32 Weeks

Here she is! I didn't realize how big I was until I was taking the picture, woah! Not a lot to report out here in Texas. We're loving the warm winter. It makes the crazy summers worth it. Our house is finally getting put together and it feels so nice! Grant and I actually did our first day of yard work on Saturday. It reminded me how much I like doing yard work on a beautiful sunny day. We had some flower beds that needed serious cleaning out and bushes that needed cleaning up. It looks so much better. Sadly, I've been researching what kinds of flowers and plants grow well out here... umm nothing. No tulips, no daffodils, no lilacs... sad day. I'm just going to have to get creative! The newest pregnancy symptoms:

-the kicks are starting to hurt

-heartburn follows every meal

-I can't paint my own toe nails

-she is so fun to watch moving around

-she loves early morning and late night, lucky me

-she still prefers to kick my ribs on the right side

-my shirts are very quickly becoming belly shirts, I might finally have to buy maternity tops

-dry skin all the time

Grant and I have been enjoying lots of time together, running errands and doing stuff for the business... and some fun stuff too. We are happy the Mavericks are finally stepping up and playing better, it makes it way more fun to go to the games. The first game we went to was a nightmare, but last night they played awesome! Sorry Jimmer we still like ya, but we gotta stick with our Mavs.

Tonight I'm making Cafe Rio's sweet pork salads, not quite the same, but it'll have to do. And yesterday I would have killed for a J Dawgs. Missing Utah food that's for sure.

Changes

Something I've noticed during this pregnancy is the fact that changes don't happen over a week long period slowly, they happen all of a sudden. For example, all of a sudden my belly is huge and everyone asks how far along I am, but seriously the day before no one could tell I was pregnant. Or one night I'm sleeping just dandy and the next I'm tossing and turning, and turning is suddenly very difficult. One day I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. Now I seriously have a nightly ritual of 2 Tums at about 5:30 for the heartburn. Baby used to give a kick every few days, one day last week she just decided she would kick all day long. That part is actually pretty cool, especially feeling what part of her body is where. I can now tell the difference between little feet and a big bum that's stuck in my ribs. I've found she enjoys the right side of my stomach and especially my right ribs, she must feel safe there. I wonder what the next changes will be? Not being able to tie my own shoes all of a sudden?

I'm officially done with college! I finished my student teaching last Friday and I feel so free. Sure, I have a TON of stuff to do for the business, but it's my own time now and I love that. The last day of school was really sweet. Those kids are the best, I'll post about them soon.

A birthday girl

My sister has a big birthday today. I so wish I could be with her to celebrate and eat lots of yummy food and dance around together. Instead I want to tell you why she is an amazing sister.

Always there to play dress up with. I don't know anyone else who I can always count on to dress up with and not need an occasion for it, I love it.

A true testament of an amazing sister. When I moved to New York City she came to visit me and it rocked. We got to see Phantom of the Opera, eat lots of yummy food, and walk around the entire city. Let's go back.

Another reason we're sisters. No one else can make as great of faces and poses as my sister and I. It must be the dancer in us.

I really shouldn't have posted this picture, my head looks ginormous. I have always been bigger than my sis. The joke was if I stood behind her my shoulders would still stick out, what can I say I have football player shoulders.

Thank you for pushing me up to level hard on Rock Band CoCo!

Did I mention she is seriously beautiful?

We look alike. That face wasn't planned, we're just that good.

CoCo I love you I'm so glad I got to be your little sister growing up. I'm glad you used me to play dress up and loved me so much. I'm especially glad I get to be not only your little sis but your friend now. I can't wait for you to be the best Aunt to my little baby the world has ever seen. Happy Birthday!!!!

Happy Halloween

Grant is not the easiest person to photograph. He doesn't love taking your "normal" picture. Don't get me wrong I love a good crazy face picture, they are SO fun. But there are times when I want some pictures for memories sake. This particular Halloween at the pumpkin patch was too good of a photo op to pass up, so we made a deal.

Grant got to choose the first pose. The looks on our faces tell all. (Get it my belly as the giant pumpkin?)

But...

I got this festive gem out of it, I'd say the trade off was worth it.

A belly

There's the belly at 21 weeks. She is growing growing growing! Friday night I could see her moving around and poking her little limbs out. This whole pregnancy thing is pretty cool I must say.

More about the baby

If you haven't noticed this baby takes up a lot of my thoughts! I'm just so enraptured by her and the fact that she's inside of me. I love it. Here's some awesome pictures, I'm sure she'll love me posting pictures of her little privates! During the ultrasound today she was SO shy with her little face. She kept turning it away from the ultra sound so we couldn't get a good profile. She finally turned just right only to stick her little arm in front of her face. So naughty already! But oh so cute. She was not nearly as shy about other parts... let's just say we have plenty of good shots to let us know she is DEFINITELY a girl. All of a sudden this pregnancy seems like it's going to take forever. I am so excited to meet our little baby girl.


On a totally different note, I can't forget to write about my little second graders. My naughty, yet adorable second graders. I have days where I come home just wishing spanking was allowed in school. Other days I come home feeling so refreshed and fulfilled. It's such a roller coaster. Even if I come home not loving them so much, the next day they will greet me with big hugs, smiles, and compliments about how cute I dress. They also LOVE to poke my belly. They are on constant belly watch and are not shy to let me know when, "Mrs. Romney you really look pregnant today," or on better days, "Mrs. Romney I can't even tell there's a baby in your tummy." They are so excited and ask me almost everyday if I will please bring her back when she's born in March. I totally will! It's been such a good experience being with them. It's been emotionally draining a well. Most of them come from such broken homes where either mom or dad, or sometimes both have left their lives. A lot of them talk about being home alone or with a sibling until 5 or 6 at night. Some of them come to school in the same clothes from the day before. I wish I could take them all home with me. I guess that's the hardest part, watching them walk right back into a home where they really shouldn't be. I have to learn to let go of the job, but it's so hard when I love them SO much.

Other then baby growing and teaching life is pretty normal. Grant is running our business like a champ and Texas has officially cooled off which I LOVE. We move into our new house in just over a week and I'm thrilled! I still don't really believe it's real, and I probably won't until we're sleeping there!

Traumatic

The last couple days have been a bit traumatic, but there was a wonderful, beautiful light at the end. Let me start from the beginning. I went to school on Friday just like normal. The day was fine, but at about 1:30 I felt this sharp stabbing pain in my left side straight through my back, within a minute I was on the floor rolling and screaming in pain. My mentor teacher Marnie took control and had the kids go out for recess and she knelt next to me and let me grip her hand. The next 20 minutes were filled with the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my entire life. It felt like someone was sticking a knife straight through my side through my back and moving it around. I could barley breath and I was drenched in sweat. They proceeded to call 911 and informed me to hold on for just a few minutes and the paramedics would be there. I literally thought I was dying and I was freaking out about what would happen to my baby. Marnie called Grant and told her what was going on and that he should hurry up here quickly. At won't point I lost feeling in my hands and feet, the paramedics later informed me that this happens when your body goes into shock because of such a high amount of pain. I kept wishing I would just pass out so I wouldn't feel the pain anymore. Well in the ambulance I remember hearing the paramedic call the hospital and fill them in on what was happening. They asked if they could give me anything for the pain, but the hospital said to wait especially since I was pregnant. I about died! 20 more minutes of this pain seemed like a lifetime. They kept asking me what is your pain scale and all I could do was hold up 10 fingers I couldn't get any words out. Marnie came in the ambulance with me and waited in the emergency room until Grant got there holding my hand the entire time. We got to the hospital and they informed me they would run some tests. The minute Grant walked through the door I started bawling, I was so scared, I didn't know what was happening to me or my baby. They finally started me on morphine, but because the pain was so high it took 3 doses to even lower the pain at all. After a lot of tests and A LOT of waiting in a hospital room the ultrasound technician finally came to check on the baby. I was so nervous, but Grant kept reassuring me that it would all work out. She instantly showed us the baby and saw the heartbeat, I cried some more. My baby was ok. After about 30 minutes of checking my kidneys through the ultrasound she said ok lets check all the stats on the baby, and asked if we knew the gender yet? We said we would find out in 2 weeks. She said ok good because I'm not allowed to tell you. Now I don't know if it was the sad, pathetic puppy dog eyes I was giving her or the fact that every time she pushed the ultrasound tool on my stomach I cried out in pain and she felt guilty, but she said if we promised not to tell anyone at the hospital she would tell us the gender. No brainer right? Yes Please! We asked her if it was too early to tell, she said she already knew.

It's a GIRL!!!! I beautiful, precious, miracle of a girl. Grant and I just looked at each other with this look of complete satisfaction and excitement. I still can't believe it, I can call my baby a she instead of an it!

At about 6:00 pm the doctor came in to talk to me. He said there was an 80% chance I had kidney stones. The only way to know 100% would be to give a cat scan but they can't do that while you're pregnant so there was no way of knowing. He gave me the option of staying in the hospital for another day or going home with a heavy dose of pain meds. He said the only reason to stay in the hospital would be to manage the pain because it would be pretty intense until the stone passed. I figured I'd rather be in pain in my own bed. While I was waiting to be discharged I asked the nurse if I was a wuss or if kidney stones are really this painful. She informed that a lot of women have said it's worse then child birth. I sighed a sigh of relief at that. While I know that child birth won't be easy, especially since I plan on going au natural, it was comforting to know I could make it through extreme pain.

Today has been A LOT better, I think the stone has worked it's way out and I've avoided taking any pain meds all day. And on a brighter note, I've spent the day bonding with the little sweetie in my stomach. This morning Grant and I had a little chat with her, and today I've thought about her ALL day long. It all seems so real now, I got a little choked up thinking about her first steps, first day of school, first date, first heartbreak, and all the firsts in her life. She is a real person and she is all Grants and mine. Life is good and hopefully I'm now kidney stone free thank goodness!