Emerson coming soon!

We had a doc appt yesterday afternoon and learned that she scheduled a last minute Hawaii trip with her hubby. So, we scheduled an induction date so that she could be the delivering doctor. We go in at 5:30pm on Thursday, so she should be here sometime on Friday! CANNOT WAIT!!! More than likely, her bday will be 9/18/09, and the actual due date was 9/24/09.

I am out of work now (starting yesterday), so I am resting up for the BIG DAY! Will post more soon....

Birthday Celebration for Betty, Gene, Paige and Me!

On Mike's side of the family (well his mom's side), there are 4 of us with b-days close together in August and September. Soon there will be a 5th one to celebrate at that time! So, every year, we meet up and celebrate all 4 at once. This year on Sunday 8/30, we met in Gonzales- halfway between Austin and Victoria (where his Mom and stepdad Gene live)- and had lunch.

Caleb turns 28!

Caleb's birthday was on August 20th, but we were unable to make the celebration at Esther's Follies downtown that night. It would have been a lot of fun, but I had Open House (Meet the Parents & Students) and knew I would be too tired to go after working all day and then Open House. But, we did make the dinner on Saturday night 8/22 at Cheesecake Factory in the Arboretum. YUM! Happy Birthday Caleb! (OH, Mike got a kick out of Kirk's temporary mohawk! That's the reason for the last 2 pics. I think he only had it like that for a day, but it actually looked good on him!)

Housewarming Party, Work, my new iPhone, and time with Mom and Bailey

Sat, 8/15- We've been busy with lots of things- one reason it has taken me so long to post another blog. One of the many things we have been up to is Tim's housewarming party! He built a beautiful house out in Dripping Springs a while back now, but he just got around to having everyone out for a party. It was a lot of fun. The theme was "Beer From Around the World", so he had lots of different types on hand, most of which I had never heard of before. Sure wish I could've partaken in tasting them! But I did get to eat the yummy food- he also had foods from around the world- hotdogs and hamburgers (from the US of course), eggrolls, mexican dishes, and so on. Lots of fun!

Mon, 8/17- This was my first day back to work- well at least for Staff Development Week. And then school started for the kids on 8/24. It has been interesting so far! I have found a long-term substitute to take over my class while I am gone and have coached him on everything, so I feel much better about that. I think he was a little overwhelmed when I emailed him about 6-7 pages of lesson plans, and that was only for the first week! He is a great sub, and I have full confidence that he will do great while I am gone. People keep asking me how long I am going to be out. I have no idea! It kinda depends on when she comes and how everything goes. I have a feeling it is going to be very hard going back to work and leaving her at daycare. Luckily, we have found an in-home daycare that we really like, and we both feel very comfortable leaving her with this daycare provider. I guess I am going to play it by ear on how long I stay home with her...more than likely, it will be for about 8 weeks after she is born.

The week of Staff Development, I dropped my cell phone in my Sonic drink....don't ask! Both my phone and my SIM card were ruined...awwww! Not cool! Mike and I had been talking about getting me an iPhone for my day (Sept 29th), so we decided to just buy it then as an early b-day present. It took me awhile to get everyone's phone #s again, but I think I have most everyone's that I had before. I love playing on it, but I still have a lot to learn!

Also, in that same week, Mom was down babysitting my niece Bailey (for over a week). We spent a lot of time with both of them, going out to dinners, swimming, going to see a Disney movie...it was a lot of fun!

Updates on the nursery, on Emerson, and on the pregnancy!

Here are the updated pics of the nursery! Everything is set and ready for her to arrive! As most of you know, my friend Trish painted the letters on the wall. She also painted the canvas (in the first pic), and it turned out great! The middle oval looks really lime green in the pic, but it is more like the wall color in real life. We are very pleased with how the nursery turned out...now all we need is a baby to enjoy it with us! (We also got a new glider and ottoman-in the last pic-, but we have it in our living room...not enough room in the nursery.)

Emerson updates- At our last appt on 8/31, they had her weighing in at about 6lbs 3oz from the measurements on her ultrasound. That is the 42nd percentile for weight, so she is almost average. On that date, I was 36 1/2 weeks. I go weekly now, so I can't wait to see what they say at my next appt on 9/9. She is doing wonderfully. We are so happy and feel so blessed that the pregnancy has gone well and that she has been healthy thus far. We are so excited, we almost can't stand it! Our bags are packed, and we are ready!

For anyone that has not been pregnant before, I will tell you and warn you now that the last month is absolutely NO FUN! It is impossible to get any sleep b/c you cannot get comfortable. I get up to pee at least 4 times a night....and getting up is not easy! These last few weeks have consisted of swollen feet, lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, raised blood pressure and being so tired I am almost don't think I can make it through the day. Working full-time has not been easy either, especially in my field of work. Anyone that teaches elementary kids knows that the first few weeks of school are the hardest and most stressful weeks of the year. Sitting down is almost not an option. It's been hard starting off the year being 8 1/2 months pregnant...and the heat is not helping either....next time, we will TRY to time our pregnancy differently! Oh- and I have developed carpal tunnel in both of my wrists. Supposedly, this is a hormonal thing that springs up in some pregnancies. The doc says it will go away after the baby is born. Hope so, b/c it hurts! OK- enough complaining! She is coming soon...very soon...so I can stand it all until then.