Best Gift

Today E and I are celebrating 2 wonderful years of marriage, and I got the best present I could possibly ask for... I get to watch my amazing husband with our precious daughter. I couldn't be happier.

I love you E!

She's Here!

Introducing Annabelle Lyn

Born Thursday, March 25th 10:22am

8lbs 13oz 21.5 inches long

She is amazing! We love her more than we even expected!

40 Weeks & Waiting

So, I've officially made it to the end! Well, what hopefully will be the end of my pregnancy. I think I'll drive myself a little crazy if I'm writing a post for 41 weeks. But I know BGS will come when she's ready.

I filled last week with fun events before BGS arrives. I had dinner with a friend, went to a surprise birthday party and even an Ike Reilly concert. I'm pretty sure I had the biggest belly at the show. E thought the venue was great because it was really close to the hospital just in case. He did a good job protecting the belly from anybody who go too close. It was very cute.

Yesterday was my last day of work. It felt so weird to be done with school for the year in the middle of the week, with nothing major to grade, no grades to submit, nothing much to pack up. Today I spent most of the day running errands. I picked up a few more things for the nursery, returned a few things and got some clothes to wear while nursing. Unfortunately, a couple things I bought for the nursery don't really work, so I have new returns now. Oh well, I can probably take care of that tomorrow.

39 Weeks!

Hopefully this will be my last weekly post while still preggo! Although I am very aware that there is a good chance I still have over a week to go. A few of my coworkers have said I don't look nearly uncomfortable enough yet to be having the baby. While I may not look it to some, I am feeling it. BGS loves to get her little feet up in my ribs. Fun for her, not so much for me.


A BIG part of me was hoping BGS would arrive last weekend, so I was a little grouchy waking up for work Monday morning. Add in daylight savings time, and I was not so pleasant to be around. By Tuesday I was feeling a lot better- more energy and not so anxious for BGS to just hurry up and get here! Unfortunately, last night and today have been a little rough on me again. I called the nurse line today and she said I was probably getting some kind of cold. Boo to that.


At least the weather has been beautiful this week, so I've been able to get outside for lots of walks. And Conny's, the neighborhood ice cream stand, opened on Monday (I've managed to restrain myself and only go once since they've been open). E and I have some fun plans for the weekend, so I'm hoping that I can get some sleep tonight and be refreshed for what is likely to be my last few nights of freedom. One of my favorite bands, The Ike Reilly Assassination, is in town for 4 shows this week, and I'm really hoping to get to one. And this weekend we have a birthday party to attend that should be a good time.

I haven't yet gotten a chance to take a belly shot this week, I'll try to post one soon!

Bison of the Jungle

My very favorite animal is the bison*. Bison have become my favorite animal because E and I used to see a lot of bison when we first started dating. E's hometown has a herd at the state park where we used to go camping when I'd visit him in the summer, and our first big trip together was a week in the Black Hills of South Dakota**.

While we were on our trip, E bought me a stuffed bison which I sleep with most nights. E used Bison when he proposed, and Bison later became the ring pillow at our wedding.

So of course, when I found out about BGS, I decided she needed a bison of her own. Luckily I had a little stuffed bison that I had bought as a gift for one of E's nieces that I had not quite gotten to her yet. So he became Baby's First Bison. E teases me that bison don't live in the jungle (the theme for our nursery- pictures coming soon), but I say this one does. And I can't wait to see BGS playing with her own little guy!

*My second favorite animal is the sloth, also found in baby's nursery :)

**Since that time, our trips have gotten a little more exciting

Weeks 37 and 38

Time is flying by now. I think E and I are about as ready as we can get for BGS to arrive. There are a few things we still need to pick up, but nothing we couldn't live without for a few days.

Last week my lovely co-workers threw me a baby shower, which was so sweet. I wasn't expecting anything at work because I'm so new, but a bunch of people came to wish me luck with my new adventure. Later the same day, E and I took a breastfeeding class at our hospital. I thought it was really helpful, and gives me a little more confidence that I'll be able to figure it out when the time comes. The combo of E and I sitting for the 3 hours must have been funny though. BGS really likes to kick around my ribs, making sitting quite uncomfortable by the end of a long day, and E recently broke 2 ribs* in a little snowmobiling accident.

Here's a shot at 37 weeks

This is finals week at school, which means at the end of the day 2nd trimester is done. I've been setting this day up (since the beginning of the year) as the mark for when baby would be due. I need to get my brain to remember that I still have 7 more days with students, so no relaxing on school work just yet. My long term sub has been hired though, and we're hoping she be able to spend a few days with me learning the ropes before I have to leave.

Here's a shot taken just last night... 38 weeks! I feel like my belly is really taking over!

*I have been joking that E hurt himself purposely because I told him very early in my pregnancy that he would be in charge of cleaning the bathroom when I got to my last month. I know he feels really bad that he can't be more help now. I'm just hoping that he's fully recovered when BGS gets here so he can snuggle with her.

35 and 36 Weeks

This post is a little late, but better late than never. Weeks 35 and 36 went well overall. I have a few weird things going on, but the doctor says they're normal. Besides BGS loving to kick me in the ribs and gal bladder, there is an area at the top of my belly that gets a numb feeling throughout the day. The doctor said he's not sure why, but he hears about that problem fairly frequently. At my 36 week appointment (which I may or may not have gone to on the wrong day) I had my iron levels checked, and they were a little low, so I'm taking an iron supplement now. That is helping me feel much less lightheaded. I wish I had figured it out sooner. Teaching while lightheaded is not fun.


E and I spent our Valentine's Day weekend in childbirth class. I left the classes both more and less concerned about the arrival of baby. I feel better because I have a better idea of what will happen once I get to the hospital, and we got to tour the facilities, but at the same time, the delievery part is scary. Ah! I was extremely thankful that due to some kind of technical issue, the videos were all in black and white. For some reason that made them much easier to handle for me. On a side note, I was very confused by why the women in the videos all seemed to have their MILs in the room for delivery. That is NOT part of my plan.


Here is a shot of me at 35 weeks (I missed 36 weeks...oops).