Check, Check, Check

It's been a while since my last update and there is much to report:

1) I started back to work 3 weeks ago. Tomorrow the kids will come so for the last few weeks I've just been moving, unpacking, arranging, rearranging, and planning! Last Wednesday I got to meet my new group of students and parents. Any hesitation I was having about teaching preschool is now gone. I'm very excited, although, I'm not going to lie...I am a tad bit nervous about tomorrow.

2) We finally decided on a name for our sweet baby...if you're my friend on Facebook you probably already know...KARALINE ADELE. It was a tough choice and we had narrowed it down to Karaline and Katherine. I've always wanted my name to be in a song, Joey and I both loved the name Karaline, and she and I will have the same initials...KAO. :) We decided to spell her name differently because of the initials and I don't want her to be called "Carol. No offense to any Carols out there, but I just would rather a different nickname. Adele was Joey's mom's middle name. We'd chosen to use Adele early on.

I must admit, though, she is already a little vain...We've played her Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" many, many times and each time she hears it she goes wild! The other night we were at dinner at Sam's and her boyfriend Matt began playing the guitar for her. She enjoyed that too. Maybe she'll have a musical talent...I know I sure don't!

3) Lately, I've been really stressing on all of the "to-do's" that I had yet to do. I have realized that I am a complete procrastinator until the very last minute. Anyhow, I was able to get much of it accomplished last week thanks to Sam and my Aunt LuAnn and Uncle PeeWee.

Sam went with me to register on Saturday. We started out at Target and were there for about an hour. It was way less stressful than the first time I went. Then, my Aunt LuAnn called. She is making our bedding and came down to go fabric shopping. We went to Joann's and got all of the fabric and such for less than $50! I love the pattern we're using, too!

These are the fabrics we're using-





Sorry these pictures are so large...I'm still learning :)
The striped fabric will be used most. The pink polka-dot and solid brown will accent the stripes. The brown damask will be the window valance and maybe on the glider...we'll see!



While Aunt LuAnn and Uncle PeeWee were here, they took the bed that was in our guest room which will now be Karaline's nursery. While I was sad to see it go (because sometimes I have to sleep in there when Joey's snoring is out of control), I think I'll now be able to concentrate on clearing the rest of the room out.

After my aunt and uncle left, Sam and I headed to Brandon and finalized the registry at Babies R Us. Once we left there we came back to Lakeland, went to Kohl's and used our free $10 to spend, went to dinner at GrillSmith (YUM!), and then watched Eat, Pray, Love. The movie was good but a little too long for my liking. I think if I would have read the book, I would have enjoyed it more. Maybe if I ever start reading again, I'll try that one.

4) Tomorrow, Joey and I are going to meet the lady who may keep Karaline. She is Sam's Gram's neighbor. I've spoken with her on the phone several times and I pray that she is a good fit for us. I've definitely felt comfortable when talking with her and it's such a comfort knowing that Gram is right next door! She only keeps 4 kids at a time and is very affordable. Plus, she's right on my way to work!

Please pray for us over these next few weeks. Please pray for the upcoming school year, the finishing touches and decisions we still have yet to do, and most importantly our growing family.

Unreal

Tonight while Joey and I were settled on the couch watching The Bachelorette, our little one started kicking rather hard. I told Joey to watch and we could see her kicks on the outside of my stomach. It is truly the craziest thing so far! We love her sooooo much already...it's frightening!

On another note, today was moving day at school. I am switching from first grade to PreK. I always considered myself a "first grade teacher," but when my school announced that they were opening a preschool, I couldn't get it off my mind. After lots of prayer, I decided to apply and now will be teaching it. Thankfully, Joey has Mondays off from work so he was able to come and move me from my old room to my new one. I am also very thankful for the group of cheerleaders who so graciously put all of my new furniture together!

I can't believe summertime is coming to a close. I am sad to see it go. Sadly, I have not done any of the "to-dos" on my list, but it will get done eventually. I've discovered that I would be totally content with being able to stay at home and receive a paycheck. I am excited to get back into a routine and meet my new little ones.

She's a Mover and a Shaker

It took a while for me to be sure that I was feeling our little one kick. Once I felt her (and knew it was her), it was amazing! Poor Joey had to wait a while but I am happy to say that he can finally feel her move. He was so excited when he felt her. She has a powerful kick; in fact, she's woken me up a few times :) She also LOVES to move. Once I sit or lay down, she moves constantly. It can be stressful when I don't feel her after a little while

It's a...

GIRL!!! A healthy, active girl, too! Yesterday, Joey and I went for our 20 week sonogram. I was so excited that I couldn't sleep the night before. It was like Christmas Eve. Thankfully our appointment was a 9:00 so I didn't have to wait all day. I was very nervous that our sweet baby wouldn't cooperate and we'd leave without knowing...THANKFULLY that did not happen!
She showed herself right away. Initially, Joey thought he was looking at male parts and says, "I've seen all I need to see." The sonogram girl said, "You have if you're looking for a girl." Of course, Joey wanted a boy, but he is already so in love with our daughter.
We took a VHS tape (yes, they still make those!) to record the sonogram. Sam's boyfriend, Matt, is going to to convert the tape to a DVD...THANK YOU, MATT!! :) Right when Joey got home from work he wanted to go over and watch the tape. It was neat to see again.
After the sonogram, I had a mile-long list of people to call. My mom is more than excited to have her first granddaughter! She has said all along our baby is a girl. She would only write down girl names for me, buy girl things, and even told my aunt who is making something to not even use blue! Everyone is very excited and now we're all ready to start spoiling her!!!
Yesterday was bittersweet for us while making our calls because we were not able to call Joey's mom. Last night he said that as happy and excited everyone is and was, no one would be happier than his mom. She loved babies and would always talk about her grandchildren. I told him that I know she's in heaven and was watching us all day yesterday just a crying. I know she's so proud and while she's not here on Earth to experience this with us, I know she has an even better view :)
After the appointment, I went to Sam's because we were going to get pedicures sometime. She wasn't there when I got there. She was actually at our house with the balloons. How nice!!!!! Of course, after pedicures and lunch we went shopping. I tried preparing Joey for the reality that our baby is going to have more clothes than her Mama. He doesn't believe it, but he will understand very soon. :)

It's a...

Joey and I are anxiously awaiting Tuesday, July 6 when we go our our next ultrasound. We cannot wait to find out our baby's gender! I'm ready to start planning, buying, decorating, etc. All along, I've been thinking that we're having a girl. Joey's been thinking (or hoping) we're having a boy :) The other day I told him that I'm starting to think we may be having a boy. Then, he tells me, he's starting to think we're having a girl! Sheesh!!! Either way, we're just ready to know. AND, I don't appreciate people's negative comments about the baby not cooperating and showing his/her stuff. :) Just kidding, but please, send some positive thoughts our way. Surely the baby wants to reveal him/herself so his/her Daddy and Mama can prepare!

It's surreal to think that next week, we'll be at our half way point...overwhelming!!!

Other than being anxious, I'm doing well. I feel great and do as little as I want. AHHH, the joys of summer. I'm thankful to have my friend Sam living close by. We go for walks around the lake. I also bought a pregnancy yoga video. I've never tried yoga before, and well, let's just say it's an experience for me. I'm not exactly the most coordinated person and yoga is a great reminder to me. I've only done it once (and not even all the way through), but I do have high hopes that I will become more proficient with it.

In other news, Joey and I are joining a church on Sunday. We've been visiting this church for a while and I am more than happy to finally be a part of a church family. They are very welcoming. We're excited to see what God has in store for us here.

I'll post again on Tuesday :) Until then, Happy 4th of July. Thankful for our freedom, thankful for our country, thankful for the men and women who serve.

OK, I'll Admit It...

I've been a blog stalker for a while now. I always love reading what's going on in other people's lives, looking at fun pictures, and getting some crafty ideas. So, I decided I'd give blogging a try. Hopefully I'll be a faithful blogger and will be able to connect with friends and family who are not close by. We'll see how it goes!

On another note, I am sad and embarrassed to say that we have not yet done our taxes. I had every intention of doing them myself, but with my dad being sick and in the hospital for two weeks, I kind of lost time. So, I guess it's off to H&R Block today...ugh.