extremely relieved last week to announce that his LAST IEP of the year was finally finished!!! So now he is on to the next adventure. He was informed earlier this spring that he will have to pack up his entire room because they are re-doing the AC unit in his building. Fun, fun...at least he only has 2 years of things to pack up and not 20+ years like my mom, who will be moving schools yet again this summer!

I have been swamped with end of the year things at Everhart. Two weeks ago, we survived the final chorus concert and the event of the year....Everhart PROM! Last week included the final awards assembly and graduation. Needless to say, I have been begging for a 3 day weekend for about two weeks now. I am feeling fortunate that we are almost finished at this point because I am not sure how much longer I could keep up this pace. Next week is Fun Day and early releases for students, so I am thinking that, at the most, I only have 4 music therapy sessions left for the year, if every class arrives as scheduled. I am teaching summer school this year, although I am not entirely sure which room I will be in. We also haven't quite nailed down how my maternity leave will be covered next year, but at this point, it is looking like I will be full time at Everhart this fall, with Brenda covering all of the district-wide sessions and traveling from school to school. Assuming Baby Reece decides to arrive on-time, the plan is that I will be gone for the 2nd nine weeks and come back to work in January.

We are finalizing plans for day care, for at least 2nd semester next year. We have been so fortunate to have two different individuals agree to take care of our bundle of joy. Both live near Hartsfield and come with EXCELLENT recommendations from Hartsfield teachers and parents alike. We are so excited at the prospect of having our baby in a small home care setting rather than a group day care. I know that day will come, and I firmly believe in the importance of early development of social interaction skills, but love the idea that my child will be receiving individual attention during at least the first year of his/her life!

Otherwise, things seem to be going well. I have broken down and purchased several new, bigger pieces of clothing for my wardrobe. Although I have not moved into maternity wear quite yet, I know that day is coming soon. My morning (all day) sickness seems to have subsided for the time being, which is quite the relief for someone who would rather do anything in the world other than throw up! I am still tired, but I think that has more to do with the schedule this time of year and the 95+ degree heat that we have been blessed with the past few weeks. Go figure that the year I am pregnant, we have entirely skipped spring and moved straight into the dog days of summer. I am not looking forward to July and August at this point! We have been to doctor one more time since the post with the heartbeat and we got to hear that magic sound again. We tried to tape it, but were so busy talking and asking questions that we kind of lost the important "soundtrack". We have our ultrasound Friday and are very excited for what we are sure will be a fabulous end of the school year present to us! Until then...enjoy the new pics (and Dad, I so apologize if you are offended by my belly shots!) =)




Baby Reece's First Prom




















15 Weeks




16 Weeks




17 Weeks




18 Weeks--What happened between 17 and 18? Hence the title of the this post! =)

2nd Trimester Update...

So I had every intention of writing another post before now, but you know what they say about the best laid plans. We have been busy as ever. We have all the typical end of the year things that Chris was mentioning in the last post, and I spent the last few weeks finishing up yet another semester of grad work. I survived two classes and completed my final portfolio project. I have one class left this summer and will graduate on August 7! Hooray!!!!

To celebrate, we took a trip to Orlando last weekend. We spent some quality time with the “mouse” and enjoyed walking around the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. We have decided to do the baby’s room in an Eric Carle theme (Very Hungry Caterpillar, Very Lonely Firefly, Brown Bear illustrations, etc.). So, I took lots of pictures of real hungry caterpillars and butterflies at the festival. I also discovered that Disney theme parks are a pregnant girl’s paradise…one food stand after another, and another, and another!! We also took stock of the situation and went “stroller shopping” while we waited in lines. We decided which strollers looked the best, had appropriate storage, were a reasonable size, had a good turning radius, etc. It was actually kind of fun to see all the different options in action!

The other half of the weekend we spent really shopping. Although you can’t quite tell from pictures, I have gained a few pounds and discovered that my weight and shape are shifting all over! So, I am in need of some new clothes. Chris typically enjoys shopping, which is a good thing because he definitely won the “Patient Husband of the Year” award on this trip. I made him sit outside all sorts of dressing rooms and give his opinion. In the end, I bought a few new (longer) shirts, a pair or shorts, capris, and jeans, and a few dresses. The goal was to find a dress that would work for prom, graduation, and a wedding at the beginning of June. I bought a really cute wrap dress, and we are going to cross our fingers that it makes it through all 3 events.

Overall, I am feeling better than I was when I wrote the last post. The constant nausea and “morning sickness” has diminished, only to be replaced by a few bouts of throwing up with no warning! I am not quite sure what is worse. While I appreciate that I feel pretty good throughout the day, I do not appreciate having to stop and or drop everything and run for nearest bathroom or trash can! I definitely have more energy, although the end of the year craziness and the summer like temps are wearing on me a bit. (I was in bed and asleep at 8:15 last night!). Although I don't look too different yet, I am readyfor the time when I will actually look pregnant and not like I have just eaten too many donuts! I haven’t been able to feel the baby moving yet, but had a cool experience tonight when, for the first time, I could feel where the baby was in my uterus! I made Chris come feel too and his response was, “Wow! It gets more and more real everyday!” He has no idea…=)

In honor of our nugget---yes I should have covered up the s, because there is only 1!

Baby's 1st Dole Whip at the Magic Kingdom!

15 weeks--Not that you can tell from this angle! We are so proud of our Future Hawkeye!