Ready for a long post??

almost 21 weeks

So this week at work everyone is telling me I got big overnight. People definitely notice that I am pregnant now! I am carrying very high--I feel like my belly button is looking at me-ha. Kinda funny this morning the whole school watched the 2nd grade perform their music program and as I walking in a student I had last year said "Hi Mrs. Bryan...." then looked at my stomach and said, "WHOA!!!" some parents heard him and were cracking up. Another former student of mine got in an argument with other kids in her class because they told her I was preganant and she said, "don't say that about Mrs. Bryan, she is NOT pregnant, she would tell me if she was..." She was really upset about it. Her teacher thought it was funny that she thought they were saying something bad about me and she tried to defend me.

I have been wondering all along if I have been feeling her kick and now I know for sure!! Last week it was amazing, I was laying in bed watching tv after I ate and felt a kick! I looked down and SAW another kick!! So cool, I bawled. :) I told Bill and have been wanting him to feel her move...so yesterday, he saw a kick when watching my belly and then today he got to feel a kick!! It was so neat to share that experience with him! She's kicking like crazy now!! Especially after I ate spicy food on Saturday night.
oh and we decided on a name!! Her name is Kaitlyn Grace! I have always loved the name Kaitlyn and was surprised that Bill like the name so much too. Grace is the name of Bill's grandma who passed away when his dad was young. So it is a very special name to his side of the family.
My friend and one of my roommates from college gave me an awesome gift--it's a Christian children's CD with her name personalized in all of the songs. I love it!! Kaitlyn loves it too!!

Today was a crazy afternoon for my school...
I had recess duty from 2-2:30...while outside, the tornado sirens go off. I had to gather all 80 kids as fast as possible (and I forgot my whistle!!). The other two K teachers ran out as the kids were running to the building and we got them inside. While going in, many older kids were in the hallway getting in position so I hoped my class stayed with me. By the time we get to our hallways, I realized we have not practiced a tornado drill all year, so we had to get the Kindergarteners in duck and cover in the hallway. I counted them and they were all there, but about 3 or 4 were crying scared to death. I calmed them down and got them in position. whew, what an adrenaline rush!! They weren't allowed to leave unless parents checked them out, then our principal told us it was fine. That was all so unexpected today!! I am exhausted now!!

18 weeks pregnant

It's a girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
pj's and hippo!
I love these clothes!!
First crocheted blanket from a sweet lady at work. First onesie, cute blankie and frame.

Since we found out on Thursday that we are having a baby girl, we have been so busy we haven't had a chance to buy anything girly. Thanks to Bill's mom and sister and some friends from work, we already got some cute girly stuff!! We also got a few things for our baby at Christmas time including OSU socks, some binkies, bibs, tigger and pooh. I am including pictures of the "girly" gifts. I am so excited to be having a girl!! I have always wanted one of each, but all along during this pregnancy I had a feeling that it was a girl and only imagined buying girl stuff!! :)

We had sooo much fun Thursday night at our BIG reveal with the cake. You can go to Bill's blog to watch the video from that night-- cooterbrown05.blogspot.com I am including pictures of the cake before cut and after. our friend Katie (cakeittothelimit.blogspot.com) did the cake and did an amazing job!

I didn't realize my stomach had grown so much since the last picture until I took a picture yesterday.

It's a....

Girl!!!!!

I'll tell you later...

I will post later tonight if it's a boy or a girl! We know what it is and are sooooo excited to finally find out. We have to wait until we tell our family with our "cutting the cake" plan til they find out if its a boy or a girl. I do want to say that everything looks good and measurements are still the same due date. and the baby had hiccups during the ultrasound. :) "It" is very limber because the toes were way up by the head! It was so neat to see. They actually did a 3-D ultrasound and we didn't even know they were going to. The mouth was opening and closing, so that was neat. I'll post some ultrasound pics...

ONE MORE WEEK!!!

In one more week we find out if we are having a baby boy or baby girl!!! I can't wait! I am such a planner, I can't imagine not finding out. It's gonna be a very slow week. I really want one of each, so really I don't care if its a boy or girl. I did the Chinese gender predictor online and it says girl. I have heard those aren't always right though. Hmmm..I guess we will see. I have had certain boys in my class who make me want to have a boy and certain girls who make me want to have a girl. What do you think we are having??

So...here is what we are going to do. After we find out (that afternoon), Bill is going to call our friend, Katie, who makes cakes (AMAZING cakes, by the way!) She is going to make either a pink or a blue cake, depending on the sex. It will be frosted really well so you won't be able to see the color of the cake. I think it may have question marks decorated on the top or something. Anyways...that evening Bill will pick up the cake and bring it to our house. Then our family is all coming over and when we cut the cake, they will find out if it's a boy or girl on whether the cake is blue or pink!! I'll have to take lots of pictures of the cake to keep in a baby album. We thought that would be a fun way of telling the family if they are going to be buying blue or pink for our newest family member!! :)

I am also having the kids in my class vote that day. They are so cute...everyday they tell me that my stomach is getting bigger. One boy named Cooper told me that I am having a girl because girls have girls and boys have boys. I asked him if his mom had him or his dad...and he said his dad. ha. Then kids started asking me how I got pregnant...um. I ignored that question. that's up to their parents to come up with something clever. :) Poor kids...they are the ones to witness my mood swings and lack of energy and sickness.

As far as how I am feeling...after 16 weeks, I started feeling MUCH better. THANK GOODNESS! I can actually eat now. I still get morning sickness right after getting up, but that is nothing compared to being sick all day. I still have my nervous moments though--I worry about so many things going wrong. it's so hard after dealing with a pregnancy loss knowing everything will be okay. Some of the most recent Google searches from freaking out was when my dog stepped on my stomach, when I went over a HUGE bump in the road, whenever I woke up and my stomach seemed to shrink, and whenever I thought I ate moldy apricots. After this next ultrasound and we see that the baby has grown and is healthy maybe I won't freak out anymore. Hopefully I will start feeling the baby move. Actually, sometimes I think I am feeling the baby move because there are little pops and bubble feelings here and there. It's not very often though.

Happy New Year!

Wow...this is going to be an exciting year! We had a fun New Year's Eve and today is officially my last day of Christmas break. I sure could use a few more days and could certainly get used to sleeping in and doing whatever I want!! I am trying to get lots of sleep because I know in about 6 months, no more sleeping in!! I didn't really get everything accomplished that I planned to over the last two weeks...oh well!

I had my monthly doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I enjoy going because every time I get to hear the baby's heartbeat! This time it was 147 bpm. I was worried my doctor would get on to me because I had a feeling I had lost weight over the past month. And I did, a few pounds. She wasn't worried about it, especially since i am still sick and that's kinda expected 1st trimester. But now that I am in the 2nd trimester, hopefully I will gain some more. I think I eat less than I did before being pregnant. I have to eat such small meals and snacks throughout the day. Some days my stomach is smaller than other days and that worries me! The doctor measured and felt my belly. She said, wow, there's a big baby in there! So that made me happy to hear!
I bought a pregnancy body belt to help with my back problems. It really does help! I am so glad I don't have to walk hunched over anymore.

15 Weeks