18 weeks



Waiting for a moto ride in our front yard ;)



Me with my 17 pregnant first graders!

Our baby is the size of a bell pepper!

What's been happening this week:

The baby has been MOVING a lot and is really starting to KICK!  And I was relieved to know it didn't come in sharp pains like I had thought, but rather just light taps from the inside.  I have been feeling it all the time lately and it is so awesome.  Dave always tries to talk to the baby and get the baby to get kick for him, but no luck yet.  He jokes that since I listen to my students all day long more than I listen to him (especially one little one in particular who is rather difficult and loves to talk non-stop all day long), the baby is going to come out speaking in Spanish and calling that little boy Papi instead of Dave. :)

It's been kinda a back to the drawing board kinda week.  Back to teaching, lesson planning, grading, meetings, Bible studies, teaching OANSA at church, etc. We started school back up last Monday, and I'm sure teachers around the globe can agree, that first week back after break is EXHAUSTING.  Of course I loved the seeing the kids, getting all their hugs and smiles and belly greetings and belly kisses especially, but I was SO SO SO unbelievably tired - we all sat in the teachers' lounge saying to each other, "Are you tired?  Are you tired? I am SOOOO tired!".  That first Monday after break, Dave and I made somewhat of a New Year's resolution to actually be on time to work (since he is usually still in bed when we're supposed to be there and I'm not much further ahead).  So we rushed around and hurried to get there (almost) on time at 7:33, since we're supposed to be there at 7:30 and start teaching at 8:00.  Well, the director wasn't there yet and the school was still locked and we waited outside in the cold (and yes anything under 70 degrees is really cold to us) for another 45 minutes until they opened the building so we could start teaching at 8:15 instead of 8:00.  And OF COURSE they had to do work on the room over break, rearrange all the desks, and leave it a big ol' mess after 2 and a half weeks off.  The next day the school was opened by 7:50, but we're like oh yeah, that's why we don't come to work on time down here, let's think of a new resolution now.  We're going to have to do some serious readjusting if we ever get American jobs again.   

I think one of my favorite moments of the week was coming back from my planning period after the kids had Spanish class and all 17 of them had stuffed their shirts up like they were pregnant and were bumping against each other like sumo wrestlers.  I could not stop laughing.  Though first grade takes so much time and energy to teach, it's moments like these that make it all worthwhile.

One last thing... I was thinking about making a little fill-in-the-blank form like this, here's how a lot of pregnancy bloggers set theirs up (from what I've seen on pinterest.com, which by the way, I started an account and I am ADDICTED, if you don't know what this is, don't even look into it because once you start you won't be able to stop):

Total weight gain/loss:  Umm who the heck loses weight?!?  Definitely not me.  But I can't do this one cause I don't have a scale and am pretty sure there isn't anywhere here that I could buy one.  And even if I did have one, I probably wouldn't tell you.  Next.

Regular clothes or maternity:  This is where pregnant women talk about how they gradually transition into belly bands in the 20 week zone then onto all maternity clothes by 30 weeks and on.  However, my mom sent me an entire new wardrobe of super cute maternity clothes that are so comfy for Christmas and that's all I've been wearing since.  Why would I wear the other raggedy stuff I've been wearing for 3 years down here that I'm sure is full of snot and paint and who knows what else that you pick up teaching in orphanages, barrios, and first grade classrooms? (and well, this is besides the fact that nothing really fits anyways but we can leave that out) So I'll be wearing my new maternity wardrobe exclusively from here on out and that's all I have to say about that.

Symptoms:  So this is the one I really hate reading from other women.  And please don't be offended if you did a prego blog and you wrote something like this, but I HATE it when women write every week "None, I feel great."  Please don't say you feel great all the time.  That makes you either a liar, or you just want to make the rest of us pregnant women feel bad, or both.  I am happy and excited and everything else about having a baby, but of course I am going through at least a few of the bajillion symptoms that "What to Expect" lists for the symptoms this month.  But do you really want to hear about my digestive problems, what's happening underneath my bra, and the other unmentionable stuff that only Poor Dave gets to know about?  I didn't think so.  But if you really do, read this article "What Pregnant Women Won't Tell You".  It is hilarious and pretty accurate so far (other than "meth like energy" during the 2nd trimester - moms, does this really happen and if so, when?  Cause I can't wait).  But that accuracy factor makes the 3rd trimester and birth stuff that I haven't gotten to yet pretty horrifying - I'm hoping those parts are not accurate.  Click here if you're curious (I was) - http://skepchick.org/2010/02/what-pregnant-women-wont-tell-you-ever/  Just maybe hold off if you're trying to get pregnant til after you get pregnant when it's too late to change your mind. ;)

Cravings: I crave every single American food that doesn't exist here - I think it sucks to be my husband right now.  The other teachers say he should get a "Husband of the Year" award for finding me copycat recipes of Panera and Chili's and a million other things to make for me all the time and making huge batches so I have enough to take in for lunch and sometimes share with the other teachers.  But I won't write about cravings on here because I think the more I write the more things I think of that I want to eat and it could be a list about a mile long - which Dave won't appreciate at all. ;)

Have you started to show yet?  Uhh helloooo, look at the pictures up top.  I don't think you need a weekly commentary on that.

And then there is the part where expecting moms talk about their baby bjorns or whatever they're called and go through their checklists of all of the things they're buying for the nursery.  But have I mentioned we make $2 an hour at our job and we live in a developing country?  Our baby will most likely be sleeping in a suitcase loaded with pillows and blankets. (which is actually a pretty awesome idea that we're copying from Dave's brother and his wife who are missionaries).  No fancy stuff here.

Okay, so you get the idea.  I don't fit in with all the other blogging expectant moms out there.  But I'm okay with it.  This is where God has us for right now, and for the circumstances we're in, I'd say we're pretty blessed.  Sure sometimes I feel like hopping the fence where the grass looks a whole lot greener (and it's not really cause in America you guys have lots of snow and we don't!).  But for where we are, God has provided us with a good home away from home, people who love us and care about us, and everyday I see how much people suffer here with a silent smile and that I have taken so much for granted my whole life and need to just say gracias to God a whole lot more.  I know I've mentioned it in a blog before, but I had a friend here in country who got a C-section with no anasthetic because she didn't have the money.  So yeah, me and you, we have NOTHING to complain about.  So that's that - I'm going to forgo the fill-in-the-blank form thingy and just stick with my own little updates.  

  Oh and next week (since I'm really 19 weeks tomorrow and just behind on blogging) should be the gender reveal!  Start voting now and tell me what you think it's going to be (most of my class is going with girl, and even more than that is still saying twins even though I told them there's only one on the ultrasound)  And even though I've always thought the idea of a gender reveal party was pretty ridiculous - I secretly kinda want to have one.  So we'll see - stay tuned. :)

Love, peace, and prayers,

Kristin, Dave, Santa, and Baby DeYoung