Not as much room on Momma's tummy as there used to be....

Alie's had to relocate her pillow these days...Momma's tummy is just too round for her comfort. :)

Look what your Aunt Meg made!

Your aunt Megan made you the softest blanket. You will love it! Your daddy tried it out a bit for you.....I can't wait to wrap you up in it and snuggle you up!

Watermelon???

Hi Bean!! My left ankle has really been swelling lately, as have my fingers and left wrist. I guess the swelling only on one side has to do with where you are hanging out these days....Aunt Karen suggested eating watermelon, as it's a natural diuretic and might help the swelling. Lucky for me, I LOVE watermelon, so no problem following the nurse's orders!! When I was carrying my watermelon home, I actually felt like I had two of them. So we couldn't resist a comparison picture of my watermelon-sized tummy and the fruit itself. :)
I leave tomorrow EARLY (6:29 am!) for Wyoming. YEEEEEAAAA! I can't wait for a week of relaxing, less humidity, and cool nights. Our friend Todd asked if I was taking you to Wyoming to be born so you'd have WY citizenship....good idea! But....we're not quite ready for you to arrive yet, so don't get any ideas, little one! You still don't have a baby bed or bedding, but your daddy will be working on the baby bed while I'm gone (they are getting it down from the attic and painting it) and I will be working on the bedding part with your Granny in Wy.
Tonight your daddy and I had a little date...we went out for dinner. I am finishing up a few last-minute packing items then off to bed with me. CAUSE I'M LEAVING ON A JET PLANE.....DON'T KNOW WHEN I'LL BE BACK AGAIN...

Party!

Tonight we partied big time, little Bean! Your daddy's friends and family (who are of course now mine, too!!) were great hostesses and had a Baby Bean Party to welcome you in a few months! They went with the theme of beans and had jelly beans in baby bottle-shaped jars and different bean decorations. It was SOOO adorable and creative! They even included all of the colors I am doing in my nursery. We ate yummy fajitas and mexican food and lots of delicious desserts. It was so much fun and we appreciate all of the work that was put into it. You also got acquainted with baby Lillian, who will be born in August. I am sure you two will have fun playing together at future campouts! More Pictures....click here

Hot, Hot, Hot

Well, Little Bean, it's definitely summer in Houston! It was H-O-T today....Your daddy and I were running some errands and were just outside for short periods of time and we were still sweating. Hot days like this seem to zap all my energy out. We ate lunch at Chick-fil-a and figured there was no better day to top off our meal with an ice cream come!! Beaux had different ideas about how to get cool. I set my seltzer down on the bed so I could situate myself and my computer before opening it and enjoying a drink while I checked my email....before I could pop the top, Beaux found himself a nice little pillow. He thought it was a pretty good set-up....chilled and everything! Your aunt Megan told me today her apartment has a pool.....you and I may be spending some of those hot afternoons over there!!!

Baby Shower!

Today was our last day of summer school and the moms in the program surprised me with a baby shower! They pulled it off without me finding out, which is pretty impressive--none of the kids even gave it away! It was so sweet! They had a cake, balloons, yummy food, and decorations. One of the moms had made me a big bow to wear. They played several games--one where they had to get a piece of toilet paper they thought would be the size of my stomach. Then they all (30 of them) had to measure my tummy and see who was the closest. Another game was a contest drinking orange pop out of baby bottles, and another involved carrying a quarter between your knees and dropping it in a cup (I think it was supposed to resemble a urine specimen cup...that game was interesting). Anyhow, they also gave me a giftcard to Babies R' Us. Everything was so nice and they made me feel very special! It was just what I needed today....I've had a very rough summer at work with lots of stressful goings-on, so it was great to have some fun and feel appreciated!

Click here for more pics....

Summer School

Hey Bean,
Here's what you and I have been spending our days doing....summer school with lots of kiddos. This picture was taken during the first week of summer school, and I was looking at some taken today at the awards assembly we had and I definitely can see how you've grown in the course of 3 weeks! In this picture we had invited the preschool and toddler classes to come "Buddy Read" with our bigger kids. Some of the littler ones who weren't being cooperative had to sit in my lap to keep them focused, and whenever I would put one of them in my lap, you'd start kicking like crazy. Guess you were just making sure they knew I was your mama and not theirs. :)

The big 3-0

Hi Little Bean and happy 30th week!!

Today you are the size of a head of cabbage.

That puts you at almost 16 inches and 3 lbs!! I had my 30 week check-up today and your daddy thought that it was hilarious that he now only weighs 9 lbs more than me. I didn't laugh. :) I think at least 10 of those lbs have to be in my ankles. Those things are so swollen by the end of the day that I can hardly recognize them. Your heartbeat sounded great on the Doppler, and my doctor will now start having me come every two weeks. On July 9th I have my final ultrasound. I am so excited to see how much you've changed and grown--the last time we saw you was at 15 weeks, so I can't even imagine how much more developed you are!!

Your eyes are continuing to develop so that by the time you are born you will see 20/400 (things right up close to your face). I am sure your daddy will be verifying this to make sure. :)

I am continuing to have wierd dreams about you, and strangly, in most of them you are born and are actually a white and orange cat (not even a kitten...a full-grown cat). Not sure exactly what that means....But they are strange dreams, nonetheless. I have also moved up to two-a-night pee intermissions. Luckily I can still fall back to sleep after I get up. I have been so busy at work lately that I've been exhausted enough to have no problem sleeping. Next Tuesday I am headed to Wyoming for a week and I am SOOOO looking forward to a vacation and some relaxation. And of course cool weather!!

What are people thinking???

So....people say some interesting things when you are pregnant...
A few highlights from the past week:

"I hope you don't think you'll look like that with your next baby. My doctor told me it's like a balloon. It's hard to blow up the first time, but then the second time it blows right out. You'll be hanging out to the sides and all over the place." How do you respond to that? Ummm, thanks?

From one of my students (age 6):
"How many babies are in there?" (said while looking at my stomach increduously)
When I replied "just one," he looked rather shocked.

"Well, you're just all baby, aren't you!" Not sure exactly what that means, but I am going to take it as a compliment??!!

"How far along are you? Just 7 months? Hmmm, must just be that shirt you're wearing."
Bet you can guess which shirt I will be sure to wear as often as possible...the one that apparently makes me look gigantic! :)

Random lady on elevator at work: "Are you pregnant?" Nope, I just stole a basketball and stuffed it under my shirt. (look at the recent pictures I've posted--do you really need to ASK to know if I'm pregnant??) By the way....my mom got acosted by a store manager wen she was pregnant with me because he thought she was stealing things and putting them inside her coat.

Grandbob and Grandsue

Alright, I am doing some catch-up blogging, little Bean....I found lots of pictures on the camera card that I needed to post.

This is a picture of your Grandbob and Grandsue holding the little onesie we made to tell them you were on the way.
We had made plans to meet them at Lasagna House (mmmm) for dinner in February....Well, on the way there I started feeling horribly sick and ended up having Matt turn around and drop me off at home where I was the sickest I had been throughout my pregnancy. No fun. So he had to tell the news on his own. He gave his dad the little onesie and told them our news (you'll have you ask your daddy for all the details....) The onesie says "I'm with the band" and has a picture of a banjo, which your Grandbob plays in his band. You will definitely be sporting it to the first concert that occurs after you are born! You have already heard them play, as I went to a concert a few months ago and sat right by the amp....so pretty sure you got some sound even through all that cushioning around your little self!

Anyhow, your Grandbob and Grandsue are so excited about you and can't wait to meet you! Hopefully they will want to meet you a lot on Friday and Saturday nights when your daddy and I want to go to the movies or out to dinner. ;)

Sorry to steal your dresser, baby Bean, but you must admit that it fits here quite nicely!! And don't worry, we won't have to keep your clothes on the floor....A plan has already been hatched for your clothes storage. :)

Reclining....

My organized kitchen....

Mmmm...just typing that title makes me smile.
Today Mike and Lynda came over to share some of their organizing expertise with us. My biggest dilemma for them was to figure out a way to get a little more counter space in the kitchen. With you arriving soon, Little Bean, I knew we'd need some room for your bottles, baby bath, etc., and we already have virtually no counterspace in that tiny kitchen. Part of the problem was our giant microwave. Although I loved that you could literally heat a whole box of pizza at once, it also took up about half the counterspace in the entire kitchen.
Well, as I knew they would, Mike and Lynda had a great suggestion. After lots of brainstorming, we moved the baby dresser/hutch into the kitchen to see if something about that size would work to hold the microwave and other kitchen doo-dads. It worked so perfectly that it is staying there, actually. So Mike promptly took it outside, sanded it down, and painted it in the 100 degree weather this afternoon. It is now back in my kitchen, and tomorrow when the paint dries, our new, smaller microwave will fit perfectly! Lynda also found us the greatest baskets for storage on the shelves. Besides that, we reorganized every cupboard, drawer and pantry shelf in my entire kitchen to make everything accessible. I love the result and know I will be so thankful next time I cook and everything is at my fingertips!!
We didn't stop at the kitchen...they also shared lots of brainstorming for the nursery/office, and I think you will love their ideas for your little room, Bean!! Once we finish taking out the furniture that isn't staying and get the walls painted in the next few weeks, we will start trying out the arrangement ideas they gave us. Yeaaaa!
We worked our tails off from about 12:30 until after 7 tonight, and then when they left, I finished cleaning up and putting things away, and just crashed on my bed about 5 minutes ago. I know I will sleep well tonight!!
Your daddy also had a busy day...He was out in the sun all day taking the truck apart and trying to fix the clutch. It turned out being LOTS more work than I think he had anticipated, and thankfully tonight his friend came over to help add some muscle and brainpower. At one point I was watering my plants and evesdropping on them working, and I heard that they had a total of 4 jacks under the truck in various places. That's serious business! :) Your daddy still has several days more work, but I am so thankful he has mad mechanic skills, because we definitely couldn't pay to get it fixed right now. I guess we'd better keep that boy around, Little Bean!
I will take some pictures tomorrow....the Nikon is at your daddy's office, and I need the wide angle lens to get a good view of my fabulous kitchen!! Stay tuned!

Crazy Saturday

Hi Bean!
We had a bit of a crazy Saturday today. We started out the morning planning to spend the day at Huntsville State Park with some friends who were camping out there. I was really looking forward to some swimming and relaxing! Well....we pulled into the park and the clutch on the Ranger decided to go out. The truck wouldn't go into gear at all. Fortunately a sweet friend rescued us--he drove up from Houston with his trailer and pulled us to town. We had an interesting time getting the truck on the trailer....I ended up having to steer because I was the only one who couldn't push. That was a little stressful, because there wasn't much room for error on either side of the trailer. But we made it and the Ranger is now in the driveway. Matt already got a new pressure plate, clutch plate and throwout bearing and will work on replacing all of that tomorrow. It's kinda a major job.







So...after all of that fun, I decided to talk Matt into priming the office/nursery walls. I had chosen a paint color, but it was MUCH lighter than the dark blue currently on the walls, so we had to prime them so that the actual paint would cover well. I rolled and Matt did all of the trim and cutting in. We haven't even bought the actual paint yet (the color is called Sphinx--doesn't that sound lovely!) but we'll be ready for it soon!
The office already looks much different without the dark blue...But I loved that color and will miss it a little bit.
Tomorrow Mike and Lynda are coming over to help us do some reorganizing and rearranging to try to use our space a little better. I am excited that they will have some good solutions for us! They are both geniuses at that!

We had planned to get the crib, also, today, but without the truck that won't be happening. Oh well, I think we have enough to do right now. :) We can get it later this week.

Week 29!

Hi Bean!
You're 29 weeks today! You are about 2.5 lbs and 15.5 inches long (butternut squash....). Your little brain and lungs are continuing to do most of the growing, and your skeleton is calcifying....your daddy is on my case to drink lotsa milk! Don't worry, I am! The stomach itching has started back up. Maybe because you are growing a lot again? Last night I was going crazy itching myself like a crazed woman, and it finally got bad enough to wake me up. I had to take some Benedryl to get relief. I am trying to drink lots of water and keep Cocoa Butter on it to keep the skin stretchy. I have also started having some shortness of breath--mostly in spurts, so I think it's when you put a foot or elbow into my diaphragm. Other than that, you and I both are going strong! Only 77 days until you're due to arrive, little one! We can't believe it!
Here are some shots of the view from above.

Listen to your Daddy

Quite frequently in the evenings when I am putting cocobutter on your mother's belly I will begin to feel you kicking, and very forcefully. It may be that it is the time of the night that you are becoming most active, but I like to think that it is you hearing my voice while I am so close to you and your mother. Many times momma will take my hand and place it on her belly right were you are really going to work; you are getting strong. You sure are getting some good kicks in. Those strong legs will be nice for those bike rides we have in our future. I am looking forward to some father-daughter time. Maybe a bike trailer is in order until you can get your own two wheels under ya. We will see - I can't wait.

Cankels?

Well Bean, my ankels have been working on chubbing up lately, but today they got a little extra help. I got about 20 fireant bites when I was mowing, so now they are extra swollen. They haven't started itchin' yet, but I am sure tomorrow there will be little pustules all over them. Sorry, gross word, I know, but that fits those gross little oozy bumps perfectly. I shoulda been smart like your daddy...he weed-ate in his knee-high hunting boots. :)
Anyhow, you were a fan of the yardwork marathon, too, because after we finished I told your daddy "Baby wants shaved ice" and it worked! I even talked him into a scooter ride (don't freak grannies...it was less than a mile up the road to the shaved ice stand near our house and we took back roads). I hadn't been on the scooter since I got pregnant and I was definitely missing it. Of course the shaved ice gave you a little buzz about 20 minutes after I finished, and you responded by smashing my lungs for a while in your kicking frenzy. I tried to eat dinner (yes, after the shaved ice), but it was a little difficult because you were making it hard to breathe. I might have to have a second go-around at dinner in a bit because I know I'll wake up hungry in the night. Anyhow, I have had a lot of energy these past few days, and it has been nice, because last week I was pretty much worthless at doing much of anything. Tomorrow I am taking 38 children to the zoo for a fieldtrip....we'll see how long my energy holds out for that. :)

Your latest trick, Bean, has been pushing your bootie (I am guessing it's your bootie--if it's your head, my apologies) against my right side HARD so that it sticks out....Looks like there is just a little hard ball pushing there. It looks so funny that I can't help but laugh. Last night you did it at the dinner table while everyone was over, and they all got to see your little butt print sticking out. Today you did it while I was trying to work, but when I got up to show someone, you quit. Anyhow, I kinda like this new game of yours, because I can definitely tell you are getting big! We will have to try and get it on video sometime soon.

Happy Father's Day!

Well Bean, your daddy had his first Father's Day today. Last night we did a cookout at your Papa and Mimi's house with lots of family. Mmmm....steaks! Today we woke your daddy up with breakfast in bed (so it was just cereal...we couldn't be late for church, so that was as exciting as it got). We gave him some new running clothes as his gift. Tonight your Grandbob and Grandsue and Meg and Blaine came over for some of your daddy's ribs. It was a good weekend of celebrating dads!

Ouch!

Well Bean, it looks like we probably won't be moving before you are born. Some things changed with my job and I won't be getting paid what I was told (gotta love school politics...)...So...we are planning to stay here for a while until your daddy gets working as a dr. I am a little disappointed, but it will work out with a little rearranging and creativity on logistics....It's funny, because I always looked forward to the time Matt and I were both graduated from school, thinking that's when money wouldn't be so tight for us and we could afford a bigger place...and instead, things are tighter now than were actually in school. But, we are both confident that God will take good care of us and we know we'll have everything we need. So we'll be a cozy family in our little house, Bean!

The point of that long saga is that we have to move some stuff out of the office to make room for your crib and dresser and other things...So over the past few days we have been packing up most of the things in our office and moving them to the garage. Matt rearranged the whole garage so that all our junk would fit. He was putting some stuff up on a shelf and the box of vacuum attachment pieces attacked him, leaving a quite nasty gash and a goose-egg on his head, as you can see. Poor daddy.

Today we finished taking all of the stuff out of the office that we can do without temporarily. We still need to move out the bookshelf and my old desk, but otherwise everything else is pretty much out. You will have to share your room with me, little Bean, because I don't have anywhere else to put my sewing machine and art supplies, so your daddy let me take temporary custody of his corner desk for my stuff. So I hope you don't mind sharing one little corner.....

We plan to paint the crib next weekend and bring it in....We also need to work on your dresser (it came from the neighbor's trash and needs a bit of TLC) and get that painted. Hopefully it will soon look less like an office and more like a nursery. We also need to do some rearranging of our bedroom so we can fit either the cradle or pack-and-play in there....
We also want to reorganize parts of the kitchen and get it uncluttered a bit so we have room for some of your bottles and counterspace to give you baths. I actually told your daddy I'd consider putting the microwave on top of the fridge. Even though it will be a bit strange, we're running out of space options. I'll just pretend we live in Europe. It will be very Ikea-y of us. :)

I am anxious to get all of these little projects done in June, because we have something going on EVERY weekend in July....

I am exhausted tonight from lugging around boxes and baskets, emptying the office then bringing stuff back in, but I feel good that we got a good start on getting it ready for you!!

Rockin' and Reclinin'!

Today Bean, thanks to a sweet gift, we went and picked out a new rocker/recliner for you....well, more for Momma right now, but you'll get your use out of it, too. We can pick it up on Thursday evening, and Momma's feet can't want to get propped up on the footrest. Bet you can't wait to do some rocking, either!! We know it will be so useful for nursing and feeding you when you're a little bean, and then for cuddling up for storybooks when you're a bigger bean! Your daddy's favorite feature is that it swivels. He was all about trying to figure out how he could incorporate its use into TV watching. :) It's dark brown microfiber (and we went ahead and got the stainguard in case you puke on it...).
The lady who was helping us at the furniture store asked me if I was having twins...When I told her just one, she asked if I was due in the next few weeks. Nice...She was very surprised when I told her September. To try and make it better she said, "Well, you're just all baby, aren't you!" I kinda just wanted to tell her to stop while she was ahead. :)
I think you liked the new chair, too, because I tried it out for a while as your daddy paid and filled out all the paperwork for getting the stainguard and picking it up, and you were kicking like mad the whole time as we rocked away. Yeaaa for Thursday!!
PS) Pictures of me lounging in the new chair to come......

Yeaaaa!

Hey Bean!
Your daddy found out today that he passed his last set of boards! Yee-haw! So now all we are waiting on is his license to get processed...Hopefully in the next month or so.

More updates....

Tonight, Little Bean, when your daddy was reading our Bible passage, you musta been listening because you started kicking hard enough to shake my whole tummy! I couldn't stop laughing because it looked so funny to suddenly see a big bulge poking up......That's the hardest you've kicked so far! I guess you are a fan of daddy reading to you!!
We also had our first wierd stranger moment this week. On Monday night Trent came over and we went out for ice cream. A strange man who was also a customer at the ice cream place first thought it was hilarious when he asked me if I was having twins. He then wanted to know the baby's name, and when we told him we didn't know, he proceded to suggest dozens of them. He went on to try to get me to compare stomach sizes with him...I was getting worried he was going to want to start putting his hands on my belly if we stayed there much longer...so I made us eat outside. :) PS) I just have to add that cake batter ice cream is beyond amazing....mmmmmmm.....

All Seven Months of You....

 

 

28 Weeks!

You're our little cabbage patch kiddo this week! At 28 weeks (7 months), you're about 2 and a quarter pounds, 14.5 inches long, and about the size of a Chinese cabbage. We're now into the third trimester, little one! You are continuing to fatten up, your eyes are fully developed, and you're mostly just growing size-wise. That little brain of yours is developing, as well.
I had a lot more energy the past few months, but that is starting to fade again. I can get tired pretty quickly doing housework or anything semi-strenuous. I am teaching summer school (35+ students....) and I come home from work pretty beat. I no longer have bird legs, either, as my ankles are chunking up a bit from being on my feet all day...Your daddy is taking good care of me and has been doing lots around the house. I think we'll keep him!
I still love when you get crazy with the kicking...I usually can expect it at bedtime, so I think I usually fall asleep laughing at you flopping around in there.

the weekend....

Hey Baby Bean!
Another weekend was here and gone....Friday night I came home from work dead tired....kinda a stressful week and lots of physical work moving all my materials to a new classroom. I crashed for a little nap while your daddy picked up a pizza and movie. Saturday I helped your Grandbob have a garage sale at our place...got a little sunburned and it was HOT out there, but otherwise it went well. Saturday afternoon Matt and I did some portraits for friends at the Arboretum, and Saturday night was our Traveling Light Cycling Team party. This afternoon we did some "rat killing" (your daddy's word for running errands) that involved new dress shoes for your daddy, some groceries, and a piece for the truck....which enabled your greasemonkey daddy to fix the AC!!! Yeaa! Well, not that I can complain too much because one benefit of being pregnant is that I get to drive the ACed vehicle. :) But I am glad your daddy won't be sweating too much.
Tonight your sweet daddy cooked dinner. Grilled lemon-pepper fish, sweet potatoes, sweet corn and rolls. I made the most important part--dessert!! Strawberry-chocolate pie. It was all yummy, and we were very proud of ourselves because we haven't cooked in ages in this house. Best of all, all of that food was good for your little developing brain! I even hardboiled a bunch of eggs to eat this week so you have plenty of protein to form those little neurons.
And of course a Lahmeyer weekend can't be complete without some shaved ice....my poison today was sour-apple with watermelon. Mmmmm.

Me and the grannies....

Here I am with your two grannies, little bean. This was taken last month when my parents were in town for Matt's graduation, but I just found them today on my camera!