ZAIDA & BJORN

here are a few pics of zaida and bjorn at ben & olivia's house in maple grove. we went over for a brief visit while we were in minneapolis a few weeks ago. bjorn was so cute with zaida, he kept rocking her in her carseat. maybe the next time we see them zaida will be able to play instead of just sitting there lookin cute!

SURFER BABY...CHILD PRODIGY!

you didn't know our girl had skillz!?! yes, our 3 1/2 month old can surf. her daddy taught her just a few weeks ago. eric was very impressed since he didn't learn to surf until his 20's. we obviously have a child prodigy on our hands here... but really, it's not surprise.

BEFORE & AFTER!

we (we meaning eric and his parents) just finished our latest home improvement project. we have a back porch "solarium" type room that was basically wasted space. it had nasty shingled walls and a dark wood celing. we decided to rip out the shingles, put up drywall, new floors, paint the ceiling, etc. we're in the process of adding a table so that we can eat out there and enjoy the view of our back yard. it was an insane amount of work, it's always more than you think it's going to be, but it has been well worth it!! it looks great, and we were able to do it pretty inexpensively. eric's parents are great "do-it-yourselfers" and they were able to help us out with their expertise. it's great to have people who know what they're doing around, although it means that they get roped into doing a lot of work. it's kind of like in college when you have a truck, and suddenly you're everyone's best friend because you can help them move. that's why i drove a celebrity eurosport in college. don't be jealous. :)

THAT MOMENT...

eric and i were talking the other day about zaida's birth, and i asked him if he had one moment that stuck out from the others as "that moment". (we had 14 hours in the car together, so we had some time.) he said it was when he was in the nursery with zaida and he looked out at holly and my dad watching from the other side of the glass, and it just hit him, "i'm a dad, and this is my baby!" how cool!

my moment was right after she made her way into the world and they plopped her on my chest. it was the first time that i saw this little being who had been living inside me for the past nine months. i'll spare you the pic of this, but it was one of the most amazing moments of my life.

the pic above is my friend carolyn who i taught with in florida. she and her husband have desired to become parents for years, and after months of ups and downs... their prayers have been answered. they are the now the proud parents of a little boy. when she sent this picture, i knew this was her moment-- the first time she held her son in her arms. whether your baby grows in your belly, or someone else's, God has a plan for every little baby, and am so happy that carolyn and her husband have been connected to their little man. congrats to them!!

FATHER'S DAY!

yesterday was eric's first father's day. yeah daddy! you might not be able to tell, but zaida's shirt says, "i love daddy". what a proud pa-pa. zaida and i went shopping for him this week. we got him a card and wrote him a nice message about how much we love him. then we got a book , and zaida put her footprints in it. to top it off, we got him a new pair of softball pants. zaida went to her daddy's first softball game last week. (she slept through the whole thing... but she was there in spirit!!) we are so lucky to have this daddy!

I LOVE GREAT GRANDMA!

friday was great-grandma vu's birthday. zaida and i went over to see her on thursday. we had a great visit with her. zaida enjoyed being snuggled by her great grammy and even blew out her diaper to impress. i think she was showing off! we are so lucky to have such a sweet great grandma for zaida, and so fortunate that she lives so close! happy birthday!! we love you!!

THE GOLDEN GIRLS- true confessions

i am here to fess up on something... i am a huge golden girls fan. i own the first 4 seasons on dvd, and watch it faithfully on lifetime television network. there is just something about the fab 4 that just cracks me up! it's like a pg/senior citizen version of sex & the city. what can i say... i love the girls!

SUMMER'S HERE!

so i wish this pic was a recent one... well, not exactly. it's eric and i on our honeymoon last summer in mexico. oh, what i would give to spend a week on the beach at a resort! oh well, we're in mommyville now which is much more rewarding than the golden brown tan i earned last summer. (although that tan was pretty sweet!) as a teacher there is this idea that we get 3 months off. unfortunately, that's not the case! it's now down to two months, and really you end up working half of that between classes, meetings, and preparing for the next school year. there is no other profession i would rather be in though!! i am mentoring a first year teacher this coming year, and really looking forward to it. i think it will make me an even better teacher because it makes me think of what i do and why i do it. it also helps that she is super sweet, and marrying the nephew of a former colleage in ankeny. (it's a small world) in my first week of summer, i had checkout day at school on monday, a free day on tuesday (took zaida to the park for a walk), wednesday and thursday i had a workshop on mentoring, and friday had a free day. zaida and i went to the library and walked around the lake, and then checked out some books. we also went to eric's softball game on tuesday. zaida wore her chicago cubs shirt from jaclyn... and proceded to sleep through the entire thing. the weekend is ending, and we are in to another week. zaida has her two month appoinment tomorrow. i am already dreading her getting shots. (probably worse for me than it is for her) i realize this is a random post, so i'll end it here and collect my thoughts for next time!

BACK 2 SCHOOL

it's hard for me to believe, but i am headed back to school tomorrow. has it already been 6 weeks!?! apparently so! it may sound crazy, but i wish i could stay home with her AND go back to school. i miss seeing my students and the great teachers and staff at waukee elementary, but of course leaving this little lady at home will be hard, too. i always wondered what stay-at-home moms did all day, and now i totally get it. the day passes, and you think... what happened to the day? we went and had her 6 week pictures taken this afternoon. quite a production! it's not easy trying to time feeding, keep her awake, alert, and happy. i am anxious to get the pics back, but it takes 2 weeks. bummer. well, i have to get things ready for tomorrow. enough stalling... :)

FLYING NUGGETS

afton & zaida will surely be best of friends. they're only a year apart in age, and when zaida gets a little older and can play, i'm sure they'll have hours of fun! last night we had bunko at vaske's house, so grandma jan babysat the two little ladies. afton has just discovered zaida, and likes to give her lots of kisses. she has also mastered saying, "zai-da", and she practices her new talent a lot. :)

it was dinner time for afton, so she was in her high-chair chomping on her chicken nuggets. my mom brought zaida over in her car seat and put her on the floor next to afton's high chair so they could see each other. mom went over to break apart more chicken nuggets, and while she was over there afton kept saying, "zai-da, zai-da, zai-da". mom was thinking, 'oh, isn't that cute'. then she turned around and looked at her two adorable granddaughters... and believe it or not, afton was throwing her pieces of chicken nugget to zaida each time she said her name! (fortunately, no one was harmed in this operation.) my mom was picking little chicken nugget bits off the floor and out of zaida's carseat. HA!! What a hoot!!

ALMOST 6 WEEKS OLD!

it's hard to believe that it has almost been 6 weeks since zaida was born. in ways it seems like she's always been a part of our lives, in other ways it seems like she just arrived yesterday. it's amazing how it changes ever facet of your life, and enhances the day to day joys. we're so lucky to be her parents!

MY 1ST MOTHER'S DAY

yesterday was my first official mother's day. i woke up with this little punky smilin at me. eric brought in a card that he and zaida selected (very sweet) there was a giftcard to jordan creek mall inside. sis got the same thing from afton and clint. the boys will do the babysitting, and al and i can go pamper ourselves. how fun!!

we went to church, and then to clint & al's to grill burgers & brats. mom and dad came and brought grandma vu. it was such a nice relaxing afternoon... the food was delicious (of course). we sat around and played with the girls, and passed them around. zaida if you wanted to snuggle, and afton if you wanted to play. and what is a spring/summer day without baseball-- i don't know!?! so we watched the brewers and cubs games.

not bad for my first mother's day!

SLEEP, OH PRECIOUS SLEEP

i've never been one of those people who needs lots of sleep. i take about 3 naps a year, and even that's a stretch. i have always had these "sleep issues" just like my mom. my parents even had to get me relaxation tapes for me to listen to to try and help me get to sleep at night. so there is a little history on my life as a sleeper....

since zaida has arrived, i've learned to cherish sleep like i cherish oxygen. since she chows every 3 hours, you really can't get more than about 2 consecutive hours at a time. well, fortunately things have improved. first of all, she has her days and nights switched back around. yeah! secondly, she sleeps up in our room in her bouncy seat, so eric and i can both sleep in our bed during the night instead of taking turns on the couch downstairs. and last but not least... she has started waking only once during the night to nurse. we usually get up in the 3am hour, and lucky us -- young & the restless is playing at 3 on SOAP network. (we can't complain, it's better than sister, sister)

so life is good, and getting better.

MY MOM MEETS THE PREZ

this is no photoshop illusion, that is really my mom with president bush & the first lady. and, yes, they're in the oval office. my mom received this amazing honor and was selected as the 2006-2007 iowa teacher of the year. think about all the amazing teachers K-12 in the state of iowa, and my mom beat them all! anyone who has worked with her professionally will agree that she is more than deserving of this honor. she has had many amazing opportunities through representing our state, one of which is traveling to washington d.c. to attend a conference with all the other winners. a little like a miss america pageant, but with a whole different demographic. she had the opportunity to spend time in the oval office with president bush & laura, WOW, how cool is that!?!

MAMMA MIA

eric and i ventured out last sunday to see mamma mia at the civic center. we left zaida with a responsible babysitter... al. if you don't know, mamma mia is a musical that features the songs of ABBA. we sat down and the lady next to eric said, "you may want to trade your wife places, because i'm going to be dancing this whole time!" well, she wasn't kidding. she was seat dancing through almost every song. i thought that she must be the biggest abba fan ever... but i was wrong. during the finale, everyone stands up and claps along, but there were these ladies who were not only clapping, but they were swinging their hips, singing along, and goin nuts! it was so entertaining to watch. :) oh, and the show was fantastic, too.

THE SMELLY KID

zaida has logged another bath into her list of accomplishments in the two week span of her life. she totally hates them, and i'm convinced we're going to have the smelly kid. not really... everyone says that little babies HATE baths, but then start to love them once they get a little older. we're still doing the "sponge bath" style, eric holds her in a towel, and i clean her up. last night she managed to shart and pee during the 5 minute episode. poor eric! washing her hair is a real trip, afterwards it looks like she just got blonde highlights. her hair gets approximately 8 shades lighter when it's clean. good times, good times...

THE NAME: Zaida Augustine

whenever we tell people the name zaida augustine, they always ask how we came up with it. well, zaida was just a name that i found in a baby book. i had never heard of another zaida before, and that was the first appealing thing about it. eric has always liked names that start with "z". not sure why, but whatever! :) it was a name we could both agree on.

the name augustine is from our time spent in st. augustine, florida. when we lived in orlando, we took several trips to st. augustine. it is such a cool little city-- the first one in our nation. there is all this great history there, and a spectacular beach, too!

ZAIDA AUGUSTINE JOINS THE WORLD

the miracle of life has happened, and we're celebratin'! there is absolutely nothing more amazing than the creation of life... when you stop and think about it, it kind of blows your mind. i look at her and think, hey, you've been hangin out inside of me for the last 9 months. WOW!

as you know, i have been more than ready for her arrival. a week before her due date (at our doctors appointment) they told us i was 4 cm dilated and 75% effaced. we thought, "this is it, it's going to happen any moment". the doc had us make another appointment in a week, but told me that i'd never make it that long. WOO- HOO!! well, wednesday came, then thursday, followed by friday and nothing. we agreed that if there were no signs of baby by friday at 5, we were going to go out for dinner so we had something to look forward to. the weekend came and went, and then there was monday morning. (the pits!) monday morning is never fun, and this was a major low. :( we had papa john's for dinner, and i went to bed just like every other night.

it was 1am, and i was up for another bathroom break, and encountered more than was expecting... my water broke. and just like that labor started. it wasn't like what you see on tv where people are running around like their heads are chopped off, eric took buddy out, and i made the bed. my bag was already in the car, and eric's was packed, too. we were on our way to the hospital by 1:20, and checked in by 1:30.

i will spare you the gory details of what happened next, all i can say is... get the epidural. i still experienced PLENTY of pain, so i don't feel like i missed out on any of the "natural" stuff. after pushing for 45 minutes, she arrived at 9:53 am on Tuesday, April 10th. she weighed 7lbs. 14oz. and was 19 inches long. she has a full head of blonde hair. of course we're biased, but we think she's pretty adorable!

we spent the next couple days in the hospital, and had a wonderful experience with all the nurses and doctors... except for the lactation consultant (aka- the nipple nazi). that experience was borderline traumatic.

we've been home now for 10 days, and each day gets a little bit easier. we're getting more used to having a baby around. and i am functioning better on the little sleep i get. :) i am hoping to get on this thing more often and to keep a record of what's happening in zaida's life. it looks like the little lady is waking up and ready to chow-- that means i'm needed!!

THE STAGES OF PREGNANCY

This is in October-- 3 months prego!


One month before she was born... I'm HUGE!

Zaida and I getting ready to leave the hospital!

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

ya, i've heard the saying before. i even agree with it... but right now i am getting really impatient for this baby to arrive. for one thing, i am totally uncomfortable with this huge thing sticking out from my mid-section. i have to pee about once an hour, which seems a bit much. i am up in the night A LOT, but fortunately i have been able to get right back to sleep.

most of all, i cannot wait to meet this baby! the anticipation is killing me!! there are still a few things we need to get ready, but i decided to relax tonight. i actually took a nap in the new recliner for an hour. we are just so excited to welcome her into the world. i'm sure parenthood is going to be a challenge, but it is also an amazing gift. i think we're ready...

EMBARASSING MOMENTS...

...yes, we've all had embarassing moments, and i've had my fair share as well. the other day i was thinking about carpooling with my friend Lindsay who teaches ESL at our school, then i started thinking about all the language barriers they must deal with, and then my mind wandered back to a terrible miscommunication with a woman from south africa and how it ended in a majorly embarassing moment.

i was in college and working at formative years day care. i got to know many of the families well, and even babysat for a few. there was one family in particular that i babysat for frequently, they hooked me up with friends of theirs and i also babysat their daughter. all of the parents were ISU employees, and the one mother was in charge of this "friends of foreign families" (something like that) committee. they were having a big celebration/meeting type thing and were offering free childcare. (this is the part where i enter) the first family knew that i performed spartan cheerleaders at comedy clubs, etc. and must have shared that with the foreign family. (who apparently didn't really get what i did) the foreign mother asked if i could come and do the childcare and they would pay me. (um, $$ in college-- yes, please) i agreed to do it.

we (foreign mom) and i continued to talk, and before i knew it there was talk of a rainbow fro wig, a painted face, and balloons. WHAT!?! apparently, i agreed to be a clown. now, there is no shame in being a clown, but honestly... it's not what i'm about. it's one thing to look like an idiot when there is someone else sharing your fun, but when it's just you- well, it's just you. i went to goodwill and got some freakin ugly striped pants, and a pair of suspenders. i put on some crazy shoes i had, and wore a wig. (it wasn't clown/freak wig, but a cute red bob that i bought in new zealand-- that's another story) i just couldn't paint my face, that white always makes your teeth look yellow anyway.

i got to the memorial union (at ISU) with my bunch of balloons, and my ridiculous outfit. i wanted to crawl in a hole, i wasn't getting paid enough to be put through this. oh, and it just so happens that there is a business fair going on that day at the union, too. so there are hords of people there. i found the room where i was supposed to be, and realized that i was going to be at the back of the room where this awards ceremony was going on. i don't know what they were thinking because it's really hard to entertain 15 children under the age of 6 in a silent room. to make matters worse, the newspaper was there and i panicked and prayed they didn't see any cute kids that they wanted to snap a pic for a local paper.

well, things got a little better. they ended up relocating us into an adjoining room, so that i could actually do some games with the kids. the quiet game lost its luster in about 30 seconds. i did get paid. and i can say that i unknowingly agreed to be a clown in college.

THIS IS NOT A PICTURE OF ME, I REPEAT... THIS IS NOT A PICTURE OF ME!! : )

'GREY MARKET' MINIVANS FROM CANADA

did you even know there was such thing as "grey market" minivans from canada? well, apparently there are, and apparently we have one. we bought this minivan after we found out that we were pregnant, knowing that with travel to eric's parents house and getting around, that minivans were super convenient. we have loved our honda odyssey, and have used it to travel and haul stuff. it's really been great, and we haven't even had the baby yet! little did we know that trouble was lurking around the corner. there was a problem with the transmission, but we were not worried, as it was still covered under warranty. well, eric takes it in only to discover that it's not covered because it's from CANADA!?! so basically someone purchased this vehicle in canada and brought it here to resell it for more money. they had to make some changes... miles vs. kilometers, something with the lights, etc. essentially, "americanizing it". we had no idea that we were buying a canadian vehicle. when eric first took it in, they told us we needed a new transmission and we were responsible for paying for it. YIKES!!! fortunately, we live in iowa and there are people here who actually care. both holmes honda and hummels nissan (where we bought the van) worked together, and made it possible for us to get a new transmission free of charge. (wow... now that is fortunate!)neither dealership HAD to help us out, but they felt bad for us. hummels paid for the new transmission, and holmes cut them a great deal. i still can't quite wrap my mind around the whole thing. crazy...

NOTHIN' LIKE SPRING BREAK

spring break has always been something to look forward to, and something that you dread ending. as each day passes, it seems that the week just flies by in the blink of an eye. well, this spring break is a little different. first of all, there are things that we HAVE to get done to be ready for this baby. we have dedicated today as "baby extravaganza" day. we are getting EVERYTHING ready for this little tyke TODAY. bag packed, clothes washed, room cleaned, name picked, etc. it's a gloomy day, so a good opportunity to stay inside and get these things done. we've got the house pretty much clean, and i've got everything done for school that i need to do. i'm feeling pretty good that after today, pretzel can arrive and we'll be ready. (well, as ready as we'll ever be!)my partner in pregnancy, temple, just delivered her little bundle of joy yesterday... finley arrived weighing 9 pounds 12 ounces, and was 21 inches long. how exciting!!

SPRING FEVER!

yes, i've got it... spring fever is in the air. after 2 major blizzards, a day in the 60's was like heaven!! it's supposed to reach (dramatic pause) the 70's tomorrow. in my last post it was 47... IN OUR HOUSE! we grilled pork chops for dinner- delicious! spring means so many wonderful things, especially that beautiful baby girl joining our family. i am 1cm dialated, and her head is where it's supposed to be. i am at 36 weeks right now. i can't believe that the time is closing in. i can't wait!! (although- YIKES- labor kind of freaks me out!) we are 3 days away from spring break. YES! i have a long list of things to do over break... clean the house, get all the baby clothes washed, get our hospital bag packed, finish up things at school, and PICK THE BABY NAME! wish us luck!!

HOW I LOVE HEAT!

good news, the heat is on and running! no more frozen fingers, no more sleeping under thousands of blankets, and no more sitting motionless in front of the fire wrapped in blankets because it's too cold to move anywhere else. apparently our furnace just had its 31st birthday, which means that it was installed before either eric or i were born. when we purchased the house they said, "it's about 20 years old, and the average life expectancy is 30 years." well the real story is that it's 31 years old, and the REAL life expectancy is 17 years. (we are such suckers!) let's just add a new furnace to our debt! :) it's amazing how suddenly 66 degrees feels like a sauna.

IT'S 47 DEGREES..

..in our house!! we discovered last night that our furnace quit working sometime yesterday. go figure. :( our house was 56 degrees last night. i took a shower just to warm my extremities back up. we slept with multiple layers, and multiple blankets. surprisingly enough it was the best sleep i've had in two weeks! we received calls last night that school was cancelled for today, so we both slept in until (drum roll please) 8! that's impressive for me. i came downstairs to see what the current temp was, the thermostat read 47. and yes, that's in fahrenheit. we made cinnamon rolls just to warm up the house with the oven, and eric attempted to start a fire (unsuccessfully). we were out of those duraflame logs, and all of our wood from out back was obviously wet. he made the trek out to wal-mart to get a starter log, and we now have fire. (the temp has risen to 49 degrees, so it's like a heat wave.) there's a guy in the basement right now looking at our furnace, it only took 5 hours to get someone out here. i'm hoping for good news! we are planning to head over to clint & al's after the guy leaves. it is just too freakin' cold! eric's outfit currently includes: 2 pairs of socks, warm pants, a t-shirt, a long-sleeved shirt, a turtleneck sweatshirt, a hooded sweatshirt, and a stocking cap. i am looking just as foxy in 2 pairs of socks, slippers, fleece pants, a tank top, cuddle-dud, and hooded sweatshirt. how did laura ingalls wilder do it?? especially in those prairie dresses!?! i'm baffled! i best stop, as my fingers have lost all feeling in them, and typing is becoming almost impossible. think warm thought!

OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL...

... so we're at home this afternoon!! WOO-HOO! there is just nothing like a snow day, or at least part of one. growing up going to Ballard, we had a ton of snow days, but now that I teach in Waukee those snow days are virtually non-existent. we are a "metro" school now, so they think that we'll be fine to risk life and limb to attend school. (trying to hang with the big dogs.) we got out at noon, so our day was pretty short. not a whole lot accomplished between the time constraints and the level of excitement in the room. the kids had to eat lunch in the room-- which i really feared because it was tacos. yucky, stinky meat that had the potential of finding it's way off their trays and onto desks, chairs, and the carpeted floor. (sick!) amazingly enough, we were successful. i turned on IPTV and Thomas the Train Engine was on. i never expected them to watch it silently. go figure- i wasn't going to stop them! i left when the kids did, and stopped at Hy-Vee with every other WDM citizen. oh well, i'm home now and have some yummy meals to fix if we're stuck inside for a few days. three cheers for snow days... hip, hip, hooray!

47...

...that is the number of stairs i have to climb each time i go to my classroom on the third floor. i love it! it's great exercise, and i enjoy being up on third floor up in my own little world. i figure that i am up and down the stairs at least 10 times every day- so theoretically i should be in top-notch shape, however i am carrying a few extra pounds in the tummy area. "top-notch" shape may not be the best description right now. my prego sista and i get slower by the day as we climb that mountain of stairs together. we can hardly carry a conversation because we're gasping for breath. it won't be long and we'll both be skinny moms, rather than enormous pregnant ladies!

FLASHBACK:AUG1;WHAT DO 2 LINES MEAN?

it was august 1st, and eric and i had been married just over a month. which most of had been spent on our honeymoon, and in milwaukee. (not a bad way to start, huh!?!) we wanted to start a family sooner than later because... hey, we're no spring chickens. after having afton around, it made parenting seem even more amazing. it was something we couldn't wait for. apparently, God was feeling the same way...

so anyway, we were doing respite care, and had taken the kiddos to the pool. on our way out i mentioned to eric, "ya know, i should have gotten my period today." so, it was only 2 in the afternoon, and really that didn't mean anything. BUT he said, "let's go get a pregnancy test." i started to get excited, which was completely rediculous. we had seperate cars because i was at school tutoring in the morning before respite, so i hopped in mine and headed for wal-greens. i picked up a test, a white chocolate kit kat bar (those are hard to find), and headed home. i went to the bathroom and peed on the little stick, and let it sit for those 3 agonizing minutes. (i did pass the time by eating that kit kat.) when the timer went off, eric and i headed upstairs to check the results.

i held the directions and looked for the results section, and when i saw two lines, i thought... "doesn't that mean PREGNANT??" but then i thought maybe the second line was a figment of my imagination, because it was kind of light. i read the directions again and it specifically said, "the second line may appear lighter than the first." WHAT!?! was it really that easy? am i really pregnant? this is where shock set it, and i don't really remember what happened for the next minute. eric decided that we should take another test, so he hustled to wal-mart and picked up that "clearblue easy"- the one that says either "pregnant" or "not pregnant". you can't get more CLEAR than that. (must be where they got the name) well, i squeezed out a little more pee, and sure enough it read PREGNANT. i was bursting with joy, and couldn't wait to tell my family!!

eric got on the phone and started telling his sister and parents, who were all elated. i had a hair appointment that afternoon where i was going to chop my hair. (the bridal butch) al had promised that she would come with me for moral support. we met at the barnes and noble parking lot, and she hopped in my car. we said our "hello's" and started driving towards the mall. i said, "so, do you think afton would like a cousin?" she screamed, and then shouted, "are you f-ing pregnant!?!" this was the funniest reaction that i got from anyone, since the girl doesn't ever say a bad word. we were screaming and laughing and celebrating all the way to the mall.

eric was at a softball game, while i was getting my haircut. al and i were trying to think of a creative way to tell my parents. our first job was to get them altogether. we schemed a plan to get them to meet at clint & al's for dessert that evening. we were brainstorming ideas, and then i said, "i wish afton could just tell them." well, this gave me an idea- she would be the one to tell them. we pulled out a onsie and wrote on the front, "Grandma & Grandpa, Guess what..." and on the back it said, "I'm going to be a cousin!" we put this on under her clothes, and waited for everyone to arrive. al asked mom if she would change her diaper, so she did. (of course, without taking off her clothes) al mentioned that afton might be hot, so mom should strip her down to her onsie. mom started reading the front... (the grandma/grandpa guess what bit) and seemed to be amused, and then flipped her over and was like, "WHAT!?!" (in a happy voice, not an upset voice) soon, clint and my dad looked over and realize what we were telling them. it was time to celebrate!! it's hard to believe that it is almost time for this little one to arrive. it has been such a crazy year, i can't believe that in the course of a year we can go from being engaged, to married, to parents. WOW! we are so blessed!

32 IS DONE/COMPLETE/FINISHED

it must be a sister thing because al said that her week 32 was her worst week. i don't know what it was last week, but i was totally down in the dumps. something as simple as rolling over in bed is more of an act of pure athleticism, than a simple movement. my lungs must be half their previous size, because climbing up to my third floor classroom 10+ times a day leaves me winded. i feel like one of those morbidly obese people that is so out of shape that they are winded just by standing up. i am just ready to start working out and getting all those "baby pounds" off!

eric and i are still negotiating names, which tends to put me in a foul mood. we just can't seem to agree. i have a name that i have had my heart set on for approximately 8 years, and i just haven't been able to sell him on it. i'm not trying to be a whiny baby about the whole thing, (and wanting to get my way), but it's just so hard when you have had something in your head for so long, and then you realize it may not happen. the thing is, it's not like choosing what restaurant you're going to go to some night, it's the NAME OF YOUR CHILD that you are sure to say millions of times, and that she has to live with for the rest of her life. it is SOOOOOO important! oh man, i feel my pulse racing-- stressing about this whole situation!!