It seems like there is so much to update each week, and I hardly know where to start. I begin writing in my head, but by the time I sit down to put the endless narrative in writing, I've lost it all. It always seems to happen that way for me. Here goes anyway: Last week, I picked Gwen up early from school and we met Corey at the doctor's office. Apparently Gwen had been telling her teacher all day about seeing pictures of the baby, so all her friends wanted to ask me about it when I got there. One of her friends, my favorite one, asked me where the baby was. I told her it was still in my belly, and she said she couldn't see it (as she squinted at my belly). Then she started asking me if I wanted a boy or a girl, and asked when we'd find out. She's like a miniature adult; I feel like soon she's going to ask me to go get coffee sometime. As I was leaving she said, "Well good luck at your 'pointment! I hope you have a girl!" This is the same little girl who told me last spring that she liked my face, especially all the polka dots on it. She's the cutest. It's adorable and scary how these little toddlers are mini-people and imitate adult conversations and behaviors. It makes me painfully aware of my behavior and words! For example, several months ago while visiting Grandma and Grandpa, something happened and Gwen laughed and said, "Awww, Suckas!!!" Oops. I then explained how it wasn't kind of us to call people suckers, even if they were ;) Just kidding. I told her her that people are suckers, but we don't always have to point it out. Again, parent of the year here. I told her that it wasn't right for me to say that, and she shouldn't say it either; it might hurt someone's feelings. Leave it to the little ones to display your flaws for the in-laws. Thankfully, they were gracious :) Anyway, we had our 20 week ultrasound and got to see and hear the baby. We didn't get a lot of exciting pictures, but Gwen loved it and saw the baby "wave" to her :) The baby then threw up the peace sign, so I'm afraid that my students are already rubbing off on this child. They do say babies can hear in the womb, you know. This baby is going to know a lot more slang than is necessary by the time he/she is born. Speaking of slang, a common phrase used among my students now is "on fleek." For example, "Dang, girl... your eyebrows is on fleek!" Translation: "Wow, friend. Your eyebrows really look sculpted and spectacular and perfect." Anyway, please pray this child doesn't come out of the womb calling me "Shan" or "Big Dog" or "Girl." I fear it's inevitable. Because of my uterus shape (it's bicornuate, or heart-shaped), and because of the position the baby was in, there are a few measurements of the baby the ultrasound tech was unable get, so we'll have another one at our 24 week appointment at the end of May. Here's a really thrilling image of what my uterus looks like (because I know you're THAT interested):

One thing we were able to see was the heart as it was beating, and the four chambers of the heart. It was incredible to see how intricate the heart was at such a early point in pregnancy. That was probably my favorite part. Gwen's favorite part was seeing the fingers. I asked her what she thought the baby looked like, and she said a boy; I'm pretty sure it's a monkey. A student recently asked me what I'm looking forward to most about the baby, and I told her it was finally knowing if it's a boy or a girl, and what it looks like. Sometimes I feel like I can't take not knowing, but so many of the best things in my life have been unexpected or unknown (my job, Corey and Gwen, being pregnant, etc!). The sweetest things in all my life have had some element of mystery and waiting to them, so I know I'll be happy I waited it out. I met with my doctor for an appointment afterwards. Imagine Jane Lynch with brown hair, and that's her. She cracks me up, but is a wonderful doctor (and far more appropriate than Jane Lynch generally is). She told me that the baby was measuring slightly big, and after commenting about how my maternity pants were "WAY UP THERE" (rude), she measured my stomach and said I am slightly smaller than I should be. At this point, she said it was nothing to worry about, but said we'd watch it. She then explained the Glucose test I'd have at my next appointment, but said since I was "so cute" I wouldn't need to worry about it. Hopefully cuteness wards of diabetes. Just kidding :) It wasn't really a necessary comment, but with all the body changes I've been experiencing, it was much appreciated in the moment! We then talked some about weight gain and nutrition. Essentially she said, "If you don't want to gain too much weight, lay off the carbs." Oh. Are Sour Straws a carb? *Insert sheepish grin* This past Friday, Corey, Gwen and I packed up the car and Corey's bike to visit his dad and step-mom in Belle Plaine. We got there around Gwen's bed-time, but she spent a little bit of time snuggling with Grandma and reading "I'm a Big Sister!" before she went to bed. The next morning, Gwen and I were up at 6:00. During the week, I generally wake Gwen up around 6-6:10 to get her ready for school before I have to leave around 6:30, but on the weekends, I ALWAYS wake up about 10 minutes before she does. It is the strangest thing--it could be 7:30, 7:00, or 6:00, but I'm usually lying in bed for a solid 10 minutes before she comes in to wake me up. Weird. We woke up early, got ready for the day, and hung out with Grandma and Grandpa while Corey went for a quick bike ride in Cedar Rapids. Joni, Gwen and I went garage sale hunting in the morning as we looked for a dresser to change into a baby-changing table. We didn't find one, but we did find some cute clothes for Gwen (thanks Grandma!) several prom dresses Gwen really wanted (we didn't get those), and I got a stool for my classroom. I was pumped. It sounds dumb to be so excited over a stool, but I've wanted one for years, but didn't want to spend money on it. I got this one for $5. Because of the large number of students I have and their incredible ability to avoid work and do everything except the one thing I ask them to do, I never sit at school. The only times I sit are when I'm eating lunch, or during my plan. As I get bigger, I know I'm going to need to sit occasionally, but I hate sitting in a chair because then I can't see what's going on over their big ol' heads (cue double entendre!). Problem solved for $5. We headed home and ate some lunch,and put Gwen down for a nap. While she was napping, Corey's brother (Travis) and sister-in-law (Julie) came. They recently had the cutest little baby girl, Kenna, and everyone wanted a piece of her! When Gwen woke up, she was excited to see them, but seemed pretty disinterested in Kenna. We were all relatively surprised, but later when she got a chance to hold her, she did NOT want to let her go. It was the sweetest thing I've seen Gwen do, and she's a sweetheart as it is! She was lightly touching her head and nuzzling her face, and Kenna let her. She looked concerned a few times like, "Who is this little person holding me?" but she never cried or fussed. We are all enthralled with her.

It was so fun for me to watch Corey with her; he's such a natural. I ran downstairs and came back up and Corey was making her dance on his lap (while he was all alone). It was adorable. There is just something about men and babies. I feel pretty lucky when I think about the kind of man he is :) Kudos to his parents for what they did to make such a sweet guy! We had a great evening, a great meal, and spent time chatting, laughing, and passing baby Kenna. After Gwen went to bed, the rest of us sat around the bonfire and made s'mores. I had to be cut off. The next morning was spent coloring, kicking a soccer ball, resting, admiring Kenna some more, and eating several breakfasts. That afternoon, Corey had a mountain bike race, so Julie, Joni, Travis and I left the two little girls with Grandpa Dave and went to Williamsburg Outlet Mall.

Corey did so well during his race--I was sad we didn't get to see it (it was raining all morning and was in the middle of a forest-y area). He was racing with his fat bike (when most had their mountain bikes) and even raced a category higher than he usually did. Plus, he finished in the middle of the pack! It was a very successful day for all of us. I hadn't laughed like I did when shopping in a long time. It's been a blast getting to know Travis and Julie, and I'm so looking forward to our kids growing up together. Gwen talks all the time about Aunt Julie and Uncle Travis, and counts down the days until we see them. Our shopping trip was full of great deals. I even found a swim suit, which had seemed impossible until that day. Phew, so thankful to get that out of the way. We made it home, spent some time in the sun, and headed home. We got back around 8:00 last night still smelling of bon-fire, spring, and gas station Nachos (ok, that last one was just me). We put Gwen to bed and started an endless pile of laundry. It was hard to wake up this morning, but with the knowledge that it will soon be summer came a little motivation. The weeks seem to fly by, and so does the school year! I can't believe school will be out in four weeks! My students have so much work to do on this multi-genre research paper, and I've got so much to do over the summer for school. I'll be attending an AP training for a week for my AP Language and Composition course next year; I have a Standards Referenced Grading training for a few days, and if I get some additional positions if applied for, I might have more training days. Plus, I have to get together with my long-term sub and fellow co-workers as I prepare for maternity leave in the fall. Oh, not to mention spending summer days with my favorite side-kick swimming, reading, practicing kindergarten skills, and dressing up! Starting May 16th, we have every single weekend booked (with family, trips, bike races, trainings, etc) until the first weekend of August. Phew. I hope we can do it all.