Update

Sorry, it has been so long since I posted an update on LBH.  I keep thinking about it, but life has been nutso lately.  School was really busy with end of the semester portfolios and grading.  We went to Omaha for a weekend to celebrate at Michael and Ali's wedding reception.  It was gorgeous and it was fun being somewhere with snow during December!  That hasn't happened in awhile.  Oh yeah, and it is almost Christmas!  We have been baking up a storm these last few days to make sure all of our usual cookies make an appearance at Christmas this year.

So, LBH is doing great!  I had a check up and ultrasound yesterday.  I was super nervous about finding out the sex, but Adam and I just didn't look at all, unless the tech. said we could.  Baby's heartbeat was 136.  The ultrasound tech baby weighs in at about 5 lbs. 4 oz. right now (give or take).  Baby's head is down, so hopefully it stays that way from here on out (literally).  The ultrasound tech. also said that the calcium deposit in the heart was not as noticeable so she thought it had dissolved.  My doctor said he would go over the entire report at my next apt. on Jan. 2nd, but if I didn't hear from him before that, not to worry.  They would only call if they found something bad on the ultrasound. 

Baby was also sucking on its' fingers during the ultrasound.  It was really cute.  We could see its' mouth moving.  I was right about its' position right now.  Its' butt is on my left side and its' feet are flat against my right side, which is why I feel a heel push out pretty often. 

We are getting pretty anxious to meet LBH and I can't believe how soon he/she will be here!  Now, we just need to finalize a boy name and make sure the room is ready. 

Here is a belly pic of Raechel and I last weekend at 34.5 weeks.

The timer went off... back to cookies!

Gobble Gobble

What I am thankful for this year:

-My faith
-This beautiful baby in my belly
-My wonderful husband, who loves me and takes care of me no matter what and will make one heck of a father
-My parents, who will be an amazing Nonna and Nonno
-Don and Nora, who already are wonderful grandparents
-All of my siblings and their kiddos - Michael, Ali, Christo, Tristen, Edward, Laura, Terren, Grace, Jonny, and Daisy
-This baby's great-grandparents - G-Pa Dick, Grandma Mary, Papa Al, Grandma Betty and Papa Gene.  I am so glad our baby will get a chance to know you and love you like we do!
-My support system of friends
-Having a job that I love and getting to work with people who keep me entertained (adults and students alike)
-Being able to spend so much time with my family and those I love

Happy Thanksgiving everyone and thank you for helping shape my life!  Enjoy your day!

P.S.  Here are Raechel and me at 30.5 weeks preggo... We're getting very round!

My love for cheese

People ask me all the time if I have had any crazy cravings.  While I haven't had any of those middle of the night, must have pickles and ice cream type episodes, my diet has changed.  The most obvious is my love for artificial cheese.  Real cheese I can do without.  I am talking about cheeze-its, goldfish, cheetos, those little snack packs with the crackers and spreadable cheese, nachos, etc.  I can eat them for days.  You would think I would get sick of the orange snack foods, but nope.  Thursday I went to the store and left with iced tea (for those afternoon caffeine-withdrawal headaches), goldfish, and cheetos.  That's it.  I'm glad my must have food is so healthy...

On another note, here is the latest picture of Raechel and me.  We were 26.5 weeks when we took this last weekend. Only 88 more days to go! Holy cow...

New pictures

Good Morning everyone and happy Saturday!

Here are some updated pictures (24 weeks!) so you can see how I've grown.  I am feeling pretty darn preggo these days.  Simple things are getting more difficult and the shift in weight is hard to ignore.  Yesterday, I dropped some socks and almost face planted trying to pick them up.   I'm trying to walk more regularly (except it rained all week!) because it really helps make me feel better.  Overall though, I've been feeling good.  The little booger is moving a ton, although mostly during the night.  The other night I woke up and I could feel it kicking on one side of my belly and punching on the other.  It felt like it was jazzercizing in there. 

The boys were here, so we included them too.

4 more months!

Exactly four months from today is my due date!  It's crazy to think of how fast this pregnancy has gone by and how much life will change come Jan. 25.  At the same time though, I am so ready and impatient to meet this little booger! 

So, some baby updates...

First, I had a check-up last week with my doctor.  Baby sounded good and the doc said my belly measured on target, as was my weight gain (whew, then I suppose an extra brownie IS necessary for baby's health).  He went over the report from my ultrasound too.  All of the measurements were on track and so my due date is still the same.  There was a calcium deposit in the baby's heart that should go away on its' own, but he will check it with another ultrasound at 34 weeks.  He gave me the okay to fly to Hawaii in November and Omaha in December for Michael and Ali's wedding festivities, so that's good (although, I already bought tickets and figured it would be fine). 

Also, baby has been moving quite a bit and just beginning a few days ago, I can feel its' movements from the outside of my belly.  At first, I thought it was just some mondo gas bubbles, but then figured out it was actually LBH!  The other night I was watching TV with my sis-in-law, Laura, and I had my hand on my belly.  Baby must have karate-chopped my hand or something because it was so strong, it made me jump.  I'm really excited for Adam to be home and be able to feel them too.  He has been working a ton and is in Omaha this weekend for Michael's bachelor party.

I will post a new belly picture soon since it is growing quite a bit.  Baby is 11 inches long by now, from head to toe and should weigh about a pound.  So the next 17.5 weeks are all about it getting chubby!

Love from our little, growing family!

Pictures of the cutest baby ever!

Last week, I had my 20 week ultrasound and everything looked great!  Baby's heartbeat was 145 and LBH was wiggling around like crazy.  We got to see it wave, yawn and play with the umbilical cord.  Luckily, the baby was sitting on its' legs the entire time so the sex was not given away.  I was so nervous about seeing something I didn't want to!  Because LBH was being stubborn and not moving its' legs, even the ultrasound tech. couldn't tell the sex.  Anyway, here are the pics...

LBH's arm and hand:

The bottom of LBH's feet:

Profile of LBH:

And one more face shot:

Enjoy!

Serious belly growth!

Here is a picture of Raechel and me from this weekend.  We're both about 19 and half weeks and there has been some serious growth since our last picture!  I think we're pretty even...

Sorry, school has taken all my time away!

Good Morning my lovely friends and family!


I realize it has been quite awhile.  School started up again on the 15th so I've been adjusting to getting up early, making it through the day without a nap, and spending most of my day with 12 year olds.  So far, the year has been great too!  The crappiest part is that our enrollment is lower than projected so another English teacher was moved to another site.  I'm really sad to see her go and have to transition like this 2 weeks into the school year.  In order to balance the schedule all of my classes were dissolved and I am taking over that teacher's schedule.  That means I will be teaching all 8th grade starting Monday.  I hate to lose the kids I started the year with, but it will be nice to have some kids from last year back.  The first couple of my past students have figured out I am pregnant too.  One of the sweetest girls from last year saw me after school and did a double take looking at my belly before asking if I was pregnant.  Knowing her personality, all of my 8th graders should know soon!

Baby Update Time!!

I am about 18 and a half weeks along and Little Baby Hoff has started wiggling up a storm!  And I'm already losing sleep from this booger.  The movement doesn't wake me up yet, but it definitely makes it hard to fall back asleep if he/she is moving.  I had a doctor's appointment last week and the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat using the doppler.  It kept picking up my heartbeat instead, so he did an ultrasound to check on LBH.  It was great being able to see the baby!  It was staring right at us and waving it's arms around like crazy.  We got a great picture of it looking at us and waving one hand (Adam says "he" is giving a high-five).

Also, the baby is about 5 1/2 inches long by now and can hear my heartbeat.  It won't be long before it hears things outside the womb too.  LBH's bones are also hardening. 

So, baby is doing good.  I'm doing good.  Adam's doing good.  Philbert is doing good.

Life is good :-)

16 weeks and counting

Good afternoon!

Yesterday was 16 weeks... only 24 left!

Since my last update, the nursery has been transformed from an office/music room/collect-all to an actual nursery!  The crib and changing table arrived and Adam and I promptly put them together.  We cleaned everything else out of the room (except the stuff in the closet) and made our extra bedroom/workout room the new extra bedroom/office/music room.  You would think that with 4 bedrooms we would have plenty of space, but we seem to have collected a lot of stuff over the last three years.

School starts Monday so I spent a few days this week getting my classroom ready.  I think it'll be a really good year, as long as I can stay awake all day!  That will take some getting used to.

Also, here is the latest belly picture of Raechel and me from Tuesday.

Adios until next time!

3 whole years!

Three years ago today, Adam and I said I do and became Mr. and Mrs. Hoff.  I can't believe how fast time has flown by and how much has happened.  When we got married, I was 22 and he was 23.  I had been out of college and back in CA for a matter of months.  He had just finished working in Monterey for BLM.  Now, I finished the credential and MA programs and am about to begin my third year teaching.  Adam is in his fourth year with CalFire.  We bought a house, and we have a little booger on the way! I am one heck of a lucky girl to have such an amazing husband who treats me like a queen and loves me so much.  I can not wait to see our family grow.  I've said all along that one of the things I am looking forward to the most is seeing Adam holding his first son/daughter.  It will be an amazing moment.

As far as the little booger is concerned, we ordered our crib and changing table this week!  My parents surprised us with a joint congrats/anniversary/my birthday gift and bought them for us.  They are being shipped and should be here soon.  Don't worry, I will document the building and setting up of the room once they arrive.

Okay, the champagne (for him) and sparkling cider (for me) are chilled, so time to wrap Adam's gifts and then get out of town for the night!

Comparative Baby Bumps

I don't think I mentioned it before, but one of my best friends, Raechel, is also pregnant and we share the exact same due date!  We've decided to take belly pictures together every time we see each other from now until the babies come.  We got together for dinner tonight, so here is our 14 week pic.  Who do you think is winning?

Almost 14 Weeks

Let me go heat up my hot chocolate and get some Pandora playing and then I will be able to write...

In two days, I will be 14 weeks preggo!  Time is flying by, which is fantastic, because we are so ready to have LBH here in our lives.  According to the website I frequently read, here is what is going on.  My ligaments and joints are stretching out to prepare for LBH, which explains the back pain I have once in awhile.  Also, my organs are shifting around to make room for LBH.  That's really weird to think about.  As for the baby, his/her organs and skeleton are all in place, but there is a ton of brain growth going on.  Let's go, Little Baby Hoff, get that genius brain going!  LBH also has fingerprints already, which are created as he/she moves his/her hands through the amniotic fluid.  I learned something new today, what about you?

As for the baby bump, it's growing!  If I keep going at this rate, I am going to look 9 months preggo in no time.  I keep telling myself it's because I am small and short, so LBH has no where to go except out.  I can't wait to look really obviously pregnant and not just like I ate a big helping of Chipotle.  Mmmm, Chipotle sounds pretty good.

The rest of my life has been relaxing, peaceful, and so wonderful lately.  Adam and I just got back from 5 days of camping at New Brighton.  It was so nice to sit on the beach and spend lots of time with family.  My niece, Daisy, kept asking fellow campers if they wanted to see the baby in my belly.  I'm not sure what I would have done if anyone took her up on her offer. I think this picture is from a couple of years ago at New Brighton, but I forgot my camera this year and I love this picture.

As for Philbert, he is testing my patience and parenting skills lately.  Yesterday, he wouldn't stop biting me and today I walked down the hall to find him sleeping on the dining room table (Shh, don't tell Adam!).  I feel bad that he was alone all last week while we were gone, but he needs some outside time so he can stop bugging me.

That's all for now.  Have a great week everyone!

Little Baby Hoff from 0-12 weeks

Hi everyone!!  I decided to start this blog to give people an update on the brewing of Adam and my baby and the overall progress of our little family (Philbert included).  I figure I should start at the beginning... without too much detail of course.

Adam and I had been trying for a baby for quite awhile and even went to the doc to make sure everything was working properly.  All tests came back normal, so we just needed some patience (not my strong suit).

Then, during the first week of summer break, we got the news!  I don't think I will ever forget the grin on Adam's face as he lay in bed and I told him he was going to be a daddy.  I tried to show him the pregnancy test to prove it, but he said "Ew, you peed on that" and squirmed away. Anyway, coincidentally, we had a follow-up appointment with my doctor that day.  She came into the room and said, "I was going to tell you that Adam's test results came back okay, but I guess we know that!"

The next couple weeks went by quickly and uneventfully.  I went to Omaha for my future sister-in-law's bridal shower and luckily felt wonderful!  It wasn't until the plane ride home that I began to feel "pregnant".  From then on, I have felt pretty good, with small bouts of nausea and lots of naps.

I had a 9 week ultrasound and we both loved being able to see Little Baby Hoff.  It was hard to see much, but it really made the pregnancy seem more real to see it and hear the heartbeat.

Yesterday, I had my 12 week checkup and LBH was doing great!  He/She has a strong heartbeat and was very active.

The last two days has been a flurry of phone calls.  Our immediate family has known for a couple of weeks, but everyone was given the green light to share the news yesterday.  I think my parents have told about 50% of the greater Sacramento area.  I can't blame them though; the first grandbaby is a big deal!

Since, I did say Philbert would be included, he is doing just fine.  He is spending lots of time outside and Adam keeps reminding him how he better enjoy the attention now, because come the end of January, he gets knocked down a peg or two.  I think he senses it because he is even needier than usual!

Anyway, continue to check for updates and I look forward to letting you know how things are going for the next 6 months and beyond!