The Cake Held the Secret....

So the day finally arrived. To admit that I was a little anxious was an understatement! I was ready to know! The day began with a lot of little errands, and the cake pick-up. This was one task that I knew could go horribly wrong. The cake girl could accidentally tell us what was inside the cake, or I could drop it! Interesting Story: I was carrying the cake out, and the free cake slicer fell off the box. I bent down to pick it up, and my mom rushed over thinking that I really had dropped the cake! Rick's Bakery did a really great job, and the Cake Girl assured us that there was no way to know what was on the inside just by staring at it.

Preparations were finalized..and it was time to Party!

We had a station set up for Baby Name Suggestions. Later on that night we went through the jar with the remaining guests. Apparently our friends/family found it more entertaining to suggest funny names...and it was! We got a big kick out of them, and it was even more fun to guess who made the suggestions.

Our awesome cake! As I said before, Rick's did a really fantastic job. Both on the cake and on keeping our secret!

Heath and I before the party really got going. Side note: I really am hating pictures of myself, so I tried to avoid them as best I could, but being kind of the center of the party, it proved to be difficult.

Team Blue!!! Per our requests, our guests were to wear the color of their choice, or guess. I think we may have been out numbered.

Team Pink!

This is Heath and I sharing a nice laugh, because let's face it...I'm always right! It was kind of funny because he let me cut the cake, and I sliced it just right so that I was the first and only to know for a brief moment! There were lots of cheers, laughing, and a ton of congratulating! For most of our family I think they were just glad that this moment was finally happening; Heath and I finally having a baby, and them finally knowing what it was so that they could shop!

In case you couldn't tell from the previous picture....it's a boy!!! I knew it all along. I think some women just have that feeling or instinct.

After the cake cutting, we busied ourselves mingling with the crowd and discussing the "suggestions" from the jar....Here our a few:

Jon Bon Jovi C. (there was a big fan in attendance)

Jacob Black or

Edward Cullen C.

Malcom

Preston

Mutt

Boy, those are some funny people we associate ourselves with!!!

Later that weekend after the guests had left, the cake mostly eaten, and gallons of fruit and veggies left in our refrigerator....I went shopping! I think I may have found our bedding and I found a possibly "coming home" outfit. The hardest part is still to come....A Name!!!

It sits on the Entertainment Center...

What you may ask? Only the DVD and pictures of our baby. You know the ones....the ones that show what we are having!! But I am a VERY patient woman (being a teacher helps) and I REALLY want to be surprised. What is better in this situation: finding out what your baby will be with your husband and the ultrasound tech OR waiting a few days, and enjoying the surprise with all of your family, friends, and CAKE! I think you would choose the second too!

Recap of the Doctor's Appointment: It never fails that the day my bladder has to be full for the ultrasound, is the day that they are running behind and we have to wait the longest. Finally the big moment came...Into the room we walked, and began explaining our situation. No matter how many times I think people are familiar with the whole Reveal Party process, we always come across someone who seems genuinely excited about this idea. The tech, Tiffany, was really great and sure not to let us know what it was. We did get to see it's profile, arms, spine, heart beat, and face. Everything seemed to be on track, measuring a few days early, but all the parts were in the right place.

2nd appt: Meeting with the doctor. This was the first time that they measured my stomach. No matter how fat or skinny you are, sometimes the greatest phrase can be, "Your stomach is measuring small." Nice. It made me feel good. Yes, I am that shallow.

Symptom Update:

Weight: It's official. I've gained 2 pounds. They gave me the low down on proper diet/eating habits while pregnant. Apparently (and this is a total shock) one TUBE of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies is NOT one serving. Really, it's only two or three cookies. Too bad I already purchased three boxes...hmmm.

Lil' C is coming in at 11 oz. I compare it to a can of coke.

Food: I really like Panera. Greek salad and French onion soup to be exact. It is sooooo yummy. I also have a new love for Greek yogurt. Maybe I am Greek?

Sorry for the lengthy post...I knew all of you would want to read my rambling thoughts!

Did I Menton...

that I felt the baby move. It actually happened last weekend, after my rant about not feeling it move. Obviously Lil' C can read my mind! Although sometimes it reminds me of that movie Alien, I love the feeling. At least I know that something is in there moving around.

Random Irritation: If you have ever visited any baby websites, and checked out their message boards, you will notice that women refer to their husbands as "DH." My friend Sarah was just as curious as I was, and finally figured out what DH means....Darling Husband. I don't know about you but in general conversations with random people, I don't refer to Heath as "Darling Husband." I am 100% sure that in my current condition he does not refer to me as Darling Wife. In his mind he probably calls me something that would be inappropriate to put on here. My hormones may be altering my mood hmmm....Sorry Heath.

Not to much else to report, other than I went to Rick's and ordered the cake for Friday...Can't wait!!!

18 Weeks

18 weeks have come, and are about gone. We have finally made it through an ENTIRE week of school. The weather is great, and I am feeling pretty fantastic.

My stats this week are about the same. Nothing new to really note except that I have actually gained about 3 pounds. I knew it would happen. I'm not one of those crazy people on TLC that never know they are pregnant because they never gain weight. So as with all my updates, I try to be as honest as I can.

On to the more important stuff... The Reveal Party!

Even before I ever became pregnant, I knew that telling people what I was having by cutting into a cake was definitely for ME! So when it actually happened, I started planning. The time has finally arrived and we are a week away from the big reveal. Our doctor's appt is on Monday, and we will have the technician write the gender on a piece of paper, and seal it in an envelope. Away to Rick's I will go, handing the envelope over, and ordering our cake.

I am hoping that everyone has a great time and I will be sure to post pictures of the event!

What's in a Name?

As soon as you say, "I'm pregnant!" people begin asking, "Have you decided on any names?"

From the time Heath and I were married I was pretty set on a few names. Then several years go by, and I pick out different names....and then I actually get pregnant and all the names I thought I liked have flown out the window! Is it because it will be official and not some figment of my imagination now?
So our official comment on the name game is that we are not really having any conversation about it until we find out what it is going to be. However, Heath is ready to go when we do find out. He has his name book, which he will use to make "HIS" list, and of course I already have a list. Once we know if it will be a HE or a SHE we will finally get down to picking out a name.

Some issues of name choosing when you are a teacher:

1. You don't want a really common name, because you don't want your child to be one of 5 Michael's in their class.

2. You have an average of 120 kids a year. All with different names. And you start to have positive and negative connotations with those names. TRUST me, there are names that will NEVER EVER be on my list.

3. You start to consider what their name will be like on the first day of school. Did you give them a name where they go by their middle name instead of their first name? It's a problem on the first day. Did you give them a name and decide to call him some weird nickname? A problem on the first day.

4. Last, kids make fun of other kids. Names can be turned into other names, easily.

This is why choosing a name is a little stressful, and the fact that Heath and I don't exactly see eye to eye on some names.

When Heath and I decide on a name, we'll let you know!

Deja Vu - 17 Weeks and another Snow Storm

Here we go again! This post may look very similar to the one from last week because it seems like the same story, just a different tune.
So here I am at 17 weeks.



There is not too much to report as far as differences in symptoms or cravings or weight gain. All you get is a picture of me and a picture of this weeks' snow storm. Enjoy!

16 Weeks

There was a blizzard this week. Or at least as close to a blizzard as I have ever been. Unfortunately NWA is not the most prepared for snow and ice as those towns in the north, so I have been off school for the past three days. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if we were out tomorrow too.


Now to the part that most of you care about. Here is my 16 week picture. Obviously, I am a little behind in my posting. I was shooting for Monday's or Tuesday's, but things happen. Like reading, sleeping, lounging, movie watching, eating, etc.

Me at 16 weeks!

Stats for the week:

Weight: According to MY scale at home...no weight gain so far. I know that this is going to stop happening in the very near future, but it does put my fear that I would gain a TON of weight at ease.

Food: I still like tomatoes. But I am going for the rare and hard to find yellow cherry tomatoes. Next time I'm at the store I will know better than to leave with just one container. My meat aversion may be easing a little. I was able to eat most of my hamburger last night!

Baby stats: The good news is that we find out on the 21st what we're having. But like the pregnancy itself we are holding back to find out until the end of the week with a "Gender Reveal Party." More on that later.

According to my chart the baby is almost the size of my hand. WOW! I am ready to feel it move. It seems that with something that large, I should be able to feel it. I know that my time will come, but I'm ready now!