Kid Quote

Kindergarten Boy: Miss Cassie, is it uncomfortable to have a baby in your tummy?

Me: You know, sometimes it is. But not all the time.

Boy: Yeah, I bet it's hard work. Mamas gotta be tough.

Me: You think so?

Boy: Yeah, I mean....you gotta be a strong lady to grow a baby. You gotta be tough. You're a tough lady.

*Now here's a guy who understands. :) He must have a smart, tough mama at home.*

Challenge: Days 16 and 17

I find myself here at the computer because Gerrit and our friend, Pat, are playing video games....AGAIN. I was contently reading in bed, but I started falling asleep at the too-early time of 8 p.m. In an effort to keep myself awake, I think I'll give you not one, but two days of the photo challenge in one entry! Lucky you. You're welcome.

A Photo of the Last Party You Went To:

The theme of our friend, Adam's, (27th) birthday party was Batman. It was decorated accordingly. We all got Batman tattoos, goody bags, and memories to last a lifetime. :) Everyone loves a theme party! I know you're jealous.

Okay, so Day 17's challenge is a drunken photo of yourself. Good luck finding that picture. It doesn't exist as I have never been even a little bit drunk. Instead, I give you:

An Embarrassing Photo

Actually, I'm not embarrassed by this photo....cause it's awesome. My side of the family celebrated Christmas over Thanksgiving, since it was an In-Law year during actual Christmas. We decided to celebrate with ugly sweaters; not a new concept, but a fun one I think every family should enjoy. Besides the overwhelming cool factor here, this picture is great because we are all in it (with the extra-special bonus of Grandma)! That so rarely happens.

And, just because I love you all so much, I'm adding a third picture for the price of two. It's my 23 weeks pregnant photo.I never thought I'd be one of those gals to feel fat during pregnancy (it's natural; you're body is supposed to change; you're growing a life; it's beautiful...yadda yadda yadda). I'm just gonna be honest- I feel fat. That's just the way it is. And I will continue to get bigger. It needs to happen. But you can't talk me out of my feelings. So there. Who are these women who say being pregnant is the most beautiful they've ever felt? I'd like to meet them....and smack them (but not while they're pregnant. THAT would be wrong).
But all that to say, I love the Bean. She's worth it. I will grin and bare the belly. It's a blessing that I cried and prayed for. And it's not totally unrealistic to think that I'll be leaving in skinny jeans from the hospital.....right? :)

Challenge: Day 15 and an Ultrasound!

A Photo of You and Someone You Love

Yes! This is our baby's ultrasound picture! And technically speaking (if you aren't afraid to hear the word uterus), I am in this picture too. So it counts towards today's challenge. Oh, and for those of you who don't know yet.....

The Bean is a Girl!

I was actually quite surprised by this news. I really thought we were having a boy. But during our ultrasound, the tech zoomed in on the "evidence" and she asked if we had any guesses about what it was. I said, "Well, I thought it was a boy.....but that doesn't look like a boy." She then congratulated us on our little girl.

Here she is with her hands up by her face. She was posing.

The first thing she did when the tech zoomed-in on her face was smile. :) She also yawned. I wouldn't have known that, but the ultrasound tech was happy to fill us in. The tech had quite the job following this little Beanadette around. She was moving like crazy.

Obviously with the help of the label and the little toes there, you can see that the above picture is of her foot. Those feet may look small to you, but let me tell ya, she knows how to use them! She's already kicking with distinction. I can only imagine what the next 4-5 months will be like.

And this is her monster claw of a hand. I think it's crazy that you can see so much! You can't see it in this picture, but she's got all 10 fingers and toes. So far she just uses them to punch and kick me. Not much else to do in there, I guess.

I wasn't emotional about the ultrasound like I thought I might be, but I was definitely in awe of what I was seeing. Seeing her on the screen made her seem much more real and human (because she is!). She doesn't seem like such a little alien anymore. It was also very cute to see Gerrit grinning throughout the appointment. He calls the experience "the coolest thing ever." He's already banning her from dating until she's at least 25.

Overall, she appears to be a healthy baby. She's on the small side, but not enough to be concerned about. As long as she is healthy, I wouldn't mind having a small baby! :) Hurray for the Bean!

Challenge: Day 14 and a Bit of Pneumonia

A Photo of One of Your Favorite Family Members

Well, I think the theme for today is unrealistic for me. I love all of my family members dearly. They are all my favorite. But since I have to choose and I've already had pictures up of my immediate family, here is my choice:

This is my Grandpa. :) The two of us are sitting on his bike.Whenever he'd visit, he'd take me out on it. He was a character. When we grandkids were little, he'd ask for a bite of our candy bar and he'd eat half of it. I used to stick my tongue out at him and he'd threaten to pull it out if he ever caught it. One day he did catch it. He started to pull very slowly....I think just to see the panic grow in my eyes.

My favorite memories of him were on "Pocket Days." Usually, Pocket Day took place on his birthday when most of his kids and grandkids were around. We'd all be playing outside and suddenly he would call out, "It's Pocket Day!" All the kids would rush inside and put on an outfit that had as many pockets as possible (overalls were best). Then we'd run back outside and form a line in front of Grandpa. He'd take out a big wad of cash and put a dollar in every pocket we wore. The night before his funeral, at his viewing, I put a dollar in his coat pocket. As good as our Pocket Days were with him, I know he's having even better eternal days now with his Savior.

Oh boy, pregnancy emotion alert! Look out!

Okay, yikes. Enough. On to other topics....I had good intentions of Christmas shopping today. However, I went to the doctor yesterday with chest and back pain. I had to have an EKG and get some x-rays taken (while wearing a protective shield for the Bean!). There was nothing conclusive found yesterday, but today a nurse called to say that the x-rays showed that I probably have pneumonia. So, I am now on a pill for that and I'm taking it easy at home. The bad news is the pneumonia. The good news is, I get to watch all the girly flicks I want (while Gerrit is still at work), read People magazine, and do nothing else....guilt free! The Bean must like the down-time because it feels like he/she is practicing either ballet or boxing in there.

Oh! And Lord willing, we'll be able to find out if the Bean is a boy or a girl just in time for Christmas. I'll let you know after the holidays!

The Mind of a Kindergartener.....

.....is an interesting place. Here's a conversation I had with one little girl after she found out I am pregnant.

(First she said "hello" directly to my belly.)

Girl: Are you gonna go to the hospital so they can take your baby out?

Me: Um....someday.

Girl: How many minutes?

Me: A lot of minutes. The baby won't come for a long time.

Girl (suddenly sounding nervous): I....I don't want to have a baby. I don't want babies.

Me: That's okay. No one will make you have a baby.

Girl: Yeah, my mom doesn't want me to have a baby. She's allergic.

Oh my....what must go on in that mind?

Challenge: Day 13

A Photo of Your Best Friends
(Though I feel blessed by many people in my life and consider Gerrit and my family members as best friends, here are the non-relatives that I cherish as bosom buddies!)

(Brittany, Amy, me, Rachel, Jess, Mandy)

These are my best gal pals in my summer dorm in 2006. Oh my! Time flies and what an awkward picture of us all! But that's probably appropriate. Golly, there are so many stories and things I could say about them. I'll just say that I love them all so much as individuals and as a whole. Sadly, we are scattered about now. :( Brittany is in Ukraine, Amy is in the Boundary Waters, Mandy is in New Jersey. It makes my heart sad. Thankfully, Jess and Rachel are still around. Though, I don't see them much. So, I think we should all just move into the same apartment building like in college. Husbands, dogs, and the Bean can come too. Any takers? Girls? You know you want to.

Well, I couldn't talk about best friends without including Adam and Maria. This is another awkward photo, but again, probably appropriate. We had just completed the "5K Rump Roast Run" at a little celebration called "Beef-a-Rama." Good times. We see Adam and Maria nearly every weekend, take a trip with them every summer; and they have become like family to us. Gerrit has known them both since Junior High. I met them later in college when Gerrit and I started dating. Maria was the only girl in the group and we were forced to become friends. :) It worked out quite nicely! We just love them.

Ah, friends. I hold them near and dear to my heart. I hope they all know how special they are and how I love them so.

My Day and Challenge: Day 12

Oh goodness. The day I had. Have you ever had one of those days where little, but stupid, things just keep happening to you? That was my day today.

Incident #1: I brought a packet of hot chocolate to make at school. I had my little metal travel mug with me. It's the small things in life that put a smile on your face, and this was going to be mine. Our teachers' lounge has a filtered water system with one tap for ice cold water and the other for piping hot water. I was being a chatty Cathy with a co-worker who was commenting that I am beginning to show (finally!). Anywoo, I was trying and trying to get my cocoa to mix with the water, but with no luck. I had used the ice cold water. There was no hope of reviving my very cold, "hot" chocolate. Heart-breaking....

Incident #2: For privacy sake, I can only say this: At one point today, I had someone else's diarrhea on my hand. Before you tell me that this will prepare me for poopy diapers, just don't! This was not a diaper situation. This was not MY baby. No. Just no.

Incident #3: An older male co-worker stopped in the hall to chat with me. Knowing that I am pregnant, he asked me how I am feeling. I said I've been feeling good lately. He went on to ask, "So, how much weight have you gained? 10? 20 pounds?"

*{I will now pause here for your reaction.}*

10? 20 pounds? Are those my only 2 options? Do I LOOK like I've gained 10 or 20 pounds?????? Why? Why would you ever ask ANY woman that question????????

Instead of sharing the many unrighteous words that were reeling in my head, I simply said, "NO! I have not gained 20 pounds. I have a doctors appointment coming up. They'll check then. You'll be the first to know." He walked away saying, "Oh dear, I'm so embarrassed. I shouldn't have asked." To which I thought, "You should be. And you shouldn't have."

In brighter (lighter!) news, I think I've started to feel the Bean moving around in there. It's hard to know for sure, but it's exciting nonetheless. It just makes it all the more real. With that, here is my Photo Challenge picture.

A Photo of You

This is me around the 14 or 15 week mark. I'm 17 weeks now and a bit bigger. I hide the 10-20 extra pounds in my feet, I guess. Wowza.