13 Weeks

I am going to do my best with these weekly updates, but sometimes we take the pictures towards the end of the week which means I'm actually into the next week before it's posted.  For example, I'm currently 14 weeks, 1 day but I'm posting 13 weeks.  Oh well, beggars can't be choosers, and we'll do our best to get them up on the blog the week they are taken :-)

How far along?: 13 weeks
Baby's size: Baby is the size of a peach
Total weight gain/loss: I was down a few pounds throughout the weeks, but now I'm back to pre-pregnancy weight
Stretch marks?: None yet, thankfully
Sleep?: I think my biggest complaint would be how stuffed up my nose gets.  I feel like I'm constantly tossing and turning to be able to breathe.  I've gotten completely used to getting up 3-5 times a night to go to the bathroom
Maternity clothes?: I got tons of them for Christmas, but I haven't needed any yet.
Best moment this week: Got to spend lots of time with our families over Christmas Break
Worst Moment: Being sick on Christmas Eve when we got home.  It changed the whole flow of the day for me
Symptoms: I still am a little nauseous and extremely tired some days, but the throwing up has subsided (knock on wood).  I haven't thrown up since Christmas Eve
Cravings?: Right now, food is not my friend.  I'm lucky if I can force food down, so no cravings yet
Miss Anything?: Soda!  Finding something caffeine free but not full of sugar is terribly hard.  I've settled on fizzy water for my "soda" fix
Movement: None, but I can't wait for that day!!
Anything making you queasy or sick?: Certain smells aren't very fun.  We had a breakfast with the KJF last weekend and I was in charge of making 120 eggs.  I had to turn away quite often because the smell was overtaking me
Gender: We won't know until January 25th at the elective gender scan where they may hopefully figure it out.  It's absolutely killing me!
What is baby up to?: From What to Expect When You're Expecting: "What's up with your baby? Well, besides being as large as a peach now, that big old noggin of theirs is now about half the size of their crown-to-rump length (that’s one reason why your little peach looks more like an alien from outer space at this point). By the time you give birth, their body will catch up, measuring three-quarters of their total size. What else is going on in there? Tiny bones are beginning to form in their arms and legs, the intestines are beginning to move from the umbilical cord to the abdomen, and the vocal cords are well under construction (the first step toward saying, "I love you, Mommy!"). And because they can move her arms and legs in a jerky fashion, they may be able to get her thumb into their mouth (a habit that may come in handy for self-soothing when they're a newborn)."

Telling "My Kids"

Every year I get a group of over 100 students who by the end of the school year have turned into "my kids."  Being a teacher, we can't help it, you spend so much time with them that you learn all about each one and love them as if they were your own.  Of course that would mean I would have four years of 120 students, so 480 "kids" at this point (I look good for 480 kids, right??).  Some confide in you and you form a bond that goes past the one year you have them in the classroom.  Our jobs are very, very rewarding.

 

I knew that I wanted to include my kids and tell them about Baby Kelly (BK as Jason likes to call my belly) in a special way just like we did with family.  Knowing that I couldn't buy 120 onesies to give each one, and knowing that as soon as I told some of them it would spread like wildfire, I conspired a plan with my team teachers.

 

We decided that first period, the Friday before Christmas break (we had school the Monday after but many students were taking off) I would put my Christmas card up on the projector for the students to figure out what it meant.  I brought along another student to record their reactions, and I must say that they still crack me up.  Some classes got it right away, some it took a little longer.

 

This was the card that we put up on the projector so you know what they're looking at:

I went from classroom to classroom, all in first period so that I was the one who got to tell them, and not other students.  I had to give the same speech 5 times, so sorry, you have to listen to the same speech 5 times too, but I am so glad we recorded their reactions since they are priceless!!

Math Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rthyC1dh4pU

English Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0HQ6QyExLI

Social Studies Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CUsbXYa3ts

Academic Literacy Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZyZjRWG9DE

Science Class- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwa3awcv5AM

Does this bring anyone back to their 8th grade year?  Many of my friends say this made them remember how awkward junior high was after watching the videos.

 

Which class reaction did you like the best?

Telling Our Parents and Siblings

We had big plans of waiting until 8 weeks to tell both of our sets of parents, but Jason's parents were coming up to visit before those 8 weeks and wouldn't be back before, so we decided to tell them earlier.  I was really against it at first, but then I realized that if God forbid, something did happen, we would need them as our close support system.

 

We searched and searched around Kohls trying to find something gender neutral that said Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt and Uncle, but again we really struck out.  I really think Carters needs to make some more gender neutral things for special moments like these, but we'll save that for another time, haha. 

 

We ended up with very girly Grandma and Grandpa outfits and an okay Aunt onesie to share with the future aunts.  We struck out in the Uncle department.

The onesies for Grandma and Grandpa and on the left.  The mint green says "I Love Grandpa" and the short sleeve white one says "Grandma Loves Me."  We didn't use the pants.

The onesie for the Aunts is on the right and we gave it as is.

 

We wrapped each present in its own bag and let them open them at their own pace.  Of course some opened faster than others which wasn't what I would have preferred, but hey, it's life!  The funniest thing about the opening experience is that my Dad pulled his out slightly, saw the scalloped edges and put it back in the bag.  He thought we had given him the wrong present.

Here is my side of the family opening their gifts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95q0TmfPQ1M

 

And here is Jason's side of the family opening their gifts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMEFK0vzAK4

*Sorry for the darkness on this one, we couldn't turn on too many lights and make it obvious that we were recording

 

Eric and Ethan were not able to attend either of the present giving sessions, so we called them to share the news.

News to Share

I haven't been posting much because everything seems irrelevant compared to the news I'm allowed to share now :-)

 

On November 3, 2013, Jason and I found out we are expecting a little bundle of joy!  We are due on July 4, 2014.

 I took this test that night and I was used to seeing "Not Pregnant" on them for so long that I was shocked!

 

 For some reassurance, I took a bunch of other kinds too.  This wouldn't surprise you if you knew me ;-)

 

 And then we added in one of the fancy ones that tells you how far along you are.

 

 Since Jason's birthday was a few weeks before, I told him I had one additional present that didn't come until now, so he opened it up.  Here is the video of him opening:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9W6q0NeW1c&feature=youtu.be

With his "Daddy's Little Tiger" onesie.  You wouldn't even believe how hard it is to find a gender neutral Daddy onesie.  This one is orange and white striped with little pants that have a tiger on the butt.

 

I will be updating much more frequently now since the secret it out and I am allowed to share!  We have pictures and videos galore to share as the weeks go on, so stay tuned!!

Merry Christmas!!

Great Gift

I struggle on Jason's birthday to buy him something that he will love, but also is still heartfelt.  This year, of course I bought him the material things like a sweatshirt, zip-up and watch, but I also made him a gift that he's still talking about.

 

I made him "Open When Cards."

 

I had seen the idea on Pinterest, and my students helped me with some of the topics.  I started with a set of cards and enveloped form Target for $10.  I chose a set that didn't have folded cards, but just a flat insert.  I also liked that it had a little gift box that they were already in.

 

Coming up with the Open When topics were the hardest part.  The first 20 were easy.  It wasn't until I got home and had a clear head that I could come up with the other 30. 

 

They are the gift that keeps on giving.  Each one is filled with a situation like:

-Open When: It's Central's MiniThon (that will be in March)

-Open When: You Miss Me

-Open When: You Want To Know How I Knew You Were The One

 

They were so much fun to do, and Jason has them sitting on his nightstand.  It warms my heart to see that he's opened one on his own when he sees that the time fits.

 

Here are the final products: 

 

 

 

If you're looking for an easy but thoughtful gift, this was a great idea!

Crafty- Teacher Toolbox

Over the summer, my friend Ashlee made an awesome organizer for school supplies that is a teacher's dream.  I'm not the most crafty, so I wasn't sure how it would turn out, but every.single.day I get happy when I look at my organizer on my desk and I'm proud of myself :-)

 

Ashlee gave me a link to a site that had awesome templates to print and cut out.  You can find that here.... just kidding about that one.  I seriously have looked for 45 minutes and can't find the site I used.  If I ever come across it again, I promise I'll post it

 

So I sent Jason to Lowes in search of a 22 opening toolbox, and he found the perfect one.  It's blue and has just a little shimmer to it, so that was the icing on the cake.  I spend a July evening perfecting it while Jason was at poker.  This is what I started with:

 

The steps are pretty self explanatory.  Cut, decide where you want to put each of the items and then tape.  Double-sided tape would have been golden, but I only had regular tape so I taped them from the inside.  Optional Kitty Helper is recommended!

 

Here is the final product after many, many re-straightening and taping labels:

 

Chase is so proud of his work that he protected it all night!



If you're a teacher, I would highly recommend making one of these!  It keeps all the supplies that I would ever need in one place and I don't have to go rooting through drawers to find what I want.  Plus, my students think I'm crazy for putting that much time into something, when it really didn't take long at all (other than my OCD straightening of course).