George Fox

We knew that when Noah turned three we wanted him to begin to attend some sort of religious preschool.  We have been having some problems with our daycare facility and knew we needed to make a change soon.  When we started looking around, it seemed that none of the programs would fit our needs and our beliefs!  Finally, we found George Fox Friends School and we are so excited about this transition for our family.  

George Fox is a Quaker school founded on the belief systems of peace, non-violence and healthy conflict resolution.  We visited the school to see all of this in action and it was AWESOME!  There are no time outs, instead, when a child is in conflict with another child they are taught ways to resolve the conflict instead of being punished.   Each child learns that all people and animals are our friends and each being needs to be treated with respect, dignity and love.  Children are asked daily if the decision they make leaves them with "peace in their heart" and they are taught to treat every person as God treats us, as a beloved creature worthy of immense love and forgiveness.  

The school also stands on many principles that we strive to live our lives by.  They discourage snacks with high fructose corn syrup, unhealthy food choices, and they discourage throw-away containers.  Children are taught sustainability as a way to be a friend to the earth and a good steward of God's creation.  They allow no forms of violence, including dominant characters or characters with any weaponry.  

The school is on a 55 acre wooded campus and children often have playtime in the woods!  They also have a librarian and artist on staff.  They have virtually no teacher turn over, which has been a huge problem in the current place we are in.  There is a very strong parent organization and the parents meet with their teacher on a monthly basis (as a group) to see how they can have a positive impact on the classroom, either by coming in or from afar.  The children have service projects for local agencies and groups and always take the items themselves so they can see exactly what the service does, see the great need in the world, and know they can be part of the solution to that need.  There are also quarterly social events for all of the children and parents in the whole school.  

So, needless to say we are SO excited about this transition and we think it is the best choice for Noah as he absorbs every atom of the world around him!!!  

My new bed!

We decided to move Noah into a real big boy bed this past weekend.  He has a convertible crib that is supposed to be lifetime.  He was in the toddler stage of the crib but it was just too small for him.  So, we decided to use the crib for the baby and we bought him a full bed.  When the baby is done with the crib, he will get the headboard from the set for his bead.  It was so hard to find bedding that would match his bedroom walls and I refused to paint over them yet.  We put it all together and he was very happy with his new bed.  He slept in it without a hitch and was thrilled that he could finally jump on his own bed (oh joy).

Then, I went to get a bedskirt and mattress pad (did I mention he's been dry through the night for weeks now?) and he FLIPPED!  I mean he seriously went MAD.  He must have screamed for an hour after I put the bedskirt on.  The bed didn't bother him, just the bedskirt... that is my sweet boy!!! So, after it was all put together again, we tried to get him to sit on the bed and take a picture... this is all we got.  I love it because it captures his real personality! 

His new whale sheets... which I love.  I didn't even think about the whole Noah's Ark theme and whales until later, but I think it fits perfectly.  He always says "I'm in the water with the whales, mommy!"

Craziness!

Check out these obama "hotflops" -- hilarious.  

A 16 week (non) update

I really have nothing to report, but I thought I would check in anyway.  I saw the doctor yesterday and she said everything looks fine.  I got the genetic testing results back and they say that my body age is 20! That was fun news... and that there are no genetic defects.  I asked her about the tumor and she said there is nothing to do and nothing to say.  They will look again at 18 weeks at an upper level ultrasound and see what the tumor is doing.  Basically she said the tumor takes blood and because of its location on the placenta, it takes blood that the placenta needs. Everybody reacts differently.  She said it could cause the baby to be small, which they will monitor.  It could cause nothing.  It could also cause the placenta to tear from the uterine wall, which could also be bad or be just fine.  As long as I am not bleeding and the baby is growing there is nothing to be worried about.  She has another patient who is 20 weeks with the same thing.  The tumor was larger and caused the placenta to tear halfway from the wall.  She is bleeding every day and on bedrest, but the baby is growing like a champ and is completely fine.  So, it's all just a waiting game.  One of my friends told me that 29 weeks was the age of viability where the baby would live either way, so I just kind of have that date in my head that if I can make it there I'll feel more safe and secure about it all.  But that's still 13 weeks away!  

Oh.. and at that upper level ultrasound we also find out the gender... Feb. 12th!!!!!  

14 weeks

I know I just posted 13 weeks, but I'm a little behind!!!!  

Everything is moving along just fine.  I told my board of elders last night and I will tell the congregation on Sunday.  It's nerve wracking to stand in front of a large group and share something like that!  Oh well, it must be done.  It's a good thing because I am really starting to feel pregnant.  I'm still in all of my old clothes, but they are getting a little snug and today for the first time I really started to feel a little bigger.  I know it isn't horribly evident from the outside, but if you compare my original pics to now there is certainly something growing!  

I go to the doctor again next week for my 15 week check up and I will ask more about the tumors then because stupid me starting looking on the internet which was NOT a good idea!  

We got a Wii Fit for Christmas and I have really grown attached to it over the past two weeks doing yoga, strength training and mii aerobics.  It makes it so much easier to work out because it tracks my progress and I can do it all at home.  I'm pretty sure it will be my motivation throughout the pregnancy.

13 weeks

I opted for the 13 week TriScan which is an early test that is non-invasive to detect abnormalities.  It involved a blood test and an hour long ultrasound.  It was great to see the baby moving all around again.  But, what she found was what the doctors thought might happen.  There was one fibroid tumor in the lining of my uterus that seemed that it could interfere.  As it turns out the placenta implanted right on top of this fibroid which is exactly what the doctor was hoping wouldn't happen.  So, now I have to go for upper level ultrasounds next month to watch it.  The danger is that the placenta might not grow as it should if the tumor gets in the way.  At this point I'll just be monitored.  YUCK!

So, on a lighter note, here's the little cutie pie!!!

What do you think?

Noah made this and said it looked like me.... What do you think?