Teaching

As I sit here tonight, looking up ideas for teaching spelling, I am in a word-OVERWHELMED! I know it is probably the craziest thing, to think of it being summer and I am spending my evening looking up spelling information. Here is the problem-I get to thinking about it and how I want to find out some more information. So I go see if I can find anything on the Internet-which leads me to about 1,000 different places and down so many roads. For someone whose mind can go crazy thinking about the endless possibilities of teaching, this is not a good thing. I end up about losing my mind!

I commented to Adam, "Trying to do well in your profession can be so exhausting." I don't wish that I had another profession. I don't wish I taught somewhere else. I don't wish anything other than that my mind would not take off like an Indy car when I think about one thing I want to improve in the upcoming year.

ROOOOOOAAAARRRR!

Dinosaurs. Most of the clothes I buy have a dinosaur. The decorations are dinosaurs. Everything is dinosaurs! I never realized there was so much great stuff for boys with dinosaurs on it until I decided Bennett would have a dino room-then I found tons of stuff. Here is some of the great things I have gotten for him so far.

This outfit has dinosaurs all over it-even the feet have little claws on the ends.

A lamp for his room. There is a bank, lights, and bookends to match.
My favorite! This is on the way from Etsy, once the girl crochets me one small enough for a newborn.

20 Weeks= 5 Months=Halfway

Well, I am 20 weeks and am now officially at the halfway point. I'd like to say that I have finally made it to the point of feeling like a mom and that I am ready for this new stage of life. But that would be a lie. Though I have thoroughly enjoyed shopping and buying all types of things for Bennett (clothing, furniture, books, etc, etc, etc), it hasn't completely hit me yet. It kind of feels like it is happening to someone else, though judging by the belly, I am almost positive it really is happening to me.

I have learned that the journey into motherhood is just that: a journey. I have learned it doesn't come all at once, the feeling of being "ready to be a parent". I have learned that being pregnant doesn't automatically put me into mother mode. And I have learned, most importantly, that that is ok. I have accepted that it's a journey, not an "everything, right this instant" situation, and take one day as it comes (most of the time). I know that I will not always feel apprehensive about being a mom. I know that when the time is right, I will step into that role naturally and with grace.

19 weeks

Blue!

Wednesday we went to the doctor and found out that we are having a baby boy! I cannot describe the joy of that day. Although we originally decided to surprise our parents later at the party, we made a last minute switch-a-roo and invited them. So, we had quite a posse with us at the ultrasound.

When we went into the room, it was much bigger than a regular room-I guess for all the people who usually need to cram into them. I laid down on the bed, and directly across from me on the wall was a little tv, so I could see everything else that the doctor and the family were seeing. It took pretty much less than a minute for her to find his legs, which were spread wide for us (what a cooperative boy already). She said something like "There's his legs." I said, "It's a girl isn't it." Her response was a simple "Nope." I kind of did a double take and said, "Wait. It's a boy?!" When she said, "Yeah, it's a boy," my family heard her. And here is the best moment of the day-there was a cheer from my parents, myself and Adam that I later learned was heard on the whole floor. Adam and my dad pumped their fists in the air and hollered like we'd won a football game. I burst into tears. My mom screamed, then leaned over to hug me. The whole thing was so awesome because everyone was excited. The Rowe's were kind of standing off the to the side, so I am not sure what they did. But they made it clear they didn't care what it was-it is their first grandchild, so anything was great.

After we left the doctor, we went home to get ready to tell everyone. We set up the living room to be both genders. Then we decorated the kitchen with all the blue paraphernalia. We covered the kitchen door with white paper so no one could see the decorations too early. The first thing everyone had to do when they came in was make their guess as to what it was. It was a pretty even divide.

Once everyone got there, we made the announcement that it was a boy, and yet another cheer went up. We tore the paper off the kitchen and let everyone in.

All in all, it was a great day-one of the best ever, actually. And now I know that we will have a sweet baby boy, which I am elated over! Everything was beyond perfect.

?

So tomorrow is the big day-the day we find out if we are having a girl or a boy. I will have to say, this is the most excited I have been so far. The only downside is that I made my appointment for 3:00, so I have to wait all day-it's going to be the longest day ever!

I won't lie-I am really hoping for the news of a boy. Not that I would be forever upset about a girl. We just have so many girls in my family-it is time for a crazy, rough, loud boy. Well, I don't think the loud would make a difference-we are all loud already.

I hope it cooperates because we have a family gathering planned for tomorrow night to share the news. We are going to eat and have a great time, and I don't think everyone would love to be told we still don't know!

I can't wait for tomorrow!!!

18 weeks