Tick Tock Tick Tock!

I am done with work. The house is in order. The car is clean. The nursery is put together. My bag is packed. Margie's bag is packed. We are ready for sleeping, or not sleeping, bathing, changing, dressing, grooming, swaddling, feeding, playing, rocking, reading, and singing. We are ready to welcome our sweet baby girl into this world. Praise God for blessing us with this miracle. We pray that He sees her safely here. We ask that God equip us with tools we need to raise her as His child and to bring glory to his name. And now we wait...

...the short of it...

BUSY..BUSY..DREADFULLY BUSY!!!! Grad school...AHHH!!! Got my C-PAP machine...struggling with it(this is only my second night with it though)! Art Show....OH MY GOSH...YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH WORK IT TAKES!!!! zzzzz... I'M AWAKE..I'M AWAKE!!! Shana's last week of work.....then won't have to go back till Aug. Margaret is a big baby...and may come as early as the 9th or 10th. Birthing class...not so helpful...but we paid for it..so we're going!!(though told the class they could take a field trip to our room when Margaret comes...cause we're not gonna be able to make it to the end of that class!). We got all the "stuff"...now just need the girl! :) Ok..that's the short of it!

...Our Latest Check Up...

So today we went for the "big" check up! This is the one where they see how big the baby is & make sure everything is progressing for the upcoming delivery. As expected, Margaret is VERY healthy. She is about 6 lbs 11 oz presently. We still have around 4 weeks or so(give or take), and babies grow by about 6 oz a week at this stage. This means...yep...between 8 & 9 lbs by delivery time! A very healthy baby!! ha ha(that's my girl!) She is in the 80.9% size wise. This also moved her due date to March 10th (possibly). We started this adventure with her due date being March 19th...so she's a little ahead of schedule. The pictures below are not the greatest examples of how amazing Margaret looks. The ultrasound in motion gives you such a better picture of your baby...the stills just don't capture it. I love the one on the left...you see her little nose, lips, and chin!!! The one on the right looks like something as seen from Hubble Telescope!

Dolly Parton on Politics

I know that our blog has been all baby as of late, but that's

just kind of where we are!!

I thought I'd add a bit of humor from a Tennessee native(well..at least part of her is...the rest was probably made in China).

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I saw an interview with Dolly Parton that just cracked me up....they were asking her some politically geared questions. I don't care if you enjoy country music or not.... you just have to appreciate Dolly & her take on life!!! (side note of my fav. Dolly quote: "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap!")

When asked about who she supported during the campaign...she said, "I thought Hillary was an interesting person to consider, because the terrorist would really need to watch out about every 28 days!" Then asked if she had ever considered running for president, she said "No, I think there have been enough boobs in Washington!"

HOPE THAT PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!

SOON & VERY SOON

If you have viewed our counter on the side of our page here....you've noticed that it's not much longer till Margaret is an outty baby! 30 days..give or take! We're so excited, and ask that you all continue to pray for us in this transition...pray for Shana to make it through the rest of her pregnancy with little discomfort(this is the not so fun stage for the mom!!)...and for Margaret..that she'll continue to grow and develop as she needs to...and pop out healthy & ready to greet the world!! Thank you all for being a part of this with us...we believe in the power of prayer & value the people God has placed in our lives!!!!

...a sweet & artsy gift from Rowan...

Rowan is one of my 4th graders. If you go to my art blog http://artwithmre.blogspot.com you will find a picture of her & some of her art work(trash art contest). She's an artsy kind of girl, and extremely thoughtful! A month or so ago she asked me what my baby's name was going to be, and when she was coming. She was working on a special project, and wanted to make sure I got it before the baby came!!! I had no idea what she was planning.....until today! She worked on this poster for the past month her mom told me, and used her own money to buy the scrapbook stickers for it(two of them light up!!!!!). HOW SWEET!!! I love it! The blanket was created by her grandma, but I'm sure with guidance from Rowan...it has my signature turtles on it(the boarder is small pink turtles) & pretty butterflies(which I'm not sure if she knew were were doing a butterfly theme?!?!). That will be a special blanket for daddy to use with Margaret(mommy can use some other blanket!! ha ha). Then, at the bottom of the bag I found this sweet charm bracelet. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness....and the kindness of her family to consider me(and my family) so highly to bless us with such sweet gifts. Just another sign that I'm where I need to be..doing what I need to do!

....Watching the Butterflies Dance....

I'm sitting in my classroom watching the butterflies dance around. We just finished with the baby shower at my school. Balloons had decorated the shower with butterflies tied to the end of the strings....and now they dance around my classroom with the movement of the air/heating unit. It just makes me smile to see them!! It reminds me that my little girl will soon be here. It is also a reminder that I'm blessed with an amazing group of people to work with. It's more than just a faculty...it's a family. Since I've started teaching I feel the Lord has blessed me with many mini-moms! No one can take the place of my mom, but it's nice to have mom-like people around you. There are also those that feel like brothers & sisters....crazy aunts & uncles(not that I have any of those...HA!)....and other extended family. I really felt that today at the baby shower. I've worked at Tulip Grove for 8 yrs now...and when you spend that much time with people...they are family!!! I'm bless....my family is blessed....to have so many people that care for us, and who have shared, are sharing, and will share in our adventure as a family!!

The NO Sleep Study

So, I've snored a little most of my life....but mostly when I'm struggling with a sinus issue(which seems to be happening a lot more over the past few years). Well, a few months ago...Shana had enough of it! :) ha ha No..not really. She said it sounded like I stopped breathing in the midst of my snoring, and she was worried about me. So a couple weeks ago I went to an ENT(Ears, Nose, and Throat Doctor). When the doctor finally walked into the room he said..."I know the answer to your problems! BUY HER EAR PLUGS!" After almost fallin' out laughing...the exam began. I ,of coarse, started by telling him I did not have thyroid issues...that my big eyes were a family thing!! ha ha The doctor thought I did not show signs of sleep apnea physically(noting that I have a large oral & sinus cavity..yes a big nose & a big mouth!!). However, said it could be possible because of my weight(as if I needed to be told about my weight?!?!?!). He decided that I should go through a sleep study to make sure about the apnea.

I wasn't really looking forward to the sleep study. I had heard it was a very uncomfortable experience. However....the place looked nice enough when I arrived Friday night at 8pm...the people working there seemed friendly...and the room looked like a nice hotel room with a queen size bed and cable TV. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. After filling out a pile of forms, the experience started taking a turn for the worse. They first mark you with a china marker to determine where to place the sensors. However, to make this work...they have to grind the china marker into your flesh. I wish they would have just used a Crayola Washable Marker!!! Then, they begin to attach the sensors to my body with a goopie paste(that I later found out was extremely hard to remove). Then in some areas...LIKE MY CHEST HAIRS...they place tape to keep it extra secure. As the man was doing all of this, I made mention of my skin issues & that I hoped I didn't break out from the adhesive. "Oh no, it shouldn't be an issue at all." (at the end of the experience I had red blotches all over my face!!!). Each sensor has a wire...and then the wires are bundled behind your back....then attached to a device on the wall above your head in the bed. This was a bit unnerving. Then they taped this plastic thing under my nose. This hurt like no bodies business, and I was sure I'd have a bloody raw spot by morning(there was no blood, but it was raw..and very red). So then they turn out the lights and tell you to sleep. SURE?!?!? I do not sleep well in new places. I am not a back sleeper, but for the first part of the night, you are required to do so. The truth of the matter was....I had to lay still on my back because every time I moved it pulled my chest hairs out!!! OUCH!!!(just roll with me here ladies..it does hurt..ask any guy!!) Finally though....about 3am I couldn't take it any more...I had to flip over to my side......OOUUUCCCCCHHHHHHHH!!!!!! At that point, I actually did fall asleep for awhile.

6am...."WAKE UP TED" , said the guy that had wired me the night before. "HOW DID YOU SLEEP" he said in such a cheery voice. Not awake enough to edit...I said, "You have all these wires attached to me and you don't know...I want my money back!!!" He then informed me that I did have sleep apnea, and that I'd need to come back in for a C-PAP(the machine they hook you up to stop sleep apnea) study. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NOT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the next time I'll bring them a Crayola Washable Marker & a razer to shave my chest where they are gonna wire me!!!