New Year's Eve

Lucas had his first play date yesterday! Christine brought her 4 month old daughter, Maya, over to meet Lucas. Even though he slept through most of it, I know he had a good time. It was nice to hang out with Christine since she is going through motherhood for the first time too. She brought yummy chicken pot pie and apple crisp. Steve and I were psyched that neither of us had to cook dinner. Thank you Christine!

Last night Lucas actually slept for 2 1/2 to 3 hour increments without laying on mommy or daddy. We are trying to have him sleep either in his bouncer, crib or swing..anywhere but with us in the bed. I know things change quickly but we were both grateful for a few hours of rest last night.

Auntie Holly is going to give Lucas another baby boy cousin in May! That will make 3 boys for the Pevzner girls. It will be fun to see Theo, Lucas and the new baby Powell growing up together playing with trucks, running around or sitting quietly reading. I can't wait!

Quick Update

Thank you for everyone who has sent cards, e-mails and phoned sorry we haven't gotten back to everyone yet. As you can imagine Steve and I have been busy adjusting to our new lives, but we appreciate all your well wishes.

Lucas went to the pediatrician today and did great. He is gaining weight and the doc didn't think he will have any hip problems (many breech babies do). He has to get an x-ray in a few weeks just to make sure, but we think it will turn out fine.

Here are more pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/

Voting is closed!

Thank you for voting for the baby's name and song but voting is now closed. You see, after I finished updating the blog on Sunday the baby decided to make an appearance. Here is the story:

At around midnight on the 21st I starting having "pain" in my stomach. Steve and I both agreed it was probably indigestion or nerves or anything but labor. Over the next few hours those pains kept coming and at regular intervals. I went to bed and then around 3 a.m. those pains started to get worse and my water broke. We finally decided we should go the hospital to check it out even though we were both convinced I couldn't be in labor 3 weeks early.

As Steve shoveled out the driveway, I was practicing the breathing techniques learned in class. We finally got in the car, called the doctor and was off to the hospital (about 30 minutes away). It was 5 a.m. at this point so we could zip right in. We got to the emergency room and walked to the maternity ward where they were expecting me. I got changed, got hooked up to monitors and the nurse asked me to rate the pain. I told the nurse on a scale of 1 to 10 it was probably a 7 or 8. She gave me this look like "Sure, lady you are probably 2 cm dilated and are just a wuss." After her examination she discovered I was 8 to 9 cm dilated! She said if the baby had turned I would have had a great delivery but, the baby hadn't turned yet so they needed to get the team ready for a c-section.

There were at least 3 people working on me at all times. I was signing papers, getting needles, getting anesthesia and at the same time having contractions (not too enjoyable). By the way, it took 3 nurses to get my belly button ring out. They actually had to cut it off because no one could figure out how to remove it!

Anyway, at 6:33 a.m. Lucas Carter Shahnamain was born. He is beautiful (but I am a little biased). He weighed 6 pounds 11 ounces and is 18 inches long. Lucas will celebrate his birthday 2 days before mine -another baby who didn't want to miss out on one more Christmas! More pictures to come later.

A+ for effort

You may be wondering what this picture is all about. To make a long story short I am trying to get the baby to turn in order to avoid being sliced open like a ripe watermelon on a hot summers day (aka avoid a c-section). My doctor wanted me to schedule a c-section on January 4th (a week before my due date) since the baby is still breech. I told her I want to wait until my due date of January 13th before making any decisions. There is still a chance the baby will turn you know! So thanks to some informative friends, I have been trying different things to get this baby to move and that's where the picture comes in. One of the techniques I read about is placing something cold on my belly where the baby's head is and placing something hot where the baby's head is suppose to be. The hope is that the baby will turn away from the coldness and toward the heat. I've been doing this plus several other things to help the baby (I haven't stood on my head yet though). Steve and I figured we at least have to try everything to get this baby to turn. If none of it works, so be it, but at least the baby can say mommy and daddy get an A+ for effort.

Updates

We (Steve, baby and I) had a busy week. I was planning on updating the site sooner but time just ran away. On Thursday, I got my (hopefully) final ultrasound. The baby weighs 5 pounds and apparently has everything it is supposed to have. The only concerning thing to me was the baby has not turned yet to get ready to exit into the world of reality tv, the first African American president, pizza delivery, etc. All the moms I talked to said not to worry about it and the baby still has a month to turn. One of my co-workers told me when she was pregnant her baby didn't turn and 2 weeks before her due date the doctor scheduled a c-section. A day before the c-section the baby turned and was delivered naturally. Steve keeps talking to the belly telling him/her to do a somersault to get ready. Who knows maybe that will work too!

We also worked on the baby's room and it is pretty much complete. It is hard to tell from the attached photo but we put up a decal right above the crib. These decal things are great for non artistic people like myself. It's like a big, fun sticker.

Here are 2 quotes of the week:

Quote 1 from one of my 3rd graders: "Ms. Pevzner did you have your baby yet?"

Quote 2 from a former student I taught in Japan: " I think that the baby must be cute because the baby is your child."

Work Shower!

Friday was my work shower! My co-worker, Donna, hosted the festivities and she really out did herself. I kept making excuses to Steve in case not many people showed up: it may small, people may not want to drive to Donna's house, they already went to another baby shower a few weeks ago, etc. To our surprise, Donna's house was packed! Some people I expected since we talk everyday and some people impressed me with showing up. I even had 2 male co-workers show up (they never went to the other showers)! When someone asked why they came to a baby shower they replied, "Well, it's Tracy. Of course we'd go to her shower." Ahh, isn't that sweet?

We got so many great gifts. I think our child will be clothed for the next 6 months thanks to the school. Of course we got a bunch of great books, since teachers know the importance of books. Steve was also quite happy that we got the baby monitor and the humidifier.

I'm really lucky to work with such great people. Kudos go out to Donna and her husband, Joe, for hosting a terrific party/shower. It exceeded my expectations! Thank you :)

Thanksgiving, a Brit and a few parking tickets

Steve and I hosted another successful Thanksgiving dinner. Steve is an awesome cook and likes to go a bit overboard. Along with the traditional foods, we also ate homemade squash soup, lobster risotto, 2 types of cranberry sauce, and venison stuffing. Most of our guests were stuffed but managed to try some of my homemade desserts. We even had a friend, Andy, who traveled from England to experience this American holiday. I don't think he was disappointed.

The rest of the weekend was full of showing Andy the sites of Boston and stuffing him with food. We brought him to Faneuil Hall, the North End, Harvard Square, and Walmart (every foreigner needs to experience this). A bunch of us met at the North End (Italian section of Boston) for dinner on Saturday night. During dinner Andy mentioned that he would like to see parts of the Freedom Trail. As luck would have it we walked part of the trail on our way to a bar! I'm sure our founding fathers would be happy to see the Freedom Trail covered with bars and drunk college students.

To make this weekend complete, we got 2 parking tickets on Saturday. Nothing says "Welcome to Boston" than parking tickets! But, Andy had a good time and that's what counts.

Here are some pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/

So Sweet!

Two parents of my students asked if they could come in yesterday to do a project with my class. I assumed they wanted to do some Thanksgiving project like making a paper plate turkey or something. When the parents arrived they asked if I would mind leaving the room for a half hour. After about an hour, one of my students found me and asked me to come back. When I walked in the room all 22 of the students were holding a sweet, animal blanket for the baby. All of them tied the strings surrounding the blanket!

They also made me cards. Here is one of them and I am quoting so there are spelling mistakes.

"My Teacher is Mrs. Pevzner She is a nice Teacher and is haveing a baby and I thik the baby is going to be a boy and its going to be very qute just like Mrs. Pevzner."

Awww....

33 weeks and counting

As you can see from the picture my belly is growing every day. Last week more than one co-worker said to me "Oh, you finally look pregnant." I guess it is a compliment. I felt like I have looked pregnant for a while now, but everyone is different.

This weekend exhausted me. I went into Boston to get my hair done (the last time before the baby comes) and met Susan and Katie for lunch. I have no idea how I am going to make it into the city once the baby comes but I guess I'll figure it out. Once I got back home I had to start preparing for Thanksgiving. This is our second year of hosting the festivities, but it is a bit harder to do everything with a human living inside my body. Steve and I have a whole system down. Steve prepares dinner (I think he got the shorter end of the stick but he loves it) and I prepare the desserts. This year has to be extra good though...we have a visitor, Andy, flying over from England to enjoy our American holiday (and to visit us too). Hopefully Andy and the rest of our guests won't be disappointed!

Progress!

We made a lot of progress this weekend in the baby's room. We wanted to add an overhead light and Steve thought it should take less than an hour. Poor Steve (and his dad) because it took them over 4 hours to finish it. Apparently the previous owner of the house did a crappy job with the electrical system so Steve had to fix it. The good news is that the baby's room is coming along.

We also finished our childbirth education class on Tuesday. The last homework assignment was to bring in a bag of sensory items to use during labor. For example, you could bring in a photo to concentrate on or your favorite chapstick for your sense of taste. I had a hard time with this assignment because I am pretty sure I won't use any of that stuff. It's just not me. So, I brought in my IPod and small baby toy that may help me get through. Steve and I both snickered at this one woman who brought in food for her sensory items. I think I mentioned her in a previous post. She was the one who kept asking if she could eat during labor. Well, for this assignment she brought in Doritos, crackers, etc. She said it would satisfy her sense of taste. I think the instructor burst her bubble again when she informed the pregnant woman (again) that she couldn't eat during labor. Then her husband piped in and said "But I can, right?" Priorities people!

Here are some pics of the baby's room: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/

Baby Shower!

The Pevznamian family was showered with love and gifts last Sunday. I couldn't have asked for a nicer shower. The guests could decorate onesies, shirts and bibs for the baby. I loved watching the creativity from the guests and I know the baby will like the creations too!

Holly knows me very well and hosted a musical themed shower. Guests brought musical toys, cds and even rock band onesies ("I love Bon Jovi and my mommy does too" is my favorite onesie)! Holly did an awesome job planning. She never ceases to amaze me. How she planned a shower with a 21 month old while living in New York I'll never know! But she couldn't have done it without Julie or Sandra. Thank you guys! Our baby is lucky to have you in his or her life!

Check out some pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hollyp/

Halloween 2008

I was a bit tired today since my class took a field trip to Plimoth Plantation today. But that didn't stop me from answering the door for the trick or treaters. My favorites are always the little ones. You know the ones who have no idea what is going on but mom and dad are ecstatic that it's their kid's first or second Halloween. This year it was a tie for my favorite kid costume. Our neighbor's little boy was a skunk and another little girl was a strawberry. Both were adorable.

I am leaning toward an animal for our baby's 1st Halloween next year. Steve wants to dress the baby up as Lance Armstrong complete with baby bike shorts, yellow t-shirt and helmet. I smiled and told Steve, "We'll see."

Since we had an old toilet under our deck (doesn't everybody?) Steve wanted to use it as a prop. He took a skeleton and attached it to the toilet and made the skeleton reading a paper. He even put a spotlight on it. The kids didn't know what to make of it and the parents thought it was hysterical.

Since it is November 1st I am ready for the toilet to disappear. I don't want to be known as the trashy family on the street.

The Last Hurrah Halloween Party

This is the last Halloween party pre-parenting duties so we decided to throw the last hurrah Halloween party. Even with a lot of people who bagged out on us we still had a lot of fun. It was kind of weird to think this is the last party we will host with just the two of us. Pretty soon all those beer bottled parties will turn into milk bottled parties. I can't wait!

Take a look at some pics from the festivities: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/

More Education

On Tuesday night we had our first childbirth education class. It was an interesting class and I was glad Steve was there too. I feel like I may forget things I learned in class during the heat of the moment.

Here is what I learned:

1. Pretty much everyone finds out the sex of the baby before it's born. Out of 8 couples we were the only couple who didn't know the sex. In case you are wondering the other 7 couples are all having boys.

2. People ask some weird questions. One lady kept asking about food during labor. One wanted to know when you get the drugs. Another was wondering if her birth plan was a good one. Huh, birth plan? After she asked this, Steve turned to me and asked what our birth plan was. I told him our plan is to get it out.

3. Milford Hospital has birthing rooms with Jacuzzis. It's for me not Steve.

Can't wait to see what we learn next week.

Almost Halloween

Steve and I had a busy weekend again but we got a lot accomplished. You see I have a list of things that need to get done before the baby comes like: get life insurance, clean out the bookcase in the baby's room, give Steve e-mail addresses and numbers to tell people when the baby is born, etc. I am happy to say that we work well as a team and many of the items are already crossed off. Of course, there have have many things that we haven't planned for that have taken time away from my precious list. Things like: our hot water tank broke, our lawn mower died, our stove started to leak gas, etc. Steve has been working his butt off and we have a completely new heating system that doesn't involve oil and we got a new stove. Isn't he a great husband!?!?

We did take time away from my list to enjoy a Halloween mega store in Worcester. We drove out there on Saturday with a couple of friends to gather Halloween decor and costume necessities. Contrary to popular belief I do not have a costume picked out for the baby's first Halloween next year. Steve even suggested getting one since they were already on sale. I told him we have to wait because the costume has to be just right.

Busy Weekend

I've never been asked so many times in my life about how I was feeling. Everyday at school I have at least 3 fellow teachers ask me. I think it is sweet. For the most part I have been feeling fine but the past week my back has started to ache a bit and it is getting harder to bend over. Luckily when I drop something in my classroom I have 22 eager 3rd graders ready to grab whatever is on the floor. I also know I should sit more at work, but it is hard when you've been trained to walk around when you teach. So, essentially I stand all day. I guess I may have to alter my teaching style to rest my back once in a while.

But, I had another prenatal massage (a gift from Steve) on Saturday. It felt so nice and relaxing. I think I want at least one more before the baby arrives. That night Steve surprised me with a group of friends for dinner and Cirque de Soleil! You see my birthday is Christmas Eve and everything is closed and everyone is busy. Steve decided to celebrate my birthday a little earlier this year by getting tickets. I have always wanted to see Cirque de Soleil and they did not disappoint. I would recommend this show to everyone.

We had another busy day on Sunday. First, Steve and I went to the Armenian Museum in Watertown where his grandfather was being honored as an Armenian Vet. Then we raced home to have dinner with my dad, Gale and Aunt Susan. It was the first time that Aunt Susan (who lives in California) had seen our house. Beside eating a great meal (thank you Steve) we were showered with gifts. Dad and Gale bought the baby a cute musical box and Susan bought the baby a Christmas stocking and growth chart. It's fun being around people that are just as excited to meet the baby as the parents!

Check out the pics from this weekend: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/

So Cool!

Today I celebrated Yom Kippur by taking a glucose test and getting another ultrasound. I've heard some scary things about the glucose test but I didn't think it was bad at all. You have to drink some orange concoction that tastes like orange soda and then wait an hour until they draw some blood. I was talking to the nurse taking my blood and she told me her daughter came three weeks early and was over 10 pounds! Geesh, that's a big kid and I really don't think the Pevznamian baby will be that big.

After the test, I traipsed up to the 4th floor of the hospital to get another ultrasound. If you remember from before, the technician couldn't get all the pics of the baby because the baby thought that would be a good time to practice moving. They got all the pics they needed today and she said everything looked good. Before I left the coolest thing happened, she took a 3-d picture of the baby. It was so surreal to see the facial features of the baby living inside me. Of course, the tech could only get one good picture because the baby starting moving again. After looking at the picture both the tech and I couldn't figure out if there was a foot or hand near the baby's head. Take a look and see if you can figure it out.

Another concert

I was lucky (yes, lucky) enough to score some last minute tickets to the New Kids on the Block concert in Boston. I dragged my friend Julie to check out some die hard NKOTB fans, crazy souvenirs, and 5 cute boys from Beantown singing. They definitely put on a great show and sang all their favorites (closing the show with Hanging Tough). I loved watching these chicks who were wearing clothes like "I'll be your covergirl Donnie" or even worse, wearing those huge ass pins with their favorite New Kid on it. These girls were my age too. I'm not that bad, right?

I remember my mom and dad driving Holly and I to Lake Compounce in '89 to see the New Kids in concert. Holly and I were singing along and having a great time. Nineteen years later I was still singing along and had a smile on my face the entire time. Too bad Holly missed it (next time Hol). As my sister noted earlier, "What are you reliving the summer of '89 this year?" Yes, as a matter of fact I am and I loved every minute of it. Hopefully the baby will be a fan of Bon Jovi, Poison and New Kids - just like mama!

Since I knew I would get flack from Holly if I posted a picture of New Kids on the Block, here is a pic of my belly at 25 weeks.

Ovarian Cancer 5K

Every year since 2001 Steve and I have run in an Ovarian Cancer 5k in honor of my mom. It's a great course and raises funds for research and treatment. Between the both of us we must have at least 6 trophies! Since I am a bit bigger than previous years, I decided to take it easy this year and walk it. Steve ran his heart out which earned him 2nd place in his age group. Yeah daddy Steve!

We always get our usual bunch together to form Carole's Crew. Last year was the first time I actually made t-shirts for all of us. We were grateful this year for Jason and Richard for joining us. We would have had more but it was a busy wedding and birthing weekend. Hopefully we'll get more people for Carole's Crew next year. Steve already volunteered to push the baby in the stroller so I can run. The sad thing is, he'll probably still be faster than me even while pushing the baby!

Check out some pics from the race and apple picking: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/sets/72157607530368231/

Baby Magner is here!

Christine and Dan welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Maya Ellen Magner, last Thursday.

Steve and I went to visit the family last Friday and we both got to hold her! As I was cradling her in my arms I sat down to rest. Our little cherub thought that would be a great time to start kicking. Poor Maya kept making funny faces as she could feel our baby kicking. I promised little Maya that once her playmate is born he or she will behave much better.

Steve looked at Christine, Dan and Maya and reminded me that is going to be us in about 4 months. Yikes.

Check out more pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/30481680@N03/sets/72157607394636512/

Headache

Even though I work with children, our school maternity leave sucks. I basically get 6 weeks off (unpaid) and if I want more than that I need a doctor's note saying I am medically unable to return to work. I can use my sick days (for the six weeks and if I get a doctor's note) but once I run out of sick days I won't get paid. I figured that won't be so bad since I can just take another month off and save enough money to pay the mortgage, bills, etc. Well, it's not that easy. If I take any time unpaid my salary will be readjusted to reflect that. Basically, I will get paid less throughout the rest of the year. It kind of stinks that I have not taken a sick days in 3 years and still won't have enough time to even spend 3 months with the baby.

I met with a woman in HR today to figure out how much my salary will be adjusted if I take 1 to 4 weeks off. It comes down to this: Steve and I may be able to survive if I take 1 or 2 weeks unpaid but not anything more. Maybe we should just move to Europe. They give new moms about 9 month off..paid!

Holly asked for another belly shot. Here it is at 23 weeks.

Crib!

Dad and Gale surprised us by getting us the crib! I went for a walk yesterday and while I was gone Steve put it together. I came back and noticed the crib in the baby's room. Both Steve and I stared at the empty crib saying "there is going to be a baby in there soon." Reality is starting to set in.

Out of the mouth of babes

I was waiting with my 3rd graders outside the cafeteria on Friday. Since I can't print the student's real names, here is a conversation that took place.

Student 1: Ms. Pevzner every time I look at you, it looks like your stomach is getting bigger. Almost like you are pregnant or something.

Me: Well, that's because I am pregnant.

Student 2: I thought your stomach was growing too, but my mom said it was rude to ask a lady if she was pregnant if you weren't sure.

Me (addressing student 2): You are right about that but I am having a baby in January.

Student 1 proceeds to scream across the line that I am having a baby. So, if any 3rd grader wasn't sure if I was just gaining weight or pregnant student #1 clarified everything for them.

Awesome Saturday

I used one of the gift certificates Steve got me and went for a prenatal massage yesterday. It was so relaxing! I recommend it to every pregnant lady out there. When I was driving to the appointment the baby kept kicking and moving, but as soon as the massage started, I didn't feel a thing from the baby. I think the baby liked it too!

After the massage, I went to Walmart to pick up a rug that Holly and I saw last week. We were searching for a rug for the baby's room and didn't have any luck until Walmart. We found the rug (pictured on the right) for $70. If you have ever looked at rugs before you know they are super expensive and one for 70 bucks isn't bad. Well, I waited to get it to check with Steve. Steve never got around to seeing it but I went in to pick it up anyway. When I was checking out, it rang up at $17! Apparently, they kept marking it down and they just want it out of the store. Even if it doesn't work out, who cares it was less that 20 bucks!

To cap off this awesome Saturday, Steve and I went to Donna's house (my coworker) for a lobster bake. We had great lobsters, yummy side dishes and smores! In case you didn't know this about my husband...he makes the best smores. He melts the marshmallows just right so everything blends together nicely. It is quite a talent.

Sunday is starting off great too...Steve went out and got me french toast for breakfast!

Pic from weekend

I forgot to take my camera with me while Holly and I were registering. Holly remembered so she took a picture of me looking at running strollers. Can you tell how overwhelmed I am? No, well good.

A weekend with Holly

Holly came by this weekend and helped me out..big time. She had a list of things that I should register for before the new arrival in January. If you know me at all, you know I hate to shop. But, with Holly helping out (or practically doing it) it went pretty smoothly. She would hold up things and say "you need this" and I would point the registry gun and put it on the registry. No questions asked. If you haven't done this before, it truly is a daunting task. Plus, the Babies R Us staff weren't too readily available to answer any questions. Thank God for the Baby Bargains book. So, the registries are pretty much complete. Let's just hope the kid likes the things I picked out. Every baby needs a plush octopus, right?

Holly and I also went to visit our 96 year old granny who is in a nursing home. When Holly asked granny for any name suggestions. Granny replied, "Whatever you do don't name the baby Steve." For those of you who don't know, my dad is Steve, my cousin is Steve and my husband is Steve. Granny doesn't want any more Steves in her life. I told her not to worry there will be no Steve Juniors coming.

The pic shows my belly at 22 weeks.

Lucky Lady

If you look at the picture to the left you will see a pile of clothes. These aren't just any clothes...these are maternity clothes. Holly, Christine and my co-workers have been giving me bag loads of clothes to wear over the next few months. I love this for a couple of reasons: 1. I hate shopping. 2. I hate shopping when I can't fit into my old size. 3. I hate shopping for clothes that I will wear for a few months. Did I mention I hate shopping? The only time I go shopping is when I'm with Holly. She finds something that will look good on me, hands it to me and tells me to buy it. That's my kind of shopping.

Thank you for all the clothes ladies!

My super husband surprised me yesterday with a prenatal massage gift certificate. I told him I was going to wait until I felt really tired, fat, swollen, etc. But, I guess I screwed up the surprise because he explained that he bought me a few gift certificates to get a massage so I get to use one soon and then few more later. Isn't he great?!?!?

Birthday Party!

I went to Logan's 5th birthday yesterday (son of Julie and Kevin). They went all out for this party including: a huge bouncy, a dunk tank, kiddie pools and tons of food. It was weird thinking that Steve and I will be planning birthday parties. When I got home I told Steve that we need a bigger house to have birthday parties since our baby will have a birthday in the winter and we can't go outside. He thought I was crazy and told me not to worry about it. Then I thought about my winter birthday and my parents did a good job with pin the nose on the snowman, crafts, Simon Says and other things. Good times, good times. I can't wait to make those goodie bags!

By the way, school starts tomorrow so updates may be slower than usual.

Movin' and Shakin'

I had a doctor's appointment last night so she could check me out, but also to look over the ultrasound. She said everything looked normal with the baby. Then she "tried" to take the baby's heartbeat. As usual, the baby wouldn't sit still and I think the doctor got a hand cramp trying to move the instrument around my stomach trying to catch the heartbeat. From what she heard, she said it was normal. I have a feeling this kid is going to be crawling and running out of me.

The doc was also happy that I finally gained weight (since I am at week 19). I think I mentioned earlier that I gained weight and then lost it so ended up at my starting weight. I'm glad the baby is healthy but it is a strange feeling watching your weight go up since most of us spend our lives trying to stay thin and not gain a pound.

On a side note, the baby is the size of a mango!

Second Ultrasound

Steve took a day off from work to come with me to the second ultrasound appointment. I had told Steve even before I became pregnant that I didn't want to find out the sex of the baby. Steve really wanted to find out, but as you read further the baby wants it to be a surprise too.

The poor woman had a hard time getting all of the pictures and had to get her supervisor to help her. The baby had crossed his/her legs and then flipped the legs over the head. They had me on my side and moving a bit to get all the necessary pics. Because of the baby's precarious position they couldn't tell if it was a boy or girl anyway. Oh well Steve you are going to have to wait like the rest of us!

The cutest thing we saw was the baby sucking his/her thumb. I didn't even know baby's do that in gestation.

Remember how I said we picked out a boy's name? Well, we went for a long walk yesterday (5 or so miles) and picked out 2 boy's names and 2 girl's names. We are going to wait to meet the baby and then pick the appropriate name. I'm happy I can cross off this task off my list!

Geesh

Before my sister blows a gasket, here is a picture of my belly (4 1/2 months).

Crazy Kitty

I was having a pleasant morning eating my cereal when I heard Jasper (our cat) jump through his cat door. I looked over and he had something in his mouth. As I looked closer I noticed it was a bird.

First thought: How am I going to get that bird out of the house? The trash already came.

Second thought: I hope this dead bird doesn't bring in any bad germs for the baby.

Third thought: Holy crap! The bird isn't dead!

Japser drops the bird and the bird tries running around the house. The poor bird is having trouble flying because Jasper busted the wing. After a few minutes of me yelling at Japser to let the birdie go and running around the house, I finally got the bird out of Jasper's mouth. I put the bird outside and I hope it survives.

I hope Jasper behaves better for the baby than he did with that bird. On a side note: Steve and I actually have agreed on a boy's name. Now we have to pick a girl's name. Don't ask what we decided on names 'cause we're not gonna tell you. It's a surprise :)

Another Summer Concert

Some friends and I ventured into Boston Thursday night to see Poison, Dokken and Sebastian Bach in concert. Some of you may be laughing at this point, but this is my 3rd time seeing Poison and they put on a great show! This concert was no exception. Plus, even if you don't really like the music it is great for people watching. I always get a good chuckle from watching people wear clothes that they probably wore when they saw Poison in concert in 1987.

Anyway, one of my friends at the concert told me that I should pick a song to start playing daily for the baby. She explained that her sister played a Dave Matthews song everyday while she was pregnant. After the baby was born she continued to listen to the same song. When the baby got upset she put in that song and the baby cooed and stopped crying. Now that the baby can talk he actually requests "number 8" on the cd. This is a brilliant idea but now I have to figure out what song to start playing to hopefully calm our baby down. Check out the poll and feel free to send any other suggestions our way!

Lost in Translation

I've worked at a camp with Japanese students for the past 4 years. There is a very sweet, Japanese woman who works as the liaison between the Japanese school and the camp. Her English isn't the greatest but at least she tries. At the beginning of camp last week she kept looking me up and down and then staring at my stomach. Finally she built up enough courage to come and ask me if I was pregnant. Here is the conversation:

Yumiko: Are you ...? (points to my stomach)

Me: Yep, 4 months this week so the baby should be here in January.

Yumiko: Congratulations. I asked someone before and there was no baby. Does your husband still work in the houses?

Me: Um, yeh, he works in houses as a plumber. A plumber fixes pipes so the water can go through the house.

Yumiko: Oh, I see. Is this the same husband you had last year?

Me: (I just smiled and nodded)


Who knows maybe there was something lost in translation.

More pics from California

This seal took a liking to Steve while he was scuba diving and was caught resting on Steve's flipper.

This is beautiful Monterey beach.

Don't you just want to scratch this big kitty's head? He is one of the lions at the Wild Things training center.

Trip to Monterey and Carmel, California

We had a great time in California. We did tons of great stuff: visited Monterey Bay Aquarium, drove the 17-mile coast, Steve went scuba diving, rented a surrey (4 person bike), relaxed on Carmel beach, hiked Point Lobos State Reserve and went to an animal training center (they train animals for tv and movies) called "Wild Things." The highlight of the trip had to be when we drove to Santa Cruz to check out their famous boardwalk. When we got there we heard that..drum roll please....Sha Na Na was performing. Of course, we had to check it out. It was hilarious watching 50 and 60 somethings rocking out to the oldies. I think the baby even liked the 2nd concert of the summer. Then Steve and I had this conversation:

Me: Do you think this is going to be me in 20 years watching Poison at the Big E or something?

Steve: Yep, and the kids are I are going to be hiding and laughing at you.

Me: You're probably right.

I hope I'm still going to concerts in 20 years and I hope the kids have the same musical taste as I do. That would be awesome!

Growing Belly

Between the first visit and the second visit to the doctor I lost 2 pounds. I thought that was strange since I didn't get sick and my clothes felt tighter. At the last doctor's visit I gained 2 pounds, which now brings me back to my original starting weight. How can I be the same weight when I can't fit into my shorts? I guess it could be worse.

As you can see from the photo I have a belly button ring. I asked my doc if I have to take it out as the belly grows. She said as long as it doesn't get infected or hurt I can keep it in. That's good because if that thing comes out, it's never going back in.

The summer of music

Kevin, Sandra and I went to the Bon Jovi concert in Boston on July 10. I have loved Bon Jovi for years and figured I should expose the baby at a young age to great music. The concert was great ( I am sure the baby loved it too) but there was one major disappointing event. Kevin was kind enough to ask one of the workers at the memorabilia table if there were any Bon Jovi baby onesies for sale. I think she snickered a bit and told Kevin no. What's up with that? I can't be the only one who wants one for a baby.

Anniversary

I know I said I wouldn't post until after our vacation, but I had to show everyone what Steve made for our 2nd anniversary. We said we wouldn't exchange gifts on our actual anniversary date, but celebrate it during our vacation in California. So instead of doing that, Steve decided to make a sign for my classroom. Take a look at it (he made the pencils too)! He cut each wooden letter and then painted them too. I can't wait to hang it outside room 11. Maybe I'll have him make one for the baby's room too!

1st baby pic

I was mean and made Steve keep his mouth shut until we got the first picture of the baby. I felt bad (just a little) because he was bursting at the seams just wanting to tell everyone. I felt better waiting 3 months before we shared the news. When we finally shared the news we got tears, screams and even a few really bad suggestions for baby names (see the poll on the blog).

Baby News!

We found out right around Mother's Day that we were expecting. Since I thought the first pregnancy test couldn't be right, I made Steve go out and buy another one. Sure enough they both said the same thing..pregnant!