Little Miss Sydney...

I caught her trying to close her eyes, but you can tell she was having a great time with us!


This morning Drew called and asked if we could watch Sydney today. So, she spent the morning and early afternoon with us. We had a lot of fun on a walk in the rain, and playing with an egg separator, but by far her favorite thing to do was to play Zelda with Merrick. (Well, she for sure liked trying to get the controller into her mouth).

You can tell just how thrilled she is with Zelda...

Wow, that was fast...

So, I had an interview for a subbing position at Westside on Tuesday morning. This afternoon I got my first call and I am working tomorrow!!! I can't believe it. When I started at Santiam it took a while before I would get called regularly, so I wasn't expecting any jobs this soon. Honestly, I have been subbing for three years, and I am a little nervous about tomorrow. Something about a different school, new teachers, and learning new students. It is all a little nerve-racking. I am sure it will be fine, and all will go well.

I am meeting my cousin for dinner tonight (well, technically she is a cousin-in-law, but who cares - she's family). We just found out a few weeks ago that she is pregnant too and due only a few days after I am. I am really looking forward to seeing her tonight and catching up a bit. I am also taking my camera, so if I remember to use it, I'll post pics of us two prego ladies enjoying the salad bar at Nona Emilia's.

Oh, and I got a job...

I am going to be subbing again, but this time at Westside Christian - the high school that I attended. I am looking forward to being around the students again and getting back into the classroom. It will also be nice to have something that will get me out of the house a few days a week and keep me busy until this baby comes. I am looking forward to this opportunity, and especially getting reacquainted with the teachers who impacted my life while at WCHS.

It is official...

Even though Merrick technically graduated three months ago, we have never seen his diploma. It wasn't supposed to be available until after winter term, and we were just going to pick it up at commencement in June. Our mortgage company, however, needed a copy of the diploma, so we had one scanned and sent. It is strange to see it like this first, but if makes graduation feel official now!

I'm about to pop, literally...

I am attaching this picture for your enjoyment. I woke up yesterday and swear I grew two inches (directly outward) overnight. If I am this big now, what will I look like 20 weeks from now?

I recently developed a strange, sharp pain under my belly button. Everything I did hurt... sitting, laying, walking... Anyway, in the weekly pregnancy update that I got today I read, "POP! If you haven’t yet, you will soon be seeing the last of your inn-y belly button—until after you’ve pushed your little monkey out." Well, that explains it.

The baby is continuing to grow too - now almost 6 inches long and 1/2 pound. Quite the little growth spurt he/she is experiencing.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. I am off for a few days of relaxation at the beach with some girl friends!

It sort of crept up on me...

So, lately the days have been flying by so fast. I am not sure why, it isn't like I have been really busy or anything. I am just having a hard time believing that February is half way over. I was in Target yesterday, when I noticed a whole slew of people congregated around the greeting cards. I thought it was strange, but continued on my way. The same thing happened at Costco, where it seemed that every other person in line was buying enormous bouquets of roses. It never even occurred to me that it was the day before Valentine's day, and people were just getting ready. Now, that sounds a little silly, I'll admit, but the whole "middle of the month" thing just crept up on me.

So, happy Valentine's Day! Now that I figured it out, I need to do something special for Merrick. Better get planning.

I am 16 going on 17...

Today I start the 16th week of pregnancy. It has been really nice to be out of the first trimester. Some things are gradually getting better (barfing is no longer a daily occurrence) and some things will gradually get worse from here on out (finding comfortable sleeping positions). All-in-all, I am feeling great.

Merrick has been taking pictures of me every few weeks so we can see the progress of "belly growth." I sure feel enormous, but have gained less than three pounds, so it isn't too bad yet. The other day I had the realization that my stomach was "hanging" out, so I quickly tried to suck it it... needless to say, it didn't budge. =)

Here are some fun facts about what our baby might be up to this week...

• limbs are well developed and baby is making active movements
• makes sucking, swallowing and blinking motions
• downy hair covers the whole body and fat begins to form underneath skin
  
• baby is between 4 and 5 inches long and approximately 3 to 4 ounces
• baby's head and neck are held straighter now and eyes are facing forward
• the heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double mine