16 Weeks!

It has been a trying week, to say the least.

Thursday, I took two students to an honor choir. That night, it rained. And not just any rain, but freezing rain.

To put a damper on it even more, I had a 9 pound child come out my vagina. Things aren't the same anymore. As in, not the same. So with my debilitating cough, I had to wear maxi pads. And not just panty liners, but I'm-12-again maxi pads. Which meant I had to give up my thongs and wear real underwear. Needless to say, that in itself was uncomfortable. But let's get back to the freezing rain, shall we?

So while at this honor choir, I was trying so hard to stifle my debilitating cough during the concert, and squeeze my legs together as tight as possible so I wouldn't pee as much when I did cough, that the person sitting next to me asked me on more than one occasion if I was all right. I took over 100 "hits" off my inhaler during that concert, and still, nothing. Oh, did I mention that I was diagnosed with viral-induced asthma? That would be the reason why every year, when I contract the common cold, it becomes some horrible, debilitating cough. Because normal people will cough up the nasties, but my bronchials are so tight (like someone with asthma), that nothing will come up. So the bacteria just manifests itself and grows and gets nastier.

After the honor choir, I walk outside, thankful that I will be enjoying a three day weekend, to find that it has been raining for most of the concert. Two hours. That's a lot of ice accumulation. So in my debilitated state, with a cracked rib, I scraped the windows and prayed that the van (which I accurately described to my students as something that we had taken on an epic road trip, and this van is the aftermath of that road trip...) would get me back to Des Moines.

It did.

But when I got back to the bus barn, I had to scrape my SUV's windows. Then I had to run to Target to get more cough syrup. It was a terrible night.

Friday, I woke up feeling mildly better. Debilitating cough was still lingering, but at least my spirits were up some. I had a conference, but spent a large portion of the day in bed. Hopefully, my administration doesn't read that. Although the Wednesday prior my principal did stop me in the hallway and say, "Laura... you should be at home resting." To which I replied, "I would love to Mike, BUT I have to get your daughter ready for an honor choir." Which was true. And it was his daughter whose concert I sat through, hardly able to breathe.

Saturday, I was feeling even better yet, and my best friend stole me to go shopping. But as the day wore on and we continued to go in and out of the cold weather, my cough got worse, and I was getting more and more worn down. By the time I got home that evening, I was spent. I could hardly move to go up to bed. But, I made it and woke up Sunday even worse that I think I was the night before.

I tried to talk Eric into letting me (yes, read: letting me) go to Urgent Care, but he doesn't really believe in that type of thing. Just like my dad - just take vitamins, drink lots of fluid and rest, "you'll be fine." I had a measly 30 puffs left on my inhaler, to which I was like a crazed drug addict trying to carefully time each puff so it would last until I went to the doctor on Monday.

I cried about three or four times on Sunday, simply frustrated with the fact that I was just not getting any better. I was still peeing almost every time I coughed, I was still putting my head between my legs and cradling my cracked rib every time I coughed. I was frustrated that I couldn't be the parent to James that I want to be, and I was frustrated that I couldn't do anything but lay in bed, cough, and pee. And drink lots and lots of water.

So Monday I woke up, called into work, and made a doctor's appointment. And I was so emotionally distraught from not being back to "normal" that when it was time to leave for the appointment, I couldn't find my keys. Eric had driven my car on Sunday and has a bad habit of taking the keys out of the ignition. We don't have a spare set, so when I couldn't find them on Monday morning, I started freaking out. Simply because, I had to get to the doctor, and there was no other way I could make it there.

I found my keys and got into my car. Depressed my brake, shifted into reverse and started rolling down the driveway. Wait, that's not supposed to happen. Yes, that's right, on top of all of that, I had no brakes.

So I drove using my parking brake, and 3rd and 2nd on my drive shaft (thank God I have owned and driven 5-speeds before, otherwise I'd never know how to rev my RPM's to slow my car down). It was a hairy mile to the doctor's office (our neighborhood is within 2 miles of everything we could need, including an amusement park), but I made it and stumbled in, bawling my eyes out. I was absolutely done with it all.

The doctor really wanted to run chest x-rays to rule out pneumonia (what??) but obviously, x-rays are not safe for pregnant women. So instead, she listened intently to my breathing for awhile, looked in about every crevice on my face, and decided to instead put me on heavy-duty schedule b (as in, safe for baby), antibiotics and steroids. For my debilitating cough, she happily refilled my inhaler.

When I went to fill my prescriptions (still without brakes, mind you, which was interesting), I found out that since I'm actually not asthmatic, my insurance would not cover my inahler for another eight days. That's right. They will only cover a refill every 20 days. So they expect you to take 10 puffs per day, maximum. In the words of my doctor, "So you've been using your inhaler more than twice every four hours?" Umm, yeah.

It would be $70 to refill the inhaler without insurance. I just wasn't sick enough to justify that, so I just went with the heavy-duty steroids and antibiotics.

I started them immediately and instead of going back to bed, made a phone call to my mechanic, then took my car out to his house. In the freezing cold. Looking like hell. And coughing the entire time.

On Tuesday, I headed back to school. Everyone told me that I needed to go back home and rest, but I had several reasons why I shouldn't:

1) It was the last day before Thanksgiving break. I needed to see my kiddos before I wouldn't see them again for another 5 days. This was because 2) I hadn't seen them for five days prior to that, thanks to the honor choir, conference, and being sick on Monday. I also knew it would be an easy day because 3) there was "violent threat" made to the general K-12 student population on a bathroom wall, so over 250 of the 400 students were gone for the day. Out of the 80 students i have standing in front of me on any given day, I had about 40. And in another class, I had 10. And finally, 4) it's me. My sudden burst of energy on Monday told me I was going to school on Tuesday. Not to mention, I need all the maternity leave I can get, so I don't want to take any more sick days!!!

So there you have it. And on Tuesday, as I was sitting there feeling sorry for myself because my mechanic called and told me it would be $700 to fix my brakes, something amazing happened.

I felt Baby Engels for the first time. And while I still can't make it through a sentence without coughing, I still have to bend over and cradle my ribs when I do cough, and I still pee a little every time, to feel those movements again and know that my little bean is ok means everything. It washed away all the pity I was feeling for myself. It (almost) washed away the $700 car bill I was going to have to pay. It was lovely.

So here's to 16 weeks. Let's hope the wellness boat continues to sail!

How far along? 16 weeks!
Maternity clothes? Considering I spent most of this past week in bed, my sweats and old t-shirts have been working just fine for me. I did wear to school a non-maternity sweater and regular jeans, but at this point, what's the use? It was sort of uncomfortable.
Weight gain? I went to the doctor on Monday and they weighed me with boots and sweats and jacket on. I didn't care. And I was still under my pre-pregnancy (James) weight. Unbelievable. I have a feeling that will change with the steroids and Thanksgiving food.
Stretch marks? No. Still lathering on the lotion.
Best moment this week? It's a toss-up between actually starting to feel better and going shopping with the bestie on Saturday without our children. I loved it, even though by the end of the day I wasn't feeling so hot. BUT it was worth it and so awesome to see her. I love spending time with her and wish we could do it more often. We're just so busy with so many different things, it can be really difficult. However, when we do spend time together, it's always more meaningful because of that.
Miss anything? Again, breathing without coughing. Speaking full sentences without coughing. Just breathing normal in general.
Movement? Yes, a very definite "pop pop pop" that was absolutely Baby Engels. Super exciting!
Food cravings? Still stuffing my face with frozen fruit bars. Delicious. And they make my burning esophagus feel better. And I've been craving those Mexican roll-ups? Some peopel make them with cream cheese and AE Mexican Dip, or some use cream cheese and ranch dressing? Either way, I use the latter, and add pimentos, green and red peppers, and green onion. Delicious. I made those today for Eric and my Thanksgiving feast tomorrow, and I've already eaten two tortilla shells full of cream cheesy goodness. I can't help it, they're delicious. I can't wait to have more tomorrow.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Not really this week. More like feeling sorry for myself!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Is feeling better a symptom? Thank the Lord!
Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Very moody, but rightfully so, I'd say.
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving with my boys tomorrow. I can't wait to spend the day watching movies, and hanging out, and not have to worry about the bullshit of family that will come on Friday night/Saturday. And being able to teach next week without a cough! Hopefully, it's gone by then!

Tablet Learning

A lot of people already know I'm a teacher. And I love tricking my students into learning. I love seeing the light bulb come on when they finally understand a concept, and I love knowing that I helped them make it to that step.

I'm the same way with James.

The other night, I was walking through Target getting necessities for my family, and saw a mom with three kids. Two of which were crammed into the shopping cart, one with an iPad, the other with her phone. The third walked alongside the cart.

I'm not one to judge, and I don't have three children. I could not imagine what it would be like with three children, considering we're done after two. I do know, however, what a pain in the ass it is to bring your kid shopping to the store with you when that's the last thing they want to do.

But watching her children as she walked alongside me down the main aisle got me to thinking. One was playing some car racing game, the other a game that was similar to SIMON, if you've every played. But it got me thinking...

We have a Nexus 7. We did a ton of research into tablets (I am a research guru... a couple weeks ago, I researched glow sticks for two hours on the internet - their toxicity, how long they glow after the liquid is exposed to air etc - all so we could have glow-in-the-dark drumming at the Variety Show). We didn't want an iPad because everyone had one, we wanted a tablet that would suit our needs. I didn't want something so big that I couldn't carry it in my purse, but something big enough where I could type and do work on it if I had to.

So there you have it - the Nexus 7 it was. We got it home, opened it up, and one of the first things I did was research Apps. Not for me, but for James.

I downloaded three - a coloring app, a counting app, and a shape/numbers app. And the second thing I did was find James and introduce him to these apps.

He got pretty far on the counting app. He touched whatever was being counted (one bus, for example) and the automated voice (who is British, I believe), says, "One bus!" Then we got to two cats, three forks, four pencils... and so on and so forth.

Then we tried the shapes/numbers app. He touched whatever number he needed to and dragged it to the appropriate spot on the screen. These apps were great!      

Until James got bored of them the next night. What?! How was that possible? They were the free versions, so not that great, but James was done with them.

Then I realized it was because they were stimulating him anymore. All he had to do was press something on the screen, for every single app. I started researching more apps, and more times than not, it was simply touching, or touching and dragging. James would rather put something other than a ball in his bouncing hippo/dinosaur toy and see how it bounces, than sit and stare at a screen where all he has to do is touch it over and over and get a similar result.

Which made me think of the value of these apps. And what we're doing to our children when we actually give them to our kids. All my kid learned from those apps, was simply that he had to touch the screen in the right spot and something would happen. But more importantly, after he got bored, he learned that if he put his cars on his racetrack that Eric attached to the railing leading into the basement, the cars would make it all the way to the end, hit the wall (which has left some interesting marks on our maple trim) and bounce somewhere. But he never knew where. And then he learned that if he wanted to do it again, he had to climb down the stairs, fetch his cars, and climb back up the stairs to try and position them just so.

Tablet learning, I'm sure for some parents, is the way to go. It's a good way to distract your child and it's nice to be able to get things done while they are distracted. It's not something Eric and I have never done. But we've never done it with a tablet.

After that, I deleted the apps. James still comes after my tablet every once in awhile, just to shift the screen back and forth, but quickly loses interest when he realizes that's the only thing it does.

Maybe I haven't found the right app yet, but for me, Tablet Learning is just that. Learning to touch a screen to make something happen. Is that really what I want my toddler to be learning?        

15 Weeks!

How far along? 15 weeks!
Maternity clothes? The jeans are still working for me. But for the most part, I'm wearing leggings and dresses to work every day. Which is awesome because they are so incredibly comfortable.
Weight gain? Again, not that I know of. I think it's moreso just my belly expanding. I wore one of my concert dresses as I had a 7th and 8th grade concert last night, and it was significantly looser in the arms and bust than when I wore it last May. So I would say I'm probably still not really anything for weight gain. Not to mention I've been unbelievably sick, so I'm sure that hasn't really helped.
Stretch marks? No. My last pregnancy, I lathered my belly with Bath and Body Works lotion and last weekend, I went and stocked up (got $60 of lotion for only $30! Plus a free lotion on top!) so hopefully, that works for me again.
Best moment this week? So far, this week has actually been pretty miserable. I've been incredibly busy with school functions, so I haven't been able to take care of myself and rest like I should. So I got incredibly sick and boom, cracked rib from all the coughing. It's been pretty terrible. One bright spot in all this is that on Saturday night after the Variety Show, since Eric's mom was visiting, we went out for a late dinner at Jethro's. It was awesome to spend some one-on-one time with him and I am very thankful for little moments like that! Another bright spot? I am the proud owner of a bright red inhaler. No more coughing attacks where I can't catch my breath!
Miss anything? Breathing without coughing. Although that is slowly being replaced by coughing up phlegm. Praise Jesus.
Movement? None that I know of, but every once in awhile I'll feel a twinge and think, "Was that it??"
Food cravings? Hilariously enough, I was waltzing through Target and saw that they had FROZEN FRUIT BARS! Which isn't that funny, until you realize that this time in my pregnancy with James, that's the number one thing I was all about, all the time. Delicious, delectable frozen fruit bars. Mmm, mmmm, mmmmmm.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Tonight when I tried to eat broccoli, I thought i was going to vomit. Too much food makes me feel sick, and too much BAD food makes me feel sick. Otherwise, I'm feeling much, MUCH better than I did in the first trimester!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Not a ton of heartburn this week, but nausea and feeling generally worn out, which I'm sure has something to do with the fact that I've been incredibly sick this week.
Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody?  Generally happy, but very very tired, so not normally as happy as I usually am. And sometimes, I can get very moody. Being exhausted on top of being exhaustingly pregnant, is... exhausting. On top of that, I can barely do anything without severe pain. So maybe moody is more like it...
Looking forward to: Getting over this stupid cold/bronchitis (which is just inflammation of the bronchials people... not as bad as it sounds), and this COUGH! And healing my fricken rib! And hopefully putting up the Christmas tree with James this weekend, unbeknownst to Eric... muahahaha...

14 Weeks!

How far along? 14 weeks
Maternity clothes? Yes, almost all the time, except for the jeans. All my clothes fit higher up on my waist and since its true that you show faster the second time, I am still good in my jeans.
Weight gain? None that I know of. A lot of my clothes are fitting quite loosely. I guess we will find out at your 16 week appointment just how well, or not well, these pizza rolls have been treating me!
Stretch marks? No.
Best moment this week? My best moment this week was Talking with parents at conferences about baby e and not having to hide my tiny bump!
Miss anything? Eric. He has been working some crazy hours, as have I. Its been one thing after another and very hard on our family. I can't wait until he is back working regular hours.
Movement? Not really this week.
Food cravings? I have been chowing down on the pizza rolls! Anything salty, which males me think we are having another boy.
Anything make you queasy or sick? Ugh... my students. Again. I have incredibly strong senses to begin with, for some freakish reason. 20/13 vision, impeccable hearing (that throws my students for a loop when someone in the back row asks their friend a question and I answer), and incredible smell. That sense of smell has been heightened and if I get too close to a student that smells bad, my gag reflex kicks in and I have to back away!
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Nausea, fatigue, and surprisingly, heartburn I didn't get heartburn with James until well into my third trimester, so I thought that was interesting.

Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody? YHappy! Stressed!
Looking forward to: Eric's mom is coming down Saturday to watch James while we are at the Variety Show. I cannot wait for her to watch him on Sunday and for both Eric and I to relax! We need it!

18 Months!

Holy moses, you are a year and a half old! How and when did that happen?

You are turning into such a little boy. You LOVE horseplay with your dad, and I think you get embarrassed when your mom tries it. You come to me more for hugs and love.

You've stopped yanking on Kinnick's tail, and instead, have been trying to give him hugs. I don't know what might be more painful for him. You love giving hugs, and think it's the greatest thing ever.

You love car rides! But only short ones. Since it's started turning colder, I pick you up from the sitter's on my way home, even though it's only three houses down. But boy, do you love sitting in the front seat, buckled in, while I putt-putt down the road three houses and back into our driveway. Most likely very illegal, but really, what's the harm? My dad took me driving in Grandma's corn field in an old beat up pick up truck. Now THAT was an adventure!

You are saying SO MANY words! I cannot believe it! You say just about everything you do or pick up. You'll pick up a stick if we walk home from the babysitter's house, and you say the word. You can say shoes, light, all gone, all done, all ready, bye mom, bye dad, and my favorite: "shit!" which is your word for sit. You can say chair, uh-oh, cat and dog. It's amazing all the words that come out of your mouth at any given time, including the one's I don't remember off the top of my head!

You are starting to run, everywhere. We have three shoes for you. Crocs with holes, which are too cold for this weather, brown leather shoes, which are dressier, and snow boots. I'm thinking we need to get you some real running shoes soon!

I keep trying to get you to understand that there is  baby in my belly, but then you just keep going after my belly button when I do. I am excited for you to meet your brother or sister and I think it will be a moment I will never forget when you do!

So, little man, happy year and a half. It's been a whirlwind. And to think it's already been two years since we made the announcement we were pregnant with YOU.

I love you little man, thank you for making my life so complete!

13 Weeks!

How far along? 13 weeks
Maternity clothes? I Don't need them but I have been wearing them anyway! They are just so comfy! I bought two pair of leggings and went back for a third color. Thank you Motherhood Maternity! I have yet to break out my maternity jeans, because all my others still work, but I can't wait for those either!
Weight gain? Well, at the doctor, I had lost 3 more pounds, so I am down to 156. Which makes my tiny bump protrude even more!
Stretch marks? No, and I hope I don't get them. I had a good time in my bikini at the pool this year. I don't want to graduate to the mom-kini because of stretch marks!
Sleep? Sleep! Except I wake up to pee every night. That's annoying!
Best moment this week? My best moment this week was telling my students. So much fun to watch their reactions!
Miss anything? Eric took me on a date to celebrate our announcement and I really wanted some wine with dinner! And I miss not feeling tired all the time. And sleeping on my stomach!
Movement? No kidding, sometimes I feel a flutter here or there! I sometimes wonder if I am just excited to feel that movement again or if its really you!
Food cravings? I bought pizza rolls for the first time in a long time and will be heating some up shortly. And oddly enough I have been craving straight water. Ice cold - delicious!
Anything make you queasy or sick? Some of my students don't smell the best...
Labor signs? No!
Symptoms? Nausea, fatigue, more nausea followed by extreme hunger!
Belly button in or out? In!
Linea nigra? Nope! Nothing yet!
Wedding ring on or off? On!
Happy or moody? Yesterday, very moody!!! Today, very emotional.
Looking forward to: getting the nursery set up...and I am always looking forward to sleep!

Oh boy, oh boy... or girl?

Thursday, September 12

Well, you're here. All .13 inches of you, packing a furious punch with nausea, fatigue and the urge to pee every second of every day!

After Eric and I had James, we knew we would want at least two children close in age. Then James grew into a toddler and that decision was staring back in our faces saying, it's tiiiiiiii-iiiiiime!

So we looked at where we are at in our lives. We have a happy, healthy baby boy, we have good jobs, Eric's business is doing relatively well, and consistently, which is important, and we are happy with our lives. So we went with it and low and behold, we got pregnant the first try. Again. For not wanting to have children for awhile, I sure do have an easy time getting pregnant! Maybe it's God showing me that things can be easy...

We found out last Friday morning and today we are officially five weeks along!

So far this pregnancy is nothing like the first. I knew the second I was pregnant, at what would be about 3 weeks or so. I felt a tingling in my breasts and looked in the mirror after my shower - boom. Bigger boobs. A few days later I started to get worn down easily and right before my missed period the nausea came. It hasn't been bad and I have been keeping it at bay with lots and lots of small snacks, but it has been touch a go...

Otherwise, I am excited to welcome Baby Engels #2 to our family. Looks like we are in for another adventure!

Sunday September 22
This pregnancy has been exactly like the last. I was doing pretty good up until about six weeks and then boom...morning sickness. It has been an intense journey and Eric has been awesome through all of it. He's been doing a lot with James. He's been cleaning the house, he's been making dinner, he's really been super dad and I am incredibly grateful to him, especially when I'm laying in bed trying to eat my granola bars without throwing up.

True to form I cannot eat anything except food that is really healthy. Tonight I had granola bars and broccoli for dinner. It was the best broccoli and granola bar that I have ever eaten. I am trying sea bands that my friend has recommended to me and those seem to help as well but it still gets pretty bad. I am anxious to see how I will hold up in front of my students for the next couple of weeks. Odds are it will prove to be interesting.

Otherwise we are just waiting for our first appointment on October 7th!

Friday, September 27 10:00 p.m.
Excuse the vulgarity, but holy shit, I just ate the most excellent sandwich I have ever concocted. And as I sat in my living room in my underwear and T-shirt, stuffing my face with this sandwich, I realized the last time I had a sandwich such as this was approximately weeks 7-9 in my pregnancy with James. Yep, still on par for this pregnancy to be right along the lines of the last one! And with my full tummy, I am off to bed!

Monday, October 7
Today we had our baby appointment. We got to hear the woosh-woosh of your tiny heartbeat, we got to see your little hands and feet moving, and because it was a vaginal ultrasound, we saw your tiny heart actually beating. That's what moved me to tears, and even though I didn't cry, it was still an incredible moment.

You're on par to be here May 14. Hopefully, I will be over my morning sickness by then. Hahaha. Last weekend, I forgot to take my pre-natal vitamins all weekend. But low and behold, I felt immensely better on Monday. However, since I took one Sunday night, I felt HORRIBLE come Tuesday. Coincidence? So I haven't been taking them. The doctor didn't seem too concerned, and like Eric always says, "People have been having babies for thousands of years." Although, I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office wearing my maternity leggings, only to find out I don't really need to be wearing them because I'm still under my pre-pregnancy weight. So I guess morning sickness has done something for me, just like it did last time! :)

My O.B. looked at James' stats and said, "8 pounds, 14.5 ounces huh? Let's not do that again, shall we?" Yeah, no kidding. Then he asked me if I had any trouble with pushing him out. I laughed. Let's just say I hope this delivery doesn't have a shift change.

All in all, I feel like shit most days. I feel like a horrible parent to James because I can't get off the couch after work, I feel like puking my guts out at any given moment, and I'm ready to see the light at the end of this first trimester tunnel. Here's to three and a half more weeks (that is, if we're on schedule with the last pregnancy)!

Tuesday, October 15
I have no idea if God (or my dad, maybe?) Took pity on me, but since Sunday afternoon, when I got a spurt of energy, I have been feeling amazing! Except for tonight. Not sure if dinner just didn't sit well or if I am not drinking enough water, but I just feel off. I have a headache and am very tired. But I am getting excited for the big "reveal" that is baby Engels #2. I am making a sequel to the video I made to announce James and can't wait to show it off! Its going to be pretty good.

I have been slowly letting people know I am pregnant. A few coworkers, my administration, the hs  secretaries. I am so excited to tell all my students - I am sure the boys will stare at me wondering how it happened and all the girls will ooh and ahh. It should be lots of fun!

Otherwise, I am just counting down the days. Here's to two more weeks!

Thursday, October 24
How on earth have we already arrive at 11 weeks? Next week we will be in the clear, but we don't have our appointment until almost 13 weeks. I don't want to wait that long to announce you, but I need to hear your heartbeat. Its more for me than anything. Luckily your dad agrees!

Morning sickness is going away! I am getting less and less bouts of debilitating illness and more and more spurts of energy. Our house is still a mess because as soon as we put James to bed, I am spent. But more spurts during the day are happening and that's awesome!

Now we are just looking forward to Halloween, your announcement and quite frankly, I can't wait to tell my students! I just can't wait for the light bulb to come on, like, "oh! That's why you were laying on the floor of your office!" Should be fun! :-)

A quarter way through our pregnancy - only 30 more weeks!

Friday, November 1
So here we are. 12 weeks. I would love to say, "We made it! I feel so much better!" But that would be a farce. In all reality I still feel pretty crappy. The waves of nausea are coming and going much less than they were at 8 weeks, but I still feel exhausted by about two o'clock every day.

In talking with our babysitter, I realized that its because I am not sitting behind a desk this pregnancy. Instead, I am "on" every day, all day. I have to be a disciplinarian, mother, teacher, coach, mentor, and colleague for eight hours every day. At any given moment, someone needs something from me. And its my job to provide those needs.

And that is hard on my body.

I am not the type of person to look lazy, or like I just got out of bed. But I am pretty sure this week I wore black pants, boots and a sweatshirt to school. Yep. I dressed like the veteran teachers who just don't give a shit anymore.

But in my defense, 12 hours of sleep is not enough, and I am tired when I wake up in the mornings. I am tired when I get home and I am tired when I go to bed. I hope it gets better!

In other news, Eric and I have our baby appointment Tuesday at 4. After that, we will go out to eat then on to the Estonian National Orchestra. Say what?! Yes, Eric bought tickets for us to attend the symphony. I cannot wait! Then, we get to upload the video I made and I cannot wait!

Here's to only FOUR MORE DAYS of keeping this all a secret...

Tuesday, November 5
All was well at the appointment today. Heard your little heartbeat again. Now its time to announce you! Can't wait to see everyone's reaction!