some photos by Bruce

Bruce has a great camera with a new flash- so we did a little photo shoot in his "studio". He is quite the photographer. It was fun to get some pictures of us before Coranelle arrives. I am sure we will do another photo shoot after she arrives.
Ryan kissing his little girl. She's gonna be a daddy's girl!
Ryan wants Coranelle to know his voice, so he has been reading childrens' stories to her. This particular book about chickens was quite funny.

Two future parents- very excited and very much in love!

new life

This is the front bed at our house. I like all of my blooming flowers. New life in the garden growing and new life growing inside of me!Another shot of the front garden. I have yellow and red tulips and blooming daffodils! That is the watering can that I bought because it reminded me of one Grandma Corky had. I spent lots of time Sunday weeding and planting some herbs and wildflowers. My body is a little sore from squatting with my big belly in the way. But, I love the greening grass and blooming flowers!
Here is my spinach starting to come up. I also have snap peas coming up. I have lots more vegetables to plant in the near future.

My pretty daffodils. 35 weeks along. I guess this time, I look like a pea. Tehe!


So, we have about 5 weeks left. Who knows if Coranelle will wait to come until 6 weeks, or if she'll be ready to come in 2 weeks. It is getting close to a huge, life change for us and we are getting excited! I went to the doctor on Friday (during our second big spring snow storm). My blood pressure is still nice and low ( 90/55) and everything looked good. The average weight gain at this point is 20-29 pounds. I have packed on about 18, so I am on track. Gaining steadily and surely. My stomach has grown another 2 cm. in the last two weeks. So, all of that is normal. But, when the doctor got out the Doppler to listen to the heart beat, she was feeling my ribs. My ribs are so sore. Anyhow, the doctor told me they feel like they have expanded as much as they will. She was a little concerned about where Coranelle is going to grow. I have no torso and seem to have expanded as much as possible. So, maybe I will start stretching out from side to side. I feel bad that Coranelle is getting all cramped in my tummy.
I am feeling a more and more uncomfortable lately. I haven't slept well at all the last three nights. I cannot get comfortable and I often wake up sore and with a headache. I guess I am getting well prepared for waking up for the crying and night time feedings. Oh well, I can put up with 5 more weeks of uncomfortable. It will be well worth it in the end. And Ryan has been super supportive. He never turns down my request for a backrub or neckrub- even at 3:33am. What a good guy!
I find that walking every day and continuing pre-natal yoga has really helped me out in being comfortable. I hope to be able to continue exercising until the day she is born.
We put up some new things in the nursery and it feels like things are really coming together. We have a corner shelf to hold all of the diaper products and a hanging diaper bag- all within reach of the "changing table". We have also gotten more wonderful gifts from friends and family. The closet is filling up with cute, pink and purple dresses and outfits. I love being in the nursery. I cannot wait until there is another occupant in there.
We also have started packing our bags- just in case. We have a little bag packed for Coranelle too. I have started filling out her baby book and continue to have a "nesting" syndrome. I keep finding things to clean and organize. As Poppa Bruce says, right now, I feel like I have everything under control. That will all change in a few weeks when Coranelle is the one in control!
My co-workers all now know that I will not be coming back next year so that I can stay home with Coranelle. Most of them are really happy for me that I get the chance to stay at home and raise my child. I feel so blessed at this opportunity too.
That's all I have that is new to report. Thanks to all of you for reading and enjoy this beautiful, spring weather.

34 weeks photo

I guess Coranelle is now gaining an ounce every day! Quite the growth spurt. She has been moving and rolling around in me all day today! Ryan's aunt says that I look like a black olive, only cuter.

almost 34 weeks

Owl pellet dissection in my classroom. We were studying regurgitated owl pellets to learn about what owls eat. I have never seen my students so engaged.
These two are working on digging out a mouse skull from their pellet. What an exciting day!

This is my baby shower in the library. My mom got to come and is admiring something cute in this photo.
We got tons of precious baby clothes. It took me almost an hour to take all of the tags off of them to wash. All of the clothes are now folded and put away and I just have to wait patiently for Coranelle to arrive so I can dress her in all of her cute outfits. It is hard to be patient!
This is the picture of 33 weeks. Growing belly, for sure! Coranelle is now about 19 inches long and weighs about 5 pounds. She is packing on some fat now to make delivery easier or her.

I had a wonderful baby shower given to me on Friday by the ladies at school. They made delicious cake for me and people brought in breakfast. There were adorable bootie decorations on the tables and fun balloons. Many people brought gifts and we got supplied with diapers, wipes, bottles, spoons, bowls, shampoos, ointments, blankets and toys. Everyone was SO generous! One of the secretaries made me this incredible money tree and tied rolls of money onto the branches. We got $75 dollars! And Ryan spent $75 on Friday on a very gently used baby hiking backpack/carrier. So, the money tree paid for our awesome pack. The pack is a Kelty and really nice. It has a sun and rain shield and it adjusts and is really light and comfortable. It has a pack on the back to store gear. Coranelle is going to love exploring the outdoors in it. We are excited to be able to hike with her in the awesome new pack.

We got so many cute clothes too! I feel like Coranelle is going to be the most stylish baby ever! She even got a pink and orange mini- skirt. I appreciate everyone's generosity and enthusiasm so much! The hard part is just waiting! But, there is still some baking that needs to be done. So, I'll keep her in the oven for 6 more weeks (hopefully).

33 weeks and growing

Sorry it has been a while since the last update. I will update a week 33 photo soon. I started back to school after a long spring break this past Monday and things have been hectic with planning, meetings, assessments, CSAP, etc.

What is new in the world of pregnancy? Well, I went to the doctor on Friday. My belly has grown 2 inches in 2 weeks, so little Coranelle seems to be going through quite a growth spurt. Despite all that growth, I packed on 1 pound! But, I am starting to actually feel big. Thankfully, I am still able to wear the bras I wore when I was on the pill, but who knows how much that will change when my milk comes in. I was surprised to find out that I am already producing colostrum- and I won't say much more about that since there are males that read this. But, it is crazy to see your body produce something in new places. Hopefully, breastfeeding will be smooth and successful!

I had an ultrasound to check to see if the baby was head down. She is! She won't likely move now, so that is great. While the doctor was giving me an ultrasound, I had her check to see if I was still, in fact, having a girl. And, we are! So, bring on the pink clothes and accessories. I can confidently say that there won't be a boy coming out in May that has to put up with lots of pink polka dotted attire.

Last weekend, Ryan and I took the childbirth class on Saturday from 9am-5pm. It was a marathon class, but we learned a lot about labor, complications, breathing, contractions, positions for helping relieve pain, pain medication, etc. Ryan is going to be a wonderful coach and he is so supportive and attentive. My mom and Heido will both be with me during labor and I know they will take good care of Ryan and me. I have no idea what labor will bring, or how I will deal with the pain. I would love to do it without medication- but have reserved the right to change my mind if I so desire. We learned about the new "walking epidural" and that sounds intriguing to me. It takes the edge off the pain, without numbing, so I could still walk around or use different breathing/yoga positions to ease the discomfort. It might be a good option. I also found that doing prenatal yoga will be truly helpful with my breathing and I have learned lots of great positions from yoga that I will be able to use during labor. Who would have thought that I would have stuck with yoga?! I even bought my own, personal yoga mat!

At our class, we also got to see the birthing rooms. They are like fancy hotels! Seeing the rooms made the up and coming transition in our lives VERY real. I could picture being in the room, hanging out with Ryan, Coranelle and family after the birth. Wow! This is really happening! And soon!

I have also taken two nights of breast feeding class. Those have been very informative and helpful as well. It is nice that the hospital has 3 lactation consultants so that if things go wrong, there is someone there to guide you through the process. I now know about all the possible nursing bras, pads, pain relieving techniques, tank tops, and complication remedies. I am getting antsy to use all of this information, instead of storing it up in my mind for later!

Tomorrow, my colleagues are giving me a baby shower! I am really excited to see how they shower Coranelle. I am nervous to be up in front of my staff as the center of attention. That is not a position I have in my work place, so I am sure my face will be bright red! But, I feel blessed that they have planned this and are being so supportive.

I am still able to walk or go to the rec center daily- so that is nice. My belly gets super tight, but I am used to it being tight round the clock now. I cannot tell if I am having braxton hicks contractions or not. It just always feels like a drum! It will feel so strange when I can once again breathe, move quickly and bend over to put my socks on.

Thanks to all of you for reading and I hope you are doing well! 7 weeks left!

a few more pics

We are hiding out in the car, escaping the incoming sand/cold storm. The ladybug (that's my Red CRV) got pretty filthy. I cleaned it completely this morning- getting it ready for a baby.
I didn't really capture the dust storm very well, but the picture above was the best we got. That's dirt you see in the sky.
And Ryan making coffee and enjoying the sun and views from out in front of our cabin.
Just a really cool picture of Mesa Arch in Canyonlands. We got up on top of it and a friendly tourist took some pictures.

Spring break

8 months pregnant and hiking the primitive trail around Devil's Garden in Arches National park. I loved those spires! This was the day of the wind.
A cold day, but beautiful views in Dead Horse State Park.
All bundled up and enjoying hiking out to different view points.
Yay for kisses. We were having a really good time!
Canyon Lands- this is the view above White Rim. It would be fun to bike that trail some day! 100 miles along the rims of the canyon. Look at the way the sun keeps peeking out from the clouds, teasing us and dancing away! But, it made for some great photos!


Ryan and I just returned for an awesome spring break trip to Moab, UT. It was not the normal Moab trip, considering I cannot mountain bike right now, but it was a fun adventure nonetheless. We got to see some of the sights that you don't normally see when your main agenda is biking. We ran into mother nature of every kind. It was really quite the experience.

We got there on Saturday to find gorgeous, hot weather. Our adorable, little camper cabin had great views of the desert geological wonders and the snow-frosted La Sal mountains. There was a great dirt ATV/hiking trail that started about 200 feet from our cabin. It was an incredible location. Our cabin was very basic- some bunk beds, a little table, a mini fridge, and a heater (thankfully). We brought all of our camping gear so we could cook outside on the stove. Each morning, we grilled blueberry bagels over the stove and had hot coffee from the percolator while enjoying the fantastic views. The showers were a separate building, so it was like tent camping- only warmer. The cabin was similar to some we had on our honeymoon, so it was perfect for us. We got an Annual National Parks pass and got to enjoy Arches National Park, Dead Horse State Park, and Canyonlands. We covered lots of ground. On Sunday, we went hiking around Devils garden to see 7 famous arches. Sunday was the windiest day I have ever experienced in my life. The sand was sandblasting us like crazy, but it was warm out. My face still looks red and windburned. I have never seen anything like it, especially in Moab. There were times where it was hard to see just 15 feet in front of you because of all of the dust tornadoes. But, it didn't ruin our 8 mile trek on the primitive loop around these arches. We saw some extraordinary views and enjoyed exploring through arches. And, it was in fact, the wind that created these awesome arches, so one cannot really complain.

The wind brought in some really cold air and Sunday night was frigid. We were glad to not have to cook outside- as we met up with some of Ryan's work buddies in town at the Moab Brewery! It is one of our favorite restaurants ever. We both got burritos. Yum!

Over the trip, we also got to do some good reading and playing games. It is often a blessing to have simple accommodations with no TV or Internet or other distractions. It made for lots of good conversation and cuddling. Plus, I think I finally feel rested up on sleep because of our cozy sleeping bag and the darkness of the cabin. Hiking in extreme elements wore me out, so I had no trouble sleeping.

Monday, we toured Dead Horse State Park and Canyonlands. Monday was much colder than we prepared for, as we found snow up in Dead Horse. So, we layered up with as many clothes as we brought and could find in my car and went to see the sights. We did some shorter hikes out to view points and enjoyed every minute of it. Later, we went in to Moab to find some souvenirs and get a hot mocha. We got some cool Moab mugs, a fun shirt for me, and a Moab shirt for Coranelle. So cute! We made dinner on our little stove and ate inside the heated cabin. SO glad that we were not in a tent. Then we enjoyed long, hot showers and snuggling up to play games.

This morning, it was sunny and warm and we had another desert walk. All in all, a wonderful time away with Ryan and Coranelle.

Coranelle did great with all of the hiking. She was really moving around a lot during the trip! And, it doesn't feel like little rubber band snaps anymore. I can feel her almost scraping up against me as she twists and turns. If you watch my tummy, you can see lumps and protrusions from her little body. You can also watch my stomach move and it kind of looks like a monster. She is running out of room! I can often feel her foot kick me and we'll play little games. I'll push her foot back in, and she'll take it in, only to kick me somewhere else. She really likes to get that foot up under my zyphoid process and leave it there. That little bone (or whatever it is) is perpetually sore.

We are excited to someday take her on a trip to Moab so she can see all of these things and do a little hiking and exploring herself. Cora the explora' !

Tomorrow brings the first of two breast feeding classes. I also have a doctor's appointment Friday and Ryan and I have a childbirth class all day on Saturday. So, lots of baby preparation this week.