It's a......

We went to the doctor today and found out that our Little Bitty Levin is a boy! We are so excited. We did think at first that we were having a girl because of the fast heart beat. "Boy" were we wrong. It's funny, over the past two weeks I have been referring to the baby as a he. I guess I need to apologize to my boy for all the times I said he was a she.

He was moving around a lot so we only have one good picture. He is definitely a boy though. We saw that....he was too fast to snap the shot. All of his measurements look great says the doc. He is weighing in at 11 ounces. As of today, I have gained 12 pounds. It is hard to tell by my picture though. I am carrying this baby really well.

Chicken at School

I had very few options at lunch today. They were having Monster Dogs....which smelled delicious, but they are on my no-no list. There was no salad bar or fresh fruit or veggies. The choices were limited because today was the last lunch before Christmas break. I picked up a chicken sandwich and some chips. I ate it quickly before anyone at my table could point out that I was eating chicken. I ate it and it was so good. I'm actually kinda craving another one. :) After I had consumed the whole thing, I pulled the sticker off the sandwich bag and held it up for the other teachers to see. They thought I was eating a hamburger and were shocked to see the chicken sandwich sticker. I guess I'm getting over the chicken thing.

I have to get a picture of myself up here soon. My belly has really started to pop out over the past 2 weeks. Today I wore a shirt that hugged my curves and several people commented on my "growth spurt."

Be sure to vote on whether we are having a boy or girl.....we find out Monday morning! I will post the results as soon as I can get to a computer. It's hard to believe I am approaching the 5 month mark.

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight?

I don't know how it slipped my mind to blog about this. Anyway, I have been thinking about eating chicken lately. I didn't want to do it at school in case it made me sick. I told Nick I was thinking about trying chicken again. He told me to pick a recipe and prepare it. I picked a chicken/rice/carrot/mushroom dish and prepared it on Monday. I have always been kinda picky when it comes to chicken. I don't like any fat on it and definitely no hard funky parts. When preparing it, I waste half the chicken making sure no gross stuff is on it. Well....I ate it and liked it. We will see if I am able to do it again soon. :)

18 Weeks Today

What a Week!

This has been a very busy week. I feel like I have been running all over the place. I am looking forward to spending a quiet weekend with Nick. He rented a bunch of movies for us to watch tonight. What a sweet guy! :) We put our tree up earlier this week. We will get the decorations out this weekend.

Yesterday I went to Babies R' Us to shop around a bit. I have been researching car seats and strollers over the past couple of weeks. I had my options narrowed down and was ready to see the merchandise up close and personal. I lugged a car seat around with my purse in it (baby weight) and played with strollers. After researching and playing, I think I have made my decision. Now the pictures below are very disappointing...you really have to see it in person for the full effect. The car seat is a Chicco KeyFit30...our Little Bitty Levin will be able to ride in this until he/she weighs 30 pounds. Most car seats only fit up to 22 pounds. The stroller is the Chicco Cortina. Both have great safety ratings and customer comments. I was going to go with a Britax infant car seat, but there weren't a lot of options for a compatible stroller. We will probably go that route once our Little Bitty is ready for the next car seat. I know the color of this one looks drab and boring from the picture, but in person it looks great. I already have light pink or light blue strap covers picked out for the seat. (Another plus...it is neutral enough for either sex.)

I've Got a Mover :)

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Nick and I did...Little Bitty too! We were in Nashville for a couple of days. After Thanksgiving dinner, I felt very full. The baby started moving A LOT....So much that people could feel the movement by touching my tummy. It was so cool. That night and the next couple of days, I didn't feel as much movement. I guess our Little Bitty was recovering from all that food Mommy ate. Oh, and I finally got over my nasal/sinus stuff. I didn't have to take an antibiotic. Saline spray and Mucinex worked for me.

All the maternity clothes I received are great. The pillow is wonderful too. Although, I didn't sleep with it last night because Nick said I liked stuggling that pillow better than him. :) Hehe. I wore one of my hand-me-down shirts today. It fits great except for the button under my chest is starting to pop open. My belly is barely there, but I am definitely seeing some changes up top! :) As of last Thursday, I have gained a total of 4.5 pounds so far. My doctor said that I will see more weight gain over the next month. I should gain about a pound a week from here on out...give or take.

One more thing: I had a rough start to the morning today. I starting feeling sick right as it was time for me to head out the door. I kept having to sit down and take deep breaths. I finally got out the door and got a banana down...which helped. I made a quick stop by the gas station to buy a post card for a project. A couple of days ago I checked the prices of the post cards. They were 25 cents. Instead of charging that I decided to wait until I had some change. Well, today the post cards mysteriously went up to 69 cents...which I did not have. I was so mad and upset. I know this is silly, but I cried my eyes out. Had to even call my mom to console me. Of course I felt better after talking to my mom. The rest of my day was smooth sailing. Oh my hormones!

What a Day!

My appointment went well yesterday. The baby's heartbeat is still in the 160's. It is said, but not proven that a high heartrate means a girl. Who knows? We will find out for sure on December 22nd. Nick and I will be thrilled with either sex.

My doctor did not give me any antibiotics. She told me to keep an eye on things and get back with her. I was miserable last night...up half the night blowing my nose and coughing. I am taking some doctor approved over the counter medicine. Hopefully that will clear things up for me.

Well, I made it through the school day and got a suprise after school. A mom of one of my students gave me an arm load of maternity clothes and a maternity pillow! They are so cute....lots of pants, dresses, and tops. I can't wait to get home to try on things.

It will be nice to sleep in tomorrow. :) We are out for the rest of the week. I definitely need a little break. After Thanksgiving break, the countdown begins...only three weeks of school until Christmas break!

Doctor's Appointment Today

I have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I can't wait to hear the baby's heartbeat! :) I'll probably have to get a prescription filled for some antibiotics. I have what all the kids have here at school...cough, runny nose, sneezing, headache, etc. Yuck!

I felt A LOT of movement this past weekend. It seems that when I'm laying down or sitting still is when I notice it the most. I grabbed Nick's hand to see if he could feel anything....but no. The movements are so slight that only I can feel them at this time. Little Bitty Levin is very active.

Also, Nick and I went to Target and Babies R' Us to look around. We saw several items we like. I can't wait to register! We will wait until we know the sex of the baby first.

Great News & A Whoops!

I just got my lab results back this afternoon......I have antibodies towards 5th's disease! That means if I come in contact with any infected little ones, I have no worries. :) My results were supposed to be in on Monday, but they were held up for some reason. What a huge relief to know for sure.

Also, a funny thing happened this morning. Well, I wore pants today that I could zip up but not button. I wore a belt so you couldn't tell they were unbuttoned. During reading, I sat down to read my students a book and I hear a noise and feel that my pants are coming unzipped. Well, I stood up quickly and walked behind my desk to fix my zipper. Thank goodness the kids didn't notice what I was doing. So, I guess it's not safe for me to continue wearing these pants.

When I heard from the nurse today, I asked her what I should expect at my next appointment....which is Monday. She said it will be a regular visit and they will check the baby's heartbeat. I will have an ultrasound done right before Christmas to find out the sex of our Little Bitty Levin. What a great Christmas surprise!

No Turkey For Me

Today we had Thanksgiving food for lunch. When I saw the menu I was very excited. I was even more excited when I walked in the cafeteria with all those good smells.

:) Side Note: For those of you who don't know, I have not been eating chicken. Since I was about 6 weeks pregnant, I have had a strong aversion to it. In the beginning, I couldn't smell it, think about it, or even say the word without feeling ill. Now I'm better. I can see others eat chicken and feel okay, I'm just not up to eating it myself.

Today I thought I would be able to handle turkey, because it isn't chicken. Well, as soon as I saw it I felt sick. That's okay, there were plenty of side items to fill me up. All the teachers around me at lunch were enjoying the turkey and that did not bother me. I will be fine with the turkey on Thanksgiving Day....I just won't have any on my plate unless this aversion passes. :)

And for those of you who worry.....yes I am getting enough protein. Beef, pork, eggs, beans, cheese, and soymilk don't bother me. Poor Nick misses having chicken for dinner though.

Whatcha Think?

I have looked at several cribs online. I was suprised when I looked at the Wal-Mart site. What do you guys think of this crib? It is plain and simple. We have not settled on anything yet......still just looking for ideas. Any other sites I should check out?

By the way, Nick and I cleaned the house top to bottom yesterday. After cleaning, we went upstairs to our future nursery to relax. It's hard to believe that empty room will be very full very soon. :)

Holy Heavy Cart!

I went grocery shopping on Saturday at Wal-Mart. It was so crowded and everyone seemed to be in a most unpleasant mood. I thought I was going to die pushing that heavy cart around the store. I was getting out of breath and my heart rate was going up. By the time I made it to the check-out lane I was ready to leave my cart right there and go home. I didn't. I check-out and headed home. On the way home I called a few of my sisters to ask if they had every experienced anything like this. They laughed and said just wait til I get bigger. So my sisters think I'm a big baby....thanks a lot girls. I really am not out of shape. I have been doing pre-natal yoga a couple of times a week and I'm on my feet most all day teaching. Good thing I have a sweet hubby who won't mind pushing that heavy cart around for me. Anyone else have an experience like this?

I love my workout dvd. It takes you through a different workout each month of your pregnancy. You also get to follow Gabi through her pregnancy.

5th's Disease

While at school yesterday morning, the school nurse came to me and let me know we had a case of 5th's disease on our hallway. If a pregnant mother is exposed to this in her 1st trimester, it can cause a miscarriage. I am in my 2nd trimester, but my doctor called me in to be on the safe side. They drew blood to see if one I have immunity to 5th's disease and two to see if I had been exposed to it. They had to send it off, so I won't know anything until Monday or Tuesday. I am not worried, so you guys aren't allowed to worry either.

Last spring, practically the whole kindergarten class came down with 5th's. I knew we would be trying to conceive within the next few months, so I tried everything I could to get it before I became pregnant. I never got the rash, but I still could have exposed myself at that time and created immunity. I'll let you know when I hear something from the doctor. Click on this link to learn more about 5th's disease:
http://children.webmd.com/tc/fifth-disease-topic-overview

MTSU Girls :)

This past weekend, Nick and I traveled to Murfreesboro for MTSU's homecoming game. After seeing lots of familar faces, I took a break from the tailgating festivities to meet up with some of my favorite girls. Rachel, Jenn, and Brandy picked me up from MTSU, and we headed to Amber's house in Eagleville. Amber is 8 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy. Look how cute her belly is! We had so much fun catching up on old times. We are all looking forward to seeing each other again soon.

Lots of Mommies

On September 28, I had the chance to perform at half-time with 70+ Tennessee Titan Alumni Cheerleaders. It was a lot of fun....but I had forgotten just how much work being a cheerleader was. There were 6 pregnant mommies who performed that day. There is one missing from this picture. I was two months along at this time.

What Was That?

Last night I was at a Bible study class with my mom and sister, Debbie. I felt a very light "tap tap" in my lower abdomen. My 1st thought was, "That's the baby!" I waited to see if I felt it again. About 20 minutes later I felt the same thing in the same place, but only one "tap" this time. According to pregnancy.com: Early movements 'like butterfly flutters' can be felt as early as 14 or 15 weeks, although most women feel movement around weeks 18-20. I'm not completely convinced that I felt the baby. It was something I have not felt so far. I will wait to see if I feel that again.

Maternity Clothes

Okay, so I went maternity clothes shopping. I am not showing much at all. I still have a lot of clothes that still fit me. Here's the problem: Most of my pants must be worn with heels. My poor feet just can't take heels all day long. Plus, my balance is already off a bit. A found a couple pairs of pants at Motherhood Maternity. The poor sales girl must have been seen dollar signs when I headed off to the dressing room with most every style of pant in the store. This was my first time trying on mommy clothes...I had to see what worked. I found that the pants with the full panel work best for me. The panel is the same material as a pair of tights. It can be pulled up high or folded over. In the dressing room, there was a belly insert. That was crazy to see how I looked with a big belly. Here is a picture of one of the pairs I bought. With a shirt, they don't look maternity at all. I also found a pair of pants at Target on the sale rack. Target did not have as big of a selection as I thought they would. Half of the section is plus size clothes. I feel good about my purchases. I can't wait to show off my new clothes to you guys. :)

Welcome to Our "Little Bitty Levin" Blog

Welcome to our blog. :) I am new to all the website stuff, so please be patient with me. Nick and I want to share our journey to parenthood with our family and friends. We will post pics of my belly as it grows and keep you up-to-date on our progression through this pregnancy.

Please keep us in your prayers.

Love and kisses....Angie and Nick