Back at work, and Pea's busy

We're back in Minnesota now, 18 weeks along with tons of movement! While we were at the Melbourne airport, Pea moved noticeably enough for Dylan to feel it for the first time. He's tried again since then, but Pea must have been just as worked up about a day's delay as we were to move that big. (We were supposed to travel on Sunday, August 21st [my 27th birthday] but United had other plans...)
I went back to work today (missed yesterday - oops!) and started rearranging the classroom for the kids to start next Monday. I went slowly and didn't work myself too hard, and I noticed that things are going to start getting harder to do - something as simple as shifting the circle-time carpet -- tough. I'll take it in stride ... and probably ask my assistant to do lots <=).

I had a check-up today, and Dr. Anderson is pleased, says I've inherited good non-stretched skin (so far) -- thanks, Mom! He also said that I'm (or the baby is??) slightly larger than average for this time. That's neat =). The heartbeat's strong. Way to go, Pea!

First Flutters

I just felt Pea move for the first time! It's Friday afternoon Melbourne-time, about 3:30, and I was sitting on the back veranda enjoying the sunshine -- after 3 days of 45 degrees and rain. I definitely know it was Pea because I've been wondering about a few little things the past two weeks or so anyway (but "they" say you can confuse other things for baby) ... and this felt different. Just a little stroke across the front. Excellent!

Pea, Down Under at 17 weeks

We've been busy! But we just slowed down a little this past weekend. We left the Knolls up in Silvan around the Dandenong mountains last Friday after a few late nights of dinner at Wayne's friends' houses. Then we went in to Melbourne for Friday and Saturday nights, where we spent the nights with our good friend, Caitlin. Saturday was Pea's very first Australian Football League (Aussie Rules Football) game! It was, of course, confusing for both of us at first, but we got the hang of it come the 4th quarter; and we had a blast! Sunday was Susan's parents' 60th wedding anniversary, and the whole Nelson clan got together for a delicious lunch. Everyone was very congratulatory, and as I'm showing more and more, they were excited to see the little bump. Both Pea and I felt good after that dinner, too =). Then we headed off for Warrnambool to stay with Timshel (Dylan's brother), Shelley, Reuben, and Grace, and the kids are looking forward to their new cousin. Now we're in Smokey Town, where we can just relax and help out in preparation for the wedding on Saturday. It's chilly and rainy, but it's nice weather for laying low - which is what I need after last week's busy agenda!

This week's photo is from the Cudgee Creek Wildlife Park; Cudgee is where Timshel and Shelley are building their house, and the wildlife park is just a 3 minute walk down the dirt road. It's a lovely, well-kept secret. It's off the beaten path and run by an older married couple that just wants to preserve the natural wildlife -- something worth donating towards. Anyway, Shelley had this great, silly idea to take the week's "bump shot" in front of wallabies. So, here it is ... there weren't any people around, so although I'm exposed to the outdoors, it wasn't as revealing as it may seem ;).

Pea at 16 weeks

Pea's first trip to Australia! We are currently in and around Melbourne, and so far - so good. Now that I'm showing a little, we've decided to start a weekly picture to chart Pea's growth. We'll snap a shot on Tuesdays, so this is from Tuesday, August 9th. I still feel great - more tired than usual recently, perhaps just the jetlag - and I've noticed that after I eat, Dylan has to help me with my shoes already! I'm enjoying soups of all sorts the most right now ... not that I didn't before, but it's a particular affinity now ;). Maybe because it's winter here. Monday's lunch? Pea soup <=O!

2nd Trimester already!

Pea's now 14 weeks big and starting to want more space, so here's the first picture of "the bump". Mom took this while on Mustang Island on vacation down in Texas on Tuesday, July 26th. I'm still feeling great - just hungry and sleepy - and flying well so far. (The big test will be going to Australia in a couple of weeks for Susan & Gerry's wedding.)

There's no photo, but at 12 weeks we got to hear the heartbeat! It was wonderful =). It made me laugh, for some reason, which made the doppler so loud that Dr. Anderson had to stop. I composed myself, and we got to hear it a little longer. That was really nice.

Ultrasound at 9 weeks

Grown lots in the past 3 weeks, and although I can feel and tell that I'm pregnant, no one can see anything just yet. Pea's head is on the right side, the backbone curves around the top, and its little tail curls under. Pretty exciting =). Next one won't be until 20 weeks, so we have a while to wait.

First ultrasound at 6 weeks

Our doctor, Dr. Anderson, wanted to do an early ultrasound to see the heartbeat -- here it is! Not very much to see, but the large black oval is the uterus, and the tiny grey smudge in the right corner of the uterus is PEA! You can also see a little white flicker right on Pea; that's its heart - beating at a mile a minute!

Pea's first few weeks

Dylan and I found out on May 16th that we are going to have a baby! We don't want to find out whether it'll be a boy or girl, so we've just dubbed the baby Pea ... pea in a pod, sweet pea, you get the drift.

Pea is due on January 25, 2012, right in the middle of a snowy Minnesotan winter. It'll be an adventure!

The first few weeks went very well, especially after hearing some terrible stories from women with bad morning sickness. The worst of it for me wasn't anything that a little juice couldn't fix first thing in the morning. As I was still teaching for the first 5 weeks with Pea, I was snacky in school! One of the first cravings saw me snapping at nearly every student while getting ready for recess and lunch. After lunch, I felt lots better, and I told the students I must have just been really hungry and apologized. One of the quicker little girls then reminded me that I'd said earlier in the year that if everyone in the class is doing something wrong, it must be me - not them =). From then on, I always had a snack close-by.