She's got MAD skills!

While up in the middle of the night sometime last week, I was checking out Steph's facebook photos. I stumbled across this picture of little J. I was floored! I immediately woke Joe up to show him! (This is amazing ... no way I could let him miss this!) We are so amazed with Steph's mad art skills!! Babies are difficult to draw too -- they don't have the normal proportions that an adult has. I am now the proud owner of 1.5 Steph "originals" -- (the art project in Jace's room isn't exactly ... original! Hopefully the man/woman that did the original never finds out!!)

She will be going to Snow next year. Steph has changed from the pesky little sister to the best friend. I don't know what I am going to do when she isn't just a phone call away. We need to make a deal that when she graduates from college that she and her husband will live in the SLC valley -- I couldn't stand living far away from her forever! I love my lil' sis!

Road Trip

One of the most difficult adjustments that I have had to make these last two weeks is not having the ability to drive. I have had several doctor's appointments that I need to go to and it is challenging to arrange my schedule around somebody else's schedule. Today Jace had to go to the pediatricians for his 2 week appointment and to follow up to make sure all is going well. My sister-in-law was planning on taking me. I decided to call my OB and ask when I can start driving. I had heard anywhere from 2 - 6 weeks. The nurse told me that as long as I had stopped taking my pain medication I was good to go. YIPEE! Jace and I told Becky that we no longer needed a ride and headed out!

We got to Dr. Witt's office and everything looks perfect. Dr. Witt told me that I should have a perma-grin for a couple of days because Jace is doing so well. In 6 days he gained 15 ounces. From here on out he should be gaining about 8 oz a week. What a relief! I am so glad that He is doing better.

Afterwards Jace and I ran to the school district to add him to my insurance. Everyone oohed and awed over him. Everything is set. I should find out next week if my request for sick bank will be granted. (Sick bank is used when you don't have enough sick leave to cover a long term absence. I have enough sick days for 7 weeks -- not 8). Once I know if my sick leave was covered I will be able to decide how long I want to stay out of school. I could technically take off the rest of the school year -- but that would end up costing me about a 1/2 of a pay check for four months. I am thinking that I will return the last week of school. I will need to finalize my grades and get all of the end-of-year stuff organized anyway ... so I might as well get paid for it!

Today has been a great day! I haven't gotten much accomplished at home, (Jace and I took a nice long nap this morning!), but it has been a good day non-the-less!

(And no -- Jace was not in the front seat with me -- like the picture above implies!!)

My First ... BATH!

Last week Jace's umbilical chord fell off so we are now able to give him a real bath instead of a sponge bath. We tried it for the first time on Thursday night. It was quite the experience to say the least!

Jace doesn't like anything cold so naturally he doesn't like to be naked. He started screaming as soon as the clothes came off -- and as you can see -- didn't stop crying until the towel was on. We tried as to move as fast as we could. Luckily he can't do anything that will make him all that dirty yet ... so it didn't take too long. Poor guy!

Unfortunately Joe and I find it very cute when Jace cries. Wouldn't you? Look at that face -- it totally changes. His forehead scrunches up and wrinkles like an old man's. His entire body turns a bright shade of red, and his bottom lip quivers like crazy! We try not to let him cry too much ... He is the cutest -- and we love him!

Rub-a-Dub-Dub!

State Mathcounts Competition

Today we had our state mathcounts competition. It is so fun to see so many kids -- especially teenagers -- enjoy math so much. The questions that these students are asked to answer are difficult - difficult questions. It is so much fun being the coach of such great people.

The last round consists of the top 10 students from the morning. They have a one on one battle to see who can answer three questions first. They re-order the top ten based on how they compete at the "show-down". The winner of today's competition was in the 6th grade. It was amazing! I am so proud of these kids!!

Until next year -- mathcounts is officially OVER :)

We Are HOME!

AGAIN!
And nothing could possibly feel better!!

I've Always Liked Formula

As a math person -- I deal with formulas every day. But this is not the kind of formula I am referring to. Formula saved Jace and myself today. Here is the hospital update:

We started out the morning with his sodium levels coming down -- but he still doesn't seem to be eating as much as he should. My goal is to feed Jace with ... what I have. He latches on with no problem -- when he is awake. The problem is with all of his medical issues -- he is sleepy. This is a stressful experience, so that is not helping the "supply" either. I was pumping today after he fell asleep yet again in the middle of a feeding. I was texting Joe and was almost hysterical. I know that I am doing everything I can to produce milk for my little man, but after 25 minutes of pumping I only got 1/2 of an ounce. I am emotional and can't help feeling like I am not giving him everything I need. I talked to a lactation specialist today and we have a plan to help "up" the supply. In the mean time though -- they will not let us go home tomorrow if Jace doesn't eat.

Luckily Rayma was here again and gave me the sanity that I needed. I don't want to transfer to formula exclusively -- but the fact of the matter is ... he needs to eat. After eating my little bit from the pumping room, Rayma fed him 1 oz of formula. What a difference it made! He has been sleepy, subdued, and "out of it" for two days now. After the formula he was bright as ever. He was looking around, making faces, and just being a different little boy. I honestly was about ready to throw a fit ... the formula saved me.

I keep trying to feed him myself first, but if he doesn't get enough, he doesn't get enough. Tonight after 30 minutes of feeding he was still searching for more. Joe fed him 1 oz of formula. 45 minutes later he STILL seemed hungry so we tried another 1 oz serving. BOTH times he downed the food. The result was the same as before. He was alert and fun to be around.

I am not giving up yet. I am just grateful that we are able to get him to eat something. My emotions are directly linked to how he is doing. As soon as he ate -- a huge weight was lifted off of my chest. NOW we just cross our fingers that we get to go home tomorrow!!

Ouch!

I just sneezed for the first time after Jace was born. Not very pleasant! (Not as bad as choking ... the coughing is close to the worst pain I have EVER felt before!!!)

Doctor's Orders

Today we woke up to the best sound ever -- Jace cried! Yesterday he was pretty subdued throughout the entire process. This was a blessing yesterday because I don't think that I could have handled it emotionally if he cried every 45 minutes. Today he cried when he was hungry and had a poopy diaper. He is much more alert today -- such a good sign. We talked to the doctor this morning and he told us that everything is looking great. His sodium levels are coming down. The "normal" range for an infant his age is 137 - 146. Jace started at 155 yesterday and is down to 148. They will continue to test every two hours. When his levels get inside of the normal range they will take of his IV drip and see if he can regulate it on his own.

They want to keep him here for another 24 hours. Nothing seems to be growing with the infection scare, but they want to make sure before they release him.

I am so grateful for all of the medical advances they have made. I can't imagine going through this 100 years ago. It is likely that he wouldn't have survived child birth if he had come that long ago.

Okay enough typing -- time to go and cuddle my little peanut!

Numb

It has been one heck of a day! My sweet mother in law told me this morning to take it easy. This is wonderful -- much needed -- advice. I wish that I had the opportunity to take it easy today. This is quite the story -- so I hope you make it to the end. Needless to say -- it is one o'clock in the morning ... I just hope that it makes sense!

Rayma came over today to help me around the house since it was Joe's first day back to work after Jace was born. Because Jace has jaundice, we had to go and get his poor foot poked AGAIN to see how his levels are reacting. They actually went down today (mini celebration ... enjoy it!). Yesterday he was at a 17.6 and today a 16.3. I don't know what that means exactly, but I do know that it means he is getting over his jaundice. We also had an appointment with his pediatrician at 11. Poor Rayma ended up being my chauffeur today instead of hanging out around the house! I know she didn't mind. I am so glad she was with me today -- I needed her! Okay ... back on track! We got to Dr. Witt's office and they weighed Jace. He was born at 8 lbs 4 oz. He left the hospital at 7 lbs 2 oz. Today he weighed 6 lbs 11 oz. He has lost 19% of his birth weight in 8 days. This is scary. Dr. Witt told us that the jaundice is very much on the back burner now -- because we know that can be fixed. He told us to go straight to Primary Children's Hospital to get some fluids in him. The problem is when they are dehydrated we worry about a high sodium level. IF the sodium levels are high he could have seizures. IF they fix the levels too fast, it could cause problems in the brain. We figured he got this way because of the Jaundice. The jaundice makes him tired, if he is tired he doesn't eat as well ... now he is dehydrated. That is our course of thought. By the way Dr. Witt talked about it -- we would be in and out in about an hour or two. Rayma, Joe, Jace and I quickly ran up to the hospital.

As we were walking into the hospital Joe said: "It is my first time in an ER. It is too bad it has to be with my 8 day old son!" When we got checked in they checked his vitals. They took his temperature with the anal thermometer. This must have gotten something working inside of him because he pooped and pooped! He makes his momma proud! We had been trying to get him to poop since Sunday night. They called us back to ER room #13. The resident came in and told us that his temperature was very low. They packed him up in all sorts of blankets to heat him up. The problem with a low or high temp at this age is that is a sign of infection. Because he is so little there isn't time for guess work. They test him for EVERYTHING {!!} and eliminate what isn't wrong rather than guess and check. The poor guy has had his heel pricked too many times to count. He had to have a catheter at one point. He has both hands connected to IVs. She said that they have only taken a couple of teaspoons of blood at this point -- but I think she meant something bigger -- tablespoons -- gallons -- don't really know. They have kept coming back and back to get more blood. He has had to have a tube go down into his lungs to check his fluids there. He has a heart monitor, oxygen monitor, and respiratory monitor making sure everything is in line. The worst was when he had to have his spinal fluid checked. They scrunched him up into a tight ball so his spine would be straight and still then drained fluid from his spine. Through all of this he has only cried a handful of times. I feel so bad for him.

All that we can conclude right now is that his sodium levels are high. They are keeping him at PCH for at least a day or two. I don't mind all of these things being done to me. I had all sorts of things connected to me last week -- it wasn't pleasant -- but watching someone you love go through it is a completely different story. I have been a basket case all day long. The poor nurse was trying to talk to me and it was through many many tears that I listened to her. I am glad that they are being thorough -- but thoroughness is scary until it all comes back negitive. I honestly don't know what I would have done without Rayma today. She was my rock. I love her. I also know that Mom was here too -- and my Grandpa and Grandma Fautin. I needed them.

At this point I just feel numb. I have cried off and on all day today -- and being tired -- my eyes are as dry as can be! I have been in a dr. office with Jace since 9 am. Poor Joe had to be at work today -- he has the misfortune of not knowing what was going on!! That had to be hard. I just am praying that he is fine and nothing massive will come out of this. Not a fun day at all!

We took some pictures with Rayma's cell phone. If I can get them transferred to the computer I will post them. All of the nurses today have just oohed and ahhed over his massive amount of cuteness! They love his lower lip -- everyone loves his lower lip! One nurse asked if she could cuddle him before she left for the night. We had only been her patient for about 15 minutes before she got off -- Everyone loves Jace!

More updates will come as we know more! Until then I get to try to sleep on the rocking chair. Joe will be mad that I didn't wake him up tonight -- but he might have to go back to work tomorrow ... and should rest. I can always sleep in the morning. All I want to do right now is cuddle my little man!!!

Where's the Alien Shot?

While at the hospital a photographer came in to take our pictures. ( I didn't know it would be OUR pictures at the time. I look ... lovely). What happened to the customary first day "alien" shot that they used to take? Anyway, they have a service where the photographer comes, no obligation to purchase anything, and takes pictures. You can then order them in your room or online later. I love the "no obligation" part. We tried to decide not to get anything ... but um ... our little tyke has changed so much we wanted a good shot of him at day 3. You can see the photos that they shot at:

http://www.our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=0280b154-5116-4d81-8b87-cb8de0777f09

We ordered a package with the shot that pulls up first. He is on his stomach, head sideways, hat folded over by his ear. You may be getting a picture ...

If you are a ... you will get ...
grandparent 5x7
great grandparent 3 1/2 x 5
aunt/uncle wallet

If you want to order any of your own photos the pass-code is: 22361261442699

Jaundice Update

We had to go in and have Jace's blood levels checked this morning to see if his jaundice had returned. His levels have gone up a bit but the Dr. said that he thinks it has peaked and should go back down. We go in again tomorrow morning to have him tested again. i hope that it clears some today. In the mean time we are keeping him in as much sun as possible. We are going on a
(short) walk right now.

We're Home!

We made the trek home today! Everyone is doing so well. We were released at about 11:00. When we got home we introduced Jace to the dogs. They are doing quite well actually. You can tell that then know he is special. Once they got used to his smell -- they really have left him alone. It was difficult because they haven't had much attention since Sunday night. They have missed me completely and just wanted to be loved. I am grateful that they are getting along so well. When everyone was settled, Joe called his parents and they brought us lunch. We had a nice visit -- complete with rootbeer floats! (If you know Wayne ... this won't surprise you). It was time for Jace to eat, so I went upstairs. Sweet Ann unloaded my dishwasher for me. Jace must have been starving because we were feeding for over an hour. In the mean time, Ann and Wayne needed to go. I felt bad that I wasn't there to say goodbye -- or that they couldn't stay longer. They will be here on Monday though to help us out. I am so grateful for such a loving family that supports us.

The Most Beautiful Shade of Yellow ...

... is not when it is in my boy's skin. Jace has passed all of his tests with flying colors this week -- until this morning. The pediatrician came in (seeming kind of panicked) and tried to convince me to stay another day. She was thrusting information at me so quickly that I got confused. Finally she said that Jace's skin looked really pumpkin-ey and she wanted to run the jaundice test on him again. She was also concerned about how much weight he had lost, and wanted to re-weigh him this morning. From Monday night to Wednesday night, he had lost a pound. I am emotional anyway -- so I didn't take this news very well. I called Joe, (he was on his way back to the hospital,) and told him, (through tears,) not to bring up the car seat. I was scared and upset that my boy was sick. I know that jaundice is realitively common -- but I was so excited to bring him home today.

When they re-weighed him he had gained an ounce from last night's weighing. (He had better ... the nurse brought him in to feed at 1:00, 3:00, and 5:00. He ate for at least an hour each time). That made me happy! We found out at about noon that we needed to stay until tomorrow and he would have to go through light therapy. SO until tomorrow morning his schedule is 3 hours light therapy, 1 hour feeding.

Joe and I went to the cafeteria to lunch today, (my longest walk since Monday morning! I inched along ... but we finally got there.) We ordered our lunch, which was much better than anything they have brought to my room, and headed back. I wanted to stop at the gift shop to get a "get well stuffed animal" for my baby boy. We found two that we really liked ... so I just got them both! The bear was from me and the orange dinosaur is from Joe. The dinosaur is a puppet actually. It is nice having them in my room so that I can remember that he will feel better soon :) I am looking forward to going home tomorrow and I am hoping that the lights won't have to come with us!

Just Can't Help Myself!

I was feeding Jace tonight and when I was finished Joe caught these pictures. I need to share! I can't believe how much he has changed in the last two days! We are coming home tomorrow morning ... YAY

He has so many expressions ... it is hard to believe that it is the same kid! My favorite is the close up with his hand by his face!

We're Learning!

Last night we kept Jace in our room. (It is still a bit weird to be calling him by his "secret" name ... instead of just "baby" or "our little guy" ! We weren't hiding his name on purpose before -- we just really wanted to make sure that Jace fit before we spread it to the world.) He was very gassy and the nurse said that he could have an upset stomach. He hadn't really eaten for a bit, but everytime I tried -- He would look at me as if not to notice my efforts ... or he would simply fall asleep and then cry when I tried to wake him. Joe took the 12 - 2 shift. It is still quite painful for me to get in and out of bed. It doesn't really hurt while I am stationary, but sitting up stinks, you use your abdomen muscles a lot more than I realized ! Anyway ... Joe changed another stinky diaper and cradled him. Every time we put him back down to go to sleep he would cry. He was fine being rocked, strolled, snuggled, but not laying down. We thought he was hungry so at about 2 I took over. The nurse came in and asked if he was fussy and if we needed them to take him. We really wanted to try and figure this out while there are people here to help. When we get home -- there isn't a nurse readily available to call on! He was tooting a lot and Tiffany (the nurse) told us that he could have an upset stomach ... and asked if we wanted her to take him. I told her no, that we would keep trying. He slept on my chest for about an hour and then I put him in his bed, still refusing to eat. By the time I had finished going to the bathroom he was crying again. (He always seems to start crying just AFTER I sit down ... so convenient!) He finally sounded like he was ready to nurse and did so for quite some time. When Joe got up to put him in his bed he wouldn't lay down again. At this point we had decided to take him to the nursery so we could get some rest. I still need to heal myself! She rocked him and put a warm blanket over his belly and he was fine. They brought him back in at about 8:30 this morning. He has been gassy all day today too but has slept much better.

Today he is not eating well. He is quite stubborn, (just like his mom). I will try to feed him -- he generally stops crying, but will just look at me as if to say ... "SO?" Yesterday when he finally decided to eat, he ate well. Today he will only suck for about 2 minutes at a time. Blasted kid :) I guess he knows when he is hungry. We just keep trying. Hopefully when things are better "up and running" we can put him on a better schedule.

Joe is a great dad. He has been very willing to try to comfort Jace when he cries. He also has changed all of the diapers. I am yet to change one! I figure that my turn will come around soon. He has been really good to help me where ever I need it and has really jumped up to the plate knowing that I am not very physically capable right now to do it myself. He hasn't really been around babies a lot in his life since he is one of the youngest. Sometimes this can make people scared of babies -- but not Joe. Joe is great! It gives me one more reason to be so grateful to have such a awesome partner!

I am feeling better. The doctor checked my incision today and it looked good. They take out the staples tomorrow ... I am a little scared about that. I will be going home tomorrow afternoon. That is when the "playing parenthood" ends and the "real parenthood" begins. I am very nervous to be trying this on my own. I love him so much though that I am so excited to be his mom. We have waited so long for this ... and are very happy.

The First 24 Hours

Thank you so much for your overwhelming amount of love! We like our little Jace. He is so so fun. Cute! Rarely cries (unless something cold is touching his skin). My favorite time is when he falls asleep on my chest and I just sit and stroke his little back and head. The nurse came in once and she said: "oh ... you're feeding!" and I replied " ... nope, just cuddling!" He is going to grow so fast ... we are just taking this time to enjoy what we have!

We promised more pictures. He has changed a lot in 24 hours!! Here he is:


























I don't know why I always feel it necessary to pull a crazy face in one of my shots! It does give me a nice shape though ... I think that I look good :) I mean ... look at that head of hair that I'm sporting ... haha! Showering was a big treat tonight!!

the BIG day

This morning, we woke up at 4:30 to await the call from the hospital, between 5 and 9. About 5:30, the phone rang and we took off. Labor was induced by 7:00 and Jen's water was broken by 9:00. After that, she was in the early stages of labor. By 10:00, she was dilated to a 3, but it took until about 4:30 to get to a 4. By then, the baby's heart beat was starting to get a little erratic and it was starting to become more and more apparent that he would need to come via cesarean. The fact that last week's ultrasound calculated 10 lbs 3 oz made the decision that much easier. She was prepped for surgery and, at 6:36 P.M. ...

Meet Jace Thomas Boucher!

Stats:
Weight: 8 lb 4 oz
Length: 21"

He has his daddy's mouth and forehead (it wrinkles, Jen's does not), and the notorious Boucher feet. Other than that, he is all Momma; nose, hair, ears, etc. He looks just like her.

We've only been parents for a couple hours now, but we love him a ton. He's DEFINITELY a keeper. Well get more pictures and post them tomorrow!

5 things I will (and will not) miss!

Today is (hopefully) my last full day being pregnant until next time. It really hasn't been all that bad! I have enjoyed most of it. Here is a list of 5 things that I will miss, and 5 things I will not miss about being pregnant (in no particular order):

5 Things I Will Not Miss

1. Pricking my finger four times (or more) a day.
2. Waking up multiple times a night to simply roll my belly to the other side.
3. Joe not cleaning the house because I am not cleaning the house.
4. 4 doctors appointments per week ... yes 4!
5. Getting worried when I don't get punched in the kidney often enough.

Why was it so easy to come up with 5 things?


5 Things I Will Miss

1. The excitement of getting things ready for him to come home
2. Not having to Iron any of my shirts because my overly large belly pulls out all of the wrinkles
3. Feeling his hiccups
4. Having a good excuse to not clean my house.
5. Joe giggling when the baby kicks him in the middle of the night.

It has been a good ride. I am excited to meet him tomorrow. I can't believe that it is here ... real ... and happening. I am banking on the fact that the motherly instincts will kick in. I hope he is a good baby. Is there a place you can buy a users manual? :) I feel so unprepared ... but I know that we will be just fine. This baby is LONG LONG awaited and he will be well loved!

I'm the Dominate One

I had another ultrasound today to check my little man's size. I hope she is wrong. He measured 10 lbs, 3 oz. WOW! Monday should be a fun one :)

While she had me all "gooped" up she changed monitors. Right when I was about to ask the difference between the two (she had never used the second machine before) a cute 3D image of our baby flashed on the screen! It is amazing how technology allows you to see something through ... a stomach! The little bugger had his hand over his face ... but she was about to get some cute 3D shots. Can I just say ... he looks JUST like my day old shot when I was born. She pulled out the picture and said: "He has your nose!" I can't stop staring at the pictures!!

Crunch Time

You have no idea how many tries it took to get this right ... AND my computer takes reverse images -- so I had to write the text backwards ... BE IMPRESSED!

"My life is a mess right now ... go ahead and set it right on top!" That is what I said to a student this morning when he came to get help on his geometry homework -- the set it right on top was referring to his math book ... set it on top of my pile of junk. I have 1 billion things to do -- and I am posting. MAYBE if I spent my time doing the things I need to ... and not on my blog ... things would get done! (AND maybe students would get their HW done ... ) BUT you can only cram so much productivity into an hour before you go crazy! Here is an update on the BOUCHER household (and the house that she lives at most of the day ... C12 {classroom})

First of all -- I hate having a sub for only one day. It is incredibly difficult to get ready for ... and it is so much easier to just be at school. Now this year has been SO SO much better because I have a SUPERB SUB! Having said that 1 day is difficult -- I had NO idea how difficult getting three different classes ready for 6 weeks! To compound the stress -- today is the only day that I can stay after to get ready. Luckily Mary, my sub -- love her -- is stopping by after school to help me out. What a SAINT she is. (She also didn't accept a job {real job} at Bingham high because she already had promised me that she would be here for me. What a great sign of character!!! I appreciate her so much!). I think that I am almost ready to be gone until the 29th. That's two weeks. I will take it a week or two at a time after that -- but I think that I am going crazy!!!!

At home -- we are madly getting ready. Last night I spent three hours making ONE bumper. I didn't anticipate it lasting that long. It should be as bad tonight because I have completed one ... and the others won't be as bad. Tonight I am also going to my quilt group and they are going to show me how to bind my quilt. I am bringing my quilt to the hospital in hopes that it can get done there. Last night Joe put together a bookshelf that goes in the baby's room. It looks FANTASTIC! IT is about 3 feet high and 6 feet long. We tipped it on it's side instead of setting it up tall -- SO if a monkey climbs on it ... it won't fall over. A big shout out to my Dad who got the shelf for us! He is going to be the greatest Grandpa. It has been so SO much fun to see him get excited. I love my Dad!!! The coolest part is that you can buy shelves to put in the cubbies -- and we are going to buy 3 more sets so he has a place to put his "toys". I will post pictures later. My cute sister came over last Saturday and cleaned my kitchen ... deep cleaning --- and it took a lot of time! I appreciate the help so much!!

It feels like there is SO much to do ... If we don't finish ... we don't finish ... but we are trying hard!

3 out of 14 ... What am I supposed to do?

I hate homework ... I hate it when students do not complete their homework. I am so SO frustrated right now .. I think that I might just cry.

I teach two completely different types of classes. My Geometry classes are honors classes (although they don't always act like it). They are supposed to be top of the top. I also teach 4 sections of "remedial" math -- Math 7 and 7A. In my math 7A class ... they just need a bit more one on one attention ... so the classes are smaller.

Today in my 4th period class ... 3 out of 14 of them turned in their assignment. Some had excuses that they had to clean their room. Others just "didn't have an excuse". How in the world am I supposed to help them when they don't put forth any effort? I am so angry ... I can't stand it ... don't know what to do.

grrr!!

Only 10 ...

Today turned out to be quite the interesting day! I took the day off of work because I had to get a non-stress test done AND my regular doctor's appointment. I was just getting out the door when I couldn't find my keys. I had given them to Joe last night so he could drive home from a friend's house, (he was helping her on her computer!) He had stuck them in his pocket -- and I didn't have a way to get to my doctor's appointment. I called him and he came and picked me up -- but at that point we were too late and just plan on going in again on Tuesday. SO my only doctors appointment was at 4:00 ... I guess I could have gone to work :)

The doctor checked my progress -- last week I was about 3/4 cm dilated and 20% effaced. This week I am 1.5 cm and 50%. He was pleased with the progress and expects me to be even further along next time I see him on the 13th. He decided that my due date is probably around the 23rd and it would be safe to schedule my induction on the 16th. We go in at 5:00 a.m. That seems a bit early -- but I figured that I can't sleep in on Christmas morning -- I'll have no problem leaving the house at 4:30. This is perfect because my parents are going out of town for a couple of days LATE on the 18th and they will DEFINITELY be able to meet my little guy before they go.

This means ... the countdown is running out of time! Only 10 days left until I meet my little man! (I also only have 10 days to pick out a name! ahhh!)

Going to State

My Mathcounts team went to the South Salt Lake Region competition in February. We didn't make the top four teams -- so we figured that we had a good year, but our time was finished. I got an email on Sunday morning telling me that my team is invited to the state competition! YAY! I don't know how we made it -- but I am excited to give our four kids a chance at state. It is a fun time (full of remarkable math students!) Pending healthy baby --- I am SO going to be there!! The competition is on March 28th. Good Luck SOJO!