Maybe + Might = Girl??

So I had my appointment today, and got another ultrasound. Everything looks good with the placenta - the doctor said it's high enough to not be a problem, so I'm very happy about that! Then he asked if we knew what we were having and when I said that the last person said that maybe it was a girl, he said "Yeah, it might be a girl." Hmm... is that enough to paint pink and buy frilly clothes?? So two iffy answers both saying girl. We think that it is a girl, but would love a straight up "Yes, it's a girl!" Oh well.

For Aunt Nancy

I had to put in the photo of Luke enjoying his carrots that Nancy did such a good job making!

Thanksgiving Trip

Here are the photos from my trip to Ohio.

Luke, Carsyn, and Payton playing in leaves at the park - something they don't get to do in Texas!


Grandpa and the girls at the park.



Me and my friend Vickie.


Luke watching grandpa's trains, which he loved!!


Returning to Texas on the airplane.

Here I am!

Ok, it's been forever since I posted anything, but I've been way busy, tired, stressed... what other excuses can I come up with? Here's the update on my way too exciting life. I will post again Sunday probably with photos from my Ohio trip.
1. Basketball season has started, so Marc is busy with practice and we've been going to some games. I'm trying to get in as many as possible at the start of the season, because I really doubt I'll be making the 2 hour road trip games while 9 months pregnant!
2. Luke and I flew to Ohio Wednesday morning with Brenda, Carsyn, and Payton. We were a site at the airport - 2 adults, one who is pregnant, 2 three year olds, a one year old, 5 suitcases and 3 backpacks, and no stroller. Fortunately, people were friendly and helpful! The time in Ohio was great, although I am extremely tired now that I'm back home, and I think I gained about 6 pounds. How can I say no to all that homemade, Ohio Thanksgiving food? And let's not forget about Aunt Nancy's carrots... Luke's favorite food from Thanksgiving!
3. My Christmas shopping is actually close to being done! Now if only I could come up with something for my own husband... No clue there! Ideas anyone?
4. I came home today to find Marc went to Hobby Lobby on his own and surprised me with a new skinny, prelit Christmas tree! That may not seem like a big deal to many of you, but first, it is very hard to surprise me. Even when Marc brings home flowers or anything like that, I usually seem to know they are coming. Plus, Marc at Hobby Lobby, on his own?? Impressive.
5. Tuesday I go back to the doctor for my glucose test and another ultrasound. Let's hope for great news on the whole placenta thing, and also that we get a successful peek at the gender of this baby. At some point we need to start coming up with names and a nursery!
I think that's about it. Oh, and Marc won his first game today. Yay for that! Pictures will come soon... keep checking back. I promise to have something to say or show you all more often!

Little Known Facts

Amy challenged her blog readers to create a list of 5 facts that most people don't know about themselves, so here are my 5. I can't promise they are exciting, and maybe you did already know them about me, but this is what I came up with:

1. My dream job is to be a public speaker. When I go to textbook committee meetings or inservices for interesting topics, I am envious of the presenter's job. I love to public speak, and feel that I am very good at it. I owe this to my parents, who forced me to take a speech class in high school to prepare me for college. I was very angry that I had to take it, but it turned out to be my favorite class! I considered in the past pursuing such a job, but I'd have to travel and being away from my family that much isn't something I'm willing to do right now.

2. I cannot sleep with socks on. Ever.

3. I am obsessive/compulsive about little things that seem to all have to do with the concept of time - making sure the alarm is set correctly, making sure I put in the right dates for a substitute, making sure I have the correct dates/times when ordering a plane ticket or hotel room, etc. I will check them over and over and still not feel like I can relax about it!

4. If I could wear one thing the rest of my life, it would be flannel pants and a hooded sweatshirt. Although I like how I look dressed up, those are my comfort clothes that I would seriously wear every day if the weather and my job permitted!

5. At Christmas time, I am still a child. I search for where a gift may have been hidden, and I can't help but to peek in the stockings ahead of time. And yes, I am still a gift shaker - I will find the ones with my name, and check them out ahead of time when noone is really looking! I guess the magic of Christmas has never died for me... it's not about getting the gifts really, but it's just that anticipation and the memories it brings me each year, and I get to feel really young for just a few days!

Trick or Treat!

Ok, so now this is attempt # 7 to post this blog! Something has gone wrong every time I've tried. Anyhow, Tuesday was trick or treating, and Carsyn and Payton came out to trick or treat with Luke. They did great, Luke yelling his typical "knock knock!" as he banged on the doors, saying thank you, and only being a little scared (ok, maybe Carsyn was more than a little scared!) of the spooky house with the monster that popped out of the coffin!

In other news, I get to have another ultrasound on Nov. 28. My doctor told me yesterday that he has concerns about my placenta being too low, so we have to watch it carefully. So, we'll take a look at it that day. The good news is maybe I'll get a peek at the gender, and see if it really is a pink baby! I'll update everyone that night with any news I have.

Friends and Coworkers

I have been blessed with awesome friends that teach third grade with me! We get along so well, and they are what gets me through the rough days, whether it's due to teaching, being pregnant, or just life! Today another coworker that taught third grade with us last year got married, so we went to her wedding together. Next year the 4 of us won't be together, as everyone but me is a military wife, and so we know at least Carrie will be leaving us, so we wanted to make sure to get a photo of us all together. From left to right, it's Jenn, Cassandra, me (with my newly browner hair!), and Carrie.

Sleepover

Last night Carsyn slept over, and with 2 three year olds in the house, there's not much quiet time! But they had a lot of fun, and I think even Marc and I managed to have fun too! Here are a few photos of Luke and Carsyn.

Just bloggin to blog

I have nothing to say really, so I'm just posting this blog entry to say that I have blogged this week. My life is pretty routine - work, play with Luke, watch some great TV shows that I'm sadly addicted to, get ready for the next day at work, sleep, and start it all over again. Since I mentioned TV, I will have to say that my top shows this week are Biggest Loser (as I think I mentioned before, I can watch that show without guilt while being pregnant, eating my ice cream while they all kill themselves.), Project Runway Finale, Ugly Betty (anyone else watch that one?), Grey's Anatomy, and then of course tonight, Men in Trees. Marc has been at Texas A&M for a few days for a basketball clinic, so Luke and I have been hanging out. I actually have a busy, but fun, weekend planned. Tonight my friend Jenn and I, and Luke of course, are headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. My stomach is growling just thinking about it... That is my favorite place to eat and I haven't been there in months! Luckily, Jenn loves hanging out with Luke, so it should be a good evening. Tomorrow is Payton's 1 year old party, and then we are bringing Carsyn back with us to spend the night. Luke has their whole evening planned, down to where Carsyn is sitting to watch a movie! He's so excited! It's fun to see him anticipate something, and plan for it. He's growing up so fast! The evening is packed with 3 year old activities... making Halloween cupcakes, eating pizza, playing trains, and then watching the Curious George movie and Over the Hedge sometime in there too. So that's my big weekend. I feel like such a mom this weekend - all my plans are centered around little kids, but I love it! I am sad to be missing my grandma's 90th birthday party, but excited to know I'll see her in a month for Thanksgiving, along with some of my loyal blog commentators! Can't wait! Alright, I doubt anyone out there is actually still reading this, but in case you are, have a great weekend. My life is so far from exciting right now, but thanks for reading anyhow. I'll be sure to share some photos from our sleepover!

By the way...

I was showing Luke the ultrasound photos tonight. If you've ever seen any, you know they are hard to understand sometimes, and especially through the eyes of a three year old! I was showing him all the parts, and he looked at one and said "That's not a baby. That's a snake!" It was the spine, which on the photo, did resemble a snake! So my poor baby has no gender yet, but so far it has been confused with a peanut and a snake!

Ultrasound

We just returned from our ultrasound. Almost everything looks great. There is something weird about the placenta, but hopefully it'll be okay in the end, and right now the baby is breech. And, although in one shot the baby appeared to be a girl, they couldn't tell, so we don't know. I'm a little sad to not know, as I was all set to start planning for one in particular, but there's nothing we can do about it. I was told the baby has a beautiful heart and something else - diaphragm maybe? The tech did scare me about 5-10 minutes into it, when she said "Oh my gosh!" followed by "Go to the bathroom!" Then she explained that my bladder was bigger than my uterus. They say to come with a full bladder, so I did! Thank goodness she let me take a break for a minute!! The due date is about the same - somewhere around March 5-8. In one photo the baby had it's hand up to it's head, in a pose she labeled "drama queen." If it's a boy, we'll have to dispose of that photo!

Deal, or No Deal?

Luke loves watching Deal or No Deal - he picks out the numbers, and almost always chooses "deal." Right now he's sitting there watching it, and out of the blue he says "Those girls are pretty mama!" He is WAY too young to realize that, isn't he?? It just made me laugh, and had to share it!

Photos... see previous post!

The photos wouldn't load on the previous post, so here they are!

It's the little things in life...

The past 2 weeks have been frustrating and tiring - a combination of things at work, student problems, out of control allergies, sleepless nights, and the typical pregnancy aches and pains and discomforts. So many things have just been weighing me down and I felt like I had just about had it with these problems. This morning I started thinking about a few little things that brought a smile to my face and realize that through all the yuck of the past week, several small things have occurred that have brought me joy.I want to focus on those good, little things that make life okay even through all the yucks. So here are my little joys from the past week.

1. Kohls. Kohls opened in Killeen this week, and I was very excited about it. I haven't been shopping much in months since all I can really buy is maternity clothes, so I made plans with some friends from work to have lunch then shop yesterday. We spent about 4 hours shopping, and it's not about how much money I spent, it's about knowing that I saved an extra $58 in the end! We had no kids and no husbands along, and it was a relaxing time. Even though we all teach at the same school and the same grade, I don't think we talked about kids at all.

2. I had a checkup Thursday, and my blood tests which check for birth defects came back with very low levels, so that is great news. Also, even though I feel huge, I've only gained 3 pounds this whole pregnancy so far. What women can't celebrate that??

3. Donuts. Marc went out to get us donuts this morning. Need I say more? (So much for the 3 pounds...)

4. "I want chock milk." Those are the first words Luke speaks every morning, no matter what. He has to start his day with chocolate milk. That is one of those things I will always remember about him at this age. For some reason, even though he says it every day, it still brings a smile to my face.

5. Thanksgiving Dinner. It was decided this week that Luke and I, and Brenda, Carsyn, and Payton, will go to Ohio for Thanksgiving rather than trying to work out a visit at Christmas. I couldn't be more excited. Thanksgiving in Texas just isn't what I'm used to, and I'm always a bit homesick for Ohio on that day. This year, I get to see my family, hopefully both grandmothers, do the day after Thanksgiving shopping with the family, and eat a REAL OHIO Thanksgiving dinner! I am waiting for the mashed potatoes and gravy, jello mold, cranberry shaped like a can, real stuffing, and maybe even grandma's cheeseball. And being pregnant, I don't have to make excuses for having several helpings of mashed potatoes and gravy! I am excited to take a photo of all the food, to preserve that memory, and to share it with Luke.

6. I have felt the baby's first movements this week. This morning, I think he/she poked his head out, because there was this really hard bump for about a minute. Just letting me know he/she is there and growing! I will get to see the baby Wednesday at the ultrasound. Check back Wednesday night if you want to know if we found out the gender!

Here are a few photos - me at about 20 weeks pregnant, Luke eating his donuts this morning, and a few other random photos. Enjoy the little things today!

Anyone ever been arrested for wearing a wig???

Ok, so my whole life I have had strange dreams - the kind that when I retell them, it seems like I'm making them up, but I really am not! While pregnant with Luke, the dreams intensified and I just remember every night towards the end having some crazy dream. I guess the pregnancy dreams are starting again. I felt the need to share this dream since it was about two of my loyal blog readers! Last night, Brenda and I were meeting my aunt Nancy and cousin Jessica in Cleveland to go shopping. We were all flying there together. (Cleveland=best shopping place in America, worth flying to? Hmm... Not sure about that. Also not sure why Nancy and Jessica would be flying there and not driving, but it's a dream remember). Anyhow, upon arrival, Nancy and Jessica were arrested under the assumption that they were wearing wigs. Brenda and I fought for you, but they had a strong case against you - they said that Nancy looked too young to have grey hair, so it had to be a wig. At least they thought you looked young Nancy! You'll like that part. Anyhow, since they were thrown in jail, Brenda and I met up with mom and Amy and after looking through our scrapbooks (of course we had to do that first) the four of us went off to the mall. Luckily, the others were released from jail the next day. So where did that dream come from?? I do not understand how the mind works while I am sleeping. Did anyone else have these crazy pregnancy dreams?

On another note, I know I have been absent from posting lately, but really there's not much going on! Keep checking back though... On Oct. 11 I should have the results from my ultrasound and Luke will finally know if he's having a blue or pink baby!

One Trimester Down, Two To Go

Here's a photo of me today, getting fatter. :) I thought I'd officially start the montly belly photos today. Hard to believe I'm a third of the way through this pregnancy. Hopefully everything continues to go well and be uneventful... I have no plans to repeat Brenda's last pregnancy! ;)

CHEESE!

Luke saw my camera out last night and wanted me to take some photos of him saying "Cheese!", so here they are!

Fausto, Julius, or Massimo??

Ok, here's your chance to offer up baby name suggestions for me if you have any! Marc and I have a few good options for girls, like we did last time around, but if it's a boy, we are right where we were before -nowhere. Marc hates any "trendy" names, or names that sound like race car drivers. I hate basically any boy name Marc comes up with... shall I share a few names that my little Luke could now be if it were up to Marc? Fausto and Julius Caesar come to mind right away. This time around it's names like Massimo (all I can think of is the brand of clothes at target, spelled with an "o" not an "a". Hate it). So I'm open to ideas... girls or boys, but preferrable boys! :)

Child Genius?

My child just amazed me, so I have to brag and share for a moment! Luke was playing with a big circle of cardboard that had come out of a new storage tub. He walked up to me with a shape and said "It's an octagon!" I have no idea where he learned that -not from us! And it actually looked like one. So I decided to ask him how many sides it had, and he told me 8. The reason this really impressed me is because a) my third grade kids last year had a question on their TAKS test that showed an octagon and asked how many sides it had, and several missed it, and b) my boy #2 didn't even know what a triangle was yesterday at school. So maybe Luke's not a genius, but to know an octagon at age 3 seemed impressive to this third grade teacher! I have photos to add someday, but my computer doesn't seem to want me to post them, because I can't ever get to them!

My turn for the survey...

So my sister and cousin did this, so I guess it's my turn now. I'll try not to cheat like Lori and change the questions..

Me from A to Z


A is for age: 32
B is for beer of choice: I'm going with root beer too
C is for career right now: third grade teacher
D is for your dog's name?: Molly
E is for essential item you use everyday: cell phone, mascara
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Blue's Clues Baby Brother (Oh wait, that's Luke's... it's on about 2 hours a day, so I got confused there)... also Treasure Hunters, Cash Cab, any stupid summer reality show
G is for favorite game: scrabble
H is for Home town: Killeen TX
I is for instruments you play: used to be flute
J is for favorite juice: now that I'm pregnant, orange juice daily!
K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: Today it would have to be the person/school who promoted boy #2 (refer to other blogs), and Rodney, the jazzercise instructor who was way too tough tonight!
L is for last food you ate: spaghetti
M is for marriage: going on 6 years
N is for your full name: Jill Marie (Davis) Minatrea
O is for overnight hospital stays: One night when Luke was born, 2003
P is for people you were with today: Marc, Luke, my jazzercise class, and about 800 kids and faculty at school
Q is for quote: : "Mom! I had big ground pee like daddy!" (OK, so not as profound as Amy's. Did I share too much? It makes me laugh everytime. By the way, ground peeing is our latest accomplishment... Luke's way of describing peeing standing up.)
R is for Biggest Regret: that bad haircut senior year of college
S is for status: married
T is for time you woke up today: 5:40
U is for (Amy, you had no U, so I'll just pick one...) underwear: red today (Ok, I drew a blank on another U word!)
V is for vegetable you love: mashed potatoes
W is for worst habit: leaving my classroom messy at the end of the day
X is for x-rays you've had: teeth, leg after accident, stomach, finger (remember the sewing machine incident??)... I'm sure there were others
Y is for yummy food you ate today: banana moon pie
Z is for zodiac sign: Taurus