"We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming for this Breaking News..."

Life has been detected on a tiny, far off planet.

This Life seems to be kicking about inside its cramped quarters.

Kick, kick, kick

Although there has been previous confirmation that Life is indeed nestled away safely on this planet, today marks the day when it has made its presence known by its persistent and rather remarkable kicking, felt by an outside observer.

Stay tuned as we continue to further investigate this kicking and soon distinguish the sex of this Life.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

whooshwhooshwhoosh

I had another doctor's appointment today. Just a checkup. Mom and Jake came up and stayed with me yesterday and today and went to my appointment. B is developing nicely and we heard the heartbeat.


whooshwhooshwhooshwhoosh is what it sounded like to me.

My next appointment is Tuesday, August 11th at 3:30pm. This is the day we've all been waiting for (aside from the actual birth). This is the day when we will find out if B is a girl or a boy. Woot! My mom is coming and Nana is coming and Cheli is coming and also maybe Calysta. And Wilson, of course. If anyone else would like to come, you're more than welcome...I have requested the big 3D IMAX room for the ultrasound. Should be quite a show. With quite an audience.

I have thought of new names! Well, I'm still sticking to Kyle or Sophie for a girl but I've been going back and forth with the boys names. So, added to the list is: Maddox, Dean, and Oliver. I can't seem to pick a name that a lot of people like, however. My mother hates Maddox because apparently Angelina Jolie named her kid that. A couple of other people don't like Dean because with a name like Dean Addison, he is surely going to be winning "Artist of the Year" at the CMT awards. And clearly, Oliver sounds like something you would name a pet. An orange tabby, for example. Sheesh. I know that there's no pleasing everyone and I should just pick a name that I like (and one that Wilson likes, too, I suppose) but it's difficult.

I've started having wilson take a picture of my belly each week. To spare your eyes, I'm not going to post them on my blog, but just know that so far, there isn't a lot of change between the last few weeks. 15 weeks looks like 16 weeks looks like 17 weeks. Meh.

Is a turnip a fruit? No, I know it's not. But throughout my pregnancy, babycenter.com has been likening the height and weight of B to different fruits. Lemons, avacados, figs. But all of the sudden, this week B weighs as much as a turnip. What gives?

This post is not very exciting but I felt bad because I haven't updated in awhile. BUT the next post will be oh-so-exciting.

On my next post, on August 11th, I will post a picture of either a big ol penis or a squeaky pink vagina. Won't that be exciting?!?




teehee.

Lemons

Boy, it is hot.

Not only was it 105 degrees in Austin today, the air conditioning has been broken in my apartment for two days now. So I've been sitting around in my bathing suit, in front of a fan all day. The fan doesn't really help. It mostly just blows around hot air. Ick.

In other news, my bloodwork came back from the lab and my baby tested negative for Downs Syndrome and Trisomy 18. Hooray for baby! Ouch for me because I have a huge blue and black bruise from where they took 5 viles of blood from my arm to do the tests.

It was an interesting time at the doctor visit last week. I went in for a sonogram because they had to measure the fluid behind the baby's neck, the bridge of the baby's nose and also how long baby is from head to butt. All of this measuring is to find out if the baby is growing properly, etc, etc. Well, in order to take all of these measurements the baby has to be in a certain position. If the baby is not in the ideal position for the measurements, the nurse just jostles my tummy around and the baby will turn over pretty quick. Pretty routine. In-and-out procedure.

Oh, no, no. Not for my baby.

My baby REFUSES to turn over. Instead she just sucks her thumb and looks at us. The nurse keeps jostling my tummy (Wilson and I ate lunch before we got to the doctor so her pushing down on my stomach REALLY made me have to go pee). Baby won't budge. Nurse pushes down some more. Baby waves at us. *sigh*

This goes on for about 30 minutes. The whole time the nurse is TALKING to my baby, trying to coax it into position. And not just talking...she's using this high pitched, I'm-talking-to-a-baby, goo goo gaa gaa, kind of voice. It's driving me nuts.

Finally I tell the nurse that I don't think my baby is going cooperate today and that we'll come back tomorrow and try again.

Sheesh.

When I got home, you better believe that I gave that little lovely, lemon-sized baby of mine a good talking to. She may come from two nonconformist, uncooperative parents, but I'll be darned if she doesn't do what she's told tomorrow at the doctor's.

So I went back the next day and baby did everything perfectly, and without any back-talking or sass.



I hope that this was not a sign of what is to come.

Honeys

Here is a picture of Wilson and I, in case some of you have never seen him. I actually don't think anyone has met him except for my parents and Cheli. But that will change soon, I imagine.

We are going to the doctor tomorrow to get all my blood work done. Fun stuff.

Hello!

Oh my goodness.

Today my mom came to Austin to go with me to my first doctor's appointment. I thought I was just going to get to hear the heartbeat...but I got to see the baby!

eep!

My doctor, Dr. Gooch (lolz), did an internal ultrasound and the first thing I saw on the screen was this little thing movin' around. And oh my goodness. It was doing flips and somersaults and kicks and jumps all over the place. It wouldn't hardly hold still to get measured!

I think my baby will be a gymnast or a swimmer when it grows up.

I got pictures and they are adorable. I got them to print out three...one for me, one for Wilson, and one for my mom. I don't have a scanner, so my mom is going to scan the picture and put it online so everyone can see. It's so cute! Sheesh. My mom and I went to Target afterwards and got two picture frames. One for Wilson and one for me.

The baby is 5.64 centimeters long and is due on December 22nd.

And I also got lots of goodies at the doctor's office. Books and binky's and formula and tons of other stuff. I also got lots of goodies when I went to register for baby stuff at Babies R Us and Target.



I like baby things. They smell good.

Oh, baby

For those of you who read my mothers blog, you may have been perplexed by one of her posts a few weeks ago about a certain secret named "buttercup." The secret is not hers, but mine.

But it's not a secret anymore.

I'm going to have a baby!




[I'll give you a moment to take that in.]



Yes, while unplanned and unexpected, I am going to have a little bitty bundle. I am very excited and looking forward to it. Wilson, who I have dated for 3 1/2 years, is the papa and is also very excited (and a little bit scared).

I'm 10 weeks pregnant so the baby will be here at the end of December. How's that for a Christmas present?? I'm going to stay and finish school because I only have two semesters left and I really want my degree.

I'm currently taking suggestions for names. I won't find out for 8 or 9 weeks if it's a girl or boy...but I just have a feeling it's a girl.

Right now, the baby is the size of a kumquat. Last week, she was a grape. I wonder what fruit she will be next week...


Anyways, that's my exciting news! I am really happy and daddy is really happy and we're going to make sure our baby has everything she needs.


She. Everyone, think "girl" thoughts.

OAP's

This weekend and next week I am helping out at the UIL One Act Play contest. It's the biggest theatre competition in the nation or something. It involves high school's performing one act play's and competing against other high schools. It's a Texas thing. No other states compete.

They hold the state championships in Austin, Tx. And here I am.

Yesterday I was just doing my thing: ushering people to their seats and taking tickets and passing out programs. Minding my own business. And then, all of the sudden, I feel a little tap on my shoulder. I turn around and am shocked and amazed by who is standing there, with a big grin.

My high school theatre teacher.

Let me tell you a little about him..

He was the best teacher ever. He is the reason why I am going to school to be a high school theatre teacher. He inspired me to give it my all and work with what I have. In high school, he balanced being your friend but also the teacher and the authority so well. All of his students knew they could go to him for advice, homework help, boys problems, anything. We had a blast in his class and he gave me a chance to break out from the shy little girl that I had always been.

So, when I turn around and see his standing there, I just can't believe it. I haven't seen him or talked to him since my junior year of high school, when he left us to teach somewhere else. He gave me a huge hug and said he was so glad to see me. I can't hardly sputter out any words. He asks what I'm doing here and I say that I'm just helping out, ushering and whatnot. Right then, the lights dimmer, indicating that a show is about to start. He says it was great to see me and walks back to his seat.

I wanted to tell him that he is the reason I am at UT, studying theatre education, to be a high school theatre teacher and inspire kids like he inspired me. I wanted to see his eyes light up. I wanted to hear him tell me how proud he is of me. Like he used to, back in high school.

But instead I just waved good-bye.

I spent the rest of the night thinking about high school and everything I experienced.

His current students are at the State Championships here in Austin. They perform today in a couple of hours and when I'm watching them perform, I won't help but feel a.) jealous, because when he was MY theatre teacher, we never made it to State Championships b.) hopeful, because I want them to win, so that he will be happy and c.) thrilled, because one day, I know I will be here at State Championships with my group of high school students.

One day.