I'm Obsessed!!

I can't get enough of my boys...

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Those cheeks and that lower lip are just too much!

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Thinking hard... but about what???

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My new favorite picture...

My Little Thug :)

Couldn't resist... Got this outfit (the nike part) from a family friend. I added the fleece pants so that T's little legs wouldn't get cold. How cute! Peace Out...

~j & t ;)

Dreading 3 a.m.

Well, Tegan has apparently decided that 3 a.m. is his wake-up time for the day, though last night wasn't as bad as the night before... he and I were only up until 5:30 or 5:45 this morning where yesterday we were up from 3 a.m. until nearly 11:30 a.m.! Yes, it was a long night/morning yesterday! Thank you Mom for coming to help me get a nap in yesterday... even though T slept while I did. HA!

Other than that, things are going relatively well. Tegan is growing and his newborn clothes are starting to 'fit' him the way one would expect clothes to fit and his 0-3mo clothes are not so baggy on him anymore either :)

Well, he's resting so I'm gonna try and nap as well. Love to all!!!

~j

More Pics...

Thought I'd add some more new pics for those who don't live very close to us and can't see Tegan as much as we do :)

So Precious!

Big Stretch!

Mom and Dad think that look a bit like my Uncle Ben!

Tummy Time!

OH, and...

Tegan says, "Happy Birthday Auntie Becca!!!"

2 Weeks Already!

Wow! I cannot believe that Tegan is already 2 weeks old! He had his first check-up yesterday and all is looking great! Here are the stats:

Weight: 8 lbs 1.5 oz

Head Circumference: 35.6 cm

So he's in the 50th percentile for both head circumference and weight, so doing fabulous!

Teg also go his frenulum clipped yesterday... that strip of tissue connecting his tongue to his lower jaw. I think I already blogged about how it was attached very close to the tip of his tongue making nursing painful for me and very time consuming. Well, that's already getting better, so Praise God! Also, T seems to be in no pain from that... so that's great too.

Well, T and I are gonna go take a nap, or at least attempt to. He did not want to go to bed last night, so we were up pretty late. Love to all!!!

~j

Baby, Baby, Baby!

Well, Tegan's settled into the routine: feed/nurse, (poop during first 1/2 of feeding), burp, feed/nurse, burp, change diaper, sleep--> repeat about every 2 hours (give or take depending on the time of day and how the feeding went). Needless to say, I feel like this kid lives at the boob! HA!

The first week went relatively well. Having Grandmas here for several days definitely helped, especially when it came time for showering and dinner time for the grown-ups. Brendan and I even got to enjoy a candle lit dinner Friday night thanks to G'ma Moore and G'ma Eastwood! THANK YOU to both of you!!!


As of Saturday morning Tegan had gained back 2.5 oz (he had lost 9oz before we went home) so he was 6 lbs 15.5 oz as of Sat am. We could weigh him here at home, but that would require hanging him from Brendan's fish scale that he uses to weigh his bikes and heavier bike parts... I but the kabosh on that, though! :)

Got another present yesterday. Brendan's coworkers got T a swing and he LOVES it! Maybe I should say that I love it... it put him to sleep in less than 3 minutes! Needless to say I took oodles of pics of him swinging. Some are on here.

Feedings are going ok. T's got a condition called Tongue Tied. The tissue connecting his tongue to his lower jaw is attatched near the tip of his tongue so he can't stick his tongue out past his lips and thus can't latch on properly. Currently it's just painful for Mommy (to put it simply: OUCH!!!!!!!!!!) but, since it doesn't correct itself with time, down the road it could cause Tegan to have dental and or speech problems, which we definitely don't want. SO, next Monday at his 2 week appt the doc's gonna snip the tissue to allow Tego to have more freedom to use his tongue and to give Mommy's boobies a break from the pain. Praise the Lord that it's this easy to fix!

Well, getting to be time for the next feeding and I haven't even had breakfast yet. Love to all!!!
~jen & tegan

p.s. some have asked how we pronounce T's name. The 'e' is long, so Tee-gan. :)

Day 3... Awe!

I still can't get over the fact that I'm a MOM... Brendan and I are PARENTS! It's just so strange!

Well, today Mr. T got the snip-snip and was then cleared to come home. Needless to say he slept much of the day from the medicine the docs gave him to help with the pain from that... but he still managed a really good poop and then some and a few good pees, and yes, he is exercising those lungs a little bit more every day. :)

Birth weight was 7 lbs 6 oz... weight when we left this morning was 6 lbs 13 oz... 7% weight loss, so totally within the normal, healthy range. They also checked his hearing and all sorts of other things and, again, normal and healthy and perfect! YAY! Praise the Lord (PTL)!

Enjoy the new pics... we can't seem to take enough to satisfy us. HA!

It's A Boy!!!

Well, I'm still at the hospital and should be taking a nap right now... but I had to update those of you who didn't know to check Brendan's blog for the latest updates.

Major contractions suddenly began around 4 or 4:15 Monday (yesterday) morning. At 5 or 5:30 I decided to call the midwife and by 6:30 we arrived at the hospital and I was getting all hooked up to all the machines.

All I have to say is thank GOD for epidurals! I can't recommend them enough! That came around 9am...

Pushing began at around 11:45 and at 2:11pm Tegan Robert was born into our VERY COLD but welcoming world! 7 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches long... quiet as can be for the first 12 hours... :)

Thanks to all for the thoughts, prayers and well wishes. More to come. Keep checking Brendan's blog (see the link on the right side of my blog) for more updates.

Love to all!!!
~jen, brendan & tegan

Nada...

Been getting a lot of texts and calls, so I thought I'd post on here that there's NO NEWS!!! Yes, I'm a little bit bitter about this, but hey, in time, right? OK, back to the Superbowl (commercials at least... there's some pretty darn funny ones. Maybe those will get things going.)
~j

Patience

Well, I had my 39 week appointment this morning and not much new to report. I've dialated a slight bit more... now 4cm+ but not much more thinning/effacement. The midwife said that it's a L-O-N-G baby, not chunky, just long. She (the midwife) is also saying that I might just make it to my due date. (only a slight change in what they were telling me from my past few appointments.) We'll just have to wait and see, right? Love to all!!!
~j

Still Nothing

Well, I'm up for my early morning snack and still nothing... Sorry, not the news many were expecting to hear but that's it. OK... back to bed.
Love to all,
~j

My precious kitty :)

Well, I got up at 7am on my own this morning despite the fact that I was up for an hour from 2:30-3:30am. Of course it's also because it's Saturday and I don't have to be anywhere.

ANYWAY, I come down to the living room and turn on the TV. Now, usually by this time Roli (the skinny kittty) is hounding me everywhere I go to feed him. Well, today all I see is Madison (the fat cat). After 30 min and no Roli I started to worry that something happened. We caught him eating a nut he found on the floor from the salad last night so I worried that maybe he had some reaction, or threw up and choked or something (I'm a worry-wart).

So, I begin searching his usual napping spots: the futon in the office, the glider in the nursery, the futon in the nursery, under the kitchen table... nothing. I go into the nursery for one last look and there he is... in the corner of the room. Now how cute is this? (forget the fact that we don't want him sleeping in the baby's stuff). Just had to share! Love to all!!!
~j

"Ripe"

That's what the midwife called me at my appointment today... "RIPE!" She couldn't emphasize it enough! The next thing she said was the she'd be surprised if she DIDN'T see me this weekend (delivering that is, and she's the midwife on call this weekend, so she'd be the one delivering my baby).

I'm officially 38 weeks pregnant, 2 weeks til due date. Here's the latest stats:
3+ cm dialated (probably 4, but she said she'd be conservative and say 3+)
70-80% effacement (thinned out)
-1 station (I think she confirmed that... basically baby is right on top of my cervix.)
She (the midwife) was TOUCHING Baby's head and pushing on it. I could feel the baby moving up and down as she pushed the head. CRAZY!!!
My Group B Strep test came back positive, so that just means that once I go into labor or my water breaks (whichever happens first) I need to be put on antibiotics to prevent baby from contracting it because it's very dangerous to baby. I don't know if this has anything to do with that, but I've had strep throat MANY, MANY times since I've started teaching, so I wonder if I'm just a carrier now. Anyways, a prayer request would be that all goes as expected with getting the antibiotics started when necessary to prevent baby contracting that. Thanks!

On the school front all with the sub is ready to go. YAY! The kids not only LOVE her but are prepared and aware that Mrs. Moore might not show up for school soon and if/when that happens it's because Baby came. They are all beyond excited. Here's the stats for the kids' predictions: Total Students = 30 Total girls = 9 Total boys = 21
20 boys predict boy.... 1 boy predicts it's a girl :)
ALL girls think it's a girl
They are too cute! :)

Well, I think that's it. Hopefully we'll have some VERY exciting news within the next few days. Love to all!!!
~jen

False Alarm

Well, it turns out that whatever was going on with my body and contractions on Thursday was not labor and the contractions eventually lost their regularity.

After visiting my classroom at lunch time on Friday to check in with my sub I was brought to the realization that I apparently needed further organization in my classroom, so I spent all afternoon and much of the evening Friday as well as many, many hours today compiling and writing up a Classroom Handbook that explains all aspects of the classroom that I could think of. Hopefully that will be helpful. Additionally, I spent several hours writing up the majority of the lesson plans for the coming week should anything happen before tomorrow when I would normally go into school for my weekly planning.

I just pray that all I've done is enough so that the transition between myself and my long-term sub goes as smoothly as possible.

Unless Baby decides to make his/her grand entrance before Monday, I will be teaching up until I deliver... or the Friday before my due date, whichever is sooner. Thanks for all of your continued prayers!!!

~jen

Answering questions:

Had several questions via email and on the phone so here are the answers I know:
1) this could be early labor and continue to progress on to having baby within the next day or 2
2) this could just be because "things got aggrivated" during my exam this morning and they may settle down on their own... I will say, though, that as of now (9:39pm) I am still experiencing regular and noticible contractions.
3) My long term sub was officially hired this week, so that is thankfully taken care of and she will be subbing in my room tomorrow (without formal sub plans, so I'm praying all goes well and if I'm not at the hospital I'll probably go in and make sure all is ok). I'm sure things will be just fine, she taught for 20 years before moving to MN 2 years ago, so very experienced and prepared.
4) I wasn't going to start my leave until either baby came or have the Friday before my due date be my last day
5) I plan on taking 12 weeks maternity leave. The "district" wants me to come back for a min of 3 weeks which would put me at 11 weeks of leave should I go up until my due date, but my director said that she'll make sure I get my 12.

I think that answers everything.... for now at least. Love to all!!!
~j

Progress...

Well, I had my weekly appointment this morning and things are progressing well. I also ended up spending the afternoon at the hospital because I was having lots of regular contractions much of the morning and through lunch, so they wanted to monitor me. Well, after a few hours of sitting and an hour of walking, determining that my water had not broken and no change in my cervix they decided to send me home, despite the continued contractions. So, here I am, sitting on my couch, breathing through my contractions and ready for bed. Even though they aren't super painful at all they are tiring!

So... here's the stats:
Baby's heartrate hovers between 135 & 145bpm
I am 3cm dialted and 70% effaced (however it's spelled... it means that my cervix has thinned out 70%). So that's all good and grand and great but let me tell you... these contractions aren't slowing down or lessening in intensity, so I'm ready for the real deal and to have this baby in my arms!!! We'll keep you updated as things progress.
~j

For those who requested

Here's the latest pic of me with my big ole "budda belly" (as Brendan calls it)... not the most flattering picture, but I'm trying to stay comfortable... at least as comfortable as can be expected. Hope it's satisties your need to see the belly :)
~jen

A Present for Baby???

So, Brendan and I go out to look at TV's tonight and this is what we came home with... I can't say that I am upset, but I do think it's funny how looking becomes buying. :) I guess the Super Bowl party will be at our place unless Baby decides to come that weekend.

22 days and counting for Baby M... Love to all...
~j

28 Days to go...

Well, today was the 4 week mark, 28 days til D-day... Due day that is. I had my 36 week appointment yesterday and I will now be going in weekly for check-ups. It was the first time the midwife gave me my "stats" as they are called. Basically, your belly measurement in centimeters should approximately equal the number of weeks pregnant you are once you're into the 2nd trimester. Well, at 34 weeks my measurement was 34cm... right on schedule. At 36 weeks it was 37cm. So technically I'm now measuring a little ahead of schedule, but it could all depend on how baby was positioned, too.

Baby's heartrate was 152, so back up a little, but it's been hovering right around 150 for the past several appointments... very healthy.

Baby is also still head-down, specifically head ON BLADDER! She also pointed out a foot to me, so that was neat to know what I thought was either a foot or a knee really was one of those! Baby sure does like showing off his/her feet to Mom... not the most comfortable experience, let me tell ya!

Lastly, I've gained just over 30 pounds, exactly where 'they' [the dr.'s and midwives] want me to be.

So, everything is looking great.

The midwife made 2 statements that I keep at the front of my mind: 1) I've only got 1 week to go and then baby is 'welcome to come any time' and 2) the hospital cafeteria has 'AMAZING' belgian waffles. :) She too had gestational diabetes, so she understands my frustrations with not being able to indulge in such wonderful but carb-filled deliciousness. :) Brendan knows that as soon as this baby comes and the waffles are ready they are to be sitting in front of me with an unlimited supply of syrup! :) HA!

Well, all for now... sorry no pics. Just look at last week's pic and add a little fullness to the belly! There's no longer a basketball under there... I think it got traded for a large beachball! :)

Love to all!
~jenn

35 Weeks Down - 5 Weeks To Go

Well, I've had several requests today for an updated belly pic, so here it is... Apparently the flash allows for a little see-through action on my t-shirt. No worries, though, I wore a sweatshirt when I was outta the house today. :)

Also, here are a few pics of some outfits and clothes I bought for baby over the past few days :) They are all gender neutral, so they are keepers :)

Love to all!

~j

Baby Furniture Pics...

Here's the latest updates to the nursery and the "bassinet"/pack 'n play that's in our room...

All (except the crib) were set-up/assembled and arranged in one day... Happy New Year!!!
~j & baby m

Did anyone say nesting instinct???

WOW! Maybe it's the Holiday spirit that's taken over my body, or the fact that we've gotten a lot of new baby stuff or maybe it's just good 'ole mother nature kickin' in and tellin me, "Get ready for baby!" Whatever it is, I've been busy these past few days getting things organized and ready. We now have all of the essential baby furniture that we'll need for the first few months, I think. We've got the crib, changing table, glider and ottoman, bassinet/pack-n-play and baby carrier with 2 car-seat bases. Phew!

The thing that I'm most excited about today is that glider! We've been looking for one for a long time and keep going back to one that'd be nearly $800 after tax and such and we just couldn't bring ourselves to spend that. Well, I've gone to several furniture stores on my own and today Brendan and I went to another 4-5. The first 2 had nothing! After going to those Brendan suggested that maybe we just not even try HOM and I decided we should still stop in since it's at the same exit as the 2 baby stores we were gonna go re-check. Well, THANK goodness that we went there. We found an awesome deal on a black metal glider and ottoman combo. However, as we're sitting there enjoying the comfort of the chair the salesperson mentioned that they just ran an ad on that chair a few weeks ago and they are now on backorder until MARCH! Darn-it-all! Thankfully, I remembered that when we looked at Furniture Outlet USA a few months ago we saw either the same chair or one very similar. Well, we decided to go home and have some lunch and I'd go check out F.O. USA. Guess what they had in-stock AND cheaper??? You got it, the glider-ottoman combo! YEEHAW!!! SO, for $168.00 I got a glider and ottoman with teflon treatment for stains! NICE!

I also got the changing table and pack 'n play all put together and set-up, stocked with diapers, wipes and booty-cream.

On the baby-front: I had my bi-monthly check-up on Tuesday. Heartrate of Baby was 148 and s/he is now in the head-down position... getting closer and closer to being ready to be here. The gestational diabetes is going ok. Still no fun pricking the finger 4 times daily, but I'm doing a good job of keeping my glucose levels in a healthy range which is good for both Baby and me. Speaking of Baby... it's getting to his/her busy time, so I gotta go... it doesn't like me leanin' over at all and that's what I'm doing now. HA! :) Already a picky person. I tried to upload pics of the pack 'n play and changing table, but blogger isn't working right, so another time...
Love to all!!!
~j & baby m

Testing, testing 1-2-3-4

Well, this is what I use 4 times a day to test my blood glucose levels... it is with me at all times, though I wouldn't exactly call it my new best friend. So far things are going ok... when I eat too much carbs I can feel it and my test results prove it. It's all just taking time to learn what I can handle and cant. I'll be perfectly honest that I would not be upset if this child were to arrive a few weeks early.

Other than my testing there's really not a whole lot else to report. Sleep is something that I dream of... day-dream that is. I woke up the other night and realized that in the 4 hours it had been since I went to bed I hadn't moved. Obviously I was beyond exhausted, though it's almost rougher that way cause rolling over is the most painful thing I've ever experienced, especially when I've been perfectly still for so long.

Any questions just ask. I can't think of anything else to say, sorry. Love to all!!!
~jen & baby m
p.s. here's me at 32 1/2 weeks... I feel like house!!! (I guess I kind-of am for someone, huh?!)

Not what we hoped for...

Thursday I was informed that I have been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes :(

This coming Tuesday I will be meeting with a nutritionist/dietitian and a diabetes educator. I will learn the details of what I will be doing to manage my condition throughout the duration of my pregnancy. Based on what we've read on the Mayo Clinic website, I will for sure be monitoring/testing my blood sugar multiple times daily. Also, a study was completed in 2005 that determined that it is best to treat the condition with insulin, so even though this isn't something I was hoping that I'd have to do, I do want to do whatever is best for baby and I can handle daily injections if that is ensuring my child's health.

That's really all for now. I'll post more as I learn more... Please keep the prayers coming that this can now be managed easily and appropriately.
Love to all!!! Thanks for your support!
~jen & baby & brendan

Prayers Please!!!

Hello to all. Well, I had my non-fasting glucose test this past Tuesday. Man, did baby like that sugar! Well, Friday morning I got a call on my cell from the doctor. As soon as I heard who it was I knew the news probably wasn't great. Well, it turns out that my body seemed to have a hard time and my glucose level (preferably below 129) was 168. SO, what that means is that I'm at risk for having developed gestational diabetes and I need to go in for a more comprehensive set of tests. This coming Tuesday I'll be taking part in a 3 hour glucose test which involves fasting for 12 hours prior to the test. Upon arrival at the clinic they will take an initial blood sample to see my beginning glucose level. I will then enjoy the scrumptious glucose (sugar) filled drink and over the following 3 hours my blood will be tested numerous times to see how my body responds to the high levels of glucose.

Needless to say, I was pretty emotional after I got the call just because no one wants to have to deal with any complications during pregnancy and I already dealt with 3-4 months of morning/all day sickness. Well, Brendan and I researched a bit and it turns out that up to 25% of women have high glucose readings on their initial test. Out of all pregnancies 3-5% develop gestational diabetes. So, I had about a 1 in 4 or 1 in 5 chance of testing high to begin with. It's not really an outrageously serious condition as it can be treated and managed with a diet high in fiber, complex carbs, and protein and very low in sugar. But seriously, of ALL times of the year to have to avoid sugary stuff?! CHRISTMAS!!! Grr!

So, please pray that the 2nd test turns out ok and I can still partake in the holiday goodies. Really, though, pray that no matter the results I am able to easily maintain a healthy pregnancy. Love to all and thank you!
~j

I'm an Aunt!!!

I am now the proud aunt of a a little girl, Aubrey Nicole. Yes, Brianne had her baby!!! She is 8 lbs 12 oz and 21 inches long! We are so excited! I just wanted to share it with all who read my blog. Sorry, no pics yet but I'm sure she's beautiful! Love to all!!!
~jen
P.S. Please pray that this baby in my belly gives my crotch a break for at least a day tomorrow... it's been kicking like crazy and I've been beyond uncomfortable all day.

10 weeks to go...

Well, I've made it to 30 weeks! YAY! The Braxton Hicks (practice) contractions has begun and at my check-up yesterday the midwife said that as long as they aren't painful, regulated (i.e. every 10 min) or accompanied by my water breaking all should be fine.

The Baby is also VERY active. Midwife suggested I count how many times baby moves within an hour and make sure I'm getting to 10 movements in that time. I responded by letting her know that it would only take me a matter of minutes to count 10 movements. She just laughed.

Baby has actually been pretty subdued tonight; I'm assuming because I've been so busy all evening cooking dinner, baking up another batch of Butterscotch-Chocolate Chip-Oatmeal cookies, cleaning up from all that and just doing stuff around the house. Now that I've eaten (including 2 sample cookies) and am "relaxing" s/he'll probably get moving like s/he did all day! I had Brendan feel my stomach last night as we laid in bed to see how crazy busy baby gets at bedtime and, needless to say, he was in awe. Now if I can just figure out how to get this kid to stop kicking/punching/elbowing me in my unmentionable area I'll be much happier. Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond excited that this kid is already becoming an athelete, I just wish that it wasn't so painful, at times, for me.

What else to share... to be honest I was a bit worried that I'd get scolded for the amount of weight I'd gained between my last appointment about 5 weeks ago and now, but the midwife was glad to see that I'm gaining weight and said that it's obviously, for the most part, all in my belly, so nothing be concerned about as long as I'm eating relatively healthfully.

Well, I think that's all for now... send questions my way if I missed anything you've been wondering about. As of today Bri has not had her baby yet, so whether Baby Moore will have a boy or girl cousin waiting for him/her is still unknown.
Thanks for reading...
~jen & baby m

Comparing

Well, I know I just posted yesterday, but I'm up for a late night/early morning snack and was looking back at pics and I'm just really starting to miss my old body! :( I love baby and how neat it is to see and feel him/her growing, but MAN! Lookin back at what I was, I hope it doesn't take too incredibly long to get back to that point. Here's where I've come... it took 25 weeks (was 4 weeks when I found out) to get to this, hopefully won't take anywhere near that long to get back. Love to all!!!
~j

29 weeks = stomach flu :(

Well, I slept pretty well last night, finally. I could tell this morning cause whenever I hit my snooze it seemed like my alarm was going off 30 seconds later instead of 15 min, but sure enough the 15 min had passed. I got up, had 2 packets of oatmeal for a nice warm and healthy breakfast, got dressed and ready and headed off to work.

Well, the good feelin was short lived. about 10 min before kids were supposed to arrive I suddenly began to feel REALLY hot and nauseaus. Despite the 20 degree temp outside I opened the window in my classroom and still couldn't cool off. I went and bought a bottle of cold water and still nothing better. On the way to go get the kids from the bus I barely made it to the bathroom and then again during the "Morning Meeting" I had to have my teacher aid/paraprofessional take over as I darted to the bathroom again. BLAH!

I called down to the office and they did their best to find me a sub (just going down the list and calling subs) and the nurse and then the school social worker came in to cover while I tried to quickly type up some notes and get everything "organized."

You'd think I would have felt this coming on but not even a hint that I'd be sick. I don't remember ever having the flu before, maybe once when I was 5 or 6, but otherwise I don't think so. NO FUN! The big belly doesn't make it easier, either!

Well, I mustered up a smile for the pic above... yet another pic take with the self-timer, so don't complain if it's not that great. Have a Fantastic Thanksgiving! Brendan returns Wednesday morning, so that's what I'm most thankful for!
Love to all!
~j & baby m

28 Weeks = 3rd Trimester

Well, I'm officially in the home stretch... the 3rd Trimester! YAY! Less than 3 months to go and I can't wait!

Many of you have been on me about posting a new photo on here. Well, as many of you know, Mr. Brendan (my baby's daddy) is currently over seas in Thailand for business, so there's no one here to take any quality pictures. Well, here's that I got by myself with my less than excellent camera. I've been having a lot of problems with my battery lasting and I don't know how, but it seems to be affecting the quality of the pictures as well... or it could just be that the pictures are at such a distance that the flash isn't doing it's job. Who knows?!

What else to share? Well, I went the first week or so after my last check up without gaining any weight and now I'm back up. Let me tell you, it's somehow tough to only gain 1 pound per week. I'm always hungry! I am doing a pretty darn good job of at least eating relatively healthy food when I am hungry, but HEY... I'm pregnant. One of the few times in my life that I'm allowed to give in to cravings, right? There were chocolate covered peanutbutter rice krispie bars in the lounge after school and I DID restrain myself! How good is that?

Other news is that I'm really starting to experience a good deal of back pain. No Fun! I need a good back rub, but those are hard to come by when all you've got around are 2 lazy cats. Even the fat one (Madison...14.5 pounds!) couldn't do anything by walking on it :) Then there's the problem of when Brendan does get home that I can't lay on my stomach which is the best way for me to totally relax. OH well!

Ok, all for today. Love to all!
~jen & baby m

Baby Shower Fun!

Well, today was the big day... Sarah called it Jen Day! Really, though, I think it was about the mysterious Baby Moore. We got so many fun things for baby! YAY! We played some neat games too including: Naming the TV show given a specific child character & Identify the type of chocolate candy that's been melted to resemble poopie in a "diaper." Now to the fun part... the gifts :) Here's what I've gotten pics of so far:
-A neat basket filled with some fun goodies-

-The Baby Bedding-

-Baby Blanket made w/love from Auntie Becca-
-THE G Galore "Travel System"-
-An Umbrella Stroller (Grandma Eastwood's #1 Recommended Travel Necesity)-

Other exciting presents include bottles, Baby Bjorn carrier, lots of cute onsies, a few bibs, books for baby, A super SWEET 80's Denise Austin Pregnancy Workout tape (YES, that's VHS not DVD...thanks BRF), and more :) Thanks to all who came... pics from the shower will be posted once I get them (Sarah B took lots) OH, and I can't forget the MN Northstar's Hockey t-shirt from Jen & Chris as well as Mtn. Bike Mick and his wife Bev :) Brendan is SO jealous!!!

Happy November!!! Maybe I'll be an Aunt myself soon, too... Brendan's sis Bri is due in 3 weeks, but sounds like she could go any time :)

~jen and baby m

What a belly!!!

Well, my students are now including my belly in their pictures they draw of me. I wish I scanned in one from today. The kids were "decorating" pumpkins (coloring a picture and adding the face if desired) and one student decided that I was standing under the pumpkin. All he drew was a head with a sad face (not sure why) and then a big circle that he said was my "bump" and then pointed to my stomach. It was beyond cute! A 2nd grader asked me yesterday if I am "pregnant", if it's my "first child" and if I knew whether it was a boy or girl. Her genuine interest and intrigue told me she must be from a large family... her teacher confirmed that she is one of several kids :)

Well, the diaper bag arrived and I LOVE IT! The ironic thing is that I commented to Brendan the other day that I saw a Coach bag at Marshalls that I liked and would make a good diaper bag (though now that I think back, it was a bit small... maybe a good bag for a quick trip to a friends place or lunch) but the bag was still about $150 which, for me, is too much for something you put diapers (and sometimes poopy diapers) in. When I showed Brendan the one I ordered tonight he "confessed" that he was going to go buy the Coach bag to surprise me, but didn't know if I had ordered the one I found online. Instead of asking me, he checked my blog so as to not seem suspicious. :) I told him it was the thought that counts and that truly I don't need a Coach bag to be used for a diaper bag. He said it was something I could use for more than a diaper bag, but still, I insisted that the brown one I ordered is just fine and I really do LOVE it :) What a great husband!!!

Well, nothing new on the baby front except s/he is growing. My belly was really sore this afternoon at school; I could feel it stretching. That's not very fun, but I do love feeling baby movin around. So neat! Speaking of... there s/he goes :)
~jen & baby

Another Purchase :)

Well, I've been feeling a bit down since we haven't bought much for baby or nursery in a long time so I went to Babies 'R Us yesterday to buy the diaper bag I found online and love and get the stroller/travel system. Well, no luck on the diaper bag. It looks like it's only available online. Then, when I went over to the travel system/stroller area I noticed there's another stroller now that's even cuter than the one that I registered for. Well, darn it all if it wasn't out of stock as well! BOO HOO! So, I came home, empty handed, and decided to order the diaper bag online and see if the stroller was there too, since I might get free shipping if I did it that way. Well, the diaper bag is on order (YAY!) but the stroller isn't even listed on the website even though it's a "Babies 'R Us exclusive." So, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled and check back in a few days.

Last night was the awards ceremony for Brendan's MNSCS (Minnesota State Championship Series), which he WON!!! Well, what do you think the overall winner of the MN Mountain bike series would win? You guessed it... an amazing, grey, cotton T-Shirt! WOW! If that's not motivation to do it again I don't know what is. But hey, I'm beyond proud of my man with skills (cause everyone knows that girls only want boyfriends [or husbands] with great skills). Way to go sweetie! (see Brendan's blog for more details: www.brendansbikeblog.blogspot.com)

Another exciting find occurred today. I went to Marshalls 'cause I love the place AND I can no longer zip up my fleece jacket which I live in. Well, I found a great deal on a fleece jacket that retails for $75 and I got it on sale for $12! But the more exciting find was a onsie with the MN Wild (hockey) mascot (or whatever it is) on it! Very cute and only $5.99 (originally $24 at Sears). Brendan was very happy that I finally found something for baby that is MN Wild. :)

Well, all for now. Vikings are on. Let's just hope they perform like the Packers did! :)
~jen & baby

Squirmy!

Well, I'm now 24 1/2 weeks along and things are going well. Had my monthly check up this morning and all is measuring and sounding and weighing up good. I'm gaining about 1 pound a week, so that's right on track, baby's heartrate is down to about 140 now, so that's good and my uterus is measuing normally (she didn't tell me the measurment, but said it's good). SO, that's all good news.

As with every other appointment, as soon as the midwife puts the heartrate moniter/doppler on my tummy to find baby's heartbeat the kid starts squirming around and kicking like crazy! I'm assuming it's just cause we've got a kid who is a lot like it's dad in there and is very stubborn and doesn't like going to the doctor. OH, an they gave me a flu shot! :( That was painful... ok, not really and I better not complain cause squeezing this thing outta me isn't gonna feel good, I already know that!

After the appointment I cleaned the house a bit and then met my great friend Sarah B. for lunch. MMMM, Subway! It was good, let me tell you! When you're pregnant and hungry, food is just simply amazing! :) She took the pic posted today, so 3 cheers for that one! My head is acutally in it (as with the ones where it's just belly... those are ones that I tried to take myself or Brendan, a.k.a. mr. photography , took).

I can't believe I'm already hungry again! Well, I think I've got one more Jello Jiggler left in the fridge (my latest craving) so it's callin my name and I'm gonna call this the end to this post.
~jen & baby

An Icky Morning

23 Weeks:

Well, had my 2nd official scare this morning. Was sitting at my computer at work and suddenly felt extremely hot but still cold, dizzy, nauseaus, etc. Did end up getting sick and then stopped by the nurses office at school and she looked at me and knew right away something was wrong. She said I looked like a ghost, white as a sheet. A full fledged nurse, she took my temp. blood pressure and immediately had me lie down on my left side :) Blood pressure was a bit low, but after talking to the doctors office later on found out it was normal for me now that I'm in my 2nd trimester, so they weren't worried since there was no fever and I didn't pass out.

After I drank a bit of water and laid down for a bit and felt better, though my principal continued to ask if I wanted a sub, so I took what I thought was a bit of a hint and they called a sub. Thankfully I have an awesome coworker, Chrissy, who got my kids for me from the bus and took them to her room for the morning routine (calendar, sharing, etc.) until the sub arrived and I quickly wrote up sub plans. The sub arrived, I went through the plans and then felt good enough to drive myself home.

I got home around 10am and shortly thereafter my parents arrived to keep watch over me for the day since Brendan was up north of the cities for work. Needless to say, I'm feeling better and I now have a very clean house thanks to Mom :)

For all who have been complaining that I have not updated this in a while (even though it's only been 3 or 4 days) here's the latest picture. :)

23 Weeks down...17 to go

Well. We just returned from a beautiful weekend at Devil's Lake State Park. While the guys were mtn biking (big surprise) a group of us went for a hike on the West Bluff trail. Then, today it was back out to the East Bluff (I think). Needless to say I'm beyond sore and my feet are enjoying doing nothing right now. :)

Pregnancy wise, the heart burn/sour stomach has now set in . No fun, but thankfully easily taken care of with some Tums, which also just provide some extra calcium. Also, the need to use the bathroom several times a night has ended for the time being. I'm sure as baby starts to get bigger the urge will return, but I'll enjoy the break while it lasts. :)