Peace is Having a Peanut.

When I was a little kid, I made a nativity set out of a shoebox, with clothespins as Mary and Joseph and a little tiny peanut with a smiley face on it for the baby Jesus. Right now the baby is about the size of that baby Jesus peanut and so peanut is what Aaron and I have started calling it. We do have names picked out, but until we know the gender, we can't start using them, and I don't like calling it "it". So for now it's just peanut.

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This week I am on spring break, and it is very much needed. I've just been tired and worn out all week. I kept hearing that this was a side effect of pregnancy and I have kept waiting to feel it, and now I am. I wonder what will happen next week when I go back to teaching. Thankfully I have only had morning sickness once, about two weeks ago, and that's been it. My mom told me that she had no morning sickness with my older sister and had hardly any with with me, so maybe that's a nice little gift from mom? I have six more weeks left of student teaching, and I really hope that I continue to not show until after I'm done.

Speaking of teaching, on Monday I had my first job interview for a teaching position. It was with a small district about an hour away from where I am now. On my drive up to the interview I was turning over in my head whether or not I would really want to move to a new town in a few months. Granted it wouldn't be very far away, but I was questioning how well I would hold up trying to deal with being a first year teacher and having a baby and being away from my support system all at the same time. My fear is: not well. Thankfully though, I am not having to make that decision quite yet. Halfway through my interview it became very clear to me that this district and I would not be a good match with each other. The district is a very good one, and has a great reputation, but we definitely have different ideas about the purposes and practices of teaching English. I left the interview knowing that if they offered me the job I would politely decline. However, I found out today that they ended up going with someone else, which does not surprise me. So now I await for one of the other five districts I've applied to to call me up for an interview.

On Tuesday I had my first appointment with the baby doctor. It was pretty basic, the nurse just went over things with me: what I should be eating and drinking, what vitamins I should be taking and my medical history.

The doctor also gave me a planner with week by week pictures of what the baby looks like. Here's where I am (week 7):

freaky. Also, there is a heartbeat. ONE heartbeat. ONE. Granted, they said that I could still be having multiples as the heartbeats could just be in sync right now.

Sorry, just had to do that.
But yes, as of right now, ONLY ONE. Though after I told the doctor about all the twins in Aaron's family and the fact that my dad was originally supposed to be a twin, the look on their face was pretty priceless and they just said, "Oh my. Well. We'll just have to watch for that."

The doctor also talked to me about nutrition. The biggest thing right now is that I need to be getting between 80 and 100 grams of protein a day. That is a lot for me, especially as someone who doesn't eat a whole lot of meat. Thankfully protein is in a lot of other things.
2 glasses of skim milk (8 grams per serving)=16 grams
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese=26 grams
1 bowl cereal + milk= 12-15 grams depending on the type of cereal
2 tbsp peanut butter + an apple= 8 grams

That right there is 62 grams, so plus whatever I eat for lunch and dinner (I usually always have some meat with dinner) I'll easily get to 80 grams, plus I'm getting a ton of calcium in too.

The doctor also recommended I drink a gallon of water a day. I don't know how this is humanly possible. Seriously. I bought a water bottle that holds a quart, and I can't imagine drinking four of them each day. Two? Yes. Four? Not unless I want to float away and flush every electrolyte out of my body.

After my appointment I went shopping with my mom and sister. Even though I didn't plan on it, I did end up buying some clothes. I got two things from New York and Company that have room for me as I grow. Here's what I bought:




















The top is very stretchy and drapey and very comfy, I'll be able to wear it well into my pregnancy. NY&Co also has the top in gray, black, brown and white. I might go buy it in another color or two.




















This was on the clearance rack, and I don't care what anyone says, I love it. It's a one piece and will be very cool and comfortable during the summer. With my big sunglasses and heels I think it'll still look nice. I absolutely refuse to look like a shulb while pregnant. Usually (right now) I am a size two, though in this I bought a six, so it's very large on me right now, but there's plenty of room to grow now. I think this will be a great summer outfit for things like Jazz in June and Movies on the Green.




















Also at the mall, we found a really cool store that had a lot of crazy awesome things, including stuff for kids. There I found this book called The Peace Book by Todd Parr. Parr is a children's book author who had been recommended to me by a Facebook friend (who I also went to high school with) as well as by my sister (who is a kindergarten teacher). His books are really bright and colorful with beautifully simple messages for kids. The Peace Book tells kids all different ways to make the world a peaceful place, what we/they can do to create peace in their own lives and what peace means.

I truly hope that Aaron and I can make our peanut's childhood as wonderful and magical as our own were, and that they will grow up knowing how beautiful and complicated the world is. Hopefully we're on the right track to do so.