19 Weeks...

This week, Baby Bruce is the size of...

No, not that Mango. This kind of mango!

And I am getting closer and closer to the size of a house!
Just kidding. I am actually kind of proud of my bump. It is looking and feeling like a real baby bump! And when I lay on my back, I can see my belly button looking back at me because my tummy below the button is pushing up. It's kind of fun.

I'm using the website this week for information because my Book is packed away in one of the suitcases that's sitting by the door!

One minute you're lying peacefully in bed and the next your calf muscle feels like it's about to explode. Leg cramps during pregnancy are pretty common (though no one knows exactly what causes them) and tend to strike at night. You might also be wondering about tingling and numbness in your fingers and toes about now. It's a weird sensation but totally normal, probably a result of your body's swelling tissues pressing on nerves. And speaking of weird, have you ever seen a mango dipped in cheese? Well, that's what your baby looks like this week due to a little growth spurt (she's about a half pound in weight and six inches long) and a substance called vernix caseosa. This greasy white stuff covers your baby's skin, protecting it from the surrounding amniotic fluid. (Without it, she'd look totally wrinkled as she entered the world.) The vernix sheds as delivery approaches, though some babies still sport a bit of the coating at birth.

-whattoexpect.com

And this picture kind of looks like my shape up above, doesn't it?

This is just a picture of us after eating at Pizza Hut for the final time yesterday with our good friends. We just had to have our picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower! No, we have not secretly been living in Paris. Some dude had it built to get in good with the big K's President because his wife loves Paris. Funny, huh?

So, we will be heading to the airport in about five hours! Originally, we were planning to have a taxi van take us, but the guy isn't answering his phone, so that isn't going to work out.

Thankfully, we have awesome friends who are going to help us. Matt & Derek both have station wagons, so we should be able to fit everything in them. We are coming home with less than what we came with a year ago, so that's good!

Please keep us in your prayers. Huzz and I are looking forward to being on the plane out of Almaty because a lot of the stress will be over at that point. I will be going to bed in a little bit for a few hours because I'm pretty sure that without a nap, I will be crying at around 3:00 in the morning. I'm a big baby when I'm over tired. Especially when I'm pregnant. First plane taking off to last plane landing, we will be traveling for about 25 hours.

We will see some of you really soon! Love ya!

A Good Read...

I came across this post from It's Almost Naptime today and really liked it. If you have children, or are thinking about having children and plan on raising them in your Christian home, the way God calls us to raise His children, I encourage you to read this.

Huzz and I were just talking about this the other night - how do we raise our children to follow Him? It is my biggest fear, as I become a mom. I can do everything "right," at least as best as I can, but in the end, every child chooses their own way. They have that power! And it's a power that I cannot control. It is scary, but it really shouldn't be. We have the Holy Spirit on our side, working in our childrens' hearts and minds. I am just an assistant to God's work.

Anyway, I will definitely be looking into the suggestions that Missy makes in her post, using the little things to help teach our children about their Holy Father.

If you have any other suggestions of how to do this, please let me know!

18 Weeks...

Awww, it's a little sweet potato! How cute. The little peanut is growing quickly! I am super in tune to trying to see if I can feel him/her moving around. I kind of think I have, but it's not consistent yet, so I'm not sure if it's a not-so-cute gas bubble. I should find out any day!

We have another ultrasound scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and I'm really looking forward to it. I have reached another point where I am having trouble believing that there's really a baby in there! My day to day changes have slowed down and my troublesome side effects have also, which is a very good thing. I just think feeling the baby move on a regular basis will be a constant reminder that he/she really is in there.

And the great book says:

At 5 1/2 inches long and about 5 ounces in weight (as much as that chicken breast you're having for dinner, but a lot cuter), your baby is filling out nicely and getting large enough that you might even be feeling those twists, rolls, kicks, and punches he or she is perfecting. Another set of skills your baby is mastering now is yawning and hiccuping (you might even begin to feel those hiccups soon!). And your one-of-a-kind baby is truly one of a kind now, complete with unique fingerprints on his or her fingertips and toes.

- What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition

I am still having trouble eating chicken. Although, the other night, I made teriyaki chicken and was able to keep it down. And my sweet Huzz cut it up raw for me. I kind of have to forget that I'm eating and distract myself with the t.v. or something so I don't think about it.

It is getting more difficult for me to sleep. I am a stomach and side sleeper - mostly stomach. I keep waking up halfway between being on my stomach and my side...like, 3/4 of the way on my stomach. It doesn't hurt or anything, but I don't want to do any damage.

I ordered a pregnancy body pillow that should be waiting at my parents' house when we get there and I am really looking forward to trying that out!

I also ordered a shirt from Gap Maternity to wear in our family reunion picture in July. Also hoping that gets to Mom and Dad's before we leave for the Lake. I have been really frustrated with shopping for clothes online, as the stuff that they seem to have in stock is incredibly limited. It also seems like stores like the Gap and Old Navy don't carry very much in their stores, so their online store will say "available only online" and then they only have it available in an XS or an XXL, which I am neither. I am planning on going shopping for some clothes for the summer right when we get back because I have like, 3 things that fit me now, and I'm hoping I am able to find some things.

Anyway, we are off to meet with Huzz's old co-workers for dinner tonight! Enjoy your Thursday! It's a good one. Ha!

It's Over...What's Next?

It is finished. Over. Completed. That's all. Closed. Ceased. Concluded. Done for. Ended. Executed. In the past. Wrapped up. Over and done. Through.

In Russian: "fsyo"

I have had a couple of days to unwind and think about what has come to a close.

The worst professional year of my life.

Yes, this has been the most difficult year of my life, actually ~ mostly due to my job. But when you spend over 10 hours a day at a destructive place, it wears on you.

Even these goof-ball faces tortured me at times. Two-thirds of the children you see in this picture had no English knowledge nine months ago.

Now, they all understand me, verbally. Even the little guy who joined our class in March.

This is me and my teaching assistant, Katherine. Difficult year.

All lined up, ready to go to the assembly, where the Headmaster informed the entire school that I have found the atmosphere in the big K "procreational."

I wanted to crawl under my chair.

I put on a happy face for my kids, while dealing with one headache after another with administration. One headache including the accounting department deliberately choosing an exchange rate that did not exist and shorting all of us a few hundred dollars in our pay.

Don't worry ~ it just reminded me over and over that those of us who are leaving the school are doing the right thing.

I was a wreck on Friday night because I was just so relieved. I could not stop crying.

Our actual last day was on Saturday because we had this ridiculous awards ceremony that couldn't possibly have been done on Friday afternoon.

Then, we had a Summer Ball to attend on Saturday night at the school, with the parents.

A group of us decided to go for a drink before the Ball.

17 Weeks...

Onions make me cry. Just looking at it makes my eyes want to water!

I swear my shirt is not that see-through. The flash did something inappropriate. Haha!

The bump you see today may look a lot like the bump from 2-3 weeks ago, but I think it's the real thing now. Not so much... bloating.

Thank goodness tomorrow is my last day of school because none of my suit pants fit anymore, even when they're all the way unzipped and I use my belly band. I take that back. I can get them on (my butt and legs haven't increased in size too much yet), but it is extremely uncomfortable. I'm sporting the skirts a lot lately. This one also is all the way unzipped along the side and covered with the belly band, but it's not as uncomfortable as the pants.

Here is what's happening with Baby Bruce this week!

Your baby is practicing sucking and swallowing as she gets ready for the real thing: a breast or bottle! As for Mom, you may be warding off some unwanted belly touching. Now that you're starting to show, chances are that friends, coworkers, and even strangers may feel the urge to reach out and touch your belly. If you don't mind, that's fine. But if you do, speak up kindly but firmly. A new development with your body: a greater sensitivity to allergens these days. What's up with your baby? She's about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and she's developing some body fat (join the club, baby!). Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours!

- whattoexpect.com (revised, as I took out some parts I'm not sure I want all my readers to know about. I love you all, but still...)

I am halfway through the second to last day of school! Seriously, I thought tomorrow would never come. This has been the longest school year of my life. Saturday night, I never have to see this place again.

Except on Monday and Wednesday, when I have to come and drop off and pick up my passport to HR (can't stand those guys) because they are "legally required to issue me an exit visa no more than 15 days before my departure."

Whatever.

But after that, I will be school free! And I thank God because I know that He has brought me through this year.

Oh, and less than 15 days until we are home!!! I know our family, especially, is very happy to help us count down the days.