Bumpdate: 20 Weeks

I decided to make an effort to blog more throughout my pregnancy, in hopes that I will keep up with it once Audrey arrives.  I would like to be better about documenting our lives here.  I am going to do the "typical" preggo update every few weeks.

How far along? 20 weeks 5 days

Size of baby? Banana (7 in, 11 oz)

Total weight gain? 8 pounds so far

Maternity Clothes? Maternity pants for sure, squeezing into old ones with the belly band has become super uncomfortable, some tops, but a lot of my "old" stretchy, loose dresses and tops.

Sleep? So far, still sleeping well.  Usually wake up once a night, but no complaints.

Best moment of the week? Last week when one of my students said, "Mrs. Dean, I can see your baby today!"

Miss anything? Being able to bend over to put shoes on comfortably.

Movement? A few times at night, but nothing consistent yet.  Darn placenta is providing her with some  extra cushion.

Cravings? Not really, I am currently in love with french toast.  It is my go to Saturday morning breakfast.

Symptoms? A little swelling at the end of the day, but nothing to complain about yet.  Tired, but I blame that more on my students than being pregnant.

Belly button in or out? In

Wedding rings on or off? Thick band on, diamond off (it's too tight :(  )

Mood? Normal, although I did have one crazy hormonal day earlier this week.  Stinson couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.

Looking forward to? Feeling Audrey move!  I am hoping that I can feel her all of the time really soon!

Here I am last Sunday at 19 weeks 7 days. My belly has definitely grown this week.

A little other life update for you, 3rd grade = awesome!  I love my class of kiddos. I lucked out and the class I have this year is super mature so I haven't had too hard of a time adjusting to their age, it also helps that they are a bright bunch!  It is really fun to learn a new grade level and I am really enjoying getting to know a new team of people.

Football season is finally here!  Stinson will be doing the radio for MidAmerica again this year.  The first game is today.  I am going to skip going due to the rain, but I'll tune in to hear his commentary.  I can't wait to watch Manning play for the Broncos and watch the Chiefs have another "stellar" year!

Little Audrey already has a closet full of adorable clothes.  I can't wait to put her in them.  I haven't looked at them in a while, so that is how I spent the first part of my morning.  I wonder what the dogs will think of her when she gets her.  I have a feeling Mia is going to have to adjust to not being held whenever she wants. I also can't wait for Audrey to meet her cousin Campbell.  I think they will be good friends and stir up trouble when they're together, but we'll have to wait and see.

Well, I think that is all for now!  I know it was random, but that is how my brain operates these days.

Baby on the Way

Well, I can finally tell the online world that I'm pregnant! Stinson and I are so excited to be welcoming a baby girl in January.

This weekend we had family in town for the big gender reveal. We crammed my parents, sister, Stinson's mom and grandmother into the ultra sound room. It was so fun to watch her kick and move her arms. She was all curled up and it took a while for her to cooperate to know if she was a boy or girl. Finally, she decided to and the ultra sound tech said, "There it is..." and we all thought she was going to tell us that it was a boy, but then she exclaimed that it was a girl. We all oohed and aaahhed over her and knowing that it is a her!

We were all in awe of watching her move. She is a busy girl. It looked like she was practicing her volleyball spikes in there. I could not believe all we could see. It was amazing to see her tiny nose, feet, and hands. Baby hands and feet are so precious!

Of course there was lots of shopping that happened following the ultra sound. She's already one spoiled little girl. I am so glad we found out, and I love knowing that she's a girl. I can call her by name and picture holding a precious little girl in my arms.

I am still taking in the miracle happening inside of me right now. It is so crazy how God is knitting her together right now. I think that's probably enough for now. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from the ultra sound.

Here is miss Audrey Elizabeth

Everglades Trip

Recently I had the chance to go to the Florida Everglades for a few days as a part of the science grant I am in our grant partners with a Marine Biologist at Florida International Univeraity named Dr. Mike Heithaus. He has a few video lessons for students, many of which I did with my students this year. My students also got to video chat with Dr. Mike several times. It was an awesome experience and introduced my land-locked students to ocean life. Since participating in this grant, my love for science has really grow.

 I have always loved biology, but being a part of the grant has really brought out the science geek in me. It maks me do crazy things, like hold a 8ft python (all in the name of science). Below is the update and video about my trip. Our whole experience was filmed by Dr. Mike's film crew. It will air on PBS here in Kansas City and Florida. They are trying to get it on the discovery channel too. I'll let you know when as soon as I know.

 I had an awesome two days learning all about the Everglades. Many people think that it is a swamp, but it's not. The water in the Everglades flows through and is not stagnant like it is in a swamp. The Everglades is home to many different species of animals. I enjoyed seeing many of Florida's native and non-native species up close. 

 On our first day there we took an airboat ride. On the airboat ride we saw some alligators, blue herons, and an adorable bird called a gulley chicken up close. The Everglades have many different habitats where the animals live. Our airboat ride took us out into the saw grass marshes. We were lucky enough to get to stand in the Everglades where we saw some of the smaller creatures that take refugee the saw grass. We had to be careful because the saw grass is really sharp!

 Later that day we went to Shark Valley (unfortunately there are no sharks there) where we took a team ride to see some more of the Everglades, including the different types of tree hammocks. On our ride we saw lots of baby alligators and turtles. 

 The last day, we went kayaking around the mangrove trees and out to an area where we snorkels. We saw all kinds of fish, a few blue crabs, and lots of different types of sea grasses that we learned about in our videos from Dr. Mike. Then we got a a special treat. Another biologist, named Joe, came to talk to us and show us some of the different invasive species that are living in Florida.

Invasive species are ones that have been introduced to Florida in recent years because of hurricanes, or irresponsible pet owners releasing their pets into the wild. This is a problem because they compete for food with the native species, and they have no natural predictors in Florida, so they begin to take over.  The trip was a lot of fun, and I learned so much. Here is a link to a video with some of the pictures from the trip.

School's Out for Summer!!!

I decided that my re-emergence into the blogging world should be about my excitement that summer break is finally here! As much as I love teaching, summer brings a much needed break. The best part about this summer is that I don't have to do ANY GRAD SCHOOL HOMEWORK!!!!

I am so ready to hit the pool and get some sun on my pastey white thighs!!i can't wait to read lots of books for fun, and just maybe complete some of those pinterest projects I've pinned.

Well I am off to Dallas to watch this cutie! Happy summer everyone.

In love with a little man

I knew I loved Campbell from the minute Sara & Kennedy told us back in May that we'd be an aunt and uncle, but I love him even more now that I've held him.

It is so crazy how much you can love someone. My heart has been bursting full of love ever since Campbell entered this world on Jan.13. It makes me think about God loves us. The love I have for my sweet nephew is like the love He has for me multiplied by a million. The thought of it makes me take a step back in awe and makes me so grateful to know how much I am loved.

I am excited to watch Campbell grow. I know that he is wrapped in so much love, and that this love will shape him into wonderful boy and man that he will become. Right now everything he does is so perfect and cute. I am loving every minute I have to spend with him this weekend. Here are a few pictures of Campbell's proud Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Stinson.

Homemade Pizza

Due to a request from my sister-in-law, Sara, I thought I would post the pizza recipe I used to create today's lunch.  This productivity thing is going well so far this year!  I can't believe how motivated I have been to get stuff done this last week.  Anyway, this recipe was given to me as a shower gift from my AMAZING wedding planner Cris.  It is delicious and a hit every time.

Homemade Pizza Dough:

1. Dissolve 1t. sugar in 1 1/3 C warm water.  Then add 2t yeast and let stand for 10 minutes
2. Then add: 4 T oil, 1 t salt, 3 C flour  (you can use 1 C wheat flour is you would like)
3. Mix with a wooden spoon then knead it until it is a nice, non-sticky texture.
1. I mixed this all together with my kitchen add dough hook and it worked beautifully!  (A lot less sticky than mixing it and kneading it by hand!)
4. Let Rise 30 minutes.
5. Roll out--pizza roller (gift from Cris) makes this process super easy!
6. Bake the crust at 425 for 10 minutes untopped
7. Add desired toppings.
8. Bake topped for 10-12 minutes at 425

Note: Pizza stones cook a perfect pizza!

With a stand mixer this is a cinch!  It is not too bad to do by hand either.

Enjoy!

In the Year of 2012

So, we are 1 day into 2012, and I can already tell that it is going to be an excellent year.  On our car ride home from Dallas, Stinson and I were discussing what we would like to accomplish in 2012.  We were in awe of Sara & Kennedy's daily productivity while they hosted all of the Dean's for Christmas. Together, we decided this is something that we would like to be better at.  This year the word that will drive our daily lives is productivity.  Instead of putting off folding the laundry, or loading the dishwasher, we are just going to do it!  A little bit here and there really goes a long way.  I'll keep you posted on how it actually ends up going!

 Today I was off the races putting away the Christmas decorations, doing the laundry from  vacation, cleaning the house, making the bed, and planning out the next two weeks of meals.  We even had time for a movie! I have this app on my phone called out of milk. With this app you can create shopping lists or to-do lists.  I used this handy little app to make a to-do list on it for the next few days. I was able to cross off all of the items on the list for today!!! It was such a good feeling.

I think that there will be some exciting changes in Stinson and I's future this year.  We are seriously considering relocating closer to my job (amazing!!!!).  So, 6 months from now I could be blogging all about a new home, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

I really think that the word productivity is going to be a great one for us. I had considered several other phrases and words, but I like this one because it is something we're both committed to, and I think that it will bring a lot of fruit from our labors.  God has called us to live and to thrive in Him.  I really feel like productivity will help me do just that!  Until next time, go and be productive!