Who Doesn't Love Countdowns?

So many exciting things coming up in our lives! I can't wait! Therefore, let the countdown begin. :)

8 days... We find out if the baby is a boy or a girl!
16 days... We get the keys to our new home. Yes. That soon. Woah. Then the painting will begin!
17 days... Murphy goes to his board and train program to become a nicer dog to all of our wonderful friends and family members.
19 days... Moving weekend! We will move a lot of our stuff, even though we won't be 100% finished until the following weekend.
26 days... Murphy returns home to us and we begin the new recommendations for follow-through.
33 days... Heather moves into her new apartment (just 15 minutes away from our place)!

Exciting! Exciting! Exciting!

19 Weeks! Almost 5 months!

Can you believe it!? I am one week shy of being halfway through this pregnancy. Where have the past several weeks gone???

Baby Long

Size: Heirloom Tomato (6 inches long, 8 oz heavy)

Important Developments: He/she can smile!!

Noticeable Symptoms: Round ligament pain all over the place.

We are moving to Frisco on May 1!!!! Woah! So fast!

We've been scouring the internet channels for rentals we'd be interested in, and realized the best location and best options were around Frisco. So we decided to narrow our focus to that area, and finally were able to view a property. Rentals go so fast in that area (we were scheduled to view other properties but before we could get out there, they had leased). The only reason we were able to look at this one was because by some chance miracle, the three applications they hand pending (you read that right, three applications were submitted) were rejected for some reason or other.

Because of how fast these properties go, we knew we had to move on this house as soon as we fell in love with it. That's why we're moving way earlier than planned and have to crack down on our budget for two months to pay for rent on two places at once. But it'll be worth it.

This house has four bedrooms! One for us, one for baby, one for my office, and a designated guest room for any/all company expected to help when the baby gets here - namely, our wonderful mothers. :) Two bathrooms are perfect since little one won't need his/her own until much later, so he/she can share with guests and me during the work day. THREE CAR GARAGE is probably our favorite part. We can have space to store things, Phillip can work on his endless projects, and we can just enjoy the extra space. It's rare to have a rental house with that large of a garage, but we'll take it! The house has a slightly larger kitchen than ours now, about the same sized living area, slightly smaller master bathroom (but still with the garden tub, large closet, separate shower, and double vanities), and Phillip gets his own living area for his sports room/man cave. Definitely necessary. Trust me.

The only real downside to our new house is a significantly smaller backyard. It's still a decent size for Murphy, but it'll be a change for us. We've gotten used to our nice sized back yard we have now. But unfortunately, with that wonderful three car garage located on the backside of the house, it cuts into the lot and minimizes the yard space. It'll be nicer to mow for Phillip, but Murphy will have to adjust a bit.

Speaking of Murphy, we will be sending him off to a ten day board and train program right as we move. We are confident this will help his behavioral issues and awful social skills. Perhaps a smaller yard will actually help with training? It's a thought... It'll be nice to have him boarded for a solid ten days while we move and get settled. Plus, we'll have a new home for our brand new dog to come home to!

So exciting! Time to get packing!

P.S. And update on Phillip's car. It is barely not totaled so they are currently fixing it. It'll take about two more weeks and we have a rental car. Still dealing with insurance on the medical side, but we're getting through it.

Hard to Keep Up!

18 Weeks!

Our baby is growing so fast! It's so hard to keep up with all the pictures, posts, and oh yeah, life.

Baby Long

Size: Almost 7 ounces! 6 inches long. Sweet potato baby!

Important Developments: The cute little ears are in their final place. Gender organs are in their places and noticeable on an ultrasound. Myelin is forming around the nerves.

Noticeable Symptoms: I got a foot cramp for the first time last night. Please don't be a sign of things to come. And this belly is growing pretty much every day.

Back from Lubbock

Sorry for the radio silence the past couple of days. I was out of town for work. I traveled to Lubbock to do some machine training for their athletic trainers and nurses. Had some news coverage too!

Here's the story!

It was a good trip and baby traveled great (duh). Now I get to stay home and work for a while before screenings starts later this month.

I registered for classes for the Summer and Fall too! I will be taking "Worksite Health Promotion" and "Curriculum Development" in the Summer and "Consumer Health" in the Fall - pending communication with the professor about the pregnancy/baby stuff. But I was assured by my advisor that she should be flexible. But just in case I have to drop the class, I am taking a heavier course load this Summer.

I am excited about these classes! Consumer Health and Worksite Health Promotion should be "big kid" versions of my undergraduate courses - I even have the same textbook for Consumer Health. But it'll be great to have a different perspective from a different university and have a more hands-on approach via the nature of graduate school. I am extremely excited about Curriculum Development! A new class I can learn so much in and get to do some really hands-on assignments. I am really looking forward to that class!

In other news... I am now a little over 17 weeks along! This little tid-bit was delayed due to the car accident and traveling. So here it is!

Baby Long

Size: Turnip (5 inches long, 5 ounces heavy)

Important Developments: cartilage and bone are really forming, sweat glands are developing, all joints can now be moved

Noticeable Symptoms: Belly is still growing. Those "round ligament" pains of the muscles growing hurt. But other than that, things have settled down for the most part.