Hard to Believe We are Half Way There

I truly can't believe that today marks the half way point (20 weeks). It feels like just yesterday we were praying to be blessed with a little one. I am so excited for her to arrive, but part of me is sad that the pregnancy is already 1/2 way over. You only feel this way a few times in life and it goes so fast. A lot has been going on since I last wrote, and I will try to keep it brief....

1. First, as I said today is a milestone, the half way point (see bump watch pic below 20weeks)

2. The last few weeks I have been feeling her move around which is awesome. She is very active and usually I feel it on the lower left side. To me it feels like bubbles. I can't wait until Tim can feel her too.

3. This last weekend we moved to San Jose. Moving is such a nightmare, but with the help of Nana and Gramps who last minute decided to come to our rescue we made it through. We are taking it slow unpacking boxes, but enjoying the much larger space.

4. Since Nana and Gramps were here to help and we already had a U-Haul, we decided to pick up our baby furniture. I absolutely love the crib. Unfortunately the dresser/changer door doesn't close right so I am in the process of getting Babies R Us to replace it. They have already ordered me a new one, but getting a huge piece of furniture there is problematic and I think they need to come move it for me. It is a beautiful piece so hopefully it will all be taken care of soon. I will post pics of the furniture and room soon.

5. I've been back to work now for 3 weeks. Things are going well and everyone has been supportive about the pregnancy. Yesterday I had my first stranger at work ask me if I was pregnant. I was surprised someone would ask that this early without knowing me, but I guess I'm looking big.

Pillow Sheet

I know my family recognizes the title of this post, but for the rest of you, let me explain. "Pillow Sheet Robbins"...It's only the greatest name ever given to a childhood pet. Personally I think it shows my creative side. I had a knack for selecting names from the very beginning. Pillow Sheet is one of a kind yet pronounceable. If it wasn't for such a name I don't think that Rabbit would have ever been remembered. Think of all the things you name throughout your life- dolls, stuffed animals, pets, fantasy football teams, companies, and heck even our cars. There are 1,000's of names out there. What makes one so special? After buying books and reading through list after list, contemplating everything from Ava to Zoey, it's funny that we ultimately kept coming back to the one name we have always loved. It's like "Pillow Sheet" when you know you know. Tim and I have decided that our 'Tater Tot' is now Hannah. We have always loved the name, especially Tim. I think it's sweet and girly. It works for a little one and an adult. We appreciate all of your suggestions and hope you like our final choice. Our precious 2 year old nephew Zane said on the phone the other day "I love Hannah." It just feels right and I hope she likes it.

Some fun facts:
1. According to the social security department Hannah was the 23rd most popular girls name in the US in 2009.
2. It's origin is Hebrew
3. It means 'grace' which ironically is our current front runner for a middle name
4. Hannah is a palindrome (same forwards as backwards)

Hot Cakes

If you have seen the movie Elf with Will Ferrell you may remember the line "We elves like to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup." Lately I've been thinking of Elf because I've been experiencing my first craving...pancakes! Yum, they are so good and the more syrup the better. Thank goodness for those ready mixes. My appetite has really grown and so has the belly (bump watch pic to come soon). On a different note, this has been my first week back at work. Tim is now in Cupertino and enjoying it so far. He is at two elementary schools and one middle. It is a very high performing district. I am still at Overfelt High School and have now added a second high school. In total I have 3500 students (thank you California budget). It is crazy that I cover two high schools and I am trying to embrace the challenge, but all I keep thinking is thank God for maternity leave. On a positive note, I've been told the staff is great and the principal there recently won San Jose Chamber of Commerce's Principal of the Year. Thankful that we both have jobs and even more thankful for our precious baby.

Fun Fact

This post is more of a FYI for any friends out there planning on becoming pregnant in the future. Suggestion: Stay away from lakes, campgrounds, bbqs or anywhere else mosquitoes hang out. This past summer Tim and I were in Bishop for a few weeks and frequented Mammoth and other local lakes. Over the course of the trip I probably had anywhere from 20-30 mosquito bites. And let me remind you I couldn't use any anti itch medicine in fear that it may soak into the skin and hurt the baby. I couldn't figure out why I was such a target because I haven't had this problem any other time we've visited. Finally, a few days ago, I came across the answer. In one of my pregnancy books there was a section entitled "pregnant woman are delicious.' It was all about how pregnant woman are far more likely to be a mosquito target because their bodies release large amounts of carbon dioxide which is like candy to a mosquito. They can reportedly smell this from 55 yards away making pregnant women easy prey. I learned my lesson the hard way, so I hope this helps some future mommy's. As for me, the next time I go fishing baby Tatum will be right there with me:)

Prayer for my Placenta

I have never prayed for a placenta before and yes it sounds odd, but I'm sure God has heard stranger. I had another appointment today and it was the first time I wasn't told that everything was perfect. I will start by saying the baby and I are fine so don't fret. Basically the doctor said that my latest blood results came back and there was one hormone in the abnormal range. This impacts the placenta. My understanding is that the placenta is what connects the mother to the baby. It allows for nutrient exchange, waste elimination, and blood flow. The doctor told me that everyones placenta ages throughout pregnancy, but mine seems to be getting old too quickly. He said it's considered an insufficient placenta placing me back into the high risk category. If your placenta ages too quickly, there is a chance that it would completely die off and prevent the baby from getting the things it needs. Now with that said before I worry everyone he indicated that for every 50 woman that have this elevated hormone, it really only becomes an issue for 1. He assured me that it will not hurt the baby in anyway because all it means is that they will have to monitor me more closely and if it looks like it's starting to fail or the baby isn't gaining weight, worst case scenario would mean they would make the decision to deliver early. As I said before however, in most cases this is not needed and woman go on to full term. He also said I might not be able to go home for Christmas. This does not impact future pregnancies and I was told over and over not to worry, so I will say the same to you. We do ask however that you keep us in your prayers so that she can grow strong.

Anatomy 101

Today Tim and I went to our Level 2 Anatomy ultrasound. It was at a special doctor's office and looked specifically at the major organs and bone structures. We were told that the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, spinal cord, etc. all look great. They also counted 10 fingers and 10 toes. We had confirmation that baby tater tot is officially a GIRL, or in the words of the doctor "Looks like we have a Philly." She was moving around so much and I can't help but cry when I watch the screen. She is just such a precious miracle. I wish I could video the monitor because the pictures just don't do her justice. We saw little footprints, her yawn really big, and grab her feet with her hands. She is now the size and weight of a chicken breast. Sometimes I think I feel movement, but I'm not quite sure. I love having the technology to see our baby. It is crazy to me that when I was born my parents didn't get to see me. 9 months must have been much more suspenseful back then. I feel so blessed to have a healthy baby. There is really nothing more you could ask for.

Human Pin Cushion

Lately I've been thinking back on my childhood and the days of having to be dragged to the doctor's office. I absolutely hated getting shots and would cry, play dead, argue, anything I had to do to get out of the horrible pain. I remember my mom telling me how she didn't like getting shots as a little girl either. Then she would say, once you have a baby you are no longer scared because you just get used to it. Well, mom you were half right. I still dislike going and I still close my eyes, but I no longer cry so that's a good thing. It really is amazing how much blood work they do when you are pregnant. I went again this morning for yet another panel and the woman at Quest Diagnostics now knows me by name and we chat about life. I feel like a human pin cushion/heroine addict (from the bruised veins). Everything keeps coming back fine, and I just keep on going as instructed. I guess it's all preparation for the biggy...the epidural. On a happy note, Tim and I started a registry at Babies R Us. It was so fun shopping around and it made me want to meet our little one even more. As we walked out of the store though it did cross my mind that our 'girl verdict' was only 80% chance. If our 'she' is really a 'he' I don't think he'd be happy with the hot pink bouncy car Tim picked out. On Tuesday we will have full confirmation.

Thank You Avid Follows (all 5 of you lol...)

Lately I have been told by a few friends and family to keep blogging as much as possible because they enjoy the updates. So to those of you reading this, we thank you for your loyalty:) For the most part things are progressing smoothly and as planned. I am eating normally (no weird cravings yet) and have almost put the 10 lbs back on that I originally lost. Last week, Tim, my mom and I went to Babies R Us to start getting some ideas of what we may need/want. Wow, can you say overwhelming. Fun, but overwhelming. Disregard all that talk in the last post about moving to get extra space. Once baby tot gets all of her things moved in, we will be just as crammed as ever. However, it's all so cute it's worth it! At first, my plan was to get mostly gender neutral big items so that if we someday have a boy it could all be reused. But, in true Debby fashion she convinced Tim and I to throw all rational thinking out the window and splurge on all pink items. After all, she is right, this may be our only girl to spoil or we may have all girls and then they are stuck with neutrals. So I think my mom is right. You can't live your life on 'what ifs...' all we know for now is that we are having a girl so she should be treated like one! As for the rest of the trip, Tim and I learned that we have a lot to learn. It took us about 20 minutes and finally assistance from the store worker to figure out how to work a stroller, YIKES. It's all a learning process and we are loving everyday. Glad you can experience the journey with us.

PS. This last weekend I was honored to be in one of my best friend's weddings. Melissa was a beautiful bride and selflessly even thought to bring the baby a gift on the morning of her BIG day. I hope tot realizes some day just how lucky she is to be surrounded by so much love. Here is a bump watch pic from the wedding (15.4 weeks)