the nursery!!!

My sweet parents, aka "Pops and Granny," came to visit while I was on spring break, and it was such a special time! We talk on the phone all the time, but I was so excited for them to see me pregnant and get to share this special time of life with them in person:) We worked lots on sweet Carson's room and enjoyed a little relaxing and game playing, too!!

This is a before picture of the nursery (formerly craft/office/laundry/catch-all room).

Step #1: Find a place of all of this crafty/officy stuff!!!

Step #2: Shopping for paint, fabric, and other odds and ends!

Steps #3, 4, and 5: Mama and Keith put together furniture and painted!!!!

They worked hard!!

Daddy and I helped here and there as needed!

We provided some entertainment for the hard workers;)

And....HERE IT IS!!!!

We were all so pleased with how it turned out!!!

I love going in his room and thinking about him being in there soon!!!

In fact, that's where I'm sitting now!! It only seemed appropriate for this post:)

Our first purchase was the painting of the daddy and baby hands with the scripture, "How great is the love the Father lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (I John 3:1). Keith and I got it in early December on our trip to Gatlinburg, before we told anyone I was pregnant!!!! We both loved it and knew it would be perfect in our baby's room.

We looked at a lot of cribs and dressers and decided on dark brown. We found a crib we really liked online and had it shipped here. We knew that we didn't want to get a separate changing table and dresser; we wanted to find something that would serve both purposes and could stay with him long after his baby days are over. The challenge is, most dressers aren't very tall. We finally found one we loved, but the closest one to us was five hours away and the shipping would have been very expensive. Mama and Daddy were so sweet and bought it for us!!! They picked it up in Texas and brought it!!! We're very thankful for their generosity!! I was hoping the crib and dresser colors would match, but it's hard to tell online. I was really excited when we opened the box and saw what a great match they were!! We found the bookcase, in the same dark brown espresso at Target, and guess what? The product name is "Carson"!! Isn't that fun?!!

Originally, I wanted to make the bedding. Ahem, I wanted Carson's grandmas to make the bedding;) But, after looking and looking, we could not find any fabric that we loved. We just wanted something simple a blue and green or blue and brown set with a solid, stripe, and polka dot...I didn't think that was too complicated. I really wasn't trying to be picky, but all of the cute fabric had pink!! So, instead we found this adorable blue and brown turtle bedding, and guess what? It was blue and brown and had the cute and simple stripes and polka dots we'd been searching for!!! We ordered the four piece bedding set, an extra sheet, the turtle mobile, and the valance. We decided not to order the drapes, because they were pretty pricey for two straight pieces of fabric. Mama said we could find some matching fabric and make them ourselves; I had looked at fabic a lot and was not convinced we'd find any. But, she was right, thanks to Keith's keen eye, we did!!! It's actually cuter than the pricey one that came with the set! Of course the store we were in didn't have enough. But, after several patient phone calls, Keith found another store about thirty more miles down the road that did!!! So, he and Daddy went and got it while Mama and I went to Motherhood Maternity!!! She and Daddy bought me lots of new maternity clothes for my birthday, which was another sweet blessing!!! It's nice to have lots more fun clothes options and feel cute:)

We used the cricut to cut his name out of brown vinyl and display above his bed. I knew I wanted it to be fairly big, but simple, and I think it turned out great!! We also got a changing pad and more fabric for that. Mama made two cute covers for it, too:) We already had the lamp, and Mama painted it blue!! I really wasn't trying to be a slacker....I'm just not the best seamstress and was trying to stay away from the paint fumes!! I got to make lots of fun decisions, while they did lots of the work! I already had the books and stuffed animals from my days in first grade. A couple of the sweet toys and rattles are gifts that Carson has already gotten from Misty, Mama, and Margo!! Don't worry, we will fill those empty picture frames soon:)

I should have taken a picture of the closet, too. It already has some cutie clothes hanging up!! We gotten him a couple things and so have his grandparents. The multi-colored chest of drawers from my first grade classroom that you saw in the before picture fit in the closet and will be great for storage!

We had a great time with Mama and Daddy, and we are thankful for all of the progress we made! Keith's parents, who still need to decide on grandparent names:), were able to come see the nursery and they loved it too!! Our sweet sisters loved it from pictures:) So, we all LOVE it, and we know Carson will too!!! Having his room ready, along with me looking more and more pregnant, is making it all seem more and more real everyday!!

We have loved our time as a family of two and would not trade the special time just being a couple, but we are soooo excited about our family of three!!!

What's in a name?

Naming our baby was quite a job! So much of a person's identity is related to his or her name. It stays with you from birth until death. It is a big decision to make for someone else. But, like so many big decisions, the reason they feel so big is because it is such an honor to make them! I've been wanting to talk about possible baby names for years, but Keith always said it was silly to spend too much time thinking about names before we were pregnant. Nonetheless, I've had a running list of possibilities for several years and have convinced him to talk about them from time to time. When we got pregnant, Keith teased that we might as well wait until we knew the baby's gender. However, I pointed out that we should have a boy and girl name picked out, that way when we found out the gender, we could begin calling him or her by his or her real name! Most of our conversations surrounding names involved me thinking of names, and Keith telling me all the reasons each name was not a good idea. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that he was looking out for our baby and wanting to avoid names with obvious fun-making possibilities, but sometimes I did get frustrated that he would nix my ideas and not come up with any to replace them! We did not make our final decision until the car ride on the way to the doctor the morning of our gender appointment. So, without further ado, our sweet baby boy's name is......

Carson Robert Clark

Carson

My dad's mom's maiden name was Carson. She passed away before I was born. In fact, she passed away on my dad's twenty-first birthday. My dad and his mama were very close. Even though I never got to meet her, I have heard many stories from him and other family members about what a kind, gentle person she was. She was sick for much of her life, but she did not let her sickness define her. She was an incredible artist, and a loving wife, mother, sister, and friend. My dad has a lot of his mom's qualities. He is also kind, gentle, and loving. He loves his family dearly and would do anything for us. He's also got a great sense of humor! He is so excited to become Pops, and he loves Carson so much already! We loved the idea of naming our baby after someone special, and Carson has been at the top of my list for a long time. So, to honor my dad and his sweet mama, we decided to name our baby boy Carson.

Robert

Keith's middle name and his dad's first name are Robert. Since Carson's first name is in honor of his maternal grandpa, we wanted his middle name to honor his paternal grandpa and his daddy. Keith and his dad have both dedicated their lives to bringing people closer to God. They are dedicated students of theology, they love conversation, are not afraid to challenge old ways of thinking, and work to push themselves and others to reach beyond the status quo. They both love music, basketball, and their families! They are thrilled to become a grandpa and daddy!

Carson is moving while I type this post. I think that means he's excited about his name and what it means!! I hope and pray that he has some of the same qualities as name sakes!

hoppy easter

We've been taking lots of pictures of me throughout the pregnancy, but I realized Keith and I hadn't taken any pictures together in a while, so on Easter Sunday, we did just that! I hope all of you were blessed on Easter and were filled with hope!

22 weeks

blue is for BOY!!!!

Hi, my name is Mindy Clark, and I am the worst blogger EVER!! I really want to document my pregnancy here to share with family and friends and to be able to look back on in years to come, but I have not been doing a very good job. It seems like I've been too busy or too tired. So, since I haven't updated in over a month, I'm going to have to backtrack a bit.

The gender poll showed 14 votes for BOY and 16 votes for GIRL.... and guess what?!!! Well, if you're reading this, I've either seen you in the last month, talked/texted you on the phone, or we're facebook friends, so there is no suspense here, but the poll was wrong, it's a BOY!!!! We are absolutely thrilled and are so very excited to meet our little guy!!

However, in order to document properly, I need to back up even more. So, even though most of you know the story, I'm going to tell it anyway.....

March 25

I usually schedule my doctor's appointments in the afternoon so that I don't have to take a day off of school, but for the gender appointment I was way too excited to wait until after school, so the appointment was at 10:00 am. Keith and I enjoyed sleeping in a bit before heading to Columbia. We prayed that our sweet baby was doing well healthy and were anxious to find out if Itty Bitty was a he or a she! We talked about possible names and dreamed together about fun things we would do with a son or daughter.

The ultra sound was amazing once again! We had the first one at 8 weeks, another at 12, then, now, at 20 weeks. It was so neat to see how much our baby grew from one ultra sound to the next. There are not words to describe just now amazing and miraculous it was!! We were able to see lots of teeny tiny body parts this time. The doctor pointed out the heart, kidneys, and lungs. Not only could we hear the heartbeat, but we could also see it pumping. We could see him swallowing. We could see arms, legs, fingers, and toes. At one point during the ultrasound, he lifted his little hand and layed it beside his cheek...so sweet:) God's divine creativity and attention to every detail has never been so clear to me. I am so thankful that God has blessed us with this tiny person to care for and share life with!

Now, about the gender part, Itty Bitty was snuggling with the umbilical cord and hiding his or her parts. The doctor thought he saw something early on, but with the cord between that sweet baby's legs, he wasn't able to confirm it, and as he looked more and more without seeing "it", he said he couldn't be for sure, but it must be a little girl. Though we were overjoyed with the good health of our baby, we couldn't help but be a little disappointed to not be able to name our baby and begin more specific planning and preparing.

The doctor said he would check again at the next appointment, but that was another month away. I told him that my mom and dad were coming to visit over spring break, and we had big plans to work on the nursery while they were here. Our sweet, patient doctor said to come back by sometime in the next couple of weeks, and he would check again. We called our parents and sisters to fill them in on our news and headed to Nashville to relax and enjoy the day together as we browsed fabric and baby stores. I texted everyone in my phone and told them that we weren't 100% sure, but that we were thinking pink. We looked at lots of pink that day, but didn't buy anything. As we headed back towards Columbia, we wondered if that afternoon was too soon to stop by for another ultrasound, so we called and they said come on in!! Yay! Now, we could have a confirmed answer. We were both thinking we had a baby girl but were excited to find out for sure.

The doctor squeezed us in, between other scheduled appointments, only to find that Itty Bitty was crossing his or her legs. We really didn't want to waste our kind doctor's time, but what could we do with our baby, who we decided must either be stubborn or have a good sense of humor. After trying to get the baby to move without success, the doctor told us he needed to see another patient, but that while he was gone, he wanted us to wake that baby up! Keith talked to the baby, told him to wake up, and pushed on my belly until it turned red:) Sure enough, it worked!! When the doctor came back, the legs were spread and there it was!! Our sweet, precious baby was not a little girl, but a BOY!!!!

We were excited to know and begin planning! We had lots of phone calls to make and texts to resend! We headed to Target and Kohls to pick out a couple of little boy outfits to hang in our sweet son's closet. Then, we celebrated with a meal at Olive Garden! I hope our little guy likes OG as much as we do, since that's where we celebrated the news of the pregnancy and the news of his gender:)

I told my kids at school that I would tell them to news at school the next day by wearing blue or pink. So, I got a new blue shirt while we were at Kohls (the picture at the top of the post was from that day). The kids were just as sweet as they could be giving me hugs and congratulations at the news of my sweet son!! Keith wore a blue shirt to church that Sunday to tell anyone there who hadn't heard the news!

We are enjoying the pregnancy so much!! On the Saturday before that doctor's appointment on Thursday, I felt the first BIG movement!! I'd felt little flutters that I thought were him, but that night, there was no question at all...it was him and he was making his presence known!!! It kind of felt like a little fish as swimming around in my belly:) What a special feeling!!! We are thankful to all of the sweet family and friends who have already shared in so much of our excitement. People have been so sweet and thoughtful...asking me how I'm feeling, telling me about their own pregnancies, and explaining just how joyful parenthood is:)

Our hearts are still full of joy and thanksgiving for the miracle growing inside of me!!!

Here are a couple more pictures from week 20! I was excited to be looking preggers that week, instead of just chunky:) I've grown A LOT since then....I'll update again soon and post more updated pictures! My mom, sister, and husband were annoyed that I kept chopping my head off in the belly pics, so these include my face;) I was just trying to zoom in on the growing belly!!

pregnancy update and gender poll!

It's been a while since I've updated, but things are going well. Itty Bitty continues to grow and so do I. I've been feeling well. I've had some sinus headaches, but other than that, I've felt really well. I'm drinking G2 like it's going out of style and eating more than I should be. I've transitioned into mostly maternity clothes, and more and more people are commenting on the fact that I'm showing. The baby is about 6 inches and 8.5 ounces, about the size of a mango! I've felt a few flutters here and there. One day at school, just before my 16 week appointment, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I wasn't nervous about anything, so I decided it must be my sweet baby! It was very exciting:) Since then, I've felt little things here and there. It's difficult to explain, but in the evenings, when I'm sitting still, sometimes I can tell someone is inside me:) Keith has been a sweet husband and daddy, taking good care of me and talking to our sweet baby (he or she can hear us now!!!). It is hard to believe that I'm almost half way through the pregnancy! It has been lots of fun and is going by quickly!

Keith and I are enjoying the last few months of our family of two and are having lots of fun dreaming together about Itty Bitty, talking about names, looking at cribs, and discussing our parenting ideas and techniques.

In just six days, we have a very special doctor's appointment. We get to have another ultrasound and find out what's inside of me...sugar, spice, and everything nice OR snakes, snails, and puppy dog tails. So far, most people have guessed girl, but a few have guessed boy. The Chinese birth calendar and the ring on a string both said girl. I've been thinking girl the whole time, but the last few days, I've kind of been thinking boy. Who knows? There is a poll on the upper right hand side of my blog. Vote and let me know if you think Itty Bitty is a he or a she. Leave a comment to let me know your prediction:) I'll let you know after our appointment on Thursday!

16 weeks

17 weeks

my first day to wear maternity jeans...they really made me show!

18 weeks

I didn't think you could tell as much in a dress, but several people at church commented on my growing belly at church that morning.

19 weeks

wearing the cute "due in august" shirt that jacquie made me:) i need to post a pic where you can actually see the shirt!

Our dear friends, the Graves, made the long journey to Tennessee to visit us this week. We had lots of fun with them. I'll post some pictures of our time together soon.

growing

week 14

(Please excuse the indention...I guess that skirt was getting a bit snug!)

week 15

I continue to feel well! It's hard to believe I'm 16 weeks pregnant!!!! Itty Bitty is about 4.5 inches long and about 3.5 ounces....about the size of an avocado:) Too bad s/he didn't seem to like that guacamole I ate Friday night! Mexican food isn't settling very well lately....in a couple of years, I'll have to teach him/her just how yummy it is:)

We go back to the doctor for another check-up on Thursday. Keith and I are getting excited to feel our sweet baby move before too long and to find out if we have a son or daughter!!

We had more snow last week, so I only worked for three days. It's looking like this will be my first five-day work-week since before Christmas! I hope I can handle it;)

reflections from a snowed in teacher...

Last week, we got LOTS of snow and ice in Hohenwald, and it was BEAUTIFUL! We were out of school for four days!! With the weekend between those days and church being cancelled as well, I was at home for SIX days in a row!! CRAZY! I didn't go farther than the porch for six days...I'm thinking that's a personal record;) Several people were getting on facebook talking about cabin fever and such, but I could not relate. I enjoyed being at home. It was a nice break from the routine. Actually, I've had lots of breaks from the routine recently, we had another smaller snow a couple of weeks ago and were out of school for a couple of days, and we had MLK Day off, so I haven't worked a five-day-work-week since sometime in December:) The reality check after President's Day and before Spring Break may hit us hard around here!

I had a pretty good balance of relaxation and productivity while I was home, with a bit more relaxation, of course;) One of the things I worked on was going through all of my first-grade stuff. I had about 30 boxes of first-grade stuff in storage...yikes! That's way too much. I could have gone though more of it before we moved, but there was not a lot of time for that, other people were helping me pack, and I had no idea what grade I'd be teaching when we got here. There were about 10 boxes of files and five boxes of children's books. Once some of the snow melted and we could safely drive the couple of miles to get it, Keith braved the elements and got the files and books for me to sort through. I may teach little ones again someday, but it seems silly to store 30 boxes of stuff until that day may or may not come. It was a tedious job, but I sorted files to keep, recycle, and give away, and I sorted books to keep and books to give away. I still have a big stack of boxes in the corner of the living room. Hopefully they will leave soon:)

As I worked I had time to reflect on the differences in teaching first grade as compared to sixth. There is plenty to miss about the little ones. I miss teaching fundamentals, such as putting sounds together to read and write words and putting those words together to read and write sentences. I miss teaching the basic number sense in math and working with the five senses and changing seasons in science. But perhaps more than anything, I miss all of the celebrations in elementary school. We had at least one per month:)

September: Johnny Appleseed's birthday

October: Halloween

November: Thanksgiving

December: Christmas

January: Martin Luther King

February: Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, President's Day

March: Dr. Seuss's birthday, Easter

April: April Fool's Day

May: Mother's Day

As I sorted, it was fun to think about the books and activities I will use as a mother of my own children. Keith laughed at me when I declared I was going to do "units" with Itty Bitty:) It made me even more excited to be a mama!!

Even though there is plenty to miss about teaching first grade, and I have mourned those days from time to time throughout the school year, I am enjoying teaching sixth-graders. The challenges are different. Sometimes I struggle with seeing the relevance of the things I teach, and it is more difficult to build relationships with my students when I have 150 for an hour a day instead of 22 for six hours. But, as the year has progressed, I have convinced a few students that proper English is important, and the depth of my relationships with them has increased.

Sixth-graders are at a hard age. They're stuck right between childhood and teenage years, and sometimes they struggle with their identity, playing with legos one minute and writing love notes the next. I have had fun hearing their stories and talking them through some of the struggles of growing up. So, I think I'm finally beginning to deal with my own identity struggle of feeling like an elementary teacher in a middle school world. I will always remember first grade fondly...I have to remind myself that there were real challenges there too...tiring ones;) But, for now, I'm embracing the middle school world, and I'm thankful for the opportunity for a new experience.

My sixth-graders have been sweet and encouraging about my pregnancy. Almost everyday I come home telling Keith something sweet or funny that one of them has told me. Pretty much everyday since I told them the news, someone has asked me if it's a boy or girl. They cannot seem to remember that I've told them 25 times already that I won't know until March. I guess it's not unlike telling them the difference in an adjective and adverb 125 times! Several of them have offered advice on a name for the baby, including plenty who have requested I name my child after them. A couple of the little girls have already touched my belly and talked to the baby. A few have asked me when I'm going to get fat. One little boy pointed out to the class that I was finally beginning to show on Friday, and when a couple of them didn't understand what he meant, he quickly explained that I was getting fat:) They've had fun asking me how big the baby is, and it's been neat explaining that even though the baby is teeny tiny, he or she already has a heart, brain, arms, legs, and even fingernails. They like to warn me of things I'll have to deal with when I become a parent like kids not wanting to eat vegetables and begging for their own cell phone. Some of the boys told me that if it's a boy, I have to buy him a cool game system, but not to worry about buying any games, because they'll let him borrow their games:) I'm glad I get to share this journey with such sweet kids, and I'm thankful to have a job that I enjoy!