The Last Hurrah

About a month ago, we had been trying to figure out what to do and where to go for our last outing as the two of us. Of course, Brett had the best idea EVER. So, Thursday (the day after school was out) we jumped on a plane to Seattle to catch a couple of Twins games. Are you surprised? It worked out for us to see two games, see Brett's sister, and even visit one of his buddies from PT school. I enjoy all of our trips to see the Twins, but this one was really special.

Here we are before game one on Friday night:


Of course, we made signs. Unfortunately, I don't think we were circled by Bert this time.

Here's a picture of Joe,

and Joe,

and another of our favorite Joe's.

Recycling

Since our move across town (and with the babe on the way), we have had to do some recycling. This bookshelf was originally in my mom's house, and I think my brother even used it for a little while, too. Unfortunately, it was green and did not quite match the baby's furniture. A little wood stain goes a long way! Notice that our baby will not be lacking in the book department!!

Here's the green bookshelf before:

And here's the cherry bookshelf after:

Why would you say that?

Today, a parent of one of my students, said to me, "You don't look very good. What's wrong?" In my head, there were a lot of mean things being said to her in response, including that I was going to give her kid and F. Instead, I gave a fake smile and tried to laugh it off. Are you serious? Who says those things?

Thanks to the internet, here's a list of other things you should never say to a pregnant woman:

1) Any and all comments about how big she is. For example,"Oh my God, are you having twins?" "You're only seven months along? Geez!" "Wow, that baby's going to pop out at any minute!" "You know, my sister only gained 20 pounds when she was pregnant." "Oooo, your booty's getting big!"
2) "Can I touch your belly?"
3) "Oh my God, you're having another baby?"
4) Any and all unsolicited advice about baby names.
5) "Are you going to get him circumcised?"
6) "You're not going to eat that, are you?"
7) "Did you use fertility drugs?"
8) "Was this an oops?"
9) "So do you have hemorrhoids? Mine were just awful."
10) "So this is your first? Oh my God, with my first, I had horrible back labor for THIRTY hours, and then I needed a C-section and was in pain for WEEKS and the baby didn't sleep through the night until she was two years old..."

It's Official

I have come to the decision that anyone who teaches middle school gets a special place in heaven. Good news - I'm in! I think my students have gone crazy in the last month. Besides the usual drama that accompanies this fine age group, I have had the following:

-One student suspended for an inappropriate rough draft.
-The same student plagiarized my initials to get more points.
-Four students caught for plagiarism on a research paper.
-Two students who forged their parents initials on a RELIGION assignment.

Help! I'm going crazy!

Spring Ultimate Frisbee Tournament

Over the weekend, Brett played in his ultimate frisbee tournament which was the close of the spring season. Thankfully, it turned out to be a nice, though slightly warm, weekend for them. Their team did great; however, they lost in the championship by two points. Here are a couple of pictures of him in action:

Catching the disc in the end zone.

Going for it!

Trying to get open for his teammate.

Catching another one for a point!

29-Week Check Up

Today, we had the 29-week check up, along with the dreaded glucose tolerance test. A couple of years ago, I was willingly tested for diabetes since it runs in the family. This time, I definitely knew what to expect.

I woke up with a stomach ache just thinking about the test today. And, for those of you who don't know, I'm a little high-maintenance when it comes to needles. I'm the patient who asks to lay down, practically sheds tears, grimaces the entire time, and the has to remain laying down for a little while after the needle. Though Brett thought the phlebotomist did a good job, I was sure she stuck the need all the way through my vein - in one side and out the other. Did I mention that I've always been this way when it comes to needles? I had to get a flu shot last fall and requested the school secretary to hold my hand. Pathetic, I know.

Anyway, the check up went well. I gained SIX pounds in three weeks. My doctor said it's okay though. Whew. My belly is 29 cm which is perfectly where it should be at this point. And, the baby's heart beat sounded great. I think it was 145 beats per minute. As for the glucose test, we should know any bad news by Monday or Tuesday. If we don't hear anything by Wednesday, I'm in the clear.

Oh Baby!

Below is a picture of me at 27 weeks and 5 days - just about to enter the third, and final, trimester. I took about six pictures and they were all blurry. The only one that wasn't was this one with the very attractive face (see below). At this point, my belly is more important than my face though so just bare with me.


My last doctor's appointment was two weeks ago. At that point, I had gained a total of seven pounds in pregnancy. I feel them coming on faster now! Still, the only pain is that darn rib cage. I'm also feeling a little more tired as the weeks progress. Before we know it, we'll have a little one around here! Yikes!

Yard Work

We both enjoy being homeowners (for the most part) because it gives you something to do. When we were renting, it seemed like we just stayed inside and twittled our thumbs. In this house though, the work is endless right now! The big chore we had was to take out the juniper bushes that were in the front yard. They were covering the entire thing! Not only does the yard look completely different without them, but there's actually some terracing under there!

Here's the before:

Here's the middle:

There isn't an "after" shot yet, but we'll get there. Still some work to do. Did you notice the lack of the green monster to the right of the stairs? Good job, Brett!

Out for a swim

One of the main reasons we liked this house was because of the location. Not only is it close to work, but it is in the foothills. The three of us went for a walk a couple of weeks ago, and Brett showed me a pond that is right off the trail. Apparently, it collects run off from the mountains. Burrr! Of course, Puckett was able to enjoy a swim and a game of fetch. I snapped some pictures of him while he played. I know I had nothing to do with the way he looks, and I'm pretty biased, but he is a nice looking dog.

Too Serious

I noticed that blog was getting a little too serious, and we don't want that. So, I found this quote on the internet and thought I'd share. If nothing else, maybe it will make you smile.

Friendship is like peeing on yourself. Everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

Baby Bedding

Such decisions! We have been looking online at different bedding sets for the crib. The possibilities are endless! There were a couple of requirements: Neutral colors (so we can use it again later), few pieces (we didn't want a lot of stuff with it), and relatively inexpensive. I thought it would be easy to meet our needs, but apparently not. Finally, after what seemed like hours on the computer, I stumbled across this one. I found it at one store online, but tonight I saw it for a better bargain at Overstock. We saved 22% and got it shipped for a mere dollar! That one sentence makes it all worthwhile! It's a neutral (obviously), 4-piece set, 100% cotton, and hypo-allergenic. Perfecto!

One day short of 25 weeks

I'm growing! Here is my belly (and messy house) at almost 25 weeks. Things have been going well. I have a pretty normal amount of energy most of the time. The only real complaint I have is that I get pain at the base of my ribs. Not too shabby, huh? I know it's a terrible picture, but I had to get something on here to show proof that I am truly wearing maternity pants to work now. Don't worry, those are not the maternity pants.

Baby Gear

Wow! Have you seen the amount of baby "stuff" is out there? As if things weren't overwhelming enough, we actually looked for strollers a couple of days ago. Not only are they pricey, but there's a million different strollers on the market.

I'll spare you the details and just get to the point. We were able to get a good deal on this BOB stroller courtesy of Craigslist. Since it's technically a "jogging" stroller, does that mean I'll need to start jogging? Crap. Anyway, here's the new addition to our baby gear. The front wheel turns 360-degrees, and, you can attach the car seat to the stroller. In theory, it's great. We'll give you a review come August.

Opening Day Baseball

As you should know, last Monday night was Opening Day for the Minnesota Twins. In celebration of baseball season, we had a little shindig at our new place. Of course, we had hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, seven layer dip, and ice cream. We skipped the sunflower seeds and peanuts this time. Unfortunately, the Twins did not pull off a win for us, but we all enjoyed the game and good company anyway.

Cheers to another season of baseball!

We're Back!

As you can tell, I've taken a little hiatus from blogging, but not by choice. In the midst of our move, I could not find the cord to connect the camera to the computer. We're finally back in business though!

We got a great deal on this house, it is in a perfect location (at the base of foothills and close to work), and has all the necessities. One afternoon, I even came home to find Brett on the roof cutting down a tree. It was blocking our view! The house faces south, which gives us a view of Table Rock (a hill/plateau) and the rest of the city (including BSU's stadium). We're slowly getting things out of boxes and cleaned up. It's nice to finally put some pictures on the walls again and make it look more like home. As for the stairs, it's a tri-level house so we're certainly getting a work out - Brett more so than myself of course.

Downstairs there are two bedrooms. Though the room is not painted yet, we did set up the crib last weekend. This whole pregnancy thing is becoming more and more real by the day. More about that later. Thanks for the crib, Dad and Syl!

Also in the baby's room, is a bookshelf we got from my mom. Before too long, I'm going to paint or re-stain it so it matches everything else a bit better. If you look closely, you can see some books. We were lucky enough to get a lot of books that my brother and I used when we were little. There's even an abacus that I used to play with! (Too bad my math skills aren't that great.) I know I have more pop-up books somewhere, too. The painting atop the bookshelf was a gift from my mom and Greg. An artist from California painted a Noah's Ark scene which is perfect for our little one! It's a bit hard to see, but it's definitely cute!