Family

What a great Christmas with the family! I am so blessed!

Christmas

We had a great Christmas with four days straight of celebrating! More pics to come!

Last get away

One of the gifts my husband got me was a night at the Herrington in Geneva and then a pregnancy massage. It is only like 25-30 mintues away, my friend worked at the resturant that is associated with the Herrington and said that the Herrigton Inn and Spa is very quaint and romantic. I cannot wait! I am very excited to get pregnancy massage as my body is achy and retaining more water.....however.......I am most excited about getting away with my husband, it will be the last get away before the baby is born. My husband was so thoughtful and kind to think of doing this little trip.

28 years old

Well today I turned 28....I am married, pregnant, and gained 25 pounds since my last birthday. I love my husband, baby, and family. 27 was a great year for me....I can only hope that 28 will be just as awesome.

Just feelings

These are just feelings, hopefully they will go away cause they are just my feelings:

I am very frustrated, upset, and hurt. I haven't cried as much as I have cried this week than I have in a long time. Some may say its hormones...I am wishing I could blame it on that, but I can't blame it on pregnancy.

I hope I can look past circumstances and feel something different in the days to come.

Baby Bedding

This is the bedding I have picked out for the precious baby in my belly. We ordered it on Dec. 9th and it won't come for 8 weeks...yikes! But I wanted something neutral without having yellows, ABC's, animals, exec.

I Don't Wanna

I really do enjoy teaching and being a teacher...It's so much fun! It's an amazing job that I feel honored to have.

I just don't wanna go to work though. I am so tired....so worn out...so many things to do...that I don't wanna go to work.

I know I have two weeks off of school after Friday, but it would be nice to have a day off work prior to Christmas so that I can clean and get grocery shopping done.

Oh well....I keep trying to savor the moments I have left with my students. Only about 50 days left after Christmas break and I know I am going to miss them and teaching in general.

Goal

A friend of mine has just a four month old baby. She mentioned in one of her blogs that she reads Scripture to the baby each night. I have a goal...I want to read Scripture to the baby every night, but from this passage in 1 Kings 3:7.

"Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people to numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong." The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said "Since you have asked for this and not wealth and long life, nor have asked for death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice. I will do what you have asked and give you a wise and discerning heart.....Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for both riches and honor.

I love how Solomon was a young boy who had his priorities straight. He didn't want material things, he asked for wisdom and discerning heart. He was given much at a young age and the Lord trusted him to be a leader.

1 Kings 4: 29
God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight.

Joshua 1:7
Be careful to obey all the laws Moses has given you; do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (9) Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

I want this precious baby to keep God's laws in his heart and to follow his path and like it says to be successful wherever it goes. That this life in me would be strong, courageous, and not have any fear in whatever life brings him/her.

I hope I can keep this up to read this to the baby everyday. It's great to read it stories and rhymes, but how much better is it to read it scripture and pray for these things that I am reading.

Thoughtfulness

Yesterday my class celebrated my birthday. Usually we celebrate my birthday during the Christmas party, but my room moms (which are wonderful this year) wanted to celebrate separate from the Christmas party. They brought in a cake, had a game planned: 28 things about a girl on her 28th Birthday, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, and a very nice gift. I was so touched by the fact that they wanted to do my birthday separate from the class party. The kids were so excited. During the day they were asking me, "Mrs. Sidell, are you excited to have your party this afternoon?" or "Mrs. Sidell, will you wear the birthday hat during the party?" It was so sweet.

During the party, a few moms came in to say Happy Birthday. I loved it because we were able to talk about life, changes of being a mom, and just have an adult conversation apart from school and work. It was wonderful!

After the party, I went up to the room mom who did most of the work for my birthday, and told her how much I appreciated her doing this for me. She said that she knows I probably won't return next year and really wanted me to have something special. I was so blessed by her sincerity of giving and thoughtfulness.

I am sad because I know that I will miss these times...not the gifts, but interacting with adults and seeing the students get so excited.

So exhusted

I am so tired. I went out some friends last night and got hom at 10:30. Woke up this morning and went grocery shopping was home by 9am. I made some cookies for Christmas...and now I just want to go to bed. Laundry needs to be done, cleaning needs to be done, and spending time with my husband needs to be done. I just want to curl up on my bed and sleep. Honestly, I normally don't take naps...I will rest on the couch, but will not sleep.....today I think I want to sleep!

Little one

So this morning at 4:40, the baby moved 20 times in the matter of 7 mintues. What in the world? It has moved every morning between 4:30-5:45. I guess that's when it's most awake????? Anyways....

I celebrated St. Lucia day with my parents, jason, rich, and papa. My mom made yummy homemade swedish meatballs and noodles. It was soo good! Then I served a peppermint choc. cake my mom made to everyone with a wreath on my head! Jason thought I looked cute...I thought...hmmm interesting tradition..but it was fun...we laughed, ate, and enjoyed one another's company.

6 months along and christmas season

The picture of the bride and groom ornament was bought our first year we were married. We put it up together every year on the tree to symbolize partnership and unity.

The picture of the three stockings...the red one is mine, the middle one is precious baby sidell's, and the sports one is Jason. It's the first of many years the baby will have a stocking.

The picture of me in the white shirt is at 6 months along in front of our Christmas tree.

Too Hard

It's so hard for me when I see my immediate family go through a difficult time. I seem to personalize all that they go through. I carry the burden that they feel and put it upon myself. I pray that God will meet them directly, guide them, give them a hope, and reassure them of his presence and working hand upon their lives. I know money and riches wouldn't hurt either, but ultimately to know God and see him working in their lives and changing difficult situations into positive would be even more of a blessing.

I want to be

I hope when my baby comes I can still be a kid. I had a little girl over the other day to help make some Christmas cookies. She is one of my students. We had such a fun time. When we heard Jason come home, we hid in the closet and yelled surprise. It was great...she was giggling the whole time. I hope I can be a fun mom!

This picture was taken over Thanksgiving break.

Janna looks really small in the picture.....I look like a big head and smile! Yikes...bethany was sweet enough to write a comment on facebook asking what would I do if my child looked like me in this picture....

Quick update

I had my OB appointment yesterday. The babies heart rate is still at 152. I measure around 23-24 weeks. I have gained a total of 20 pounds (yikes). Next time I go I get that diabetes test. Then after that I am going every 2 weeks. Crazy! I am so thankful for a normal appointment with no complications.

A friend came to my classroom yesterday and told me she was pregnant. I was so happy for her. Now four more friends....need that same blessing!

I am rereading a very good book right now. When I Lay My Issac Down. I will have to write some excerpts from it sometime.

so here it is...

I went to the dr. on Sunday morning. I have carpal tunnel syndrome, it can come and go during pregnancy. The babies heart rate measured at 152...it's been pretty consist ant between 148-152. On Sunday, the doctor said I have a UTI infection.....ugh...never would have known it if I didn't go in for the swelling.

I go back to the doctor tonight (in this lovely weather). It's just a check up....and hopefully will get a good report.

I have made two kinds of Christmas cookies....snowballs and pecan tassies. I want to make maybe two more kinds...we'll see how I am feeling. I was in bed by 7:30 last night and lights off by 8:00...making cookies and working a full day made me REALLY tired.

What in the world???

It's 3:45 in the morning and I woke up to my fingers being doubled in size (they have recently been somewhat swollen to begin with). It felt like a rubberband was too tight around my wrist and was cutting off my circulation to my fingers. My hands looked like an overweight person's fingers-when you can't see their knuckles. It freaked me out! I have never seen my fingers and hand be so swollen. It could be high sodium. It could be because when I woke up my hand was above my head. My fear is that it is high blood pressure. I was so scared I almost called the OB on call. I decided to run downstairs and drink two bottles of water. I moved my hand around adn it's gotten better. I have a docotor's appointment on Tuesday night, but I might go to immediate care in the morning when it opens.

It's so scary. I had heard months 6-9 or harder to be pregnant in and you get more uncomfortable. I can say that is starting to be true here. My back hurts more and my feet and hands are swollen, I get out of breath alot easier, and I even got dizzy during church on Thanksgiving and had to leave service.

This past week, I have been up every night in the middle of the night for an hour. The baby wasn't active this week and I was a bit concerned. I laid in the bed praying for an hour that the baby would give me just one kick to let me know it's alive. It would. What a comfort in a kick. People say oh, just wait. It will be kicking all the time! Last night the baby kicked quite a bit. Jason was able to feel it twice! He had the BIGGESTS grin on his face when he felt the baby move. His mom was able to feel it move over Thankgiving...so she had her first introduction with the precious baby in my belly.

I need to make some Christmas cookies. The thought of being on my feet again just doesn't seem appealing. I know I can bring the ingrediants and utencils to me and make them at the table. But then I have to get up, wash the untencils and be up and down to put the cookies and them out of the oven. I love to bake, but just doesn't seem to appealing right now.

What in the world????? Why do I have so much to say at 3:45 in the morning?

I am going to go back upstairs and hold Jason's hand untill I fall asleep. I tend to do that. WHen I can't sleep, I will hold his hand. He says he likes it when I hold his hand during the night. He doesn't know I am doing it, but he says he likes it!

Good Night!

I hope and pray

I know at least 4 people who are trying to get pregnant (and have been trying for sometime now)...I hope and pray that God will bless them very soon with their desires.