The Blains

18 weeks

How big is baby?

17 weeks

How big is baby?
Baby Blain is about 5 inches long and weighs 5 ounces (the size of a turnip).

How am I feeling?
Other than a cold, I feel great! Sleeping at night is starting to become uncomfortable as I've started experiencing low back pain at night. Other than that, no complaints!

Highlight of the week:
I spent an afternoon crafting with some friends and made some things to hang in the nursery.

*18 days until we (hopefully) find out whether Baby Blain is a boy or a girl!!!*

We are so excited to meet our little one who will be here in August! I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and feeling great. It is a little bit strange to see my belly expand week after week. I will try to keep this blog updated more often. :) Enjoy the bump photos...

12 weeks

13 weeks

14 weeks

15 weeks

16 weeks

Made a wreath for the front door

Went apple picking

Chopped my hair

Andy agreed to carve pumpkins

Spent many afternoons with these two cuties

I attempted a dog face

Andy carved the same face

Can you find the dog?

Reaping the benefits of pumpkin carving

LOTS of apples

Let's face the facts. I am not good at keeping a blog. I am GREAT at reading other people's blogs though! Keep blogging, friends!

Summer is often filled with plenty of fun and this year was no exception. We've had several friends take the plunge into marriage this season and it has been so great to celebrate with them. We are actually only halfway through our weddings for the year. We'll be attending one more at the end of the month and two more in October. Congratulations, friends!

We are both ready to get back into our school routines! I was bumped from my full-time special ed position, but took a part-time position in regular ed. I will be working to assist struggling students with literacy and some math. I will miss my special ed position and the kids SO much, but I am thankful to still be at Ridgeview. While part-time is not ideal, it is better than nothing! I am trying to remember that God knows what He is doing and trusting that. I was asked by my principal to nanny for her two girls, who both go to our school. I am really excited since it will work perfectly with my work schedule at school and gives me the chance to make some extra money.

I hope to post some more updates in the next couple of weeks of what we have been doing all summer!

Phew. We made it to the end of the school year!

It was "iffy" for a while there, given we both work with very challenging students.

I had my last day of school yesterday and Andy finished today. This completes his fourth year at Ottawa Hills, which is a huge accomplishment! I admire him for the work he does every day. He has to be tough and deal with a lot. I could never do it!

I thoroughly enjoyed my first year working at Ridgeview Elementary in Sparta. I had a fantastic principal and wonderful co-workers who definitely helped get through the more difficult days! For those of you who do not know, I worked in a special education classroom as a teacher assistant. Our classroom is for 6-8 year olds with moderate cognitive impairments. We had 10 students this year all with very different needs.

Those of you who know me know that I have a heart for those with special needs. I was able to fulfill my passion working in this position and hope I get the chance to continue next year!

While I do get a break from working at school, I won't have a free summer. I am going back to my old job at the therapy center until school starts back up again. I'm excited to see my old co-workers and the kiddos at the center. I will also be helping once a week to take care of my girls I used to nanny for. I am so excited to spend time with them!

Andy's summer job is graduate school. He's working toward his M.A. in Education with an emphasis in Coaching through MSU.

We'll be filling in the rest of our summer with weddings. More on that later...

Happy Summer, everyone!

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. John 11:25-26


Hope you all had a beautiful Easter with your families. :) We sure did!