Things I've Learned in the Past 6 Weeks..

Okay, so my class this year is really sweet. They are really polite. I really enjoy my days with them. But, oh my gosh, they remember nothing from kindergarten, first, or second grade. I'm talking laugh out loud ridiculously sad answers. We do five Daily History questions each morning that they have to answer without multiple choice answers to pick from. I thought you might want to know some things that you may have forgotten since your days in the third grade...

*George Bush invented the water clock.

*The Nile River is in China.

*No wait, it's in Virginia.

*The James River, on the other hand, was the most famous river in Ancient China.

*Our current president is Abraham Obama. Yes, I'm serious.

*Who helped women get the right to vote? Why, it was "heven". Yep, heaven. I have no clue.

*Helen Keller and Susan B. Anthony helped the slaves on the Underground Railroad.

*Abraham Lincoln was a woman.

*Nevermind, he was our first president.

*We live on the north coast of America.

*Rome and Pompey are states in America.

*Michigan is the country that is under our country.

*The first six words of the Pledge are "United States of America".

*The capital of Virginia is George Washington.

That's all I can remember for now, but I'll be sure to update later when I remember some others. My kids and I had a "come to Jesus" meeting yesterday about their ridiculous answers. And yes, I did tell them that when they didn't pay attention it made me want to cry, and crying was bad for the baby. So sue me. ;)

Prego Friends and a Baby Shower

So yesterday I threw a baby shower at church for my BFF April, her hubby Jeremy, and unborn baby London. It was fun!! I'm no event planner, but I did my best to make it a fun day for everyone, especially them. There was lots of yummy food, a few entertaining games (picture 3 soon-to-be dads and baby bottles filled with tea), and lots of gifts. April deserves the best - she's gonna be such a good mama to little London. Enjoy a few pictures from the day while I continue recovering from the weekend excitement while laying on the couch!

And in case you haven't seen your share of bellies today, here ya go! The TFC pregos....April with London at 35 weeks, Victoria with Micah at 26 weeks, and Me with Sprout at 18.5 weeks.

Look....

over to the right. See the Baby Sprout poll? You should cast your vote! Only four more days until the big ultrasound!!

Check out the Classroom!

So my email/blog buddy Merritt suggested that I post pictures of my classroom, so I decided that would be fun. Apparently my life is so boring that I have nothing else to write about. Actually I have a lot to write, but just not the energy. So instead look at my new classroom - I really love it! I happened upon this room because of the death of my coworker and great friend Susan (Mama Susan as we called her). It was super hard to walk in every day at first, but it gets easier every day. I'm not sure how I feel about it getting easier....it doesn't feel right for it to be "normal" for her to not be there. But I guess that is the way it always is with a loss. I would teach in a 4 ft. by 4 ft. room to have her back.....but I'm thankful for the extra space and especially for the in-room bathroom.

Baby Survey

I'm a really bad blogger. I'm going to try to work on that. I only have like 2 or 3 readers, so at least I'm not disappointing too many people. While you wait for me to have something interesting to say, here's a survey about baby Sprout that I stole from Merritt. The questions - not the answers.

How far along? 17 weeks and 4 days
How much weight gain? 4-5 pounds as of this morning - but I chalk that up to my MIL's cooking this weekend!
Is your bellybutton in? yes, but not much else is "in"
Wearing maternity clothes? the 2 articles that I have....can't find any that fit right quite yet
Cravings or aversions? no chicken, no way
Signs and symptoms? horrible back pain....think it might be my sciatic nerve already.....oh, and heartburn, restless legs, sore gums, headaches, and stuffy nose!
Feeling baby move? Not yet....maybe one little jab last night but I'm not terribly convinced....still waiting! I actually just felt it again....but Jonathan says it might just be the meatloaf, haha!
Pregnancy milestones? The 2nd trimester was fun.....made me worry a little less! Clothes not fitting was a milestone, but not really a fun one!
Upcoming appointments? October 1....it's the big one!
Name? Nope. Jonathan is super indecisive. We have it narrowed down to about 2 boy names and quite a few girl names. We'll start narrowing them down after the appointment!

Meet Sprout...Finally!

Since facebook is the new way to break news, you all know about our exciting, pickles-on-pizza craving news! But, in a futile attempt to make people read my blog, I'm going to give you all the good info here.....and some pictures, too!

We knew we were ready for babies a few months ago. In fact, we actually had a miscarriage in April and were absolutely crushed. We really had to trust and be patient for the next few months while healing from that pain and praying for another healthy pregnancy. On my first day of summer vacation I took a test, and there was a faint line. I had already known I was pregnant just by the way I was feeling.....but Jonathan was harder to convince. He said he wouldn't believe it until he saw words - apparantely lines don't work for him! Luckily I had one digital one that April had given me after Tad was confirmed, I took it the next day, and we knew for sure!

Honestly, it was the longest 3.5 weeks of my life waiting for our first appointment at 7 weeks. It's amazing what losing a baby will do to the optimism of the happy time it's supposed to be. I started having a lot of signs - including terrible nausea. I knew this was a good sign, but boy it wasn't fun. And it hasn't stopped yet! Oh, and by the way - the 5K I ran was a week after we found out - doesn't that make it even more awesome?


We went to the doctor on July 10 and got our first glimpse at this sweet baby. He/She was not much more than a peanut - but have you ever seen a peanut with a beating heart? Awesome! Here, look!
I'm now 13 weeks, woohoo! This means I'm done with the first trimester - finally! Ready to start feeling better! We went to the doctor again on August 6 and got some more pictures and heard a strong heartbeat of 164. Everybody says that means girl - guess we'll see in about 6 weeks! I feel pretty strongly that Sprout is a girl, but wouldn't it be ironic if the first time I guessed wrong was on my own!

And to hopefully answer most of your questions - I'm due February 25 and will take at least 7-8 weeks off. Jonathan and our parents and family are thrilled! I will deliver at New River Valley Medical Center in Radford. I have actually lost a few pounds due to the nausea - no maternity clothes for me quite yet! I crave pizza, breadsticks, and cheesesticks. Meat disgusts me. Healthy, I know! We'll find out boy or girl around the beginning of October if little Sprout cooperates. I go for my 15 week appt. on September 4. God is good - and we are so thankful!

Friend of the Week....eh....Month - April B.

I kind of forgot about this trend. Oops! But, I'm here to catch up and make up for lost time. April is one of my very best friends and I thought I'd tell you a little about her! She is married to Jeremy, who is Jonathan's musician friend and bandmate. I first met April when I visited The Freedom Center with Jonathan when we first started dating. April was very sweet right away, and I honestly can't really remember how our friendship really developed. Over time we got to know more and more about each other and had lots of fun telling our funny stories.

We realized April and Jer were good travel buddies for us - so we took our first vacation to the mountains. Oh, the stories. We took a hike - which let April finally brag on her "outdoorsy" skills. We went tubing down the Little River that was practically dried up. Ask April about the fish that flopped around in her lap - causing quite a bit of panic and some long-lasting scars.

April was a bridesmaid at our wedding - and was so awesome. She went with me to Bristol to fight for some respect at King. She threw me an awesome shower at church (with Victoria's help) and she was always there when I needed her. Now, I get to be there for her - as we anxiously await baby Tad (okay, London) joining us in October or November! Oh, I can't wait to meet that little baby. You wouldn't believe how much he's already been prayed for!!

The last picture is just for April - HELP ME!!!