Warning: Post about pregnancy, may be too much info for some men.

I love being pregnant. There, I said it, you can hate me if you want to. I have very few of the horrible symptoms that women usually complain about. I do not crave strange things. I am not constantly throwing up. I have different symptoms. During the first half of my pregnancy I had a constantly stuffy nose. I cannot sit for a long time because of tailbone pain. This is only a problem on Sunday. I am thinking about taking a donut pillow to church to sit on. I don't have to shave my legs very often (yes, my leg hair has actually slowed it's growth - this has been one of my favorite parts of being pregnant). But this is the symptom I want to talk about now - dry skin. I have never had such bad dry skin in my life. For a while I was lathering Vaseline on my hands at night and putting socks over them and sleeping that way the whole night - and the hands were still dry. This has a lot to do with being a kindergarten teacher because I wash my hands so much at work, but I've never really had a problem before. So I have a new solution. Even if you don't have dry hands (but who really doesn't at this time of year) it's still really good for your skin.

1. Keep a heavy duty moisturizer by your sink (my favorites are Eucerin, Aquaphor, or Burt's Bee's Banana Hand Cream).
2. Lather up with moisturizer before doing the dishes. Put a lot on. It will soak in because of the heat of the water.
3. Put rubber gloves on (I've never been one for the rubber gloves but my hands were so dry that it hurt to put them in the water).
4. Wash the dishes. The heat from the water will help the lotion do it's job.
5. Do not let husband use the same rubber gloves to do the dishes, because he will complain that his hands smell like bananas.

There you go. Beauty tips from me! It literally takes 30 seconds. Really, if the worst I am symptoms I am experiencing right now are minor back pain and dry skin, I have MUCH to be thankful for. I am actually finding that the more active I am, the better I feel. Usually my tailbone pain goes away if I go to the gym and use the eliptical machine.
I really should go to bed now because we have decided to get up early to attend the early service tomorrow. I have had a hankerin' for some hymns!

I'm back....

Everyone needs a break from blogging sometimes. I have been pretty consumed with baby stuff the past few weeks. I decided that since it was Christmas break I would be getting all the important preparations done. So far I have made a birth plan (THAT was traumatic, let me tell you), scoured consumer reports, planned a diapering system (we're going cloth, but that's because we're a bit hippy). I feel that I'm well on my way to being at least as prepared as I can be. You may think this is a little premature, but it's really easier for me to do now while I'm not working. Today we will register at Target.
We had a great Christmas. It was great to see everyone, but I think I am enjoying the "after Christmas rest" even more than I did all the visiting. We were supposed to go back to school next week, but it's not going to happen with all the damage inside the building, so it will be nice to have another week off.
I'm back, for reals, I promise.
NOW, I have a question, for all of you mom's out there. Please help me out.

What is the one baby "thing" that you couldn't live without?

I need to know. Leave a comment.

Friday Favorites: Ultrasounds!

Introducing....Elias Paul Robinson! These are his feet. Don't be worried if you can't see them. They are really there.

This is a profile.

Another profile with arm over chest.

And this is his boyness. It's easier to see if you pretend you are looking up from underneath.

Ultrasound Lady: Do you have a sense of humor?

Us: Yes! (at this point we still didn't know the sex)

Ultrasound Lady: Well, there is his penis and right nxt to it you can see his hand.

Overall, it was a very good experience for both of us. Paul considers a good experience at the doctor's office one where he remains concious the entire time. We were both really impressed with how much we could see, the four chambers of the heart, important arteries, bladder, kidneys, brain. It looks like we have a very healthy baby boy! The technician gave us a 95% certainty, which is the highest she will go. She even showed us a testicle, so we are pretty much buying boy stuff.

Thank you for praying for a healthy baby!