Week 26

~~Amanda

End of Week 26 Status: Weight: 165 lbs. Estimated Baby Size: A Head of Cauliflower 14.5 inches long, almost 2 pounds.

It's Week 27 and Fourth of July weekend! We acquired many exciting nursery items this week as well as a travel system (stroller, car seat, carrier combo). We now have a crib, a froggie wall organizer, a froggie stuffed animal, a cute fluffy baby book, and a rocker/glider as well. Having all these things will probably make me even more impatient to greet Sebastian, but we were given such great deals on the pieces we bought that we couldn't pass them up. The froggie stuff and cute book were gifts from my parents, but the crib and stroller we purchased from local families off of Craigslist. They are both really nice and I spent a while yesterday scrubbing, disinfecting and machinewashing all of their parts. The glider Andy splurged on a little bit in Fredericksburg on his way home from Quantico; he's the best! I'm sure Sebastian and I will make great use of it during naps and nursing time.

After a hectic Friday of pure research for me and taxiing Marines to Quantico for Andy, we were gifted with the oppurtunity to relax in the sun with our friends. Stacey and Curtis invited us over to grill and swim in their pool for the fourth, and another group of friends had us over for shrimp, crabs, and steak after that. Mmmm, cheeseburgers, watermelon, steak and dessert all day long! I loved the pool, I didn't have to concentrate on keeping my balance at all, and I think Sebastian enjoyed the experience as well. We didn't get a chance to catch fireworks this year, but we saw a few being fired locally when we got home. Apparently our neighbors made a trip to North Carolina in preparation for Independence Day.

Next week is the beginning of the last and final trimester! I'm almost scared at the prospect that Sebastian will be allowed three more months to grow, he seems so huge as it is! If he truly is only two pounds as babycenter.com claims, however, then I suppose it is definitely for the best. I just can't imagine my belly can stretch much further. Sebastian has grown strong enough to kick on all sides of my belly at once...and has grown accustomed to having dance parties when I go to bed at night. He has also developed a special affinity for my rib cage, kidneys, and stamping on my bladder at random. It's a pretty interesting ride, but I love it.

Right-o! I'm off to exercise, and attempt to reassemble the millions of pieces I had to take apart to machine-wash all the parts of the stroller yesterday. I will take more pictures of the new things next week when I have them assembled. See you then!

Week 25

~~Amanda

End of Week 25 Status: Weight: 163 lbs. Estimated Baby Size: An English Hothouse Cucumber 14 inches long, 1 and 2/3 pounds.

It's been week 26 for a few days now, but I wanted to finish painting the nursery before I made a post. I have a video of it attached to the bottom of this post. I've never had so much fun painting before...I just built upon the mural that was already in the room when we moved in...but transformed it into a boy's theme. I added froggies, owls, and a turtle. I also got inspired to start the registry this week. I wasn't expecting it to be so much fun. I am pretty sure we will end up buying most of it, but it's fun to have a shopping list and imagine playing with all the stuff when Sebastian gets here.

Other than tha, I'm happy to say I finished another course at ODU this week, just took a final on Friday and it went well. The appointment on Wednesday was pretty noneventful other than having to drink a glucose drink and wait around in the waiting room for an hour so they could draw my blood. Boring...but worth it to know if I have gestational diabetes or not.

Here's the nursery:

That's it for this week, my next class starts on Monday...French II, I hope it's not too much work...I'm looking forward to a little more time for non-school related activities. Okie dokie, that's it for this week, Ciao.

BABY REGISTRY!!!

This was a lot of fun to make:

http://www.myregistry.com/public/Amanda-Andrew-Schwartz

Week 24

~~Amanda

End of Week 24 Status: Weight: 161 lbs. Estimated Baby Size: Average Ruttabaga 13.5 inches long, 1.5 pounds.

Well, 'tis week 25, and we had some first-time-mom-cluelessness-driven excitement in week 24. I was sitting in class on Monday and all of a sudden my entire lower abdomen seemed to seize up. I couldn't move for about 10 minutes. The pain diminished to the point where I felt mobile by the end of class, and by the time I got home, I was curious and concerned as to what could be causing the discomfort. My mom and I snoofed around online for some explanations and we decided it was most likely round ligament pain. However, most of the sites said that the pain would subside in about 30 minutes if it was RLP.

Itching for a little bit of RnR, Andy and I went out to get some pizza, freshmade Ice Cream, and catch a movie. We saw Angels and Demons, and it was quite good. However, seeing as it was now about seven hours since the initial pains had developed and they were still persisting, we decided to be safe and go to the hospital to make sure Sebastian was okay.

After what seemed like hours of neglect in a hospital bed, we finally were allowed to leave with the diagnosis of none other than round ligament pains....big surprise. At least now I know what they feel like, and I don't have to worry anymore. We also were granted the gift of seeing Sebastian again, which made the idleness less excrutiating. I've since found that as long as I exercise every day, the pains occur very infrequently. I can't say the same for my middle back. It aches almost constantly all day long...I'm guessing this is because it is countering the weight of the baby from the front. In any case, I will live.

Andy let me record him doing the jazz version of the Opus de Sebastian, which he is calling "The Sebastian Swing." So here it is, a little rusty but he was on the spot and not fully prepared:

That's it for this week, I have an appointment on Wednesday and I should have some pics of the nursery next week so stay tuned.

Week 23

~~Amanda

End of Week 23 Status:
Weight: 159 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Ear of Corn nearly a foot long, 4 more ounces since last week.

C'est la semaine 24. Nothing much to report for this week, everything has been pretty quiet. We are looking forward to our weekend of relaxation. I plan to do as little homework as possible and just enjoy the nice weather we are expected to have.

I may start to de-girlify the baby room. The last owner had a baby girl named Lily whose name is all over the room as well as pink flowers and butterflies. My mom gave me the idea of frogs, so I may put some little frogs, and just add blue sky to cover up the spots with the butterflies. I dont want to go overly boy because we plan to sell the house in three years and I would prefer it to be more gender neutral.

The bird who laid eggs in our hanging plant in early spring has just become a proud parent of some punk chicks. They have little mohawks, so cute! I will post a picture. Hmm, what else...Andy has been working on a jazz rendition of the Opus de Sebastian which is coming along nicely, I will post that when it's ready as well. Well I guess that's about it, Sebastian is doing well and moving a lot...and we are happy.

Week 22

~~Amanda

End of Week 22 Status:
Weight: 157 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Large Mango 11 inches long, just over a pound.

It is week 23. According to babycenter.com, Sebastian (yes, we've settled on the name) can hear music and feel me dancing now. Not so much in honor of this landmark as by coincidence, Andy wrote an Opus in honor of him this past week. I will post it to the end of this blog. It is perfect, and we both hum it all day long...Sebastian should have it memorized by the time he arrives. Each morning we sit down at the piano and Andy plays it, then I go through piano books and pick out songs I want to hear, providing Sebastian and us with some musical entertainment to start the day.

Other than that I've been extremely busy with school everyday...my second class picked up, and it seems I will have to master Modern Architecture alongside learning the history of Asia in one month. At least they are both very interesting subjects, I can't say I mind all of the reading anyways, it is rather relaxing.

Well, back to enjoying my weekend, Andy and I have been playing Trivial Pursuit and Yahtzee everyday, and we are quite addicted.

Week 21

~~Amanda

End of Week 21 Status:
Weight: 155 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Spaghetti Squash 11 inches long, just under a pound.

We are at 22 weeks this week, and week 21 has been fun! We started off the week pondering names, since we now know that it's a boy. So far the most popular have been Sebastien or Vincent Lawrence Schwartz. Lawrence is definitely the middle name, but the first name is still up in the air. Sooo, despite the protest of some, Gorthar is still our little boy's title for now. Speaking of Gorthar, he has grown quite strong. We can actual see him moving if we watch my belly now. So amazing!

The week was really just about settling some more into the house and spending time with family. I have been thrift shopping for maternity clothes, as I am now incapable of wearing my normal clothes any longer. I start school back up on Monday and will be at it until my birthday in August. I really only have about seven shirts that fit me now, so I'm hoping I will find some more so I don't have to repeat them over and over again during school. However, there are worse things I could deal with.

I also had to schedule a follow-up ultrasound this week because I apparently have a marginal placenta previa they want to keep an eye on. In 90% of cases, the placenta will fix itself by the due date, so I'm not too terribly concerned. They have given me some restrictions and told me to come back mid-July at 28 weeks to see if it is corrected. If not, I may have to have a C-section.

Other than that, I have just been catching up on the homework for my online Modern Architecture class. Pretty interesting stuff. I will be quite busy this summer. Just as well considering I can't really enjoy the weather as hot as it is. Well, hmm....I guess that's all for now. My cousin got married today, so congratulations Megan and Rock! I wish I could have been there. Love you!

Week 20

~~Amanda

End of Week 20 Status:
Weight: 154 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Carrot 10.5 inches long, 3/4 of a pound

Well it's 21 weeks this week, and week 20 has been awesome! We are having a BOY!!! So, the Schwartz continuum remains in full force. In fact it appears that this is boy season, as everyone I know that's having or had a baby this year has had boys.

Andy and I are right now considering the name Sebastian Lawrence, but who knows if it will stick or not. We finally got around to having our housewarming this weekend, which was a lot of fun. It would have been a lot more fun if the men hadn't got a call from the ROTC unit saying they screwed up their schedule and they had three hours instead of two days to get to the unit fully prepared to leave for OCS. Needless to say chaos and anger ensued shortly thereafter.

After a painful and sleepy goodbye around midnight, Andy was off to OCS. The good thing was, my mother arrived the next day to cheer me up.

A day or so after she arrived, Andy phoned letting us know that he would be home shortly. Apparently they check whether you've been to medical for anything in the past six months...which he has for a rotater cuff injury. When they sent him to a specialist to do some resistance tests, his arm did not pass the test. Poor Andy will have to go back next year.

The positive side to all of this is, there is a lot more that needs to be done this summer, and next year I will have Sebastian to keep me company so I'm not so lonely...so it may all be for the better. I would rather he didn't permanently injure his shoulder at OCS and ruin his career...best to just get it fixed now. Now, I am very impatiently awaiting his return....I miss you ANDY!!!!

Other than that...my brother and Shelly came down to visit on a spur of the moment decision...so Josh has been doing fix-it things for me in Andy's absence. Thanks Josh!

Well, they are all still here, so I will stop being anti-social and go tend to my visitors...

Talk to you next week, here are the ultrasound pics:

Week 19

~~Amanda

End of Week 19 Status:
Weight: 153 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Bell Pepper 10 inches long, 10.5 ounces

We reached 20 weeks this past week, halfway there! Not a lot has changed since last week, and we continue to improve the house one project at a time. I am just trying to contain my excitement for finding out the sex of the baby this week and finally getting to use a definite pronoun.

Well, there isn't much to say...we did find out that the vermin living in our attic was in fact a squirrel living in the overhang of our roof, not our attic. So that was a funny discovery. I will post pics of the new improvements we made to the house...stay tuned on Thursday for the revealing of the baby's sex!

Main Bathroom - Before & After:

Guest Bedroom - Before & After:

Week 18

End of Week 18 Status:
Weight: 152 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Large Heirloom Tomato

We are at 19 weeks, day 5 today. We finally resolved the issue of getting internet connected at our new house, yay! Week 18 was full of excitement. In preparation for our move, we got to work on improving the new house. Believe it or not, I have been very involved in the toils of home-ownership.

I have had lots of energy, and keeping busy has been great. We put in some nice hard flooring in our dining room and reading room, and Andy did some tiling in the kitchen. My favorite part was revamping the landscape of our much neglected lawn. Once we put a contract on the house, the bank was obviously no longer interested in maintaining it....it was a jungle! However, after buying a lawn mower, some weed & feed, mulch, and renting a tiller, we were able to produce a pretty nifty design. It was a lot of hard work, but it was definitely worth it to me. I love our yard! I will post pics at the end of this blog.

In Gorthar news, taking his/her cue from his/her parents, the little one has been extremely active this past week. I have been feeling the ever-growing strength of his/her jabs and punches. My mom has told me that one of us (I don't remember who she said) used to kick her in the ribs when she was trying to fall asleep at night...that sounds less cute...but still kind of cute.

In the midst of the moving chaos, we received some less exciting news. My sister-in-law Shelly lost the baby this past week. She is very strong though, and they have decided to keep trying. I know that everything will happen when the time is right, and I will have a beautiful niece or nephew.

Well, I better get back to this week's project....stripping the paint, priming, and repainting the guest bedroom, and the main bathroom. A lot less fun than landscaping, especially since I have to wear all sorts of dust and fumigation masks, ha.

Talk to you next week!

Before/After

Week 17

~~Amanda

End of Week 17 Status:
Weight: 148 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Bell Pepper

It's 18 weeks this week. I am starting to feel Gorthar swimming around, and he occasionally decides to start popping popcorn. It's funny looking at the photos each week, how much my posture or how close I am to the camera alters the look of the "tummy shot." I guess I need to start taking them in a more controlled manner. Once I start taking them in the new house I will try to do a better job.

We closed on our house this week...YAY!!! So far we've done prepratory work to move in. I have been working on the decorative gardening, while Andy tackled the jungle the bank had let the yard turn into. We also picked up some flooring, a mower, a fridge and a grill. Needless to say we've also been doing a lot of packing in our apartment. Moving day has been set for next week.

Well I'm exhausted from another long day of work, so I'll talk to you next week.

Week 16

~~Amanda

End of Week 16 Status:
Weight: 146 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Turnip

Well, we've been at 17 weeks for going on 5 days now, but I was late to get started writing this week, and then Andy surprised me with a getaway to visit Josh and Shelly (my brother and sister-in-law) in Rochester, NY. We are just getting home, so I'm gonna get to bed and pick this up after my exam tomorrow morning. It was an exciting trip!

Phew! Glad that's over...only two more finals left 'til I get a few weeks off. So, back to the trip--on Friday night Andy said he wanted to drive the next morning to catch the Indians game in Cleveland. I, at first, wasn't too excited about the idea because I had just asked my brother earlier in the day if he would be going to any of this series' games (the Indians were playing his team the Minnesota Twins). He said he wouldn't, and when he asked if I was I had said "no, not if you aren't"...so, when Andy said we were, I felt kind of bad. A few minutes later, Andy went out to retrieve my much-craved spinach, olive and pepperoni pizza from Sal's (SOOO GOOD), and I received a call from my brother.

Josh started the conversation off with "I get to go somewhere you don't tomorrow" in a childish taunt. Well he, of course, was talking about the game in Cleveland, and so I finally got motivated about the trip. I don't get to see my brother and Shelly enough, so despite the tons of homework and studying I had to do, I agreed to the trip. It gets more exciting, though. About halfway through the trip, I started asking too many directional questions, I guess, because Andy was forced to come clean with their whole plan. He and Josh had tricked me into thinking we were going to a game, when actually we were going to spend the next few days at Josh and Shelly's in Rochester! It was pretty funny, and I was happy, because spending money on tickets, a hotel, and being pregnant really dampened the thrill of going to the game in Cleveland.

The last big surprise? When we got there, we found out that just that day, Shelly found out she was pregnant!!!!!!!! Hahaha! So crazy! I'm so excited that Gorthar will have a cousin three months his younger to play with. So many life changing events in this family this year, and so many blessings. Andy and I are moving, my parents are moving, Shelly and I are having babies, and now they might be moving to NC too! Excitement, excitement, excitement.

As far as Gorthar is concerned, there's nothing new to report. Things are about the same as last week, except I am just starting to show (with my clothes on, ha) and he/she seems to be growing more rapidly. Well, I'm STARVING so I'm gonna go.

Au Revoir!

Week 15

~~Amanda

End of Week 15 Status:
Weight: 144.2 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Avocado

Well we are now at 16 weeks, 40 percent of the way through the pregnancy. This week was pretty unevenful...so I don't think I'll be writing a great deal. I have been trying to feel the baby moving all week, though the chances of me feeling him/her this early aren't very great. Most books and Websites say that the earliest you can feel the baby is around 16 weeks, but it could be as late as 20 weeks before you feel something. Maybe by next week, I'll have something to report on movement.

School is winding down, and this coming week is our last full week of classes...thank goodness! I and Gorthar both need a break from the stress of schoolwork for a little while. I am only planning on taking four classes over the summer, and all but one of them start around June. So, May will be a breather.

My mom and my sister Rachel made final plans this week to come visit me for Memorial Day. I am excited, since Andy will have just left for his summer OCS fun at Quantico. :( It will be nice to have them here, and we plan on working on the new house for some of the time. We close next Friday! So exciting!

Speaking of closing, I'm going to do some packing...we've a lot left to do, and I've nothing more to write about.

Oh yea, and one more thing....the Indians beat the Yankees 10-2 on Thursday, and it's likely Gorthar experienced his first Tribe-related sounds this week; they were happy ones! Just so his expectations were not falsely set, they lost by one run last night. However, Gorthar will be getting much more exposure to the sounds of baseball over the coming summer, maybe the Tribe will have a good season.

Cheers!

Week 14

~~Amanda

End of Week 14 Status:
Weight: 143.4 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Apple

Moving on to 15 weeks, and each passing day I feel better and better. The 2nd trimester really is sooooo much nicer. Not only has my mood brightened, but my energy levels are climbing again. Despite a little bit of pregnancy rhinitis (stuffy nose cause from hormone changes) and increasing difficulty with abdominal space to bend over or sit up, I feel quite normal. I find it hard to think about anything but the baby, so I am giddy all the time. This is a pleasant change from the feelings of dread for going to school and road rage I was experiencing during the first trimester.

Andy and I revisited the enormous baby names list we started compiling when we first discovered I was pregnant. We have narrowed it down some, but I have a feeling we will continue to add and subtract to it for quite a while before we make a resolute decision. Here is our list as it stands now. I highlighted my personal favorites in yellow, and my "if I had to pick right now" names in green. Andy is still sleeping, but I will try to get him to highlight his at some point. We are open to suggestions of any kind...and if you see one you hate or love for any reason, feel free to let us know.

In other news, our next ultrasound is scheduled for May 18th, which is when we hope to find out the sex of the baby. Also, our efforts in real estate have paid off, and we expect to close on April 24th on our new house. Yay! So many blessings!

Well, I better go; I'm going to be late for school. See you all next week!

Week 13

~~Amanda

End of Week 13 Status:
Weight: 143.6 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Lemon

Well it was Baby Schwartz's first ultrasound this week, and we were blown away by the experience. I had no idea how much joy hearing our little baby's heartbeat would bring me. It was just sooo cute! Like a little rabbit. When the nurse first did the sound ultrasound...not sure what this is called...she said she thought she could hear two heartbeats. We both heard it too, and were a little shocked. We started getting excited at the thought of having two babies for the price of one pregnancy, but as it turns out, Gorthar or Baby Schwartz I sometimes call him/her now that i've seen his/her gorgeous face, was just playing a little April Fool's joke on us. I don't blame him/her since his/her Grandma Harper just tried to play the same joke on Grandpa Harper yesterday. I guess he/she showed us how it's really done, ha!

The visual ultrasound was just as remarkable as the audio version, as we could see the baby rolling over, stretching, moving its arms, and we could see its little heart beating away. Ahhh, what a relief to see it being a healthy little baby. Our next appointment will be in the first few weeks of May sometime. We should be able to find out the baby's sex at that time. I think that while everyone agrees they are contented to see a healthy baby, Grandma Harper is pulling for a girl, and Andy for a boy. I can't make up my mind at all. I used to think I only wanted boys, but I can see being just as excited if she is a girl. I just know it will be nice to have a specific pronoun I can use. :)

Well, I think I'll have some peppermint tea, and watch something. I could use some relaxation after all this excitement today.

See you next week!

Week 12

~~Amanda

End of Week 12 Status:
Weight: 142.5 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Medium Shrimp

Woohoo!!!! We've made it to the SECOND TRIMESTER! We are officially 1/3 of the way to having a baby. Week 12 was rather dull....so I'm not going to have a whole lot to say. All that happened was school related, and wasn't interesting. Babywise, we are really excited about our first ultrasound appt and visit with the doctor scheduled for this time next week.

My diet has been hard. I have been trying to avoid sugar, but the quest is driving me crazy, and I seem to only crave fatty, salty, or sugary foods. I have to basically force-feed myself broccoli and mixed vegetables along with my meals. If I followed my cravings I would have some sort of pizza, cheesy Italian , spicy Thai, Indian, or Chinese dish with dessert for every meal. I can't imagine that would be very good for Gorthar. Sooo, I've been being good for the most part. I do sneak the occasional sugary glass of V8 Splash once in a while, but as soon as this last jug is finished it will be banished from the shopping list. I have decided to allow myself pure dessert-type sweets in small portions once every two or three days. I am combatting generations of sweet-tooth genes; my dad's side has a notorious weakness for desserts, and my grandparents on my mom's side used to manufacture their own chocolates for the whole family every single Christmas!

Other than cravings, I've been getting headaches, which I can only guess mean I need to drink more water. I try to have a bottle with me at all times, but it can seem a chore to make constant trips to the bathroom. They wouldn't be so annoying if I wasn't having to utilize the nasty public toilets of Old Dominion University. I can't imagine hovering will be very easy to manage in the later months of my pregnancy. Ha! In any case, I will have to get better at forcing myself to drink up.

Well, I hardly want to drone on forever about pizza cravings and potty breaks, so I shall bid you adieu. Tune in next week for the ultrasound update!

Week 11

~~Amanda

End of Week 11 Status:
Weight: 142 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Lime

Welcome to Week 12! Week 11 wasn't incredibly eventful...I didn't feel well for the better part of it, and going back to school and dealing with rainy weather didn't help. I do feel better now, however, and have a weekend packed with studying to look forward to. Both Andy and I have exams on Monday; I also have two papers due. It's interesting how our classes seem to use the same day to make all big projects due. Anyhow, this is hardly of any interest baby-wise.

My arm has a bit of a charlie horse right now from the flu shot I endured earlier today. When I first was shot, I had the impression that I got off easy. I barely felt grazed. In a chipper mood, I carried out the rest of my daily tasks not realizing the second I ceased my scurrying about I would pay for it with an achey deltoid. I only wish they would have picked a less useful "muskel." I can't remember the last time I used my extensor carpi radialis...furthermore, I can't remember the last time I had the flu! However, I guess it's a mandatory vaccination for pregnant women. It takes about two weeks for my system to build enough antibodies to combat the virus, so I will be shunning sicklies until then.

Other than a sore arm, my belly has been raising an itch fit. Every few minutes or so I have to run my fingers across it lightly to stop the stretching itches. It may not be that apparent from the tummy shot, but I am definitely in a process of expansion at the moment. It's a good thing low-rise pants have been in style the last few years; I don't know how women in the 80's managed without them....that's just painful to think about! And kind of funny...let's find a picture...

Well, Ok, she might as well be living in the 80's....what's with the double belt???

Alrighty, it's past Gorthar's bedtime, and I'm pretty exhausted myself. I am observing the kiddies at the elementary school tomorrow and it might be my last day there. Those 30 hours flew by.

See you next week for the 2nd trimester!

Week 10

~~Amanda

End of Week 10 Status:
Weight: 142 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Fig

I know I am late writing this, as it's already day 3 of week 11, but Andy and I have been enjoying our break, and I just didn't feel like writing until now. Spring break has been a wonderful respite for both of us. We started it off with a trip to the Back Bay Wildlife Refuge just south of Virginia Beach on Virginia's outer banks. It is an awesome place, so filled with beauty. I plan on making many more trips there in the next few years. Sunday afternoon we had a barbecue in the park with our friends Bob and Marcia. We are going to their daughter's birthday party tomorrow, which little Caroline told us is going to be a Wonder Pets fiesta!

I was hoping there would be lots of exciting stuff to add this week as my first prenatal appointment was on Tuesday, but it ended up just being some sort of orientation for the hospital, and there were several other pregnant couples present. I didn't eat before we left, not sure why, but I definitely regretted it when I found out they wanted 8 vials of my blood. I am lucky I didn't pass out. I guess I had more than enough to spare. :) It will be another few weeks before we get to hear our little one's heartbeat, and we can't wait. April 2nd, Day 1 of Week 14!

Fourteen weeks is a long time to have to wait for most people, but I am fine with it. I was really impressed with the hospital, and I feel completely confident and comfortable to be in their care. Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is more progressive than most civilian hospitals, as they allow options such as natural birth, midwives, shower labor, and even low lighting or music at birth. I am very relieved, since after watching the instant viewing film "The Business of Being Born" on Netflix, I am not incredibly keen on the idea of drugs, or being on my back for delivery. I'm going to go with the Europeans on this one, ha! I have been in a lot of pain many times in my life and it has never killed me. I know this will hurt more than anything I've ever experienced, but I consider it a rite of passage, and am determined to do it my way on God's time, not some hospital's.

Well, Gorthar is thirsty and hungry and I'm still not really in the mood for writing--which you can probably tell from my lackluster sentence structure--so I'm gonna sign out for this week. See ya soon.

Week 9

~~Amanda

End of Week 9 Status:
Weight: 142 lbs.
Estimated Baby Size: Kumquat

Week 10 has gloriously arrived and I revel in disbelief at the fact that I am already a quarter of the way through my pregnancy. I will admit that I am forcing myself to write this week. Today marks the beginning of our Spring Break, and the last thing I feel like doing right now is writing...but I know I would regret it later if I didn't. Now that Week 9 has come and gone, I suppose it is time I fill you in on all the excitement. We finally have a house that is under contract, which we are hoping to close on in April sometime. Here are a few pictures just to give you a taste:

We are very excited about it, it has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms, a dining room, and an eat-in kitchen. It also has an attached garage, and a detached garage/workshop art studio in the backyard. The yard is my favorite part, see the picture. It was taken from a tree loft--I won't call it a tree house because it has no roof--which has a place for a swing. In any case, I'm sure I'll be writing a lot about its progress and the baby's room in the future weeks...but just in case something happens and we end up not closing on it, I have nothing more to say about it for now. Besides, it feels like all I've been doing in my French class has been describing houses, their rooms, and whatever else...I'm bored with the idea of writing it in English.

Andy and I continue to do well in school despite the insanity of juggling midterms, huge writing/research assignments, orchestra practice, and (for me) observation at the elementary school, (for Andy) NROTC stuff and writing for the newspaper. We are planning on thoroughly relishing this Spring Break, and I already have a cookout planned at one of the parks in Virginia Beach to enjoy our 70 degree weather this weekend....finally! I miss exploring trails.

I know I shouldn't complain when my brother and sister-in-law in Rochester, NY have had so much winter weather, but I have been spoiled by beach weather for too many years now...I need my swamp! Hmmm...I will most likely eat those words along with any other smorgasbord that gets set before me around July when I weigh another 20 lbs, and it's a humid 98 degrees outside.

Pregnancy has become considerably easier this week. My fatigue has started to wear off a bit, and I have been getting fewer mood swings. It is nice not to have random road rage. I do, however, still have the handicap of baby brain which likes to send me off on wild goose chases.

I have my first prenatal appointment on Tuesday this week, so Week 10's post should have lots of pregnancy specifics.

Until then, enjoy your week everyone. I know we will!