Last post of 2011...

I am a bit sad to let go of 2011...the year we welcomed Lily into the world! I can't believe Bean is already 6 months old...where did those months go? June wasn't that long ago, but here we are standing on the edge of 2012. This year is sure to bring crawling, walking, talking, and all sorts of milestones that we are excited to celebrate. I am anxiously awaiting every single moment that our family will share, and can't wait to see what 2012 will bring! (2012 also marks the end of my tenure as a class advisor...my other "babies" are going to be graduating in May...thank goodness!)

Merry Christmas!

Lily's first Christmas has come and gone, and it was a huge success. She was amazing, given all of the traveling and people she met! Christmas Eve was celebrated by going to church (she did great!), and having my family over for shrimp. Lily had fun "opening" gifts and showing off how well she can sit up now.

Christmas day was busy! We went to Tom's parents' house first, then to Nee and Pappy's. Lily opened a lot of gifts...by the time we were done our car was packed! She charmed everyone and was so happy all morning. Then, we stopped at home, got changed, and headed to my parents' house for my family's Christmas. Again, Lily did great! She got so many gifts that our living room looked like a Toys R Us. Crazy!

Here are a few pictures of the holiday:

December Happenings

Well, December is practically half way over, so it's about time I write a bit about my growing Beanie. Lily is loving, loving, loving solids. Her latest adventure was peas, and while I was a bit nervous about how she would like them, she ended up LOVING them! She couldn't get enough! Now, she is up to carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, squash, pears, and apples. She seems to enjoy them all. I think next we will try avocado or banana. We will see.

 Lily is also starting to sit up on her own. Only for a few seconds at a time, but with her boppy she is doing fairly well. She is enjoying playing with her toys...she grabs everything...and...of course...it goes directly into her mouth. I love how she is developing her little personality. She is so joyful and silly. She loves to babble and laugh and giggle. She brings so much joy to our house and my life!

Lily's 6 month, yes 6 month, appointment is coming up on Monday. I can't believe she will be 6 months old on Tuesday. How time flies. Half a year already-- what a big girl she is becoming. Sometimes I get a little sad thinking of how tiny by Bean used to be (especially after snuggling Nakenzi at school on Monday...what a teeny little peanut!) and how much she has already grown, but my greatest pleasure in life is watching her learn so many new things. Everyday she amazes me. Just watching her is like watching a whole world unfold; what a gift it is to be a mommy.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This past week Lily celebrated her first Thanksgiving. We went to Tom's family's on Thursday and then celebrated with my family on Friday. We had a very nice time at both places and ate a lot of delicious food! We have so much to be thankful for this year, especially our little Beaner. She is growing so quickly; I can't believe she will be 6 months old in Decmeber-- a whole half of a year! Lily has been on move recently, she is currently working on her rolling over skills. She rolled on her own a few weeks ago, but now she is doing it more often. I even got a video of her rolling! She also found her thumb, which is cute. Since she was born her thumbs have been "stuck" more or less, and it takes a lot for her to get them all the way out. Now that she is a bit older it has been easier for her to work them loose. Well, while she was in her bouncer the other day she found on and stuck it in her mouth. She didn't seem too impressed.

Lily also discovered the dog. She will lean into him and slowly open her mouth (as to put his snout in her mouth...ew). It is actually fairly funny when she does it. She gives kisses the same way; she opens her mouth and leans into your cheek (or lips, nose, chin...). It is super sweet!

Little Lima Can Roll!

Lily finally rolled over! She rolled from her tummy to back a long time ago, but has not been able to master back to tummy. Friday night, while we were chatting, Bean rolled over! We, of course, both missed it. When I looked up she was on her tummy, head up, smiling a huge smile. What can I say? My kid takes a lot of pride in her accomplishments. I flipped her back over and she did it again. Then, later, she was sitting my lap and did a kung fu flip out of my lap. Guess this officially means we are in trouble!

When she is not trying out her new moves, Lily is trying new foods! She has tried sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots. She seems to like all three. If the apples are a little tart she makes a crazy face, but keeps eating. I made more apples yesterday, and made some pears to try next week. We still have squash her to to try, and then I think we will start some green veggies. We are trying to alternate veggies and fruits and give her about a week on each to make sure she doesn't have any food allergies.

I got all of Lily's Christmas shopping done. I may order her some books, but other than that Santa has been very generous to Bean. Tom's Christmas is done, except for his stocking. I am trying to get as much out of the way early as I can. I cannot wait for Christmas this year. I usually can't wait for the holiday, but this year Lily gets to (sort of) experience everything I know she is still to little to really understand, but it's her first Christmas, which is special in itself.

November!

Well, Lily celebrated her first Halloween! She made two costume changes- she was a little ladybug and a candy corn. We loved both outfits; she looked absolutely adorable during her first trick-or-treating experience. We went out with Campbell and Keller (who were both princesses) and had a wonderful time. We even got to see Averi the cowgirl and get a picture or two (even though Lily had some tears).

In between all of the Halloween fun, Lily tried her first solids. She started witch rice cereal, which she seemed to enjoy well enough and is now trying sweet potatoes (the verdict is still out on those). We are making our own baby food...which has become a minor obsession of mine. I had a really fun time making it, and the whole process is super easy. The next food Lily will try is applesauce. If she thought the sweet potatoes were sweet, she is in for a real shock!

I am sooooo looking forward to the holidays this year. I can't wait to get the house all decked out and celebrate Lily's first Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are already planning out her gifts and making our family plans. One of the best things about having a baby is seeing the world through her eyes. Everything is new again! From blowing bubbles, to screeching (Lily's new activity...loud, joyful screeching), to trying new foods and tastes, everything is new and something to be explored. I love it!

And, finally, this past week we welcomed a new friend into the OMHS English Department family. Averi became a big sister when Nakenzi was born on Novemeber 3 (Averi and Nakenzi are Angela's, Lily's godmother's, daugters). I am so excited to watch the girls grow up together! I am thrilled to have Nakenzi join the group and can't wait for Grover to join us in February. Looks like a lot of future playdates will be happening!

Halloween is coming...

Today we went to Baugher's to get our pumpkins. I have been going to Baugher's since I was little, so basically as long as I can remember. I love Baugher's! It always reminds me of autumn and the approaching fall holidays. Today, we got 3 pumpkins and, of course, Tom got himself an apple pie. We took a ton of pictures of Lily. Shocking.

In other news, Lily is going to try some rice cereal this weekend. I am not really in too much a hurry to give her solids, but I do want her to get used to eating other textures and flavors. We will need to get the highchair set up and clean her baby spoons...more things to take over the house!

October already!?!



Lily in her bouncer.



Today we had Lily's 4 month check-up. She is doing really well...she weighs 13lbs. 12oz. (up 4, almost 5 pounds from the 2 month!) and she is 26 inches long (gained 2 more inches). She is off the chart for height and right in the middle for weight. We were given the green light for solids whenever we want to start trying them. We will probably try some rice cereal soon, but I want to hold off on anything else until I get some food made (we are making our own baby food!).



All smiles!



In other news, Lily is a little jumping Bean! She loves her doorway jumper, but we don't have many good spots for it, so we got her a stationary jumper and she is in baby love. It is a Christmas gift, but given her proclivity to growing like a weed, we wanted to make sure she didn't outgrow the height requirement before she got it! Now, it is another baby accessory that is blocking a significant part of the family room...our house is slowly being usurped by baby items. Beaner is also trying to master the art of rolling over. She gets about halfway and then her arm gets in the way. She hasn't quite figured out how to move it, but I think that day will come very soon.



Almost over!





On October 8, Lily was baptized at St. Joseph's Monastery chapel. My good friend Angela is her godmother and Tim is her godfather. The ceremony was beautiful...it was just perfect for our family. We also had a fun reception. Lily wore my great-uncle's christening gown, which is 90 years old. We counted and something like 17 babies have worn the gown. Now that is a wonderful tradition.

 

A video of Lily in the bouncer. Excuse my man voice...it always tapes weird.







First Cold

Well, Lily has her first cold. It's just a little one...stuffy nose, little cough...that's about it. She doesn't seem too phased by it, still smiley and giggly and babbly. Today, she tried chewing on her teether (the frozen kind) and she seemed to enjoy herself. I think Bean is going to be an early teether. I don't know if this is a good thing, or a bad thing!

I can't believe how quickly Bean is growing! It seems like she was just a teeny week old baby. I think this is one of the most amazing parts of being a parent- getting to watch your child develop her own personality and become her own person. It is also one of the hardest parts, I think, because you want your baby to slow down...not get older quite fast. If there was one thing I would tell new mommies and daddies it would be to live everyday in the moment. Don't wish away stages and phases. Savor every single moment you have while your baby is still a baby. I know that even though I am an adult I am still my mom and dad's baby girl. And I know that Lily will always be my baby, no matter how big she gets (or how tall...if she keeps at this rate she will definitely be taller than me!). I can't wait to see what the next days, and weeks, and months, and years will bring for us. I can't wait to see my Bean grow and grow and grow, but for now, I will enjoy every inch of her baby-ness and love every minute of her laughing, giggling, crying, babbling, and cooing.

Slacker...

I know, I know I have been slacking a bit on posting...with good reason though, things have been super busy! Lily started daycare and has been doing really well. She is all smiles when we get home and seems to have adjusted very well. My little Bean is growing like a weed (or, should I say, bean stalk). She started using her jumperoo this weekend and she LOVES it. She squeals and laughs and just has a great time. She is just so pleasant! We love talking to her and hearing her babbling. She loves to talk...just like her mommy and daddy. I have posted some videos of Lily talking and enjoying her jumperoo...

The yellow thing is her ducky/lovey. She loves to hold him and chew on him.  

Shit Happens

I need to preface this story by saying: My daughter has decided that she would like poop on me, and only me.

So yesterday, Lily pooped. Normal. The way the poop escaped and made its way all over my outfit...not as normal (though, not abnormal...). While poop was generally not one of the topics I used for everyday conversation in my pre-baby life, it is slowly becoming a dominating topic in my baby life. So Lily poops. I think nothing of it. Then I feel something on my leg...I lift the baby up and there is poop on my pants and my shirt...and then I discovered it was even on my underwear...what the heck! On my underwear! Gross. Very gross.

In other non-poop related news. Lily is sleeping through the night. She loves her crib! I was sad to move her into her own room- one of those "oh she is growing up so quickly things" but ultimately it is the best move we have made. She is sleeping SO much better. She is also figuring out that attached to her legs are her feet. Sometimes I wonder how much control she has over her crazy legs and if she would like them to stop moving. I can imagine her thinking in her head "STOP! HEY LEGS STOP MOVING!" See the video below for the leg action:

In the Crib

Well, we made it through an earthquake, and then a hurricane, and then the first night in the crib. Luckily, with the hurricane we never lost power. We did, however, get 2 extra days of summer break. We finally went back to school on Tuesday, which wasn't so bad. We got the first week out the way and it went fairly smoothly. It feels a little weird at school this year, I think partially because I miss Lily, but something else just feels odd. Maybe it's being in a new classroom, or having tenth graders who actually knew the difference between mood and tone without me telling them. Either way, it feels a little weird. Hopefully, getting into the school routine will solve this problem.

This week we moved Lily into her crib. She slept really, really well. Both nights she only woke up once and she slept much later. It was great! Apparently, our monitors work well, because it sounded like an aquarium in our room while her little toy ran. She really likes the lights and sounds on the little aquarium toy in her crib and it turns itself off after about 15 minutes, so it works really nicely. She also enjoys pitch black to sleep, so no nightlights for her...at least not yet. I am hoping her new room accommodations will help get us some more sleep, especially since school is in full swing.

This week we still don't have a full week of school because of Labor Day. Summer is over...what a sad thought. I had an excellent summer and wish it wouldn't end! I do love autumn, though. The cooler days, sweater weather, warm sun, the fun holidays. Lily will have a lot of "firsts" in the coming months! How exciting! I am already gearing up for her first Christmas...my favorite holiday! I love the Christmas season, and this year will be extra special as Lily celebrates for the first time. She already has some presents put away. I think her big gift will be a jumperoo seat thing because she is in constant motion. I realize she won't understand what is going on yet, but I want her very first holidays to be extra special!

One Week Down...

...too many to go! Well, the first week of school is done. This week was marked with meetings (not so much fun), classroom and lesson prep, and a new green screen (and some excellent anchoring by Mindi and Sarah). Leaving Lily the first day was really hard. I kept thinking about what I would be missing while I was at work, what she was doing, how cute she was looking ;-) As the week went on, it got a little easier, but not much. I am hoping that as weeks go on and a routine is established things will get easier. I do have to say, coming home from work to my little Bean is my favorite part of the day. She is babbling and cooing so much! She is also giving some excellent smiles.

This school year will definitely be hard. Each year presents its own challenges...planning a wedding, being pregnant, balancing teaching and coaching and being an advisor and having a life...so really, this year's challenge is learning how to be a mom and a teacher. I know I am going to need to adjust when I plan and grade because I will want my home time to be Lily time, not OM time. I think learning how to do that will be the biggest change for me because I am so used to grading at home and planning rather last minute. Not the most effective way to function as a teacher, but it always worked for me. Once I figure out this new balance, I think things will just kind of fall into place. Until then, I am working on a learning curve and taking things one day at a time.

2 Months!

Today, my little Lily Bean is 2 months old. I can't believe she is already 2 months, times flies when you are having fun (and when you are up at least once a night). We took the monthly picture of her cute little self this morning, though she really didn't want to smile (I did get one good smile, though). She is off at grandma and grandpa R's house today, so Tom and I could spend some time together before school begins. This also meant a mass cleaning of the house because Lord know when it will get a good cleaning again!

Earlier this month Lily met Ben, her future husband. Ben is Kara's son (Kara is my and Tom's co-worker and friend). Kara and I were pregnant together at school and always joked that Ben and Lily would be the product of an arranged marriage. We got some cute pics of the kids together. Lily (and I) look forward to future play dates!

3 nights of sleeping for 7 hours!

So for the past three nights Lily has successfully slept for 7 hours through the night! Two of those nights were 11p-6a and one was 10:30p-5:30a. Either way, that is some good sleeping. It has definitely been nice getting more sleep and having her on something of a sleeping schedule. I keep waiting for this schedule to change, though, so I try not to get too excited...

This week Lily joined us at school to get my room started and go over HSA materials. During the HSA meeting she was a perfect angel...mostly looking at Becky and making her laugh (which, is kind of humorous when Becky is saying "How can we focus on getting FARMS students' scores higher?...Hi Bean! Anyone have ideas?". She did a pretty good job for it being a longer day at school, she even felt comfortable enough to poop through her diaper, onesie, and pants. That was a fun diaper change for mommy.

I will miss my Bean terribly when school starts, but I know she is in capable hands at my parents' house and then at daycare. I have mixed feelings about going back to school; I am enjoying these days with my wonderful co-workers, but I know once school starts the stress will begin. I truly love what I do, but with high stakes testing the schoolhouse has become a kid factory, pumping out graduates. It makes me sad to see learning so focused on one test. I would rather freely do what I thought I was hired to do-- enrich students' lives through literature. I look at Lily and wonder what her education will be like. I feel grateful that she was born into a family who values education. I hope that she can develop the love for learning that I had, and still have. I want school to be a sanctuary for her, not a factory like it seems to be now.

Of course...

...without fail I will sit down to pump and Lily will start screaming. She will be sound asleep, I will put her in her swing (a swing that she normally loves), and as soon as I am "hooked up" WAHHHHHH begins. No amount of cooing, talking, reasoning (ok, maybe not reasoning), will help her to calm down. Unlike Lily, Fred snoozes through everything, so he is on the couch asleep. If one can be jealous of a dog, I am.

Onto a more exciting topic...my brother comes home from China this weekend! He left June 12, just 8 days before Lily made her entrance into the world, so he has never met her. He has seen her pictures and we have sent updates, but I am just so excited for him to meet her. He will also be her godfather, so that is super special! After 2 months abroad, I am pretty sure Tim is ready for some American food. He has strongly conveyed his dislike of Chinese food, especially the soup. I suppose we should have a big, juicy burger with fries waiting for him when he gets off the plane. Oh, and, interesting fact...he will get 2 Sundays this week...a Chinese one and an American one!

Finally, we have set a date for Lily's baptism-- October 8. My uncle Dan, who is a deacon, will perform the baptism. I am oddly excited. Maybe it has something to do with my devout adoration of Mary (this dates back to four-year-old me pretending to be Mary at Christmas) or the idea that Lily's baptism will be the first big event in her life. Despite some of the problems within the Catholic Church, I am glad that Lily will have some form of religion in her life. I believe that the morals that a person gains through religion, or any form of belief system, is invaluable. Plus, a little bit of good old fashioned Catholic guilt never hurt anyone. (Sarah and I also came up with some catchy slogans for a baptism-- our best, in my opinion-- "How do you get defeat the devil? I do it with a little holy water and cooking oil!" Ok, so it's not cooking oil, it's holy oil, and this slogan may get us excommunicated, but we think it is pretty catchy!

Wedding!

Yesterday our friends Glenn and Jess tied the knot. The wedding was beautiful and it was held at one of my favorite places-- Loyola. Jess looked beautiful and Glenn looked very handsome. The reception was great and marked my first alcoholic drink post-pregnancy (it was champagne, for those wondering)! It was really nice to get out and have a night dressing up, dinner, dancing, and friends...but I missed my Bean. Apparently, she decided to be as hungry as possible and drank basically everything that was left for her. When we got home she was sound asleep in my mom's arms, and, fortunately for us, she slept for four more hours after we got to bed (so we got some decent sleep after the fun). Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Savage!!

Pictured Above: The newlyweds! To the left: Tom and I before the reception. Six weeks postpartum...not too bad!

1 month!

So this is a little overdue, but last week Lily turned one month old! She has started smiling and cooing like crazy. I love talking to her and watching her kick her legs and move her arms.

Lily also went to the mall for the first time. If she is anything like her momma she will love shopping! She slept through her first trip, which was great. She loves to move and the stroller and car put her right to sleep. Hopefully, we can have some more mall trips soon (Tom may not want us to have more mall trips soon...).

"Not my daughter, you bitch!"

Today I went to see Harry Potter with my friends from school. It was amazing! My favorite part- in the book and the movie- is when Molly Weasley confronts Bellatrix after she (Bellatrix) tries to harm Ginny (Molly's daughter) (pardon my explanation of characters, while I assume most of you have read HP, some of you probably have not...and if you haven't...go read them...now!). Molly looks straight at Bellatrix, exclaims "Not my daughter, you bitch!", and kills her. It is awesome and, I think, shows the strength of the bond between mother and child. Molly is the ultimate mom heroine.

Watching HP as a mom gave me a completely different view of so many things in the movie. There are so many parent-child relationships that are highlighted: the Malfoys, the Potters, the Weasleys. Each relationship is a little different, but underlying each of these relationships is the love that the families share. Yes, even the Malfoys have love. I completely lost it when Harry saw his parents before he confronted Voldemort. When Lily says, "You have been so very brave, sweetheart" I just burst into tears. Lily Potter, who gave the ultimate sacrifice for her child by dying for him, shows that she is still with him even after her death. Harry knows he has love...and that love will conquer all (even a freaky snake dark lord)...and, in the end, it does.



It's been a while...

I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I would give some quick updates...

Lily is 3 weeks old (almost 4 weeks old)! She will be one month old on Wednesday, July 20. I can't believe it has been a month since she was born! She changes so much every single day; I wish I could just bottle up her baby-ness and keep it forever. Her smells and her sounds and her littleness. Each day brings something different...she learns something new, or does something new that we can celebrate. Heck, we celebrate when she burps (my dad wanted to know why, when a baby burps, everyone is excited, but when he burps everyone goes DENNIS! GROSS! haha)!

I think one of the best things about being a momma is seeing each day as a brand new one. Everything is fresh through Lily's eyes. She has so many milestones ahead- smiling, laughing, sitting up, walking. I look forward to experiencing every last one of them. It is all just beginning for her. I just so happen to be lucky enough to share this journey with her. Being a mom is definitely the best job in the world.

Just playing with my toys!

Blackbird fly...

So Lily apparently likes The Beatles and James Taylor. She was fussy, so I put her in her swing. She continued to fuss, so I put on the song Blackbird. She quieted down almost immediately! When I rock her I sing James Taylor songs and she also seems to enjoy those.

Last night was a lonnnnggg night. Lily was WIDE awake and did not want to go to sleep. She finally settled at 130 and promptly spit up all over herself...her sleeper was covered. Once that was cleaned up she fell asleep for 4 hours straight. Once she is ready to sleep she sleeps for longer stretches, which I am grateful for. I am hoping to start getting her on more of a schedule now that I know she is gaining weight well and can go longer between feedings...though it seems funny to give a one week old a schedule!

Today Lily is going to meet her cousins Allyson, Campbell, and Keller and her Aunt Sandy and Uncle Carl. I can't wait for Campbell (5) and Keller (3) to meet her. They will probably have her dressed as a princess before they leave...haha.

One Week Old!

Today Lily is a week old! This past week went by SO quickly. Most of the week is a hospital blur; after all, being in a hospital with few options for things to do makes the days all run together. Being home has been lovely. My favorite time is when Lily is wide awake and I can talk to her or read to her. As the days pass, she becomes more and more alert. I also love to breastfeed her. To some that is probably a bit odd, but she is so peaceful when she eats.

Things I have learned this week...
1. You do get some sleep with a newborn it may come in 2 or 3 hours chunks of time, but it beats getting up every hour to pee when pregnant!
2. I do miss being pregnant-- I don't miss all the peeing and trouble sleeping, but I do miss feeling Lily kick inside me and anticipating her arrival.
3. Nothing can prepare you for how much you will love your child, nothing. It is the best, most overwhelming feeling in the world, but it is simply amazing.
4. You can never take enough pictures.
5. There are probably other things I am missing that I learned...cause this is certainly a bit of a learning curve...but I love every second of it (even the 2am feedings...).

A big thanks to all of my friends and family who have stopped by with love (and food!). Lily is so so so lucky to have you in her life! We can't wait to see what the next weeks have in store for us!

Some Pics

After the epidural  

Finally here! 

 With daddy

With mommy 

 Brand new

 YAWNNN

With Fred

Lily is here!

Well, the due date came and went...the 18th came and went...and then came Father's Day. In the morning it didn't look like Lily would be a Father's Day baby...no contractions, no discomfort, nothing. Then around 11:30am I started having irregular contractions. I was getting lower back pain, but didn't want to make much of it because I knew it could be a while or it might be nothing. Tom's parents were scheduled to come over for dinner, so we went ahead with dinner plans. We got Bare Bones carryout at around 6...just about the time that the contractions became regular. They went from completely irregular to regular and 5 minutes apart in less than an hour. We called the doctor and she said to wait a bit longer until the contractions were a little closer. So we waited maybe half and hour and the contractions were 2 minutes apart. We called again and she said to get to the hospital. When we got to St. Agnes it was just after 8pm. I was admitted and checked and I was dilated to a 4 already and 100% effaced! Yay! My nurse was Tiffany and she was amazing. She also told me I could get an epidural, which I knew I wanted. My contractions were one on top of the other, so I knew it would help me rest...and I knew it would be a long night. After the epidural it took a little longer to progress I got to a 6 then an 8 and then I felt tons of pressure (worse than a contraction, in my opinion). Once I got to a 10 I HAD to push. The baby was still a little high, so they wanted me to wait a little longer, but I needed to start pushing, so Tiffany said to go ahead. Tom and my mom helped with everything and I discovered that I am apparently a good pusher. I pushed for almost 2 hours and then, at 6:09am on June 20, Lily Theresa was born! They put her on my chest and I was just amazed at her. Tom cut the cord. They took her to put her in the warmer and check her out. Tom went over and started to take some pictures and coo all over her. She was beautiful and perfect. A healthy 8lbs. 10 oz. and 20.75 inches long.

The whole experience was amazing. I don't think there is any other way to describe it. Tom did a great job! He didn't even faint...haha...the nurse did tell him if he chickened out she would personally send a letter to his paramed class. I am glad my mom was there, she was so encouraging. She and Tom kept telling me how great I was doing, which made things easier (and stroked my ego a bit...ha). Like I said before, my nurse was awesome. Once we could see Lily's head she was SO excited. She told us she loves it every time because it is such an exciting moment. The doctor was the on call doctor and she was also great. She told me she was surprised at how calm I was for a first timer. My doctor did end up seeing me briefly because she was called in when another doctor called out sick. She was so excited to see me and hear the news.

The hospital stay was great...though a bit boring. I was so happy to get home and start things there with Lily. Fred is doing a pretty good job. He is the dirty diaper detector. We already had our first appointment with the pediatrician. She had jaundice and needed to be checked.  Luckily, her levels went down. Anyway...more later. So far, things have been great. Can't wait to see where things go from here!

Due Date!

Well, today is the day...Lily's due date. Still no signs of her arrival, so we will continue to wait. It is nice to know that we have a week left, at most, because the doctor will induce me a week from today, if needed. I am hoping that Lily will just decide to come on her own, but only time will tell!

Today was also the last day of school, so Tom is done for the summer (I have been done for about 2 weeks). He starts camp on Monday (he is playing laser tag all summer, tough, I know). I am staying at home this summer with Lily Bean, which is exciting because I haven't had a summer off in a long time! I know I will still be very busy with a newborn, but it is a much different busy than teaching summer school!

Here is an earlier picture of Lily (at 20 weeks):

All curled up! She is much bigger now!

10/10/10-06/16/11

So, as far as this pregnancy goes I am a little late to jump on the blogging train. Tomorrow, June 17th, is my due date and I am getting a little antsy, so in order to occupy time, I figured why not blog. This whole experience is certainly a new adventure for Tom and I and maybe, at some point, Lily will read this and learn about her first 9 months with us.

We found out that we were pregnant on 10/10/10 (a Sunday). Enter excitement and nervousness. The time between finding out and now has absolutely flown by. I believe this is partially because the pregnancy spanned the school year. Some of the funniest moments of the pregnancy were courtesy of the things my 10th graders said (or did) over the past 9 months. Here are a few priceless quotes from my kids:

"Mrs. Blumenauer I CAN SEE IT!" - Jordan (I was approximately 15 weeks and had just told the class I was pregnant...I wasn't even showing)
"Hi baby Rosey! It's Rah Rah! I can't wait to meet you!" - Kahrah (every morning one of my volleyball players would talk to the baby in a high pitched voice...the "Rosey" is from my maiden name Rosen...which most of my players still call me)
"Where is Mrs. Blumenauer today? Must be out getting baby stuff ready." - Jordan (to Ms. Butler when I was in class right away...and was only about 15 weeks pregnant...)
"What happens if your water breaks in class?? What should we do??" (30 seconds pass) "OH NO! I am in the splash zone!!" - Ski (when he decided his front row seat would turn into the log flume if my water broke in class)
"If you have sex when you are pregnant will it poke the baby?" - My seventh period class (they like to overshare and ask questions that I don't want to answer)
"Hey Mrs. Blumenauer. You're having a baby." - Kiya (every morning as she walked into class she reminded me of this...just in case I forgot)

Needless to say, having curious tenth graders around made being pregnant at school quite interesting. My kids were also incredibly sweet- two of my classes bought the baby an entire wardrobe of clothes, plus some toys and other baby things. I was most surprised by the handmade blanket that Morgan's grandmother made for the baby (it had her name on it and everything) (Morgan was in my GT class and played JV volleyball).

Now, my students aren't the only excited ones at school...my co-workers, who are absolutely amazing, are also very excited about Lily's arrival. I had a lovely babyshower at school, complete with a delicious Cold Stone ice cream cake! Lily has many aunts back at OM who are waiting for her! My co-workers also nicknamed Lily "Blue Peanut M&M"...I apologize to my child in advance if this name sticks.

And then, of course, there is the family. They are tremendously excited. This is the first grandbaby for my parents and Tom's parents, so this experience is a really amazing thing to share with them. My brother is away in China (he is doing science-y stuff sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation), so he will miss Lily's birth. That does make me a bit sad, but through the miracle of modern technology he will get to see her through pictures and Skype. I also figure that he will hold a newborn like a bomb, so it might be better that he hold her when she is a bit bigger. Tim is also Lily's godfather...a decision that some have questioned...but I think he will be an amazing godfather. Lily's other uncle is Brad. He picked out cute little froggie bath toys for the diaper cake (don't worry if you don't understand this reference). Brad is going to be an awesome uncle...he will have Lily playing volleyball in no time (especially if she is a long as the ultrasounds are indicating!).

Ok- this post is long enough. I realize it covers a little bit of everything, but it gives a good scope of how things have been going. I have been lucky enough to have a "boring" pregnancy...like my dad says, with a pregnancy boring is good. Now a few pictures of the belly over the course of time...