Blessed!

Sunday night. Sitting on the couch in the living room. Matt and Wesley are already in bed and I have some random football game on in the background. Christmas decorations are up. Tree is decorated and glowing behind me. All is well. Thanksgiving was great but I definitely missed having my sisters Laura and Caitlin (Alaska and Galveston) here. :( I'm so thankful they've been able to be here to see Wesley though! Caitlin was able to come up while we were in the hospital and Laura surprised me from Alaska the next weekend! I love that my sisters love him so much and don't want to put him down when they are near! I'm so thankful he's blessed with so many aunts that love him so much. I can't wait for him to have cousins to play with either... hint, hint ;)

Wesley is such a great baby. He'll sleep for hours at a time and sometimes up to 5 hours at night! He's so precious and I can't help but stare at him all the time. Matt nicknamed him "Buggy" and I call him "Peanut". I just didn't know that I could burst with so much love for another human. He is truly a blessing. All the pain and 4 hospital stays really IS worth it! He even slept through the entire service this morning - his first time at church! It's so nice to finally have a routine going so that I can get out and about! We even went to a Stars hockey game this weekend too! It was so nice cause Matt's dad had a client that let us use their suite! Here's a family pic of us at the game:

I just went back to check on my boys and look what I found... simply precious! :)

And, just for fun, here's a pic of him getting ready for church this morning - just after his shower!

Who goes to the hospital to be induced for labor and it doesn't work so they send you home? ME. I am so discouraged and tired. So many meds and contractions and discomfort for nothing. We went in Sunday evening with great anticipation: we're having a baby tomorrow! After a rough night of reactions to medication, oxygen, and pain, we awoke to the hope of it all ending soon. However, Monday proved to not be an ending but the beginning of more to come. By about 4:30pm, almost 24 hours, we were sent home. It was very bizarre coming home to a house full of awaiting baby stuff and no baby to use it. When you go in to be induced you expect you'll come home with a baby! It was a very strange feeling - like I had lost him. It was probably the exhaustion and disappointment combined, but I definitely lost it on my way to bed. God's timing has NEVER been my own - and He continually proves that I have to trust Him in HIS timing....

WOW - that was a painful contraction!

So, here's hoping for a healthy baby boy born in God's timing!

If it weren't for joy in the Lord...

Last week/weekend at a glance:

Tuesday - Decide to pay off the remainder of my car while we can and to free up income for next month. This is VERY exciting because I love this car still and I will have had it for 4 years come December. Early payoff=awesome! Plus, the final payment had to be a cashier's check... I work at a bank so those are free! I went to work for a few hours. When I was buying the check my fellow teller said "you know you're gonna get in a wreck tomorrow now, right?" Oh the optimism I work with.

Wednesday - Went to work. Forgot to mail the check. Silly me.

Thursday - My day off! Mailed the check - hooray! Had lunch with my high school choir director, Freeda Breed, at Mimi's Cafe - yummy and good conversation with an old friend and mentor. Then, went over to the Bigelow house to catch up with Kirsten and the kids - good times! Thursday night was our last baby class over breastfeeding... good stuff to know.

Friday - Work again. Can't remember anything to out of the ordinary this day...

Saturday - Work... again. This evening we went over to the Bigelow's to have dinner along with the Bepko's and Kirk and Ashleigh Challgren. Good times! However, we did get a knock at the door by the neighbor saying they had just backed into my newly paid off car... ugh. Thankfully he was really nice and only my door got a dent and the side mirror broke and got scratched up. I'm on the phone with their insurance right now...

Sunday - Went to the church fiesta and part of the concert. It was too packed so we had to sit in the cry room with the speaker that was too low to hear anything. So we left.

Monday - LABOR DAY! Matt and I both had this day off so we took full advantage of being home together at the same time and watched TV and movies all day. It was pretty great (of course I got nothing accomplished that I wanted to though...). This evening we went to get BBQ with mom and the Bepko's and then back to the Bepko's for strawberry pie. Good times again! However, when we got home Lincoln had diarrhea'd all in his kennel again. AGAIN. So, Matt carried him outside, cleaned off his kennel and we gave him an immodium. Thinking this would solve the problem, and anticipating rain, we put him back in his kennel and settled in for the night. At about 1:30am (on one of my many bathroom adventures) I smelled "the" smell and discovered Linc had made a mess... again. So, up we are at stupid-o-clock in the morning carrying Lincoln outside, cleaning the mess (that is now all over the floor and wall), and leaving our poor puppy outside to fend for himself in the rain.

If it weren't for joy in the Lord...

8 Weeks & Counting...

I'm sure one day I'll look back on having a pregnant body much like so many do: blissful with a belly. Not the case right now. I don't understand how people can have multiple children - do this over and over again! My 1st trimester I was nauseous all the time, the 2nd trimester I felt a lot better but birth seemed so far off, and now the 3rd trimester has brought on swelling, exhaustion, and being uncomfortable! I'm exhausted all the time, I have to get up 3-4 times a night to pee and usually by 6am to eat something (sometimes earlier...), my back hurts every time I lay down, Wesley is kicking and moving up a storm (this is fairly uncomfortable), I get swollen very easily, I've developed some sort of carpel tunnel in my wrists so they hurt like crazy when I wake up (my doc says this is common in pregnancy??), and clothes and shoes just DON'T fit. Yes, I'm ready to wear my old clothes, shoes (although I have a feeling I'm gonna need a new inventory of these), be able to bend at the waist, have energy so I can exercise and do all the daily tasks, DIET, and not have the fear that everything I'm doing is harming my unborn child. I'm sure I'll trade these fears for new ones once he's here, but I like to think it's going to be easier because I'll feel more normal.

On the UP side, it has been so much fun getting ready for Wesley. Besides the nerves of "How are we going to provide for this child?" and "Wait... this will be mine? What if I'm a terrible mother??" and "Give me the epidural - NOW!" We've set up the nursery furniture (after some deliberations on whether or not to do this - our house is on the market and I didn't want it to get scratched in a potential move. However, I don't think we're going to be able to sell this house anytime soon if at all). We have a crib, dresser/changing table and rocker. I can't wait to bring Wesley home and get to use it all! I can't wait to see him for the first time and hold him and love him forever! Oh, and did I mention get back in shape?

Wiggle Worm & Happy 4th!

What a comfort to know this little boy in me is alive and well - he won't let me forget! Wesley is so active - what in the world is he doing in there? I started to see my tummy actually move with his kicks this week! I cannot wait to meet him and have him here with us. Although, I clean enough as it is with a big, grown-up kid (Matt) and a puppy... I'm totally going to be outnumbered!

Speaking of our puppy, Lincoln got his first grooming this weekend! It has been so hot here, and lots of rain to make the yard extremely muddy, so Lincoln got a shave! Here is when we brought him home.He looks a little pathetic right now (kinda like those shaved cats) but it will grow out in a couple weeks and he'll enjoy the new "air conditioning" he's getting!

The 4th of July this year we went back to our favorite parking lot across the street from us. It has a perfect view of the Grapevine Lake fireworks! We got slushies at our new QT...

...parked, pulled out our lawn chairs...

...turned up the radio, and enjoyed the show! Plus, the added benefit of no hour long traffic getting out of the lake... I do miss the fun of the lake though. I think we may have to go next year with Wes!

Blessings

I could not be more ready for summer vacation this year! Thankfully, my year ended very nicely - nice cards, hugs, gift cards :), etc. I still have graduation tomorrow to conduct and a "goodbye to Mrs. Z / hello to the new director" party on Wednesday... then it's absolutely adios! So much emotion in that. I packed my office and brought everything home. So weird! I am so thankful that I have a loving husband that is willing to work so hard so I can stay home. SO thankful.
I'm halfway through this pregnancy too! Just passed the 20 week mark. That means we also got to have our "is it a boy or girl?" sonogram on Thursday! It was so exciting! I don't think I would have made it without going to some cheap clinic to find out (due to my impatience) if I hadn't had school to finish up with. All along I have felt like it was a boy, but I started doubting myself the past couple of weeks. I purposely went last Monday, Memorial day, to do my baby registry because I wanted to keep a good perspective in registering for "neutral" things that I could use with a boy or girl (in case I have a different gender on the next time around). My mom came with me, which was a huge help. I had asked friends with kids for advice and compiled about 30 pages of "You definitely want this/You seriously don't need that" lists and made my own list (many thanks to my friends!). I then meticulously went through Target and Babies R Us online to see who had what cheaper and made lists so I could just walk in the store, point and click, and be done. HA! FIVE HOURS LATER... my feet were killing me and mom and I were late for a party. lol I'm just glad that Matt stayed home or we wouldn't have 20 things on our registry. :) All that to say, you can go to Target and Babies R Us and look at all the cool things we registered for!
Then came Thursday - Sonogram day! Matt and I met at the doctors office. I don't think it's hit Matt yet... I couldn't get him to stop playing games on his phone in the waiting room (nervous habits?). We were called back. My tummy was gooped up once again (I really don't like that stuff because no matter how much they wipe it ALWAYS gets on your clothes) and here we go with the sonogram. The first 10 minutes (or maybe it just seemed that long) she did all the measurements and just "checked" things out. Then she turned the screen and showed us the cute little ribs, spine, head, legs, etc. Here's a side view our little monkey.


Then our terminator pic (facing front).


And finally, the gender pic! She froze the frame and asked us what we thought it was... I think I said (in exact words), "I have no idea what I'm looking at." The little words help some...
IT'S A BOY! So, we'll have a little Wesley Scott Zimmermann around October 21st this year! We are so excited to have this kid here! We are so blessed beyond measure. So far he's 13 oz. And I'm starting to feel like a whale, but at least I have summer to relax and swim some for exercise, right?

The Unknown

What in the Heavens could God be doing with us Zimmermann's?!? So much change happening...

1) No more CHHS. I have my moments of panic telling myself "why did you resign??" and "this has been your home for so many years!" I get the twinge of jealousy as I prepare what's going to be an awesome year next year, just as things are settling down for me as head director, for a NEW head director to come in and claim the success for themself. Those are MY kids! Geez. Pride much? Wow, I think it's gonna be a humbling thing to not be "in charge" for once! Still, it's also nerve-wrecking to not have my income...

2) The job I thought I had in the bag with Wells Fargo fell through. Haven't heard a word. My contact there said that an internal person claimed the job - and internal always gets preference. Makes sense I suppose. Still, that means no income from Amy...

3) Matt's starting his real estate venture. He finally got his license last week and is starting with a company in the next week or 2. As exciting and full of potential as that is, it's scary not knowing how much money we're actually going to bring in...

4) House NOT for sale. Mortgage laws have changed. I suppose this country needed to do something about people getting loans that they can't pay for (have you seen the foreclosure rates?), but that means also that since Matt will be "self employed" and I have no job after June 5th we also can't buy a house. So, we took the house off the market. :( I'm so sad about this because we had already found a house that we loved in Keller and my mind (typically) had already moved. I longed for that big kitchen, 2nd bathroom and a garage! I'm thankful we have a home though. Guess I'll be preparing this one for baby...

I guess those are the biggies. On a happy note, though, I had my 17 week appointment today and baby's heartbeat was strong! Everything is looking up in that department! And I'm finally starting to show... 4 months in!


So, we may not have ANY idea what God's doing with us at the moment, but I'm comforted to know I can trust Him to work everything out.

Big changes for the Zimmermann's!

So, it's official. I resigned as Head Choir Director at Colleyville Heritage HS. So much emotion went into that decision! I'm sad because this is my hood! I went to GHS, student taught at CHHS, and have been there the past 5 years of my life! I got engaged to Matt in the choir room, too. However, I have a complete sense of relief too. I don't have to put together another choir trip or concert or prep kids for All-State... and hear the endless complaining of students and their parents... but man, there are some great kids and parents too... sheesh! I cried the night Matt and I made the decision for me to quit and get something part-time. I will miss it, but I'm so excited to have a little one on the way and get to spend as much time as I will with him or her! So, so long CHHS! It's been a good ride! Meanwhile, Matt is getting his realestate license. I only hope he has more luck with that than the selling of our house has gone!

Hormones much?

I am almost 11 weeks now... woohoo! I'm developing a nice, round baby bump that my kids at school are now pointing out... yay for clothes not fitting! :( Btw, why didn't anyone tell me how hard it is to find maternity clothes that fit a petite frame?? You thought finding a pair of jeans when you're NOT pregnant was hard - try buying for a ski trip in March! Ha! Pregnancy benefit #2? Oh yes, RAGING hormones. Just step off. Step off or that baby is gonna rip through my stomach and tear your face apart. Kinda like in Alien. LOL. Sob... Grr! :)

I'm ready for the stress to be over. Stress, you ask? Yeah. School. UIL TOMORROW. Although, I have to admit I'm pretty relaxed about it this year. Not sure if that's a good thing or bad... Feeling good though that I've beat that music into those poor kids heads all for some meaningless, pridefully earned trophy... all when I'm trying to teach them that winning "isn't everything." Actually, the only part I really loathe is walking into that room with your scores projected on the screen for all to see. It's just shouting "Go ahead, judge me!" I say we do pretty well for having HALF of the rehearsal time as everyone else. I see my kids every OTHER day... so when TAKS shows it's nasty head or a field trip takes half my group away or spring break relieves us for a week, I might not see my kids for up to 10 days at a time!! Sorry, that's just the "venting before UIL in GCISD" game we play. I am excited though. I feel like the kids are ready... now just to have the perfect performance in a foreign school at an awkward time! Here's hoping! :)

Did I mention yay for Good Friday off??? :) :) :)

Us + Baby = 3!

Matt and I just celebrated our 6 month anniversary! It's crazy to think how fast that time flew! We didn't do anything really special - just curled up and watched a movie. Matt brought me flowers though - I love getting flowers! Our biggest news lately is that we are expecting a baby in October! We could see the little heart fluttering and then they turned up the monitor - wow - a heartbeat! We know so many couples that struggle to get pregnant and we are considering our little surprise to be a complete blessing. People ask us what we want (boy vs. girl) and I really don't mind either way as long as it's healthy! We do kinda want a boy - I've already found the perfect decor - but healthy trumps gender any day. Although, if we have a boy we cannot decide on a name. A girl name? Done. Piper Grey Zimmermann. But a boy? We've tossed names up like Gabriel, Scott, Wesley... but nothing's sticking. I guess we have a few months to decided, but we'll take suggestions! I am so excited that our little one is going to have 6 fabulous aunts, 2 uncles (so far!) and terrific grandparents to boot. I love that we're starting the big family and can't wait til he or she has cousins to play with... (hint, hint...). :)