8 weeks, 9 weeks, 10 WEEKS!!!

8 Weeks:   

   The Munchkin and I have been monitored very closely by our friends at Coastal Fertility. They've been so good to us. We went in for an 8 week check-up and they did a routine ultrasound. Everything looked normal and the doctor was so pleased that he released us from his care.
       
      It was kind of a bittersweet moment. It was exciting because it means we are both healthy and moving right along. But, we have had such good care at Coastal, and we've made so many friends. The staff was so considerate, caring, and empathetic during each part of our journey...it was hard to say "goodbye". They were such a big part of our journey thus far; it's hard to imagine finishing it without them.

     They sent us off with a picture of the Munchkin, and a goody bag. Inside the goody bag was a sweet little stocking cap!!!

It's a little blurry...but we take what we can get! :)

                                                 

Somehow I think it will be a while before the Munchkin's head can fit in that hat...and I pray to God I am correct because...that would require a kill-sized noggin (if you catch my drift).


9 Weeks:
     Right after being released from the fertility specialists, we scheduled an appointment with our regular OB/GYN. We were happy to return, because my regular doctor had been a big part of my journey too. Plus, it was just another sign telling us things are going good.

     Of course, each doctor's office requires their own ultrasound images, so we went in and had another ultrasound (even though we've had one about every 2 weeks since the IVF procedure). Hey! I'm not going to complain about seeing the proof of a little miracle swimming around inside the house Jesus made for him/her.

    Kevin had to work so he couldn't be with us (which wasn't a big deal because we literally had one like 3 days earlier), so Mom and my sister Cierra came. It was fun to be able to experience it with them! We even got a video of the ultrasound. It shows the baby moving a good bit. Maybe he/she has LOTS of energy like daddy! :)

10 Weeks:
    The following week we went in to see my OB/GYN to gather all the routine measurements and stuff. I love when I get the question, "So when is the last day of menstrual cycle?" I respond with, "I'm really not sure, but my due date is Sept. 29th." Then they ask the most annoying question, "How do you know that if you don't know the last day of your last cycle?" I always give the annoyed stare. 

     I know these people are just doing their job but like...really? You are questioning the due date I'm giving you? It says RIGHT THERE on my chart that I did IVF...and it was sent straight over from the fertility specialist that I was referred to by YOU GUYS! It just really blows my mind. They want proof of a menstrual cycle, but how much more proof can you get when your chart says the DAY your baby was returned to your body?
     
    Anyway...let me step down off that soap box to tell you that once again, mommy and baby were found to be healthy, normal, and moving right along. No symptoms of pregnancy, just the lack of energy and a menstrual cycle. It's proof enough for me.

A lot changes in just a week!

Interesting Fact: I STILL haven't peed on a stick. 

I guess it's because I've peed on so many sticks over the past 5 years and never gotten a positive. I have a small fear of them to be honest. When I think about it...it kind of makes me panic. That fear of disappointment sits right on the surface...still. So, I just avoid the sticks.

Maybe I'll be brave...one day. When my belly is undeniably in everyone's face. 

Until then...I'll just "stick" to the opinion of the medical professionals. ;)

A Gummy Kind of Love

   I teach 6 year olds. I love it. It's challenging, rewarding, and EXHAUSTING...but, I love it. My freshman year in college, I worked in an after-school daycare program. I vowed to everyone around me that I would NEVER work in a school. (I probably need to throw that word out of my vocabulary come to think of it. I have to eat it...alot.) Anyway, here I sit nearly 5 years of this madness under my belt.

   I wouldn't trade it for the world. There's something amazing about meeting a child in the Fall whose level of knowledge is less than promising, only to find at the beginning of the Summer season they have blossomed into a new child so full of knowledge, that you barely remember the child you met a few short months back. It's a satisfying feeling knowing that you had a part in shaping that little mind for his/her benefit.

   Each year my biggest fear is that I will not love my new class nearly as much as I had loved my previous one. I'm amazed each year when I prove my theory wrong. Each little darling who has walked through my classroom door has a very special place in my heart. When I get a new student...the same theory errupts my "Utopia" and I get a little annoyed and anxious about how in the world I will ever have enough love and attention for all 24 students under my care. Again, I prove myself wrong every time. 

   That's what's special about love; especially about a teacher's love. It's like bubble gum. That one piece loses flavor quick, so you pop in another one to accompany it. Pretty soon you've got this HUGE sticky, messy, glob, that will stretch for MILES and stick to anything it touches. That's a teacher's love...new students enter, pop in another wad, chew on it a bit, repeat, and pretty soon that messy, sticky, glob of love will stick to each and every one of her students.

   This year, I have a class full particularly pleasant pupils. I tell them constantly that they are "magical". They've even started referring to themselves as that. We live in our classroom called "Magic Land"; Utopia...until next year anyway (when Utopia is recreated once again). Anyway, I decided that today was as good a day as any to tell my magical children that Mrs. B is expecting a Baby B.

   I borrowed a book from one of my collegues called, Brown Bear's Wonderful Secret. (My collegue had used this a few years back to announce her pregnancy to her class, so I totally stole her idea!) It's a sweet little story about a bear who is trying to get her friends to guess her secret, that she's expecting. Super cute! So, I read the book and I told them I had a secret too. :)

   Here's a clip from the reveal:

  I just love their sweet little reaction! Magical, I tell you. If you listen closely, you'll hear one of them say, "Man! I KNEW it! All y'all owe me $20!" I laughed out loud at that. Then came the question (dum dum duuuuuuum). I was asked how you can tell the difference between a boy and a girl baby. "Do you have to look at their private parts? Because my momma told me you did." Quickly, I responded with the "I'm not a doctor" speech and changed the subject.

   Yep. There's a little snapshot of the fires I put out on a daily basis. From the mouths of innocent, sweet, babes. They are so precious. If I love my students this much (and they only spend 180 days with me) I can't imagine how much love will ooze from my pores for my little one. 

    I pray that my bubble-gum-love continues to stretch, grow, and stick to all the little lives I touch both past, present, and future. Oh, and that I will be better prepared for those innocent questions that require quite a bit of grown-up thinking.

    This is going to be quite an adventure! I'm so ready for it...I think!!! :)

Happy V-day!

     Today is Valentine's Day! One of my FAVORITE days of the year. Sure, it's cliché and cliché days aren't special days, but my Valentine's Days have been special since February 14 of 2007 because that was the first time I officially spent it with my FOREVER VALENTINE!

Our first official V-day together.
Just a few short days before our engagement! We were 19 & 21!

Our last Valentine's Day together as a family of 2!
Last year, 2-14-13!

   Seven years later, here we are celebrating our love again, but this time in a WHOLE new way! I get giddy every time I think about the little miracle I carry within my womb. I'm giddy because I know what a miracle he/she is, and I'm giddy because I get to carry Kevin with me wherever I go for the next 9 months.

    Valentine's Day may change for us in appearance...but it will NEVER change in our attitudes or hearts! I can't wait to meet our little "Love Muffin" and share that love with him/her. Wonder who he/she will look like??? Daddy (on the left) or Mommy (on the right)?

    Kevin always does such a good job making me feel loved on Valentine's Day. He showers me with sweet little gifts, not extravagant ones, but the ones that remind me how adored I am. My favorite is always the card. He writes such sweet little notes in them that I will cherish forever. Here are my treats from today...

   Of course...the best treat he gave me this year, was the honor of being the mother of his first child! BEST GIFT EVER!!!

   My man got his "sweet genes" honestly. The Boatwrights sure know how to make Valentine's Day special. Each year, my father-in-law makes his "girls" chocolate-covered strawberries accompanied by a super sweet message. This year was no different EXCEPT, I got a few extra treats...for the little miracle who is now my constant companion. :)

These two books are the absolute most precious children's books I have ever read! They are my favorites!!!

   To say I had an amazing Valentine's Day would be an understatement, so...I'll just stuffice it to say, words fail to express how very special this day has been. My love for John Kevin Boatwright always seems so overwhelming that I'm sure it can never be more than it is in whatever moment I get to share with him. Of course, I should know better by now because each and every moment I spend with him, that love gets deeper, stronger, more pure, more extravagant. I'm sure it will be the same with our child. 

Here a few pics from our date tonight:

   On this day last year, I said goodbye to my precious Nana. The greatest prayer warrior I've ever known went home to be with her Savior and her Forever Valentine. How appropriate that we get to celebrate her memory one year later with the announcement of a brand-new life! I love you, Nana! I hope you and Pa are smiling down on us on this very special day, and you can send a little extra love to our growing raspberry so that he/she will get to know a piece of you, even if in the smallest way!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

7 weeks and 5 days today!
This raspberry is the size of our miracle this week!



Ice, Ice, BABY!

        Earlier this week, we got the warning that another snow storm might be coming. Our eyes were glued to the weather channel, just looking for signs of that "white stuff". Tuesday at school, my students were all hyped up on the possibility of another snow day. I was not to keen on the idea, because:

1. I HATE cold weather...other than the super cute layers of clothing and fires in the fireplace.

2. We had already missed ONE day of school and we were already having to make that one up...I didn't want to make up MORE!

3. Mr. B does not, DOES NOT do well in closed quarters. He must be DOING something every minute of the day that he is not sleeping so, there would be no super sweet snuggle-by-the-fireside time for us. I knew I would either be driven crazy by his cabin fever OR be worried sick about him driving around on dangerous roads looking for things to do.

     However, with my students acting like caged animals...I was hoping for an early dismissal Tuesday. Many schools did get dismissed, however we stayed until the very end of the day. I even got observed by my principal (which was kind of nerve wracking considering the condition of my students) but she was very understanding of the situation and now...I don't have to worry about it for the rest of the year!!! That's something to celebrate!

    Anyway, Wednesday morning (exactly two weeks from our last snow day 1/29/14) we woke up to another winter wonderland. It looked just as pretty as the last time...except this time IT WAS ALL ICE!!! The slippery, hard, no-fun, cold, white stuff.

    Needless to say, school was cancelled for the next THREE days. Power was shutting off EVERYWHERE! Luckily, my parents have a wood burning stove that is super warm and doesn't require any electricity.

    My sister Cierra, her husband Sean, and my ADORABLE niece came over to hang out with us because they were worried about their power going out and being stranded, since the weather was getting worse. That meant...lots of snuggle time with Addi V!

    Eventually, our whole family came over to play in the ice and we ended up hanging out all day watching movies, laughing at silly things, walking around in the ice, playing Clue and taking pictures. It was tons of fun!

     When we realized that the roads were continuing to worsen, everyone decided to sleep over and we had a HUGE slumber party!!! My family is loud anyway, but when we are all together...its impossible to get a moments peace. It's how we are, I love it, and I wouldn't change it for the world!

     Thursday, we woke up, ate waffles and did some more ice play. Here are some of the pictures from our day:

      My family is large. My family is loud. We're opinionated, obnoxious, and people say we're sheltered. But you know, I wouldn't change a thing. I can't wait to introduce Baby B to this crazy, beautiful life that I live amongst this family that I love so much! I know he/she will soak up the loud-and-crazy right along with Mommy and Daddy. :)

A Taste of the Devine

       

 

      This week, my little munchkin is the size of a blueberry! We've gone from a poppy seed, to a peppercorn, to a BLUEBERRY! Baby is growing!!! It feels slow now, but I'm soaking up every minute! I want to take in every detail, every piece, every part. Who knows if this will be my one and only miracle? I don't know God's plans for my life, but I know they are good and I can trust Him with it. I give it to Him. 

      With that being said, I'm glad the process feels slow right now...I'm not in a rush to rid myself of the joy that comes from this tiny secret. Granted, I may be whistling a different tune in a few short months...but for now, I'm okay with the slow and steady progress.

      Today was a BIG day for our little blueberry! It was the first time we had an ultrasound since we were reunited. We are at 6 weeks and 3 days. When I went into the doctor's office, I got butterflies. Nervous butterflies. I know I am pregnant. I feel tired, my ladies are sore, acne is rearing its ugly head, and "Aunt Flow" hasn't visited (for the first time in my adult life), but other than that, I've experienced no symptoms. Don't get me wrong...I am EXTREMELY grateful for this, but I feel relatively normal. I don't feel pregnant. So, the butterfly nerves attacked. 

      As the routine began, I anxiously stared at the monitor. I've seen this screen more times than I can count. Routine ultrasounds were done multiple times a week on me for several years, so...I'm familiar with the picture. I was half-expecting the same familiar picture to pop up on the screen, but as soon as the picture appeared I saw this:

      That little tiny "seed" hadn't been there before! In fact, all I had ever seen was "white noise", but that little seed...that was proof of life! Upon further inspection, I could see a tiny little white dot flashing rapidly in the center of that little seed. I'm so accustomed to hearing bad news that I just remained silent, butterflies going crazy, waiting to hear what the doctor said. 

      He froze the frame a couple of times, printed some pictures, and then pointed at the screen to where that little white dot was rapidly flashing. He said, "You see that? That's your baby's heart beating. Everything looks perfect!" Tears of relief, excitement, anticipation, gratitude, joy...all rolled up into one explosive ball of hormones. That should paint a pretty picture for you. :)

      When you see something that miraculous, something the size of a blueberry with a beating heart, how can you deny the awesomeness of my God??? Just two weeks ago, I SAW that little clump of cells that resembled a blob! There was no heart then. No test tube made that little heart. No test tube formed that little blueberry body! No test tube formed that little yolk of protection! No test tube formed the little ropes of tissue that tied that little blueberry to my womb! THAT WAS MY GOD!!! That was my Wonderful, Conquerer, Holy, Mighty, Healer, Deliverer, Strong Tower, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Alpha, Omega, Lord of EVERYTHING! That is my GOD and I can do no less than sing a song of praise to Him as Hannah did! 

      In 1 Samuel 2, Hannah sings a song of praise to her God. She sings not about what He's done for her but who He is! I can do no less! He has blessed me in more ways than I can express! Even in this journey, the hardest journey of my life, He has blessed me. 

     1 Peter 1:7 says it like this, "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests gold--though your faith is more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."

      I am blessed because, to Him, I am more precious than gold. To Him, I am gold...refined by the fire, for His glory. May this experience, be the foundation of a beautifully refined golden crown I can lay at His feet someday!!!