20th Week of Pregnancy

It’s been a little while. The beginning of the school year has kept me pretty busy. I have reached some pregnancy milestones. I am now in my 20th week and have finally started wearing maternity clothes. I really don’t need to wear the tops yet, but I need something long enough to cover all the attractive elastic that I am wearing with my new pants.
Last week we had our ultrasound. It was fun and exciting to see the baby, but I was pretty uncomfortable through the whole thing. The constant pressure on my stomach did not go well with me. We saw hands and feet and the baby’s profile. We are still waiting for our results. If I haven’t heard from my doctor, things are probably looking good. I will call on Thursday to find out for sure.
Last week (19th week) was also when the baby’s movements became very strong. Steve has now felt the baby kicking. My stomach is getting bigger, and my skin is stretching so it’s been a little itchy. I’ve been putting lotions and baby oil on twice a day.
Last week was also the week when I found out that my youngest sister is pregnant as well. She’s due just a few weeks after me. I have many feelings about it all. I think most of all I’m sad for her – that it happened so early for her, and she is going to miss many things. I also feel bad for my parents. They are pretty hurt. I think the person I feel least sorry for is me. Yes, this is supposed to be my time. I did everything in the “correct” order. Steve and I planned all of this, but I’m not too worried about me.

17th Week of Pregnancy

This past week was a busy one. I was back in my classroom getting it ready for the school year. I announced that I was pregnant at the faculty meeting yesterday. Everyone was really happy for me, and some said that they had a feeling I might be.
I’m in my 17th week, and I have been feeling the baby. At first I wasn’t sure if it was gas bubbles or what, but now I know it’s the baby! Steve wants to feel too, but it’s too early for him.
I bought some maternity clothes on-line at Oldnavy.com. They came in the mail today, and they are soooo cute. I bought a pair of black jeans, a pair of khaki cords and a denim skirt. $100 worth! I think I have a good set of clothes now, but I need a few more tops.
My mom lost her new job at Warner Cable. I feel awful for her. It was on my mind most of the day. She was not able to pass the final exam with a high enough score so they let her go yesterday. Now she has to get back to the job hunt again. She seemed to be worried about what she was not catching on to during her training, but it was still quite an upsetting surprise. Now my parents are once again without health insurance – the absolute last thing I would want for them. I’m glad she can pick herself up and keep going.

15th Week of Pregnancy

I’m so sad right now. I just got home a little while ago from dropping Jack off at the vet’s. He’s being neutered tomorrow. I barely got to say goodbye to him. They just whisked him away. All I got was a quick kiss to him before he was gone. I cried a little on the way home because I kept thinking about how much he likes going for car rides, and then I take him to the vet’s and leave him there! We get to pick him up in two days. I just want him back home again. It really makes me realize how much we have come to love him in the short five months that we’ve had him. My Jack.
I am now in my 15th week. I think my stomach is starting to bulge a little. I still haven’t really grown out of much, but things are starting to feel snug. We stopped at the Johnson Creek outlet mall last week after Wisc. Dells. I bought two shirts and two pairs of pants from Motherhood Maternity. My mom also got me a couple things that were on clearance at Kohl’s. I still need khakis and other pants that I can wear to school. I’m going to look at Target too. I saw a few cute things there.
We had our second doctor’s appointment last week. We were able to hear the heartbeat. It took my doctor a little while to find it – that scared me for a second, but then we heard it. The baby’s heart beats very fast. The doctor said it’s almost twice as fast as ours. I have scheduled an ultrasound for early September. That will be fun to see. All the organs are now formed.
We have also found another boy’s name that we like. This weekend we both agreed that Griffin was a neat name for a boy so now we have Aidan and Griffin. I still think we need a few more ideas.
Today I signed us up for a birth and parenting class that starts in November. It’s six sessions and we also get to tour the birthing center at St. Mary’s. I also signed up for a breastfeeding class that is one night in December.

13th Week of Pregnancy

This weekend was so busy for us.  We had our housewarming party on Saturday night. We got to see a lot of family and friends that we don’t get to see so often. That was nice. Yesterday was our one-year anniversary. We slept in and then cleaned up a bit from the party. Steve got us tickets for the Wave United game so we went to that in the afternoon. We went to my parents to return a few things and to see my dad before his trip to Las Vegas. Finally we came home, put Jackson in his crate and had some time to ourselves! We also had to eat a piece of our wedding cake. We shared a piece and a glass of milk. The cake was still tasty but a little dry. I threw the rest away today.
We are now in our thirteenth week of pregnancy. I still feel really well. Last week I had a hard time finding foods that appealed to me. I had no cravings for anything! I ate a lot of soup. The problem is when I feel hunger coming on, it only takes about five minutes for it to turn into full blown starvation! That can be difficult when you can’t decide what to eat.
We go back to the doctor next week for our 2nd appointment. I think we’ll hear the heartbeat this time. Steve wants to go with me because he wants to hear it too.

Tenth Week of Pregnancy

This is our tenth week of pregnancy.  Last week we had our first doctor’s appointment.  Since it was too early to hear the baby’s heartbeat, we had an ultrasound and were able to see the baby – so little!  It was actually moving while we were looking at it.  We could see the head and what will eventually be arms and legs.  We also saw the heart beating.  The doctor gave us two pictures to take home.  That’s actually how we’ve been telling people.  At my parent’s house, we announced that we had some new pictures to show.  I pulled out the ultrasound photos and everyone was confused for about a second.  Then they figured out what was going on.  Same story when we told Louise.
I have felt really well so far.  Very little morning sickness.  I’m tired at times.  I’ve been taking naps in the afternoons.  And my food cravings haven’t been too bad either.  I want ice cream, but that’s nothing new.  I’ve also been craving soup.  I had tomato the other day and then today I picked up some more at Pick N Save – chicken and dumplings, bean and bacon and split pea, and some more tomato!  I crave healthy things.  I can live with that.
Our next appointment is in early August.  My doctor said it was o.k. to continue playing on the kickball league that we joined for the summer.  I’ve been playing catcher so I’m not in too much contact with the action of the game.  I still like kicking the ball and running the bases, though.
We have bought a baby name book and are beginning to pick names, but are no where close to narrowing down yet.  We have found more girl’s names that we like than boy’s names.  Maddison, Paige, Maya, Malia, Jasmine, and Chloe.  I know three people who have named their puppy Chloe so that might not be a choice anymore!  Right now I’m liking Maddison.  For boy’s, Aidan is our favorite right now.  We still have to get through half the boy’s section in the name book!

 I’m happy, but I’m so stressed.  Many things have been weighing on my mind this past winter.  So I was definitely ready to start Spring.  We flipped the mattress and changed the bedding in our room.  I put the spring/summer bathroom accessories and towels up.  Now I need to take the winter dishes out of my grandma’s china cabinet in the kitchen.  The weather is still chilly so we’ll probably need to use some extra blankets on the bed, but I needed the feel of fresh beginnings. 
My school district went through quite a hard time these past few months.  There were budget cuts, and for at least 2 months, I was afraid I might lose my job.  What a perfect time for that scare to occur!  We closed on our new home in middle November and the district announced budget cuts and layoffs in middle December.  Layoffs have come and gone, and I still have my job.  It’s good to know that 3 years seniority is keeping me safe.  I have quite a few new teachers under me so I should be fine.  I have entertained the idea, after this scare, that I might spend my entire career in South Milwaukee.  Why risk losing seniority, sick days and great benefits?  We’ll see.  I still have many years to go.
Grad school is keeping me quite busy.  Even with just one class a semester, the reading is extensive, and I am giving my best effort into the papers.  I am just finishing my first paper for my current class.  The first of 4 big projects that she is requiring of us.  I just have to stay on top of things – I can do that! 
We are buying a puppy.  His name is Jackson.  I liked that name for a little boy of my own, but Steve doesn’t like the name Jack so he let me name the dog Jackson because he said he’d never let me name our child it.  We pick him up on Wednesday night.  He is costing us a pretty penny for this day and time.  We are not struggling, but we do want to have a bigger cushion.  Jackson will set us back $600, not including all of his accessories – carrier, leash, Harley Davidson collar, brush, toys, dishes, etc.  Steve is so excited.  He has never owned a dog before so this will be fun for him.  I will enjoy it too, but right now I’m a little concerned about my allergies.  Dogs still bother me every now and then.  I’m hoping that hand washing and keeping him out of most rooms will help me feel somewhat normal.  I would hate to have to get rid of him because of my allergies, but I doubt it will come to that.
The U.S. has gone to war with Iraq.  Thursday night marked the beginning so it’s been about 3 days now.  We’ve lost five soldiers since I last heard.  I definitely do not oppose the war.  We need to do this to ensure our freedom for years to come.  Many have opposed it, and there have been several large protests throughout the country including Chicago and San Francisco.  Through it all, we go about our daily lives – teaching, working, reading, sleeping.