If I Ran the Circus...

Well, I sort of do five days a week! Last week was Read Across America week. We also celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday with lots of fun dress up days. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to document the fabulous things that were worn except for the small bit of my Wacky Wednesday outfit that is seen in Snowflake's cake picture.

Anyways, the point of this post is show our door decoration. I think it turned out great, especially since my lovely kindergarten assistant put it up and I didn't have to touch it. :)

We read 'If I Ran the Circus' by Dr. Seuss. Wikipedia's overview of the story is:

Behind Mr. Sneelock's ramshackle store, there's an empty lot. Little Morris McGurk is convinced that if he could just clear out the rusty cans, the dead tree, and the old cars, nothing would prevent him from using the lot for the amazing, world-beating, Circus McGurkus. The more elaborate Morris' dreams about the circus become, the more they depend on the sleepy-looking and innocent Sneelock, who stands outside his ramshackle store sucking on a pipe, oblivious to the fate that awaits him in the depths of Morris's imagination. He doesn't yet know that he'll have to dispense 500 gallons of lemonade, be lassoed by a Wily Walloo, wrestle a Grizzly-Ghastly, and ski down a slope dotted with giant cacti. But if his performance is up to McGurkian expectations, then "Why, ladies and gentlemen, youngsters and oldsters, your heads will quite likely spin right off your shouldsters!"

After reading, they were to draw what they would have in their own circus.

"My unicorn is roller skating on the ice cube."

"My dragon is breathing fire and juggling balls."

"The dog is jumping through the spotted hoop."

"A butterfly juggling 17 balls."

"The cat had a new fashion do."

"A cat is juggling 25 balls."

21 weeks

On Leap Day, Wednesday, February 29th, On Tuesday, March 6th, Snowflake turned 21 weeks in its little bubble.{the above is crossed out due to Snowflake's change in due date}

Snowflake now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like Snowflake is practicing martial arts as the initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to activity as you get to know Snowflake better. In other developments, Snowflake's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

We went to Target again on Saturday (2/27) to buy diapers and get a $5 gift card. Low and behold, we didn't have the right boxes again. It is getting old people. When the ad says any two super pack boxes, you should follow that. I wasn't in the arguing mood and Hubby obviously wasn't either so we went back to get different boxes. I did use my $2 off coupon! So we really saved $7 ($5gift card from previous purchase plus $2 off)

In some more exciting news, I have officially felt Snowflake! Saturday and Sunday (3/3and4) I was feeling like I was hit with an allergy train. I didn't do much either day. Sunday, Hubby tried to get me up for church but ended up giving up on me getting me out of bed {which I think was best for me to stay in bed and get some rest}however, I never really fell back asleep. While laying there snuggling my pup and snoozing I felt something so then I waited around to feel it again. When Hubby got home, I said, "I think I felt Snowflake." He looked at me and then came over to feel. He waited for a few minutes then got impatient and gave up. Later in the afternoon, he tried again. This time he was a little more patient but didn't really like when I was poking around to try and stir her but it worked! He was able to feel her too! Since then, I think we have both felt her everyday, well I know I have but I think Hubby has too.

Since finding out Snowflake is a girl, she already has 4 things hanging in her closet (that is filling up with diapers along with our other stuff that has not been moved yet) and her very own set of hangers.

This is the outfit sleeper I got Hubby when we found out Snowflake is a girl.
It says it is newborn size but I hope she doesn't come out that long!

Up close

We picked (mainly Hubby) this out the Friday after we knew she is a she

Hubby picked this out when he ran in to Wal-Mart one night (I think he felt bad for not doing this sooner :) )

From the Taylor's-- Garren did a good job! Go Cowboys!

The day after I told my students about Snowflake, one of them brought her a gift...

Isn't it a cute little quilt?!

There are several popular characters on it... Fancy Nancy, Snoopy, Minnie Mouse, Muppets, and Raggedy Ann

The cat's out of the bag

Hubby got home late which means no picture. So… the 21 week update will have to be published later. However; today my little people found out! It’s no great story or anything good like I dreamed about when it was too late (I will get to that story) but at least now they know.

We were doing math {weird time to tell them, I know} and the lesson was about comparing sizes. There were 3 bears on the screen when a student said “It’s like a bear life cycle. A baby one, then it gets bigger and then even bigger to have another baby.”

2^nd student chimed in: “Like Mrs. Snow was a baby and now she is grown-up.”

3^rd student kind of finished #2’s thought process: “Yeah, Mrs. Snow was a baby, then a kid, now a grown up and then she will get a baby and it all starts over.”

With a story like that, I just took it and ran with it saying, “You know what? You’re right! I will get a baby soon.”

They sort of looked at me and then I told them I will be having a baby in July. When I told them, you would have thought they were going to get to keep the baby. They were so excited. “I’m so happy!” Some of them even got up and jumped around a little. A few of the girls were even hugging each other saying, “I’m so excited!” It was really sweet.

Then we took a class vote to see if boy or girl won. It was about even. I told them it’s a girl by showing them Tobie’s Think Pink picture and the girl’s got real excited again. One little boy got upset that Snowflake isn’t going to be a boy.

I was then asked what her name was. I told her for now we are calling her Snowflake because we haven’t decided yet. They laughed when I told them that Mr. Snow suggested ‘Santa Claus’. When they realized Santa Claus was a boy name, one of little girls said, “That’s a boy name. how ‘bout Mrs. Santa Claus?” Other names that were suggested were: Cutie Pie, Ashley, and Sparkle. I told them I would tell Mr. Snow their suggestions.

Before we left for lunch, I overheard some friends playing. One has a baby in her too. I made sure that I sent home a note telling the parents “that we are expecting our first child, a little girl, in July” and that “there has already been talk of them having babies too. I just want you to be aware so you are prepared to answer any questions how you choose.”

They never mentioned it the rest of the day but I am glad they know and was glad to see them excited about it.

On to the dream I had… Last week, my kindergarten friends were in charge of Rise and Shine, our morning assembly. Several of them did memorize their part like I asked but even the ones that didn’t, got up there and spoke clearly in the microphone. Anyways, Thursday night, I dreamed that I had told my kids about Snowflake and then told them to wear pink to school on Friday. In doing this, they would have known Snowflake is a girl before all of the teachers so it would have been how I let the teachers know she is a she. BUT, I dreamed that one night too late.

PS- the friends did a great job at Rise and Shine! They received many compliments on a job well done. 

A little change of plans

While doing calendar time with my kids on Thursday (3/1), my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket just so it would quit ringing and thought I recognized the number. After my kids settled in to working I checked again and was right, I did know the number. It was the doctor’s office. My heart sank. I thought, “Why is the doctor calling me? I am not supposed to see him for 2 more weeks.”

It was a good hour before I could listen to the message and when I did; my heart sank a little more. At first. On the message was the doctor, not a nurse or receptionist. The doctor.

He was calling to tell me he had “looked at the ultrasound pictures. There is one baby in there, doing everything it should. Everything looks great. One small thing is the due date is just a hair later, the 18^th instead of the 12^th.”

Good grief! Talk about freaking a girl out! At my next appointment, I will be telling them to warn the first timers that the doctor will call after looking at the ultrasound pictures.

So, to clear up any confusion, the weekly Snowflake updates will seem a little off late but that is because our due date has changed. July 18th is the new date which means our 21 week update will be on Tuesday, March 6th.

Tobie says...

On Leap Day, Wednesday, February 29^th, 2012, we found out that our little Snowflake is a little girl!

We were scheduled to go in at 7:45 but then got rescheduled for 3:30. When I got to the doctor’s office, Hubby was there waiting. I looked down and saw that he was still wearing his work boots.

I said: You’re going back to work when we’re finished?

Hubby: Um, yeah.

Me:  You mean you don’t want to go buy our little Snowflake something now that we will know if it is a boy or girl?

Hubby: Well, I didn’t say that.

Me: But you’re really going back to work and not shopping?

Hubby: I guess you could have told me you wanted to go shopping afterwards.

So, as I see it, I will have to tell him everything. I just figured we only find out what our first child is one time and maybe he would want to spend the rest of the day with me. Note to self: tell him he will be available in July when Snowflake arrives. J

Anyways, we were called back to our little ultrasound room. I had already been told by Preston’s cousin, who goes to the same doctor, that T, the ultrasound lady, is very dry. She told us what she was going to do and to tell her if there were any pictures we wanted to take home. After about 3 minutes of being in awe, seeing there actually is a human in there, I said, “Would you just take pictures of what you think is cool that parents will want?” So she did. We told her we had been calling the baby Snowflake and she sort of looked at us like, ‘that’s kind of silly,’ so I followed up with, ‘it goes with the last name.’ Then she understood. (See… dry. Other things were said throughout to confirm this but she was also very nice!)

After looking around a bit and explaining some of what we were seeing she said, “Are you looking for a gender today?” We told her we were and of course Snowflake immediately locked the knees together. She asked us if we had any guesses on boy or girl. I told her I had no idea and I never really did because I was afraid to say it was one thing and it turn out to be the other. Neither one of us told her about Hubby’s day of the week theory. She asked what other people thought and I told her several teachers at school thought it was a girl and that our friend’s Magic 8 ball said it was a girl too. Then I told her Robin was curious if the doctor’s Magic 8 ball was as accurate as hers. :)

After poking and wiggling, I was sent to “empty my bladder, wiggle down the hall, jump around and talk to that baby while you’re in there.” I came back and knees were still locked. Then I had to roll to my left, which put my back to the screen. When I rolled, Snowflake rolled with me, which is not what T wanted. Then I had to roll part way to my right (because she still had to have room to move her wand) and that is when she froze the screen, made a little circle on it and said, “And that’s the labia. You’ll see those little ridges the first time you change her diaper.” I looked over at Preston in time to see his eyes welled up at the sight of knowing Snowflake is a little girl. She will be the luckiest girl in the world to have him as a Daddy.

Snowflake's profile

Snowflake's little footprint

To maintain Snowflake's modesty, I won't be posting her girl parts. I've got to start her out right... they are not for sharing.

After the appointment, Hubby went back to work and I headed out shopping. I picked up this cute little outfit for the Daddy.

Shopping had to be quick since we were hosting our friends, Travis and Robin, for American Idol. We had gone shopping the day before for our menu items (hotdogs or tacos) and now had to get cooking. Tacos won! :) We weren't just going to come right out and tell them, “It’s a girl!” we wanted to wait and see if they realized that due to the fact we were having tacos for dinner. Robin was funny though. We did a little small talk before she came out and asked if we knew then she buried her head in her sweatshirt out of excitement of possibly getting to know. When it hit that tacos were the clue, she said, “where’s the cake? (they brought dessert for the night)” and then proceeded to get pink frosting out of her purse.

Later, we had to pause our show for a Skype session with the grandparents. I had asked my dad to go to his parents after choir practice so we could tell them all together.

We sent Nandy and Pa ‘It’s a Girl!’ balloons on Thursday to tell them the news. It was entertaining ordering them because she asked, “Do you want me to put 'Congratulations' on the card?” I said, “No, these are for my grandparents. It is how we are telling them the gender of their great grandchild.” The floral lady was excited about getting to deliver them. She said she had “never done it this way before.” Then I asked her if she would take a picture of them with the balloons and send it to me or I could get it from my grandparents next time I was in Enid (which is what I will have to do). We also Skyped them on Thursday night. Pa said, "He figured it would be a girl since Hubby had {girl} plans to look at the whole time." He said it is some of his "old, old wisdom" so he needed to use it. Silly old man.

Pa promptly sent out a mass email telling people. He sent it to me too. That is when I saw he included my brother, who I was going to Skype that night to tell. Oh well. I still got to tell Claire and Dana without them knowing. Claire offered her some of her baby dresses too. She also suggested the name Jennica because we can't name her Claire "because that's my name!!" and "Tobie is Tobie's name!!"

Friday, I hung Tobie’s Think Pink picture in the lounge for my school friends to find out and Friday after school I made the official announcement to facebook. Now the world knows... except for my little friends at school.

Super Size Nothing!

On the 18th, Hubby drove me to OKC to go to a baby shower for a friend. He dropped me off at the shower and then went to spend time with FIL (his dad). On the way, we stopped for lunch at a McDonald's on the Turner Turnpike. Now I know, most people think it is disgusting... but to me there is just something do good about a plain cheeseburger from McDonald's. I am sure if I knew what was really in it I may not think that but I just don't like to think about where any of my food really comes from. Anyways, we start back down the turnpike when I pull out my fries.

WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!

Yes, that fry thing really was as small as it looks!

I understand that the world of a child is becoming a fatter place but dang people...Why do I have to suffer? McDonald's already offers healthy choices, why do you have to make my fries smaller? It's not my fault if some bratty little kid convinces his/her parents to get fries instead of the healthy option.

If you weren't sure about how I felt about this, please know that I felt robbed. I guess Hubby will have to start super-sizing all of his meals just so I can get some more french fries out of the deal.

President's Day

We took a week to talk about President's Day... who our current President is, who George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were, how you become the President and so on.

Our little craft for the week was to make George or Abe. Here are a few: 

For the actual President's Day, the students were out of school while I, and the rest of the district, were getting professionally developed. I can say that I would have much rather spent the day with my students as none of the meetings I attended had to go to taught me anything. Oh well, maybe next time.