Pictures of Christmas

Luke...don't know why this one is sideways

Clara with her princess stuff

Jenny and Kev in the Washington snow

Snot

We are in snowy Washington for the Christmas holidays and I am a snot-machine. To quote Melly, "I am awash in snot." How can so much snot come out of one person? I've been steaming my head over a pot of boiling water with vinegar and lavendar about three times a day and I think it's working. Today I'm less snotty and more stuffy. My head feels like a big balloon.

Currently there is 4 feet of snow on the ground and it's been snowing since I got up. Yippee!! It's so pretty. It looks like a winter holiday village out there. I'm concerned about the birds, though. Why are they out? Aren't they cold? Where do they go when it snows? Clearly I didn't pay much attention to my science classes. I bet all of you know where snot comes from and where the birds go when it snows.

Baby Crow is moving around a lot these days. Sometimes it wakes me up at night. Kev has now felt the little one move several times.....kind of makes it more real for us.

Well, that's all for now. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!!

Belly

Okay, okay you guys. Here's my belly. And, no I'm not dressed up like a supreme court justice for the fun of it. This picture was taken on my way to a DSC Christmas performance. And the other was taken on my birthday. I love my new coat!

Love This One!

"Here With Us"
by Joy Williams

It's still a mystery to me
That the hands of God could be so small,
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the sky

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King,
You're here with usYou're here with us

It's still a mystery to me, oh,
How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time
How His ears have heard an angel's symphony,
But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King
Here with us
You're here with us

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem
A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King
You're here with us
You're here with us

Heart's 'A Pumpin'

We heard our baby's hearbeat again yesterday! Good to know things are going fine in there. At the end of December we'll have a sonogram to see if the baby is a boy or a girl. Any guesses?? We MAY be able to get a sono earlier if we can find one cheaper than what our office is charging. Anyone know of any cheapies in the Dallas area? We're so excited! My doctor says I should be able to feel movement in the next three weeks. CRAZINESS!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

No Wonder Women Have So Many Hip Problems....

For the last few weeks, I've felt as though my tummy is HUGE. ENORMOUS. We're talking triplets here, people. But lately, it seems smaller to me. Now, I know that my tummy is not getting smaller. That's not the way it works in pregnancy. So, then, the only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that I.....am.....getting......larger. My body itself is getting bigger and is dwarfing my once-huge tummy. This caused me a bit of emotional pain the other night when I called my mom whining about my hips hurting. She assured me it was nothing other than a little hip expansion. Hip expansion?! No where have I read in any books about pain from hip expansion! I guess I thought that your hips widened for the child-bearing part and then magically repositioned themselved afterward. (I've been told that this is not the case.) Anyway. I'm getting bigger. Yippee. Here are some cutie patootie pictures to distract us all from the very strange body-morphing (and to remind us why we do it).

Soccer Player or Shoe Salesman

Dude. Last night I had a dream that Baby Crow had three eyeballs. Maybe too many sonograms??? Here's the most recent. Check out those feet!!!

Maternity Left-Out

Curiouser and curiouser. So, have any of you navigated this whole baby thing without any maternity leave? I get what's left of my sick and vacation days. At least that's something. Any thoughts? Advice? Jobs that will hire pregnant ladies? :) Help me pray through this one, friends. I feel pretty calm about it, so that's good. We'll see what happens!

Boo-Hoo

Um, lots of crying lately. It's very annoying, actually. Can't I watch TV or listen to a student's problem without weeping? My eyes are perpetually bloodshot and my nose big and red. Enough, already, you crazy hormones! I was a weeper BEFORE you started surging through my body....and now I'm just silly. My poor men co-workers don't know what to do with me. Wait, aren't they counselors, you ask? Well, yes. And they are sympathetic, I'm sure. But I'm sure it's hard to know what to do when your secretary starts crying when you ask her to check and see why you haven't been getting the committee meeting notices. And I don't know why I'm crying. And I don't know it's coming until it's too late and I can't stop it. Sheesh. Tissues, anyone?

Umblilical-licious

Here's another sonogram! (I just found out that our insurance doesn't pay for these things, so I hope the doctor's office stops ordering them...they're kind of expensive). They took this one to try and determine when my due date is because I'm not real sure about the first day of my last period. Sheesh. So, I think they're calling May 1st.

ramblings from papa

Hi all,

This is Kevin. I'm the dad in this whole equation. I have yet to post anything on the baby blog so today seemed as good as any to do so. We had our first ultrasound done yesterday morning. They found a baby in Jenny's tummy and a breakfast burrito in mine. Seriously, though, it was a really neat experience. We could see Lil' Junior and actually hear the heartbeat at just 8 weeks.

We walked around Target last night, looking at baby things. Do you know that at Target one has 5 billion different baby bottles from which to choose? Animal print also seems to be a big hit with infant clothing. They also had a pacifier with a built in thermometer. I want one.

I am excited to be a daddy and am equally excited that Jenny is baby girl/boy's mamma. That would make us both excited. It really is a blessing, even in these early stages - the ultrasound images from yesterday confirmed this truth to me as I watched Junior/ette moving around in my wife's belly...WOW.

Well, I'm done rambling for now. Hope all who reads this is doing well. Thanks for stopping by.
Pappa Crow

First Sonogram

We had our first sonogram today and it looks like we're further along than we thought! Either that or we have a humongous baby.....which, given the size of Kevin and myself, is totally possible. The sonogram guy says we're 8 weeks and 4 days. WooHoo!

Singing For Two

Junior and I are singing in our first performance with the Dallas Symphony Chorus tonight! We're so excited. It's the world premiere of Steven Stucky's August 4, 1964. WooHoo! And Monday is our first appointment with the doctor. It's going to be a big weekend!

Supersize Me, Please.

We try to eat healthy, we really do. Our lunches are packed every day with a careful balance of fruit, veggies, dairy, and breads. I found out today, however, that these things do not satisfy Junior. They provide him with great nutrients to help him grow, this is true. But they do not get rid of that persnickity stomache growl that haunts me so. Lest you think that I am doomed to broccoli and carrots and growls for the rest of my preganancy, let me assure you that I have found the magical food that takes care of all such woes: Jack in the Box Seasoned Curly French Fries. Large, of course. And they really could make those larges a little, well, larger. I do realize, however, that if I continue to eat them whenever my tummy growls that I will get, well, larger. But, I hear that these things do happen when growing a person inside of you. And advice from books and friends doesn't really help. Some say, "You're not eating for two! Don't think that way!" While others claim, "Shoot, girl. Gain that weight. Your baby needs it. You can lose it later." I feel like there is a little pregnant angel on one shoulder and a little pregnant devil on the other. I'm not sure which of them is giving what advice, but I'm leaning toward the "Shoot, girl" portion. I've really never been so hungry in all of my life....ALL THE TIME. So, if you're the baking type and want to send some yummy cookies my way, you know where to find me!!!!!

Fooooooooooood

Things I'm craving:

Candy
Berries
Water
Jalepeno Chips

Zonked.

Today I am zonked. And STARVING. Pregnant women should not be required to work, seriously people. We're growing things in here! We should be on our couches alternating between snoozing and eating Ben & Jerry's. It's so very hard to care about things like filing and Dean's Reports at a time like this. Today Junior is growing his intestines and internal organs. Craziness. And you're asking me to file papers that no one will ever look at again?! Please, people.