It's a...

GIRL! Alice Nichole came early Sunday morning, May 3, 2009. She was born at 12:59 A.M. after a very short and fast labor. The nurses are still talking about how fast everything went! She is healthy and so pretty! She was 8 lbs, 2 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. I am doing fine. When I can sit in my uncomfortable computer chair for a longer period of time, I will write the full birth story. For now, you can just look at the pictures of my pretty girl!

And the Verdict Is...

Today is my due date. I am still here. Baby is not. Sigh. I am just sitting around and waiting, waiting, waiting, and trying to stay out of the front room so I don't mess it up...Come out, Baby!

Still Here...and Still Big!

Pictures: 1)30 weeks, 3 days
2) My New Trick!
3) 38 weeks

If you are anything like me, then you check the blog of the person you know who could go into labor any day. And, if you are anything like me, you take the absence of a post to mean something. Sadly, in my case, it just means that I am officially done with school and have been doing nothing but sleeping all week long. As you can see, I am still here, and I am still HUGE.

There's not much to report on the homefront--Joe and I are just sitting around and waiting. We went to the doctor Tuesday for our 37 week checkup, and I am dilated 1 cm and 60% effaced. Which is exactly what I was at the 36 week checkup. I think the lack of progress is mostly because I am done with work (clear until August! YAY!) and I have turned into a recluse. I stay home and I sleep-in everyday, and then I take a nap in the afternoons. I feel really lazy, but I tell myself that I haven't been sleeping for the last couple of weeks, and I won't be sleeping in the next couple of weeks, so I have to get sleep when I can. Plus, it's nice to see my ankles back to their regular size--I was starting to get worried! They were so big and swollen from the last two hectic weeks at school. I was never off my feet, and when I was off them, I couldn't put them up, so they ceased to be ankles and were tree trunks instead. The secretaries at school were telling me I needed to have them checked out! But no, it was just the lack of rest.

I have also done a lot of laundry. For the first time since July, there is NOTHING in my laundry baskets! Joe can't believe how much laundry I do, but to be quite honest, it's the only chore I can do while sitting down, so now it has become the chore of choice. Today was the first day I actually ventured out: I went to Wal-Mart, to the libaray, and soon, I am going to venture out again because I feel like a Jamba juice.

So things are pretty tame around here. The baby room is almost completely ready (Joe's going to install the ceiling fan this weekend), I have done all the baby's laundry, the baby bag is packed, and the car seat base is ready to go. The only thing we have left to do is clean the house (which I'm doing one day at a time--I cleaned the bathroom yesterday, and tomorrow I'm hitting the kitchen.), and pack my bags, which I am resisting. Call me susperstitious, but I feel like if I pack my bags now, then this baby is going to laugh and decide to stay put for an extra week. Joe's terrified that I'll go into labor and not be ready. I keep trying to tell him that, even if my water does break, I will have plenty of time to pack a bag because I'll be in labor for a while, this being my first baby and all. His only reply was, "Okay, but if that baby comes while you're in the bathroom or in the car, you're on your own." Which isn't true, but it's his way of telling me that he doesn't agree. Don't worry. I'll pack this weekend. I just hate to have things sitting there waiting--it will make time go that much slower! Not that I think I'm going to go in labor early. I can't. I think Jon Nelson would have a fit--I'm singing in a double trio at stake conference this week, and he is really worried that I will go into labor before then. But I keep assuring him I will be there, ready to sing. Although I have had a recurring nightmare that my water breaks on the stand at stake conference--Joe's even had that dream. What if it really happens? I would have to replace a couple pairs of shoes, I would imagine. Not to mention the mess it would create on the stand... but, it would be a great story to tell.

Anyway, that's really all there is to say right now. Just sitting around, sleeping, waiting, and grateful that it's April and the weather's still crappy (Joe's work is starting to pick up--we might have a decent pay check today!). Wish us luck, and I will try really hard to keep everyone updated.

Final post for this year

Okay, guys. Thanks for being responsible and letting me know about your posts. Blogging is no longer an assignment. We are in the homestretch, and with the Multi-Genre paper, you are excused from blogging, or journaling, or whatever. I hope you keep it up, though. It's a great outlet for your writing. I can guess that there are a few of you who won't continue once this class is over, but maybe the rest of you have found pleasure in writing and responding to others. Anyway, I will post here occasionally, and you are always welcome to blog stalk me (except for Michael...your stalker story scared me a little :) ).

Time to Grade...Again!

I need those of you with a blog to leave a comment and tell me three blogs you would like me to look at and grade. Thanks, and YAY for term four!

Sara Bareilles Concert

So by popular demand (of one person...) I am posting some pictures I took of the wonderfulness of the Sara Bareilles concert I went to on the 16th of February. I tried to put some video I took on here, but alas, I am not that far technologicially advanced. Sorry.

So this is a picture of the one time Sara didn't sing with her piano. She sang a stellar version of the Beatles "Oh, Darlin," one of my favorites from Abby Road. Very cool, indeed.
Sara singing. With her eyes closed.
The people behind me in line. I was really discouraged when I noticed how many people were ahead of me, but then I felt better when I saw how many were behind me.

This is a freaking awesome picture of Sara (yes, I am on a first-name basis) wailing away. I'm not sure what song, but you can bet it was good.
This is the very tasty Javier. He was the guitar player in the band, and he opened for Sara. He has a pretty good Jack-Johnson rip-off. But he was hot. And he helped Sara write "Love on the Rocks." Kudos to Javier.
This was the line in front of me. The cheesy guy on the far right was super annoying, and I wanted to tell him to shut up and to put away his cell phone. Once a teacher, always a teacher.
This is Sara. Of course. But it's a great shot.
Sar. Singing. Again. But I have to say, she is much prettier in person than in any picture I have seen (a professional picture, I mean). I just don't think she's photogenic. But you can see here that she is actually a really pretty girl.
Well, I will have to bring my camera to show the video I took. Unless I can figure out how to get it uploaded... Nope. I'll work on it.

Time to be Graded!

All right, kiddles. It is time to be graded on your blog. You should have at least 5 of the 10 blogs that are required of you for this term--but have no fear! I'm not going to go and count. What I need you to do is leave a comment telling me the three (3) titles of the blogs that you would like me to read, if you haven't already. A few of you have already told me, so if you have, don't worry about it.

And, sorry about the mean substitute. I would hope that you all behaved yourselves with dignity, but I am afraid that is too much to ask. So, if you were mean, or sassed back, just know I am very disappointed in you, even though I understand. BTW: I am keeping up my classroom web page with all the assignments on them again. You can link to it under my heading "Take a Look" Good luck! Don't forget: Three of the blogs you want me to read!