Oh So Excited

Why?  Because Baby Boy's bedding was shipped on Friday and is supposed to arrive tomorrow!  T minus 24 hours and counting!  I can hardly contain myself I'm so excited!  The seller (Kelly at Sweet Dreams Custom Baby Bedding) said it turned out great and I can't wait to see for myself!

In addition...I also ordered the last little detail for the nursery wall.  Above his crib.  These cute, wire curtain rods from IKEA...only I had to order them from someone on Amazon because stupid IKEA doesn't sell things online.  And I'm planning to clip photos and such to them, instead of using them for what they are made (curtains).

Found the idea here

I really wish our chair would arrive soon.  But it's only been six weeks and they said 8 to 12.  One can always hope it will arrive early!

Showered with Love #1

Last Thursday was my very first baby shower!  It was a Mill Valley staff shower thrown by some of the best department members a girl could ask for! :)  I seriously love my math co-workers and consider myself very lucky to get to work with my friends on a daily basis!

Anyway, the shower was a lot of fun and Baby Sides got some cool stuff.  My favorite gift of all was the video monitor (from none other than the math ladies)!!!  I figured that was one item we'd have to purchase ourselves because of the hefty price tag...and I was pleasantly surprised when I opened it!  Craig is excited about it, too (seeing it's the one and only thing he cared about)!  It provided us quite the entertainment earlier this morning when we set it up and used it to spy on our dog. 

I think my favorite part about the shower (well, besides the food, cake, and punch) were the "Wishes for Baby" cards each guest filled out.  The card included prompts like "I hope you learn...", "I hope you love...", "I hope you become", etc.   Each guest filled one out and they were placed in a scrapbook for Baby.  I had so much fun reading the cards when I got home!  Most were very sentimental, but there were a few funny answers, as well.  Here are my favorites:

"I hope you learn calculus"...and "I hope you love the Jayhawks" (Daddy agrees)

"I hope you become a Hawkeye (for your mom)" - heck yeah!!!

"I hope you become a Royals fan like your parents"...clearly we are sports fans!

"I hope you learn lots of math"

"I hope you respect your teachers"

"I hope you learn the Pythagorean Theorem"--Can you tell there were a bunch of math geeks there? :)

Thank you so very much to all my co-workers for showering Baby Sides with love!  He is one lucky little man!

Here are some photos from the shower and some I took of the gifts when I got home.

Adorable cakes!

Punch with rubber duckies

Me and all the wonderful hostesses

I bet you never had math teachers that looked like this!

Who said baby boy clothes aren't cute??  These are adorable!

Love the outfits with things on the butts!

Baby's first stuffed animal!  Brown bear to go with the book!

One of my co-workers' signature baby gift...a decoupaged bucket full of baby supplies

MRI is Complete, Now We Wait...

Yesterday was our appointment at Children's Mercy for the MRI on Baby's brain.  The hospital was super cute and the employees were extra friendly, but I just kept thinking about how it could be our "home" for some time after the baby is born.  And that scares me.  But...positive thoughts.

Filling out paper work was weird.  Of course, their patients are all children, but ours is unborn.  I wasn't exactly sure whether to put my name in the patient spot, or what?  We don't even have a name for Baby Sides yet!  (I put my name incase you are wondering) :)

Funny story: they give all their patients yellow wristbands to make identification easy in the case that they lose their parent.  The receptionist chucked when he asked if I wanted to wear mine.  I told him since my mom was already four hours away, it probably wasn't necessary. :)

The MRI itself was easy and painless.  I had to lay in the tube (which looked like the one below) for about 30 minutes while they took images of Baby's brain.  It was warm and cozy...reminded me of when I used to go tanning back in the day.  Only I was trying my darnedest not to move an inch.

If you've never had an MRI, the machine makes all kinds of weird (loud) noises.  Baby Boy was very active during this time!  I'm not sure he appreciated all the noises.  He must take after his big brother (Kinnick).  When they were finished, I mentioned to the technician that he was moving around a lot.  His response, "We got all the pictures we need, but I had to chase him quite a bit!"

The funniest part of all: since it was a children's hospital, I got to watch a movie during the procedure!  The movie was shown through these goggles they place over your eyes.    The gave me a list of PG and PG13 movies to choose from.  I choose The Wedding Planner.  How funny!

We didn't learn of any results yesterday and won't until our consultation on Thursday.  Thank you for the continued thoughts, prayers, texts, emails, and cards.  I'll be sure to update again after we know more later next week!

29 Weeks: Another Day, Another Doctor Appointment

Today marks 29 weeks in my pregnancy!  It's truly crazy how fast it's gone.  I remember being 19 weeks (and having our gender sonogram) like it was yesterday.  In just ten more weeks, I will be 39 weeks and little baby boy will be very close to making his appearance (if he hasn't already).

Side note: Thebump.com tells me it's time to pack a bag for the hospital.  Seems a little early to me...no?

Since I'm going to the doctor every two weeks now, I had another appointment today.  It was very low-key and we weren't even able to see our doctor (she was delivering a baby at the time).  Appointments every two weeks seem a little silly to me when all they do is listen for the heartbeat and send us on our way. 

Maybe I'm just bitter.  After the bad news we received during our last appointment, I'm sorry to say I was not looking forward to this appointment like I have all others.  The doctor's office just makes me nervous and I couldn't help but think of how sad we were walking out the last time.

On a positive note, the nurse confirmed the good news that I passed my 3-hour glucose test.  She didn't tell me my numbers, but said my results were perfectly fine.  And, I've only gained 15 pounds so far.  More good news!  Unfortunately for me, I'm growing sideways as much as I'm growing out.  I'm not going to be one of those cute girls with just the big belly.  I'll still take the 15 pounds though...it could be much worse!  Nonetheless, my belly was measuring right on track.  Not sure how...I still seem so small compared to other 29-week pregnant girls!

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Size of Baby:
An acorn squash (~15.2 to 16.7 inches long and ~2.5 to 3.8 pounds)

What's Happening (according to thebump.com):
Baby Sides' is growing white fat deposits under his skin, and his energy is surging because of it.  Crazily, he will still triple in weight before his big debut!

Cravings:
Been loading up on sweets since learning I passed my glucose test!  Why?  Because I can! :)

Movement:
My stomach twitches a lot as Baby squirms around in there!

Sleep:
With the exception of this morning when Kinnick thought he had to lay on top of me, I'm sleeping very well still!  It helps that we can sleep with our windows open.  I always sleep better that way.

Clothing:
Mostly maternity...but the shorts I'm wearing today are still pre-pregnancy (with my bella band, of course)!  I did have to buy a new Royals shirt for the game on Saturday because all of my others looked ridiculous!  I'm wearing all maternity shirts...others are just too short on my belly!

Other Pregnancy Symptoms:
Throat burn??  I know it's common for pregnant women to get heartburn, but mine is in my throat!!  Acid reflux maybe?  It's miserable!  So much so that I'm currently drinking a glass of milk as I type.  And I hate milk.  Let's hope this is not a regular occurrence in these last 11 weeks.  Ugh!

I also wake up overnight with charlie-horse-like leg cramps.  It's not awful, but definitely something I've noticed lately.  The hubs suggested I get a pre-natal massage.  So sweet of him to suggest that.  I might just take him up on that, but maybe closer to the 40-week mark.

Here's my 29-week baby bump!

Take 1

Take 2

One last note...our first appointment at Children's Mercy (for an MRI) is this Friday.  Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers, as mama's already very nervous!!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Last night, we attended our first Royals game of the year, hoping we'd bring them a little luck.  Not a chance.  They lost something like their 12th in a row...9th in a row at home.  Wow.  So much for being good this year!

It was still a good game to attend.  We saw four home runs, the weather was perfect, and we each got a free jersey!  And the ballpark hot dog and Sheridan's frozen custard were pretty good, too!

Sweetest Students

So last week, when I was having such a hard time with the news of our baby boy, I decided to tell my students a little bit of what was going on.  One, because they are always so interested in my pregnancy and the little life growing inside of me.  Two, because I felt like they had a right to know why I was upset, sad, etc. or if I had to miss school for appointments, they'd know why.  And three, because the way I see it, the more people I tell, the more people that will pray for him.

I never expected some of the reactions I have gotten.  Especially from the boys. 

Here's one email I received (from a boy) the night after telling my students...

Hey Mrs. Sides it's ******. I know you are going through a difficult time, and i just wanted to let you know that little Jamal is in my prayers and that what you said today in class didn't go to waste.  You're a very strong woman judging from the two years I've had you, and I have no doubt that you can pull through this. 

(Side note: The hubs used to call the baby Jamal.  I told this particular class that and now they always refer to him by that name.)

Yesterday, as I was getting ready to head home, another student (again a boy) brought me this.

A nice little basket full of cookies and a "Thinking of You" card.  SO. SO. SWEET.  I'm sure his mom had a large part in this, but that means the student told his mom about my situation first. 


Things like this remind me how much I love my job and how lucky I am to work with the kids I do.  :)

I Passed...

Well, it's been two full business days since my 3-hour glucose test and I haven't heard from the doctor's office.  They told me on Tuesday that no news=good news, so I think it's safe to assume I passed! Woo hoo!  Reason to celebrate?  I think so!  Definitely going to get ice cream this weekend! :)

Scaredy Dog

Kinnick has been acting so strange lately.  I'm not sure if he senses that I'm pregnant and things are about to change, or if he senses the melancholy mood around our house, or if he's just getting weird as he ages.  He is scared of literally everything lately.  Including the beeping noise on our carbon monoxide detector (low battery) and timer on the oven!  He hides under our bed, under the desk in the basement, under covers, and even in the laundry room.  Over the weekend, we made cookies and the timer on the oven scared him so badly, his little body was shaking hysterically.  Poor dog.

Yesterday, our neighbors (on the east side) had their house re-roofed.  Hence, there were all kinds of loud noises...the nail gun, pounding, scraping, etc.  The hubs was home at lunch and let Kinnick outside.  Next thing he knew, the neighbor lady (on the west side) was at our front door with Kinnick on a leash.  She said she was in her kitchen and turned around to find our dog in her kitchen, too!  What the heck?!  He somehow climbed through the fence, into their backyard, and then followed their little girl inside! 

A little bit later the same thing happened!  Only this time, he didn't make it into their house...just their backyard.  He was so scared of the roofers, he tried to get as far away from them as possible, even if that meant into the other neighbor's yard!

He was resistent to go outside the entire rest of the day.  I had to drag him with me to the mailbox (something he usually jumps on with excitement).  Ditto with our evening walk.  Not only was he afraid to go out, but into our kitchen as well...because that's close to the outside and close to the noises (mind you, they were gone by then)!  Even at 10:30 p.m., before bed, I had to carry him out to show him the "scary" noises were gone.  And again this morning, I had to coax him outside and show him it was okay.

That was at 7 this morning.  I'm sure the roofers are back in action as I type and poor doggy is probably hiding, to the best of his ability, somewhere in our house.

So much for being mommy's protector when she gets scared.  What a weird dog!

Prom

Mill Valley's Prom was this past weekend.  I chaperoned four years ago, but hadn't returned to do the same since a student started a rumor that I was drunk that year.  Dumb kid.

Anyway, I decided to chaperone once again this year, mainly because I was very excited about the venue.  Prom was held at Club 1000...as in the same place I got married!  It's a gorgeous venue in downtown Kansas City and though Prom was on the second floor and our wedding and reception were on floors three and six, it was still fun to be back!  I think the kids really enjoyed the venue...anything has got to be better than the Shawnee Civic Center!

The chaperones met for dinner beforehand at Cafe Trio on the plaza.  I ordered the Mac Daddy (their version of mac & cheese).  According to their menu, it's the best mac & cheese in the greater Kansas City area.  It was pretty darn good, but for the price, so is Panera's! :)

I had a great time and was glad I got to see many of my students all dressed up.  I was also very thankful the tornadoes stayed away!

Here are a few pictures I took.  Oh, and I put my hair into a sock bun!  Thanks to my friend Lindsay for the inspiration and instructions!  Yes, there was a sock in my hair.  Cool, right?

Taken with my phone so not the best quality



Posing with my date (i.e. precious baby boy)!  And I told you Kinnick's been a mama's boy!  He wanted to stand by me!



Beautiful venue!

All the chaperones!

28 Weeks: Welcome Third Trimester!

Well, I've made it to the third trimester!  With the exception of last week's events, I've had a very smooth and easy pregnancy!  And as if last week didn't already bear enough bad news., I failed the initial glucose test.  So I'm currently sitting at the doctor's office undergoing the 3-hour test.  One blood draw down, three to go!  I nearly lost it while drinking the extra-concentrated glucose drink...I started gagging but managed to maintain composure somehow.  Yuck.  And I'm starving.  I haven't eaten anything since dinner last night around 6:30.  Usually by this time of day, I've had breakfast and a morning snack.  But it will all be worth it if the results show I don't have gestational diabetes.  Please, please, please results, I need you to show that.  I was only six points above the 140 cut-off last week, so I'm crossing my fingers my levels are lower today.

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of Baby: A rutabaga...I'm not sure what that is!  (~1.5 to 2.5 pounds and measures about 13.6 to 14.8 inches)

What's Happening (according to thebump.com): Baby Sides' is developing more fat, making his skin smoother and less wrinkly.  He can also blink and has little eyelashes!

Milestone: Baby's anatomy is developed and ready to go!  He's just hanging out for the last 12 weeks for a few "finishing touches".

Cravings: Naha

Movement: He's quite active in there!  During one of our sonograms last week, he must have been kicking so hard that my belly would twitch and the sonogram machine would jump!

Sleep: Still sleeping excellent!  Baby has not kept me awake in the wee hours of the night at all!

Clothing: Wearing mostly all maternity clothes now. 

Other Pregnancy Symptoms: Nothing new. 

Kinnick has been a mama's boy lately.  I think he senses the sadness in our house and feels sad, too.  Love you little doggy!

Grateful

Just a quick update to thank everyone for the hundreds of emails, Facebook messages, texts, calls, etc. and, more than anything, for keeping our little family in your thoughts and prayers.  We are overwhelmed with the love and support from each of you.  It warms my heart that we have such wonderful, caring people in our lives who have given us strength during this very difficult time.  Though this past week has been one of the hardest of our lives, your encouraging words have made it a bit easier on both of us.

We are trying to remain as positive as possible, but I won't lie, there are moments/days when we're overwhelmed with sadness.  There hasn't been a day go by when I haven't broke down and cried for the little life growing inside me.  Nonetheless, the stories you have shared about other babies overcoming complications give us tremendous hope.  Baby Boy Sides has a lot of people rooting and praying for him and we're hopeful that somehow, through lots and lots of prayers, he will be born healthy and normal.

We now have appointments set up with Children's Mercy.  The MRI on little baby's brain is scheduled for Friday, April 27 and our consultation with doctors is six days later on Thursday, May 3.  Please continue to pray that the MRI shows a healthy baby brain and also for strength for mommy and daddy as we sit and wait wondering.

Finally, I want to thank my husband for being so amazing during these past seven days.  I know you are struggling with this yourself, but you have remained incredibly strong for my sake.  I know we will get through this and grow stronger in the process.  I can't dream of going through this with anyone but you.  Thank you for the flowers.  Thank you for all the hugs.  Thank you for making me laugh.  And thank you for keeping our house in order when I just don't feel up to it. 

Flowers from the hubs

Thank you again to all of you--times a million.  Words will never describe how grateful we feel and how lucky we are so have such amazing people in our lives.  Baby Sides loves and thanks you, as well! :)

27-Week Sonogram Pics

A lot of these are very similar and include many facial profile pics that they couldn't get in February.  And you can never have too many pics, so we took all we could get. :)

Waving to us

This is a front view of his face with his hand (I think?) in the pic as well

Another profile view

Still a boy!