Baby it's cold outside!

Not much happening at the Rueber residence this week. We have just tried to stay warm during the normal WI winter weather...Brrrr!

Dave is doing his best to stay warm...look at that beard! I am told that it will disappear after ice softball (thank goodness). I have begun to count the days only 12 to go!

I am still not "showing" a great deal, but the comments have begun...

• You don't look that pregnant today. My thought: so what do I look like every other day?
  
• I wasn't sure if you were pregnant or getting a beer belly, congrats. My thought: Ummmm, thanks?!?
• Mrs. Rueber, your belly looks stuffed today. (this was from one of my students) My thought: That is one way to describe the way I am feeling!

I am sure there will be more comments to come as my belly continues to grow.

Baby Update:

Week 17

Baby's skeleton is beginning to change from soft cartilage to bone. Baby Rueber weighs about 5 ounces and is about 5 inches long...approximately the size of a turnip.

Stay warm!

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

It has been a marathon week for me, I had the last set of parent teacher conferences for the year Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night. Like I have said before, I have a busy class, which made conferences mentally and emotionally draining for me this year...more than normal!

But after a busy week, I had a wonderful weekend with my husband. We don't often get to go places together, with him working every other weekend we are usually traveling or have plans. Not this weekend! Saturday we took the day and drove to the Twin Cities to start looking at baby gear and furniture. Fun stuff.. Our first stop was Babys R Us. The store was PACKED, but we got to touch, feel, fold, push, and carry all of the big items we have been looking at online (stroller, car seat, high chair, bouncy, etc). For the most part we loved everything we had picked out! Next stop USA Baby, we had looked at a different sets of furniture online and when we got there, we didn't like them at ALL!! Good thing we went shopping, but we did find another set that we love! Stay tuned for pictures!

We have begun to "talk" to the baby and when I am checking email, facebook, reading, watching TV or updating the blog, this is how you will find me. Earphones on my belly playing lullaby music to our little peanut. It is suppose to stimulate the brain!

We have begun to clean out the room that will be turned into Baby Rueber's Nursery. We have taken the desk out of the room, cleaned out 1/2 of closet and put some of Baby R's. things away. We don't have much but are excited for it to continue to look more and more like a baby's room.

Baby Update:

We had our 16 week check up Friday and continue to love our doctor. The nurse found the heart beat this time...thank goodness. The heart beat was 160...so now all of you can make your predictions; boy or girl!

I continue to feel good, more and more energy each day. It is hard to believe that in four weeks we will be 20 weeks, which means we will be HALF WAY THERE! That makes us excited and nervous all at the same time.

This week Baby R is the size of an avocado. In the next few weeks there will be a big growth spurt...watch out belly! Baby R's legs are getting longer and he/she has begun to develop toenails! The heart pumps approximately 25 quarts of blood each day and it will continue to increase as he/she grows.

Thanks for tuning in this week!
The Rueber's

Mrs. Rueber is having a BABY!!

I finally broke the news to my students. I wanted to wait until I had a more visible belly, it is difficult for 5/6 year old's to comprehend a baby inside someone's belly without a little evidence.

I gave the students four clues to figure out my secret. I had them smell baby food (peaches), taste baby gold fish, touch and smell baby powder and hear a baby rattle. This was a great way to tie in our 5 senses! After the students touched, smelled, tasted and heard all of the clues they were stumped! So we talked about ALL of the clues again, "We smelled BABY food, touched and smelled BABY powder, tasted BABY gold fish and heard a BABY rattle!"

FINALLY, one of my students shouted out...."Mrs. Rueber is having a BABY!"

I had the students predict what the baby would be a boy or girl.
Boy = 6 students

Girl = 16 students


I guess we will just have to wait until July to find out!


We did a little home renovation this week...well we had a friend do a little renovation! We had a new sink put in, our old sink was worse than an apartment sink. It was only about 5 1/2 inches deep and yucky. Our new sink is 9 inches deep with a stylish new faucet and is FABULOUS!

We hired two plumbers to do the job, Patrick and Finley. Okay, well we asked if Patrick could do the work and Finely stopped by with mom (Heather) for pizza! Thanks for the company!


And here is our new FABULOUS sink and faucet! Thank you Patrick!


Baby Update: 15 weeks

Baby Rueber is approximately 4 inches long weighing about 2 1/2 ounces and about the size of an apple. He/She eyelids are fused shut, but baby R. can sense light. Baby R. is also forming taste buds, although he/she isn't tasting much yet.

I continue to feel better and better each week. I know many people refer to the second trimester as the "golden days" so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I continue to feel good! Saturday was the FIRST weekend day that I have NOT taken a nap in a long time!

Thank you Heather for the great idea on how to tell my students. They loved it and I loved watching their faces as they were using their senses to figure out "Mrs. Rueber's Secret". Thanks again!

We have a Lemon!

We are safely in our second trimester and are currently 14 weeks pregnant!

I am still feeling good for the most part, still bloated and tired. I haven't decided if I am tired because of the pregnancy, my job or both. I am thinking both! Those 5 & 6 year old's sure can wear a 27 year old out!!! I have a busy class this year that keeps me on my toes at ALL times!

I have been noticing lots of changes in my body, all over from having an itchy belly to tighter waistbands on all of my pants.

Baby Rueber is currently the size of a lemon . Weighing in at 1 1/2 ounces and measuring about 3 1/2 inches from head to bottom.

This week's big developments: Baby R. can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his/her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his/her facial muscles are getting a workout as Baby Rueber's tiny features form one expression after another. Baby R. kidneys are producing urine, which he/she releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process Baby R. will keep up until birth. Baby can grasp, too.


Here I am at 14 weeks, feeling large! There sure is bump there...

David and I treated ourselves to a movie this weekend. We saw Avatar! I am usually not one to pick this type of movie, but I knew that it is one of those movies that you "have" to see in the theater. It was a really great movie and worth seeing in the theater. Here we are in our stylish 3D glasses. Don't worry I kept them if anyone would like to borrow them!?!

Ho, Ho, Ho and a Happy New Year!

We drove over to my parents house for Christmas Eve and stayed through Sunday. It was great to be home for a couple of days. We had quite the drive over, hitting snow, sleet and rain. The roads were "okay" mostly just wet, it took us our normal 3 hours to get there. We hope anyone who had to travel got there safely and enjoyed their time with family!

David and I began our Christmas by exchanging gifts with each other before heading to Oconto Falls. Baby Rueber bought both of us a few gifts. Daddy got this adorable onsie that says "My Daddy is #1". His comment was..."It is sooo small". My thought, well I hope it is that small, I don't have room for anything "bigger". Daddy also got a book "Just Daddy and Me" Mommy got, the softest baby blanket in my favorite colors, chocolate brown and green! If Baby R doesn't like it, I will use it!

David and I after church Christmas Eve at my parents house.

David was very sleepy Christmas Eve. We put in a movie and he was out about 5 minutes into the movie! He had worked the night before, drove 3 hours (because of the roads), and only got about 3 hours of sleep before Church.

Here is my parents tree with ALL of the gifts just waiting to be opened! And to think we set a budget this year...sure doesn't look like we cut back. Many of you know that it takes us a LONG time to open gifts. We go around, youngest to oldest, opening one gift at a time! It only took us 3 1/2 hours this year!!!!

Paisley was overly excited about gifts....not really. She laid on her bed for almost the whole gift opening...remember it only took us 3 1/2 hours!

We had a special visitor shortly after Christmas, my Grandma Zielke! My parents picked her up and drove to Eau Claire/Menomonie to see our houses for Christmas! We went to Adam/Amy's house Tuesday night for dinner. Grandma and my parents stayed overnight at our house Tuesday and Wednesday I brought Grandma to see my classroom. It was great to see her over the holidays and especially to have her at our houses! Thanks for making the LONG trip Grandma, Love you!

Baby Update:

We are currently 13 weeks (this time for real!), which means we are starting our second trimester! I am very thankful for the restful winter break that I have had and hopefully it will help we transition back to work with more energy!

Baby R. is currently the size of a medium shrimp, and about 3 inches long. Baby R. now has fingerprints on his/her tiny fingers!

Back-up Baby

On Tuesday, December 22 we had our first doctor appointment and we got to meet our doctor. Dr. Burgess was recommended by a friend and we couldn't be happier with our choice! Thanks for the recommendation Heather!

We were very anxious and excited for our first appointment, I had a few questions for the Dr. and we got to hear the heart beat.....

As normal, we met with the nurse first and went over some medical history stuff, took my blood pressure, etc. Then it was time to listen for the heart beat.

Here is the (crazy) nurse looking for the heartbeat. She was so funny and made the appointment fun!

For those of you who have heard a baby's heartbeat before, it is hard to distinguish between your own heartbeat and the baby's. So we tried with the Doppler in the picture, no heart beat; we tried with an old fashion Doppler (She had a stethoscope on and so did I), still no heartbeat. Naturally this made a mother-to-be nervous!

So...she sent in Dr. Burgess to do "her thing". We were suppose to do a "meet and greet" get to know you type thing, but Dr. Burgess wanted to make sure we found the baby's heartbeat. She did an exam to feel my uterus (sorry for the TMI) and thought it felt enlarged. Then it was her turn to try and find the heart beat. Dr. Burgess likes the old fashion Doppler, so that was first...no heartbeat. Time to try the new one...no heartbeat.

NOW I WAS REALLY NERVOUS!

THANK GOODNESS FOR MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND WHO WAS THERE THE WHOLE TIME KEEPING ME CALM!

Dr. Burgess ordered an early ultra-sound. She told us we were not leaving until we know there is a baby in your belly. (See why we love her!)

Check out this outfit. This is how I walked down the hallway to the ultra sound room....good thing I am married!

Once in the ultra sound room, and we got "hooked" up (all women know what I mean), we immediately heard the heartbeat and saw our little peanut. The sight and sound brought tears to both of our eyes!

Technology is amazing! Baby R was squirming all over the place...we both were amazed at how much he/she was moving! There was one point when the hand went across the screen and we could see all 5 fingers!

Now for the reasoning of the this blog title:

With the ultra sound we found out that we are not a far as we thought. We thought we were 13 weeks, but we are only 12 (between 7-9 days off). So our due date is now July 8, 2010.

We are so thankful for our early Christmas present of hearing Baby Rueber's hear beat and the extra present of a few early pictures!

Merry Christmas to all!

First Trimester...Check!

Well, we have made it through our first trimester, Tuesday, December 22 we will be 13 weeks. We have a Dr. appointment Tuesday as well, and we get to hear the heart beat, this will really make it real for Dave. We can't wait.

Since we have posted last, I got sick for the first time during my pregnancy. I had this cough/runny nose for about 2 1/2-3 weeks and finally went to the Dr. I had bronchitis, they put me on a antibiotic (yes it was safe to take while pregnant) and I feel much better! I hope this isn't a sign as to how this winter pregnancy is going to treat me!

Baby Stats:

Baby Rueber is the size of a lime. From crown to rump measuring 2 inches and weighing about 1/2 an ounce! The most dramatic development this week is reflexes. Baby R will soon be able to open and close his/her fingers, curls toes and his/her mouth will make a sucking motion! Baby Rueber's eyes have moved from the sides to the front of the head and ears are right where they should be. Baby R is looking more and more like a human everyday! Not going to lie, Baby R kinda has looked alien like...

Week 12 notice the Be Band that I sport every day! It is an elastic band that allows me to wear my pre-pregnancy pants (unbuttoned). I am not ready or big enough for maternity clothes, but this helps me feel comfortable.

We have gotten a few gifts for us and for Baby Rueber. I promise not to post every gift, but I have to share one! Thank you everyone for the wonderful cards and gifts!

I have had 2 great University students working in my classroom 2 days a week all semester. I shared the news with the girls and here is what I got from one of them. She knows that I am a huge Packer fan and that Dave is a huge Viking fan, yet she did not know that we have asked everyone NOT to buy football apparel...So you can imagine my reaction when I opened the gift. I died laughing and when I showed Dave he said...."Burn it!" I promised Dave that we would get a Viking outfit and can change the baby in between games!


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We want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Travel safe and enjoy your time with family and friends.
Love,
The Ruebers