Way, Way, Way too long!

I do apologize to my dear friends for taking WAY TOO long to post an update!  I am not quite used to being a blogger.  I will back track to become up-to-date!  I am now 19 & 1/2 weeks pregnant!  I am certainly SO VERY blessed with my health this 2nd trimester!  I haven't even felt nauseated!  I totally put exercising on the back burner for a few weeks.  When I got home from school, I didn't want to leave the house!  Thankfully, my energy has come back to life.  The weather has also been so very nice & Springy!  Therefore, I have been swimming laps at the YMCA every other day and taking walks with Steven in the neighborhood.  Swimming is wonderful!  I think it is because both baby & I are suspended so I don't feel the pressure.  The baby has definitely grown in the past weeks.  Certain things I wear let  everyone know I am expecting; however, some clothes still disguise it.  I have begun feeling the baby just a little bit!  I haven't felt the flutters that everyone speaks of; however, I have felt some pressures/movements.  We have our first ultrasound Wednesday and we are so anxiously looking forward to it!  We cannot wait to see our baby moving and all of his/her parts.  We are not going to find out the gender of our baby!  We are choosing to be surprised come August!  We have several reasons why we are choosing to be surprised.  I've discovered another along this way.  I recently begun to receive baby catalogs and EVERYTHING is ADORABLE!!  If I know the gender, I would be spending way too much money right now.  We have our nursery colors/theme in mind and have begun our registry.  It's a little overwhelming because there are SO many choices for everything from bedding to furniture.  We have time though.  Over the past few weeks, Steven traveled to Honduras and had a wonderful visit with dear friends of ours: Dina, Wilson, Rico, Dennis & Family, and Carol with the Missioners of Christ Mission Company.  I was able to attend a wonderful, refreshing, uplifting retreat in Houma/Thibodeax with several friends.  It was certainly a much needed grace-filled weekend.  It was a beautiful and quiet weekend.  I rested way more than I would of at home!  I was able to spend much time praying for my pregnancy, our baby, and becoming a mother.  While Steven was away my dear friend Erin came to keep me company.  It was wonderful to catch up & have "girls night" for a week.  Since then several of my dear friends have had their baby's.  Katharine Leak Anderson had her little girl, Ella Foley, Valerie Courville Green had her little boy, Bateman Andrew, and Kate Darbonne Dawson had her little girl, Therese Marie.  All three babies are healthy and home!  In the past few weeks, I joined the Baton Rouge Junior League.  I was able to attend the first meeting with a dear friend, Jenny.  We attended the St. Patrick's Day parade a few weekends ago and enjoyed visiting with several friends.  Andrew and Emily have both celebrated their 1st birthday's in NYC and are continuing to do so well!  School continues to be going very well!  My students are DOING so incredibly great.  We've begun reading our writing!  My precious prek babies are writing the Morning Message every day "Today is____________." and they are using two fingers to make spacing between their words.  They are counting to 152 and counting by 10s to 130.  We have just four & half days until our much needed Spring Break!  I am looking forward to seeing my family in Lafayette!  My grandfather's birthday is over the break.  This is about as much as I can fit in for the night.  However, I will have another update this week after we have our ultrasound Wednesday. Please keep us all in prayer!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Mauree