An answered prayer!

If you go back to one of my original posts, you will read about how proud I was that I had a sub lined up for my maternity leave. Getting this secured in September allowed me to have some peace throughout the semester. Until it all fell apart. My sub was supposed to be an intern who had been working in the history department this past semester; she got a job at Northridge in December. I went into panic mode. Many tears were shed over this. I prayed. People around me were praying, but I should have known that the place to share this was in Sunday School. I mean, we have single-handedly prayed the price of gas down (sort of... :) ). So, I had a breakdown in SS. I was attempting to have this situation put on the prayer list, but I don't think I even got the whole thing out. However, God obviously heard, because a guy in our Sunday School class said that his brother was a sub with the City schools, and didn't have anything to do next semester. Almost immediately I felt a relief wave over me. I was able to get in touch with his brother; we talked for 20 minutes or so, and all was confirmed. God is killing me with this trust thing... :)

So this is Christmas...

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree.
Our large tree wouldn't actually fit in our living room this year, so I settled for a tiny tree for the table. It was actually really nice because I put it up and had it decorated in 30 minutes. The take down was just as easy! Next year though...

Another one has come and gone. And this one is our last one alone. As Michael and I opened presents Christmas morning (I let him sleep in until 7:30!), we couldn't help but think ahead to next year...although Olivia probably won't be old enough to appreciate the wonder of going to bed early anxiously anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus, it is going to be so much fun helping her with her presents. We have been talking recently about starting traditions and even though we have a year to think about it, we already have some good ideas. :) On top of this though, we really want her to know the real meaning of Christmas. Presents are nice, but her Savior is, well, her Savior.
We had a great (last) Christmas with each other. We both got both practical and fun gifts. Michael got me a 8GB memory card for my camera, so expect plenty of pictures and videos!!

First Leg of Christmas

Like many families during the holiday season, Michael and I have several family gatherings to attend. This past Saturday we took care of his father's side of the family. We had a great time visiting with family that we don't get to see enough of. For the first part of the day, we were at Granny Harris's Christmas party. Michael especially loved it this year because we got a start to his family tree. Because Olivia's arrival is right around the corner (literally!), his aunts and grandmother put together a good bit of his background - up through great grandparents. It was really neat, because there were old family photos included, too. This was certainly a gift we will treasure. For the rest of the evening we hung out at his dad's. After exchanging gifts, Michael worked on computer stuff (I'm glad he could help, but blah, boring!), and I got to hang with the girls - MUCH more fun than stupid computer stuff - even though we only talked about the Jonas Brothers. I mean really...could there be more girly guys?!? I guess my parents felt the same way about the New Kids on the Block!! (Oh, oh, oh, OH, oh -- Hangin' tough!!) I wonder what boy band will be popular when Olivia goes boy crazy??

Spaghetti Sauce Eruption

This morning started out ROUGH. I had promised my first period kids for some time that I would bring them breakfast this week as a reward for their great behavior - not that it's too hard - there are only eight of them (don't ask...). So, I woke up early, got dressed and ready, and commenced making breakfast. Things were rolling along great, and Michael even got up to help me finish up. I was running a tad bit behind, so I started to rush in the kitchen. In the process, I managed to knock a bowl of marinara sauce from the night before off the edge of the counter. Doesn't sound so bad, right? That's what I thought. Whatever, it's on the floor, I'll clean it before I go. I couldn't fathom why Michael was as perturbed as he was - until I turned around. The bowl had hit the floor spewing marinara ALL OVER the kitchen. I literally mean ALL OVER. The refrigerator, the walls, the cabinets, the ceiling, the microwave, and not to mention, ME. I looked down to see the side of my white shirt and pants covered in spaghetti sauce. So, blue jean day moved to Wednesday. I truly had nothing else to wear - thank goodness that the City Board walk-throughs were yesterday!!

The First Baby Shower!

Tuesday was a crazy, exhausting day. Although I didn't make it through the City Board walk-throughs with out a visit (I just KNEW they were coming to my room...), I did rack up at our first baby shower! We got some really great gifts. Lots of clothes, a Boppy pillow, and perhaps my favorite - a Pink Spots! Thanks, Noah! We are very thankful and grateful for the love from Bryant High School. Now, as soon as a get her dresser painted we can start filling it up!

The Sleeping Arrangments

There are so many things that they don't tell you BEFORE you get pregnant. I mean, I was aware of the general: morning sickness, headaches, mood swings, etc. They don't tell you about the weird noises that you make getting up and down, the constant state of heartburn, and the trouble sleeping.

For the last few nights, I have been on the couch. Not because I was in the doghouse, but because my back and hips were hurting so bad from the bed. It was so bad Sunday afternoon that I had a hard time walking. So, Sunday night, I wanted to try something different. I asked Michael to pull the foam mattress pad off the bed and sleep with me in the floor. This didn't work. Well, not for me at least. I woke up at 3:00am, still in pain - with one dog alone in the real bed - Michael on one edge of the mattress - and the other dog on the other edge of the mattress.
Since I was still hurting, I decided to try the couch. When I woke up again at 5:00, Michael was in the bed next to Sadie, and Jonah was on the mattress pad by himself, with his head on MY pillow. Sweet.

Olivia's first pictures!!!

Note the cute double chin!

We fought with her hands the whole time. If she didn't have them blocking her face altogether, she was trying to stick them in her mouth.

VERY large feet. Bless her heart...she didn't stand a chance.

There are SO MANY things to say about these pictures that I don't know where to start. I am already so in love with this little girl it's not even funny! We were so excited to get the 4-D Ultrasound done on Thursday. Michael couldn't be there, but I was fortunate to have my Mom and my Grandmother by my side. There are somethings that are just too special to do alone. We learned that even at even at a chunky 4 pounds, she is right on track. She measured at 32weeks and 1day; according to my due date, I was 32weeks. Only eight more weeks to go!! This time has flown by!!