It's a... BOY!!!!!

I'm almost half way through and must get better at taking pictures. Something you never expected to hear from me, huh? Well even on the days that I feel like I look really good, my face always looks hideous in pictures. So here's my tummy at 18.5 weeks... minus my face.

Valentines Day was extremely busy for us. One of our cars has been giving us problems off and on lately, so we've had to carpool. It's been fun in that we get to wake up together and drive for a little bit together like old times at BYU, but it's also stressful when you're pressed for time.

Blaine's sister Erin was visiting for the long weekend (which was really just a regular weekend for us since our snow days took away our free President's Day), so we dropped him off at his school and then Erin came to school with me on Friday and got to see my day in action. She even got to witness the "bird assembly" where we watched a rat run directly into a wall.

Immediately after school, Erin and I hurried to pick up Blaine and then hurried over to the doctor for my special ultrasound to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl. Good thing we rushed because we only waited in the waiting room for over an hour with some sketchy characters. Blaine only slept an hour and a half the night before and had just got done taking his test, so he was kind of cranky. I was stressed because I had to hurry back to McLoud after my appointment for our last basketball game of the season, so I was not the happiest either. But when the nurse finally came to bring us back to the room, Blaine had just told Erin about one of my embarrassing stories so we were all laughing hysterically, so all of that put together is kind of a funny memory of the big reveal day.

So the nurse did the ultrasound of all of the body parts and pointed out the hands and feet and spine and we found out that HE'S A BOY!!!! Blaine and I had both thought it would be a girl, so we were definitely surprised but definitely excited. It feels more real now to know he's a boy so I can better plan nursery decorations, clothes, names, etc. We have our for sure girl name, but boys names were a little trickier for us to agree on. We bounced around ideas all weekend but finally feel confident in our top 3 choices. Well, my top 3 that Blaine likes as well. He said he'll love them no matter what so I can name our kids whatever I want :) But I really do feel strongly that the winner is in our current top 3. In fact, I wouldn't mind if we had 3 sons and used all the names!

Look at that cute reveal picture? I LOVE IT! I had been thinking about fun ideas to announce whether the babys a boy or girl and I'm happy with the way it turned out. There is a lake around here with a 9 mile path around it and fishing piers and sailboat docks, so Sunday afternoon we went over there and got this picture with the water in the background. It was really windy, so I was scared his little baby shoes were going to blow away. Also, that Jake was going to eat them. What you can't see in this picture is that Blaine has Jake in like a choke hold so he would sit there and take the picture real quick. We never would have been able to take the picture on our own, so we were lucky to have Erin there to take it for us. Can you tell anything else from this picture? Like... Jake being all wet?

Well Blaine let him go swimming in the lake for the first time ever. First he waded in on the boat ramp and loved splashing in the water. Then he jumped in deeper water and doggie paddled. It was a warm day, but the Oklahoma wind always makes it chillier. He eventually dried, though. 

The weather has been very nice lately after those horribly cold days, so this was a great Sunday activity! We played fetch and let Jake chase us - so long as he didn't catch us and get us all wet.

While Erin was here, we also went to our first OU basketball game and saw the world record holder for tallest unicycle. It was actually pretty impressive. Before the game we went to Bricktown for some dinner at Fuzzy's.

We also went to the zoo for the first time (even though its 5 minutes from our house) which was especially exciting since it was a warm day and Erin had only been to the zoo like once in her life. Our favorite animal to see was the mommy gorilla with the tiny baby on her back. None of our pictures turned out very good, but it was the sweetest thing. 

After the zoo, we went to a local BBQ hole in the wall right by our apartment. Because BBQ is on my list of unappetizing food these days, I did not join in, but Blaine and Erin split "The Roughneck," which is 2 pounds of meat and 3 big sides which is supposed to feed 4. 

Look at this cute picture... only went to Walmart several times for these Blue Bell Ice Cream buddies.

And as usual, her are some fun update pictures on Jakey.

 Sleepy post-bath picture

 And of course, nightly kisses for Blaine

One night I put him in one of my zip ups and he was so cute, but he just wanted to eat it.

And a dental school update picture of Blaine from his friend's instagram :) He actually knew this guy at BYU, too, which is fun!

17 Weeks!!

On Sunday I will be 17 weeks! (Which you'd think is 4 months, but then you think 40 weeks equals 10 months, but anyways...) The only pants I wear are maternity jeans but I still wear my normal skirts, just keep them riding low. I was lucky enough to get maternity hand-me-downs from 2 of my aunts before I moved, so I have lots of options to choose from for free - plus, they're nice stuff!

Still haven't thrown up in a while, but food is still "eh." I hate liquid foods, I hate BBQ, I hate broccoli, and I've even lost my sweet tooth. But I LOVE milk.  And eggs. And steak. And I know my mother in law reads my blog, because look what she sent me for my birthday ;)

Here are some updates in pictures since it's been a while:

JAKE: We have soft places to sleep, but he likes the hard floors. And this is is signature sleeping position - he like's to air himself out ;)

He is the sweetest, even though he's getting rowdy. He loves Blaine.

See what I mean? He loves biting my clothes and my hands, but he loves just being around Blaine. Sometimes Blaine could use a break.

We take him out to the dog park in our complex and it makes me so sad. When he gets around other dogs I feel like he is my shy, home-body baby that just stays by my side and wants to go home. We're trying to get him more comfortable with interacting with other dogs.

They lady I visit teach called last weekend and asked Blaine to get some guys and help move this refrigerator, so that was funny to watch. The "3 Bs" tried to use their scientific knowledge and muscles (and youtube) to figure it out. 

A couple weeks ago Blaine and I each had the 24 hour flu on the same day. I woke up and threw up once at home, once on the way to school, then once in between 1st and 2nd period, and then once during 2nd hour. After that, I went to the office and was like, "I gotta go. I'm throwing up every hour." So I left and threw up twice on the way home. Once was on the freeway out in the country, but the other time was when I was on the big interchange of I-40, I-235, and I-35 and I had to pull off onto the shoulder on the overpass. 

So as usual, I pull over, open the passenger door, and crouch down. After I got done throwing up, I stand up and turn around and there was a man standing there. He was a sweet little cowboy with an Okie accent. He handed me a (sealed) water bottle and, full of concern, asked me, "Ma'am, are you alright?" I told him I was pregnant so he didn't think I was just a crazy drunk or something, and he asked me how far along I was and how much further I had to go. After I answered him he told me to call my husband so he knew where I was and then stayed in his truck until I pulled back into traffic. 

I felt so sick and miserable and your eyes tear up anyways when you throw up, but after that I just cried because I thought that was so sweet of a stranger to pull over and check on me. So 2 days later when I got back to school, I told that story to my students because we celebrate service acts of kindness. I keep the water bottle on my desk as a reminder for all of us. It was fun telling them the story though. When I told them that I turned around and a man was there, some kids asked "Did he try to jump you?!" and others gasped and said, "Was he an angel?!" :) This is a bad picture, but this is where it was.

This past week I turned 25 - yep, a quarter century. Not the most thrilling birthday I've ever had, but it was a busy Wednesday and we're trying to crack down on our budgeting skills a little more. But it was still good. My family celebrates your birth-week, essentially, rather than just a day. Its a big deal to have a day to celebrate you, so I always capitalize on it. Blaine didn't grow up with the same affinity for birthdays, but he's learned in our almost 5 years of marriage. This year my birthday was mainly about services and relaxation. My parents gave me a top quality down comforter for our bed, my in laws gave me gift cards to my favorite restaurants, and Blainey gave me 4 Groupons: 2 massages, 1 mani-pedi, and 1 for my hair and highlights. I've used 1 massage and my mani-pedi. I also treated myself to the fancy U-shaped body pillow for pregnant women. Blaine really enjoys it... and so does Jake :)

My students were especially sweet. A couple of them brought me little gifts and my 7th period class split up the responsibilities and we had a party - one girl baked the chocolate on chocolate cake, one person brought the OU plates, one person brought the drinks, etc. 

And the basketball girls cut up their own confetti and threw it at me when I walked into the gym - AND cleaned it up ;) This is the snapchat that the other coach sent me of the aftermath. Thats confetti in my hair, and some of the basketball kids guessed I was turning 30 or 32... so there ya go

And last Sunday we stopped by Blaine's school to pick up his project and he gave me a little tour. He's so handsome ;)

 his locker

 his work station

There was a lot of WEIRD paintings in there...

But also lots of Native American art

Lots of random tidbits, but thats the update for now.

Pregnancy Update: 14.5 weeks

I'm sad that I haven't taken weekly pictures and stayed up to date on every detail of my pregnancy. But I've been sick and busy and traveling. Hopefully I can get better. I've only taken one "pregnancy picture" at 8 weeks, but at that point, only our families knew. It's not the best picture and who knows how much of that is fat I already had and how much is a little extra "sticking out" tummy excitement, but there it is. 

The day I turned 6 weeks I was instantly so sick. I threw up most mornings - sometimes before I left the house, sometimes in a plastic bag in the car, sometimes on the side of the freeway. It didn't end there, though. Most days I just felt sick all day long and it would never let up. I was especially susceptible to motion sickness.

Eating was a catch 22 because all food sounded bad and the thought, smell, and look of it made me nauseous, but if I didn't eat, then of course I would be sick anyways. That all lasted for weeks. The transition from 1st trimester into 2nd trimester has been much better... so far, anyway. I do feel sick off and on a lot still, but the throwing up has been less consistent. 

Some days I would turn off the lights, lock the door, and take a nap on my desk during my prep period. I was late to work a lot, but luckily my first period is pom practice which offers some flexibility. Thats why I told the pom girls first, so they knew I wasn't just lazy and uncommitted. The next week, one of my 7th grade basketball girls came up to me at practice with a basketball stuffed up her jersey and said, "Look, I'm pregnant!" so I said, "Cool, me too," and stuck out my stomach. So she said, "Really?! I knew it. I knew it, guys!" Apparently she could tell that I was getting bigger...

I pretty much have no appetite whatsoever. Food does not sound good, and the food that does sound good usually doesn't taste good by the time I make it. Or, I'll buy all the ingredients and can't wait to make it, but then by the time I get home from the grocery store, I'm sure I will never want to eat that ever again. Food goes to waste here, pretty much. Because we are both SO busy and I cannot stand to cook now, we have eaten out a lot. Mostly at Cheesecake Factory and Outback. Not very good budget savers, but those are what my baby likes :) (Can't think of something to get me for my birthday next week? There ya go) 

Milk and steak have been my absolute favorites. I used to love cheeseburgers until I had my first ever experience with indigestion. My homemade staple has been a fried egg with cheese and avocado on a bagel thin. I have one a day. 

Things that I used to like but now hate include BBQ anything, broccoli, peppers... I just asked Blaine what else I'm forgetting and his loving, parental answer was "pretty much anything that is good for you and the baby." He gets annoying when I don't want to eat anything because I feel sick but he keeps pushing me. He's a good dad already though. My mom said she's glad he does that :) 

When we slept over in Denver on our drive back to Oklahoma after New Years, we had driven in the car all day and I really hadn't eaten much. So fine, you want me to eat something? Go get me a nice juicy steak from Outback. So after I ate my delicious steak, the sweet potato (which I usually love) and broccoli did not sound good. I ate a piece of broccoli and couldn't stand it. But Blaine tried to make me eat more, so after playfully debating back and forth for a while, I let him put some in my mouth and then proceeded to throw up within 5 seconds later. There went a $15 dinner down the drain.

Other than food, nothing else to report. I try to get a lot of sleep- 9 hours is ideal. I enjoy frequent bath/showers (laying down in the shower and plugging the drain). And I want a massage. All the time. More than usual. My parents gave me a back massager that you sit in for Christmas, so I've used that a couple of times so far. Oh, and I'm also slow and now have decreased reflexes. I've noticed these traits as I've played with Jake. Is that a normal? Maybe I'm just extra tired and thats how it manifests itself. 

But this is what I've wanted and waited for and am happy to experience all of this. 

Oh, and lastly, I started wearing maternity jeans last week and LOVE them :)

Pictures to come soon.