Bumper Pads??

I'm completely obsessed. I can't think of anything except for my baby and what life will be like with him. I apologize that every single post I write has something to do with my pregnancy! But oh well, it is the most exciting thing going on around here these days. Everytime I walk past his room I think about what it will be like when there is a real live baby in there! I hope he's like his daddy and likes to snuggle because I just can't wait to hold him (and I know his daddy can't wait either)!!

So I have an important question for all of you wonderful mothers out there. What do you think about bumper pads? Everything I read as far as safety pretty much says that you shouldn't have them, but they are so darn cute! Mine just came in the mail today and I just love them, except Jon feels pretty strongly that we shouldn't have them. They just make the crib look all cute and comfy and finished. I'm considering sending them back and using the money to buy the curtains that go with my bedding set instead. I don't know what to do. Any advice from someone with some experience?

The Sweetest Card

Until this past Sunday, I had yet to cry at a baby shower. Then I got this card ...


What can I give you ...
when you're about to bring home the moon
and the stars
wrapped in a soft flannel blanket;

when you're already practically face to face with an angel ...

What could I get you
that even comes close
to the tiny miracle
whose birth you've long awaited ...

A little rubber tub for bath time?

Or a tiny little comb and brush for hair as soft as down ...

Or maybe I could buy a squeaky yellow rubber ducky.

Oh,
If I could give you anything,
Anything in the whole wide world,
I'd give you the gift of knowing,
that you're the very best gift your baby will ever recieve.

Sniff sniff -- I've read it about 10 times now and it still makes me a little weepy.

HOT

I've just checked the temperature outside and it's only like 78 degrees. My air conditioner is on. However, I'm sitting here practically sweating. I am someone who is always cold, yet I haven't slept with any covers in like 2 weeks. I keep threatening my husband that we are going to get a fan in our room and he pleads with me not to as he is cold at night. He probably just likes how I have to practically strip down naked to keep from sweating to death. :) This is too wierd. It's a good thing I only have one more month of pregnancy and don't have to go through the entire summer!

Little T's room is slowly coming along. The bedding has been ordered and shipped and Jon just needs to get the furniture assembled. I've started washing his blankets, towels, hand-me-down clothes, etc in special baby detergent (it took 5 loads if you can believe it). I haven't even started on the new clothes and onesies that are hanging in his closet. I think I'll just do a few newborn outfits and then save the rest to launder once we are sure he really is a boy! It took me two full days to go through all of his things. I have to admit, though, it made me really excited to meet my little guy! Unbelievable that he could be here sometime in the next few weeks! I went yesterday to buy our car seat and stroller. I'm hoping to install it and go to get it inspected tomorrow. Then we'll officially be okay to bring our baby home from the hospital! The pack'n'play is all set up right next to my bed. I keep looking inside it and feeling amazed that there is actually going to be a little person in there soon!

Do you ever REALLY feel prepared to be a mother? I mean, I was sure I was ready for this way before we even started trying to have a baby. Now I have this feeling like, "oh crap, what did I get myself into!" Don't get me wrong -- I am completely excited and feel SO blessed -- but like I've said before, I'm so scared! It's kind of the same feeling I had when I waited at the starting line of my half-marathon a few years ago. Or for those of you in Colorado Springs -- the way you feel when you start the Incline -- after you are about 50 steps into it and you see that you still have what seems like 999,950 steps to go. It's the same way I felt when my parents dropped me off at college and I sat there at the welcome banquet with all of the other volleyball players, wondering just what life would be like as a college athlete. Like "YIKES!! Can I really do this???" Anyone who knows me, especially my husband, knows that being a "mom" (and wife, of course) is all I've ever REALLY wanted to be. Now I feel like I'm getting ready to start my dream job, the most important thing I'll ever do, the thing I've looked most forward to in life, and I just don't want to mess up. I want to enjoy every second of it.

It helps a lot when I read other mothers' blogs, like the Foss Family's, the Berndt Family's, or Gasperiniville. Their sweet pictures and anecdotes about their everyday lives help me to see that it's all going to be okay. I just need to RELAX about it all ... but I don't want to be TOO relaxed ... Oh my ...

I've been putting off going to the gym for about 3 hours now, so I better get going. Then I'm going to shower and treat myself to an afternoon at the book store reading and sipping a decaf latte -- or maybe a frappucino or milkshake instead with all of this heat!

My mom sent me a forward about being a mother and I just thought this picture was SO cute. Had to share ...

It's Been Too Long

What a lazy blogger I've become! It's been more than a month since my last post. I can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to my sweet friends in Colorado Springs! The move honestly hasn't been anything like I expected. I envisioned myself sitting on my back porch with a lemonade each day, finally getting some time to read all of those books on how to parent and get my baby to sleep well. However, it has taken much longer than I expected to get my house in order, get things ready for little T's arrival, etc. I only have 2 more rooms left to organize, and then I can get some of that relaxing in!

Two weeks ago, my mom and sister came to visit, which was SO MUCH FUN!! We went shopping, got pedicures, and just hung out. I just loved having them here, having constant companionship throughout my day. I have a tendency to work work work trying to get everything done on my "to do" list and by the time Jon gets home, I haven't talked to anyone all day! I'm working up the nerve to take my neighbor over some banana bread sometime this week and offer to walk with her if she ever takes her kids out. I'm such a chicken! Anyways, my mom and sister stayed from Wed to Fri and then Jon and I drove home to Michigan with them.

That first weekend, the women in my family had a baby shower for me. It was SO perfect and special. I couldn't help looking around at all of the wonderful women there and feeling incredibly blessed to be part of a legacy of such love and encouragement! It made me feel much less nervous about becoming a mom -- I know I'll have more support than I could ever ask for from my grandma, aunts, cousins, and sisters. The best part was being able to spend time chatting with my cousin, Carolyn, who became a mother this past year. Her stories and advice were so much fun to hear!

After my shower, Jon went back home and I stayed in Michigan for the week! Once again, I thought my time there would finally be a chance to relax, but it didn't quite happen like that! We spent the week preparing for and having a garage sale. We got rid of lots of junk and I made some extra cash, which is always nice! Then it was time to get ready for my little brother's graduation party. Everything turned out wonderful and all of our hard work payed off! I finally got my chance to relax on Monday when my dad took all of us out on his boat. It was a gorgeous day and it was so nice to have all of my family together! Last night Jon came to pick me up and I am back at home again. I missed my hubby! I am glad to be back here with him! We're taking one last trip home next weekend to watch my brother graduate and have one last baby shower. Then it will be no more traveling until the baby comes!

Jon seems to be liking his job so far. He is still learning about what he needs to do, but likes the people he works with and is already getting involved in the golf and basketball leagues. I get up with him every morning and make him his coffee and toast. I love watching him leave. He is always in a good mood and looks so handsome in his clothes for work!

As far as my pregnancy goes, I'm still feeling pretty good. I'm starting to feel just a little bit more tired than before, and just a little uncomfortable when it comes to sitting or lying in one place for a long period of time. I was getting a little bit nervous for a while because everyone who saw me commented on how small my tummy was for how far along I am. At first, I just dismissed it, but then started to get nervous as I heard the same thing over and over. My doctor said I was measuring just right, but still ... Anyways -- I have grown so much this past week, I think I'm finally looking more normal. Jon couldn't believe how much I had changed in the week I spent at home! I have another doctor's appointment later this week and should be going once a week from now on. I can't believe there's less than 30 days left until I'm due!!

It's hard to believe the movers will be here in just two days, packing us up for the next chapter of our lives! It doesn't quite seem real yet. Only one more week of work, one more girl's night, one more service at the church we love. We are really looking forward to living close to our family, but there will definitely be some things we miss here. Thankfully, Jon and my mom found us a place to live last weekend while he was home for a wedding. I was getting really stressed about moving across the country and not even having a home! The pickings were pretty slim as far as apartments went and Jon was getting really frustrated. Luckily, at the last minute, he found a really nice, big, brand new townhome for us to rent out. We had to sign a year's lease, but now think that will probably be best. It will give us a chance to really find out what area we want to live in and how much we can spend, etc. I am just excited to have a place to start nesting once we move!

I have the cutest bedding picked out from Pottery Barn Kids for Tanner's nursery, but I feel very guilty buying it because it's so expensive! I found two of the pieces on eBay this week, but ended up losing both auctions in the last few seconds. I'm not a very good eBayer! Oh well, it won't be so bad if I just buy a piece at a time. The practical side of me knows that things like bedding don't really matter and will only be used for a short time. I also know that what I should really do is get something unisex. But how fun is that? Even if I'm lucky enough to have the 3 or 4 babies I think I'd like, I'll only get to do this a few times! And isn't it just so cute?!!

My little brother, Eric, is here this weekend to spend time with Jon while he has some time off of work. I don't know how they talked my mom into letting Eric miss school, but they did! They have been golfing 36 holes a day since Thursday. Jon loves having a playmate here -- all they talked about the entire ride from the airport was all the competitions they were going to have in the next few days -- golf, x-box, hiking the incline. They leave at like 7:00 in the morning and come home just wiped out at about 8:00 in the evening. Too funny! It is fun to see how much my little brother has grown up in the past few years. He is almost 9 years younger than me and hasn't given me or my sisters the time of day since he was like 11. He's slowly starting to come around again. I love it -- he actually gives me hugs now! (God, I sound like a desperate sister, don't I!) Not much else is going on. I just got a call saying that the realtors set up a showing for our house in just a few hours, so I better get cleaning! They always set these things up at the most inconvenient times! I love having my brother here, but his room looks like a tornado hit it!

Tanner's First Baby Shower

We had our first baby shower on Saturday night. How blessed we are and how spoiled our little boy is already! Our friends, Brad and Katie, threw a couples shower for us. It was SO much fun! The best part was just being able to spend such quality time with such great friends! Here are some pictures from the evening ...

Our friend Sally actually made and decorated this cake. I'm still in awe!!

Jon, me, and our sweet friend Annie

Opening some SNUGGLY clothes for our little man.

My Dear Girls

The boys

Pregnancy Thought For The Day

29 Weeks

I've discovered why pregnant women waddle. I used to think it was just because they had a lot more weight to carry around and their balance was a little off. Now I know it's because after a certain point there is just no preventing your thighs from constantly rubbing together with every step you take -- Oh Lordy!

The Baby Book

Jon's mom just sent us a baby book for Tanner this week. It is SO cute and I can't wait to get started on it. She also sent us Jon's baby book to look at, which I thought was such a great idea! WHAT A CUTE LITTLE BOY!! He had these huge brown eyes -- if Tanner looks like him I just won't know what to do with myself I'll be so excited!

In the baby book was a little article that they cut out of their paper on the day he was born.

"Restless Type Who's Miserable Standing Still"
Saturday, October 27

Born on this date, you are one of those eternally restless individuals who is perfectly miserable unless you're "on the go."

Energetic almost beyond belief, you find it hard to understand those who do not possess the stamina you do. You are inclined to believe them lazy, failing to consider that they may be unable by nature to follow in your footsteps.

Women born on this date are determined to make a career outside the home; men born on this date encourage them to do so. (this is not so true with Jon)

Your personal magnetism is such that you are often surrounded by people when what you really want is to be alone to think your own thoughts.

Your powers of organization, which ultimately will guarantee your success -- are marshaled during periods of isolation.


I can't believe how true this description is of my husband. I'm sure those of you who know him right now are nodding your heads. Wild! I'm not usually one for horoscopes or things like that, but I thought this would be fun to share.

Lazy Blogger

My goodness, I have become SUCH a lazy blogger lately. I'm going to try and be better about this!

What's been happening since my last post?

Two weeks ago was my little sister's wedding in Atlanta. It was SO GREAT and I had such a good time. I just love the guy she married and know they will be so happy together! She looked gorgeous ... check out the pics ...

Two days after we got home from Atlanta, we were off on another trip to find a house. We had been really looking forward to this and had several homes picked out to look at. Unfortunately, we were not aware that most of these homes were in a not-so-nice neighborhood. After looking at 20 houses the first day and finding several that we liked, we asked our realtor to drive us to the train station. Once we were out of the subdivisions and seeing the town we were in, we were not happy! So the next day, we looked at about 20 more homes in another town (which we liked SO much better). However, we didn't find any houses that we were in love with, so we've decided to just get an apartment for the first few months in our new location. I know this is what's best, but I am just itching to start nesting in my next home (specifically painting and decorating a nursery for our little T). I guess I will have to put this off for a while. Jon has been such a good leader for our little family -- making important decisions and really researching things thoroughly -- I know that he's right in this.

We got back on Saturday night and Jon started complaining about chest pains as soon as we got in the car to drive home from the airport. Of course, I wrote this off as either heartburn or stress and he agreed it was probably one or the other. On Sunday morning, he woke up still complaining of severe chest pains and also saying it was hard to breath. We went to the emergency room and spent about 4 hours there getting tests done and all of that. I feel so bad now that I think about it. I gave him SUCH a hard time about being dramatic and I couldn't stop giggling about all of his antics. (I know -- not very indicative of being a good mother!) But anyone who is married knows what their husband acts like when he's not sick or feeling good -- basically like he's dying. And my husband has to be the best at having this skill mastered.

As he was laying in the bed in the ER, he was hooked up to all of these machines tracking his heartrate and blood pressure. At one point he was like -- "Oh my God, Rachel, there is really something wrong! My arm is starting to really hurt!" (his blood pressure was being taken and he hadn't yet realized it.) "All I want to do is live to meet my son!" (he then hears the monitor beep -- it does this every few minutes) "Oh my God, I'm flat-lining! Rachel -- I'm flat-lining -- call the doctor!" I mean, it was just too much -- I was almost rolling on the floor I was laughing so hard! Isn't that terrible!

Anyways, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, so they sent him home with a painkiller. I brought him home and got him situated in bed and he just started getting worse and worse. He started getting really pale and could hardly move. I started getting really scared and worried. We talked about going back to the ER and he told me I should call 911 because he didn't think he could make it to the car. Of course, I thought he was just being overly dramatic again with the whole 911 thing. I went to get the car ready and as I came back to get him, he started vomiting and shaking and just collapsed in his vomit. It was so scary and I actually did call 911 this time. They took us to another hospital in town (not the Army hospital we originally went to). Thank goodness! They took SO MUCH better care of us! They were so thorough and did just about every test there is to figure out what was wrong with him! Finally, they told us that he has something called Periocarditis -- it's basically inflammation of the sac around the heart and can be VERY painful. My poor guy! He has been taking it easy since then and will be going to the cardiologist this week for a follow-up. What a day that was! I'm just so thankful he wasn't having a heart-attack or something like that!

As for me, I've been feeling really good. I'm officially in my third trimester -- YAY!! Only about 11 weeks to go. I can't believe I'm going to be a MOM in just a few months! What an overwhelming feeling! I am so excited and scared all at the same time. I can't wait until they hand me my tiny, sweet-smelling little boy with his arms and legs still all curled up from being cuddled in my tummy all this time! I can't wait to cover him with kisses and just love on him. I'm so excited to see what he looks like and to watch his little personality develop. I really can't wait to see Jon with him. I truly think that he is going to be THE BEST dad! I'm so lucky to have married someone so wonderful and so excited about having kids! I'm terrified that I won't know what to do once I bring that baby home. I'm scared of what it will be like to be sleep deprived. I'm scared that I will make some bad decision in parenting and that my sweet little boy will turn out like some of the rough kids I teach. I'm scared that I'll never lose this pregnancy weight. I'm scared that I won't make any friends in my new town and that I'll be starved for adult interaction. I could go on and on.

3D Pics

Yesterday we were able to get a 3D/4D Ultrasound of our little snugglebug. It was so cool! I thought I'd share some of my favorite shots!

More Belly Shots

25 Weeks (3-12-07)

21 Weeks (2-13-07)

Book Review

I've been meaning to recommend this book for a few weeks, but just haven't gotten around to posting about it.

I was home in Michigan a few weeks ago for my little sister's wedding shower and needed a book to read on the plane ride home. My mom lent me A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I have seen this in the bookstore a few times but dismissed it as one of those classics that was probably depressing and hard to get through. However, once I started reading it I LOVED IT!! It was SUCH a fun book to read and I just fell in love with the main character, Francie Nolan. If you are looking for a good book to read, I would strongly recommend it! It is the best one I've read in a LONG time and I have been reading a lot lately!

News on the Move

Has it really been a month since my last post?!! Holy Cow! I do have an excuse -- although it's not a very good one. I've been waiting to post until I have a new belly shot. However, we never seem to get around to taking a picture! This week -- I promise! Today's post will just have to do without a picture.

Jon's job search has been finished for a few weeks now. He decided to take the job with Kraft, so we will be moving to the Chicago area -- think suburbs WAY outside of Chicago. He seems pretty excited, but also a little nervous. This "getting out" of the Army thing is hard for him I think because he's never quit anything before and feels like he's "quitting" now. I keep trying to remind him that he served his time and that the Lord has definitely made it clear to us that we need to move on. All in all, though, I think he's ready for the challenge of something new and looking forward to working with the people at Kraft. We are going house-hunting during my spring break, which should be fun. It seems like just yesterday that we drove up here from Texas to find our townhome. I will never forget that trip! I was still in college and Jon was at Fort Sill and we drove my little Saturn up here for two days to find somewhere to live. Hmmm .. memories. :)

I just broke the news to my boss that my last day at school will be April 27th. I was really nervous to tell her (you know -- because I already quit once this year and then had to ask for my job back!), but she was VERY understanding AGAIN and I feel so much more at peace with leaving early now. It would have been so complicated to meet up with Jon at the end of the school year, find a place to live in the mean-time, find a new doctor, etc. I think this will make everything easier. And I must admit -- it is a little nice to know I only have 6 more weeks of teaching to get through! We are starting our state-mandated testing this week (CSAP) and I have been SO irritable and uptight about it. Our district makes a HUGE deal about it (as I'm sure a lot do) and it is just so stressful! Especially when you are working with middle schoolers. I mean, you never know how motivated they will be from one day to the next. And it's not like their performance on the test affects them in any way besides class-placement (which they couldn't care less about). I could write an entire post on this, but I'll spare you. Luckily, we take the math portion first and that will be done by Wednesday!

Jon and I went and registered today for the baby. It was pretty fun picking stuff out for our little guy and made everything seem just a little bit more real. It is hard, though, to make a choice when you've got SO many options for everything! Oh well. We decided on the way home that if we made the wrong decision about anything on there it's definitely not the end of the world. We'll just take it back or buy something different. No use in getting stressed over it, right?! Tanner has been kicking lots, which I love and I can definitely tell that he's growing as my belly seems to be getting bigger and bigger! I was just tickled the other day as I was in the locker room at the gym changing into my workout clothes. A lady asked me when I was due -- which means she could definitely tell that I'm pregnant and not just fat. I swear the people in the gym look at me funny sometimes. They must be thinking -- that girl is in here every day and she just keeps getting bigger and bigger -- what is her deal? Too funny. I finally had to tell the guy at the front desk that I was pregnant a few weeks ago. Every time I came in he was like "you're here doing something -- that's all that matters!"

This week is going to be very busy! We've got a fairwell for the squadron commander's wife tomorrow. Tuesday Jon and I are going to see David Copperfield with another couple (so fun!). And Wednesday the girls at work and I are doing our draft picks for March Madness. Hopefully I'll get to see my "girls night" girls sometime this week, too!

The Best Part of My Day

Sadly, the best part of my day used to be when they handed me my half-caff/non-fat/no-whip mocha each morning at Starbucks. But now I think I have something to top that. Let me tell you about the thing I look forward to most each day.

I LOVE coming home from the gym every night, having some dinner, and then just lying down on the couch and feeling Tanner wiggle around. He does it around the same time each night and I just LOVE to sit there and feel his little movements. I definitely think it has to be one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. What a miracle! I LOVE being pregnant right now! (Hopefully I'll be singing the same tune once 40 weeks has come and gone in the middle of summer and I'm STILL waiting for this little guy to make an entrance.)

Jon's job search is going well. He got a great offer from Kraft in Chicago and is returning home tonight from an interview in Virginia with a company called Barton Malow. He still has two more interviews to go with Exxon Mobil in TX and Whirlpool in Michigan before we make a decision. Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We feel EXTREMELY blessed with the opportunities that are being presented to us. I think Jon feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders after getting an offer somewhere. I'm sure he's been feeling A LOT of pressure lately with a pregnant wife who is adamant that she wants to stay home with her baby and not work. My poor sweet husband! I'm so proud of him for working so very hard to try to find a good job and a good place for our family to live and grow! I'll keep you updated once we start making some real decisions!

It's A ...

BOY!!

Sweet little Tanner Michael Hall. I am still not believing it. I really thought it was going to be a girl! Jon has been smiling from ear to ear since the ultrasound tech showed him the penis. He says his cheeks are sore after 5 hours of grinning. I swear he made that poor lady go back to the scrotum at least 4 times while we were in there. Of course he's already trying to tell everyone our baby has a huge dingaling. It must be a guy thing -- I was thinking it was pretty tiny! :)

So looking at those pictures just made me so excited to cuddle with my snuggly little boy! He was all snuggled up and comfy in there and refused to move into any position that would help the tech get any of the really important pictures that she needed. He was definitely wiggling, though and it was fun to see him move. Here is a picture of his profile. Hopefully you are able to make it out okay.

We are so happy and it finally seems very real that I have a baby in my tummy. I am so excited to start bonding with this little guy! I do have to admit that I'm a little nervous to have another little Jon running around the house. The Hall house will be pumping with testosterone, that's for sure!

What Not To Say To Your Pregnant Wife

We've had a much better week this week at our house. We are all settled in our new home (which is basically an exact replica of our old place except for no paint on the walls). No more late nights moving -- Thank The Lord! I am a different woman than I was at this time last week! In fact, I'm not sure I even know who that other woman was -- all I know is that she was REALLY CRABBY!

Jon returned from his career conference late Tuesday night. It went really well and he came back feeling pretty good. Thanks so much for all of your prayers! He's going to be traveling to some different places for some follow-up interviews during the next two weeks. Hopefully, we'll know something by the end of February! One of the jobs is in Chicago and I am secretly hoping that we get to live there -- only about 2 hours away from our family! We'll see what happens!

We got to go for another prenatal checkup yesterday. My little sweetheart was being such a stinker, though! Everytime my doctor would find the heartbeat, the baby would move and we'd have to find it all over again! I found it so amusing! Too bad Jon had to miss it -- he had to run home to let the cable guy in and by the time he got back, my appointment was over! Hopefully the baby will be more cooperative on Tuesday when we get to go for our ultrasound! The kids at school are just DYING to know whether its a boy or a girl. I swear they ask me everyday! And I am a little bit anxious to know, too. Yeah right -- just a little. HMMM. Here is my belly shot from this week (19.5 weeks). My tummy is definitely growing, as is the rest of me. I talked to my doctor about my weight worries, but we both agreed that if I hadn't gained so much during Christmas it wouldn't be a big deal. I actually did okay this month, gaining about a pound a week, which she said was normal. Hopefully I can keep things under control this next month.

So my husband has tried REALLY hard to be extra sweet to me since I got pregnant. However, he just NEVER says the right things, bless his heart. He just digs himself right down into a hole most of the time. The other night we were getting ready to go somewhere. He knows how sensitive I've been about gaining a little too much weight. I was admiring my growing bump in the mirror and casually said "I really am getting bigger." Jon's response was "Yeah! IN THE BUTT!" I looked at him like he was a moron and of course he was just so pleased with himself for making a joke he thought was so funny. Later that evening at dinner I was telling him how I was dreading getting on the scale at the doctor's office the next day. I told him that if I just wouldn't have gained that holiday weight I would be fine. His response to that was "Yeah, you totally HOGGED DOWN when we were home for Christmas." I've decided that I should start keeping track of all these comments so that when I am finished with my pregnancy, I can actually make a little bit of money as a stay-at-home mom by writing a book entitled "What Not To Say To Your Pregnant Wife." He's lucky I have a sense of humor. And it does help that he's cute, too.

Changes

Wow! Lots of changes have been happening lately!

First of all, there is the matter of my growing figure. I am constantly surprised when I reach down to touch my stomach. My first thought is always -- WHOA!! How did THAT get there?! And then I remember -- oh yeah ... there's a baby in there! I have to be honest. Watching my body change has been probably the hardest thing about being pregnant. Everything else I love. But it feels as if my booty is growing as fast as my belly! I'm still exercising pretty regularly, but not as intensely as I used to. I mostly walk or do the elliptical at the gym. Just when I make the decision to let go and stop worrying about how much weight I've gained, I catch a peek at my backside in the mirror. YIKES!!! I really have no right to complain, though. It's not like I've been doing a great job of eating super healthy! I definitely have cravings -- but rarely give into them -- Arby's roast beef sandwiches and Doughnuts! The doughnut thing has really got me going. The other night I got into bed and Jon was trying to talk to me. I was like "I'm really sorry, but I can't concentrate -- all I can think about is doughnuts!" He asked me if that was his clue to run out to the store and I was like "PLEASE, NO! I can not indulge in this! I'll won't be able to fit out the door by the time I'm 9 months!" A few nights later I actually dreamt about going to Krispy Kreme. What a psycho! Anyways, this is the first picture I've taken of my growing tummy (about 17.5 weeks). I'm totally at the stage right now where people can't tell if I'm pregnant or just putting on weight. So I finally broke down and bought some maternity clothes. That is a whole other post by itself.

I can't believe I'm almost halfway. We go to get our ultrasound on Feb 6. We are planning on finding out what the sex is if possible. For a while I was sure it was a girl, but lately I've been thinking it might be a boy. We are really excited to find out so we can go ahead and settle on a name and start buying cute things! I am just waiting until I start to feel it moving. Sometimes I think I feel it, but I'm not quite sure. Every day I think about how excited I am to meet this little one! I can't wait! I feel so blessed!

On to other changes...

We sold our townhome, which is really great. We will be closing next week sometime. So we spent all of this week moving. A friend of ours who lives in our same townhome complex is trying to sell his unit and it's empty, so we'll be renting it out from him until we move or he sells it. What a stressful week, though! Probably one of the most stressful weeks in our whole marraige! We moved everything ourselves -- who knew we had so much stuff! And everything needed to be out by last night because Jon was leaving today for his career conference in Austin! I'm so thankful that we have a place to live, but it was so sad to leave my own house. I had put so much work into it. It will be really hard to look across the street and see someone living there!

Like I said, Jon is at his conference this week. He's been working really hard to prepare, and I think he'll do really well if he just relaxes and acts like himself. I just have this nagging feeling, though, that deep down he really wants to stay in the Army. We'll see what happens. Maybe he'll come home from this conference and be really excited about the corporate world. I really thought things were set but then he went in and talked to two of his commanding officers this week and now he's talking about some other options he has in the army. We'll see, I guess. I'm at the point right now where I don't really care what we do, I just want to know what I can plan on. I think both of us are ready for a time in our lives where our future is pretty set at least for a few years.

This weekend is my birthday and our anniversary. Unfortunately, Jon will miss it again, but I still get to celebrate with my close friends! We are going to see DreamGirls and then go out for Fondue. YUMM!! My favorite! I'm so lucky to have such great friends! I'll try to remember to take some pictures and then post them!

Settling Back In

I guess it's time to take my Christmas Break ticker off of the bottom of my blog and replace it with a countdown to Spring Break! Jon and I finished our drive back to Colorado on Tuesday and I started work again on Wednesday. It's really not that bad and the kids have been great so far -- still a little bit in shock about returning to school I think! It's funny how news travels fast in my building -- the kids knew all about me being pregnant before I even said anything to them! Too funny -- some other teachers must've spilled the beans. That's okay, though. It's always a little bit awkward, I think, to tell people you're going to have a baby. And I did want all of my kids to know so that they wouldn't wonder why I was getting big. They're old enough to know it's usually inappropriate to come out and ask a woman if she's pregnant. They were pretty excited, though, and I got lots of congratulatory hugs from them.

Yesterday, I went to a coworker's house to look at some baby things they wanted to get rid of. I was fully expecting to pay for everything, but they wouldn't let us. They gave us an infant car seat (so that we would have an extra for Jon's car or to leave at Grandma and Grandpa's), another little seat that vibrates and also has a little hood and a net that zips (hard to explain) that will be perfect for sitting outside late summer, and one other thing. I really feel bad that they wouldn't take any money for it -- I'm thinking of getting them a gift card to a restaurant or something. What do you think?

I'm still feeling pretty awkward about how I look. I totally thought that I was starting to show last week, but then this week at my appointment, my Dr. showed me where my uterus was and it's not really anywhere near where my tummy is starting to get bigger. Oh well. Too many Christmas cookies I guess! We got to hear the heartbeat again at my appointment (she said it was fast -- in the 150s -- could that mean girl??). I know it wasn't the first time, but I still felt like I was going to cry! It's just so amazing to hear proof that there is another little person living inside of you! I was walking the other day at the gym and all I could think about was how anxious I am to snuggle and love on that baby once it's born!

Speaking of my doctor's appointment, I just have to stop and rant a little bit about the Army. I know I can't complain too much since it's free, but they have GOT to do something about their customer service! The last time I saw my doctor she said she wanted to see me in 4 weeks. I tried to make my next appointment before I left, but they said they were only scheduling two weeks out so I needed to call in two weeks. That was fine. I called the day after Christmas to schedule. They didn't have any openings until JAN 20! I was so mad! Obviously some people were allowed to schedule way more than two weeks out! The guys told me that if I called on the morning of Jan 3, MAYBE he could get me in on the 4th (our first day back at school with kids). I did call, and he did get me in. When I got there, nobody even knew what my appointment was for. They thought I was just getting a routine physical. When I finally saw my doctor (no complaints there -- she is awesome and was definitely on the ball) she thankfully recognized me and knew just why I was there. She ordered my ultrasound and gave me the number to call at radiology. She said I should schedule it for sometime between 16 and 20 weeks (I'm almost 16). Of course, as soon we got in the car, I called -- we are so anxious to see the ultrasound! As it turns out, they don't have any appointments open until March, so they are referring out all of the patients sent to them, which I fully understand. However, instead of just giving me the name and number of places where I can go, I have to wait two weeks to get a letter in the mail from them with information on who to call. UGGH! I know it's probably no big deal, but when you're so excited about something, it kind of puts a damper on things. Once again, I guess GOD is trying to teach me a little patience!

Jon is doing good. He has spent lots of time snowboarding lately. I'm so glad. I know he's missed out on a lot after being gone for two years. It's one of the things he was most excited about when we found out we were going to live in Colorado. He's still helping me out a lot around the house, which means so much to me -- I don't think he realizes! At the end of this month, he goes to a career conference with the recruiter he is working with and starts his interviews. We're keeping our fingers crossed that something good comes up!

13 Weeks, 2 Days

Only a few more days until I officially hit the "second trimester" of my pregnancy. Do the first 14 weeks seem this long for everybody? For a few days, I was certain I had finally escaped the constant fatigue that has plagued me for the last 8 weeks, but I think nature was just teasing me. Hopefully this won't last much longer! It's not very conducive to getting my Christmas shopping finished! I guess I should just be happy that I'm not feeling sick.

I must confess that I feel like I'm in a very awkward stage of pregnancy right now. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that I am pregnant and I am SO excited to be able to cuddle and love on my little sweet pea once he or she is born. I just feel awkward! I am having a really hard time right now watching my body change. I definitely haven't had the energy to work out as much as I used to. And I go back and forth between thinking "I'm pregnant, I'm just going to eat whatever I want for once and not worry about it" and "I don't want to be HUGE when it's all over an not be able to lose the weight." (The first thought is usually what wins out -- the second just makes me feel guilty!) I'm definitely not ready for maternity clothes yet, but my jeans are steadily getting tighter and tighter -- in all the wrong places like the butt and thighs. (HMMM -- it must be the dryer, right?) I know I just need to quit freaking out and ENJOY this time. I haven't even mentioned the mood swings yet. My goodness -- my poor husband! I started crying the other day in my car as I watched a fire truck pull up next to another car on post and help a mom and her little boy (who I think might have been choking). And don't even think about teasing me or joking with me -- that usually sets off the tear ducts as well.

Jon, on the other hand, is doing fantastic as an expectant father. He attended his first "Daddy Boot Camp" session last week, where they told him they thought he was going to be an awesome dad. I totally agree! I can't wait to see what he's like with a baby!

Other things ARE happening in my life right now besides growing a baby in my belly. I am HOME for Christmas and SO happy to be with family! (It is so good not to be working right now!) As always, it is wonderful to be home! I can't wait to see all of my extended family on Christmas Eve! I get to meet my cousin Carolyn's baby for the first time and I can't wait! Unil then, it will just be a lot of shopping, relaxing, baking, and laughing with my mom and sister.

In case I don't get around to posting again before the 25th,

Merry Christmas!

Change of Heart

Once again it's been a while since my last post. Almost a month! So much has happened! I was hesitating to post because I couldn't talk about the most exciting news -- it was still a secret. :)

Jon and I are expecting our first little one! I have known for a while now and couldn't wait to share the news. We just wanted to wait a little while to tell everyone! I am 11 weeks along and my due date is around June 25. We are just overwhelmed with excitement! Jon is just beside himself with happiness. He has even signed up for "Daddy Boot Camp" on post, which he starts tomorrow. Too funny! He has been quite the dream husband since he heard the news. I haven't touched the laundry or the dishes since the night I told him (I'll tell all about it in my next post)! I'm lovin' all this spoiling!

I feel really good. I haven't had any nausea or morning sickness, which worried me at first, but now I am extremely thankful! I've just been feeling unbelievably exhausted for the past 6 weeks. I didn't even think that kind of tiredness was possible. Things are getting a little better, though, and I'm starting to feel just a little bit more energized each day. The past 7 weeks since I found out have been incrediby long. It seems like the baby grows so slowly and I've been so anxious that everything is okay. The first few weeks of pregnancy are so wierd -- especially if you're not sick. I just kept thinking -- am I really pregnant because I don't feel pregnant! Yesterday was my first exam with the doctor and I feel 1000 times better. We got to hear the heartbeat and it sounds so nice and strong! It was so amazing to hear it! I couldn't help it -- the tears just came! What a miracle!

After thinking about this baby and how excited we are to watch it grow, Jon and I have had a change of heart about staying in the Army. We pretty much knew right away that Special Forces was out of the question, but were still planning to attend the career course at Fort Knox to see what other types of opportunities might open up while we were there. Well, after doing some research, we found out that the only "opportunity" would be to be sent directly to a deploying unit upon graduation from the course. YIKES!! So, to make a long story short, we will not be moving to Kentucky anymore and are now planning to get out of the Army. Jon is already starting his job search, which we are both excited about. It will be interesting to see what God has in store for us!

What's Goin' On...

Almost a month since my last blog -- I can't believe it! Life has been totally hectic.

Last month when I wrote, my student teacher was just getting ready to take over my classroom. The first three days were great. I was a little bored with nothing to do, but kind of liked it! On the third day, one of our other math teachers was forced to resign. While they are looking for a replacement, they asked me to take over all of her classes. Needless to say, it's been a lot of work and quite a stressful situation, since now I feel like I'm responsible for 240 kids instead of my normal 120. They have asked me to stay with her kids until Christmas break. So just a few more weeks....

Jon just returned from SFAS late Wednesday night. He did really well and was selected to do Special Forces. It looks like our next stop is Fort Knox, Kentucky, where Jon will attend Career Course. (I guess I'll have to change the title of my blog!) We're both pretty excited about the move since it's just 6 hours from home! We will be moving as soon as school school gets out for Christmas Break. Now if we can just sell our home! I told my principal and some members of the staff yesterday that I would be resigning. I was so nervous, but everyone was just wonderful and so supportive and understanding! I felt so bad since I knew they were already hurting looking for a math teacher, and now they will have 2 positions to fill before January. But nobody even seemed to give it a second thought -- they knew I was doing what's best for my family. What a relief!

It's so nice having Jon back again. He's so much fun and so funny! I just laugh and laugh! And he's been so sweet helping around the house and things like that. He is very excited about all that we have going on right now. He just found out that he gets to go to the Ohio State/Michigan game next weekend and is in heaven. I'm so happy for him! I'm going out of town next weekend, also. My mom and I are going down to Atlanta to help my little sister with her wedding planning. It's going to be so much fun!

Well, I'm off to clean the house. Our realtor is bringing someone by this afternoon. YAY!

Alone Again

How did that last few weeks fly by SO fast?? Jon left on Thursday for SF Selection. I think he was really excited, but very nervous. He was able to go down to Fort Bragg a few days early and spend some time with his best friend from college. Tomorrow he reports and then no communication until he's finished in November. It will be a long 4 weeks, but I'm sure I'll find a way to stay busy -- I'm pretty good at that! I'm anxious to just get this whole thing over with so we can have a better idea of what our next step is.

Since he's been gone, I've watched all of the shows I've TiVoed for the last few weeks while he's been watching non-stop ESPN (Grey's Anatomy, Dancing with the Stars, etc.). Kind of cool to have control of the remote again! Still, I would much rather give up my shows to have him home with me! We truly had SUCH a great time together while he was home! I was thinking today about how lucky I feel to have married such a great guy. He is just sooo funny and cute and he's always trying to do what's right and trying to make good decisions for our family. I can't believe the little twerp I started dating in high school actually grew up to be such a good man!

Friday night I stayed home to listen to my brother's football game on the radio. I love tuning in every week. I just about do a back handspring everytime I hear his name on a tackle or a sack. They won the game in the last 16 seconds, which will advance them to playoffs in a few weeks. I SO wish I could be there to watch him play again!

Last night I went out for my friend Annie's birthday. Once again, I drove home feeling so lucky to have such wonderful friends. God has been so good to me here at our first post -- blessing me with AMAZING friends, a job at an awesome school, the opportunity to take up yoga, and lots more. I just hope I'm able to make some new friends like this wherever we go next.

Tomorrow is the first day that my student teacher will be taking over EVERYTHING at school. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself! Of course, I have several large projects planned to work on, but it is just going to be so wierd going to school everyday and not teaching! His supervisor talked to me last time about leaving the room while he teaches, so I'm going to do my best to stay away most of the day. Wish me luck! I have such a hard time "letting go" of my classroom and my 125 babies!!

Congratulations!

My little sister is getting married!!!

Congratulations, Lauren and Daniel, on your engagement!!! I'm SOOOO happy for you!

63 Things You Never Cared to Know About Me ...

I love these things. :)

1) How old do you wish you were? I loved 25! As soon as I turned 26, I started feeling like 30 was right around the corner!

2) Where were you when 9-11 happened? I was in college making up a test for Linear Algebra in the Math Department offices. I remember hearing bits and pieces of people talking outside and wondering what they were talking about. As soon as I got to my car afterwards, I called my mom and found out what was going on. I don't think I really understood how bad it was until I got home and saw the live TV coverage.

3) What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Usually, I just sigh in resignation and put some more money in ... what a sucker!


4) Do you consider yourself kind? Yes, but I definitely have my moments ...


5) If you had to get a tattoo, where would it be? Or if you have a tattoo, where and what is it? I don’t have one. Anytime I get any little bit of a desire for one, I think of being a grandma one day and saying, "Hey, kiddies, come on over here and see Grandma's tattoo!" That pretty much squelches it!


6) If you could be fluent in any other language what would it be? Hmmm, that's a good one! I guess I would choose Spanish since it's becoming so prevalent in our country.

7) Do you know your neighbors? No -- isn't that so sad?!

8) What do you consider a vacation? Sitting on a beach somewhere with a margarita and a book.

9) Do you follow your horoscope? I RARELY read it -- it makes me feel guilty!

10) Would you move for the person you loved? OF COURSE!!

11) Are you touchy feely? Yep, but nothing compared to my husband! He hugs EVERYONE!!

12) Do you believe that opposites attract? I think you have to have a few opposite characteristics, but I don't see how it would work out if you were opposite in every way.

13) Dream job? Don't laugh -- I've always wanted to be a school secretary!

14) Favorite channel(s)? ABC, Food Channel, WE

15) Favorite place to go on weekends? Out to dinner and the movies!

16) Showers or Baths? Baths. I would take one everyday if I could. :)

17) Do you paint your nails? Toenails always. I wish I was better about my fingernails.

18) Do you trust people easily? Too easily.

19) What are your phobias? Getting Hurt

20) Do you want kids? Yes! I can’t wait to me a mom!

21) Do you keep a handwritten journal? I've definitely started a few -- but they usually last for about a week, and then I forget about them.

22) Where would you rather be right now? At home on my dad's boat with my family and Jon.

23) What makes you feel warm and safe? Snuggling up next to Jon in bed at night.

24) Heavy or light sleeper? Light -- I wake up to the first beep of my alarm.

25) Are you paranoid? No, not really.

26) Are you impatient? No, I think I'm pretty patient. I think it comes from working with middle schoolers. I've also had a lot of practice with it after being with Jon for so long -- he is ALWAYS late!

27) Who can you relate to? I think I relate best with my mom and sisters. I'd like to think that I relate to my middle schoolers pretty well, too.

28) How do you feel about interracial couples? I honestly don't give it a second thought. No big deal.

29) Have you been burned by love? Not that I can remember.

30) What's your life motto? I hate these kinds of questions. I guess "Do Unto Others ..."

31) What's your main ringtone on your mobile? Fur Elise. It's so funny -- Jon has been carrying my phone around since he got home, and it's such a girly ring!

32) What were you doing at midnight last night? Setting up for the "Garage Giveaway"

33) Who was your last text message from? I'm so old-school. I have no idea how to text someone or even receive text messages!

34) Who's bed did you sleep in last night? Ooh -- that's a wierd question! My own of course!

35) What color shirt are you wearing? Aqua

36) What are you listening to right now? ESPN College Game Day

37) Name three things you have on you at all times? Wedding rings, my ugly sports watch, a hair tie

38) What color are your bed sheets? Ivory

39) How much cash do you have on you right now? Like $2

40) What is your favorite part of the chicken? Umm ... the breast?

41) Whats your fav city/place? I love the town where I grew up!

42) I can't wait till . . . We go home for Christmas and I can spend time with my sisters!!

43) Who got you to set up a blog? I was totally inspired by Berndt Family News, Learning to Live, CaliValley Girl, and Trying to Grok

44) What did you have for dinner last night? The new DiGiorno's Garlic Bread Pizza -- not as good as the regular by the way.

46) Have you ever smoked? Like twice, yuck.

47) Do you own a gun? Negative

48) Tea or Coffee? Depends -- if lattes count, I'll take the coffee. Otherwise, I'll have the tea -- Passion tea at Starbucks is my favorite!

49) What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex? According to my husband's comment last week, I guess it's my big boobs!

50) Do you have A.D.D.? No. I'm a completely focused control freak. Just ask my student teacher -- poor guy!

51) What time did you wake up today? 7:30 AM. Usually, it's 4:45, though!

52) Current worry? Too many to put on here…

53) Current want? An extra day in my weekend

54) Favorite place to be? On a date with Jon.

55) Where would you like to travel in the future? Europe. For an extended period of time.

56) Where do you think you'll be in 10 yrs? Hopefully, we'll be parents and living a little closer to home. I would love to be a stay at home mom!

57) Last thing you ate? Frozen Mint Thins

58) What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever is playing on our little iPod stereo.

59) Last person that made you laugh? Probably Jon.

60) Worst injury you've ever had? Sprained my ankle pretty bad during the spring season of my sophomore year in college.

61) Does someone have a crush on you? Hopefully Jon!

62) What is your favorite candy? Do I have to pick just one! Probably Hot Tomales or Hershey Kisses with Almonds

63) What song do you want played at your funeral? Blessed Assurance -- the Third Day version

Bittersweet

Well -- today was the big day. The Garage Sale. Or more appropriately -- the Garage Giveaway. We actually did really well -- making almost $200 by 10:00. By 11:30, we decided to sell everything for $0.25 since Jon was getting tired of sitting there and business was slowing. Right now, Jon's taking all of our leftovers to Goodwill. The garage is clean, and the sale is over. Thank goodness. Now it's time to start getting ready for next week's Open House. We've had a few people come and look, but no bites yet. That's okay. We're not in a hurry I guess.

Nothing much has happened this week. We went to see a movie on Tuesday night. (I felt like such a rebel since it was a school night!) We saw "All the King's Men." It was SOOO bad! What a disappointment! The previews looked so good! Jon is still training pretty hard for selection. He works out four times a day -- it's insane! Hopefully, he'll feel prepared once he gets down there. I know it's been hard for him getting back in the swing of things after such a long 9 months away.

I've been thinking a lot lately about what it will mean if we really do have to move this Christmas. I will REALLY miss my friends here, our house, the mountains, etc. But the thing that worries me most is how I'll say goodbye to my kids in the middle of the year. I think about it everyday on the way to school and it makes me so sad! I've been so lucky to have such sweet kids 2 years in a row! I know they'll move on anyways at the end of the year, but it just feels so different being the one that leaves them. I guess I'll cross that bridge once it comes. Jon keeps bringing up how hard he thinks it will be for me to leave. Since I already know it will be hard, this only makes things worse. At the same time, though, I do look forward to the adventures life will hold the next place we go. Gosh! What a worrywart -- I always have to be worrying about something, don't I?

What's Going On

Jon and I have slowly settled into the routine of living together again. I have to be honest, it took a little time. I think Jon forgot about the long hours that I work in the beginning of the school year. Things are good now, though. Jon is staying really busy during the week physically preparing for selection. I only have about a week left of coaching, so my days will start to get a lot shorter -- home by 6:30 instead of 8:00. :)

It is amazing having him home again. Last night I looked over at him as we were falling asleep and couldn't believe that he was really there! It's almost like a dream. I just kept thinking about all those nights when he was gone that I would look over at his side of the bed and see it empty. I missed him so much! However, I didn't miss him hogging the covers and most of the bed. I'm still trying to get used to that!

We put our townhome up for sale earlier this week. If Jon gets selected for SF, we will most likely be moving in Dec/Jan. The housing market isn't very good here right now, so we thought we'd try and get a head start on selling. We figure that if something happens and we sell our home, but don't end up leaving Fort Carson, we'll just rent an apartment for our last few months here. The thought of moving is very bittersweet for me. It's exciting to think about moving on with our lives and starting a new adventure. But it will be really hard to leave my friends here and also the job that I love. I'm sure lots of Army wives feel this way. I haven't said anything to my principal yet about the possibility of us moving. It makes me REALLY nervous -- I don't want to let her down! I always thought I would just finish out the school year and meet up with Jon wherever he moved if something like this happened. But after two deployments, I think the best thing for our marraige would be for us to be together! Hopefully we'll know something more definite by the second week in November, when Jon returns from selection. That should give my boss a good amount of time to find someone to take my place. And there's also the possibility that none of these plans we've made will ever come to fruition -- I mean, it's the ARMY we're talking about! :)

Jon decided that he wants to have a garage sale next weekend. I think this is a great idea -- we definitely have a few things to get rid of, and he volunteered to get the whole thing ready and even work it. However, he goes through these phases where he wants to sell almost everything we own! Yesterday, he literally made me go through ALL of my belongings and decide what I could stand to part with. Now, you have to understand that I come from a family of keepers (it sounds so much nicer than "packrat"). Jon came from a family where they only keep the stuff they use regularly. Basically, I had to fight to keep everything that I still posess. I was in practically tears explaining to him that someday we will have a formal dining room and use all of the beautiful china and serving pieces we got for wedding gifts. He even asked about whether or not to sell our coffee tables! Of course, everything worked out. I did clean a lot of stuff out of the guest room closet that I really didn't need to hold on to. I guess we're a good match. If it was up to Jon, our house would be bare. If things were left to me, it would probably be extremely cluttered!

Not much else is going on. I'm on my way to Starbucks to grade papers. Seriously -- is there anything better than sitting at Starbucks or Borders on a Sunday afternoon?

Too Funny ...

Today on the way home from church, I asked Jon to tell me the reasons why he married me. His response was:

"Big Boobs, you're a good Christian, you want to be a mom, you're smart ... and those are in order of priority."

Such a deep thinker! Thought you might be able to use a good laugh! :)

Time Flies

Has it really been more than two weeks since my soldier came home? The time has just flown! I feel very lucky that he is not going back anytime soon. He will be home with me until he leaves for SF Selection on October 12. I'm so relieved that this is not just R&R and I don't have to say goodbye again so soon.

We spent our first weekend together in Denver. We got a hotel room for the weekend and just enjoyed being away together. We just walked around, ate great food, watched football, and enjoyed the hot tub. It was so nice. Last weekend, we went home to Michigan. That was nice, too, but not nearly as relaxing! It was actually very stressful. Both of our families live in the same town, so trying to keep everyone happy (including ourselves) turned out to be quite tricky! The highlight of the weekend was probably watching my little brother play football on Friday night. Too fun -- his girlfriend was there watching with his number painted on her cheek. It totally brought back memories of when I used to watch Jon play when we were in high school! We are both completely shocked that the past 10 years together has gone by so fast! It doesn't seem like we're old enough to say we've been together that long!

We could just still be in a bit of a honeymoon period, but I have to say, I am more in love with my husband than ever. I LOVE having him home! He has been sweeter than ever, so cuddly, and always happy to see me when I come home from work. We spent all day today watching college football -- Jon's all-time favorite thing to do. We really had a blast cheering, laughing, and comparing our picks for this week's top 25 teams. (That is, until we watched Army lose to Texas A&M in the last 20 seconds of the game -- what a heartbreaker!)

School has been pretty stressful. I can't quite put my finger on why that is. My student teacher is doing a great job and my kids are wonderful. Maybe I'm just a little overwhelmed. We're in the middle of volleyball season, and coaching after school is always the last thing I feel like doing. Plus, it seems like one thing after another just keeps coming up that we are responsible for as teachers. It's like I could stay at work until 10:00 every night and still not get everything done. And no matter what, I think as a teacher you always feel like you could be doing more. That whatever you are doing to help kids just isn't enough. When I look back, though, every September I feel overwhelmed like this. I'm sure it doesn't help that I'd rather be home with my husband!

I think that Jon is still adjusting to being home. He has said a million times that he is so glad to be back. But I can tell that he misses his soldiers and feels guilty for coming home a little early to attend selection. He starts training this week, though, so hopefully being busy and having a goal to work towards will make him feel better. I just can't say enough how good it feels to have him home. I am so in love with him!

One of these days, I need to change my blog template and the summary at the top. If only I had the time right now...

Pics from the Homecoming

The Dress

Our First Hug

One More Photo Before We Leave The Gate

(If you look really close, you can see a tear coming down my cheek)

He's Home!!

He's home! My sweet boy is finally home! How can I explain what the butterflies were like as I drove myself to the airport to meet him? How can I even begin to put in words the way I feel about having him so near that I can touch him or kiss him whenever my heart desires? I'll do my best, but I know I won't do it justice.

Yesterday was a long day. The first half of the day was business as usual. My alarm went off at 4:45, signaling it was time to get up and make my way to the gym before work. I was surprisingly calm and didn't jump out of bed like I thought I would, considering the excitement that lay ahead of me. I guess I knew I had a lot to do before I would get to that point in my day. I only took a half day of work, but ended up staying about an hour later than I had planned -- helping my student teacher and making sure that everything was organized for today since I wouldn't be there. I've missed teaching several of my afternoon classes this week due to different committee meetings and such. I hadn't seen my fifth hour in a few days. As I was leaving, they started to complain ... "Mrs. H, you're leaving us again??" I told them I was going to pick up my husband from the airport in a few hours and they all cheered for me and gave me pointers (most of my kids have welcomed home parents from Iraq in the past few years). They were all smiles as I left, and I was already crying as I made my way down to the office to sign out -- tears of joy and excitement, of course! Those poor school secretaries -- I've made them cry TWICE in the past two days -- once when I announced my husband would be coming home the next day, and then again as I signed out to go and pick him up.

True to form, I left way too much to do before I could leave to go and pick him up. I still had to clean the bathrooms, vacuum, put gas in my car, pick up some Coronas for the fridge, and make myself beautiful -- and that extra hour I spent at school really cut into my preparation time! I ended up getting everything done, but was in a rush to get to the airport. As I drove there I was completely out of it. All I could think was how unbelievable it was that I was actually PICKING UP my husband! As soon as I got to the airport, I went to the counter to get a boarding pass. I could barely talk because I knew as soon as I said two sentences the tears would just start falling. Luckily, all it took was one -- "I'm here to pick up my husband." The old man at the counter knew exactly what I meant and was so sweet. He got me all ready to go and sent me off with good wishes.

As I walked around the corner from the ticket counter and saw the line to get through security, my stomach dropped. It was a mile long! I wanted to just sit down and cry right there -- I was sure I would miss seeing him come through the gate as he got off his flight. Finally, I made it to the front of the line, put my purse through the x-ray machine and walked through the metal detector. Of course, my purse was taken and inspected. Tears started coming -- I couldn't help it. The guy didn't seem to understand my dilemma and was taking his own sweet time doing the test for explosives and examining every tube of lipstick in my purse until he found a tube of lip gloss that he had to confiscate, which was really sad because I wasn't even getting on a plane. Whatever. I wanted to tell him to take the whole damn purse and just let me go!

Finally, I was allowed to leave and walked as fast as I could in my new black heels until I found the gate for American Airlines. Lots of people were already getting off the plane and I asked a man coming through which flight he was on. This was it! I quickly found a lady doing a crossword puzzle and tearfully asked her in jumbled words if she would take a picture of my husband and I when he got off. I'm sure I freaked her out a little at first, but she stood up with a smile and said that she would be happy to. Literally 30 seconds later, I saw my husband's boots coming up the jetway -- not his body, just the lower part of his legs -- the rest was hidden from view since there were others in front of him. I knew right away it was him -- his feet always turn in a little when he's tired. All I could do when I saw him was walk forward with my arms outstretched until he grabbed me. I couldn't believe it. It was really him. It felt like a dream. I was sure I would wake up any second. I just held onto him for about a minute and let the tears fall. It had been such a long 9 months!

As we walked out of the gate area and down to baggage claim, I was surprised at how little my husband had changed. He was the same old Jon with the twinkly eyes, sweet kisses, and passion for life -- his muscles were just a little bigger. From the time we left the airport to the time we fell asleep last night, I literally drank in all of the stories he had about Iraq. Over the past nine months, he has told me little to nothing about his life there. I come from a family of Nosy Nellies, so this was very hard for me! I am LOVING getting to know him again and finding out that not much has changed about him. We spent our first day sleeping in and then doing some shopping. Tonight we're going out on our first date -- the movies!

As I take all of this in, I keep thinking back to what CaliValley Girl said when she was reunited with her soldier.

And it's true...after the whole hoopla, you get home, sit on the sofa and chit chat about the most normal things, and realize that nothing has changed. It was like he never left.

I'm so excited for our next few weeks together before he has to leave again for SFAS. I love having my best friend home again!

I'll post some pics as soon as I can get blogger to download them! :)

Tomorrow ...

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love you, Tomorrow! You're Only a Day Away!

I got the call last night. Jon will be home in less than 24 hours. I'm feeling strangely calm. :)

Just Breathe

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Thank goodness for yoga. Otherwise, I'm sure I wouldn't have taken a single breath since last weekend. My stomach is constantly in flip-flop mode. My chest has this tight, anxious feeling. (Which is actually working out to be the perfect appetite suppressant -- I may look pretty good in all that new lingerie after all!) I constantly have tears behind my eyes, ready to fall anytime I hear or see something emotional. My husband is coming home THIS WEEK!!!!!!! Oh. My. God. Is this really for real? He should be leaving Iraq Tuesday and then be home by the end of the week. I'm just DYING of excitement!

I've spent the entire weekend trying to get the house ready for him. It's almost like having a guest come to stay -- too funny! I even cleaned my blinds and vacuumed around the baseboards. It is so wierd to look over at his side of the bed and know that he will be there by this time next week! It makes me very excited, but also a little nervous. I know from experience that it takes a while to adjust to each other again. But it's oh so worth it!

Right now, I'm at school trying to get things ready for the week. But I'm so anxious that I can't get anything done. School is still going really well. I honestly love coming to work everyday. My student teacher is doing a great job and will be starting to take more responsibility soon, which is great for me! The hardest part is knowing that we could possibly move before the end of the school year if Jon decides to stick with the Army. I love my kids and my school, and it would be REALLY hard to leave them without finishing the year, but after being away from my husband so much during the past 3.5 years, I think it would be the right choice.

I'll keep you updated on the welcome home. Hopefully I'll even have a few pictures to post soon!

Decision #1

So I got news today that my husband has made the first decision in deciding on some possibilities for our future. He is going to go to Special Forces Selection this October. On one hand, I'm really nervous about this -- I'm still not sure about the whole SF lifestyle. On the other hand, I'm really excited for him! This means that when he comes home, he will have a few weeks to train up and then be leaving again for about 30 days to try out for SF. So anyways, one decision down!

I just got home from dinner with my friends. They have officially approved the "Coming Home" dress. And I thought my wedding dress was important -- The "Coming Home" dress is what I'll be wearing the first time he's seen me in 9 months! Oh the pressure! I can't wait!

School is going well. I can't believe we've only been in class for 5 days! It has seemed so much longer! I'm exhausted! Everything with my student teacher is going well. Thank you Heidi, for reminding me to just let go of some of my control issues and give this person a chance to LEARN how to be a teacher. It has given me a whole new attitude and perspective about it all. Two more days until the weekend .... :)

School Is Now In Session!

Yes, you read that correctly. I have just finished Day 2 of school. I am exhausted -- completely not used to speaking in my "teacher voice" for 7 hours a day and constantly "performing" in front of students. Oh yeah, and my feet are KILLING me -- they are used to flip-flops, not heels!

Despite all of this, I am LOVING my kiddos! I feel so lucky to have looped with my students from last year. We are literally picking up right where we left off. They have been completely angelic so far and all smiles as they come to class each day. I'm so glad we've had a great first few days -- what a relief! All those recurring nightmares for nothing! I think having a student teacher will be my biggest challenge in the coming months. It's hard to turn over your students and your classroom to someone else! Especially me, because I'm completely organized and anal when it comes to my job. I like everything a certain way. I'm praying for lots of patience and flexibility! Oh yeah, and a little bit of wisdom to share with this person, too!

Only about 2.5 more weeks until Jon is home! The days couldn't possibly go by any slower. I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Tears at the PX

Before I go into complaining mode here, I have to talk about some positives.

1) My husband should be leaving to come home for R&R in 3 weeks! YAY!! Can I just tell you that I'm SOOOOOO excited and SOOO nervous to see him! I just bought the dress that I am going to wear when I pick him up at the airport and I feel like a gazillion bucks in it. What a relief. Now if I could just find some sexy lingerie that makes me feel the same way ...

2) School starts Thursday and I am so looking forward to seeing my kiddos! I just got my class lists and I had the majority of the students last year also. I am so lucky! I have really enjoyed being back at work, visiting with coworkers and getting everything ready for my students. Let's just hope I'm not singing a different tune after two weeks!

Okay, time for a little complaining. I just finished reading Daily Dentes and I feel like she is reading my mind about "Life on the D-List." I pretty much feel like everyone around here is over the collective feelings of patriotism and pride that this community had at the start of OIF. It's like no one cares if your husband is in the military, or even deployed for that matter. The first deployment was SOOO different. The spouses and community really pulled together and made life for those left behind bearable. We had coffees once a month, with other get-togethers in-between. (I know some wives don't agree with the whole "Coffee" concept, but I'm not picky -- I'll take friendship and support wherever I can get it.) There were tons of great activities planned on post. The Army and Fort Carson really made us spouses feel like we were part of something important -- that our roles as spouses left behind were vital to the success of our soldiers and our way of serving our country. I feel completely different now. Maybe that's why I've been feeling so bitter about this deployment and the Army in general.

On Saturday, I went to the PX to return an External Hard Drive. Since my husband was moving from one FOB to another, he wanted to save the information he had been working with, and so asked me to send him one. I bought it for about $120 at the PX and sent it in June. When Jon got it, he noticed that it had already been used before and had someone else's information already downloaded onto it. He mailed it back to me while I was in Michigan. So I really didn't think it was going to be a problem to return it. I mean, the worst they could do was give me store credit, right? I had the receipt and everything.

Boy, was I wrong. Turns out, the PX has a 15 day return policy on all computer hardware and software. Completely understandable. However, I asked to talk to the manager. I explained to her that there was no way I could have returned the item in 15 days because I sent it to my husband, who was deployed in Iraq. Plus, it was already used by someone else, and I felt like they had sold me a DEFECTIVE product. At first, she acted like she really didn't care and that there was nothing she could do. I continued to plead my case, getting very frustrated at her lack of understanding or even compassion. Then she started acting like my attempt at returning the item was suspicious. I couldn't help it -- the tears just came. You know when you are trying so hard not to cry and they just come anyways, and they won't stop? That was what happened! I was so angry and embarrassed. I thought that if any store would understand this situation, it would be the PX! Plus, I was wondering what I was going to do with a $120 hard drive that didn't even work right. After I started crying, she got a little flustered and decided to give me a store credit. As soon as I got the receipt, I walked out to my car and just sat there and sobbed.

I was so angry that I even had to go through that. I was so frustrated that my husband has been gone for so long and nobody even CARES around here! I was so OVER the Army. I kind of still am ...