She's Here!!

Please meet Avery Jolene...born 11-18-09 at 3:00pm, 8lbs & 6oz, 20 inches long.


The Story...

On Tuesday, because I was 8 days past my due date, I went in to my OB's office for a check up and an ultrasound to make sure that all was good with the baby and with me. Everything was great with the baby--she scored an 8 out of 8 on her profile, looked very healthy and was having no problems (just not ready to come out yet). However, my blood pressure had gone way up--144 over 104 and was cause for concern, especially since I never have high blood pressure and it came on quite suddenly. Dr. Schilling knew that we were preparing for a home birth, and very much wanted to help us stay on that path, but expressed his concerns about my health and outlined possible issues that could arise should I opt to remain pregnant and wait to have her at home.

At that point, I felt we only really had one option. Kevin and I had decided at the very beginning that a home birth was only an option as long as baby and mommy were doing fine and there was virtually no risk involved. Because my high blood pressure could have caused seizures and other dangerous complications before or during labor, we felt that I was no longer a candidate for having her at home. Therefore we went with the doctor's suggestion and our induction was scheduled for the next morning. We were definitely more than a little disappointed as we packed away all of the home birth supplies and packed our bags for the hospital--but we were also excited to know that she would be born the next day and wouldn't have to wait any longer to have her here.

My parents arrived to pick up Alex (for the 3rd time) and Kevin and I finished packing, cleaning the house, and tried to get some sleep. I barely slept a wink though and finally gave up and got up around 3:30am.

We checked in the hospital around 6:30am (30 minutes late because I had to fix my hair, haha). Within an hour I had labwork done and a pitocin drip started. Dr. Schilling came around 8:15am and broke my water. About an hour later the contractions started coming on pretty strong and I decided that I did indeed want an epidural--I was really beginning to tense up as each one came on, and since I was only at a "2", I knew it could still be a while. The anesthesiologist came in and did the epidural around 9:30 or so and it was SO not as bad as I thought it would be! I had one with Alex but was already in so much pain that I couldn't really remember how it felt. Honestly, the IV was much worse. Within about 15 minutes or so, things started to numb out and become much less painful. However, I get to be in medical books because the entire right side of my body didn't just go numb, it did that tingly "falling asleep" thing--literally from my eyebrow down to my toes. I couldn't lift my arm (when I did try, I whacked myself in the face--lots of fun for everyone in the room) and my face drooped a little on one side even! Crazy stuff. The anesthesiologist and the doctor were both stumped--said they'd never seen that happen before. Apparently the epidural affected some random nerve and caused all of that. They dialed it down a bit and in a little while it was much better.

Anyway, the epidural let me rest and allowed the pitocin to be really cranked up and I went from a 2 to a 4 to a 10 in about 4 hours--much, much, much faster than the process with Alex (story here). Did a 'test push' at around 2pm and the nurse called for the doctor (he left a liposuction to attend my delivery--how funny!) and sat up a little to let her descend some more. At about 2:40 we got started pushing and that was completely hilarious. I was absolutely and totally numb and could not feel a thing. I was told "harder" and "lower" and etc., etc., and just laughed because I had NO idea what was going on down there! But I got great feedback and was told that I was doing great, and I guess I was because I only pushed for about 15-20 minutes and she was born exactly at 3:00pm. With Alex, I pushed and pushed and pushed and....you get the idea...and nothing was happening, so I was so scared that this time would be the same. But everything was exactly the opposite, and exactly as I hoped it would be.

She came out and was immediately put on my chest, Kevin cut the cord, and we got to cuddle her for a minute. Then they took her for a check over and weighing and stuff. But then we got to have her back for around an hour, all to ourselves, which was so great. We both got to hold her and I was able to breastfeed and then we had to let her go to the nursery for a little bit for her bath and full once-over.

I got taken to a regular room and she was back with us by 6pm--SO unreal that less than 12 hours had passed since I had arrived at the hospital. Our family came by with Alex to visit and meet Avery. Alex was very sweet with her and was quite gentle and loving. The sweetest moment was when he was holding her and pointed around the room introducing all of our family to her. The funniest moment was when I put on a nursing cover to feed her and he immediately dove under the cover too to see what was going on. :)

We had a pretty busy night with her at the hospital--Kevin and I pretty much just swapped hours of sleeping and holding/feeding her. But she finally fell into what I called her baby "coma" around 4am and stayed that way for several hours...ahhh.

Since all was good with both of us (my blood pressure had gone up and down during labor and took a bit of regulating, but settled down finally), we were able to leave the hospital after her 24-hour jaundice check.

We went by and got Alex from my parent's house and took our brand new family of FOUR home for the first time. Kevin's parents stayed with us and were a BIG help with groceries and cooking and entertaining Alex, and of course snuggling with Avery whenever possible.

She's been a very easy baby thus far--not really into a 'schedule' yet, but we'll give her a few more days, haha. She's doing a fantastic job at breastfeeding and usually eats and then immediately sleeps for about 3 hours. Nights haven't been too bad either, so that's nice. Pop and Lollie left today, so we are going to start settling into our new family routine. Alex has been great with her, but a little wired at all the change and schedule disruption, so hopefully we'll be able to get him settled back down a little bit.

All in all, it's been a wonderful experience. Not the one we set out for--but a great "second place". We are all home, we are all happy and healthy, and that is all that matters.

More updates soon...but right now the little princess just woke up and is hungry. Thanks for all the kind messages and calls. We think she is wonderful and amazing and absolutely precious too. :)

41 weeks....SIGH....

I really thought I'd have a baby update on here by now, but alas--she is being a bit stubborn on her arrival. I am now seven days "late" and though I'm told that being a week late is actually pretty common, when you've been counting down the days for the past couple of weeks, an extra week starts to feel like an extra year!

We've had a couple of 'false alarms'--my parents have been great to come running for Alex both times--but each time ended with all signs of imminent birth going away and our wait resuming. We do have an appointment for a biophysical profile (ultrasound) tomorrow to check things out and see if we are good to wait a little longer or if we need to get this show on the road. We are very much still hoping for the homebirth that we want, but we also want to choose the safest and best option for the baby, whatever that may be.

We've tried all sorts of 'natural' induction options...herbs, eggplant parmesan, long hikes, etc., etc, but it seems that she just isn't quite ready yet. And I'm physically doing fine myself--just anxious to have her here and be able to hold her and dress her (in the outfits I picked out WEEKS ago) and finally share her name and pictures with everyone.

We even went to the "famous" Scalini's last week for their eggplant parmesan which supposedly has sent hundreds of women into labor. No such luck for us--though the meal was still quite tasty! (Not a great picture of me eating my first bite of EP--taken with my phone:)

We'll know more tomorrow after our appointment, but we definitely appreciate all of the support and well wishes. We know that everyone else is (almost) as anxious as we are for her to arrive. Fingers crossed that that happens before I have to do a Week 42 update!! :)

39 weeks...

Love to see people's faces when I answer "any day now" to their "when are you due?" inquiries. Priceless. :)

Can't wait for things to get started (remind me that I said that, haha).

Here's me at 39 weeks and 2 days...

Alex's 3 Year Portraits

Being on "maternity leave" from photography means that I actually have a little time to do some family photo work. First order of business was taking Alex's 3-year portraits. I had honestly been dreading these a little because he is NOT a 'look in the the camera and smile' kind of kid. He'd rather make a funny face or stick out his tongue. But I was super surprised when the session went very quickly and easily and I got some great pictures. He's not smiling in all of them, but his expressions are very "Alex".

He's such a big boy now--makes me a little sad to see how fast time is flying by. We were at the park tonight and as I watched him ride his tricycle around, I remarked to Kevin that in a "blink" we'd be sitting there watching Baby A ride her tricycle and Alex would be zooming around with the big kids. Sigh. :) But, even with that little bit of time-passing-too-fast sadness, I have to admit that it is so much fun watching him grow and learn so much. He is such a good boy--and I have this little feeling that no matter how old he gets, he'll still be "mommy's baby". :)

Here are a few pictures from this morning. The rest can be seen at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=131624&id=653191554&l=fd759992c.

Home Birth? What!?

I got an email from my good friend Sarah, with questions about our home birth decision and details on how it was going to work. By the time I finished replying to her, the entire thing was typed out, so here is the 'copy and paste' version of how we got to where we are so far....

"I originally stumbled on the idea while researching ways to make my hospital experience less hospital-y. Alex’s delivery ended fine—healthy baby and mommy, but the getting there part was less than desirable. I hated how out of control I felt and how dependent I was on everyone else. I think that made me feel weaker and by not being able to make more of my own decisions about moving and eating and resting, I believe that it prolonged the process that ended with the eventual use of forceps. I’m not a total “I-am-woman-hear-me-roar” type person, but the more I thought about how Alex was literally pulled from my body with me having so little to do with anything by the end, the more I realized that I just couldn’t let that happen again. (This is all based on the presumption that this baby will be born with no complications—if there is any doubt as to her health and well-being, by all means, pull, push, cut—whatever it takes to get her out safely.)

So as I was poking around the internet, I kept coming across home birth sites. My first thought was “Ha—don’t think so.” But the more I read, the more I liked. I did some research on statistics and such and was surprised to find that for a non-complicated birth, it is actually safer (or as safe, depending on the study) to deliver at home than at a hospital. The rate of episiotomies, c-sections, and every other intervention is drastically reduced while the overall feeling of satisfaction and maternal control is increased. I approached Kevin and his first reaction was “Yeah right.” (And that’s a direct quote). But I made him do some research of his own (you know those academic types, haha) and we watched the “Business of Being Born” documentary together for a little bit of extra propaganda for my case. He also spoke with his aunt who is a nurse midwife and though she wouldn’t give a “yahoo, go for it” type of answer—she assured him that people really do deliver at home safely and like it too. By the end of all of that, he was pretty much in agreement with what I needed and wanted. Not exactly a flag-waving advocate, but okay with the idea. :) He will still tell you that if it was “up to him”, I’d be delivering in a hospital, but as it gets closer I think he’s getting kind of excited (in a terrified kind of way) too.

Now, a few things HAD to fall into place to make this happen: 1) Insurance, 2) Doctor support, 3) Finding a midwife. If any of those had fallen through, we wouldn’t even have the option. We have UnitedHealthCare insurance (the HRA version) that will cover a midwife-attended home birth as an ‘out of network’ thing—meaning they will pay 60% instead of 100%. Because we have an HRA (the health reimbursement account), even out-of-network stuff is covered 100% as long as I’ve satisfied my deductible for the year. And after being sick a couple of times and all of my other OB-GYN appts, I only have a little left of my deductible to pay. So basically (and I confirmed this with like 7 calls to our insurance company), it will cost us the exact same amount whether we deliver in a hospital or at home, or in an ambulance (please, no) in between. If you have insurance that would cover a midwife 100%, you’d be set—the thing is that most home birth midwives do not work in a doctor’s office, so they will be ‘out of network’. The midwives who do work in a doctor’s office and will attend your hospital birth will be covered because they fall under your doctor’s network coverage. So anyway, hurdle number 1 was cleared.

And for 2 & 3, it was surprisingly easy. I chose my current OB-GYN from a lot of recommendations from friends. Coincidentally, he is one of the few in the area (perhaps state) that will support a home birth decision. We went in for a regular visit with him, told the nurse we saw that we wanted to pursue a home birth and without batting an eye, she said, “Oh, you need Debbie then. Here’s her number.” Very cool. A lot (LOT) of doctors are too burdened by policy and insurance nightmares to even support home birth patients. (By support I mean that he is “on call” when I am delivering and will take over if we need to transfer to the hospital. Most home birth midwives do not have hospital privileges so they need a doctor on the ‘inside’ so to speak to be able to hand their patients over to). I’ve seen him a few times and just went last week for my last check up with him. The rest of my visits have been with Debbie, our midwife (we initially spent about 2 hours meeting and talking with her after she was recommended to us and really liked her), and if all goes well, I won’t need to see the doctor again until I need my next GYN check up. So, with 1, 2 & 3 all taken care of, we’re pretty much set on “go”.

I will see Debbie weekly now until the day arrives and the visits with her are SO different from a doctor’s visit. I am there at least an hour with her and she keeps a careful record of my entire being—how I’m feeling, what I’m eating, whether I’m exercising, everything. She does all the same tests that I would do at a doctor’s visit. The only thing I didn’t have to do was the glucose test b/c she doesn’t worry about that unless I’m showing symptoms of a problem. I feel very “taken care of” by her and though I don’t discount the bonus of having a doctor’s support, I feel like she is going to know me better and be a better support than any doctor or doctor’s office nurse or midwife could by the time I deliver.

When I feel like I am in labor, we will call her and she will come to our house with an assistant. Because we are doing a water birth, sometime in the next week or two, we will go ahead and get the pool from her (she has a few) and have it set up and ready to fill. I also had to order a birth kit from a company online (she gave me all the info and it is pre-packaged) that includes everything from clamps to gloves and have that ready. There are also a few other ‘good to haves’ that she gave us a list of that I will be gathering and having on hand in the next couple of weeks. She and her assistant (and Kevin’s aunt if she can make it) will be with us for the birth and will stay around for a few hours afterwards to make sure all is good. Then she’ll come back the next day to check us out again. We will take the baby to a pediatrician around day 3 or so, just like you would with any hospital-delivered baby. Debbie comes with the ability to do stitches, an IV, and rescue oxygen—just in case any of that is needed. She has a very low rate of having to transfer to a hospital, but says she will not “mess around” if she feels like the situation could take a bad turn. Because we are only about 20 minutes from a hospital, we could transfer easily or have an ambulance at our house in minutes. If for some reason my blood pressure decides to go crazy before then, if the baby decides to go breech or has signs of distress, or if the baby is more than 2 weeks early (or more than 2 weeks late), we will proceed with a hospital delivery. We are crossing our fingers, of course, that none of that will happen.

My parents are on call to come and get Alex—he’s a little young to participate. And everyone else will be notified when things are rolling, but no one will be at the house except for me and Kevin and the midwives. I want a calm and quiet atmosphere with no distractions. We’ll let the family and friends come when it’s all over and we’ve had a little time to rest and recuperate.

SO—that is all the info in a (very large) nutshell. I don’t think I could have done this with Alex, simply because I had so much fear and uncertainty about the whole labor and delivery process. But this time I feel a lot more confident about the situation and I think that by being more “in charge”, I’ll really be able to handle myself and the situation so much better. I’m not doing it to be a hero or for any fame and glory, just mainly for myself. It’s one time in life where I can get away with being truly selfish and can truly claim that it’s pretty much all about me—and the baby, of course. :)

I will definitely update everyone on how it went—the good, bad, and ugly too. I hope that it’s going to be the experience that I’m looking for—but if not, I can at least say we tried. The main goal is a healthy and complication-free delivery, and as long as that happens, I suppose it doesn’t really matter where it happens."

That should pretty much cover it! But feel free to ask anything else. This is kind of an exciting thing for us and kind of fun to talk about. :)

4 Weeks To Go!

I made it to the '36 week' point as of today--and I can't decide if time is moving really quickly, or way too slowly. :) Kind of depends on how I'm feeling at the moment, which I have to admit is not anything to truly complain about. I pretty much just feel like I'm a month away from having a baby--big belly, tired legs and back, not sleeping much, and a very real sense of 'nesting urgency'. I think Alex is getting anxious too--he asks almost every day if Baby Moses is "ready" yet. I really believe that he is going to be such a great big brother. He's very kind to other babies that we are around and seems to have a geniune interest in my pregnancy. He loves to tell strangers that he is going to be a big brother and usually adds that he has a baby in his tummy too. :)



The nursery is pretty much ready (will get pictures of that soon). Just need to wash some clothing and sheets and hang her name on the wall...that last task will wait until she has arrived, so no trying to come peek for hints. We have our room ready for the addition of a rocker and bassinett (and I'm sure she'll appreciate the paint job that my mom and I did last week...nesting...). Our garage even got a major makeover this weekend (thanks Pop!) so that our cars can fit back inside for easy loading and unloading of the kiddos (more nesting...). I know that I'm supposed to be 'slowing down' during these last few weeks, and I actually have stopped accepting any more photography work, but I also know that once she arrives the ability to do ANYTHING will pretty much cease for several weeks. So I just have to get it all done right now, right?! :) (Kevin wouldn't necessarily agree...he's afraid that I've engineered his paternity leave to be a time of chores, projects, and a multitude of honey-do lists. Not ME, never! wink, wink).


I am to the point of once-weekly visits with my midwife, though I did see my 'old' OB doctor last week for a lab test. We have been using a private midwife since about 25 weeks in preparation for a home birth. Yes, don't choke--I said 'home birth', as in, we are planning to deliver Baby A here at our house with the assistance of our midwife and her assistant. No hospitals, no drugs--just us, a birthing pool, and Debbie (midwife). Our decision to do this is a lengthy one, better suited to its own posting, so I'll just sum it up to say that we (well, I, with Kevin's support) desire a different birthing experience than the one we had with Alex, and I want to be more in control of my surroundings and labor processes. Still shaking your head at the "home" and "no drugs" part? We did too, for a little while. But we feel very confident in our decision now and I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to the experience. More on all of that later.


A few weeks ago, I was feeling very "diva" and asked two great photographer friends to do maternity sessions for us. First, Melissa and Julie did a 'family' session for us because I wanted to document our family of 3 being excited together over the arrival of number 4. They did an awesome job capturing exactly that--though I think Alex in all of his cuteness may have stolen the show. :)

And then I asked Jackie to do a session just for me and Kevin--to document that all of this started with just the two of us. We got to be very urban and sassy for this shoot, which was a very fun and romantic way to spend an evening together. Again, an awesome job and the end result was exactly what I wanted.

Well, I've now got a sleepy 3-year-old in my lap who says he "needs" me. Definitely can't resist that! :)

More updates soon--hope everyone has a great October!

29 Weeks

Whew--29 weeks now and looking forward to the finish line! According to my 'baby update' emails, Baby A is "is growing rapidly now. This week he weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel." And I can feel that head, and those heals--and elbows and feet and everything. She is definitely a mover and shaker--I'm wondering if our household is in for a surprise with this little girl!

Here's a pic of me from this morning--ignore the angle, the crazy preggo hair, and the lighting--it was quick self-portrait shot. :)

Where did the summer go?

We had a very busy and productive summer. Every room in the house was either rearranged, redecorated, or repurposed as we continue to get ready to add a new member to our household. We got so much done and I am very grateful that we don't have to spend the fall scurrying around to get ready. Especially now that I am not a very graceful at scurrying. :)

A few updates:

Me--The pregnacy is progressing smoothly and very text-bookish. I am about to start my 28th week (3rd trimester). I've gained 15 pounds--whew--but at least that's less than where I was with Alex at this point. I still feel pretty huge and get very sympathetic comments from people when they hear that I still have 3 months to go. Thankfully this summer was not as hot as the last. I just cannot bear the heat at all. My back hurts most days and Kevin has been great about coming home from work and giving Alex an outlet for all of his energy. "Outside" time is usually reserved for the two of them in the late afternoon and that's been a great relief to me.

I was a little sad on the first day of school that I do not have a classroom of my own this year, but I am also very grateful to be staying at home. I do miss all of the kids and especially my co-workers, but I wouldn't trade being a SAHM for anything. I've tried to keep busy with photography, but the past year's economy has definitely put a hold on everyone's spending. Things are starting to pick back up and I am getting ready to launch a big Christmas card campaign in a week or two--see http://www.natalieshivers.com/ for more info!

Kevin--Kevin is back at school and missing all of the privileges that he had last year as Teacher of the Year. Now that he's just a "normal" teacher again (haha), he is having to deal with extra duties, less pay (the whole state is cutting way back, arghh), and limited access to school funds for anything other than very basic classroom needs. BUT, he still does enjoy being in the classroom and says that he just can't picture himself anywhere else. Of course the decrease in pay makes us want to look elsewhere, but that's not really a realistic option for A) someone who has always wanted to be a teacher, B) someone who is a really excellent teacher, or C) an economy where every industry is having cutbacks and unemployment issues. So for now we just grin and bear it, and I get better at coupon shopping. :)

Due to two recent foot injuries, it doesn't look like he'll be able to play adult-league soccer this season, but he will get to join Alex on the field for Dad & Tots soccer starting next month.

Alex--Alex has started 3K preschool, going 3 days a week this year. He has only been two times since it just started this past Monday, but so far is doing SO good. I was very nervous about how he would react since it is a different school from last year's school, AND his mommy is not teaching right across the hall! But we have had no tears at drop-off time (WHEW!!) and the best news of all is that his boot-camp potty training that we did during July seems to have worked. He hasn't had any accidents yet at school and the ones at home are getting farther and farther apart. Yea!! It will be nice to at least be able to go 3 months here without needing diapers.

He is (in my humble opinion, haha) a very smart little boy--especially when it comes to letters. I promise, even though his parents are/were both teachers we do NOT push him and make him play school all the time. But he has become VERY obsessed with letters and numbers, letters especially. I think a lot of it comes from his favorite DVDs, the Leapfrog Letter Factory series, but the kid is nuts about letters. If I took pictures of our house right now you would see magnet letters (3 sets so he can "build complex words"--no lie) on the dishwasher, a word-builder game on the fridge, bath letters in the bathtub, and foam letters scattered everywhere. He knows all of the letters, their sounds, can say whether they are uppercase or lowercase, and whether they are vowels or consonants. He is working on blends ('sh', 'st', etc), silent-e, and 2-vowel words, and can read 3 and 4-letter words. He's just started becoming interested in numbers and told his teacher on Monday that "if there are 2 students at the train table and I am 1 student and if I go there too, there will be 3 students at the train table!".

If it sounds like I'm bragging, I guess I am--but this is all HIM. He is very much a little 3-year-old nerd...said with all the affection in the world. Thankfully he is also interested in sports and cars and can tantrum enough so that we can't forget that he is only 3 and is just a little boy. :) He is just so lively and unpredictable these days--you never know what is going to come out of his mouth next. His favorite phrases are "You're kidding me!" and "Just a second, mom."

He's very excited about the arrival of Baby Moses, and we are hoping that won't change too much once she's actually here to stay. He likes to talk (very loudly) into my stomach and thinks it is hilarious when she kicks at him. He was a good sport about changing rooms so that she could have the nursery and likes to brag to everyone that he has a baby in his tummy too.

Anyway...that's us in a nutshell. Now that I have a few extra hours to myself when he's at school, I might get better at blogging more frequently...at least until November. Ha!

Here are some links to our summer pictures:

June Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99975&id=653191554&l=d54dd9ed8c

July Pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=105987&id=653191554&l=dfe29cfd9c

August Pictures (so far):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=114404&id=653191554&l=643a0ee8d8

June Pictures

Follow this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99975&id=653191554&l=d54dd9ed8c
to see pictures from this month.

Shivers Family Vacation '09

We spent a great week with Kevin's parents and sister on a family vacation. We drove up to Fredericksburg, VA to stay with his Nana and Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Brian. While there, we drove and took the train into D.C. for two days of touring. Kevin and his dad also went to Antietam to tour the battlefield...the rest of us stayed home for some rest and shopping. On our way home we stopped in Myrtle Beach, SC for two days at the beach. It was a fun trip and we all had a great time. Alex did super in the van--handling 6 hours of driving at a time with barely any complaint. Thank goodness for portable DVD players!! Now we are back home and looking at a summer filled with some relaxation but a lot of moving as we shuffle the house around to make room for baby Moses. Kevin also has a few more weeks of teaching summer school. Hope you all are having a great summer as well!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Alex's 3rd Birthday

We had a small family party for Alex's 3rd birthday on June 7th. He is a little crazy about letters and words right now and he loves a show called "WordWorld", so that was our theme. We had ABC soup, fruit, and PB&J sandwiches cut in the shape of letters. He wanted a WordWorld cake, but we couldn't find one anywhere. So Publix made the cake and Kevin and I melted and molded about a million tootsie rolls to form the "DOG" character for the top. Anything for Alex. :)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

And then there were FOUR...

Well, 3 and 1/2 to be completely accurate. :) Hi! It's been awhile! Since September of last year a LOT has gone on in our family. Most of our friends and family have been kept up to date with emails, visits, and my newest addiction--facebook. BUT, now that we are expecting a new baby, I thought it was time to get back on the blogging wagon.

So, if this is news to you...we're pregnant! We found out in March (very planned, of course), and I am due in early November. I am almost 18 weeks along now with Baby A--and we are told (promised) that it is a girl. I, quite honestly, am holding out until the next ultrasound. Not that I won't be thrilled that the girl diagnosis is correct--it just feels so "boy" to me! My pregnancy is progressing exactly the same as it did with Alex (which means, thankfully, no sickness or anything to complain about)--and I even look exactly the same. But Kevin's aunt Marcia and the ultrasound tech said they were 99.9% sure...so we're going with it, at least until my next ultrasound on June 30th. And if it turns out that Baby A is a boy, well, I have a BIG box of pink things to swap out!!

Baby A...yes, she has a name, but no, we're not telling. Sorry! Kevin and I decided that it would be kind of neat to have a little surprise for everyone when she arrives. A little hint--the initials are the same as Alex's: AJS. But no more hints, and no guessing! And Alex doesn't know, so don't bother trying to ask him. :)

To catch up a bit...
--Alex finished his 2K year at Rock Springs Christian Academy and had a really good year. It was hard having mommy right across the hall in the 4K room--the apron strings were sometimes a little too long, and sometimes a little too short, but we made it. He had great teachers and made a lot of new friends. And he learned a TON--all of his letters and letter sounds, counting up to 10 (5 in Spanish), Bible stories (which is why he's calling the new baby 'Baby Moses'), songs, and lots more.

--Natalie finished a year of teaching 4K at the same school. It was a bit of a challenge going back to work after two years 'off', but it was a fun year. I had great students and very supportive parents. Plus, the faculty and staff were amazing and I will very much miss being with them everyday. But next year I will be doing some grant writing and photography for the school, so I'll get to keep in touch.

--Kevin finished another year at JHS. He had a great year as "Teacher of the Year" (for the school AND the county) and was invited to a very nice banquet at the Georgia Aquarium to be honored as the county TOTY. He played in a co-ed 30+ soccer league this year and was a bit of a high scorer, if I may brag. :)

--This summer we are celebrating Alex's THIRD birthday with a small family party, then headed to Washington, D.C. for a Shivers family vacation, and then back home to turn our house upside down to make room for a nursery. Anyone in the area is invited to come and help lug furniture around--we pay in pizza.

So that's that for now. I'll try to update soon with new pictures and videos and such--right now I have to go convince Alex that it really IS bedtime. If you're on facebook--look for me (and Kevin too) there. And I still have my photography blog at www.natalieshivers.com.