Does this shirt make me look fat?!

Well, here it is. Finally, another belly picture. Aren't the mock crocks hot? They certainly are comfy! Robert took this picture last night before our baby shower where we got lots of great gifts. My sister bought us a Bumbo (YAY!), we got cutie patootie infant sunglasses to protect her little eyeballs, beautiful outfits, a baby monitor, a stroller, playpen, Jolly Jumper musical mat, an on-the-go bottle warmer, and much, much more. Oh, and Robert got Lego (thanks, Todd!). We have one more shower to go which will put us at 6 baby showers! Our last shower will be after the baby's born, however, when Robert's brother Allen is home from Alberta. I can't believe that I'm down to days and not months anymore before we get to meet our little girl. I'm so excited!

Where has time gone?

This is my new "nephew" Gaffer!

I can't believe it's the middle of July already! Sorry I haven't been posting for almost 2 months! June was a busy month with school wrapping up. I'm also a crazy lady because I agreed to plan Daily Vacation Bible School for our church even though I'm 15 months pregnant (or so it feels!). It ran all last week and my weekends and evenings have been busy with showers. My sister and her husband just got a new puppy as well and we had a puppy shower for them on Sunday. They don't plan on having children so this is their baby. He's an Australian Shepherd. Isn't he cute?

Also, we have been busy trying to get the house ready for the baby. We had to replace a couple of windows, do some painting, etc. Plus, between doctor appointments, profiles and all that fun stuff, we've had to make a major decision about the delivery of baby Lola. It's looking like we're going to have a planned C-section in the next couple of weeks. Lola is at 7 lbs 1 oz and is ready to come at any time. I find out on Wednesday when the actual date will be. So, if you all wouldn't mind keeping me and the baby in your prayers over the next few weeks, it would be greatly appreciated! I have never had any surgery before and it's a little scary and overwhelming. Not only am I having surgery, but I'm getting a lifetime commitment with it. Very exciting and scary all at the same time!

Anyway, I'll be sure to get some pictures of Lola up as soon as I can.

I'm Still Here!

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last blogged! But, I guess when you don't have much of a life, there's not much to say :) Actually, I wanted to wait until I had a new belly picture, but somehow the card in our digital camera fried, so now we have to take a regular picture, get it developed, scan it and then post it. Hopefully, it will be soon.

In other news, Robert and I found out on Tuesday that we are having a girl! We were quite surprised! Everyone was sure it was a boy because Robert comes from a family of all boys (his sister is adopted). We can't wait to see what a "real" Crousse girl is like. As long as she takes after her mommy's size until after she's born! And that's not too far away - only 10 weeks to go! It's a little overwhelming. Sorry, a LOT overwhelming!!

We have the nursery furniture all in except for a rocking chair. I just have to say "HOKEY CRAP! " Rocking chairs are expensive! Especially since I have back problems. My chiropractor gave me a list of things to look for in my rocking chair. We may need a second mortgage on our house in order to afford one! Good grief! If anyone has any recommendations for where to find rocking chairs for a good price, please let me know!

Oh, by the way. If you get oral thrush while pregnant (or even if you're not and don't want to use drugs), eat lots of yogurt with active cultures or get this homeopathic stuff called 'acidophilus.' My thrush was gone in a matter of days! YAY!!!

DISEASED!!!

I have had a cold since last Friday and I haven't been able to take anything. It's driving me nuts! Also, I just wanted to let everyone know, that thrush is not just something that babies get. Adults can get it, too, and it sucks! If your baby ever gets thrush and your doctor tells you that it doesn't hurt the baby, tell him he's on crack. It hurts immensely. And, if you have oral thrush while you are pregnant, there's not a whole lot you can do! Anyway, this is just me venting my frustrations because I also have to stay away from sugar because thrush is caused by yeast and yeast feeds on sugar. Life is not fair!

If you would like to know more, check out these websites:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000626.htm

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/oralthrush.htm

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00408.html

Sorry if this posting grossed anyone out, but it's good information to know!

Teaching is Never Boring!

I love being a teacher! For those of you who don't know, I teach a grade 4 class every Wednesday at a school here in Moncton. I teach them mental math, science, cursive writing, and I co-teach phys ed. I never thought I would ever say that I teach phys ed! I love my students, but I've gotta wonder about them sometimes. Last week I gave the students a science test. The first part of the test was 10 scrambled vocabulary words. The instructions said to unscramble the words. When I was correcting the tests, I noticed that one boy hadn't unscrambled the words. He had put checkmarks next to each word, but he hadn't written anything on any of the blanks. I called him over and asked him why he didn't follow the directions on the test. (This is an area where my students really have a hard time. They do not follow directions whether written or oral.) He looked at me totally innocently and said, "I did!" I said, "You didn't unscramble any of the words like the directions said." Again, he innocently said, "I did... in my head!" I had to try really hard not to laugh. I told him that I couldn't mark things that were in his head! This same day, the students were presenting the musical instruments they had made, and another one of my boys was standing at the back of the classroom boxing with... nothing! Yet another boy has been coming up to me every week with advice on giving birth and feeding the baby! One day he told me that when it's time to have the baby, don't push until it's time! This week he told me that I need to drink more milk because once I run out of milk, the baby will be drinking my vitamins! I never know what to expect from my students!