It's a Boy!

side profile - baby yawning... look at his sweet little nose!

It's a boy! This is a view from below. Pretend you set baby on a glass table and you are peeking from underneath him. You can see his fanny, his two legs stretched out in front of him, and his manhood.

side profile pic - you can see his spine, his little nose, and his sweet precious lips

side profile pic in 3D - our little guy is such a snuggle bunny already - he has his hands up by his face and his legs scrunched up to his belly :)

On November 3, 2010 at 8:00am we found out that we are having a boy!

The night before I had had a dream that the ultrasound technician had told us it was a boy. So when I woke up the morning of November 3, I told Brian that we were going to have a boy. He still didn't believe it. In fact, no one thought boy. I had my 2nd grade students "place bets" on whether they thought it was a boy or girl (most of them thought girl). I took some online quizzes to predict the gender (I was asked questions about morning sickness, fetal heart rate, how I was carrying, etc) and I got a 67% girl response. Most of my family members and friends guessed a girl. I am thinking that the reasoning behind their guesses was that I am SO girly, they thought "we can't picture Ellen with a boy." My oh my, everyone was wrong.

Brian and I arrived early to our appointment and waited anxiously in the waiting room. When we got called back to the ultrasound room, I lay back on the table as Brian found a comfy seat next to me right in front of the big screen tv mounted on the wall. The ultrasound technician was so sweet and you better believe I quizzed her on her credentials and asked her how long she had been working as an ultrasound technician. I wanted to make sure she knew what she was talking about before she revealed to us the big news! She spent a few minutes pointing out the baby's spine, fingers and toes to us. Then she announced, all too casually, "It's a boy." Brian and I were holding hands and we turned and looked at each other. We were in shock. Even though I knew that it was bound to be a boy, he still had thoughts of a girl. The only word I can use to explain how we felt was shock. We would have been shocked if she had said "girl" too, it's just the idea of actually knowing the sex. It's very overwhelming and exciting and shocking.

About halfway through our appointment, she asked me if I needed to pee. I had been told by numerous friends to make sure to arrive hydrated, and apparently I hydrated a bit too much. My bladder was 2x the size of the baby. I made a quick trip to the restroom and when I came back we could see a much clearer picture of our baby boy. She continued to roll all over my belly and point out different body parts, let us listen to the heartbeat, and even showed us our little boy in 4D. It was all very surreal and wonderful!

Brian and I left the doctor's office with a 30 minute DVD of our "session" as well as 8 wonderful photos of our SON (I love saying that!). We went out to the car and chatted for a few moments about what had just happened and how excited we were to FINALLY know the sex! Of course, we texted everyone we knew and immediately posted on facebook and twitter. We were thrilled to share the news!

The worst part of it all, was that we both had to go straight to work right after our appointment. Looking back, we wish we had made our ultrasound appointment for late afternoon so we could've gone home together and chatted longer. By the time I got to school, my students were on pins and needles. I waited to announce to them til afternoon (I told them they had to learn about patience haha) and they SQUEALED AND CHEERED with excitement when I said it was a boy. That made me feel so good inside!

Needless to say, when Brian and I got home from work that night, we stayed up and talked for hours - what would he look like, what sports will he play, nursery decor, name choices, etc. It cracks me up the way people respond throughout the pregnancy. The first questions are, "Were you even trying to get pregnant?" and "How are you feeling?" to "Do you think it's a boy or girl?" and "You look like you're carrying a boy/girl" to now "What will you name him?" To answer the last question - we have narrowed it down to a list of 10 possible choices. I am not sure that we are going to tell everyone once we have decided anyway. Based on the responses I've gotten when I've merely mentioned a name choice at school, teachers respond with "UGH I had a child with that name last year and he was so annoying." So we will probably only tell close friends and family once we've made a choice. For the rest of the world, you will just have to wait until mid-April to know the name of our precious baby boy! :)

Kids say the darndest things...

So being a teacher to a room full of 7 and 8 years olds has been very interesting. I love them all and they are very precious to me. However, I have learned that they have NO filter when it comes to their innermost thoughts.

I play this game with my students called "Ya Know What." We play it every Monday morning. We sit in a circle and each of us gets 20 seconds to share whatever we want to share with the class - hitting a home run on Saturday, getting a new puppy, whatever. I call it "Ya Know What" because children always seem to start their random stories with, "Hey Mrs. Hake, ya know what..." This is a fabulous game because Tuesday through Friday if a student comes up to me and starts telling me about their mom's hurt leg or their hamster learned a new trick, I can say, "Wait a second, is this a story that you could save for Ya Know What next week?" I love it. So over the weekend of Oct 23, administration had sent a letter home to the parents and I had sent a follow-up email as well telling them of my good news that I was expecting. So I knew come Monday morning, the kids would all know! I waited until "Ya Know What" and let them all tell their silly 20 second stories and then it was my turn. I announced that I was pregnant and they all squealed with excitement. It was adorable! Then came the questions. And the questions and comments have not stopped over the past few weeks...

"Did you even want to have a baby?"

"Aren't you so scared?"

"I knew you were pregnant the day I met you." (Not possible, because I didn't even know seeing as I how I met the students when I was like 3 weeks pregnant.) I asked him how he knew and he responded with, "Because your belly was like ba-boom" and he motioned that my belly was huge. Neat.

"Did you know that they have to cut open your stomach and then they rip the baby out? Aren't you so scared that'll hurt?" (I responded to that one with: Thank you for freaking Mrs. Hake out. But guess what? All of your mothers survived childbirth, so I'm pretty sure I'll be okay. But again, thank you for freaking Mrs. Hake out.)

"After you have the baby, you have to put these suction things on your boobs..." (I obviously put my hand up and cut that child off. SO inappropriate!!)

I let the students place "bets" on whether they thought it was going to be a boy or a girl. A majority of the girls guessed girl and a majority of the boys guessed boy, shocker. But one female student came up to me and said, "I know for sure that it is a girl." When I asked her why, she said, "Because when it is a boy your belly is pointy and when it is a girl your belly is round. And you definitely have a round belly." Neat.

TONS of preg

Oh my gracious. SO much preg around me... I will not name names, but my girlfriends who are pregnant are:

22 weeks
21 weeks
19 weeks
me (at 15.5 weeks)
13.5 weeks
13 weeks
12 weeks
10 weeks

Yes, that means that I have 7 girlfriends who are pregnant at the same time as me. Oh I love it! It has been SO incredible to have people to talk to (besides Brian of course!) who are going through the same things as me - heartburn, potty breaks every 2 hours, pants not fitting, etc. And how wonderful to already have our child's playgroup already picked out ;)

12 Week Appointment

The packets of information given to you by an OB/GYN is overwhelming to say the least. There are a bunch of tests you can have performed on you and on your little bundle. Brian and I weighed the pros and cons of each test and came to the decision that we didn't want any of them. Some of the tests are invasive and can cause harm to your fetus, so those tests were easily a "no." But some of the other tests the doctors can run would give you a percentage of if your child will have Downs Syndrome, any chromosomal abnormalities, or Cystic Fibrosis. Brian and I had a lengthy discussion about these and asked ourselves, "What will we do with these results? Will they change the outcome?" We decided that we would pass on all of the tests since we would be keeping our baby no matter what the results were. We thought why would we need to know of any abnormalities ahead of time and cause anxiety on our part?

Brian and I went to our 12-week appointment today (October 7th) at the Northside location. (Side note, our future baby will be born at Northside Hospital, the same hospital where I was born 26 years ago!) We met with a nurse to discuss insurance, possible delivery complications and choices, and the difference between a midwife and a doctor. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. We then met with Dr. Jill Henke, one of the physicians, who did my exam. She also did a Doppler ultrasound on my tummy and we got to hear our baby's heartbeat - 158bpm. I was able to ask Dr. Henke my new list of questions :) and she answered all of them. The last part of our appointment was blood work. If you know me, you know that I can't handle needles at all and panic at even the mere thought of them. Brian did a great job of distracting me while the nurse did her work and when it was done I saw that she collected 5 viles. 5 viles! That is just too much. Naturally, I had to sit in that seat for a few minutes to "get it together" before standing up. Before we left the office, we made our next 3 appointments. We will find out the sex of our little baby on November 3rd!! Brian and I are literally counting down the days. It blows my mind that there are people out there who want it to be a surprise!

We're taking bets now - boy or girl?

Confirmation of Pregnancy

"They" say that between 6-8 weeks of pregnancy you have a lot of doubts - am I even pregnant? Is there really a baby in here? etc. Well "they" are right. We had doubts left and right and needed a confirmation of pregnancy from a doctor. So we went to my OB/GYN and had our first ultrasound on August 31st. We were told that my estimated due date was April 12. Seeing our little turtle (it literally looked like a turtle on the ultrasound!) and hearing our due date made it all very real. The doctor spent a lot of time with us and answered all our questions - and if you know me, then you know I had a typed list of questions.

Over the next few weeks, we slowly began sharing our good news with close friends and family which was very exciting for us. I was feeling okay til about week 8 when the exhaustion and nausea set in. Being a first year teacher who is PREGNANT is very tiring. I would come home, take a nap on the sofa, wake up when Brian got home, he would make dinner for us, we would eat together and talk about our days, and then I would fall back asleep on the sofa. I know that might sound luxurious to some, but trust me, it was no walk in the park. I felt nauseous every minute of everyday and trying to find relief was difficult. After trial and error I found that as long as I ate every 2 hours, I would usually be okay. I only got sick one time, but it was so violent that I busted blood vessels in both eyes. I had the pleasure of walking around school with 2 red eyes and looked like I was on drugs, that was neat.

What foods have I been craving? Literally anything carb hits the spot - hash browns, toast, french fries, muffins, you name it I want it.
What foods/smells gross me out? Coffee, paint, red wine, gasoline, tuna.
Things that make me smile?
1. I am THRILLED to be going through this with Brian. He has been undeniably the most supportive husband I could ask for. He has been cooking and cleaning and doting on me. I would be lost without him.
2.The fact that I have 3 friends who are pregnant with me! Two friends are due March 2011, another friend is due April 2011. It is SO refreshing to have pregnant friends to share milestones, struggles, and tips with.
I decided to tell my Principal around week 11. I was so nervous to tell her, as I had JUST been hired. She had the typical "business-like" response and reaction which threw me off. She asked that I keep it quiet until after parent/teacher conferences which are in mid-October (I will be 16 weeks pregnant btw) because once the parents find out they will be upset. This, in turn, upset me. Once you hit 12 weeks, you want to shout it from the rooftops but now she wants me to keep it quiet for an additional 4 weeks! I do understand where she is coming from, but that doesn't make it any easier. So needless to say it has been VERY difficult keeping it a secret from the people that I see 40+ hours each week, especially when I have to leave my room every 1-2 hours for a potty break and am eating around the clock and all the yawning, etc. So these past few weeks have definitely been hard for me - with the exhaustion, the nausea, and the secrets. Not my cup of tea.

But when I get home and can be happy and overjoyed with Brian, all is right in the world again :)

My New Favorite Phrase

I'm pregnant!!!

Most of you know by now, but for those of you that don't, Brian and I are expecting our first baby. We are overjoyed, overwhelmed, and blessed beyond belief! For the past 26 years, I have wanted 2 things in life in order to feel "complete" - a husband (check!) and a baby (on the way!). I have dreamed of this moment for so long and am ecstatic that it is finally here :)

Back in August, Brian was visiting his college friends in Birmingham for the weekend and on Saturday night I decided to take a pregnancy test. I have taken many of these over the course of our marriage and all have been negative, so I was expecting the same results. I waited 3-5 minutes and peeked at the magic stick as it showed "Pregnant." I was in complete disbelief and thought it must have been a false positive and kept re-reading the directions that came in the pregnancy test package. I spoke with Brian that night on the phone and decided not to tell him as he would just think I was crazy. I re-read the instructions again and read that it is best to take the test first thing in the morning. So Penny and I went to bed, woke up at the crack of dawn, and took another test. Positive. I SCREAMED with excitement, which scared Penny, but I was incredibly happy and it was hard to keep it quiet. I decided to wait until Brian got home so I could tell him face-to-face, as opposed to over the phone. I kept calling Brian and asking him how far away he was and when he'd be home exactly. He was suspicious, but clueless. When he walked in the door I had laid out 4 baby movies on the bar top - Baby Mama, Big Daddy, Juno, and Knocked Up.
He later told me that he thought to himself, "Oh how nice, Ellen bought me some DVDs." Clueless. Then I sent Penny down the stairs with a note tied around her neck that read "soon-to-be Big Sister" but Brian failed to read her note.
Clueless. I knew this would happen so I made sure to have many different clues throughout the house. Brian walked into the kitchen where I had placed the Scrabble board on the table. We play Scrabble a lot together :) I spelled out "YES IM PREGNANT."
At this point I was standing at the top of our stairs and I heard him say "Whaaaaat?" in complete shock. He slowly walked through the living room and came to the bottom of the steps. We made eye contact and I, of course, started bawling. He ran up the stairs and kept asking, "Are you sure? Is this real? Oh my gosh, I can't believe it." Tons of hugs and kisses and tears later, I was able to share my events from the past 24 hours with him. I don't think I will ever forget Brian's sweet face and reaction; it was priceless.

The next step was to tell our parents. We invited my mom, dad, and sister over for dinner that Tuesday night at our house. My parents take care of Penny during the day since Brian and I both work full-time. (Have I mentioned that they are wonderful??) In the middle of dinner, I popped up and said, "I forgot that we have something for you." I brought in a wrapped gift and handed it to my parents and told them, "We got you a little something for helping us out with Penny everyday." They opened it up and inside was a picture frame that said "Grandchildren" at the top and I had slipped some paper that said "Coming Soon in 2011" inside. My dad was the first to catch on and asked, "Wait are you pregnant?" My mom's eyes got wide and she started squealing with excitement. My whole family was so excited for Brian and I and just really could not believe it. Of course, they were full of questions! On Wednesday night, Brian and I Skyped with his parents. I wrote out "We're Pregnant" on a sign and we waited anxiously. When we saw that they had logged on, we held up the sign. The first thing his parents saw was Brian and I holding the sign. They were so happy for us and full of questions, too!

I am not going to actually post this entry until October, but as of right now (mid August), I am 6 weeks pregnant!!

Just to sum it up... our feelings are: complete shock but total excitement!

Sushi Party

Back in July, we had a Sushi Party with Stacy, Travis, Adam and Greyson. It was SO much fun and great to do something different than the usual dinner/movie date. We hired a company to come out to the house, bring all the materials and ingredients, teach us how to make sushi, serve us dinner, and clean up. It was FANTASTIC!! Here are some pics from the fun-filled night with our bffs :)

Quick Update

Quick update... I ended up taking a full-time teaching position at a private school here in Atlanta. I am teaching 2nd grade!!! This is my dream job and I am a HUGE fan of this age. They still love school, they haven't reached that sassy stage yet, and they are always trying to impress their teacher (me!). In 2nd grade, we learn a lot of really fun things --> life cycle (we get to hatch our own baby chicks in an incubator!), fractions, money, etc. Needless to say, I am SO happy and so blessed to have found a great school that wanted me. I am now in my third week of teaching, exhausted out of my mind, but enjoying every moment of it. I sleep A LOT less and cry A LOT more, but my 20 little munchkins make it all worthwhile!

Playdate w/ Lydie

Brian and I invited Lydie over for a playdate this weekend. We thought she might love some one-on-one time with us where we could devote a whole day just to her. And we were right, we all had tons of fun together! Of course, we missed Hudson, but it was nice to do big kid stuff for a day too!

We ate Chick-Fil-A for lunch (Lydie's favorite), ate popsicles and ice cream for dessert, watched Cinderella, took Penny for a walk, played on our nhood playground, colored some pretty pictures, went to Target, and did a treasure hunt. It was SUCH a fun day!

Hilton Head Island... typical

We took our annual family vacation to Hilton Head Island. I have been vacationing here with my family since I was a tiny tot and really love it. Brian has come with my family for the past 3-4 years. We had a lot of fun this summer and discovered some new restaurants. Let's be honest, going to the beach is all about laying out and eating. Two of my favorite things. If you travel to HHI, you must eat at my top 2: Red Fish & Tapas. We spent most of our nights either watching movies or playing games--> Apples to Apples, Loaded Questions, Mexican Train, Bananagrams, etc. We LOVE games and I love that my family plays together. Here are some pics from our trip...

dinner at Crazy Crab - my least favorite... a little too "kid-friendly"

Red Fish - one of our top 2 favorites on the island
Tapas - our new discovery this year...
I love my family.
Chart House... formerly known as Charlie's
Kiki and Gwen

xoxo