Need a favor PLEASE

With only 16-ish more days to go, one of the things that everyone recommends doing is to compile/update your list of email addresses of friends and family. With that said, I need a favor from ya'll....

Please email me at agerber08@hotmail.com with your email address and current phone number.

Now only email me if you want to get the 1st pics of little Jackson and if you want to be included in our text to let everyone know he's here. We'd really appreciate it!

Stay tuned...our next doctor's appointment is Wednesday.

Our Little Monkey's Room

Here are some pics from Jackson's room (it's as done as it's going to get!):


A view from the door (it's a little smooshed in his room):


Jackson's bed


Not a lot of books on here, but they're taking up the entire guest room closet!:

Our rocking chair - a Gerber family heirloom:


More stuff in the baby's room:


A drawer full of onesies:


Who would've known we needed so many blankets :0)
(This second row is full of receiving blankets)

He's going to be one sharp-dressed little man:


Somewhere to wipe his butt:


Decor:


Drawer full of burp cloths and bibs:


I LOVE sock monkeys, so this was a great gift from my aunt Jana!

B/c You Need to See the Belly :0)

Here I am at 36 weeks:

I'm all belly people...all belly :0)

9 months and Counting....

HOLY COW (literally)! I'm officially 9 months today and boy do I feel/look BIG! Justin and I went for our latest doctor's appointment today. The 1st thing my doctor says to me is, "You are all baby girl!" I was like...don't I know it!?!?! I literally look and feel like a pear/penguin/planet, etc. etc. I swear I don't think Jackson can possibly get any bigger than he already is. The doctor discovered we are already dilated and he says we can have the baby next week or go to full term...it just depends on my water breaking and my contractions. Speaking of contractions, apparently I had one when he was examining and didn't even know it or feel it. I know I've had a few pretty big contractions...one of which I had last night on the way home from our childbirthing class #2, but the only way I know I'm contracting is when my stomach gets rock hard. However, my stomach is pretty rock hard all the time! So far, the contractions haven't been that bad and I just keep thinking...goodness, if they're like this, I'm going to love labor! From today on, we'll see the doctor once a week and hopefully we'll make even more progress next week. I just keep thinking just one more week...just one more week. Then, he'll technically be full term, but Justin doesn't want him to come early. He's only got about 3 weeks left of school and he just wants to make it past finals before we have the baby. Me....my thoughts are "OMG! I don't think I can do this much longer and I just want to make it to 37 weeks...just another week...just another week!" My body is just over being pregnant I think. I'm already having prelabor symptoms and my body is not enjoying them. One symptom is freakin' nausea! I just want to scream "I JUST GOT DONE BEING PUKEY SICK ALL THE TIME...LET'S NOT GO THROUGH THIS ANYMORE!" But of course, I'm getting sick in the mornings again and going through bouts of nausea throughout the day. And so there we are....all 36 weeks of me!

Before I end this post, I have to talk about my childbirthing class last night. The first class was hilarious...2nd class = TERRIFYING! In fact, I'm pretty sure watching the birthing video last night made me have the worst and strongest contractions I've ever had. I did NOT need to see the baby coming out b/c the thought that my area down there is going to get that big is like WHOA! I also didn't need to see the woman on the video go through the length of labor they did...granted they probably were going through labor naturally, but still...didn't need to see the pain and duration of everything they went through. It was just a little too much! Thank God for Justin who couldn't stop with the funny last night b/c he helped me laugh through it and made me feel better watching all the labor going on.

I JUST LOVE MY HUSBAND! He's so great for putting up with me and helping me stay calm and find the humor and life throughout this whole pregnancy thing. I feel so bad for him...I wake him up everytime I go to the bathroom and he never complains (at least not too much)! Last night, I woke up at 3:30a.m. screaming about scorpions and how I hated Oklahoma and just wanted to go home and go back to not having scary, life-threatening bugs in the state I live in. I kept yelling at him to promise to shake his shoes before he puts them on..."Just shake your shoes!" It was kinda funny, but not really b/c he's super tired today. I guess we're just getting ready for the many sleepless nights fo waking up with our little man! Again...I must reiterate...I LOVE MY HUSBAND!

Well...stay tuned. The next few weeks are going to bring us a beautiful baby boy :0)

Tales of a Childbirthing Class

So yesterday, Justin and I attended our very 1st childbirthing class. I had heard tales of terror...mostly about the videos they show. Maybe I was just plain tired or loopy from being tired, but I couldn't stop wanting to chuckle throughout the entire thing last night! Nothing was particularly funny or entertaining, but I just wanted to laugh at some of the things the lady said. The only thing I really found of interest to us was the prelabor signs...I have a lot of them! As our instructor was reading us the signs and symptoms of prelabor, I was completing the checklist...marking off each sign as she went along. I kept thinking, "HOLY CRAP! This is making me feel like I could go into labor at any moment!" The last symptom she mentioned was nausea/vomiting...to this, I responded, "Oh c'mon! I just stopped getting sick and now you're telling me I'm gonna start getting sick AGAIN! What is up with that!?!?!?" Of course, this morning...true to form...I got sick :0( I just can't win! Regardless, it "sounds" like Jackson could be coming sooner than expected.

With that said, my mind has gone into a panic. I'm so worried about getting things completed before he gets here. I just feel like I haven't left myself with enough time! I have made of list of things to do before he gets here and just as soon as I cross something off, I add another thing to the list. That is so frustrating! I just want to feel ready and I want to make sure my aide is as prepared as I can get her, so I don't have to worry about anything, but Jackson. I'm also trying to make things as easy on her as possible b/c it looks like she is going to be the lone library ranger! The sub we had in mind picked another position, so there goes our help. I'm thinking about asking some parents to volunteer one day a week to help check in and check out books while I'm gone. However, finding a parent to volunteer is like trying to find a needle in a haystack! No matter what I do, I probably will never be prepared enough and I know that Teresa will be fine no matter how much I leave her or don't. Anyway, I'll figure it out. It just seems like everything is so real now....

Today, we're at 35 weeks. 5-ish more weeks to go until our due date and we can't wait! We have just a few more minor details to do to the house before baby comes: wash all his linens and clothes, clean house, make sure we pack an overnight bag, and make sure that we have most everything set up and/or put away in the "right" place. The other day I had a thought...I kept thinking about how much I wish my mom was here to make sure that I'm doing the right things and that we have all the right thing before the baby comes. I wanted to cry b/c I miss my mom and dad so much, but I kept my emotions in check and decided she can still help with those things when the little guy gets here. I can't wait until Jackson is here to squish and smile at and for him to stick his tongue out at me and a whole lot more. The list of anticipations would be vast! However much time it takes for him to get here, I'll be glad to know that he's a healthy, happy baby boy :0)

The Kind of Parent I DON'T Want to Be

Everyday I wake up and thank God for the following things: an amazing husband, a wonderful set of family and friends, this little man growing in my belly, and for the job I love more than anything. My job has taught me so much about the kind of person and parent I want to be as well as many many other things. I'm blessed to work with some fantastic people and some truly special, amazing children. I feel lucky ALMOST everyday...I say almost b/c not everyday is a walk in the park. There are days when I want to quit, but they are so few and far between and I think I've only been truly angry at my job 2 times in the last 3 years. Anyway....today was a rough day. I'm constantly reminded of what kind of parent I want to be and the one I don't want to be. Today I was reminded of the mom I don't want to be when I learned of the situation of one of my former students. It broke my heart to learn that her dad had been burned to death in a meth lab fire and her mom was now in jail for a combination of really bad things. The picture of her in the paper just ripped me to shreds and I kept thinking over and over and over again, "Why in the HELL would you be cooking meth in a house full of children!?!?!?!" I ask myself all the time why parents smoke in front of the children, but I can't possibly fathom why anyone would expose their children to any sort of drugs. It infuriates me that this former student of mine will have to grow up now without the only parents (good or bad) that she's ever known b/c of their own stupidity and selfishness. If you pray, please pray for this girl for many reasons, but maybe most importantly that this child will never have to know again the kind of life she's known up 'til now. That the next family she's with will give her a hundred times more love than her own birth parents have ever shown her. This is just another situation in a series of many I've experienced at my job that reminds me of the kind of mother I want to be. Whatever fears I have about being a mom, I know I'll never be as horrible as that mother.

I'm 34 weeks...only 6 more weeks to go :0) Jackson will be here very soon...Can't wait!