So I was too busy to handmake all our Christmas cards this year. Plus, I'm addicted to photoshop and this was a perfect excuse to play with it!
I've just placed the order for the prints to mail out, but wanted to share what's coming in the mail!
I saw this list on my friend, Katie's, blog and thought it might make my week a little better too. Its been harder then I thought it would be to say goodbye to my drama kids. They're so awesome! I know leaving teaching is the right thing for me and my family, but its still hard to leave something I've worked so hard at.
Anyway, needed something to shed some light on my week...doing this list helped.
5 Things I was Doing 5 Years Ago:
1. Was living life as a newlywed
2. Found out I was pregnant with Nathan
3. Substitute teaching in Gilbert
4. Planning Jen's wedding
5. Celebrating my first Christmas married
5 Things on My "To Do" List (in no particular order):
1. Get through this last week of work!
2. Finish getting the new office space put together and the baby's room done
3. Bring my husband to London
4. Take a family vacation to either a. Hawaii or b. Disney Cruise
5. Make Brady finish school and get a kickin' job
5 Things I would do with a Million Dollars:
1. Buy a BIG house "in town" so my mom could move in with us and not worry
2. Put money away for my kids college funds
3. Buy a flat in London
4. Get yearly passes for my entire family to Disneyland
5. Go on a Disney Cruise...or to Hawaii
5 Places I Have Lived:
1. Orlando, FL
2. Foosland, IL
3. Gilbert, AZ
4. Mesa, AZ
5. Queen Creek, AZ
5 Things I Want to be Doing in 5 Years:
1. Have all of my kids in school
2. Be working on or finished with my Masters Degree
3. Be a really good piano player (I should take lessons)
4. Have a really awesome trip with my husband to LONDON
5. Be happy
I went for my level two ultrasound last week. It was a much more pleasent experience and it was great to see the little guy again. All of his measurements were good, he looked healthy except for his little kidneys.
I don't understand all the medical explanations, but what I do understand is that they are dialated, which is not good. The dialation is a marker for Downs Syndrome, but he didn't have any other markers and I'm still young enough that those odds are low. Dialation could also mean a hundred other things...best case scenario is that they will heal on their own before birth and the worst would mean surgery soon after he's born.
I will have another ultrasound in about 6 weeks and then another right before he's born, so 6 weeks after that to make sure the dialation doesn't increase. Right now one kidney is an 8 and one is a 9. Dr. Guzman told me that if the dialtion gets to 10 or higher then he will transfer my care to a specialist and I will deliver at a hospital that is equipped with a good neonatal intensive care.
I know there's nothing I can do now except pray for a healthy baby, but I still worry....a lot...my mind is filled with what ifs and whys. I look at my two beautiful and healthy children and only pray for one more...
Brighter news is that this little guys is a little over one pound and it looks like he may be smaller then Sophie (my 10 pounder). And we've decided on a name!
Nathan named his little brother. He was sitting in the bath one night and just said, "I know what my baby brother's name is". And I was like, "Oh really? And what is his name?"...now, we've been throwing around names since finding out I was pregnant and couldn't decide on anything, nothing sounded right. So Nathan just sat up so proudly, "His name is Carter" and I asked how he knew that and he answered "I just know that's what it is."
I talked to Brady and we both were amazed at how right the name felt and we both laughed knowing Nathan named his little brother.
So his name is Carter Quinn Hunt :)
Let me start by saying I love teaching. I always knew I was meant to be a teacher and I always knew I was meant to share my passion for the arts, especially theatre. I have been a teacher now since January and it has been a rewarding job and an extremely hard job. I actually really like the teenagers I teach...that is why the decision to resign at the end of this semester was so hard to make.
The other thing in life I always knew I was meant to be is a mother. I have been so blessed to be a mother and now am expecting my third baby. I thought, when I started teaching in January, that I could be both a mother and a teacher. It has been a difficult juggling act and I feel as though I have not been able to give fully to neither my family or my students.
There are many factors that went into the decision to leave the school and no longer be a drama teacher. It really came down to a choice: am I going to be a wife and mother and give all of my energy to that or am I going to give all of my energy to teaching? I know there are a lot of women who work and are mothers, but its a challenge for me. I remember watching my own single mother struggle with her desire to stay home and be a mother but forced to work.
I look at my own children and my heart breaks everytime Nathan asks if I have to go to work and then begs me not to. Tonight as I was putting him to bed he asked who was watching him tomorrow. I told him and he looked at me and said "I miss you at home Mommy". In that moment I knew that my place is at home with my small children. I told him that by the time Christmas comes I will be home for good, no more working. He squealed with delight and gave me a huge hug.
It will be difficult to make Brady's salary stretch to cover our needs, but I know with my heart that this is what the Lord wants from me. I am a mother. Perhaps I will be able to teach again one day, but my focus now needs to be on my family.
My mom wanted me to take some pictures of mine and my sister's kids for her Christmas cards this year. She and Caroline had made these cool tie dye shirts at the state fair, so we thought they'd make the cutest pictures! Our shoot lasted all of fifteen minutes, but I think i got some good shots. :)
Caroline's kids: Braiden,7; Kloey, 3; Royce, 18 months
We had to have an attitude shot!
This one may be my favorite...they're just all so darn cute!
Here they are in age order! Braiden & Nathan are 3 years apart, Nathan & Kloey are 9 months apart and Sophie & Royce are 6 months apart!
Our little personalities!!!!Brady starts a new job tomorrow...he has 4 weeks of training with normal day hours, but then will be working overnight shift (10 pm to 8:30 am) starting in mid-December. It is going to be very hard for us to adjust to it and I hate the idea of being alone in the house at night...I've always had this abnormal fear of being murdered in the middle of the night by a burglar (all those stupid crime shows I've watched since I was young).
I am thankful he has a job and was only without one for a month. I hope he'll like it and do well at it and I hope he has a really good supervisor, his last one at Verizon was a big giant JERK!
Also, we have health insurance. We qualified to receive state aid and although I know we won't abuse the system and we've been paying taxes forever, there is still a feeling of shame and guilt and just lowliness that comes with going through that process.
At least now I can go back to the doctor and get another ultrasound to make sure this little baby will be healthy when he comes. My mind has been so focused on the "what if" and I've been really distracted thinking about what we'll do if there's something wrong with his kidneys and if it is something I did...just normal mom worries.
There will be changes in my life too and I will post about that a little later. I have a busy week with school, Brady's new job and I'm taking my students to Thespian Festival this weekend (2000 drama kids, oh joy)!
Here is a picture of the new baby...the hand is up by the face and the other one is on the belly. The baby is looking straight at you.
Yesterday was the ultrasound and it was the most HORRIBLE ultrasound I have ever had, even when I had the amnio when I was pregnant with Sophie was better.
The tech didn't even want to do an ultrasound on me because according to the doctors due date I was 17 weeks 3 days and according to my LMP I am 18 weeks 4 days. The ultrasound is suppose to happen in the 18th week. So she wanted me to reschedule for next week, but I can't.
Brady lost his job and our insurance runs out tomorrow so the ultrasound had to be done because I will not have insurance for the rest of my pregnancy, unless by some miracle I get approved for state aid.
She was a half hour late starting the ultrasound, then it last a whopping 7 minutes (3:42 pm to 3:49 pm)...that's all the time I had to see my baby. She didn't acknowledge my husband or kids and didn't take time to point anything out to us. Nathan was so excited to see his new baby that I was so sad for him. With Sophie's ultrasound Nathan was totally involved in the event.
Then I was told my appointment was changed to a different doctor. I only ever see Dr. Guzman, he's the only reason I go to that office. So that upset me too. Then the doctor comes in and stands on the complete opposite side of the room, the farthest she can get away from me and tells me that the ultrasound tech couldn't get all the measurements she needed.
The reason is that there were too many fat layers to go through to see everything clearly. Yep...she called me FAT! Then was told that there is something wrong with the baby's kidneys and I need to have a perinatal ultrasound...wonderful, but I no longer have insurance.
So had a short and horrible ultrasound, didn't see my doctor, was called fat and told that there is something wrong with the baby...October had already been a REALLY hard month but it had to end like this.
The only good thing to come out of yesterday is that we found out what we're expecting...
Do you see the little turtle tucked between the legs? Yep, we're having a boy!!
We know the middle name will be Quinn, but need to come up with a first name...
