Meet Molly!

Molly Charlotte Hughart arrived in rather quick time on Thursday, August 14th, 2008. She kept us up all night, arriving at 3:04 AM, 6 lbs, 14 oz and 19 inches! We are all tired, but doing great. We should go home sometime tonight to settle into our new routines! We have posted pictures on Our Picasa Web album (click on the link on the photo page) of Molly's first moments and our many visitors since then!! Here is one:

Check the Baby Arrival Pool to see how you did!! Congrats Kate for being the closest!!

While we wait...

Since so many of you are checking the blog for updates, and there is no news yet, I thought you might enjoy seeing a video from the beginning of this waiting game! Matt and I told our families that we were expecting on Christmas Eve when my parents, Matt's parents, my brothers and their fiances and Matt's brother Scott were all here with us. We caught it on video and it is pretty entertaining! We individually wrapped up chocolate letters that spelled out BABY 08 08 and gave one to each family member. As you will see, some people "get it" much quicker than others! Then chaos follows with hugging, crying, laughing and talking! Of course my mom wants to tell everyone she knows right away! Maybe being reminded of just how long we have been waiting for this little one will help the next few days (hopefully not weeks!) pass by quicker!! She will be one loved kid! Just look at this big happy crazy family she is already a part of! Enjoy!

Just about 40 Weeks!

Still here, still waiting!! Doctors appointment tomorrow. I will update with any progress then! ;-) We are very excited to meet our little one!

38 Weeks!

August is here!! It is crazy to think that we have been talking about this month and the big event since Christmas time and it is finally here! My Doctor's appointment on Thursday was great. A little more progress, baby growing on schedule and ready to come at anytime. Matt is going to go to my next appointment with me next Friday the 8th (if we get that far!) to talk about possibilities if I start getting close to my due date with no activity. Will keep you posted! Just a waiting game now! Good thing I am keeping busy!

Last week Matt's Aunt Becki, Uncle Gary and cousin Chris were staying with us for a few days. They were in Washington helping Gary's mom move so they stopped by Tigard before their long drive back to Minnesota. It was great to see them!! They loved Cassie and of course, Cass soaked up all that attention! Matt, Chris & Gary went golfing at the Reserve on Thursday, while Becki, Mom and I shopped a bit. On Friday, after they left, I got all the carpets in the house cleaned so they are ready for a little one to lay on them. Yesterday Matt and I put together the Glider for the nursery and got the house put back together after the carpets were dry. As we speak, Matt is at work for most of today trying to catch up/ keep ahead just in case he gets called away from work this week. So as you can see, life is moving along, but we are ready to meet our little one whenever she decides to join us!

Next Thursday is kind of a big day for me. My 30th birthday!! I suppose it is kind of anticlimactic this year because of another event overshadowing it, but I suppose that is best anyways! It would be very cool to share a birthday with the baby, so we will see what happens. 30 years old and lots of life changes....I guess that seems appropriate!! 

Looking forward to a fun week, a fun birthday and the start of the Olympics! I love summer!! ;-)

Baby Pool!

Here is a pool where you guys can all enter your guesses for when the baby will make an entrance!! You get points based on how much information you get correct (ie: date, time, weight, length, etc). Hope you decide to play!! Click on this link:

37 weeks

My 37 week appointment was pretty uneventful. Everything looks good and progress is still the same! My doctor is on vacation this week, so I saw a different one. I guess it is good to meet the other doctors who might be on call when I deliver. Just hanging in there for these last few weeks! People are starting to take bets on when the baby will come. I guess Uncle Scott is starting a pool if anyone is interested in joining! He wants to charge a $5 fee though, with the winner taking the pot! 

Rachie's wedding this past weekend was beautiful! Just how she wanted it, I think! It was so much fun to be a part of their big day. I was SOOOO tired on Sunday & Monday though! I posted some pictures from the wedding on our photo site if you are interested. Here is one of Rachie & Tara showing off my belly!! 



Matt and I took a Newborn Care class on Sunday, which was a good refresher on how to care for an infant. Matt learned a lot about swaddling, and now claims to be the best swaddler out of the two of us! I admit he is good at it!! ;-) We also learned about g-diapers, a cross between disposable and cloth. Might be something to look into in the future! Anyways, it was good information, and I think we both feel more prepared. The nursery is pretty much finished, the clothes and blankets are washed, the car seat bases are installed and the bags are being packed! Just a waiting game for the next few weeks!!

36 Weeks!!

I am officially 9 months pregnant!! Only 4 or so weeks left to go! I had my first weekly appointment today and things still look great. My doctor said that based on my progress, she doesn't think that the baby will be late! She also said that we wouldn't try to stop labor if it started at this point. She thinks the baby is big enough and I am far enough along to deliver a healthy baby. It is good to know that things are progressing, but it is crazy to think that the baby could come at anytime! The room is getting close to being finished, but there are definitely more things I want to get done before the baby comes. I was planning on getting the carpets in the house cleaned and other organizational things like that! I still need to pack the hospital bags and get the car seat installed in the car! I guess after the news today those sounds like a project for this weekend! Here is a belly picture from today for those of you who are interested. Sorry I have been so bad about taking them!!



Last weekend Matt and I attended our Childbirth Prep classes. I think we learned a lot! It was good to get an overview of our options and the decisions we have to make when the time comes. I don't think anyone can be completely prepared, but at least we kind of know what to expect. This weekend is my best friend Rachael's wedding (I'm the Matron of Honor!) and on Sunday we have a class on Newborn care. So it will be a busy weekend! We are really looking forward to the wedding and seeing lots of old friends. The baby needs to stay put at least until Monday and then it can come whenever it wants!! ;-)  Have a great weekend!!

32 weeks and Family baby shower!

Summer is here!! I am all checked out at Metzger and ready to enjoy the last 8 weeks of pregnancy! What a weird feeling to know I won't be back at Metzger this fall. I'm sure after the baby comes I will be so busy that I won't notice it as much, but right now I feel like I'm going to miss teaching a lot. It will be a year full of new adventures, I guess!

I had my 32 week appointment last week and everything is still looking great. The baby is measuring right on schedule and my iron levels are back up. I now have appointments every two weeks until the middle of July. Then they switch to every week. I have been having nerve pain in my right hip because the baby seems to like to stay on my right side most of the time. Some physical therapy and exercises help it a little, but there is no real relief until the baby is born. I have had a pretty easy pregnancy so far, so if this is as bad as it gets, I am very lucky!! This weekend it is supposed to be in the 90's here in Portland, so I may go enjoy my aunt's swimming pool! That should take a little pressure off as well!

Grandma Janet was in town this past week to attend a joint bridal/baby shower for my future sister-in-law Lauren and I thrown by 3 of my aunts! It was so nice that she could come out for a shower! The shower was amazing, I'll post some pictures and there are more on our photos page. Thanks everyone for your generosity and excitement for this baby! We really feel your love and support!

While Janet was here we also got a little more done in the baby's room. We got the pack & play and the swing set up, the clothes organized by size, and the valance (that Joni made, thanks Joni!!!) put up. I'll post some pictures of putting the swing together! It was quite a process!! We also had a great time shopping and hanging out! 

Time is flying by! I'm glad summer is here so I can have lots of time to get organized and ready for the baby. What a fun summer it will be!! 



Beautiful and delicious cake for Lauren and me!



Bride-to-be and Mom-to-be!!



Look at all those parts!! Cass wants to help!



Consulting the directions!!



Grandma Janet helping!



All ready for baby!!

Master's Degree and the end of school

June has arrived, and with it, the craziness that is the end of school. Field Trips, Field, Day, Report Cards, Kindergarten Celebration, End of the Year Parties and cleaning out my classroom all await me next week! I survived OMSI today with 109 Kindergartners! We all had a great time, but it wore me out. I'm glad it is the weekend so I have time to regroup before the craziness of next week! Tomorrow my mom and I are hosting a bridal shower for Rachael which will be fun. Other than that, I am hunkered down doing report cards!!

This past weekend was my own graduation ceremony from Lewis & Clark College. It was fairly anticlimactic because I was done with my coursework last summer, but it was still a good feeling of completion. Here are a couple pictures from Sunday:





In other news, my leave from teaching was approved by the district this past week. I am taking Maternity leave through December and then Personal leave through the end of the year. It will be great to stay home with the baby for her whole first year. And with my acquired sick days and disability leave, I will get pay and benefits through about December, which will be great! I'm glad it worked out, however I find myself wondering what I will do with all that time!! I'm sure, come August I will find SOMETHING to keep me busy! I will miss teaching though, and I plan on finding lots of time to volunteer and stay involved at Metzger and in the district.

My doctors appointment this past week went well. Baby's heartbeat sounded great. She is about 3 pounds and 16 or so inches long. She is measuring right at 30 weeks. It is hard to believe in 10 short weeks (or less!) she will be here with us! We have lots to do to get ready, so I guess it is a good thing it is almost summer vacation!

Well, think good thoughts for me surviving next week! It will be lots of work, but lots of fun as well. And it will be my last week of teaching for over a year! That is a crazy thought! ;-)

28 weeks

Wow! Can you believe it is the start of the third trimester?! I had my last monthly doctors visit on Monday. Now I move to appointments every two weeks! Time is flying by! I passed the 1 hour glucose test at my appointment on Monday (so no gestational diabetes! Whoo Hoo!), but they did find that I am anemic, so I have started taking iron supplements to counteract that. Other than that, everything else looks good. I heard the baby's heartbeat again. The doctor said something about having a loud baby because every time she listens to the heartbeat, it is right there and very loud! I took another belly picture tonight and posted it to the web album (Pregnancy Pics) if you want to see it. It is a little bigger than the last one! 

We had a nice trip out to Denver last week. It was great to see Matt's parents, his Uncle Jeff, and Aunt Sally, Scott, Lauren & John. It was a very sad occasion, but getting to spend time with family is always a good thing. We got to drive around and visit the different houses that Matt and his grandparents used to live in in Denver. I posted a few pictures on the Picasa website if you want to see them. I feel like I learned a lot about Matt's grandpa and what he meant to a lot of people. It was fun to have a glimpse into Matt's childhood!

Thank goodness for 3-day weekends! I am looking forward to enjoying the calm before the storm. Next week the countdown to the end of school begins. It will be a crazy, but fun couple of weeks!

First Shower!

Last weekend, the baby and I received a shower from the "Beach Mamas" and other neighbors on Pinebrook St! It was amazing! There was a book theme and everyone brought the baby some great children's books. The shower was hosted by the Pasteris girls, Rosemary, Julie and Karri. The food,games and company were all terrific. I will post more pictures to our album soon (I need to get some from mom's camera.) For now, here is one picture of me trying to figure out what flavor the baby food is!! 



We got so many amazing and thoughtful gifts. This is going to be one spoiled  little girl!!

In sad news, Matt's Grandpa Bob Hughart passed away on Sunday. We are headed to Denver tomorrow to attend the funeral. He was 84 years old and a great man. I'm so glad he was able to come out for our wedding in 2005 so I got the chance to meet him.  

I will post more when we get back!

Belly Picture!

Ok, ok!! Several of you out of town blog watchers have asked for a "belly shot" to see how the baby is growing!! I guess since I am 24 weeks along now, or 6 months, I should at least take a picture for you to see!! It is not a great photo, but you can see the little belly!! I feel her moving around a lot now. Matt has felt her as well! My next Dr. Appointment is Thursday. Enjoy the picture!!

Janet & Jim's visit!

This past week, Matt's parents were visiting from Houston. We had a great time! It was almost 80 degrees last weekend, so we went to Silver Creek Falls for a short hike. It was a beautiful day! I posted several pictures on our photo album if you want to see them. We also got a lot of stuff done in the baby's room. The grandparents put the crib together and helped us purchase a mattress and some sheets. I decided on a bedding and color scheme that I like. Here are some pictures of the crib put together and the bedding:



Proud Grandpa with the finished crib!



The final bedding choice!



The crib made with the new bedding.

 

Also, Amanda was nice enough to give us another ultrasound so Janet & Jim could see the baby! The baby was a little uncooperative. She was face down most of the time, making picture taking difficult!! We did get to see her sucking her thumb, but we didn't get a picture. Here are a couple god shots from the ultrasound:







A little hand up by the face!! Can you see the lips and eyes??!

All in all it was a busy but fun week! We are looking forward to Janet & Jim's next visit..... in August when we have a little one!! The months are flying by!!

Its A...... ;-)

Ok, yesterday was our big ultrasound!! We were able to see the baby in pretty good detail. The technician looked at all different organs and took measurements to make sure everything is developing properly. Everything looked great!! We saw the heart and its chambers, the lungs, kidneys, stomach, mouth, hands, feet, bones in the legs/arms, and brain. The baby is measuring 13oz!! She said that is right on track for about 20 weeks which is what I am. I have my follow up appointment with my doctor on Friday so I'm sure she will talk to me more then. Here are some pictures from the latest ultrasound!



A good profile shot!



Little mouth open!!



Cute little feet!!

After the ultrasound, Matt, Cassie and I drove to the beach for the day! We had never taken Cassie to the beach before, so it was kind of a birthday present for her (She turned 2 on Sunday). It was so beautiful!! Cass loved the beach! Her nose was going so fast!! She couldn't believe all the new smels. Here are a couple of pictures from our trip:



When we got back, we went to my parents house for dinner!! We brought a cake to tell them the exciting news about the baby!! I frosted the outside with chocolate (of course!) and the inside with a very gender specific color. Here is the cake:



OK, stop reading if you don't want to know!! We found out that our baby is a...............................................

 

GIRL!!! WE are so excited!! So the inside of the cake was frosted pink. Here is the after picture!!



See the pink frosting??!! Mom, Dad, Brian and Scott were all there to celebrate the big news. Janet & Jim and Matt K got pink flowers yesterday in Houston & Sacramento!! What used to be a family with mostly boys is quickly adding to the girl side!! Two sisters in laws this year and a baby girl! Watch out boys!! ;-)

Boy or Girl?

Everyone is very excited to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. Of course my brothers and brother-in-law and Matt are all saying it is a boy! I don't have a feeling about it one way or the other!! Our appointment with our next ultrasound is coming up on Monday, so the wait is getting shorter. Hopefully we will find out at that appointment..... if the baby cooperates! I had my kindergarten students make guesses before they left for Spring Vacation on Friday. They are pretty split on their guesses. I thought all the girls would pick girl and boys would pick boy, but as you can see that is not the case! They wanted to take a picture too so the baby can have it when it gets older. In the picture, they are saying "We don't know!" 

Their guesses in a graph form! As you can see, girl got 2 more guesses than boy! 

"We don't know!!"

Furniture!!

A Big Huge THANK YOU to our parents who went in together to buy us the furniture for the baby's room!! After MUCH careful research and thought, we decided on a crib and dresser in Cherry made by Bonavita. We got them last weekend at a store in Beaverton called Segal's for Children. The dresser came all put together but the crib will require some assembly!! I think that job will still be here waiting for Jim & Matt in April!! Here are some pictures from the delivery and unpacking of the boxes...

Matt's favorite thing....BOXES!!

 

Thank goodness the dresser is assembled!! But that does make it HEAVY!

The dresser with the changing pad on top.

The crib waiting to be put together!!

 It is so exciting to have our first things for the baby!

17 Week appointment

Happy Friday! I am home doing report cards today and I just wanted to update you all on our latest appointment. First of all, can I say that my kindergarten kids have been so cute this week! I explained to them when I went back to work on Tuesday that I had to be careful about germs because if I get a certain type of sickness it could hurt the baby. I asked for their help keeping our classroom clean and washing their hands. We talked about how to cough into their sleeves so that the germs stay away from their hands. So all week, I have had 22 little helpers! If they accidentally forget and cough into their hand, they immediately ask if they can go wash their hand!! They are so sweet! I also sent a letter home explaining the situation to the parents and I have had several phone calls of concern and support. It makes me feel good that so many people are looking out for the baby and helping me protect it.

My appointment yesterday went very well! I got to hear the baby's heartbeat using the Doppler machine. It was 150 bpm and the doctor said it sounded strong! I talked to the doctor about lots questions I had. She told me that I should be able to feel the baby anytime. I may be feeling it already and I just don't know what it is! I told her I feel flutters at times, but I am not sure if it is the baby or not. She said that the movements will become stronger and more apparent. I asked her if it was concerning that I haven't gained much weight yet and she said not to worry. The baby still weighs almost nothing, so as long as it is growing and looks good and I am eating, she was not concerned. As for the Fifth Disease scare, she said that at my next appointment (March 24th) we will take blood and test again for exposure. If it is still negative, and there have been no more cases of it in my classroom she will assume the scare is over. I jokingly said that after I have this baby I am going to go find a child with Fifth Disease and expose myself so this is not a concern for any future pregnancies! She said that actually is a good idea and she was shocked that as a Kindergarten teacher I haven't had this disease before. So next Fall if anyone you know comes down with Fifth Disease, let me know!! I'm coming over to share an ice cream cone with them!!! ;-)

  In other news, Matt and I are attacking the furniture shopping project this weekend. We want to get a crib & dresser ordered so that we can have help setting it all up when Janet and Jim come to visit in April!  Matt heard about the book called "Baby Bargains" from a coworker of his. It is a book that explains the different types and brands of baby products and tells you what features are important and what brands are best.  so I instructed him to read the LONG chapter on cribs and dressers so we are ready to go look at stores this weekend. I, of course, just skimmed the chapter and the important parts!! 

I hope you all have a great weekend!! Don't forget to change your clocks on Sunday!! ;-)

Half Good News!

I got the results of the blood test back today and the news was half good. There is no sign of Fifth's disease in my system at all, so hopefully that means I wasn't infected. The bad news is that I am NOT immune to it. They found no antibodies to protect me from future exposure. So with that in mind I am heading back to work tomorrow and just planning to take extra precautions in terms of sanitation. Antibacterial spray on the tables & handles etc. The school staff know to alert me if any children are known to come down with the disease so I can stay away again. A lot of people are looking out for me!! The Dr. said that in 3 weeks or so we will do another blood test just to monitor for the infection. I haven't gotten the disease in 29 years and 8 years of teaching Kindergarten, so hopefully this won't be the year I do!! Thanks for the good thoughts!! I will update you after my regular appointment on Thursday! ;-)

The Hazards of being a Kindergarten Teacher....

This past week I have had MANY students out sick. One even developed walking pneumonia. One of the cons about being a teacher is being exposed to so many illnesses. On the flip side, one of the pros of being a teacher is that is builds up your immune system! Matt calls me the "carrier" because I bring home the illness without getting it and then he gets it!

Well, on Thursday night, we had Kindergarten Math night where many children came and did math activities with their families. One student who had been out sick since Tuesday came with her family. Her mom mentioned she was feeling better and not contagious anymore. Her mom said she would still keep her home Friday just to be safe because she had Fifth's Disease. Now if you don't know what that particular disease is, it is one of 5 common childhood diseases. It is a very mild disease where the child gets a fever for a few days and then develops a rash on their cheeks chest and arms that is red and lacy. The child is most contagious BEFORE and DURING the fever. Once the rash develops, they are no longer contagious. Fifth's disease is not harmful to adults or children, just a typical illness. However, for pregnant women there is a chance of miscarriage if you pass the disease on to the fetus. I knew this from past experience when another teacher in our school was pregnant. I mentioned this to my secretary (who was also at math night) and she said to call my Dr. right away to say I had been exposed on Tuesday when this child was last in school.  

Long story short, I called and the Dr. who was on-call on Thursday night told me to come in for a blood test on Friday to make sure I have previously had the disease or been exposed because that would create antibodies and immunity for me and the baby. If those antibodies are not present, they have to monitor if and when I get the disease and if it gets passed to the fetus. 90% of the time everything is fine, but they just want to be safe. Also she told me I should stay away from school until I know that I am immune because of the risk of other students in my class catching the disease and spreading it. So I got an unexpected day off yesterday, and since the blood test won't be back until Monday at the earliest, it looks like I get Monday off as well.

 This is such a busy time of year with report cards due on Friday and conferences next week. I am really stressed to be missing so much work. But I guess this is the first time where I have to put the needs of my child before my own. It is not worth the risk to the baby to go back before I know it is safe. I am quite confident that the blood test on Monday will show that I am perfectly fine, but for now all we can do is wait! I will keep you posted! ;-)

Hello world!

Hello!! Welcome to our new blog!! We will try to keep you updated on the adventures of the Hughart Family! Our big news is that we are expecting a little one sometime around August 15th 2008. We will be posting ultrasound pictures and updating you on the pregnancy as we go. We are so excited!!  Here are a few pictures so far....

December 28th, 2007 was our first appointment. Here is our very first picture of the little bean!! 7 weeks and 1 day old!

 

 In January, my cousin Amanda gave us a surprise ultrasound at her Newberg Hospital.  Jan & Wayne even got to see the baby!! 11 weeks 4 days old!

 

Then, last Thursday February 7th, we had our regular Dr visit where they did some testing for genetic disorders. Everything looks great! This time we could count the fingers and toes!! The baby looks like a little character all ready!! 13 weeks 2 days!!

 

 

 Look at those little fingers!! Hello World!! More to come!! ;-)