xmas/ 2 months

I love "winter" in Arizona.  The high is 70 degrees and yet in the evening a few weeks back, we heard a wimpy Arizonan exclaim as they exited a restaurant "brrrr, what is this Canada?!?"  I saw a kid walking to school this morning wearing shorts, flip flops, and a giant blanket draped over her bookbag- Quazimodo style.
Still, I wish we had more connections around here, especially when Thanksgiving comes around.  I cooked for Thanksgiving, expecting some conversations with students at an event hosted on campus.  What I didn't expect was to be sitting around a huge table with a handful of strangers, eating in silence while watching the dog show.  It was good to host some friends the following weekend though, and have a "real" thanksgiving, which- for me- is incomplete without at least one lively boardgame.

Colin is almost 11 weeks old and doing great.  He is babbling a lot more now and almost seems to understand the concept of a conversation.  He waits until I have finished talking to him before babbling back.  His favorite things are watching Murphy cross the room, grabbing toys, grabbing his own ear, and trying to shove his fist into his mouth.

We went caroling with a group from church this week.  I wore Colin in the moby wrap.  It was fun and warm and cozy.  So many things I could not do without babywearing!  I am excited for Colin's first Christmas.  He won't remember it, of course, but I hope to make lots of fun traditions and memories for him in the years to come. 

We are leaving this morning to fly to Mobile so that Colin can be properly spoiled by the grandparents and great-grandparents.  He will meet his aunts, uncle, and cousin- my neice.  I don't have anything else to say so here are some pictures:

cloth diapers

This is not a real blog post, just a short explanation for those who are curious about how we're doing cloth diapers.  I'm a big fan of the system we're using, especially after it contained an epic poo yesterday.  I'm serious.  This was the kind of poo that, once the diaper was opened, the entire area was immediately contaminated and there was nothing to do but strip everything off the baby and changing table and hose it down!
Anyway, we're using probably the most economical cloth diaper method which is prefold diapers in combination with waterproof covers.  I bought the entire stash we're using now for $40 on craigslist.  That's about 36 diapers and 4 covers of each size.  At home, we also use handmade flannel babywipes with homemade wipe solution in a spray bottle.  We still occasionally use disposable diapers when we go out or when we get behind in laundry.  They are faster and easier to put on, but they also leak more often.





So here's what we need to diaper the baby- a prefold diaper, a snappi to get the diaper on snugly, and a diaper cover.

And here's the stack of wipes and spray bottle.  The recipe we use for the wipe spray has water, olive oil, baby soap, tea tree oil, and lavender essential oil.  The tea tree and lavender oil have natural antiseptic qualities.  For the wipes, I cut out 50 or so squares of flannel and zigzag stitched the edges.






After wiping the baby and removing the old diaper to the diaper bin, we fold or roll the section of diaper that goes through the baby's legs, pull it up in the front, and attach it with the snappi.  Here's what it looks like: 

Then, wait 30 seconds so that the baby can immediately wet the new diaper and you can repeat the last steps.  Oh wait, maybe that's just my baby.  Moving along!  We cover the diaper and snappi with the waterproof cover which attaches with velcro and we're done.  What a happy diapered baby!

The dirty diapers and wipes sit in the reusable diaper bag.  We wash them every other day with a special detergent.  They come out nice and clean and our washing machine isn't icky. 

Baby brags- 4 weeks

 Colin is four weeks old!  We have kept him alive- and happy even!  He is very big for his age, in 95th percentile in weight and height at his 2 week appointment.  He's grown out of all the newborn clothes and some of the 3 month clothes too, so you could say nursing is going well.  The other night he slept for four hours straight and has been getting better about sleeping more at night than in the daytime thanks in part to swaddling.  I think we're doing pretty well as parents too.  We haven't dropped him or forgotten him anywhere and have managed to take him out to two Halloween parties and a few stores.  I'm going to try to take him to the grocery store for the first time this weekend.  Fingers crossed that he doesn't get hungry or upset in the store. 





Cloth diapering has been going better than expected.  It takes a little bit longer to put on the prefold and then the diaper cover, but they work much better than disposables in containing blowouts- so I'd say it's worth spending the time upfront to prevent having to wash the poop out of MY clothes.  We have to wash the diapers about every other day, but they come out nice and clean and don't require any special treatment since breastfed baby poops wash out really easily.  Plus we're saving soo much money.  One of Colin's favorite tricks is to mess up a new diaper before you even leave the changing table!

Robert has gone back to working normal hours at the ministry house and I'm very happy to be able to spend this time at home with my little one. We get excited about each little milestone.  It's still hard to believe sometimes that he's all ours!

This is the story of my labor and birth of Colin.  If you'd rather not read about messy bodily functions, private parts, overwhelming pain, and a way a birth that is often far from what you would see in a hospital, then feel free to stop reading now.  Send me a message and I can write you a short, pleasant, g-rated account of the birth.  If you are interested in the whole story of a natural, emotional, and beautiful birth, read on.

You may know that I was still pregnant well beyond the due date of September 18th.  Every day was increasingly frustrating for me - not because I was tired of being pregnant- but because I was worried I would have to go to the hospital.  I had been hoping for and preparing for a natural birth at Blossom Birth Center.  I'd been working hard doing Bradley Classes and writing letters to my insurance company to try to get the birth covered, but if I made it to 42 weeks pregnant, all that would be for nothing.  At 42 weeks, I would be required to be induced by medical means.  Pitocin is the drug normally used to start labor in these cases and the side effects include stronger, more painful contractions, unhealthy fluctuations in the baby's heart rate, and an increased chance of other interventions being necessary.  For these reasons, I would be required to go to the hospital for this kind of induction.

When I went into the birth center at 41 weeks and 6 days (Tuesday morning), I was very disappointed and expecting nothing more than a vaginal exam and a run-down on the procedures at the hospital.  When I came in, we did the vaginal exam and I was dilated only a fingertip with a posterior cervix.  Mary, the midwife, asked how I was feeling and I told her how much I didn't want to go to the hospital.  She did talk me through the hospital procedures but said she hoped that wouldn't be the way things would go.  She proceeded to give us a regimen of natural means to start labor.  We were to go home, zonk me out with tylanol pm so we could start rested, and wake up to have sex, drink labor inducting tea, do constant nipple stimulation, put warm compresses on my breasts, do 4 liters of labor-inducing enema concoction, and do a series of positions known as the Miles Circuit to make sure the baby wasn't facing posterior.  Mary gave us a pep talk that left us psyched to start labor and sure that this was going to work.  And if it didn't work that night, we would continue at the birth center as long as possible.  We did everything she said starting at about 5pm that afternoon, until about 4 am the next day when another nap became necessary.  Robert was very supportive- getting me warm compresses constantly and not being too squeemish about the enemas.  I was having regular but mild contractions all night that went away whenever I was in a resting position.  We celebrated Robert's birthday in the wee hours of the morning.   

We went into blossom at 10:00 on Wednesday morning and I was found to be 3 centimeters dilated.  We continued the enemas, teas, and nipple stim, and we added blue cohosh and a homeopathic labor enhancer. The regular but mild contractions lasted all day, but seemed to disappear whenever Mary came to check on me.  By late afternoon I was only 4 centimeters dilated Mary asked if I wanted to go to the hospital at that point, but I said no.  I thought that it would be non-negotiable that I go in for medical induction, but they let me labor on.  I felt like contractions were getting a little stronger but I could still talk through them if necessary.

 Robert went to get dinner at Chipotle around 9pm while Summer, the doula, stayed with me.  The contractions started intensifying while Robert was gone.  When he came back with the food, one contraction made me collapse on the bed.  By 10, I couldn't eat the dinner Robert brought me or talk through contractions.  They quickly became intense to the point that I had to moan and move through the contractions.  I liked being on the bed on my knees with my front half on the birth ball rocking while Robert held my hands.  It must have looked like a strange game of tug-of-war.  I also liked standing up and swaying while holding on to Robert, but I despised laying down through contractions.  Laying down, I felt like a snake stabbed into the ground by a pitchfork, writhing in pain!

After a while (11 pm?  midnight?),  I threw up my dinner between a contraction and continued throwing up between every 3 contractions or so. I asked to get in the tub and labored in there for a few contractions, but couldn't get comfortable.  On my hands and knees, the water was too high for me to relax into.  Floating on my back was nice between contractions but horrible during them.  Mary came in and and annoyed me with how well-rested she was and how happy she sounded that I was obviously in labor now.  Robert was laying cold cloths on my back because I was too hot in the tub, but when I got out I was too cold AND too hot and I started shaking.  I got no breaks and was worried I wouldn't be able to hold out since I hadn't slept in close to 24 hours and was throwing up every liquid that I swallowed.

Robert:  I remember this as the most difficult part, for Laura physically and emotionally, and for me emotionally.  I was a bit lost in what I could do to help ease her pain. Presence is at least something I can do well.  Laura had wanted so much to labor in the tub, but it was uncomfortable for her, and she was in the midst of a period of labor called "transition."  Transition is marked by  contractions that are usually very strong, coming every two and a half to three minutes or so and lasting a minute or more.  It involves a lot of shaking and shivering.  There is a often a feeling on the part of the woman of wanting to give up or back out.  As soon as Laura told me she was simultaneously hot and cold I recognized that she was a textbook case in what transition often looks like.  At this point, my sense of helplessness seemed to evaporate.  I knew where we were in the process.  I took a more active coaching role here, and when we moved Laura from the tub to the toilet, I took the time to affirm her to tell her how proud I was of everything she had done.  After five minutes of affirmation from me, Laura looked at me and said "let's do this."  We moved back to the bed.  Mary came in to check on us shortly.

Mary checked me and said my cervix had disappeared and I could push if I wanted, but I shook my head.  I had been feeling some pressure in my butt, but not enough to waste any energy pushing.  Two contractions later I felt like I was involuntarily trying to squat while I was standing and holding on to Robert and I took that as a sign that I was ready to try to push through the next contraction.  Robert sat behind me while I was on the birth stool.

Robert:  We were in this position until Colin's birth.  I was Laura's backrest.  Laura was in.the.zone.  When the time came to push, I lifted her elbows and helped her maintain a good birthing posture through the contraction.  We were in this position for about thirty minutes, and about ten minutes in I started feeling uncomfortable since I had nothing behind me for support.  As one contraction was ending, I started to shift myself a bit.  Laura broke her concentration to ask if I was okay.  Mary immediately looked up at me, winked, and said "he's fine."  Message received.  "Yeah, I'm fine, and you're doing great."

I think I pushed through maybe 5 contractions.  Mary and Summer were extremely helpful in direction my pushing and helping me to know what was working.  It felt so good to push after all the contractions that I had been helpless through.  I finally had control over the pain.  They had me touch his head after I'd pushed it out, which I hadn't even realized had happened.  His hand had come through with his head, on the side of his face.  One more push and I felt his slippery, boney self wriggle out of me.  They put him on my belly and peeled the amniotic sac off.  He was so big and slippery and pink and cried almost right away.  Colin James was born in the caul (amniotic sac) at 4:09 am October 3rd at 42 weeks and a day, 9 pounds 7 oz, 21.5 inches long. Completely healthy.

We are waiting for Colin to arrive any day now.  I am 39 weeks and two days pregnant.  The midwives say everything is well, but I sure would like to be over the insomnia.  I know I'm not going to get much sleep with a baby around, so at least I should be able to stock up on sleep now, right?!

I'm done decorating the nursery.  In this first picture you can see the baby's initials, a hot air balloon mobile that I made out of mostly fabric remnants and modgepodge, the crib, and a chair with a quilt made for Robert before he was born.
I sewed the valances matching and crib skirt myself since I couldn't find baby things in the colors that we preferred.  For some reason, all baby decorations in stores seem to be in pastel colors right now.  Since the inside of our house is off-white throughout, I figure we could use some more saturated colors.

Anyway, I'm pretty proud of the way the valances and crib skirt turned out- and that I used every inch
 of fabric and the fringed lining that I bought for the project.  The fringe part looked pretty delicate so I ended up sewing it all on by hand which took a few hours.
Below are a few more details from the nursery:  the rug, the vintage wooden airplane I got from goodwill, a close-up of the mobile.

And here is a video tour of the room.  The music you may hear in the video is coming from the copper hot-air balloon music box playing "Fly me to the moon".  Oh yeah, and here's me standing outside the birth center. 

This is probably my last post for a while.  I'm feeling good about everything and ready to have my little boy in my arms!

9 Months Pregnant!  I'm officially allowed to have my baby at the birth center.  Before yesterday, they would have sent me to the hospital for the nicu but Colin's lungs are probably doing their thing by now. 

The questions everyone wants answered:  It must be awful to be pregnant in Arizona in the summer, right?!  Well, It's just as hot for me as it is for anyone else, and while I get tired a little more quickly standing outside- who is standing around outside anyway?!  I try to take Murphy for walks before it gets too hot in the morning.
 When is the due date?  September 18th is the EDD, but the statistically most likely day for Colin to be born is September 26th, the day after my birthday.  I wish the obstetricians and birth community would just change all due dates to reflect the bell curve of birth dates around 41 weeks +1. It sure would make more sense and possibly make doctors less likely to want to induce before that point.

Torpedo Belly!

Next question- are we ready for the baby?  Well, we have most of the necessary stuff.  We've got diapers and diaper covers, the bassinet is set up and ready to go.  I'm just about done packing the birth center bag.  The carseat is going into the car this weekend.  So, the house is ready.  I've been eating right and doing the exercises prescribed by my birth classes.  I've read up on newborn procedures that are done right after birth.  I've attended a La Leche League meeting.  We have an appointment with a pediatrician next week. I've read up on parenting styles and infant care, so I feel pretty good about that.  I even have some food prepared in the freezer.  But are we ready?  Probably not, but we'll figure it out : )  We're ready enough.  No hurry to get him out though.

I'm 32 weeks pregnant today, so 32 divided by 4 weeks in a month equals- HEY, 8 months!

It's been a while since I last posted.  Mainly because we'd been living in Arizona for three weeks without most of our stuff as the 18 wheeler with our possessions and those of several other families made it across the country.  But finally as of this week, we have our computer set up.

Meanwhile, I've been going to birth center appointments which are long and relaxed but consist of the normal things my old ob office did as well.  In New Haven I would wait in the waiting room for 30 minutes, get moved to a sterile white exam room for 15 minutes, and meet with one of many obs or midwives for 5 minutes.  Now I meet with one of 3 ob or midwives for an hour to an hour and a half in a cozy room with couches and shelves of relevant books.  Instead of just just asking if I have any questions then kicking me out the door, the midwives engage me in conversation about my nutrition, exercise, and what to expect next.  It's a big difference and I'm eating much better now that I'm concerned about specific nutrients and not with weight gain.  Its strange, I used to feel that something could go horribly wrong with the pregnancy at any time but I'm much more relaxed now that I'm informed and really cared for by my healthcare providers.
Robert and I have been going to Bradley classes as well.  They are very much centered around natural birth but are also honest about how hard it is going to be.  We will go to 13 two-hour classes in total.  I'm excited and close to prepared for the baby to show up.  The cradle is setup by our bed and the diapers are ready to go at the changing table.

Our Kitchen!

Our new living room rug!

Unpacking is just about done.  We just have some decorating and straightening up to do.  I think it will feel a little more like home once we get living room furniture.








Here are a few pictures of our house.  I'll post some more once I get the nursery decorated to my satisfaction, assuming I get that done before Colin's big arrival.

The side of our house that faces the street.  It could use some curb appeal.

Third trimester Prego!

Time has flown and it has been so long since I've posted.  In that time I have conducted 6 concerts in two weeks, taken a group of students to perform at Six Flags, flown to Arizona for Robert's ordination to the priesthood, picked a house, picked a birth center, scheduled birth classes, and returned to grade about 300 assignments that my students did in my absence.  I'll go somewhat in order.








One of those performances was a trip to Six Flags.  My students got an excellent rating and seemed to enjoy riding the roller coasters in the middle of a tropical rainstorm.  Oh how I wish I got a picture of them, soaking wet, receiving the trophy, but this picture from their ice cream social will have to do. 
Yes, it was my idea to bring them back to school a week later at 7:00 at night and feed them sugar until they were sticky and bouncing off the walls, and then try to share the judges comments with them.  Note to self:  don't feed the children sugar until AFTER they've heard what you want them to hear.



Then, Robert and I flew out to Phoenix for 6 days.  We chose a birth center headed by an obstetrician and a midwife, 30 or so minutes from where we will be living but right next to the women's and children's hospital.  I loved the place and the way they do things.  I was not so thrilled that the obstetrician is discouraging me from doing any traveling this summer, but we'll see how that goes.

We chose a three bedroom, two bath house on ASU Polytech campus.  It's large and clean with new appliances.  There are some mismatched floor tiles, the house is plain, and the yard is barren, but we have a tree and the house is definitely sufficient for our needs.

Then the main event...Robert got ordained to the priesthood!  It was a beautiful ceremony with great music. Our friend Emilie gave a terrific sermon.  Many supportive parishioners were there, as well as Robert's parents and family friends from Mobile, Bud and Connie.  There was tons of food and happiness all around.

We had a good time in Phoenix and I don't think we were too stressed for time even though we got a lot done.  I think it was really starting to hit us that calling Mesa home again is just around the corner. 

For the last three days I've been frantically grading papers and cleaning up my spaces at school while Robert has been boxing up our apartment.  The movers get here on Monday to take our stuff and Robert will put me on a plane on Tuesday and start his journey westward by car with his Dad.
The tough part for me is that the movers might get to AZ with our stuff anytime between July 1st and July 19th!  It's entirely possible I won't be in Arizona when the movers arrive due to my summer travel plans (eek!).  All I ask is that we can get settled in by early August.  I've got a baby to get ready for!

Robert has graduated from Yale with is master's in Divinity!  We spent the last three days with Robert's parents in various ceremonies and celebrations at and around the Divinity School.  We explored the campus one last time and said some goodbyes (even though we'll still be around for another 5 weeks).  It was good times.  See my new Yale t-shirt---->

I'm going to put it away for the next few months so I'm not tempted to stretch it out.
In the last two weeks I've reached the point in my pregnancy where people are not just wondering whether I'm pregnant.  Comments I've gotten are "Wow, you're pregnant?!" Or, "Look at that! (points at my belly)  something has...developed".  Once or twice people have reached out and touched my belly.  Just for the record, I'm not too weirded out by that, but do ask first!

I'm 23 weeks pregnant tomorrow...or almost 6 months.  I have 6 concerts to plan and conduct, as well as a trip to Six Flags with 20 students.  I'm feeling well but a bit tired.  In a few weeks we'll be flying to Phoenix for Robert's graduation, then we'll be done.  Last day in New Haven should be June 24th. 

We're getting ready for our little boy to show up in September (and not earlier!)  but I don't think we'll really be able to set things up until we're settled in our new place.  His name is Colin James Berra. :)

It's a boy!

Murphy looks concerned

Yes, we are excited (but come on, we'd be excited either way).  Three different ultrasound techs confirmed it at different ultrasounds.  We have a short list of names but don't want to share until we're sure, which may be next week...or it may be the day the baby is born.  Also undecided:  the color scheme or theme of the baby's nursery.  I am currently loving pictures of vintage hot air balloons and may end up doing a hot air balloon or travel-themed nursery.  Check out my Pinterest if you want to see more about that.  I do prefer more gender-neutral stuff for the nursery though.  It would get more use if we have a girl later on, plus, we realized that not all boys are crazy about tonka trucks and sports.

I have been reading up a little on parenting methods and I tell you what, there is a lot to read!  From attachment parenting to the babywise method there are full-length guides to how to do everything with a baby.  Then there specific ways to reach developmental goals, such as the elimination communication method and methods specific to establishing a sleeping schedule.  I'm far from done with my research into all the parenting styles, but I think I can define fairly well my way of doing things.  I'm going to read and listen with an open mind, pick and choose aspects from each method that I like, go with my gut, and do whatever I feel like doing.  So there.

20 weeks and 5 days (5 months!)

I believe that babies are born a couple months before they are really ripe.  In other words, to start out, an infant's life should be very womb-like:  very comforting, with feedings on demand, and without rules about when to sleep.  After that, I'll transition into a schedule probably not too far from the one that the babywise method advocates.  I plan on babywearing and breastfeeding, but not till a kid is two.  I'm not saying it isn't good for the child, but but I have my limits.  Later in the child's life, I may take a page or two from the way the traditional French way of parenting.  (want to know more, read Bringing up Bebe)  Sure, I want my child(ren) to love me and be attached to me, but also to be independent and responsible.  I may change my opinion on parenting styles many times but I will stick to that philosophy and I am confident that our kid will turn out just fine!

19 weeks and 4 days today!  We took some unplanned trips to the OBGYN this week.  I was a bit worried but everything is absolutely fine.  Baby is perfect and active and was a little bigger than average for 19 weeks, about 10 inches head to toe.  All measurements were normal, the heart has good valves, the cord has three arteries, etc.  We got lots of good pictures but this one is my favorite:

I like how the face is toward you and you can see the nose and eye area really well.  I started feeling the baby kick a little on Wednesday.  It felt a little like a jellyfish swimming around at first...whooosh, but yesterday I was sitting outside and reading and I got two really good kicks right below the bellybutton.  They were so hard that I could see them!  It was rather shocking.  Stay tuned for our gender announcement on Cinco De Mayo!

Tough week it's been, hasn't it?  I could dwell on the sad events across the country and within my circles, but I'm ready to look forward to happier things.  After all, the cherry blossoms are in bloom!

I had my 18 week appointment this week.  The little booger squirmed all around so it took the midwife a couple of minutes to find the heartbeat, but it was a good steady heartbeat and everything seems fine.  Two weeks till we get to see the baby again and find out the gender! I'll be looking for a new midwife and/or birthing center when we're in the Phoenix area for Robert's graduation in seven and a half weeks.  Moving in the middle of the pregnancy does make things a little complicated.

I'm feeling well and generally in a good mood.  Sleep has been evading me quite a bit though.  All my life I've been able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat, but nowadays, I wake up in the middle of the night and feel completely awake.  It feels like my brain is going a million miles an hour.  Thank goodness for naps!   

I went to Motherhood Maternity yesterday for a pair of pants that were on sale and they gave me a bag of goodies including a baby bottle and a sample packet of Beudreaux's Butt Paste.  I can honestly say I did not expect to go shopping and leave with butt paste :)

It's spring!  Hard to believe since there is still a big pile of dirty snow in the mall parking lot.  With the weather getting somewhat warmer, I've been able to hike up East Rock Park a few times in the last couple of weeks.  I took Murphy with me today and wore him out pretty good, so I thought this afternoon would be a good one to try something I haven't been brave enough to do for a while...take Murphy to the dog park.

Murphy running a lure course, 2009

Murphy has had a few bad dog park experiences, stemming, I believe, from the time about 3 years ago that he tried to play with a tiny jack russell puppy and the puppy's owner went berserk yelling that Murphy was attacking the little thing.  Ever since that time, Murphy has obsessed over puppies and small/anxious dogs.  Let me be clear, my dog is not aggressive and has never hurt another dog, but he plays rough and tries to pin anxious dogs to the ground while growling. This doesn't always go over well with the owners. 

I am always very attentive of Murphy around other dogs, correcting him if he even LOOKS at another dog the wrong way.  Today was wonderful, though.  The four dogs in the park took turns introducing themselves to Murphy, he had a few good games of chase, and then after about 5 minutes, we left.  Why?  I think it's important for him to leave with a positive experience...maybe that will make them more likely in the future.

So I noticed that I wore the same shirt today as I did in my post two weeks back.  Here's the side-by-side comparison:

14 Weeks

16 Weeks

I'm very excited that I can now say I'm four months pregnant.  When people ask how far along I am and I respond in weeks, I can always see their brains working to figure it out in months anyway.  And four months seems like a lot- almost halfway to term- yay! 

Arizona update:  it looks like we will be moving into a 3 bedroom house on the campus of Arizona Polytechnic in late June/early July.  It's not that pretty but it sure is very convenient, functional, and a bargain.

 Happy Belated Easter everybody!

This week, my students found out that I'm pregnant.  I'd been holding off on telling them, dreading the distraction from the upcoming concert, but I've noticed that some have been looking and whispering.  So on Wednesday, when a loudmouth 6th grade girl, let's call her Katie, started asking me questions, I was hesitant at first, but went with it.

Katie:  Mrs. Berra, Do you have any kids?
Me:  No.  I have a dog.
Katie:  Oh.

 ....30 seconds later...

Katie:  Mrs. Berra, Do you plan on having kids?
Me:  Yes, I suppose, why?
Katie:  Oh...reasons.
Me:  Reasons like what?
Katie:  Well, when teachers get pregnant, they leave us with substitutes for a long time and I just would want to know that sort of thing.
Me:  Do you think that I'm pregnant?!
Katie: ...yes.
Me:  Well...You would be right.

There was much screaming and jumping.  When I told her she could tell the rest of the class (that had not been paying attention to this exchange)  I expected her to just yell it out, but she went around to every student and whispered in their ears so I could see each one's look of surprise.

I figured every student would know by Friday (word travels fast in middle schools), and I'd rather have them congratulate me and get it over with than whisper about it, so I went ahead and told the rest of my classes.  

In one 7th grade class, I was hugged by about 10 kids at once.  I'm glad I don't have to fret too much about what I'm going to wear in the morning and whether the kids will notice.  I'm hoping they will be more helpful. 

This is my first blog post ever... I'm so untechie.  

Oh look, I can add pictures!  This is me at 13 weeks, 3 days pregnant in one of my new maternity shirts that actually camouflages the belly area when I'm not emphasizing it with my hand there.  It doesn't look like much yet, but I packed away my "skinny clothes" yesterday, including 16 pants/shorts that do not fit at all.  Oh, and a shout-out to those lovely ladies who are giving me your maternity clothes- you rock! 
I'd like to do a series of pictures every two weeks or so until the birth to show how my body is changing. 






Robert is out of town in the Phoenix Valley this week.  He's meeting church people, people he'll be working with, and finding us a place to live with room for our little family.  I'm planning to stay home with the little one for a while and do the crunchy mom thing.  Robert says I'm crunchy (like granola) since I want a natural birth, to cloth diaper, and  to baby wear.  Okay, now some people are rolling their eyes in disbelief that I'd want to go through the pain of birth and months/years of scrubbing poop, but that's fine.  I'm not going to be uptight about it if things don't go my way.  Que Sera Sera.