I'm a Bad, Bad, Blogger

***Note: this was written 3 weeks ago and then never posted. See....I told you I was a bad blogger!

First of all, to my few readers out there, I'm so sorry! I have been feeling really good lately, but have been so busy with grad school, grading projects and essays, and coaching that I haven't been telling all my good stories lately. :)

A couple weeks ago, mom and I went baby shopping just to get an idea of what's out there. What a day! The first store we went to is in Vinings, called Precious Cargo. At first, I was completely overwhelmed, but at the end of our visit, we were approached by an extremely helpful woman who turned out to be the owner. She taught us more than we could have ever thought to learn about cribs: conversion cribs that turn in to a toddler bed, conversion cribs that turn in to a full eventually, drop side cribs (which are good for short mommas like me, but congress is outlawing them soon), iron cribs, wood cribs, etc. etc. Based on her teachings, and my limited research, this is my fave so far:

How far along? 18 weeks today!
Total weight gain: none....as of a couple weeks ago. I've been avoiding the scale. :)
Maternity clothes? just started....have an awesome pair of maternity jeans from GAP that I heart. I can still wear most of my shirts and sweaters, but have a few long shirts for the growing belly.
Sleep: starting to get uncomfortable on my back...but I'm not comfy on my side, either
Best moment this week: peeing in my pants a little when I sneezed (sensing some sarcasm?)
Movement: I think....but I'm still not sure, but I want to believe it was the baby and not gas.
Gender: will know on 11/24...most people are guessing boy, but the "ring test" predicted a girl.
Labor Signs: ha--not even close
Belly Button in or out? in, but starting to look like an Asian eye (as my sis-in-law calls it) meaning it's a bit hooded and stretched out. sounds cute, huh?
What I miss: nothing really...I'm still too excited about being pregnant
What I am looking forward to: knowing if we're having a He-Nugget or She-Nugget!!!
Weekly Wisdom: keep the news from your teenaged students for as long as you can. I'm so tired of them sneaking up on me to touch my belly (eew!) or exclaiming, "Mrs. Blevins! You're showing!" or "I can see your baby bump!" Uh, no duh....it's been there for weeks. Can we talk about something relevant to Language Arts now?
Milestones: feeling Nugget move around....if I did....I'm still not sure....it seems to good to be true

14 Weeks

Does anybody else think my "bump" is way high?!?! Actually, I think my true baby bump is lower, but everything is being shoved up so I have all this swelling above the bump too. Nice. My stomach is gross. I'm so ready to have a cute baby bump and not a fat, I-eat-too-much-and-never-work-out belly.

I can't believe I've lived my entire teenage (yes, I was thinking about mommy-hood even then) and adult life thinking I wouldn't want to know the sex of my baby when I got pregnant some day. Boy, was I wrong! It's all I can think about now! I feel like I can't do anything until I know if Nugget is a He-Nugget or She-Nugget. So I browse online at strollers, cribs, car seats, clothes, etc. feeling like I can't connect to any of it until I know if my son or daughter will be using it. I'm sure Jay is just loving this because he has said all along that he'd want to find out when we got pregnant some day, and I would just roll my eyes as if to say, "tough luck, buddy, if I don't want to know, then you ain't gonna know" and now here I am dying to know and I still have 6 more weeks before my next ultrasound!!

Remind Me...

...of the kind of parent I don't want to be when needed m'kay? What kind of parent is that? you ask. The kind of parent so many children today seem to have. The kind of parent who makes excuses for their child rather than encouraging him/her to be a better student. The kind of parent who questions every. little. thing. their child's teacher assigns. The kind of parent who allows their child to manipulate them. The kind of parent who has given or allowed their child to grow in to a sense of entitlement. The kind of parent who "rescues" their child at every opportunity rather than letting them learn from their mistakes. The kind of parent who lets their child walk all over them.
Dear God, please teach me how to be a good parent. And please help me remember that none of us are perfect, and that these parents are just doing what they think is best. Even if the rest of us can see just how wrong it is. Love, Chelsea

**Speaking of those kind of parents....listen to this clip from a school in Australia. This is their "new and improved" voice mail. LOVE IT!!!

(Ok, so I'm having technical difficulties and can't figure out how to post it. Have patience, or in the meantime, go to http://www.q100atlanta.com/ and find it on their site.)

Baby Blev's Baby Room

I am surrounded by incredibly talented people in my life. One of whom is my best friend Natalie, an interior designer in Nashville. She was in town last weekend and I got to spend a few precious moments with her and our families at dinner. While at dinner, I mentioned that I'd recently become obsessed with nests and birds (see the post "Sharing the News or Birdies" below) and was thinking it'd be great inspiration for Nugget's nursery. Naturally, Natalie has gone above and beyond and has created a more beautiful nursery than I could have imagined. Mom, you've got some competition! :)

The Good News Is....I Can Still Suck In!!! (Sorta)

12 weeks, 5 days

At the end of the day...obviously!

Sucking in...

Letting it all hang out...

Surprisingly, I haven't gained any weight yet! Or at least that's what they told me yesterday at the doctor. Maybe I gained my first few pounds today?!?!

P.S. Got to hear the heartbeat yesterday. Fast and strong!