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!