Stress Free?

They say to have a healthy pregnancy you should be stress free, or limit your stress.  I think this is a hard thing to do for most anyone.  And needless to say my life while pregnant has been far from stress free.  Although, I've done a good job handling it most of the time. I rarely let it take a toll on me. However, stress likes to rear its ugly head up occasionally.

In my four year career as a teacher I have now been displaced from two schools.  What is displacement?  Well, it's when the county comes to a principal and says you have too many teachers for your school, you need to get rid of "x" amount of teachers.  And typically the pecking order begins with younger teachers. Well after speaking with three different principals I can finally say I have a school to work at next year.  I have expected a job at a Middle School.  Not ideally as close to home as I would like, but not any longer than I am driving now.  I am glad  to finally say I know where I'm going to be next year, but the process has not been easy on me.  

I am strangely optimistic about working at the middle school level.  I use to think I always wanted to avoid this age group of students.  However, I am always up to new challenges, and love that I now will have the experiences in elementary, middle,and high.  With these experiences under my belt I feel like I can handle anywhere my teaching future takes me.  Plus, a big part of me feels like this is only preparing me better to raise my precious little Zoe. 

I believe that becoming a parent will benefit me as a teacher, and being a teacher will only benefit me more as a parent. I look forward to the challenges my future with Zoe, and any siblings will bring me. And plan to face them head on!

 In addition to job hunting, interviewing, and having to make decisions (which I've never been good at) I've had other news recently thrown at me as well. 

Come to find out one of my students was recently diagnosed with fifths disease. Turns out fifths disease is a strain of chicken pox.  However, just because someone has had chicken pox before it does not mean they are immune to fifths disease. Basically, fifths disease acts like a severe cold.  The only difference is children displace a rash through rosy red cheeks.  If I were to contract the disease it could be transferred  to my child, and cause many serious complications.

http://www.babycenter.com/0_fifth-disease-parvovirus-b19-during-pregnancy_1463060.bc

 Needless to say I made an immediate visit to my ob/gyn to make sure that I had not contracted the disease.  The results of the blood test re-leaved my fears only slightly.  I do not currently have fifths disease, however I am still susceptible. Which means I'm nervous that the disease could be traveling around school.  I've asked my kindergarten and first grade teacher to be on the look out, and keep back any children they believe to be sick.  Hopefully this will keep me healthy until summer arrives in a week.

On another note, I believe I'm starting to feel little Zoe's first few flutters. : )

My baby is the size of a mango right now. 

Don't Worry About a Thing

I woke up yesterday with a song in my head, "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley.  Don't worry, about a thing, Every little thing is going to be alright.  I'm going to take the hint :)

It's a....

My Mother, and many others were right!

I just love these little legs and feet.  I can't wait to hold them!

She was moving her arms around a lot. I think she was waving at us, or sucking her thumb. She even turned and looked at us during the ultrasound....But because the ultrasound shows bones it's kind of a creepy picture of her skull.  I prefer the profile views until she is born.  I can't wait to see her beautiful face!

An Update

Just an update on my situation.  Nothing really new.  Still going to the acupuncturist once a week, still taking my temperature each morning, still waiting and hoping.  Last month I got really confident again that "this is going to be the month" so I was disappointed again at the end of it. My actupuncturist even thought that I might be pregnant last month because my pulse was stronger.  It's hard.  Each month I follow all of the steps and I'm supposed to think positively but balance that with not being *too* positive because each time I convince myself this is really it this time, I'm disappointed again when I get my period, then I'm being "negative" again because I start thinking it's never going to happen.  I have to monitor my jealousy about other people's pregnancies (not really Cassie - I'm excited to be an Aunt and so happy for her [although I am the older sister], but people like Snooki who probably shouldn't even be breeding).  Don't I deserve it because I want it so much?  No one thinks when they start this journey that they're going to have problems getting pregnant.  I'm certainly not the only one of my friends having issues, but people just naturally think it's going to be easy.  And we see that for some people it is easy.  And for some people it just seems like it's easy because we're not privy to all of the attempts and "this is the time" and disappointments that they went through before they got pregnant.  It's not always easy to remind myself that although I'm struggling with this, there are many things I have that other people would want like my wonderful husband and the best family anyone could ask for (especially my sister), I have a nice house to live in, a good job and enough food to eat.  I do have a good life.  I just would really like to have a child.  I guess I'll find out in a week or so...

What gender do you think our baby will be?

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We are a weeks away from our next ultrasound. And of course the question on everyone minds is, what gender will our baby be?  

What do you think? Take the poll above.

Originally I thought I was having a boy.  No particular reason.  I just automatically started calling my baby a he.  And based upon my bodies development, such as the fact that my butt hasn't not gotten bigger (or maybe people are just being nice) then my body would suggest boy.  I think...

However, other theories point the other direction. 

According to the Chinese gender chart. I should be having a girl.  Also, my mom who is fairly accurate at these kinds of things has said since the beginning that I will have a girl.  Of course her and all of my female students are convinced of this fact.  Where as my male students think otherwise. 

Other Internet sources and prediction quizzes have also predicted girl.  One of the main theories relating to my babies heart beat.  My last doctors appointment showed a heartbeat of 160.  Typically anything faster then 140 is a girl. Although I've heard heart beat can be affected by diet and activity.  The heart beat also traditionally slows as the pregnancy progresses.

So the question still is.  What gender will my baby be?

Hopefully in a week the baby will cooperate, and let us know.