Merry Christmas!

Hello all! Thanks for your wonderful advice and support! Love you guys! Anyways, we're heading up to the frozen tundra of MN today--although we hear it will actually climb to 34 degrees...wahoo! Adam told me yesterday that his winter coat has gone missing...hopefully it is stashed in someone's house up north--otherwise, we'll have to beg and borrow! We'll enjoy our last plane trip without carry 250 different things through the airport...flight tonight at 6:30!

Gary, Andrea and the 4 kids have been down from Colorado visiting...we had a great time with them. The kids are such sweethearts...Daniel, the youngest, took to Adam right away and held his hand most of the day when we went to the parks. Andrew is so full of energy and seemed to enjoy spinning around everywhere we went. Jordan loved talking PS2 and other games with him. I had a great time with Erin--she has a lot of similar interests! She also showed me her learner's permit---can't believe she's old enough to drive! All of the kids loved catching lizards and frogs in our backyard--got some good pics of that!

We've had a wonderful 2005 and look forward to an exciting 2006 as well. Bless you all and enjoy every minute of life! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Pardon Me, But I Have to Rant a Little

I love being pregnant, don't get me wrong...BUT....

I am tired of just looking like I've gained weight...I mean, baby, don't you need a little more room? I didn't really think I looked all that bad until the pictures started...you know, holiday parties, group shots with family, etc. YIKES! I don't look pregnant at all! Just fat! Now, that's no way to look! I would much rather people look at me and say, "Yep, she's preggo..." but no such luck...

Winter Break is HERE!

Alright! 25 minutes until the kiddos leave and we are officially on winter break! Yesssss!
(Can't tell I'm excited, can ya???)

I decided today that Adam and I need to go through the baby book and make a list of boys' and girls' names that we don't hate. This way, we can narrow down our choices...at least to something we can live with! Boys' names are definitely easier than girls'...maybe it is because there are more "normal" two syllable boys' names!

We're still looking for suggestions on both fronts! We hope to have syllables in the 2-1-3 combination because we think it sounds best.

Does any recently new parent know when we have to get furniture? I'm worried that we will have to order it and it will take a long time.

I can't believe that when we come back from our holiday travels, we only have 4 months left. Yikes! Super fun!

Ok, enough random blogging!

It's a....

BABY!!!

Our 20 week sonogram was today. Baby's measurements all appear to be good so far and the baby is in good health! He/She is measuring at 14oz. which is right on--good growing! The baby was VERY awake during the measurement taking...in fact, it was hard for the tech to get some angles because the baby kept moving!

Once it was time for MOMMY to see, baby showed me a profile (pictured) and then turned and layed on its side--butt out! What a little stinker! Apparantly, baby was tired of all that moving before! Oh well--so we didn't get any good pictures (except the one pictured) and no good 4D shots (because there wasn't enought fluid between the baby and placenta) but at least we know that we have a healthy baby with all of its limbs and a nice, strong heart!!

The BIG day!

Ok, tomorrow is the big day---we're so excited!
Baby is a little squirmer these past couple of days which, truthfully, makes me giggle!

I can't imagine life being any better than it is right now! We are so fortunate to have so many friends/family and we are excited to have some time off together for the holidays!

Can't believe its been more than 20 weeks now---seems like we were just finding out!

Boy-girl-get your votes in soon! GO to the Baby pool link!

Hello!

Hi little one--

I've been having so much fun with you lately---feeling you wiggle around all over the place! Daddy is so excited--he can't wait to feel you move too. We hope you hear us when we talk to you and play music for you. Daddy says it is important to have the rhythm and the beat--so you are getting quite a variety of music to listen to. (No, honey, daddy's yelling during the football games is NOT music!!)

Keep on doing a great job growing! We're so proud! We can't wait to see you on Wednesday...

Love you!
-Mommy

Supposed to be FUN!

Hi everyone!

I've received many, many, many emails and posts from people regarding many different opinions. I LOVE getting all the different opinions, but I don't want people to be offended by reading my blog or the posts.

Let's keep in mind that this is supposed to be fun and it is a record of my pregnancy so that I can go back and read it, laugh at it, record it, etc.

I will continue posting on my blog---I would still like to hear your comments---please email them to me from now on!

Our Hearts Skipped a Beat.....

We had our wonderful, everthing looks good checkup last Wednesday. Since the nurse drew the last vial of blood needed to complete the tests, she says, "We'll call you within the week if the tests come back abnormal. Otherwise, we'll discuss them at your next appointment."

Well, we got home from school/VB practice yesterday to a message on the machine: "This is FL Hospital in Celebration calling for Rebecca Rosenbaum, reference #......., we will be available until 7:00 pm this evening. Please call us as soon as you get this message. Thank you."

Ummm....what are we supposed to think....except that we are "within" that week where test results should have come back. So, I called...AND I COULDA KILLED 'EM! (Ok, not killed, but....) They wanted to pre-register me downstairs for our sonogram next week. Yep. That's it. Way to give us new parents HEART ATTACKS! So, rest easy, everything appears to be ok...so far!

Developments---not much has changed recently. I'm starting to show just a little. It might be the recent transition to the heavenly stretchy pants or that I'm not sure I want to stretch out all of my non-maternity shirts/sweaters any longer. It's been about 19.5 weeks now, gained 10 pounds on the dot. I guess that's pretty good. Baby is steadily growing---Adam loves talking to him/her. He's so cute!

SInce I'm on my feet ALL DAY, I'm pretty sure the baby sleeps most of the time. Seems to be most active around dinner time and shortly after right now. It may be attributed to being on my feet all the time, but when I sit too long at night now, my back hurts a little. Whatever. I figure it goes along with the territory!

Lastly, I'm so excited because my friend Michelle here at school is giving me her Medela Pump In Style along with the car adapter and all the goodies. Sweet! Those puppies run around $250, so even if I have to purchase a couple of new attachments, it won't be nearly as much! Michelle, you ROCK!

We're looking into hypnobirthing as a possibility for labor. We've been hearing a lot of fabulous things about it from so many people. There is a lady close to us who is an instructor--that would be nice, but even if we don't take the classes, we purchased the book/CD. Hey, any way you can relax couldn't be bad. Thanks Meg, for introducing us to the concept---seems like whenever I mention it now, somebody knows somebody who used it.

I've rambled on long enough---enjoy today!

18.5 Week checkup!

Gosh--it is so much fun going to the doctor for something good!
Adam and I went to Dr. Crider for the monthly checkup yesterday---the pep talks succeeded! Our appointment was right on time, the nurse found a vein right away and the baby let us hear a nice strong heartbeat! It is so amazing to hear our little one! Keep on growin'! You're doing great, baby!

Our next appointment is scheduled for Wed. Jan 4 where we will go over the myriad of test results as well as review the sonogram.

Speaking of sonogram, Dr. Crider wants us to get the "BIG ONE" done before the 16th...so, we have a 3:00 appt. on Wed. Dec. 14 (20.5 weeks) downstairs in the big U/S room. This will be about 40 minutes of 3D/4D sonogram (fetal measurements, sex, etc.) and then we'll have time if any other family or friend wants to come in and see the baby. BUT...since no one is here (besides our friends from school), they will give us a tape of the U/S and a CD of still pictures to share. We can bring the tape/DVD with us to Minnesota when we come for X-mas for those interested in viewing!

In the interest of the baby pool, we will NOT be sharing the sex of the baby until after the holidays...or until all picks come in...whichever comes first. This is, of course, completely dependant on whether we get a positive declaration of sex from the baby and ultrasound tech. We will not share if we are not completely sure.

Have a wonderful December! Stay warm!

Pep talks...

I gave the little stinker a pep talk this morning on the way to school. We have a doctor's appt. today at 3:45 and I want to make sure baby is on his/her best behavior for the doctor. Last time, the little one scared mommy and doctor when we couldn't find the heartbeat. Maybe he/she just wanted us to see him/her. We ARE visual people and all... ;)

Of course, since I was in the mood for pep talks, I also had to remind my veins to be cooperative today---one more vial of blood to be drawn...(see previous post on last month's fiasco!)

For those of you interested, baby is about the size of a large sweet potato (5.5inches long)---appropriate for the timing! Weighs about 7 oz.
More info to come, I'm sure, after the appointment.

Oh, and HAPPY ENDING OF HURRICANE SEASON!!! (even though there is still one in the Atlantic)...

Turkey, Stuffing and Apple Pie!

We have had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! We were off of work Wed., Thurs., and Fri. so we had plenty of R&R as well as a yummy turkey dinner with the fixins'!

This thanksgiving we were so thankful...to be with friends to celebrate, for the health of family and friends, to have each other and a little one on the way, for the food on the table and for all that God has blessed us with in our lives.

Dinner: Throw in a bunch of people who have never cooked a Thanksgiving dinner in their lives together and what do you get? A surprising mix of great food! We had two different turkeys--one traditionally cooked in a bag in the oven and one rotisseried on the VERY cool Ronco Showtime 4000! That one was spiked with buffalo wing sauce and was DELICIOUS! I made an apple pie and a banana creme pie (which Adam claims is as good as his mom's--good thing---they were from her recipes!) The stuffing had apples in it, which was new to us but scrumptious. We laughed about the cranberries, because someone brought them, yet not a single one of us likes them (10 people). In short, the food was plentiful, everyone pitched in by bringing something, and we had a great time. Afterwards, we played board games and then went for round two of food!

On Saturday, we had a garage sale with another couple in the neighborhood. It initally seemed like a weird idea, being Thanksgiving weekend and all, but they're moving to Phoenix next weekend so it had to get done today. Well, evidently people are in the mood for spending and savage shopping because we started at 8:00 am and were pretty much wiped out by 11:45. We took one small load to goodwill and came home to a wonderfully clean and EMPTY garage!

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We missed you, but we'll have a great time during the X-mas season visiting!

It's Friday! (and payday) Does it Get Any Better??

Well, pretty much all the students in 6th grade know, and the word is spreading amongst 7th and 8th graders. It's been a fun week---the kids' reactions are PRICELESS! Most of them think we are CRAZY for having kids. I find that very amusing! Everyone of them has an idea for a name. To solve what was bound to be an hour long discussion, I said I'd put a suggestion box in my room. They liked that idea. Every boy wants us to have a boy, every girl wants us to have a girl. You gotta love 11 and 12 year olds!

Cravings so far (I can't recall if I put this down already and I'm too lazy right now to go back and check):
1. SALT, SALT, SALT!
2. Pickles (again, SALT!)
3. Russian Hamburgers (with SALT...ok, this may just be because we just made 34 of them)
4. Root beer
5. Milk (Lots of it!)

Adam's cravings:
1. Anything FOOD
2. Milk (Lots of it!)

Our worries:
1. Having a healthy baby
2. Providing for our baby

Our joys:
1. Discovering new things (like the wall of pacifiers at Babies R Us)
2. Feeling the baby (ok, that's my joy right now, but Adam still thinks it is VERY cool)
3. Each doctor's appt. (little heartbeat, measurements, ultrasounds...)
4. Changing/adapting together
5. Sharing our views and dreams
6. Laughing about all the nicknames our baby is bound to have (and that's BEFORE Uncle Jimmy...)

What we're feeling right now:
1. Excited/Giddy
2. Anxious/Nervous
3. Worried
4. So "In Love" with each other and baby
5. Happy/Content/Joyous
Basically, everything all at once! :)

It's a wonderful life! We're enjoying the roller coaster! Have a great weekend!

16.5 Weeks...

Here's the little bubble of a tummy. It still isn't visible with clothes on, but definitely noticable with a swimsuit or tighter outfit.

Also, Adam let the cat out of the bag at school with his classes, so today and tomorrow we are telling the students. They are really excited--ask a lot of questions... my students are most worried about who's going to take over in May. I tried to assure them that it wouldn't be for long and that I would prepare good stuff for them to do. We'll worry about that in the spring!

Have a wonderful day!

Reasons to find out the baby's sex:
Pick only one name
Buy sex specific clothes
Decorate the nursery
Bonding with a specific baby
We hate green and yellow, P-E-W!
To annoy relatives
Why not?

Reasons to wait:
Like the surprise
Help make the last few weeks of pregnancy bearable, not knowing
To annoy relatives

We've gone back and forth on this issue. I think Adam really wants to know, and if you know Adam he is such a worry wart. It would be one less thing for him to stress over. I don't know...maybe we'll change our minds...maybe we'll find out and not tell anyone who lives "up north".

Thoughts, questions, ideas...

Misinterpretations Abound!

For the record, I am definitely NOT wishing this pregnancy time away---we're having a lot of fun with it so far!

But, the 94 days left are SCHOOL days...I have no idea how many days until baby comes...you'd have to add in weekends, holidays, spring break, etc. and that is far too much math.

Love you all--love your blogs too! Don't forget to start entering your predictions into the baby pool (link to the left). We're probably going to find out the sex around Christmas...

So...

How's the weather??? (Ok, it's cheap, but I can only get away with it once a year!)

Only 95 more work days until Baby R. comes--that is, if (s)he doesn't decide to come early!

Thanksgiving shopping...

If you are the After-Thanksgiving Sale type, check out www.blackfridayads.com for some unlisted/early sales. I bought boots at JCP last year--all leather, chocolate brown...they were only $29.99 instead of $100.00---found out about it on this site!

Oh, our volleyball team creamed Bellalago yesterday--15-3, 15-4, and 15-9(2nd string players).

Only 8 school days until December!

Flutterbys...

Ah, what a great feeling! 5:56 Sat. morning I DEFINITELY felt the little one...I love that I can feel the little bambino/a once in awhile! What a cool experience. Right now, it is so slight and only once in awhile that I'm paying close enough attention to feel it...but still...wow!

Adam says that he can't wait until he can feel it too, but he'll have to wait a little while for that one!

My grandma and grandpa Gorr came to visit this weekend, as did my mom. In fact, they are here until Tues. morning. We're having a good time. We took them to EPCOTs Food and Wine Festival on Friday and we went shopping on Sat. (to Babies R' Us!!) and saw Cirque Du Soleil which never ceases to amaze me. Today we went to Downtown Disney. They had an Art Festival going on---fabulous sidewalk artists (they actually created art using pastels on the concrete!). Not sure what tomorrow holds, except our students have their 1st volleyball game of the season so we'll have to be there for that!

Hope you are all doing well!

Can It Be? Is It Possible?

I may be mistaken, but I think I felt the baby move today. Of course, I may just be nervous because my grandparents are coming to scrutinize our home today....nope, I really think the butterflies are the baby. Gosh...I hope so...

Happy Veteran's Day tomorrow!

Crazy Lady @ the Doctor's Office

I don't think I've mentioned this before...but it is something I find so bizarre and have NEVER heard from a preggo lady before...

There's a girl sitting next to me at the office--she's about the same age as I am. We got to chatting a little and she tells me her baby boy is due in December. I ask her if this is her first and she replies, "First and Only!" "Oh, you and your husband are only planning on one?" she says, "No, we wanted a big family, but I CANNOT STAND how this baby moves and kicks inside of me. I am so irritated with him and cannot wait until December."

Yikes! I guess some people have VERY different opinions. I happen to think that feeling your baby move would be reassuring and kind of neat. Of course, while you are trying to sleep might not be fun or if baby wants to stand on your ribs or bladder, it might be uncomfortable/painful, but I haven't heard someone who downright hates it as much as she does.

15 weeks...and counting...

Wow! It has been awhile since I have posted...

Baby, Adam and I are doing fine--time seems to be passing too quickly right now. We picked out furniture for baby's room but haven't ordered it yet. We really like it because it doesn't scream, "BABY!" but can be used long after the crib gets packed away! Yikes! That seems like such a long time away!

I've been thinking about a baby's album already and collecting information and pictures to put in it. People say that once a baby is born, they rule the household---well, it seems like baby is ruling our household already! :)

The babe is about 4 inches long now and weighs about 2.5 oz. I didn't realize it, but at this stage, the baby can sense light---if we shine a flashlight at my tummy, the baby most likely would move away from the light. The baby can suck his/her thumb now and has full movements of extremities---I'll have to be paying attention to see if I can start feeling movements soon (16-18 weeks at earliest---for most, 20 weeks)

For me---symptoms are still minor...haven't gained since the last Dr's appt.
My nose is a little stuffed up most of the time--something that has to do with expanded blood vessels...

That's about it for baby news. We are still thinking of names, but have narrowed the boys names down to 3 and the girls...well...um...still working on that. Again, any suggestions are welcome!

A Peach!

Funny how they compare baby's size to pieces of fruit! Anyways, right now baby weighs about 18 grams and is 7.2cm long. Which is about double what he/she was at 7 weeks! Growing fast!

The blood work went ok today. I think I was a little dehydrated yesterday. It still took them several tries to find a vein and the blood stopped running twice while they were drawing it. Oops. I guess my body isn't very cooperative with the doctors today. :)

Crazy Days at the OB

Today's doctor's appointment was such a fiasco. Here's the scoop-- I got there at 3:45, had a 4:00 appointment. Well, 4:30 rolls around (which is unusual because we've never really had to wait longer than about 5 minutes.) The nurse comes out and tells the jam-packed waiting room that both doctors were called to delivery. She said that one of them would be back in about 15 minutes. Well, that happens, so I waited some more. At 4:50, they call me back for the routine stuff. (Officially, I've gained 3 lbs.---13.5 weeks---not too bad!) The nurse does her thing and then Dr. Marcantel comes in to measure and listen to the heartbeat. It is so cool how your body works! I never knew that you could use a measuring tape to figure out how many weeks along you are and if the baby is growing according to schedule. Well, he couldn't find the heartbeat.

At all.
Even after several minutes.
So, he put the equipment away and said, "Let's go look." And off I was to the SECOND ultrasound. We go into the next room where he pulls up the monitor. Sure enough, the little stinker was in there, presumably fast asleep, and in just the position at the back so that the heartbeat wasn't projected. (The baby is twice the size as it was at 9 weeks! Wow!) After a nice strong heartbeat was detected (152 bpm), we all felt better and it was time to go get blood drawn...lots of it...

On to the next fiasco...

The nurse comes in to take a gazillion vials (ok, 5) of blood. She does the standard procedure: feels for the vein, wraps the thingy around the arm, I make a fist, she pokes me with a needle...NO VEIN... So, she takes it out and tries again... NO VEIN... ok, how about the other arm... NO VEIN... she goes out and gets another nurse... STILL, NO VEIN... they go out and get the doctor... YEP, YOU GUESSED IT... NO VEIN. They decided that I need to come back in the morning and they would possibly have better luck. Otherwise, they will send me to the big lab to have bigger needles do the job--yuck.

I finally left the office today at 5:55.
Anyways, it really wasn't too bad---actually, it was all kind of funny (except for the no heartbeat thing). At least my friend Keeley happened to have an appointment today at the same time so we got to hang out in the waiting room together and catch up.

Off to the doctor again tomorrow morning (hey, at least I get to sleep in a little!! :)

Disaster...averted...

Well, Wilma graced us with her presence at 3:00am and found it in her heart to leave Florida at 1:00 this afternoon. That was a pretty fast moving hurricane. She landed south of Naples, FL as a Category 3 and moved NE to the Palm Beach area.

Our house sat right on the edge of hurricane force winds and tropical storm force. What that means...well, generally we had sustained winds 50-60 mph and around 6 inches of horizontally blowing rain. Wind gusts often got higher--near 100 mph. Scary stuff.

Needless to say, although we received very little sleep due to the battering rain/wind on our windows, our poor house withstood the storm and we don't have to spend the rest of the day cleaning up damage. We could only wish the rest of FL was that lucky.

Interestingly enough, after Wilma took off to sea, the skies turned crystal clear blue and cool 58 degree temps. are gracing us with a brisk, BLUSTERY, fall day!

Baby has decided that (s)he doesn't care for hurricanes too much, so keep your ears out for teaching jobs if you are in the MN area...we think we've had enough!

Update on Wilma

The memories of Hurricane Charley are too fresh on our minds...this one has a similar path... this time, they predict it will go south of us, but they said it would go north of us last year--they were VERY wrong!

Wilma so far:

1)Tied record for most storms in a season. They are out of names and have to go to Alpha, Beta, etc. after this.

2) Tied for number of hurricanes in a season.

3)Wilma has the lowest barometric pressure on record right now (882 mbs). Basically, the lower the pressure, the stronger the storm. (Katrina was 944 mb., I believe) If the number drops, it is getting stronger--if it raises, the storm is getting weaker.

4) When Charley hit, it was a strong 3/weak 4 and by the time it hit us it was a strong 2. Charley did $38,000 worth of damage to our home. I cannot imagine what this would do if it doesn't weaken and STAY AWAY FROM US.

Needless to say, we are going through many sleepless nights again to see if this storm will directly impact us. We know we will get wind and rain, we just pray we will not get a direct hit causing more damage. Paths can change hour to hour, so we have to keep an eye out. We may spend Friday boarding up again--the scene is all too familiar after last year.

No Sympathy Weight For This Guy!

Adam plays softball with our teacher friends every Wednesday night!

Not a Great Picture...But Here It Is Anyways...

Here's me at 12.5 weeks. The shadows make it all look a little funny and I still look half asleep, but then, it is only 5:30 in the morning.

Maybe I'll have to take a different picture this week--not sure if I want this one in the albums!

Wilma! (Not Fred and Wilma, either!)

Be on the lookout and pray for us---just when we thought the season was almost over, here comes #21--Hurricane Wilma. Most likely, this one is headed for FL...destination...unknown. Keep yourself posted on www.noaa.com Go to the sidebar where it says NOAA Storm Tracker---Wilma, click on it, then click on 5 day tracking map. We live near the "L" in FL.

Mmmm...pickles...and other salty foods

SO, I think I have my first real cravings...SALT! Delicious. I can understand why the classic "pregnancy and pickles" thing is popular. But, alas, my cravings are not limited to pickles...salty french fries are good too! I'm not into the sweets though---leave the ice cream at the store!

We're doing better on boys names than girls names. Drop us an opinion (if you have one!)...

Darren Seth
Gavin James
Kyle Grant
Derrick
Erik

Kira Ann
Hannah Faith
Alanna Grace
Kari (car-i) Ann
Brianne

I know people are interested in more pictures, but really, I don't look any different yet. I can feel where baby is, but it is not really that visible yet. Maybe a 12 week picture this week if I can squeeze it in between soccer playoffs and volleyball practice!

Milestones...

We made it through the 1st trimester! Wahoo! Officially 12 weeks now! Adam keeps telling people we have 8 more months...gee...I hope it's not quite that long! :)

The next Dr.'s Appt. is next week, Thursday, 10/24. It seems like we look forward to these appointments so much! It is so interesting hearing the baby and finding out where (s)he is in developmental stages. Although, I may not be too happy while there.... I think this is the time that I get poked with needles to get a gazillion vials of blood drawn. At least they only do that twice. (Ok, I know, I need to get used to being poked and prodded!)

Not much else is new though, baby seems to be content...lovin' this pregnancy thing so far!

Adam took me (us) to Cheesecake Factory for birthday dinner last night...mmm mmm good! I love their Madeira Chicken/Da Vinci Pasta! Thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes--whether in the form of phone calls, cards, packages! You are too sweet!

EPCOT today!

One of our favorite Disney activities of the year is here...the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival! We're heading to the park with some friends after our teacher workday today. I graciously accept the designated driver post tonight as we eat our way around the park, sampling from over 76 varities of foods from all over the world!

Here's a sneak peak into the World Showcase (remarkable facts)!

1,200 wine and beer seminars featuring more than 100 topics
Over 1,200 fireworks rockets exploding each night over World Showcase Lagoon in "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth" grand finale to the festival
90 Eat to the Beat! concerts performed (Beach Boys, Chubby Checker, etc.)
33,000 bottles of wine and champagne
1,200,000 hors d'oeuvre plates
750,000 beer cups
690,000 sumptuous samplings including samosas, spicy tuna rolls and moussaka
600,000 forks
337,500 wine glasses
100,000 miniature desserts including traditional apple strudel, baklava, flourless chocolate cake with Irish whiskey sauce and kiwi custard roll
32,000 quesadillas
28,500 pieces of sushi
17,000 shrimp on the barbie
16,500 escargot
13,000 Spanikopitta
10,500 servings of maple glazed salmon
9,750 servings of lamb chops

WOW!!! Can't wait!!! Baby and I will feast tonight!
___________________________________________

On another note, it looks like we will be in MN from Dec. 22 (evening) to Jan. 2.
We will be traveling to Chicago Dec. 27-30 and back to MN on the 31st.
We are open for New Year's Eve right now....
Vikings game New Year's Day...

Since we will do both MN and IL over the Christmas holiday, we probably will NOT be going to IL in February! I think this will be easier for us all!

When we're traveling...

Ok, the days available to travel will be limited (car distance only) after Feb.

So, right now we plan on being in IL/MN sometime between Dec. 21-Jan.2
We hope to be in Dallas/San Fran. Jan 13-18. (Monday, 16th MLK Jr. day off)
Most likely, one or both of us will be in Chicagoland Feb. 16-19.
All 3 of us are flying to Vancouver either July 6 or 7 through the 16th.

That's it. We can't travel anymore then...we'll be broke!

No longer a peanut...or an olive...now, A LIME!

11 weeks....

Baby is about 2-2.5 inches long and weighs about 8 grams.

Baby's head is double the length as the rest of the body's length right now. The neck muscles are starting to strengthen. It is only a matter of a couple more weeks before boy/girl status can be determined!

Feelin' Better

OK, I'm feeling better today. Apparantly, the ligaments stretched enough for now and decided to give me a break. Adam thinks that the baby is just going to be big like he was (9lbs. 6oz.). I DON'T THINK SO! 7-8 lbs is fine, thank you!

I think I've been blessed with the most fun and exciting 1st trimester! I've felt good and am getting really excited now that I'm almost in the 2nd trimester!

Adam already talks to the baby and gives baby extra little love pats. He even pretends to be listening to baby's responses. I can't wait for the day where the baby kicks him in the ear when he tries to listen....that would be a hoot! What a cutie!

Ahhh...the joys of pregnancy...

Today baby decided to make it feel like I have done 4 bazillion situps. After my initial panicsville central, I called the nurse. (All of you who have had babies already are now chuckling)

Diagnosis: My nice tiny little ligaments are being STRETCHED and enlarged (against their will, apparantly). This is proving to be VERY painful. Julie the nurse says it is completely normal and is a sign that maternity clothes are coming soon.

Hope this doesn't last too long.

We made it....first hurdle!

We passed the critical 10 weeks...yippee!

Baby is doing great (at least we hope he/she is being kept happy). I'm still feeling good. I can't wait to get the rest of my energy back for awhile. (It's not as bad now as it was a few weeks ago, but I definitely have a new bedtime!)

Baby is still hungry all the time. It doesn't seem to matter what I consume or when, baby is still hungry a half hour later. I keep telling myself that it is because the baby lucked out with Adam's metabolism. I figure that growth spurts are occuring rapidly---it's hard though when I can't snack at my desk and when I'm awoken in the night to a growling stomach. Weird.

Our next checkup isn't until Oct. 27 which seems so far away!

Maternity clothes are probably in the near future---another couple of weeks or so... well, better than just looking oversized, I guess!

I spent 2.5 hours in Babies R US yesterday scoping out the terrain before Adam comes back there with me to start picking things out. I fell pretty good about the research (Oprah's trusty baby consumer guide is great!)

That's it. Busy week. Not sure if I'll blog again for awhile!

An Ultrasound!

Ok, I know these fuzzy little pictures are hard to distinguish, but the little bean near the center is actually the baby showing us the crown of his/her head.

There's the little peanut laying with head to the right and little feet to the left. Side view.

When we took this picture, we were all laughing. Only 9 weeks old, this baby is a ham already. Not surprising if you think of the daddy. :) Here the baby turned a little towards the camera. On the left are the feet again, towards the right is the head. The baby was doin' a little dance--moving the elbows and kicking those feet high in the air.

Everything about being pregnant became so real to us today. Not only did we hear a heartbeat (163 BMP), but we saw the little heart fluttering. So AMAZING! We were so excited to see this little one inside...and moving to top it all off. The doctor said they were right on with the due date. This little peanut measures around 1 1/4 inches long. We taped the heartbeat, but it is a little static filled so won't make a good post on the site...but we enjoyed listening to it again on the way home!

Oh boy (or girl)! The Dr's appt. is TODAY!

Hello fans of Baby Rosenbaum!

There have been lots of questions about how the doctor's appt. went....well, it is today at 3:00pm. So, I'm sure I will post again tonight!

Good news---the jury deliberated yesterday afternoon and reached a verdict, so Adam is back at school today and able to come to the appointment with me! Yea!

I removed the post that I wrote a few days ago and this is why.... Unfortunately, Tricia and Kevin are no longer expecting...upon doing an ultrasound, the doctors determined that Tricia was having a "chemical pregnancy," which means that her body was acting like she was pregnant but there was no baby. We are thinking of them and praying for them...if you are the type, throw up a prayer for them also.

Hearing this news last night really scares me. I know that in my heart, everything is ok, but I know that Tricia felt that way too. I just continue to put my faith in God that we are producing a healthy baby. What is meant to be, will be.

Updates coming soon....

Not sure why you want this...but OK....

Links....

A BIG thank you to Meg for adding the links over in the sidebar of the web page!

One link is for a list of gifts we have received (we REALLY don't want to appear greedy or give the appearance that we expect gifts, because we aren't and we don't). People have requested that we post what we have gotten so that they don't duplicate.

The second link is for the baby pool. When you find time, make a guess---date, weight, sex, length. I'll add it to the list!

Lastly, it was Meg's wonderful site about their daughter, Lucy, and anticipated new baby that inspired us to start our own site....so, check it out if you wish. She's quite the witty and wonderful writer! Thanks again Meg!

Can you FEEL the love?

We LOVE the comments--some from the heart, some for fun! We're having a great time sharing our experiences with all of you. I'm glad we started this website. It makes us feel like we're not quite as far away. The name suggestions are fun! Thanks also for the tips and suggestions!

We are so lucky to have so many people that love this baby---7 months before they even know the sex, what he/she looks like, etc. We are blessed with a family full of love, from Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, California, Australia, Connecticut, Washington, Wyoming, Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Maryland and many places inbetween. We thank each of you for your thoughts, prayers, well-wishes and support! You're incredible people!

We heard from Adam's childhood friend Eric and his wife yesterday. Turns out, they are expecting a baby at the beginning of May also. Adam laughed and said that after all these years, they are STILL on the same wavelength. I'm glad for email---it enables those guys to stay in touch more often!

I learned how to post audio on this site, so down the road, you may get to "hear" the baby too!

Bummer....

Adam has jury duty this week and most likely at least 3 days next week. He was the last juror picked for the civil rights case. So far, they haven't even gotten through one witness (they have at least 5 witnesses). See where Adam is spending his time (picture on the right--Orlando Courthouse).

SO--that means that I have to set up for my own classes and brief his substitute every morning. Yuck! At least he was lucky enough to get an old art teacher for a sub, so all might not be lost.

What bums me out though, is that unless the trial finishes on Tuesday, he won't be able to come to the doctors appointment. I'm not trying to be whiny, but I really wanted him there for this one! He is such a great supporter and I really want him to be able to share in the miracles along the way! What will be, will be.... Hopefully, the lawyers will get their butts in gear.

Otherwise, things are great! I feel really good! Enjoying life!

Wow! What a miracle!

Our baby is now 3/4 of an inch long (about the size of a pinto bean).

He/she now has eyelids, a nose, ears and elbows.


9 1/2 week checkup next week! We can't wait to hear the heartbeat! So exciting!

Ha Ha Ha Some People are so FUNNY!

I had an interesting night last night. We had a later dinner, 8:00pm....I was super hungry again at 10:00pm, so I had a granola bar and glass of milk. I actually woke up at 12:00, hungry again....and then at 2:00---yep, you guessed it. Then I had breakfast at 6:00 this morning. It is not even 9:00 yet and I'm hungry already....ugh! (At least I'm not gaining a hundred pounds or anything!)

So, my REALLY funny coworker says, "Maybe its twins. That's usually why people are THAT hungry." HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Don't even go there!

A Message from the Daddy-to-be

Hey everyone!

Future father here...I'm still in a little shock...just give me a minute...ok....

I'm really excited and feel blessed and overwhelmed. I'm looking forward to having another Vikings/Twins/Wild/Timberwolves fan in the house. We're anticipating so many changes.



Message to the little one:

You're doing a great job so far. Mommy isn't sick...just don't get her too sleepy. I'll try to be the best dad I can and guide you in the ways of the world. I look forward to laughing with you at life's silly moments and seeing you smile. We'll have so much fun going places, playing games and experiencing life together as a family. Every moment will be an adventure! I can't wait to meet you in May!

Love, Daddy

8 weeks...

Thought I should post a picture so we have something to compare me/baby to later on in the pregnancy.



The comments that people are posting are GREAT too! I love reading through them. We're starting to make a list of names...thanks for the good ideas!

Wives tales?

Thought for the day:

According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we would be having a boy.

We'll have to get some sort of pool going...maybe around Christmas!

What's in a name?

Yikes! So many names, so many that are HORRIBLE! So many that do NOT go with Rosenbaum at all. We are now officially accepting name ideas---somehow Matilda Esmeralda Rosenbaum just isn't going to cut it. Lots of cute boys names, not so many girls ones!

Also, I've decided that all baby products should have a limit of 3, yes three, choices. A whole aisle of pacifiers/strollers/cribs at the store does nothing for the new, confused, parents-to-be.

And lastly, many people keep asking me if I'm sick---and then say, "Oh, you will be." Are you all TRYING to curse me??? (Just kidding)

Have a wonderful day!

7weeks...

...and all is good!

I'm still tired, although not quite as much. Catnaps help a lot! It seems as though my hormones are balancing out a little---I'm not breaking out as much anymore. Gosh, for a while I thought I was 15 again!

A new development....dizziness. Not a lot, but enough to make me stop and remember to get up a little slower. It feels like a head rush...doesn't make me nauseaous which is great!

Hopefully I can get through the next couple of weeks nausea-free. I've been lucky so far and keeping my fingers crossed.

Next doctor's appt. is Sept. 28---might get to hear the heartbeat!

A Wonderful Husband...

I have to take a moment to thank my wonderful, amazing husband.  We are so incredibly lucky to have such a blessing to look forward to.  Adam has been so helpful around the house (he’s dealing with my afternoon naps and random conking out on the couch) and more often than not has made sure we eat a “real” dinner so that I can relax.  I have to say, food tastes GREAT when someone else makes it!

Adam, thanks for being so loving and caring towards me, not just now, but always.  Thank you for being you and for making me laugh so hard I can cry!   Love you tiger!

Telling the family...

Well, Adam and I thought it would be fun to send the Chicago grandparents/great-grandparents some pink and blue popcorn with a label reading, "Congratulations, you're going to be GREAT-grandparents!" or, "Congratulations, you're going to be grandparents!" Apparantly, some members of our family did not make the connection...maybe we'll have to be MORE obvious next time (don't worry, we still love you--enjoy the popcorn!)

My mom called on Friday saying, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I've been wanting to be a grandma!" She, apparantly, had no problem deciphering the popcorn code...

It was purely coincidence that Scott and Kathy's wedding was the same weekend we planned on telling family, so we got to tell the Rosenbaum/Buckley side in person. Here's how THAT exchange went...
(People present: Kay, Ron, Jimmy, Jane, Sig, Grandma Audrey, Jon, Adam and I)
Adam gives the box with pink and blue popcorn to his mom when we were getting out desserts. His mom, not looking on the side with the label, goes, "Oh, that's nice. We can have popcorn with our apple crisp." Thankfully she turned the box around and read the label. At this point, screaming occurred....then Jane started screaming....the guys were rolling their eyes...Jimmy kept saying, "What? What? What's going on?" Hugs and kisses all around.

We still had to tell Julie, Kreg, Audra, Kurtis and Olivia....so, on Friday, they dropped the kids off to go car shopping. We told the kids...Audra was excited...Kurtis was indifferent...Olivia wasn't sure about the whole thing (but later ran up and kissed my tummy). When Julie and Kreg came back, Olivia said, "Guess what???" Kurtis said, "We're gonna have..." Audra said, "A new cousin!!!" More screaming ensued...hugs and kisses followed shortly thereafter.

We still have many people to contact...including Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Friends...
Lots of fun!

It's Official!

We had the 1st doctor's appointment yesterday. I met with nurse Deanna beforehand, where she gave me the thumbs up that I am definitely pregnant. Then, she went to get Adam from the waiting room so he could meet Dr. Marcantel and the office staff as well.

Dr. Marcantel is GREAT! Not only does he make you feel comfortable, he is also down to earth and fun! (Adam was leary about having a male doctor, but even he admits that we made a good choice). Anyways, Dr. decided that he'll do the 1st ultrasound to hear the heartbeat next visit. They do about 4 of them during the 40 weeks---they are the 3D kind, which I think is pretty cool. When Adam left the examination room, he walked past the nurses station (where they were all grinning ear to ear) and let out a big WooHoo! Made them all laugh! Gee, he's not excited....

Afterwards, we HAD to celebrate, so we went to the Macaroni Grill. Yummy! We are pretty giddy and excited...can't wait to share the news with family and friends!

The 1st signs....

We haven't been to the doctor yet, but I know that I'm just about entering my 5th week. Everything is good, although we're anxious to see Dr. Mercantel over at Celebration Hospital.

Peeing....yeah...not so fun...and I know it doesn't get any better. Super hard to do when you are in the middle of teaching. Also, I've found that 3:15 naptime is extremely nice. Need sleepy... Of course, my tiredness is also due to chasing around 170 pleasant little hormonal 6th graders....

Liars...

Well, it's been a grand total of 5 days since we found out...we're, ok, I'm having a really hard time keeping my mouth shut until we go to the doctor next Monday. It's extremely hard when you talk to mom and mother-in-law...they ask "What's new?" and you respond with, "not much." Such liars we are!
I was reading that husbands don't truly believe that their wife is pregnant until they hear it from a doctor...that must be true, 'cuz Adam keeps asking me, "Are you sure?" and, "Do you FEEL pregnant?" I keep saying, "I THINK I'm sure, but I don't really FEEL pregnant...don't really know what that feels like, yet."

The BIG Decisions in Life

Well, after Adam turned the big 3-0, we decided that the time was right to start a family. So, May, June and July went by....no dice....or so we thought. Anyways, last night I just wasn't feeling quite right. Not bad, just not right. So....I took THE TEST....and received a line, so faint I could barely see it. Well, I'm impatient...might have taken the test too early. SOOO, I go to Target and get a different test. I had every intention of taking it in a few days but since it came in a pack of 3, I decided to give it a go later on in the evening. This one was definitely a plus sign! Wow! Well, it was just a coincidence that I have an appt. with the doctor on Aug. 29, so I guess it will be confirmed.
We're both pretty excited....nothing has really sunk in yet....I'm sure that the rest of the emotions will be following soon!