Entering the Final Stretch

After typing the title to this blog post, I just realized that I accidentally made a pun. My first meaning is meant to bring attention to the fact that I am now in my third trimester! Woo! When I first found out that I was pregnant, I remember thinking how far away this seemed, but here we are. Booger will be here before we know it! The second, pun, meaning deals with the fact that my skin will go through its own final stretch. I honestly can't understand how my midsection can get any bigger, but apparently it's possible. I've already added a good twelve inches to my waistline. Yes, as in a foot.  While I don't have any tattoos to mark the changes to my belly, I have noticed that some of my moles have shifted their positions. One that's normally toward the front of my stomach has now migrated to my side. Crazy.

22 weeks

We had our last appointment two weeks ago today, and it went well. Unfortunately we weren't able to have our usual centering class because it happened to fall on one of the three snowy days we had this winter. The midwives' office actually cancelled because they didn't want anyone on the roads. So basically we drove up a week later (and a day after our move, I might add---more on that soon) for a fifteen-minute appointment. It was short, but the important thing was learning that Booger is still doing great. We got to hear his heartbeat again, and that sounds never gets old. I could honestly sit and listen to it for hours.

23 weeks

As far as my growth goes, I'm right where they want me to be even though both Craig and I gasped a little bit when we saw my weight. Belly measurement-wise, I'm "perfect," so that's good, too. Thing are cruising along nicely, and our next centering class will be next Thursday. With the way the weather's been, I don't think we'll have to worry about any winter storms this time.

25 weeks

Booger has been insanely active, which is great! I've even started to notice little patterns throughout the day. For example, he kicks right when I wake up and later right around the time I'm teaching seventh grade English. Yesterday, because of the nice weather, Craig grilled some burgers outside. They had a spicy kick to them, and sure enough, Booger started kicking soon after I ate mine. I know he's barely over a foot long and just over two pounds, but I imagine him kicking around with so much personality in there. When someone's kicking you from the inside, it's hard to imagine him being calm and mundane.

26 weeks

In other news, Craig and I went ahead and registered for baby gear at Target. I was really looking forward to it, but I quickly learned that registering on a Saturday afternoon at Target should be included as one of the inner rings of hell. Every other time we've gone to check out baby stuff, it's been completely empty. As in, there were crickets chirping. Not this time. It was so crowded, and it was made even more crowded due to the fact that half our population in that section was pregnant. Oh well, I'm pretty sure we still managed to register for the essentials (and some non-essentials, but come on, baby sneakers are just too damn cute!).

Ready to register!

Perhaps the biggest thing happening in our lives right now, as well as the fact that I haven't posted in a while, is the fact that Craig and I bought a house! I know, crazy, right? After several attempts over the years, we finally found ourselves in the perfect position to purchase a home. For kicks, we looked at this house last November after driving past it, but we didn't think we would actively start looking until after Booger's born. Well, after some talking, we decided that it would be far less stressful to get a house while Booger is still in the womb rather than outside it. Anyway, now here we are! We moved in two weeks ago, and we had wonderful family members and friends helping us (thank you again!). There's still a lot left to do, but it feels so great knowing that this is our home. As far as what's included, we have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living room areas, a nice open kitchen, a fireplace, a finished basement, and a fenced-in yard. Also, we're three houses away from an elementary school! Yep, we love it, and we're pretty sure Booger will, too.

Our sunny front room

On the work front, Craig and I are both enjoying our jobs. Craig's currently applying to be a part of a special unit at the prison where he works. Basically, if there was a riot or something of that nature, he'd be part of the team taking care of business. My job is keeping me busy, but I'm now more than halfway through the semester. In fact, I've completed eleven weeks and only have eight left! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! I feel as though I've hit my stride. Still, I'll be happy when the school year is over so I can put up my feet. As a teacher, I'm on my feet most of the day, and I definitely feel it by the time I get home.

Darla and Teddy exploring the basment

I'll end this post with some funny stories. First, one day a few weeks ago one of my juniors said to me, "Mrs. Powell, don't take this the wrong way, but you really look pregnant now." Ha! It's true that I'm much larger than I was when I started teaching in January! Next, my sister Luci came to visit, and she freaked out upon feeling Booger kick. Also, I showed her my belly button, an image which I'm sure could prevent many teenage pregnancies. Lastly, even though I've added roughly thirty pounds to my frame, I don't feel as though I'm that much larger than usual. I quickly learned that lesson. I've been helping out with the choreography for our school's spring musical, Annie, and I attempted to hoist myself up onto the stage from the floor. Well, with my extra weight, I didn't get very far at all!

27 weeks

Well, it's time to go enjoy this beautiful weather. T-minus twelve weeks until Booger's due date!!

It's a BOY!

Well, the title of this post says it all! We had our ultrasound, and it turned out that our little baby had all the telltale signs of being a little boy! When the the woman doing our ultrasound got to the space between his legs, she said "Oh!" and then, "Well, would you like to take a guess at what it is?" I don't know about you, but I think people only exclaim "Oh!" when they've seen something. So we guessed boy, and boy-oh-boy were we right! I was so excited about knowing during the rest of the ultrasound, and every once in a while I'd giggle and say "Craig, he has a tiny little penis!" To preserve some ounce of dignity for the adult my child will someday be, I will not be posting the giveaway picture, but trust me, he's a he.

Our baby boy!

The rest of that day/ultrasound went really well. We both took the day off work, so we were able to sleep in a bit (although I really couldn't because I was so excited). We headed up early and ate at a Vietnamese restaurant--we were hoping the spicy food would ensure that Booger would be awake and kicking (it did). Oh, that reminds me...the night before, I finally felt Booger make some definite movement! The morning of the ultrasound, it happened again. It was as though he was just as excited about us seeing him as we were! Both times Craig was even able to feel the movement. It was incredible, and now I've felt a little movement each day since then.

Seventeen weeks

Anyway, after lunch, we headed to the hospital where our appointment started almost a half hour late. I was getting VERY antsy, but they finally got us in right after I reminded them that we were still waiting. The rest of the ultrasound went really well. Booger is progressing well. He's in the fifty-first percentile, which is right where they want him to be. He's a whopping fifteen ounces, so he's actually about three days ahead of schedule. They're keeping the same due date, but technically he's on schedule to come around the third of June rather than the sixth. Keep that information in mind when you start placing bets! I'm not sure what his length is, but the woman said his head is one inch from ear to ear. He still has quite a bit of growing to do!

Nineteen weeks

After the ultrasound, we had our second centering class, which went really well. We discussed some of the not-so-great side effects of pregnancy. I'm glad Craig's been able to make it to the first two, but I don't know if he'll be able to make it to most of the rest of them. We'll see.

Beefy baby leg!

On our way home, we stopped in Vermillion to celebrate our exciting news with loved ones. We had made a point to call and text people between the ultrasound and centering, so everyone already knew by that time. It was fun to talk about it in person and show people our baby's cute pictures.

Twenty weeks

Not much else is going on on the baby front. Like I said, Booger's movements are far more noticeable now, which is a ton of fun for both of us. We're trying to figure out some boy names, which is proving to be a challenge. We have a few names in the running, though. Our goal is a name that's a little different, but not obnoxiously different. Hopefully we'll have a few options lined up by the time Booger is here, and then we'll know when we see him.

Flexible baby

We've had some other big life changes in the past month. At the end of my fourth week at my bank job, I heard about a mid-year teaching position that opened up. Over the next few days, I inquired about it, interviewed for it, and then the day after interviewing, I was offered the job! Did I mention that this was the day before classes started? I left the bank right then, went to the school to meet the other teachers, and then I showed up as the newest teacher the next day. That first day was a little crazy. I had students peeking in my room in the morning, and then I'd hear giggling from the group as they left my room. Since then, I've settled in pretty well. There have been some ups and downs. It's definitely not easy to just jump into teaching without any preparation for lessons, but since then I've developed a pretty good routine. The school has a block schedule (classes are an hour and a half), and my first block is my prep time. That means I have my first hour and a half to prepare for the rest of the day. After that, I have a class called Study Skills with 8th graders, homeroom with 7th graders, lunch, 7th grade English, and then 11th  grade English. It's definitely a huge jump to go from middle schoolers to high schoolers, but I'm getting used to it. All of my students are excited about the baby, and I took a poll before the ultrasound. When I announced the gender, my students who guessed correctly cheered. Also, my 7th graders made me a little sign that said "Congradulations Mrs. Powell" (complete with the spelling error...I have work to do), and they all signed it. It was very sweet. I've already survived my first parent-teacher conferences, as well as my first confrontation with cheating students. Like I said, there have been ups and downs, but I think I'm settling in pretty well.

Twenty-one weeks

Our other big life change is the fact that Craig and I are in the process of buying a house! We've gone through the steps a few times in the past, but this is the first time we've made it this far in the process. So far, we've had an inspection, made a list of things we wanted fixed, and the seller has agreed to fix six of the seven things on our list. Next, we'll have the appraisal, but it seems as though we've made it through the most difficult steps. In less than two months, we could be in our new 3-bed, 2-bath house! And in less than five months, we'll be bringing Booger home to it!

A shot of the proud dad, too!

Okay, that's it for tonight. Craig and I have had a great weekend of being lazy, and I need to get back to vegging out with him.

Obligatory creepy lava baby picture

Boy or Girl?

I thought I'd get a brief post in before we head to our ultrasound today. We've known from the beginning that we want to find out the baby's gender at our ultrasound. Some people say it's not a surprise that way, but frankly, we've already gone this long without knowing. It will still be a surprise for us--we'll just be finding out a little sooner! With future children we might be a bit more patient (key word is "might"), but since this is our first child, we really want to find out. I feel like we'll be entering a new chapter of this pregnancy. Booger will no longer be "it" but "he" or "she." We'll be able to buckle down on names. Our families will be able to satisfy the urge to buy gender-specific outfits. On top of all of this, Craig and I have a friendly bet. From the beginning, he's felt that we're having a boy, and I've felt that we're having a girl. Whoever's right gets to a choose a special date for the two us. To be honest, I felt that Booger is a girl in the beginning, but now I really don't know. I feel like I should have some kind of mother's intuition, but there are some days when I feel it's a boy and others when I'm positive it's a girl. I've had dreams with both a boy baby and a girl baby. I've tried old wives' tricks and most have said it's a girl, but there are still some that say it's a boy. I'll just go with the age-old new-parent saying of "It doesn't matter to me as long as it's healthy and happy." I know that gets said a lot, but it's true. This baby will obviously be loved and adored no matter what--we just can't wait to take one more step in getting to know our baby today!

Mrs. Powell

Well, it's the last day of 2011, so I thought I'd get another post in. Things have definitely been staying busy in our household.

Fifteen weeks

First things first, I made the (huge) decision to change my last name in order to have the same last name as Craig and Booger. I know for a lot of newlywed women, changing one's name is an exciting step--a sort of rite of passage. The difference for me is the fact that a large number of the women in my family never changed their last name once married. I can imagine if you've grown up where changing one's name is the norm (i.e. most households) then it would be a very easy decision to make. Instead, I've grown up in a family where it's not necessary to change one's name in order to show that you've taken such a big step in life. I never said I wouldn't change my name, but I always made it clear that doing so would need to be a decision that I made, not a decision pushed on me by others. Unfortunately, during our years of marriage, I've had to deal with a number of people (directly and indirectly) questioning why I didn't change my last name. My reasons are simple, but people still seemed puzzled about why I couldn't just change my name, as if I was over-thinking something that's so incredibly personal. One of my favorite quotes, because it seemed to capture what some people thought, is Turk from Scrubs when his soon-to-be wife asks if he'd mind if she kept her last name: "Sure. We'll just have one of those modern marriages where the husband and wife don't really love each other." One thing I've always wondered, though, is how I would feel about not having the same last name as my child(ren). Craig is a different story. Sure, he's my husband, but in the six years before we were married, we never had the same last name anyway. I asked a number of name-keeping women how they felt about not sharing the same last name as their children. I soon discovered that how they felt really doesn't affect me. I'd been asking that question, so I already knew that it was an issue for me. Soooo, to sum up this long explanation, I went down to the social security office last Friday in order to change my last name. Craig was happy with my decision, but beforehand, he tried not to say too much about it--he wanted it to be my decision, not something I was doing because he wanted it. Being a Powell is taking some adjusting, but I've got plenty of years to get used to it. I'm a bit sad about no longer being a Gray-Lobe (and the lone female Gray-Lobe, at that), but Geoff and Sarah's baby girl will do a wonderful job in that role come April. Also, my name will be much easier for students to remember once I start teaching again (hyphenated names confuse them so much, as does being called "Ms." rather than "Miss" or "Mrs"). In all, I'm now a Powell and quite happy about it.

Baby (Girl) Gray-Lobe on the left, Baby Powell on the right

Now on to Booger news. We had our most recent appointment two days ago, and it went really well. I originally chose the hospital where we'll be having Booger because they offer so many wonderful programs. One such program is called Centering, where you have your appointments in a group setting with moms (and dads) whose babies are due in the same month. With my new job, I didn't think I would have time for Centering anymore, but at the last minute I changed my mind and decided I would just use PTO in order to make time for it. Anyway, two days ago was the first meeting for June parents. Our group is led by one of the midwives (not the one we're seeing, but coincidentally the one Geoff and Sarah are seeing) and a nurse. There will be a total of seven moms, but two couldn't make it the other day. Craig was able to come along since he wasn't working, and two other women had their husbands there. Craig probably won't be able to make it to all of them, but it was nice having him at the first one. In this first one, we each took turns with the nurse and midwife. We have our own charts, so Craig was monitoring my weight, blood pressure, and baby's heart rate, all of which look great. He wrote my name at the top of the page, and started to write my old last name--it's taking some adjusting for both of us! It doesn't matter that we just heard Booger's heartbeat at the ultrasound last month--it was still so amazing hearing it again the other day. I swear, it'll be four months from now, and I'll still be giggling every time I hear Booger's heartbeat. After we got through those basics, we all got to know each other and then discussed our feelings about different topics, such as exercise, weight gain, eating healthy, and stress management. It was great hearing about what other women (and men) are going through. In all, it was a great first Centering class!

Fake pregnancies

Afterwards, we were able to pick up some more maternity gear for me because I'm already running out of pre-pregnancy clothes that fit. Absolutely none of my pants fit anymore. People keep telling me to use my Bella Band or to try the rubber band trick, but the problem isn't just my stomach--I can't even get my pants past my thighs anymore!

Yup, there's a baby in there.

One of the biggest pieces of news that I nearly forgot to write about is the fact that I think I felt Booger move two weeks ago! Craig was home from work but had to go back to work in a few hours, so he decided to pull an all-nighter. I stayed up with him but went back to bed as soon as he left. In the time between his shifts, we watched TV, played video games, and ate breakfast (at about four in the morning). After eating, I was lying on the couch and noticed that my stomach was growling. I quickly realized it wasn't a normal "growling" feeling and that that didn't make sense because I'd just eaten. It felt a little like a fish--it was just a quick, sudden movement. I haven't noticed anything like it since then, but I wonder if maybe Booger was extra excitable at that moment since my schedule that day was so different from usual. I'm now in the weeks where movement should be more likely, so hopefully I'll feel Booger again soon!

Sixteen weeks

In other news, our Christmas weekend was nice but not ideal. Craig worked twelve-hour shifts on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. At least we got to see each other in the evenings. Because he's off this weekend, we're taking advantage of Booger not being here quite yet and going dancing downtown in Vermillion. Some friends will be with us, and I'm obviously automatically the designated driver this year. Beforehand, we'll try to enjoy this freakishly warm weather with a trip to the dog park. It should be a nice last day of 2011. I hope everyone has a happy and safe night tonight!

Booger's parents clean up nicely

First Ultrasound

Okay, I'm way overdo for my second post, and I swear I'll start writing regularly eventually. Maybe.

Twelve weeks

Plenty has happened since the last time I wrote, but of course, most of it can't be seen. By that I mean that Booger is growing in leaps and bounds. The last time I wrote, Booger was probably about 1.5 inches. Now, Booger has probably doubled in size! The most exciting thing for us is the fact that we had our first ultrasound last week. At that point, Booger was 2.46 inches. I think it's cute that he or she wasn't even 2.5 inches, which is the average, because he or she will probably be short like us. While it's too soon to tell, I got a kick out of our baby being "short."

Baby Booger!

The ultrasound itself was amazing. We brought our moms, which was really nice. Before the ultrasound began, Craig's mom said to the woman, "You're about to see the most beautiful baby in the world." She might be slightly biased. Both Craig and I were expecting the woman to have to search for a minute before finding Booger, but as soon as she put the wand on my belly, we could see Booger on the big screen mounted on the wall. It was incredible! I was so in shock that I teared up and burst out laughing at the same time. I kept apologizing to the woman because my stomach kept moving, but it was just such a surreal experience. It was almost as if I hadn't fully believed there was a person growing inside me until I saw little him or her kicking and waving. I couldn't believe how much detail we could see at just 13 weeks. Booger's profile was especially impressive (and I joked that he or she clearly has my nose). While Booger wasn't super active, he or she did do a couple of big kicks and punches, which gained plenty of "oohs" and "aahs" from those of us spying on his or her activities. Towards the end, Booger put his or her hands up over his or her face as if to say, "Okay, that's enough. No more pictures." Craig's not much of a crier, but every time I looked over at him, he had a huge smile on his face. All in all, it was a wonderful experience.

Booger's arm!

Not a whole lot has been going on other than the ultrasound. Of course Thanksgiving has come and gone. Unfortunately Craig had to work during the holiday and missed out on family time, but we made a nice little feast the Sunday prior so that he wouldn't miss out. We kept talking about how crazy it is that next Thanksgiving there will be a little baby enjoying the festivities with us.

Attempting to pose with our Thanksgiving meal

In other news, I got a full-time job at a customer care center! While it's not necessarily my dream job, it pays well, offers good hours, and I won't have to spend a lot of time on my feet. I'm currently in my first week of training, and so far, it's been quite an adjustment for me. Before this, I was only working on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus various days of substitute teaching. Basically, I was able to be a lazy bum. I could sleep in, eat whenever I wanted, and stay in my pajamas all day. Once I have my actual shift, I won't have to start until ten in the morning. During the six weeks of training, though, I have to be there at 8:30. I realize that that is not very early at all, but this pregnant woman has been very spoiled. Plus, yesterday we took a little trip to Omaha, which meant leaving Yankton at 6:30 in the morning. I felt sick and had a terrible headache, and I didn't feel better until I finally drank some coffee in the afternoon. I've done so well avoiding caffeine for the most part, but as can be seen, I didn't really have much of a need for it in the past. It looks like that might have to change a bit with this new job. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining. The job itself actually seems like something I will enjoy (I like to talk, and I'll be on a phone all day), and I really like the people in my training class.

Thirteen weeks

The last thing I'll write about tonight is the fact that I have grown. I understand that this is to be expected, but so far, it's been such a strange experience for me. I'm sure every pregnant woman experiences this. Basically, I like to think that I'm very in tune with my body. Not much has changed since I was about 14 years old. While I've always joked about my size, I love my body and have been comfortable in it for years. For the first time in ten years, things are changing quite a bit. First of all, there's the weight gain. I've gained about eleven pounds since learning that I'm pregnant. Honestly, I'm not concerned with numbers (although I've approached and surpassed digits that I've never encountered before!). Instead, it's the fact that I can physically see my body changing. I'm expanding in places I was convinced were going to forever remain the same size. To speak bluntly, I broke a bra. Seriously. I had a pretty good idea of my measurements due to years of fittings for costumes, so I compared those numbers with my new measurements. I've grown an average of three or four inches in each measurement! My understanding is that there's still quite a bit more growing for me to do, but soon I'll actually start looking pregnant. For now, my body is changing without really looking pregnant. It's a really crazy feeling to witness and experience my body growing at such a fast rate. Then I think about how fast Booger is growing, and my growth doesn't seem very impressive at all.

Lava Baby says "No more pictures"

Well, I think that's it for tonight. I should have been in bed a while ago, but I'm glad I'm finally getting another post up!

Welcome!

Well, given the title of this blog, I suppose there's no beating around the bush...I'M PREGNANT! There. I said it. I've decided to write a blog as a way to keep family and friends updated on what's happening in our lives baby-wise. Also, I figure I've kept blogs about major trips in my life so that I can document my experiences, so why not blog about this amazing event? It will be wonderful to go back and read this, and perhaps Baby Powell will want to read it someday, too!

Yep, that's my urine

Anyone who knows Craig and me even just the slightest bit knows that this is something we've wanted for a while (i.e. since we were teenagers, but well, we had this idea that maybe, just maybe, that wasn't quite the right time). We're now 25 and 24, respectively, which, to us, seems like prime baby time. There are obviously some slight stressors (Hey world, where's that full-time job I've been searching for?), but they pale in comparison to how overjoyed we feel about this addition to our family!

Right after learning that we're going to be parents

We found out we were expecting on Friday, September 29. I had so many big plans for how I would tell Craig that he would soon be a dad, but when push came to shove, I just ran into the bedroom, shook him awake, and held the positive test in his face. The poor guy struggled between trying to wake up and being completely ecstatic. In the end, we hugged each other tightly, and Craig said he could feel my heart pounding like crazy against his chest. It was a very happy day.

Four weeks

The first thing we had to figure out was where we're going to have this baby. Here's the deal--we live across the street from a hospital. I'm not exaggerating. I look out my window, and I see the hospital. That seems like a pregnant woman's dream, right? Not quite. The problem lies in the fact that they don't have midwives at this hospital. Ever since watching The Business of Being Born about a year ago, I've been interested in giving birth with a midwife rather than an obstetrician. I've done further research since then, and I'm currently reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. All of these things further cement the fact that a midwife is for me. I know it's not for everyone, but it's definitely the right choice for me. That choice, however, means that we will be having this baby at a hospital that's an hour and a half from home. The travel time is not ideal, but I believe it will be worth it (unless, of course, I end up giving birth on the side of the road--but hey, our baby will be newsworthy!). Anyway, we found a midwife that we really, really like, and I'm excited about the programs they provide.

We also struggled with when we would tell our families. We told a few very close friends within the first few days, but we were worried about telling too many people (and our families are BIG) and then potentially having something go wrong. We seriously contemplated waiting to tell our families until Thanksgiving, but in the end, we were both bursting to share this happy news with our loved ones. On Tuesday, October 4th, after meeting our midwife for the first time, we told our immediate family members, and it was honestly one of the most joy-filled days of my life. It was so wonderful sharing this happy news with the people we love most. It makes me unbelievably happy to know that this baby is already loved by so many people!

Six weeks

At the very beginning, when we first found out, I was a little cocky. "I feel great," "I can't even tell that I'm pregnant," and "I almost wish I'd get sick so I'd truly believe that I'm pregnant" were all statements that left my lips. I truly believed that I was a member of that 3% of women who experience no negative symptoms. How very wrong I was. About a week after telling our families, I made a delicious curry-dijon pork tenderloin with a fruit chutney. And yes, it really was delicious. I'll toot my own horn if it's the truth. Anyway, I ate one serving, and then, since my only symptom thus far was ravenous hunger, I filled my plate with a second serving. Big mistake. I immediately didn't feel so great and decided to head to bed so as to feel better. The next day was even worse. I couldn't even enter the kitchen because the smell of curry was just lingering there. That was just the beginning. As it turns out, morning sickness does not need to involve vomit. I had always thought that it must, so I was a bit in denial at first. It didn't take me long to figure out what was up, though, and I learned to walk on a tightrope of being neither hungry nor full. Either one could lead to disaster. I also learned why it's called morning sickness--morning is when you've gone the longest without eating, and this near-starvation leads to nausea. Fun, fun stuff. My nausea only lasted for about two or three weeks, and I'm very thankful for that. I began taking my prenatal vitamin at night, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't just a coincidence that I began feeling better at that time. I just wish I'd thought of that connection sooner!

We had our first real appointment on Halloween, which just so happened to be the ten year anniversary of when we first started dating. I could not imagine a better way to spend that day with Craig. The downside was that he worked an overnight before that and was pretty exhausted at our appointment. He was a trooper, though. I would have been happier if we could have heard the baby's heartbeat, but unfortunately he or she was playing hard to get! Our midwife assured us that there was nothing to worry about. There's a 50/50 chance of hearing the heartbeat at eight weeks. It would have been nice, but we'll have an ultrasound at our next appointment, at which point we'll be able to hear and see the baby!

Eight weeks

At the moment, our tentative due date is June 6, 2012. I think we'll have something a bit more concrete after our ultrasound, but we at least have an idea of when he or she will be here. Whenever I hear a due date, my reaction is "Okay, well, that's the day the baby WON'T be born." I mean, really? What are the odds of having your baby the day you're due? Maybe they're higher than I think, but I'm really not expecting our baby on the day it's due. Craig was born a month early, and I was almost a week early, so part of me thinks this baby will be early, too. Unless the baby is born very early, June will continue to be a very important month for our family. Craig's birthday is mid-June, our wedding anniversary is the end of June, and now little Booger could be born in early June. May would be cute, too, because all of our birthday months would be in a row! It doesn't matter to me when the baby's born, as long as he or she is healthy.

What I'll look like before you know it.

I should mention that this poor child already has Booger as a nickname. I believe it started when we were talking about the size of the baby a few weeks ago. I joked that Craig has boogers that are bigger than that, and unfortunately for Baby Powell, the nickname stuck. We plan on learning the baby's gender, and Craig has assured me that Booger will remain as a nickname if the baby is a boy. According to him, Booger will become Sweet Pea if the baby turns out to be a girl. Don't worry, neither of these names will have any place on the baby's birth certificate!

Ten weeks

This is apparently a great time to have a baby. I know a number of people who are pregnant right now, and it makes me excited to think of potential playmates for Booger. Most notably, my brother Geoffrey and his girlfriend, Sarah, are expecting their second child, a girl, due in April. I love the thought of these cousins being so close in age!

Well, I think that's enough writing for now. It's only 9:15 at night, but this mama is ready for bed. To be perfectly honest, I could have gone to bed at seven. On top of that, I already took a nap today. It appears that I'm now experiencing some of that pregnancy fatigue. I'll take this over nausea any day!