BABY It's Hot Outside!

Today we are only about 2 weeks away from this journey we have been on.  I personally feel that time has flown by.  Suprisingly, I feel wonderful.  I don't feel like I could be having a baby any day now.  Vince and I are hoping that our luck isn't going to run out and this little guy of ours is going to pay us back and be quite the ornery one.  We shall see!  I went to the Dr. yesterday and it looks like he could be making his appearance anytime.  As we know, this could mean he could come today, tommorow or 2 weeks from now.  Either way we just can't wait until he gets here and he will make his appearance when he is ready! 

Here in PA we have had some record high temperatures so I have been trying to stay out of the heat as much as possible but that is hard for me.  I love being outside and can't hardly stand being trapped in the house.  Although everyone tells me to stay inside I do sneak out from time to time.  I have still been going to my swimming classes and love them.  I think they are part of the reason I haven't really had any swelling.  I did start walking early in the morning some this week so we shall see if this pushes him along.

I am not a big fan of the belly pictures but decided I needed to get over it so below I have posted a picture of me at 30 weeks and one of myself now.  As you will see the little guy has grown quite a bit in the last 8 weeks.

Before we know it we will have all of our family here sharing this wonderful experience with us!  We can't wait for everyone to arrive!


                                                                          30 WEEKS

37 1/2 WEEKS

It's Almost Time.......

I first want to say CONGRATULATIONS to Billie & Bart for the arrival of their precious little girl Bailey Partin Bartholomew.  She was born on June 14th at 2:11am and weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces (the same as I did when I was born).  She is absolutely beautiful and Vince and I can't wait to meet her. 

Today Vince and I went to our 34 1/2 week appointment.  I can't hardly believe how fast time has went.  The Dr. said he is taking up every inch of my belly and his head is in the perfect position.  She estimated he is weighing in at about 5.5 pounds and thinks he will weigh somewhere between 7.5 - 9 pounds when he arrives.  Sounds like a perfect little boy to me.  I am not pregidous or anything.

This week has been a little different for the little man and I.  I finished up my student teaching this past Friday so this week I have been busy getting the last minute things ready for his arrival.  I have stayed extremely busy this week and plan on relaxing a little more next week.  Vince is going to be in Nashville Monday - Friday of next week for work and the Dr. recommended that I don't overdue it since Vince would be gone.  We don't want the little man to arrive when his dad isn't here. 

This week I was really looking forward to attending an Aquafit Plus class in the pool and absolutly LOVED it.  I couldn't attend it before because I was teaching and have realized this week how much better swimming is than being on the treadmill every morning like I was before.  It is relaxing and a pretty good workout at the same time.  It is a great way to start my morning!  Lets hope our little guy is a waterbug when he arrives.  I actually bought him his first pair of swimming trunks this week with crabs on them.  See below!!!!

My next appointment is on June 29th and we will get a better idea when the the little man will arrive.

Time Is Flying By.........30 Weeks

It is hard to believe we just had our 30 week appointment.  Time has really flown by this last month.  It seems like yesterday we were discussing having a baby and now we only have 8-10 more weeks until our little man arrives. 

Vince and I went to our first pre-nantal class last Thursday and another one this Thursday.  At the end of the session we were to lay on our mats and pillows and go through a relaxing session.  The instructor had calming music with a narrator telling you how to relax.  Well, our little man was making it very hard for his mom to relax.  As we were laying there Vince and I couldn't quit laughing because you could see our little guys body parts poking out through my shirt.  He almost got us kicked out, well not really but probably should have been.  He seems to become more and more active as the  days go on.  I think Vince and I could sit and watch him move around all day everyday. 

The Dr. said everything looked great at my 30 week appointment.  I have been fighting off some really bad shin splints and was hoping the Dr. would have some positive advice / medicine for them but I had no luck!  He pretty much said there was nothing I could do about them.  I am not aloud taking any medicine for them so I guess I need to just fight through them. (hello everyone, this is Vince - and the Dr. actually said to rest them, not fight through them - just a point of clarification)

As far as work goes, it is also hard to believe that I only have 4 weeks left of my student teaching.  Time has really flown by and I am starting to get really attached to the students.  The other day one of the little boys in the class said to me that he didn't know I was pregnant and thought I just started eating a lot when I started working at the school.  Little comments like this is what makes my days so interesting!  As far as Vince's job goes he has been extremely busy this last month which is always a good thing.

The little guys nursery is finally done.  It actually didn't take very long at all.  Things came together really quickly.  When I start doing something I just want it done!  Now, all we need is our little guy to liven up the room!  Check out some pictures below!

The next couple weeks should be pretty calm and relaxing for us.  We plan on getting some more yard work done.  Last weekend was spent weeding, edging and mulching so this weekend I will probably tackle the flowers.  Vince is participating in a triathlon in Jersery over Memorial Day weekend so he is looking forward to that.  My next appoitnment is June 3rd and hopefully everything is still going as planned by then.  Keep checking back for updates on baby Jenkins.

25 Weeks and Counting....

Tuesday, May 13th was my 25 week check-up.  The Dr. said everything looked great and to keep doing what I am doing. My belly has seemed to really grow the last 3 or 4 weeks.  I went from pretty much having no belly to having one that seems to be sticking out pretty far.  Oh well, I am excited when I see it growing because I know our little man is getting closer and closer to arriving. 

Vince and I got to spend a week in Hilton Head over Easter with my parents, his parents, sister and her boyfriend.  We were so lucky to visit with them for so long because we really hadn't seen any of them since Christmas.  Vince got to put another crib together at the Hilton Head house so we plan on spending as much time as we can there when the little guy arrives. Now dads only job is to get the crib together in Wellston before July 25th.  We shall see how that goes.  Cindy and Steve already have one at their house so we are all set when we come home to visit.  We had a wonderful time and of course still wish we were there. We love and miss you guys!  Check out some pictures below of our wonderful vacation.

The nursery has really come along the last 3 or 4 weeks.  So far we have re-done the closet and have the crib, changing table / dresser, cuddle chair, rug and this week-end the curtains will go up.  I am still looking for some art work for the walls but am not in any hurry to make my final selection.  I sometimes catch myself (or Vince catches me) sitting in the chair in the nursery doing nothing and just looking around.  As you can tell, I can't hardly wait until the he gets here.

I know some of you have been asking about names.  No name has been decided yet.  We have a long list but can't make up our minds.  If you know me well, you will know I am not a good decision maker so it could be awhile before the decision is made.   All I know is that we have to decide before we head to the hospital because we would probably end up staying there for a week waiting on me to agree on a name.  It is going to be a tough decision!

Things are going really well with my student teaching.  Today I finished my 4th week and have pretty much taken over a lot of the responsibilities in the classroom.  The students (1st graders) are ornery and trying at times but cute!  Some days are better than others and I sure have a lot of good stories to tell Vince when I get home.  They are all wanting to choose the name of our little guy.  I have had some suggestions and think I will pass on them.....Black Man, Rosalie and Charlie have been the suggestions so far and I don't think any of them are going to be the winners.  I still am a little confused about the little girl that told me that I should name him Black Man.  One of the other girls in the class told her that Mrs. Jenkins wasn't having Darth Vaders baby and she needed to come up with another name..........gotta love 1st graders.

My next appoitment is May 10th and will mark my 30th week.  Hopefully by then I will still be feeling as great as I do now.  I have had no complaints about pregnancy so far.  Check back to see how everything goes over the next 3-4 weeks!

Boy Oh Boy It's a BOY!!!

Vince and I are thrilled to announce we will be adding a little baby boy to our family!  We could not be more excited.  The little guy was sitting indian style during the ultra sound and moving around like crazy!  He also gave us a few waves and swollowed a couple of times.  I think he was showing off.  Of course I had to go out and buy one little baby boy outfit after the ultra sound.  It is a little Polo Ralph Lauren stripped onsie.  So cute! 

We had a wonderful time relaxing and laughing with friends and soaking up some sunshine in beautiful Mexico last week.  The weather was perfect the entire time we were their and of course we came home to rain, rain and more rain in PA.  Oh well, we are glad to be home and to know we have a little baby boy.  In Mexico Nationwide gave us a private concert with Colbie Caillat so that was really neat to experience.  Check out some pictures below from our Mexican vacation.

Next week I am finally going to be starting my student teaching and am really looking forward to it.  I will be in a first grade classroom and am going to meet the teacher and students tommorow.  I will be doing my student teaching for 12 weeks so it is going to work out perfectly with the arrival of our little guy. 

Vince and I are also thrilled to be going to Hilton Head for a week with our parents and my sister over Easter.  We haven't seen them since Christmas so getting to visit with them for an entire week is going to be wonderful.  We miss them! 

Colbie Caillat

OUR RESORT

Mexico Here We Come at 20 Weeks!

The last several weeks have been somewhat uneventful for Vince and I.  We of course were blessed with more snow and more cold weather.  We are looking forward to heading to Cancun for a week and relaxing on the beach. I think the only thing that will drag us back from the beaches of Mexico is knowing the next day we will get to find out the sex of baby Jenkins.  I did have the opportunity get out of the cold weather for about 4 days and head to Florida to visit with my wonderful grandma and sister.  I hadn't seen either one of them since Christmas so we had some catching up to do. 

We had our 20 week check-up today, March 5th.  Thankfully, everthing still looks wonderful.  When the Dr. was trying to find the heartbeat she said the little one was moving around like crazy.  I don't know if that is a sign of what we are in for or not.  I have begun filling some small kicks from the little one.  It is exciting to feel them now but I am sure at 9 months they might not feel so exciting anymore.  I will have to wait and see on that one!

This week I put Vince to work on his first nursery job.  He had the wonderful priviledge of putting a new closet system in the baby's room.  The closet before just wasn't that functional because it only had one shelf.  The baby's closet now has baskets, drawers and hanging space.  I love it and I am sure the baby will too!  Thanks Vince!!!! Oh, and I think I forgot to mention from a previous post, Vince won the battle of where the baby's room would be.  I guess I shouldn't say it was a battle but we mutually decided that the spare bedroom would be more condusive for the baby furniture than his office.   He got lucky on this one!

For now that is about all the baby's news I have.  Check back on March 15th for the big suprise!  Our appointment is at 8am!

Winter Wonderland at 17 Weeks!

Austin, Texas

What we arrived home to - our driveway!

Vince clearing the driveway so I can make it to my Dr. appt. in the morning!

Saturday morning - we have a lot of work to do!

The path we cleared - to bad the snow machine stopped working!

Entry to our house!

Can you see me?

Almost over my head!

This week has been an adventourous week for Vince and I as you can see.  We headed to Austin, TX on February 5th to make a long weekend out of a business trip Vince had.  Turns out, we got stuck in Austin for a couple extra days because of all the snow that hit Pennsylvania on Friday/Saturday and again on Wednesday.  Suprisingly we ended up getting in around 5pm the following Thursday, even though Dallas Texas got hit with 12 inches of snow that day.  When we arrived home it was truly a winter wonderland.  We litteraly had to shovel our way into the house.  Vince spent Thursday night shoveling the driveway and I went on the hunt in the 30+ inches of snow for our mailbox that had disappeared.  We then spent our Saturday morning shoveling our very long sidewalk and front porch so we no longer looked like the lazy neighbors that hadn't shoveled anything. 

While in Texas we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on February 10th.  It is hard to believe we have been married for 3 years, together for 11 and will soon be adding an addition to our family.  I ask myself everyday why I am so lucky to be blessed with a wonderful family, amazing husband and soon to be baby.  We count our blessings everyday to be given such wonderful lives. 

We made it home for my 17 week checkup just in time.  I found out at my appoitment that my blood type is O Negative which is somewhat rare and a little more difficult when it comes to a pregnancy and especially future pregnancies.  Since I am O Negative I will receive a shot at 28 weeks called Rho-gam.  As soon as the little one is born they will test his/her blood and if the baby has a positive blood type I will be given another Rho-gam shot to prevent my blood from being tanted for future pregnancies.  Since I am O Negative my body builds anitbodies that can attack a second, third, etc. pregnancy if the baby is positive.  This shot will prevent any future babies I have blood from mixing with my blood and will allow my body to not reject future pregnancies.  This was news to Vince and I because I had never heard of it before and didn't even know my blood type until Friday.  If this is the least of my worries during this pregnancy I will feel like one lucky girl!

The next several weeks will be quite adventurous for the baby, Vince and I.  I will be leaving Thursday, February 18th to go visit grandma Huffman and my sister Erin in Florida.  We will then be leaving again on March 6th to spend a long relaxing 8 days in Cancun, Mexico.  I think we are both hoping that when we arrive back in Philly most of the snow will be gone but we aren't going to hold our breath.

The day before we leave for Cancun we will be heading back to the Doctor for my 20 week checkup.  We will have one thing to look forward to coming home from Cancun and that is finding out if baby Jenkins is a handsom little boy or precious little girl (March 15th @ 8am).  Everyone seems to have their predictions so we shall see who is right. I truly have no idea but Vince seems to think it is a girl but keeps calling it a "he" so who knows!  We will be thrilled with whatever God blesses us with.  Check back on March 15th for the exciting news!

Baby Jenkins' 1st Pictures