Summer Goals

Tomorrow is the last day for me this school year....yeah for summer break! I was looking back on my last summer goals and plans and I am happy to report that I completed almost all of those projects. So I figured, if I write it down again, then I will complete it all:

1. Get the baby room together - I cannot wait to start painting this weekend!
2. Make some pillows with cute fabric I bought at IKEA.
3. Make a dining room table (with the help of this blog Knock-offwood.com)
4. Pick lots of yummy veggies from my very first garden!
5. De-weed around my house
6. Go to the beach
7. Make a trip up to NY to see Joe's family
8. Get ready to have a child in my life
9. Read a few new books (and get a membership at our public library)

A Pregnancy Post

I have been looking at a lot of different blogs lately and I am jealous that I have not been updating how I have been through out my pregnancy. So although I am 6 months pregnant already it is never too late to start sharing a little about what I am experiencing. Plus, I figure when I am a stay-at-home mom, this blog will be an outlet for me to communicate with others in the world.

1st Trimester-
I found out I was pregnant almost right away. Of course, we had been trying to get pregnant, and in December I decided to try an ovulation kit. I guess it worked in our favor because within a few weeks my body was not doing it's regular thing! I was afraid to actually take a pregnancy test, since I didn't want to psych myself out. However, my sister was in town for a weekend trip and she convinced me to get a test (she even bought it). Actually, she bought two, and when I tried to use the first digital test I did not follow the directions and I messed it up. So I had to wait until the next morning. I woke up before everyone else and took the test. It did not take long to say that I was pregnant, and surprisingly I was very calm about it. It was as if I knew this all along but I was not as excited as I wanted to be. That came later though (it just did not feel real yet).

I walked upstairs and told my sister, then snuck back into bed to tell Joe. He was super excited. Of course, there was no way we would be able to keep a secret so we called all the family, starting with my grandparents. It was special and very exciting! Pretty much right after I found out that I was pregnant I started to feel the symptoms. I was tired, had to pee all the time, and I had a strong sense of smell. In fact, I found that I really hate a distaste for tater tots...ugh, they still sound gross. Luckily I did not really have morning sickness, but I did feel nauseous in the afternoons. It was weird, but as long as I ate regularly I was not that bad. I definitely can not complain, because many of my friends were sick their whole pregnancies.

We took a trip to Seattle towards the end of the first trimester and I was feeling great and just starting to show with a little gut. In fact, most of the time I really just feel like I have a huge gut. I guess I thought it would feel different. It was also on this trip that I first started to feel things...I didn't know if it was the baby or not. Now I am thinking it was probably the first movements from the baby and pains from my stomach stretching.

Of course, everyone was asking us if it was a boy or girl, but we did not know yet. Plus, I had no clue what to expect. We both wanted a boy, but I did not really have any inclinations that it was a boy. Well, at one point I did have a dream that we had a boy and I thought he was the most beautiful baby. However, I figured it was just a dream. Now I find that experience to be really special.

2nd Trimester -
My appetite started to pick up, even though I don't feel like I am eating that much more. I just went through a month were I wanted to eat a lot of fatty foods. I guess you might call them cravings, but it really doesn't feel that desperate. On the other hand, I have grown to love fudgcicles. Yum!

I also have started to notice the baby movements a whole lot more. Usually at night or when I am sitting down. I think I am just too busy to really pay attention to the feelings. I also noticed that my stomach was really starting to grown. In fact, I was forced to look for other options in clothing. So I bought a few items of maternity clothing. Mostly dresses, because they seem to be the most comfortable. In fact, it wasn't until last week that I realized I cannot wear my jeans anymore, so I figure that is pretty good if I lasted six months in my normal clothes. Joe and I also went rock climbing for the first time in a while...I was horrible. I was trying to be careful and felt really off balance at the same time.

Two weekends ago my parents came for a visit and we worked on a vegetable garden. I was so excited to get things going, but of course we needed to get a little weeding out of the way. Let's just say my back was killing me and I noticed how much more exhausted I felt at the end of the weekend. I'm continuing to feel tired quickly...and since we don't have air conditioning I am starting to feel uncomfortable in my skin too. I'm hoping I will be able to survive the heat with very little swelling in my ankles. I feel like a blimb already. I had my husband take pictures, as you see above and I look so bad. Actually, I think I look much better in person, but that never seems to come out on camera.

Tomorrow is the last day of school for students and it could not come too soon. I am anxious to get started on the baby room. Plus, my heartburn is getting worse. So it will be nice not to experience that while encouraging teenage boys to stop talking and focus on their assignment! I have also been paying attention to my belly a lot more, with hopes that I might see the movement, but to no avail. In fact, Joe has still not felt our baby boy and that makes me sad. I can't wait for him to be part of the excitement. Each time I feel him kick me, I notice that I am more inclined to talk to him as well. And then I think, is this really happening? I'm going to be a mom...am I ready for this? Will I be good at it? I hope so. I want to be more excited, but I feel really scared for all the upcoming changes. And to make matters stranger, I have three students that are also pregnant, who see more excited to be moms than me! Weird...maybe I am just more realistic about it.

So at this point, I'm going to try and take a few more pictures. It will be nice for baby Jack to see them one day. Plus, in two weeks I am going to paint the baby room and start the decorating process! So there will be lots to post about. It might not be my travels, but it will be something.

Lake Quinault, WA

One of our favorite places that we stayed while traveling through Olympic National Park was in Lake Quinault. We had heard of this old lodge where Franklin D. Roosevelt had once stayed. Apparently he was there to check the area out and make sure it was a great place for a national park. I think he made a great decision and I must say, I loved the lodge as well. I felt like we had gone back in time, when people went on vacations to the mountains and signed up for an all-inclusive package. There was a lake to swim in, canoes to take out, lots of hiking, board games to play, a great big fire to sit next to, and a delicious restaurant.

In fact, I ate one of my favorite meals (that only cost as much as our stay for the night!). We didn't think we would be able to get a room, but since it was the off season they had a great walk-up price. We jumped at the chance to stay in a small, simple room. It wasn't about the room, it was about the lodge itself. Plus, we had really enjoyed the hiking too. We definitely hope to go back there one day with our kids and highly recommend others take a trip there too (just remember to go in the office season.

Our First UltraSound

So I don't know if this will be the only one, but I can say it was very exciting....especially because we found out the sex of the baby! It is going to be a boy. It was the last thing we found out, but right when the technician focused in on that part of the baby, Joe could see the baby's penis! It was right there for us to see just because he wanted to make sure everyone knew! And right away he was doing karate kicks...Joe loved that too. Needless to say, we are thrilled and so excited to be having a boy (secretly it was what we both wanted). And just seeing the baby made me realize this is really happening! So in the picture you can see the baby's head and he has his hand on his forehead. The second picture is a front image of his face...doesn't it look like skeletor? And last is a video where you can even see the heart beating!

Twilightville

I couldn't drive through Forks, WA and not stop to take a picture. I would not call myself a faithful Twilight fan, but I have read all the books...and quickly too. I have also seen both of the movies. And being that I am a teacher that has many students with an obsession for the stories, I thought I would have to get a picture.

Of course, the town looks nothing like the movie...however, all the forested land does. And we also went to the beach next to La Push...it was beautiful. I noticed that everyone in Forks was feeding off the popularity. There were Twilight burgers, Jacob or Edward sandwiches, plus many stores were selling things related to the movies!

Wildlife Sighting in Washington State

We had the best spring break in Washington State. It was beautiful and a little cold, but well worth to trip. We took lots of pictures, but I'm just attaching a few for the time being. In fact, I think it was the perfect babymoon trip for us. It had a little hiking, some great mountain vistas, nice beds to sleep in, and no set schedule. I don't think we could have been it any better. I love my husband more and more everyday and it was so much fun to take this trip together. Most of the pictures you will see were taken by him...he is much better with a camera than me!

Giant stuffed bears...oh my!


We saw about five raccoons while at the museums in Victoria, Canada.

Seagulls in Ocean Shores, WA


Roosevelt elk spotting as we circled Quinault Lake.

Hey look it is Big Foot's son...and he is going surfing!

New Adventure - Spring Break in Seattle

So Joe and I decided that we should make our spring break a fun trip because we did not know what kind of fun we would be having in the summer when I am really far into the pregnancy. So after scoping out ticket prices for a while, my wonderful husband found tickets from Washington, D.C. to Seattle, WA for a little over $200 each. So we decided to book the tickets and travel off to a part of the United States that neither of us has really been. Plus, we are renting a car and traveling to Vancouver, B.C. and Olympic Island National Park.

It is going to be a true adventure because we have decided not to book anything in terms of hotels. I guess we figure this way we can take our time everywhere. I just hope that we can still do this on the cheap....we will have to report about it and tell you later. I think it would be fun to stay in a tree-house hotel and since it is the off season, we might have a chance of getting a room for a lower rate. Plus, there are the hot springs on Olympic Island that I won't mind soaking in! It will be fun.

I know I have not posted in a while, but it has been project central at our house and it did not seem that important to write about. When I return from spring break I should show the finished pictures of our bathroom and we painted our bedroom. Plus, there will be a nursery to create too! And pictures of Washington! So stay tuned.