10 Weeks to Go!

I know I sound like a broken record, but it's really hard to believe that there are only 10 weeks to go, give or take! So exciting! The month ahead will be full of baby showers, room decorating, and beginning childbirth classes. As we embark on the 30 week mark, our little boy is becoming quite an active one. His soft kicks and punches have turned into karate moves! He seems to be readjusting himself a lot too. Most of the time I still feel pretty comfortable, but occasionally he seems to move really low and no matter what I do or how many times I run to the bathroom I swear he is just doing a balancing act on my bladder. At this point, our book tells us that his brain is developing rapidly and starting to take over more and more of his bodily functions. Time to be eating some good brain food for him I guess! He should be right around 3 pounds and 17 inches long.

This picture was taken on Christmas Eve, right before heading to the doctor. We met the other doctor in the practice and we really liked her as well! Mom got to accompany us in and hear the heartbeat, which was really special. The doctor guessed by the looks of my tummy that the baby was already head down, but said he still had time to be turning around in there. My blood pressure was still good as well as all the other vitals and weight gain seemed to be right on track. We go back next week for our regular check-in. At 36 weeks we'll have our final ultrasound and get an idea of how big he is. I can't wait to see him and see how much he's grown!

Our Christmas was a good one! It was pretty low-key, but relaxing and enjoyable. Christmas Eve was spent with a doctors appointment, some walking around Celebration, a quick trip to Gaylord Palms, and then dashing around trying to find somewhere to eat dinner! It was quite comical! Everywhere we tried to make reservations was a flop and it was just seeming not to be so we ended up back in Lakeland, but still had a very delicious meal before making it to church. Christmas Day was spent at our house opening presents, watching movies, and eating dinner. Even though this little baby hasn't made his way into the world yet, he already received some presents! All of our parents gave us money which is very useful in offsetting some of the recent baby expenses, Uncle Jeff bought him a baseball toy chest and diaper bag off our registry and Mat and I each got him a few small things like books and Cardinals gear of course! Just imagine what next Christmas will be like!

I hope that each and everyone had a safe and blessed Christmas! It's always amazing how fast it comes and goes. Mat didn't really get any time off this Christmas except for Christmas Day, but he's still been doing his best to enjoy the evenings and weekends with the family. Poor guy! I'm lucky enough to have one more week off work! My parents have decided to extend their stay a little bit until Friday so we're looking forward to ringing in the New Year with them as well!

The Reason for the Season

My parents arrived last night and it's so nice to have everyone together. I wish we could have even more family and friends around during the holiday, but being in our own home rather than traveling is feeling kind of nice right now. The presents are all wrapped, the cookies baked, decor hung, and they arrived safely which is always a blessing within itself.

The last time we all gathered in Florida for Christmas was in 2004. Mat and I had moved to Key West that summer. We knew we wouldn't have the funds to fly home for the holiday, so we all decided to meet in Tampa, at Jeff's, for Christmas. My grandparent's health was better at that time and they were able to come too! It was a very different Christmas, as it was our first time not all being gathered together in St. Louis, but it was special because it was something unique. Shortly after moving to Key West, Mat and I decided we were ready to begin working towards a family. That fall was when we took the plunge. I didn't have extremely high expectations of anything happening very quickly, but I was hopeful. Even a year or two before that, I'd always imagined how fun it would be to be pregnant over Christmas. It just seems like such an exciting time to be expecting a child and knowing that the new year will bring so much joy. So, of course that Christmas I was hopeful that maybe, just maybe, we'd have some good news to share with our family! Everything seemed to be looking promising. I just knew that I was going to be pregnant! I was in that phase of running to the bathroom every 5 minutes and breathing a sigh of relief. I went to bed that Christmas Eve feeling so excited and hopeful. Nobody knew, except Mat. However, when I woke on Christmas morning it seemed as if it was the cruelest reminder ever.....I was not pregnant. In hindsight, I shouldn't have been that disappointed. After all, we'd only been trying merely a few months. I had just let my anticipation and emotions build. That day was a hard Christmas for me. I was probably a little too self-absorbed with my own emotions that day, but it just felt like such a disappointment. Of course there ended up to be three more childless Christmas' to follow. It's not that Christmas wasn't still enjoyable, but each year that passed without a pregnancy seemed to get a little harder and harder. I don't know what it is about Christmas, but there's just something so special about little children around the holidays. When you feel like you just might not ever have one, it seems especially painful during the holiday season. It's not something I've talked about much with others, and even my own family didn't realize the disappointment I was feeling during that Christmas in Tampa.

I guess that's why I am just feeling so incredibly thankful and blessed this Christmas season. I have dreamt of this feeling for years and to actually be experiencing it is unreal. I also know that there are many couples with heavy hearts currently that are longing for a child. I could just sit and stare at the Christmas tree and rub my belly, with thankfulness, for hours! I know that so many changes await us with the coming of the new year and it's mind blowing to think that this time next year, our little guy will be crawling all around. I have no desire for this pregnancy to come to a close anytime too soon! I am really loving experiencing this part. I know that it won't happen again most likely, which is a little saddening to me, and makes me even more determined to treasure this special time.

I'm sure there are thousands and thousands of women pregnant right now, and I'm not sure if it's the same for them or not, but it just makes one think about the birth of Jesus a little bit differently......wondering how Mary and Joseph must have been feeling and the anticipation that surrounded His birth. Perhaps because my heart is more full this holiday season than in many past, but I am feeling especially blessed by the "Reason for the Season," this year! I know that I will reflect upon this time and these feelings years and years to come.

May the Reason for the Season shine bright in your heart today as well!

29 Weeks

It's really hard to believe we're in the last of the week of the twenties! It seems like we just hit week 20 and took that sigh of relief. What continued blessings! As we were reading our update for week 29 last night, we read that the baby is nearly or at least within 3 inches of his full length. Wow! I had no idea. That explains how I swear I can feel him moving on both sides at once! Now he gains fat, fat, and more fat. Something tells me I'll gain plenty too! He will supposedly double or possibly triple in weight from here on out. I guess that will make him look much cuter than the long, skinny guy he is now though! He's on the move quite a bit now-especially at night. I love to watch my belly move from the outside and just picture what he's trying to accomplish in there!

We had such a busy weekend and I'm feeling thankful for the recent burst of energy I've had. My nesting instincts have kicked in big time and although I physically tire easily, I seem to have a little more energy than I've had in awhile. We accomplished many house projects, cleaning, Christmas baking, wrapping presents, laundry, yard work, etc. I'm sure I'm not far from the too uncomfortable to do much of anything phase, but so far I seem to be avoiding it quite well. I'm making the most of this time and accomplishing as much as possible.

Earlier this week brought about a few days of lots of swelling. It seems to have gotten better over the last couple days. I'm trying to drink and drink constantly which ironically enough seems to help. I made a huge mistake though, which has just made me sick. Wednesday at work I could really feel my hands swelling up so I decided I'd better take off my wedding ring/engagement ring before it was too late and got stuck on my finger. I thought the safest place to put it was down in my wallet. I've put an occasional piece of jewelry in there before when needed and never had any issues. Well, Wednesday night I meant to take it out and put it in my jewelry box, but forgot. I thought of if Thursday night when I got home, but when I went to get it, it wasn't there. I immediately went in to panic mode...stressing, crying, trying to think what could have happened. I called all the places I'd visited and searched every nook and cranny of my wallet and purse but it's yet to turn up anywhere. It seems painfully obvious that it must have fallen out of my wallet at some point when I took out cash or my debit card. It's such a sickening feeling! Every one's first question is, "How is Mat handling this?" Amazingly well actually! I'm not sure if he's just trying to keep me from entering freak-out mode anymore than I already have, but he's been pretty calm, cool, and collected about it. Of course he's disappointed but I think for a guy it's just not as big of a deal, at least as far as the sentiments of the ring go. I know the sacrifices he made to buy it for me years ago though. He sold his computer and all of his baseball cards when he was in college in order to be able to purchase it. It's sad to think I won't ever have that ring again. :( Ugh, the disgust I feel just thinking about it for too long....

My parents arrive tomorrow night and we're thrilled to have them for the holidays! Having Christmas at our house will be a first and it seems like the perfect year to do so. This Christmas feels even more exciting than most. I'll write more about this later, but not only do I have so much to be thankful for, but the true meaning of Christmas seems even more near and dear to my heart, as I think it does theirs as well. Besides, we know they're anxious to escape the bitter cold of St. Louis to the warm (predicted to be 82 on Xmas) weather here!!

I had such a nice surprise when I arrived home from work on Friday. I was opening the mail and received a baby shower invite......a baby shower for me! I didn't even know about it, but it was so sweet! Mat's Dad's side of the family is having a baby shower in my honor (or little baby boy's honor really) at the beginning of January. Obviously we won't be there, but my step-mother-in-law will get to open the gifts as they all gather to celebrate and then they'll mail the goodies to us. I thought it was such a sweet gesture and so supportive of them! I'm really going to be spoiled with baby showers as I have a few other ones in January as well. It will be great to have February to get his room completely ready for his arrival!

We have our next appointment on Wednesday, Christmas Eve. We'll be meeting the other doctor in the practice, Dr. Kim. I haven't met her yet, except in passing yet, so it will be nice to get comfortable with her just in case she should be the one on-call if I'd happen to deliver on a weekend, odd hours, etc.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas week, celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior! I'll be sure to update more later in the week, after our appointment.

Ready to Roll!

I know this is probably a pretty boring post to most, but I was excited nonetheless. I was able to order our traveling system (car seat and stroller) using several Target gift cards I received at my baby shower. It arrived yesterday and I am proud to say that I assembled it all by myself. Baby is ready to roll! I'm so pleased with it. I'm the geeky mom-to-be that read and researched to find one with good reviews and easy enough to use. I'd decided on this Chicco Key Fit 30 Cortina. We're now equipped with this stroller, car seat, and 2 bases so that we can each have one in our car. It's exciting to begin to see all the essential items make their way here and get set up. It's still so hard to believe that there will actually be a baby in this thing before long!

I Heart Craig!

I don't exactly know who Craig of Craig's List is, but I think I love him! I am becoming a Craig's List junkie. My relentless searching for gliders finally paid off yesterday. I had been checking it twice daily for new postings and when an occasional nice glider was posted I was either too late in responding or the color/style wasn't quite right. Yesterday morning though I found one I really liked the looks of and I was early enough to be the first person to respond. We drove out to Wesley Chapel last night to look at it, test it out, etc. and it was a perfect match! I'm so stoked. I didn't spend a crazy amount of money like the $700 one from Babies R Us that I liked, and I still got something good quality, nice color, and comfy. It was a small fraction of that price and I really look forward to rocking my son in it one day soon. Right now it's sitting in the living room because hubby decided it was his man chair for football last night, but it will be making it's way to the nursery tonight.

3rd Trimester?!?

Today marks the beginning of the 3rd trimester. I can hardly believe it. Seriously, where did the 2nd trimester go? The 1st dragged by, but the 2nd seemed super speedy. I just feel so blessed to have made it this far and had no complications! Not that I'm not tired as usual, and have the occasional cramp or frustration as I toss and turn, but in all honesty it's not that bad! Not yet anyways. I don't know if it's just because I'm so insanely happy to be pregnant or not, but so far I'm managing to stay pretty comfortable! I know this trimester is when those aches and pains are supposed to kick in so I'm trying to brace myself for the ride and do as much as I can now. So far though this little guy is taking it pretty easy on me.

Another positive....I got my glucose test results back today and it was normal! Yeaaaaaa! I don't know why but I just really had this feeling they weren't going to come back normal. One more thing to check off and take a sigh of relief......okay, okay and maybe eat a bowl of ice cream to celebrate. :)

The Doctor Will See You Now

Today was a little longer than normal, but we were just happy to get in to see the doctor...eventually. When we arrived we were told he was in a delivery and should return in about 10-15 minutes. Didn't seem like a big deal. I chugged my sugar drink and then we were told to go ahead and walk over the hospital to register. I never even knew you registered ahead of time. When I asked, "Register for.....????" I quickly realized, OH! for labor and delivery. Who knew?! So, we're now officially all registered so that when the big day does come, we just go straight to the L&D floor. Pretty cool!

After that we walked back over to the doctor's office and by that time, almost an hour had passed so my blood draw was near. Before that though, they announced that the doctor was going to have to do a c-section, so it would be at least another hour. We decided to go eat dinner and hope that maybe we'd get lucky and he'd return sooner, which is exactly what happened! Before we even got out of the car to go eat, they called and we returned back to the office.

When we got to see the doctor he had just delivered 4 babies in a little over an hour....wow, busy man! I love that he still makes us feel like he has time for us though. No big news really. I think the sugar concoction must have revved the little guy up, because his heartbeat was in the 150's this time. My blood pressure was nice and low still, weight seems to be on track, and baby appears to be well. The rash I have seems to be a heat rash, so really there are no remedies except to stay cool I guess, which doesn't seem to be too easy for me lately. After explaining the sensations I'd been feeling last Friday (and then on the way home tonight) he said it sounds like Braxton Hicks. I didn't really know enough about them and thought it happened much later in the pregnancy, but apparently it's normal now and is of no concern unless I start to notice more than 6 in an hour. They just feel really weird!!! Mat asked what the survival rate is right now if the baby were to be born.....not that we're at all anticipating it, but just curious....and he said 70%. Pretty amazing! He guessed that the baby is a little less than 3 pounds. Now we start going for visits every 2 weeks. Our next appointment is on Christmas Eve! Mat gets off work early that day. He has managed to make it to every appointment so far, so we were excited to schedule another one at a time he'd be available. Plus, my parents will be in town visiting and I knew my mom would love to come meet the doctor and hear her grandson's heartbeat! Should be a fun visit.

The glucose test results should come back Monday. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that all comes back okie dokie. I'd been pretty lucky with blood draws at this office.....I think I got a little worn out from being poked while going through IVF....but today it took a couple tries as my veins kept rolling. Darn suckers!

I just can't believe that we're this far along in the process. To think that the frequency of our appointments is picking up, childbirth classes start soon, we're registered at the hospital, and that my womb is starting to have little contractions to prepare for the big dance is just MIND BLOWING! I keep thinking this will all seem more real any day now, but sometimes I just have a really hard time believing this is actually happening to us! I am just in awe of this whole process.

27 Weeks

Little boy is now 27 weeks along. He's about 2 pounds and 15 inches long. I guess that explains why I can feel movements above my belly button and way down south all at the same time. He's getting long! He is sleeping and waking at regular intervals now. He's definitely more active at night and after I eat. We're wrapping up our 2nd trimester this week, which absolutely blows my mind. I'm counting down the days until our appointment on Thursday. I'm getting very excited to find out the latest and listen in on his heartbeat again!

Boy, how things have changed!

Boy, how things have changed....both recently and within the last year. The picture on the right side bar of our blog was taken almost exactly one year ago. We were headed to Mat's company Christmas party. Now, one year later here's me right before heading to the same party. How far we've come in a year! This time last year our hearts were longing and hoping for a family in the near future and this holiday season seems to be even more special than normal, thanks to our growing blessing.

Besides that change though, the baby belly sure does seem to be changing! I feel like I've doubled in size in the last month. Each day there is something a little different. Yesterday I felt him on the move nearly ALL day. It was very unusual. And my stomach was feeling hard as a rock and so tight. It was a day of feeling pretty uncomfortable. Today now he's been really quiet and my stomach feels a little mushy again. Weird how quickly things seem to change. I guess he's moving around attempting to get comfortable in there.

I've developed this itchy red rash on my chest. Not fun! I've tried an oatmeal bath, calamine lotion, and Aveeno cream all today and nothing seems to offer much relief. My fair skin is so sensitive normally, that I'm sure it's just something that is causing me to be even more sensitive than normal right now, but I'm sure hoping it goes away soon. It's making me a little nutty trying to get some relief!

More Minutes!

I guess it's par for the course this time of year, but it seems like there are just not enough minutes in the day. Since returning from St. Louis it feels as though it's been non stop either running errands, working on projects, catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, Christmas decorating, etc. etc. Whew! I'm ready for the weekend. It will be a busy one too, but I'm looking forward to squeezing in a little time to curl up with a good book and take a NAP. Oh, how I love my sleep right now (okay, well....all the time!).

Last year we traveled to St. Louis for Christmas so we didn't bother putting up any of our Christmas decorations. It seemed like too much work for something we wouldn't be around to fully appreciate. But this year we're staying here, and my parents are coming to visit, so it's actually been fun and exciting to decorate! Things seem new again after you haven't taken them out of the box in 2 years!!

The baby's bedding arrived and we picked it up this week. The color is a little lighter than I'd expected and for lack of a better word it's very "organic-ish" looking. Wasn't quite what I expected, and I debated about it a bit but I think it's here to stay. I know the material will be nice for the baby and I'm hopeful that once we get some color on the walls and some artwork in place, it will really brighten up the room. Right now with the white walls, and brown bedding it's looking rather blah. It's a work in progress though and I'm feeling like we're making good progress in order to be ready on time, if not early. We even have our eye on a glider that we're going to check out this weekend.

One week from today we'll have our 27 week check up. It will have been almost a 5 week stretch since going, so I am really looking forward to it this time! I'll have the glucose screening at that time as well. As big as my belly has gotten in the last 2 weeks, I'm a little nervous about it but hoping for the best. I just really want to avoid that 3 hour test you have to take if you don't pass the first one!

Well, off to work for another busy day. I think a nice bath is calling my name tonight! ;)

100!!!

Our ticker hit 100 today. Wow, only 100 days to go (give or take) before little baby Keyes joins the world. It's amazing how many days have been checked off. 100 still seems like many days to go, but it is all seeming more and more real each and every day. Sleeping is starting to get a little more cumbersome, the belly seems to be growing each day, and the baby items are starting to actually make us look prepared to welcome a baby, rather than just the idea of one. It's wonderful!

St. Louis has been a great time. We're enjoying our last day here. We've had time to see all of our family, and tonight we're gathering with friends. Unfortunately I managed to catch a nasty cold. It's made me even more tired than normal and going through lots and lots of tissues. Hopefully sunny Florida will bring good health back my way.

I could go on and on about my first baby shower last weekend. It was just beautiful! My friend Meg and her mom completely outdid themselves. It was so classy and personal all at the same time. I was able to see so many girlfriends and family friends along with my grandmothers and mothers from both sides. I've enjoyed showing off baby gifts this week to anyone who's interested in seeing them. :) I can't wait to begin organizing things at home once we return. I've attached a link to the pictures that were taken at the shower. The link should take you to my Snapfish page and then you can just click on the album. Pictures don't begin to describe what a wonderful time it was!
http://stlbabyshower.snapfish.com/snapfish

Meet Me in St. Louie!

After an hour and a half delay, I made it to St. Louis! It really wasn't too bad. I had a good book and found a Chili's so I made my self comfortable and the time passed rather quickly. Even security was a breeze! I'm a very anxious flyer...have never liked it much due to motion sickness, anxiety, etc. and particularly don't truly enjoy flying by myself but it couldn't have gone much smoother. It was a quick, smooth flight and I slept or read my book a good portion of the way.

Brrrr....21 degrees when I arrived! It had been a cold week in FL-getting down to the low 40's, but still nothing like the 20's! Yeaaa for pregnancy hormones to keep me warm though. Now when I start having a hot flash, I can just open the door and step outside for 10 seconds!

It was great to see my parents. I haven't been home since last Christmas. I've seen my mom a couple times in between there, but not my dad. I'm looking forward to a couple days spent with them before the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving arrive. Mat and Jeff will arrive Tuesday night and then we'll all return back to FL next Sunday.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Everyday is Christmas!

We're quickly getting spoiled! Between lots of little gifts from friends, some super cute hand-me-down clothes, and early arriving baby shower gifts, it's starting to feel like Christmas has arrived early. I feel like a little kid again.....it's SO exciting! It probably sounds slightly greedy, but it's just so fun to watch all this become more and more real. One piece at a time, it's all beginning to come together and I couldn't be happier!

Mat added to my joyfulness by emailing me at work today to see if I'd be up for a date tonight. He's wanting to pick out a special book to begin reading to the baby belly, so we're headed to the bookstore and dinner soon. He'll probably be embarrassed I even mentioned it.....but it melts my heart. This past weekend he read Brown Bear, Brown Bear to him and we got a couple kicks from the little guy. Apparently he approves!

Each Sunday evening we take a few minutes to read about what to expect for the upcoming week of pregnancy. As we were reading about week 24 this Sunday, we realized that before Christmas we'll enter the 3rd trimester and that just sounds INCREDIBLY strange and is hard to comprehend. This 2nd trimester is FLYING by! I'm expecting that I'll start growing a little more rapidly here soon. We read that the baby is now gaining about 6 ounces per week and is around a foot long. He'll start developing some baby fat now as he begins to fill out and look more baby like. His taste buds are developing and his brain is growing rapidly. While I'm looking forward to meeting him, I am very content for right now and enjoying this stage of pregnancy!

One Step Closer

We are one step closer to creating a nursery for baby Keyes. After purchasing the furniture a few weeks ago, we began our hunt for bedding. We both like things that are rather simple and calm. I liked the idea of organic, but it all seemed way out of our price range! But we finally found something that we both adored. Yesterday we ordered it and it should be here in the next couple weeks! We ended up getting it from WalMart, which everyone knows we despise, but it was a GREAT price, a color we liked, organic, and we had a gift card!! I can't wait to see it in person. Hopefully we'll like it as much as we think we will. We want to paint the walls a rich blue color, so I picked out some paint samples yesterday that we can now think about for awhile. We've registered for a few cute baseball accessories like a lamp, rug, etc. and we're hoping to either find a baseball mural or have one painted at some point. So in the end it will be khaki and blue with red/white baseball accessories. Piece by piece, it's all starting to come together! I think Mat is secretly jealous of the baseball theme and will want to move into the nursery. :)

Tongue Tied!

There haven't been any updates this week because I'm having a hard time staying awake long enough to write one. Man, have I been sleepy again. There for a couple weeks I was feeling kind of normal again energy wise....staying up a little later, exercising, etc. but this week I've been zapped! Luckily I'm still able to get comfortable enough to sleep like a rock, so I'm counting my blessings in that area.

Dentist appointments and I just don't seem to get along lately. I went yesterday to have some cavities worked on. They were trying to be sweet I think and numb me up good, but after 8 shots I couldn't feel a thing...not even my eyes. I've had LOTS of dental work done and this was by far the numbest I've ever been. Apparently, during the procedure,- I bit not only the side of my cheek, but also through my tongue and put a nice gash in it. Of course all the numbness has worn off now and there is no pain in my teeth but boy is my tongue swollen, jacked up, and sore. Feeling like such a dork! The dentist called today to check on me, which was nice, but of course there's not really anything I can take medicine -wise or do for now except just let it heal. She said it would be a slow process....yeaaaa! Even soup is unpleasant to eat but boy, am I hungry. Baby boy wants some food! I might break down and get a big fat milkshake tonight. Maybe that will fill me up better than broth!

Okay, enough whining.......

One week from today I'll be flying home to St. Louis. I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't seen any of my family or friends back home since becoming pregnant so I'm really excited to share some time with them. I bet baby boy will be getting lots of tummy greetings from grandparents-to-be! I even have my first baby shower next weekend. So exciting!!!

23 weeks

We've entered the 6th month of pregnancy!!! I still don't totally understand the way pregnancy is calculated....who came up with this math anyways? But, I'm ecstatic to know that we're beginning the 6th month and everything seems to be a-okay! I guess we got a little picture happy last week. The first picture was taken at the end of week 22 and the last picture was at the beginning of week 22. The belly is growing slowly but surely. Mat even convinced me to take my first bare belly shot! I'm not so sure I'm brave enough to post it here, but it will definitely be one for the memory books! My favorite pair of maternity jeans are quickly becoming too tight in the waist. I was hoping I'd somehow be able to squeeze into them throughout most of my pregnancy but it's looking like their days are numbered. O well! By now our son can supposedly hear most sounds outside the womb and feel my movements also. Hmmm....I wonder if the stairmaster rocks him to sleep or if he gets tired of hearing my students at school talk all day long?? He is a little over 1 pound by now. I read in my book that by the end of this month my uterus will be the size of a basketball. Wowsers!!!!! Amazing to think how in the world that fits in there. That does explain why bending over is starting to get a little more challenging though! :)

Proof in the Pictures

I finally got around to uploading baby boy's 21 week pictures. If you're like me, these pictures are always hard to decipher so here's a little play by play. The first picture is proof that indeed he is a boy. The second picture is a close up of his arm. Such a boy already as he is flexing his muscle for mom and dad. So precious! Last but not least, the third picture is a profile of his head, chest, and stomach. If you look at his head you can see his brain and in his abdomen you can see his ribs that are forming. Such a beautiful boy in the making.

We went back this past Thursday for our follow up appointment to review the ultrasound results with the doctor. The bad news was that during the week in between our ultrasound and our follow up appointment, their office was broken into and several computers were stolen. So needless to say they were a little behind schedule as they were trying to reinstall everything and get up and running again. Frustrating for us as we were anxiously awaiting to hear the results and more positive confirmation that baby boy was just as he should be. Doctor assured us he'd be reviewing our results this week though and if there were any concerns they'd call us, otherwise it would wait until our next appointment. Besides that though all seemed well.....I am measuring right on track, my weight was right on point and even slightly below (what?!?!?!) where he expected me to be at this point. He did notice that my uterus seems to be sitting off to one side and asked if I'd ever had any testing done to diagnose uterine abnormalities. I refreshed his memory of my history with a uterine septum but that it had been surgically removed a couple years ago. He did not seem concerned it all, but I thought it was pretty amazing that he could tell that just by feeling on my belly. After we left the appointment I began to feel perplexed and even a little worried thinking how in the world could this still be causing an issue after all I went through to correct the problem so that it wouldn't be a threat to baby or myself. So, the next morning, to put my mind at ease, I emailed my RE (specialist that we saw for IVF) and asked if it was possible for a septum to somehow return. He assured me that it was definitely not possible and it could just be that my uterus is more developed on one side or twisting and turning as it expands. So, no worries and I will continue to trust in God and my doctors that everything is as it should be. Our next appointment is at the beginning of December where I'll do the lovely glucose screening. Blah!

Bubba, the love dog, decided to give me a little scare and a wake up call last night. I can't blame him as I was encouraging him to jump into my lap. I guess I underestimated the size of my belly or the weight of his body, but I clearly wasn't thinking. I thought there was still plenty of room on my lap, but nope, he leaped right onto my belly square in the middle and boy did it hurt! Then, of course I felt terrible that maybe I'd hurt baby boy. But he seems to be moving all around still and although my belly is sore, I'm not having any issues so he probably just got a nice jolt. Definitely a lesson learned to be more careful!

As I was lying on the couch this morning still worrying about baby boy, he began moving all around and I commented to Mat about how much I love when he does that. It's almost like he knows when I'm worried and his movements are a way communicating with me that he's okay. I told Mat just how much it makes me love him. Don't get me wrong, I knew I would LOVE this baby but I was not really prepared for the amount of love I would feel for him already at this point. I've known he was there for months now, but until he began moving, I don't think I'd made that emotional connection with him. Since then it only continues to grow stronger and stronger and I can't even imagine what that emotion will feel like once he's born and truly makes his presence known. A little later I made the connection of my love for my Lord and Savior. From a young age I knew of His existence and importance in my life, but it wasn't until I began to feel him really move in my heart and my daily life that the emotional connection formed. It's often the times that He makes his presence known that I am reminded of what a deep love I have for Him and He has for me. I know I am an incredibly blessed woman to feel God's presence in my life and now the presence of my son.

Mat and I were able to take the dogs for a nice walk this morning. Now Mat's hard at work on the hardwood floors again and I have a baby shower to attend this afternoon. In the meantime it's laundry, lunch, and a little rest. Wishing each of you a wonderful weekend!

History Mystery

I'm sure once Baby Keyes comes along and grows up, I'll be telling him about today....about how it was quite possibly the most important election of my lifetime (thus far anyways) and how either a black man became President for the first time ever or a female became VP for the first time ever. Pretty neat that our child will be part of a generation where people of all races and genders are valued equally. Years ago citizens never would've imagined either one holding an office, and even for my generation it seems quite an amazing feat. It's neat to think that by the time my child grows up, gender and race won't even be a consideration! We had a mock election in our school district today. It was neat to see the eagerness as my student's each cast their secret vote. Of course most of them simply choose who they hear their parents talk about, but that's fine for now. I'm just glad they're having the exposure and experiencing this day. Obama won the election at our school and we discussed how to handle the news with respect for one another. I'm not big on talking politics with loved ones, but I will say that I'm excited to watch the news unfold tonight and see if this "History Mystery" matches the votes and premonitions of our elementary school. :) Regardless of the outcome, I'm sure that one day my child will be reading about today in their own school textbook!

I've now reached Week 22 of pregnancy. Time is really starting to move fast. It's so exciting! By now, he is almost 1 pound and just a little shorter than 1 foot. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct and he's starting to actually look more like a newborn at this point. Even his little toothbuds are beginning to develop below his gums. I'm really enjoying saying "his" now and not flip flopping between he, she, and it! Between feeling him move, finding out it's a boy, purchasing furniture, and even a few baby boy outfits it's just feeling so real and so exciting. I can't believe how much my love for him grows and grows and I'm sure I can't even comprehend how I'll feel once he's actually born!

A Nursery in the Making...

My countless hours of searching Craig's List paid off!! We didn't really need to buy furniture this soon, but we kept looking with the attitude that if we found something we really liked, for the right price, then we'd buy it, and if we didn't find anything come the new year, we'd go ahead and buy new furniture. We got lucky though! We were able to find some beautiful Ragazzi nursery furniture in Orlando and the color, size, condition, etc. was just what we were hoping for. We now have a dark cherry convertible crib, dresser/changer combo, and bookshelf. I woke up this morning and went into the room just to admire it for a moment. Mat put the crib together this morning and we both envisioned what it would be like to see a little baby lying in it. Thanks so much to Jeff for trekking out to Orlando with us to load and move it. What a great uncle he will be! :)

Yesterday really was a baby-filled day because besides the furniture, I headed out to Babies-R-Us to put the finishing touches on our registry. We'd waited on some things until we knew the gender. Nobody can say there isn't enough to choose from now! I think it's a little overboard, but it was fun nonetheless. Besides deciding on bedding, we're all done adding every possible thing we'll need.

Today we're taking a day off from baby mania and heading to see Phantom of the Opera. This is Mat's all time fave so he's been really looking forward to it. Should be a fun afternoon!

Blue Babe

I was rockin' the blue yesterday! I know I filled you all in on my cheesy plan to incorporate my students and it was o-so-fun. On Tuesday they took a secret vote to predict what Baby Keyes would be. Then we made a class graph of the results. Girl won by one vote. I told them that the next day we'd have a surprise. So they showed up Wednesday morning to me wearing a blue shirt and a "Blue Breakfast," complete with balloons, blueberry muffins, blue jello, blue lollipops, and blue punch. Who said I taught these kids anything about nutrition? :) They were so stoked....mostly just to have party, but it was really cute nonetheless. Some of their blunt comments were a little off the wall, like "Can you give him away and then have a girl?" Ahh, the mind and mouth of a 7 year old. Overall though they were great and their enthusiasm was priceless. I had dreamt of that day for a long time and it really was fun!

Thanks for all the input on names....we're loving it, so keep 'em coming. Mat should've added a disclaimer to his blog....Women: don't make promises to your boyfriends when you're younger regarding future children's names! haha Nah, I'm really good with the whole Mathew Alan Keyes Jr. thing. Luckily I love the name Mathew and the meaning behind it just seems so fitting as this baby truly is a gift from God. But, man this nickname stuff is hard business. We'd thought of the Mak thing and several people have suggested it to us, but try to say Mak Keyes to yourself...it's just tough and to pronounce and Mat or Mak just sounds so close that we're afraid it would be hard to differentiate. But we'll keep thinking about it. It's great to get opinions of others!

The Name Game

From Matt:

Well first and foremost, YIPPEEEE!!! I think everyone knows that I was intensely longing for a boy. I felt some guilt for not having the "I just want a healthy baby" attitude, but now that we know it is a boy I can just enjoy!!

So, now for the next big drama. My wife is so wonderful and agreed many years ago to let me name my first born son Mathew Alan Keyes Jr. That being said both of us agree that we do not want to call him Little Matt, Matt, or Baby Matt. So that leaves us looking for a nickname that he will actually go by. I have added a poll so please vote. Write in's are welcome but here is synopsis of the current choices:

MJ-Stands for Matt Jr. Pros-reminds me off Michael Jordan and Michael Johnson (A famous track and field star) Cons-Keli thinks of a radio show host here in Tampa and some dude from Real World.

Alan- Obvious where this comes from. Last night I asked my Grandma if this had any family significance as it is my dads, mine, and brothers middle name. She said no, she just liked it! Pros-easy to explain and Keli likes it Cons-I am luke warm on this one.

AJ- Comes from Alan Jr. Pros-Keli likes this one too. Cons-I am not a huge fan, and difficult to explain where is comes from.

Jay- This is a dark horse candidate. Basically it just stands for Junior, but just J seems weird so we made it Jay. We both like this name and the letter J has a lot of significance in our lives. Keli's mom and grandma have J as a middle initial and her brother is a Jeff. On my side I have a grandparents Jim and Josie, sister Jessica and nearly all my closest friends are J names. My best buddy John, my oldest friend Jason, closest girlfriend Jill and other dear friends Jeff and Jason. Pros-we both like it and some sentimental value. Cons-somewhat unorthodox.

Mathieson- Another kind of off the wall option. Obviously is similar to Mathew and that is where the appeal started. The funny story behind this goes like this. Our dogs both have Key West related names. As you all know Key West is near and dear to our hearts. Well Mathieson's was our favorite Ice Cream shoppe in Key West. For those of you who came to visit us it is the place that had the half pound chocolate chip cookies!!! YUMMMMY!!! Pros-sentimental value, we both like it, original. Cons- do we want the same theme we used with the dogs???, afraid people will shorten it to Matt.

Mathew- everyone knows I go by Matt (or Mat as Keli likes to spell it) so the thought is we could call our son Mathew. Pros-obvious reasoning, both like the name, means gift from God (no I am not making that up) Cons-hard not to keep people from calling him Matt.

So, those are the nicknames we are most considering. Your vote would be greatly appreciated and again, write ins(via comments) are welcome. Hope everyone is doing well!!!

Matt

Pink or Blue?

Well, after lots of anticipation and excitement today.......













Baby Keyes is a.......





















BOY!!!! 10 of you were right! :) We seem to have surprised many of our family members, but there was no doubt about it. We're expecting a baby boy! We are absolutely thrilled. Mat even got teary eyed. The baby was all scrunched up, very cozy in that home of his. He's sitting at a diagonal with his head up and feet down, but legs are pulled up sitting criss-cross applesauce (as I say to my students). Luckily he was still giving us access to see his boy parts. Everything she could see looked great! Because of his position though she said that they might recommend doing a re-scan at 26 weeks to take further measurements. He was pretty still during the scan. He flexed one of his arm muscles (typical boy already) but besides that he was pretty chill. It was pretty amazing! We were even able to see his little tongue. How cool! After our appointment we went to dinner, Target, Party City, and the grocery store so I am pooped! I'll scan a new picture tomorrow though. For now, this mommy-to-be and baby boy are off to bed. Thanks for all the well wishes for today. They were so appreciated.

Buying Stock in Charmin?

It's probably rude to blog about one's use of the restroom, but the amount of toilet paper this constantly-peeing princess is using is just crazy. I decided a new marketing scheme that toilet paper companies should think about! Somehow from the moment you become pregnant you start receiving random samples in the mail....1 random diaper, an ounce of baby lotion, a coupon for a bottle.....Well, I think it's time the toilet paper companies hop on board. I would personally much rather receive a roll of t.p. at this point! It's something I could actually use and would really come in handy when I open the bathroom closet and realize I need to make ANOTHER trip to the store for more toilet paper. Hey, a nice sampling of t.p. just might make me think about switching brands. At this point, if I receive just four more ounces of baby lotion, I might have enough to make an actual half of a normal sized bottle.

On to less sarcastic topics, we're just 2 days away from finding out if Baby Keyes is in fact a he or a she. I sure hope the baby is cooperating that day. I'm stealing an idea that a fellow teacher in Key West used for both of her pregnancies. To involve her students (and I'm sure incorporate her own enthusiasm), she had them predict whether they thought the baby would be a boy or a girl. Then, the next morning she would show up to school either wearing pink or blue and they would have a "pink party" or "blue party." She went all out .....pink balloons, pink cups, pink napkins, pink lemonade, etc. I'm not sure how far I'll take it, but I'm definitely planning on incorporating it somewhat. I've already got a new pink shirt and a new blue shirt hanging in my closet waiting to see which one will be worn on Wednesday for the revealing. We shall see! I'm still feeling pretty clueless. I've had one boy dream and one girl dream, so that's no help. I have some baby girl furniture that's calling my name, but a baby boy room theme that we love. Plenty of baby girl names to choose from and a couple boy nicknames to continue arguing about. :) Either way, we'll be ecstatic of course! I constantly daydream about the joys of both a boy and a girl and am just excited to begin planning either way. In all honesty, Mat is really hoping for a boy. Today was the first day though that he said he has a slight feeling it's a girl. He's NEVER even come close to saying that before. I think most guys probably hope for a boy, but I know he'll be amazing either way. I've seen many a macho men turn to complete mush when a little girl comes along. We look forward to sharing the news with you all in just a couple short days. Our appointment isn't until late in the day so it will probably be a late post that night. I sure hope time flies......we're getting anxious!!!

Flu Shot Friday

I had it all planned. Flu shots ended at noon across the street from my work. My break began at 11:3o. A colleague walks my kids to PE for me, I run to the ATM to get money for my flu shot, arrive, get jabbed, make my merry way back to school in time to pick up my kids. Well, that was how it was all supposed to work anyways. I wouldn't even be getting a flu shot if I weren't pregnant. I'm not a huge fan of them but my OB suggested that I'm in a high risk category being pregnant and having asthma and strongly encouraged it so off I went. I show up and begin filling out the form and one of the first boxes says are you pregnant? Well......yes, so I ask if this is a problem. They wouldn't give me a flu shot because I was pregnant. I explained that the only reason I was even there was because of my OB's insistence but no budging. Of course I didn't have time to try to call my doctor and have him fax over a written consent! O well......off to Subway I went. Now I had time to get lunch instead. Silliness I tell ya! I called my OB's office to explain the situation and they acted like that was a common problem and they had a letter I could pick up or they'd send my way. Hmmm.....didn't think to mention that one did ya doc? On an even more ironic note, the nurse that was going to give me the shot before I marked that precious little box "yes" gave me some paperwork to take and read regarding the flu shot. One of the first items says "Who should get a flu shot?" Guess what the first bullet is? You got it-women pregnant during flu season! The way the world works is strange sometimes.....

I'm so glad it's Friday! It feels like it has been one long week. I'm headed to a girlfriend's house for a little girl time while the boys play poker. What's better than a little girl time with brownies and ice cream on a drizzly Friday night? AND to get me even more excited for the weekend-a cold front is coming through. 70 degree temps, here we come! Sounds lovely to a hot-flashing hormonal!

Jane Fonda Here I Come!

Ha! Yeaaaa right! BUT, today is Wednesday and Wednesday=weigh day for me. Obviously I know that gaining weight comes with the territory and it's well worth it, but it's still not easy seeing that number creep up. It was easier when food didn't sound good and I was forcing myself to eat to stay healthy. Now nearly everything sounds good! Even chicken is slowly but surely making a slight comeback. It's much more tempting to eat lots of good foods right now and my self control isn't the best-although luckily my portions are still a little on the smaller side. So after weighing in this morning I packed my bag with workout clothes to change into after work and hit the trail. Mat and I have been trying to walk the trail occasionally, but we always take the dogs so it's a pretty slow pace. Today it was just me and my ipod. Nothing to slow me down, right? Wrong! I underestimated the small cantaloupe growing inside me. The endurance wasn't the problem...it was just if I got my pace going too fast some strange muscle was sure to cramp up and cause me to slow it down a bit. Then there was the swelling. My fingers looked like Vienna Sausages by the time I was done. Weird! Anyhow, I did a 30 minute walk and jammed to some good music so all in all I felt good about it. Now, consistency is the key! As the weather begins to cool down I think the after-work walk will sound better and better. After all, I want to eat cottage cheese-not begin to look like it. :)

Half Way!...Really???

I can't believe that we are half way through this pregnancy. I've been waiting to hear the words "20 weeks" ringing in my ears and today I can say it! It's really hard to believe. It feels like time has dragged by, but yet still hard to believe that we've hit this milestone already. I have a feeling the second half of the pregnancy will move faster than the first, with the holidays approaching and just feeling more at ease rather than worried day in and day out. I could be wrong though....we'll see.

At 20 weeks, Baby Keyes is now the size of a small cantaloupe. Amazing to think the first food comparison was only a sesame seed. Wow! He or she is weighing in at approximately 10 1/2 ounces. He's now swallowing and producing meconium (ewww..I try to not think about that one yet) and is still curled up with his legs pulled in front of him. Supposedly after week 20, the measurements start going from head to toe rather than crown to rump, as the baby begins to straighten out more.

Baby Keyes seems to be more alert today...I've felt lots of little reminders that he/she is in there and doing just fine. It's amazing to think how in love I am and it's this tiny creature is only halfway developed! Feeling those movements really does start to change ones emotions.

The Ever Changing Bump

I feel like things are constantly moving around and changing in there. My belly is constantly looking different. It took me by surprise the first few times, but now I'm just starting to accept it. Usually in the morning, it starts off much smaller and by the end of the day I'm feeling quite out there. Last week, I could definitely tell things had adjusted. I began to carry out front more and I know something had adjusted to be pushing on my bladder because there for a few days, I was making a zillion trips to the restroom. Suddenly, at work I was getting many comments at work that I must be carrying a boy. I think it's funny how everyone always thinks they can easily predict just based on the way I look. Who knows!....maybe there is truth to it and one day I myself will be predicting the gender of other's babies?! Anyhow, it seems that things have changed a little bit again and I'm a little more flatter/wider and not dashing for the bathroom quite as often. The baby had been more still for 24-36 hours, with very little if any movement, but yesterday she was on the prowl again. We went to a football game and that seemed to wake her up. She was moving all around when we first got there. Maybe she/he likes football and all the noise associated with it! Or maybe it was the yummy grilled cheese I had just eaten, because then again when I was eating dinner last night the baby was grooving again. I can't help but smile each time I feel it. It's usually gone as quickly as it started, but it's so amazing each time it happens.

Daddy made contact!!

Last night, little Baby Keyes was just thumping away. It was more rapid and firmer than the times before so I started thinking that maybe Mat might be able to feel it. Mat moved over to me and put his hand on my belly and after just a little bit of patient waiting, Baby Keyes was more than happy to put on a show for Daddy! It was such a special moment. I never thought it would happen this soon! So much of what I have read said that it would be several more weeks before the father could feel movement. I'm not sure how often it will happen, but it sure felt like a miracle to us. We are feeling in awe of this precious gift!

Daycare, Vultures, and Snakes, Oh My!

The day started off with a horrible dream that woke me up about 4AM. It was strange and disturbing so I'll spare the details but it involved vultures and my precious pooches, Bubba and Mallory, so I'm sure you can figure out the rest. I woke Mat up because it was so upsetting. Then, I had this motherly instinct that apparently is brewing inside me just filled with rage that if anyone so much as thought of harming my child, much less my dogs, I just might have to kill them. I told you it was strange! The good part was as I was lying there trying to fall asleep , I felt Baby Keyes on the move again. :)

The daycare dilemma has been solved and our decision is official unless something unforeseen changes between now and then. Who really likes the idea of daycare? Not me...that's for certain. Yet, on the other hand I can't really imagine staying home full time and it's certainly not an option financially so here we are, like many couples, pondering what the best choice is. The daycare situation is complicated slightly when you're a teacher, because if you choose a center but yet want to pull your baby out during the summer months (which I obviously do), you still have to pay at least half price to hold your spot. While I can understand the logic, the theory is frustrating and goes against one of the perks of being a teacher in the first place. There seem to be some good centers around and in fact we are on the waiting list for both of them, but we seem to have found an option that we are both happy with and are feeling really good about. A friend of a friend along with a fellow teacher at my school both highly recommended a home daycare to us. It's a lady who has been at it for over 20 years and she only watches teacher's kids. She likes the schedule and doesn't charge over the summer. She's licensed and watches no more than 5 kids. Our baby will be the only baby at the time of enrollment and the other children will range from 2-5. We like the socialization in the small group and the fact that she will be the one with our child for as long as we see fit rather than a rotating staff. The location is good for us, she's a Christian woman with 2 grown children of her own, and we are comfortable with her policies. It's not perfect, but when it comes to choosing someone else to help raise your child I'm not sure that there is ever perfection. I'll leave out the rest of the details and spare you the boredom, but overall it feels like the right decision for us and that's what is important. I know it's not right for everyone and I have seen some wonderful facilities that many of my friends use, but it boils down to making the decision that is best for our situation. I was holding out slightly on one other home daycare possibility, but the reliability just isn't there and that's something really crucial for Mat and I. She does however want to help out as our back up and the occasional date night so it should work out wonderfully! We pray that our choice is the right one and that our baby will be in safe, competent, and loving arms each day.

Last but not least, on to the snakes....uggh. I let the dogs out when I got home today and I saw a plank from our fence that had come loose. I walked over and bent down to pick it up and then "ssssssssss".......a huge black snake went slithering over me! I screamed so loud (sorry neighbors if I woke the new baby :) ) and ran inside. So much for protecting my precious pooches! I'm sure it was only a garden snake but it was way too long for my comfort and moved way too fast! No leaving the screen door open on that patio! It gives me the heebie geebies just thinking about it!

POPCORN

This afternoon (about 2:30 to be exact) I was sitting on my desk. I know what you're thinking....what kind of teacher sits on her desk??? :) Well, this one does! So there I was sitting on my desk, sort of hunched over, as my students were watching something on the computer I'd projected on the screen for them. I felt this little weird feeling and didn't give it much thought and then all of the sudden it was like a light bulb went off! It was my baby!!! It felt like little random popcorn kernels popping ever so softly. It only lasted about a minute and once I got up and began to move the feeling was gone and I haven't felt anything since. I was kind of paranoid that I was just imagining things. Just this morning I had been venting to Mat, my friends at work, my facebook page, etc. etc. that I was dying to feel this baby move. Could it just be wishful thinking? But as I was sitting there enjoying that wonderful experience there was no doubt in my mind (like there has been over the last week or so) and I felt like I knew exactly what this unique, amazing feeling was! I love him/her even more now.

"Normal is just a setting on the washing machine."

That's one of my favorite quotes. I can't remember exactly who said it, but I know it was a female christian comedian and it's stuck with me ever sense. After all, who is really "normal" and what is the definition of "normal" anyways? But today I am loving the word NORMAL because that's exactly what the results were of our 2nd round of testing. This was the big whammy of blood work that tests for the typical birth defects like down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and other chromosome and neural tube defects. Our doctor had warned us that it's not all that uncommon for things to come back "abnormal," when nothing is actually wrong so I was slightly worried that with my luck when it comes to blood testing something would show up. But, nope....NORMAL is exactly what Baby Keyes appears to be. Of course nothing is ever for sure, but it was a nice sigh of relief. Now we can look forward to getting all the major organs checked out at our big ultrasound in 2 weeks to know that all is smooth sailing there as well.

19 weeks today! Time is really starting to pick up and move more quickly now. I can't wait to make it to 20 weeks and know that we are halfway there. Isn't it just amazing? Last night someone asked me if I was 2 or 3 months along. I hadn't been asked in terms of months before and when I thought about it and answered with, "5 months," it sure felt strange but insanely wonderful!

Lovely Lady Lumps

I had Mat snap a picture tonight before heading to dinner. I've felt like there hasn't been much of all to show, but suddenly today the bump seemed to be much bigger. It seems to change so often. Maybe the baby adjusting and all my innards moving around makes a difference. Who knows! But I gathered some proof before it disappears. :) All my "Lovely Lady Lumps" (in the words of Fergie) seem to be growing if you get my drift. I'm curious which will be bigger in the end...my boobs or my belly. Sorry, I had to say it! Sheesh.....are those puppies supposed to start growing so much so early? :)

Looking forward to a nice weekend! No big plans-which is always nice. We have plenty of house projects to accomplish before Baby Keyes arrives and I think we both plan to do some minor work this weekend. When we moved into this house I had more cabinet space than I knew what do with! There were several cabinets just sitting empty. Of course I've somehow managed to fill them so it's time to de-clutter so that eventually the cabinets can make room for bottles, baby dishes, etc. Also, we plan to be doing some room shuffling in our house in the very near future and that includes transforming our den (which is currently wasted space) into the guest room/office. So Mat plans to tear up the carpet in there this weekend and prep it for hardwood. Fun, fun! At least it all seems more exciting when there is a fun goal to work towards. Happy weekend to all!

Embracing 18 Weeks

I feel like I'm finally letting my guard down and opening my heart and truly embracing this time period. It's not that I haven't been excited nearly every minute of every day, but I am a worrier by nature and recently I've realized just how guarded my emotions have been thus far. I don't know if it's because of our struggle just to get to this point or not, but I feel like I've almost been afraid to begin connecting with this baby-for fear of something going wrong. But through prayer, determination, and just plain 'ol time -things are changing. I've begun talking to my baby, playing music for him/her by putting the earphones on my belly at night while I read, and poking at my belly. I'm still waiting for that magical moment when Baby Keyes can poke back with a hand or foot. The last week has been filled with little tiny twinges that have left me wondering "Woah, was that it?" "Could it be?"......but nothing too concrete that has convinced me without a doubt. I've suddenly become obsessed with baby bedding and furniture. No decisions obviously until we know the gender, but I'm preparing. I'm getting more and more excited about finding out if it's a boy or a girl too! Just a couple weeks ago I was adamant that I was not ready to find out. I think again it might have had something to do with that fear of connecting, but now it's on my mind each and every day. People constantly ask me if I have a "feeling," and really I still don't. One moment I am day dreaming about my future mama's boy and the next moment I'm seeing pink. Who knows! Time will tell. But in the mean time I am really embracing Baby Keyes and the relationship that we are beginning to form.

I ordered some maternity clothes online last week, so the last couple days have been exciting as my new loot has been arriving! I'm always weary ordering online because you obviously can't try it on or even see the fabric in person, but I'm learning that the options are limited for places to peruse in person. There's always Motherhood Maternity but the sales people there drive me insane! I've purchased a few things there and I'm sure there will be more, but those people just exhaust me and by the time I leave I feel like the fun has been taken out of it. Most people know that I absolutely LOVE Ann Taylor Loft! The majority of my normal wardrobe seems to come from there. They started carrying maternity a couple years ago I think so I was thrilled to start buying a few pieces, but their prices seemed insane-way higher than their normal clothes. But with some bargain shopping and coupons I was able to get some GREAT deals. A white blouse for $6! Also, found some great deals at Old Navy online. So in the last 48 hours I've received jeans, black dress pants, 2 tank tops, 2 blouses, and 3 shirts! Yes, I get excited about stuff like this. :) Of course some of it is still rather big but I'm sure I'll be filling it out before long. I'm anxious to start showing more. It seemed like the belly popped out rather quickly and then not much change in the last month or so. I even lost a few pounds this past week. Strange! But no complaints, because I'm sure before long I'll be growing faster than I can keep up with.

So to wrap it up, Baby Keyes is now about 5-6 inches long and about 7 ounces! He's able to flex his arms and legs by now too. The ears are in their final place now and if it's a girl her uterus and fallopian tubes are developed and in place. Maybe that's a little TMI, but I think it's pretty amazing! I look at that original picture of my two little embies, wonder which one it is that is still with me, and just stare in amazement to think that little microscopic ball of cells has turned into something with arms, ears, legs, and maybe even a uterus already?! God is so good!

Sicko + Preggo=Lots of Sleep!

I knew it would happen sooner or later. Usually sometime in the fall, I become susceptible to all the germs my students bring in and get sick...it just happened a little earlier than normal. It's a little different not being able to take much and just let it run it's course. Luckily no fever and I still have a decent appetite, so it could definitely be much worse. Mostly, just achy with a sore throat and sleeping a LOT! I think I was asleep more than I was awake yesterday. Woke up, went to a wedding, came home and took a long nap, woke up for dinner, came home and took a nap, woke up to watch the Mizzou game, fell asleep after half time and called it a night. If my sleep schedule is any indication of the babies, then this little darling should be sleeping through the night from day one! Somehow I don't think it works like that though! :) Oh, and Mat is even more convinced it's a boy after I devoured a T-Bone steak last night. Man, I was hungry...and hey, the doctor told me to eat more read meat. Doesn't the saying go, "Feed a cold, starve a fever?" No fever?.....keep eating! :)

The Sweet Sound of a Heartbeat

I don't think I could ever grow tired of hearing that precious heartbeat. It brings about such happiness and reassurance. Our appointment today was quick and painless. We realized that 4:45 is the BEST time to have an appointment....they get you in and out! I weighed in, met with the doctor for an update and questions, was measured, heard the heartbeat, had blood taken, and scheduled the next appointment all within 30 minutes. Everything is going great! The baby's heartbeat was 150 and my previous blood work all come back normal. The next round should come back next week and it signals for things like down syndrome and cystic fibrosis. I've gained 5 pounds so far, which is a little lighter than my calculations here at home, but hey....who am I to argue? Especially after my week of feeling wide! Our big reveal was scheduled for October 28th. We can't wait to see Baby Keyes again! They'll be checking all the major organs for development at that time and we'll also find out the gender! The only thing my Dr. really suggested for now was trying to up my intake of read meat in order to gain some more energyand also get a flu shot. Not a big fan of those, but I'll do it this year since it seems to be important. I went grocery shopping last night and am trying to do a better job of getting a variety of nutrients. Now that my food aversions are starting to decrease, it's becoming easier and easier. I even ate a little chicken last night!!

In more happy baby news, my neighbor just had her baby yesterday. I got the call today and it was quite a surprise because he was born almost a month early, but I've been told mom and baby are doing well. I'll keep the details private out of respect to her, but we share a very special bond for many reasons dealing with our "female issues" and infertility and this baby was truly a blessing! They longed for him for quite some time and I am so happy for them that a beautiful baby has joined their family. I can't wait to meet him. A future playmate no doubt!

Wide Load Comin' Through!

I'm learning that when you're pregnant, nearly EVERYONE feels the need to comment on some aspect of your pregnancy whether it's telling you their horrible birth story or figuring something inappropriate to say about your changing shape. So today, the custodian at my school decided to tell me that my belly isn't changing all that much but I'm definitely getting wider! Oh gee, thanks....as if I hadn't realized that my pants were glued to my butt today. Seriously?!?! What are people thinking. Anyhow, I've shed many a tears, saved many a dollars, and said many a prayers to one day have a preggo body so I am convinced to enjoy and thank God for each and every curve that comes along with pregnancy. Wednesdays are my day that I weigh myself first thing in the morning and I must admit that I'm a little nervous for tomorrow's weigh-in. Up until last Wednesday, I had only gained about 3 pounds but I have a fear that tomorrow I will see a much higher number. Darn scales!

17 Weeks

Wow, 17 weeks.....just the sound of saying it in my head when I type it amazes me! Now the baby is supposed to be about 5 inches long and weigh about 5 ounces. Baby Keyes' skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, sweat glands are developing, and she can move her joints by now. Now, if I could only feel those movements. Hopefully before too much longer! What I CAN feel is indigestion, gas, and tiredness. I have been putting in some good hours when it comes to sleep but it just assures me that my body must be telling me what it needs in order to keep this baby safe and sound.

On Thursday we'll go for our 17 week checkup. Can't wait to hear that heartbeat again, but a little bummed to know we won't get a glimpse of Baby Keyes at this appointment (although we're hoping they'll somehow miraculously change their plan). That will be a first for us, so it feels kind of strange. Mat is really getting anxious to find out the gender. Me....not so sure. I'm excited but it seems kind of scary too. I think it will make it all seem even that much more real and I'll begin to attach emotionally even more. That should be a good thing, but in all honesty I think I'm still a little guarded to let myself go there emotionally. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm getting more and more safe with each passing day and allowing myself to enjoy and open my heart. The votes are showing a slight lead in the girl ranking. Hmmmm.....we shall see! I have a slight feeling that it's a boy, but nothing very convincing. I'm enjoying the mystery for now.

Babymoon Bliss

We made it back home last night after our trip to Coconut Grove. I'm not a huge Miami fan, but I must say Coconut Grove was very nice! It's a small area with tons of restaurants, shops, and an area called CocoWalk that has a movie theater, a few major restaurants, some shopping, bars, etc. We had a great time and mostly it was nice to just lounge and not have any real plans....nowhere to be, no deadlines, no homework to work on, no dogs to walk, etc. Our room was awesome and we were within walking distance to everything. My out of shape calves were burning! :) We did lots of eating, sleeping, movie watching, and even a little shopping. The highlight was having a massage therapist come to our room. What a treat! On our way out of Coconut Grove, we went by South Beach. It just seems like one of those places that you need to say you've seen if you've been to FL, much less live here. After our many times through Miami while living in the Keys, it's hard to believe we never made it there before. It wasn't really all I expected it to be, but the water was pretty and we ate lunch on the beach so it's hard to ever go wrong with that. All in all, it was a great trip that I know we'll always look back on! I'm sure it will be quite some time before we're able to pamper ourselves as a couple again!

Miami, Here We Come!

As if this week didn't start out great enough with my news at school, the weekend is here and that means Miami, here we come! We're headed to Coconut Grove for some R&R to celebrate our graduations and pregnancy...a "babymoon"/graduation present to ourselves. We didn't really have the opportunity to travel anywhere (unless you count the countless drives to Orlando for our dr. appointments) this summer, so we've both taken a couple days off work so that we can extend our weekend into a nice little trip. We found a resort that looks absolutely amazing where we'll be staying. It's within walking distance to lots of shops, restaurants, and a movie theatre so we should all be set. Best of all, we're indulging in massages! Ah, I can't wait.

Thanks to all for the congrats on the award. Of course thanks to my hubby for embarrassing me. :) He was so proud-it was very sweet! I'm weird about attention for stuff like that, but receiving the award was so humbling and I am once again reminded how lucky I am to have such a great job and work with wonderful people. Oh, and by the way---no I didn't eat sushi. It's funny how many people ask me about that! I absolutely love sushi so when preggo I'm just eating cooked sushi or vegetable sushi rolls, so really it's not even sushi at all. No worries!

Have a great weekend everyone! Hopefully we'll wind up with a couple great pics to post when we return.

Teacher of the Year!!!

By Matt:

My day started off so lousy. I was out late at the baseball game last night and my phone rang at 5:45 this morning. One of my employees was calling in sick and I had to be at work at 6:30 to get the branch open, but boy what a turn around...

I know my lovely wife is too modest to post her great news, so I am taking the liberty. Keli was voted Teacher of the Year for her school. She was very surprised and honored. She called immediately this morning at work to tell me she had news. Of course all types of thoughts go racing through my head, but I could tell by the tone she was happy. What a fabulous honor.

My first thoughts turned to the district teacher of the year. My credit union is the sponsor of the award and gives a new car to the winner. Greedy husband thoughts right? LoL. And then my second thought was if she wins that will they even give her the car since I work there??? I guess we will find out in February. That is when all the schools send their teacher of the year to a banquet and the district wide winner is announced. My blushing bride is already worried about what to wear since she will be less than one month from her due date! How adorable!!

Life sure has made some amazing positive turns in the last two months. With both of us having finished with our masters, my new branch opening five minutes from home, and the gift of our coming child I am amazingly upbeat. The 0 for 36 slump we were in with fertility and the baby had turned this eternal optimist negative. With the first trimester safely in the rear view mirror this is the happiest I have been since we have left Key West. I just want to say thanks to everyone for their love and support. Although it feels like we have come so far I know we are really only beginning our "winding road" and we look forward to sharing it all with you along the way!

I am off to take Keli for sushi to celebrate!

Matt

15 weeks of baby love

Today begins week 15 of pregnancy. No big changes with me really.....still waiting for that energy everyone seems to think I'll be having any day now, but I'm sure it will be here soon. Overall I'm feeling pretty good....a fair amount of internal pains the last 24 hours so I came home from work today and have been lying down ever since in hopes that it passes. Here's the latest picture, taken this past weekend. I don't feel like there's been a drastic change, but I think my Bella Band's (which have been o so wonderful) days are numbered. Fewer and fewer of my regular pants are starting to work with that and I'm inching my way into maternity pants. Still sort of in that in between phase, but nearly all my regular shirts are now packed in boxes or hanging to the side in my closet to make room for nice flowy ones that let me breathe once again. At this point our baby is about the size of a navel orange and 4 inches long. By now she (going with "she" today just to be fair) can move all her limbs. Her eyelids are still fused shut but she can sense light and supposedly if I shine a flashlight on my belly she might turn away. Pretty neat, huh? We're starting to speculate a little bit about the gender, so I added a poll to the blog for fun. Vote if you have a hunch, I'm curious what the results will be! :) I honestly haven't a clue. So many people have told me that they "just knew," but I really haven't the slightest. About 5 more weeks until we know. No matter what, we just ask for your prayers that Baby Keyes continues to develop healthfully.

Life is Good!

Despite my occasional (okay maybe constant) complaining about feeling fat and tired, life is really oh-so-good. It just seems as the stars are all aligning so to speak. God is so good....He gives us the strength to somehow make it through our struggles. Just a little over a couple months ago I was feeling so nervous and overwhelmed with the fertility treatments and grad school-for both Mat and I. Now, just a short time later I'm enjoying pregnancy and so pleased to say we are both officially done with school. Mat wrapped his up over a month ago and I finally completed my capstone project last weekend and just got word this morning that it was approved and I am now a graduate! Hallelujah! I can't even begin to explain what a relief it is not to have to work on homework during nights/weekends and spend many nights alone while Mat is at school. We have so much more time together now, it's wonderful! The timing couldn't be better because it now seems like we really get to enjoy this special time together and savor all the moments of pregnancy. All the stress was so worth it.

Mat and I officially became an aunt and uncle last night. Mat's sister, Jessica, gave birth to Brian James. Poor thing was so ready to have that baby! I'm dying to see pictures soon and hear that all is well. Yeaaa for the Cochran family! Can't wait to make it home in a couple months to meet him.

As we wrap up our 14th week, this baby (and my belly) seem to be growing strong! I sure do feel BIG by the end of the day. It must be bloating or something b/c in the morning it just looks like a bump and by night time I feel ginormous. Yesterday I had a little breakdown as I couldn't seem to come up with anything that fit, so after work I took a little trip to Target and happily bought some new comfy maternity tops and a pair of capris. Needless to say getting ready for work this morning went much smoother. :) The baby developments during this week are that the baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee (i prefer not to think about that one too much), and possibly suck his thumb. How awesome! I'm already looking forward to the next glimpse of Baby Keyes but praying that he/she is staying nice and cozy in the meantime.

So Long 1st Trimester!

Today seems like a monumental day in my life.....a little dramatic perhaps, but very significant nonetheless. I'm still not sure if my mind really grasps the idea that I am actually really going to have this baby one day, but I can tell you with certainty that I couldn't be more thankful than to be sitting where I am today....the last day of my first trimester. It's a sign that we're officially out of the most threatening danger period and about to begin the trimester that EVERYONE seems to tell me is the most wonderful part! For weeks now I've been hearing that in the very near future I'll begin to have more energy, feel less nauseous, and most importantly feel those ever so precious baby movements. The nausea has steadily decreased for about the last four weeks. Beginning Friday and through this weekend it made a vengeful comeback, but I'm sure it will pass again soon. The tiredness has been decreasing slightly....still going to bed very early, but not the need for as many naps. I can only hope that in a couple more weeks I might feel even more like myself! I'm ready to bask in all the glory of enjoying pregnancy!!

With my new found baby confidence, I've began experiencing one of the most exciting things ever.....registering! I think it might be even more exciting than it was when we registered for our wedding! Yea, I know it's still a little early to be registering probably....but I figured....Hey, what's the harm?! After all I have had 4 years to sit around and think about the baby products I like. And if it makes me happy, excited, and allows this all to seem more real then I might as well enjoy it while I can. So, slowly but surely the registry is being formed. Mat and I made a trip to Babies R Us yesterday. I've avoided that place like the plague for years for obvious reasons, but yesterday I realized just what a glorious place it is. It was a little piece of baby heaven! :) I can't wait for all the exciting things that lie ahead as I slowly begin to embrace the reality of this whole experience.