Well, hello in there!

I'm going to let you in on a little debate going on in the Strom-Henrie household. The theme is "Can you feel the baby move?" According to the many sources piled up next to the bed, I should be feeling the first baby movement anytime now. Of course, I've had a variety of different responses from real pregnant people. The books (and websites) state that the first movements are little flutters and can be confused with gas. Considering that pregnancy has gifted me with more gas than ever in my life, if the blueberry has been moving around in there, I've definitely confused it with GI issues. Here's where the debate begins. Jacob truly believes that HE can feel the baby moving. I am not a doctor, but I have to believe that the mom is going to feel baby movement first. Sorry dads out there. But, then again, I could just be in the slow group with the majority of women already feeling their little ones squirming around. So, go ahead and cast your vote, is it possible that Jacob is feeling the baby and I am not?

Let the gushing begin!

Hola bebe!

See the little hand up top?

The spine totally facinated me!

Does the blueberry look more like Jacob or Kjera?

Smile!

Smile. Cry. Ask lots of questions. Make some inappropriate jokes. Get goop all over the only summer skirt that still fits. Drown in curiosity. Marvel.

Yep, yesterday we had our ultrasound. Here we are in the 19th week, and, as obvious as it is that something is going on in there, it was absolutely astounding to me to get the guided tour of my uterus and catch a glimpse at the most special baby in the entire world. Although we had to wait about 45 minutes for our appointment, once we were in there, I loved every minute of it! Now, I know that looking at the pictures, the blueberry looks just like every other baby, but when I think about that fact that that little face and that complete spine is swimming around in there . . . it's just a miracle. BTW, my uterus is now the size of a honeydew and the doc said the baby is about 12 inches long and REALLY skinny. Naturally, that makes me thing of a carnival foot-long hot dog (yum!). The ultrasound process felt a lot like the Magic Eye posters where you're just supposed to let your eyes relax and everything will become clear. That didn't really work for me, but when the doc first brought up the image, there was the blueberry, mouth WIDE open. Later, s/he was sitting breech and cross-legged (or as mom would say, "Kerplunk"). Every once in a while a tiny hand or foot would breeze across the screen, A-MAZING. Besides a somewhat low placenta, everything else is totally on track for our healthy baby. Finally, although Jacob has his guesses after "seeing" the ultrasound, we stuck to our guns and did not find out the gender of the baby. (Tesha, please don't call and harass the doctor, we warned him you might be calling.)

Question of the week:
Seriously, what do you think about ultrasound photos?

Week 18

Post Fit-4-Baby workout!

Baby's first Willie Nelson concert!

Oh oh! My pants don't fit!

18th week (this time for realsies)

Back to School

Here's a surprise bonus blog for my loyal followers!
We're now two days into the 2010-2011 school year. A year that is sure to change my teaching (well hey, my life) forever. It's been a great joy sharing my pregnancy news with the Journeys School students and families. It started with a "get to know your teachers" activity where we each shared two truths and a lie. Mine went a little something like this:

1. If you need to find me, my office is in the back of the Teacher Learning Center. (FALSE! That was true until this summer when I did a major book purge and moved over to the elementary school classrooms.)
2. My husband, Jacob, is a wild land firefighter who rappels out of helicopters and gets to launch flame balls from the sky. (TRUE) 
3. I'm pregnant and going to be having a baby at the end of January. (TRUE)

. . . And I totally stumped them! Also, I've been asking the students if they think the baby will be a boy or a girl. I feel like kids and animals must be more closely in tune with our natural rhythms, so I trust them. The votes seem to leaning toward girl and one little gal explained that "everyone wanted Betsy's baby to be a girl, so it was." My highlight of the day was from a little Kindergarten dude, who's face is covered in road rash from a crash the night before school started, who (quite confidently) declared that my baby would be a "Super Baby!". Awesome.

Week 17

Annual Chris Horne Memorial Float

Sunset stroll along the Snake

I'm loving this handmade Guatemalan stationary!

Jacob and Bear's play date in the neighborhood.
She misses him so much when he's gone on fire!

Jacob, "Isn't is nice how the baby is coming between us?"

17th week (oops, I did the sign for 18! Sorry!)

Jackson Hole, meet the blueberry. Blueberry, meet Jackson Hole.

It's been a busy week to be a blueberry! Saturday Kjera worked the Teton Science Schools Annual Auction and set-up for a wedding on Sunday. Sunday was our first experience with "professional" wedding planning. Meanwhile, Jacob was shooting ping-pong ball explosives out of a helicopter to light a backfire down in Hoback Canyon. Monday the blueberry experienced his/her first Chris Horne Float, which was especially exciting celebrating Peter and Katie's engagement! Tuesday night we gave into a craving for pad thai and treated ourselves to Teton Thai. On Wednesday, Journeys School students and parents swarmed back to campus for our Back to School Community Day, during which many parent rumors started about me, and I was able to answer the antiquated question of "Are you expecting?" I'm not sure why this is so funny to me, but every time I want to give a sassy answer like, "I'm expecting an outstanding school year," or "I'm expecting it to rain this afternoon." Nevertheless, it is fun to share my news with more and more folks. Thursday afternoon brought a beautiful walk along the Snake River with Jill and her dog Cooper and well as a celebration of the news that Katie welcomed her "prince", Cooper, into the world. Friday night brought some well-deserved rest in preparation for Saturday's prenatal workout class (I'm still sore!), a trip to the Farmer's Market, a visit with Kelly, a firefighter crew-B-Q and Jess's 30th birthday celebration at the Cowboy Bar! Sunday was a day to celebrate Margot and baby Olive (I've never been to a baby shower with so many other pregnant women!) and hang out with Jacob (who was enjoying his first day off in over 2 weeks). The week ahead promises several important "firsts": first day of school, our BIG ultrasound, prep for our first yard sale, and anytime now our first sensation of movement!

Question of the week:
What do you think about finding out the baby's gender?