Preparation

In preparation for our baby, we have only decided on a few things. Where the baby's room will be, what to do with the stuff that's in there, what hospital to go to and if I want drugs during labor. (I do.) We have narrowed down a few other things. We have only a couple of colors we're looking at for the baby's room. (Sorry, Mom! I think the orange will be too dark.) We've also taken a look at some of the major purchases we'll be needing and making a few decisions. Of course, with one decision usually comes 20 more because of the decision made. We are trying our best to keep on top of things.

We have gone through a lot of stuff that we are ready to get rid of, once we have the time to do that. Several boxes of clothes, a box of miscellaneous things and some boxes that I need to figure out where to recycle them. Once we move some stuff out, we end up getting something to fill the space. It seems like a never ending cycle. I know it'll only get worse! Hopefully we'll be able to work a lot more once it gets a little warmer and easier to get around town.

Information

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we're doing all right! Jason has been frustrated with the weather since it coincided with the students being back. Quite a few schools cancelled on Tuesday and he ended up staying late at work on Monday. Things did quiet down for him a little bit by the end of the week.

I've been busy training and re-training student workers. I have also realized I can no longer stock dishes since it makes my back hurt too much. That's what the students are for, though, as the list of what I can do keeps getting smaller.

Zara has been a little on the clingy side lately. It doesn't take her long to cuddle up with me on the couch. She also underfoot as soon as I get home and doesn't get out of the way until I pick her up. She does the same thing with Jason if he gets home first.

The baby has been moving quite a bit. I think I may have felt a kick the other day, but it was pretty brief, so I'm not sure. I have been eating a variety of foods so the baby will hopefully not be a really picky eater. The books we have say the baby can taste what I eat, so Jason is making sure that I eat sauerkraut, ice cream and Mountain Dew (just a little) so the baby will like some of the foods he likes too.

Official

It's official. I am no longer a probationary worker for Iowa State....again. I finished my six month probation term yesterday and was told my "report" was sent over to human resources. I got a satisfactory in all categories. (It's either satisfactory or unsatisfactory.) It sounds like everyone likes working with me and that I'm very willing to volunteer to help with things, as long as the dish room doesn't need my help at the time. While it isn't my preferred job, it does give me some satisfaction that management likes my work ethic and my attitude. It doesn't hurt that they've been very clear about me and my baby come first and they are willing to help me with that.

Oh Baby!

We had our 20 week ultrasound this afternoon. We got some really god pictures and a really cute video.

That's right! Our baby was tired while getting poked and prodded that it yawned! The tech told us everything looked normal and gave us a lot of pictures. Unfortunately, since our baby decided to be difficult, we have to go back for another ultrasound at our next appointment to see if we can see all the chambers of the heart. We did get to see the heart and watch it beat, but only two chambers. The heartbeat was 144, which is normal. We did not find out the sex of the baby, so don't ask! I don't think the tech was able to see the sex anyway.
My doctor appointment went well also. I had a new midwife, but she was really nice. I have my next appointment with her in February. Jason wasn't able to see the doctor with me, but he was there for the ultrasound. We're both very thankful for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. We're starting to decide where some furniture should be moved so we can start putting the baby things in it's room. It'll be a long process, but we need to get it done. The sooner the better!

*Check out the ultrasound pictures on the DropShots website!*

Happy New Year

So, it's not the first anymore, but I haven't turned my computer on until after midnight. We are spending the first weekend of the year in Independence with some of our friends and I lost track of time. That's not really a big surprise with this group. WE have lots of fun and tons of laughs!

We will be home tomorrow evening since Jason and I have to work on Monday, me at six in the morning. It will be interesting to get back to work, but the days will go by quickly and soon we will be welcoming home our baby (and it's always good to see our kitty)!

We pray that all of our friends and family have a happy and prosperous new year.