The results are in...

Friday was the big day! This year's Match "theme" was Casino. Yes, it has a theme - like prom. It started at 10am and we had to wait around, listening to some speakers and eating bad lasagna, until 12pm rolled around. When it was finally time, they gave each med student a deck of cards with his/her name on it. They had to flip through the cards until they found one that had their match info on it. Ben's card had good news:

Of course, I forgot my camera...so they are all horrible phone pictures

Benny got matched with his first pick - at 1 out of only 3 spots for ENT residency in Oklahoma. 

I am so proud. 

So happy. 

As exciting as moving to a new place would be - we could just not bear the thought of not being close to our family and friends, especially with the little lady on the way. I think her grandparents would have had to pack up and move with us. She's the size of a spaghetti squash these days, btw. 

There was a big fancy party for all of the matchees on Friday night - but we opted for a family party instead. Zach and the rest of the family threw Ben a surprise party. 

The night was full of brownies, and family, and knock-out games, and guys watching basketball, and girls talking about boys and babies, and lots of other things that perfectly describe why there is no where else we would rather be for the next 5 years. 

Matched!

THE week of all medical school weeks is here: 

Match Week

 This morning, at 11am CST, pretty much every 4th year medical student in the country received an email letting them know if they matched. Ben got the good news, and promptly called me at 11:01, right as I was walking my class down to lunch. I screamed with excitement, and was hushed by one of my own students who told me the hallway was a "zero level zone."

"Matched" means that at least one of the 13 schools where Ben interviewed has offered him a position to be an ENT resident. I'm the proudest wife ever. 

Friday morning we'll find out exactly what city we will be welcoming our child into, as well as where we will be living for the next 5 years. No big deal at all. 

Week 20 - length of a banana 

I cannot believe this pregnancy is halfway over. Some days I want her here so badly I can't stand it. But for the most part, I'm perfectly content with her being safe and sound inside my belly, leaving me time to get both emotionally and spiritually ready to be her momma. 

Also, I just realized that I've been inconsistent with my sources for the fruit/vegetable comparisons. Last week should have been an heirloom tomato - like you really care, and like it's really accurate anyways. 

This week at school, I had left my class sitting on the carpet while I was getting something back at my desk. They were arguing with each other, as usual, when one said, "You're not my boss." All 18 of them continued to discuss who was the boss: Mrs. Hawley, their mom and dad, the principal, etc., when one declared that God was the boss of the whole world. They all got quiet in thought for a second. One smart little girl continued the conversation by stating that "Jesus, God's son, died for all of us kids." One special little boy's eyes got big and asked, "Why in the world did he do that?!" The girl answered, "So that we can live in Heaven with Him forever!" The class was listening more intently to her than they ever do to me. The conversation went on for 5 minutes, with more questions and answers between all of them about God, Jesus, the Devil, etc.  It was perfect, and I hated to see it end when one little boy demanded that it was time for lunch. 

I hope one day our little girl is in the one in her kindergarten class who declares to her classmates, with such enthusiasm, that Jesus died for her and all of her friends. 

Baby is the size of a mango this week. Mangos make me think of Zambia, and Zambia makes me think of these precious girls (Plus about 70 other perfect babies). I cannot wait for Baby to meet her African sisters, Abbie and Daisy, someday - hopefully soon.

Our little girl is kicking up a storm. I still get so excited every single time I feel her. If I put his hand in the exact right place, Ben can feel her now too - I think it finally might be sinking in to him that he's going to be a father in the very near future. A lot gets me excited about this little lady, but I think seeing Ben with her is the thing I look forward to the most. The two beings I love most in the world - together; what could be more perfect than that? 

Although I haven't mentioned it in a few months - I AM still a teacher. The Cat in the Hat visited our classroom on Friday.

They are getting so big and so smart. 

IT'S A GIRL!!!!! (we think)

Two weeks ago, at an ultrasound, we were told that our sweet little sweet potato was (most likely, pretty positively) a boy!  We were so excited of course; and for the last 13 days I've had boy on the brain - boy names, boy bedding, boy things. AND THEN,  yesterday we went for our official ultrasound "just to make sure" and they said "for sure, no doubt, this baby is a girl". 

So who really knows. 

But we're naming her the same thing whether she ends up being a girl or not. 

 Pretty cute, huh? Just kidding - there is not one thing cute about another person's ultrasound. You just smile and say, "Ahhh, that is so precious" even though they all look the exact same. That's what I always do anyways. 

But she's beautiful to me...and her dad. 

Also, I realize I never post about anything but this unborn baby - but it's all I really think about. 

And I know my mom appreciates it. 

love love love

I asked my kids a few questions about love in honor of Valentine's Day. 

What does Valentine's Day mean to you? 

You go on a date with somebody

Giving people valentines

Making dinner for your girlfriend

You get lots of love

How can you tell if someone is in love? 

They get married

The husband gives the wife flowers

The boy can read the girl a story

They get married

They sit together in the sunset

They have a baby

Who or what do you love? 

My family and friends

My Hello Kitty charm bracelet

My cat and my aunt

My frogs

My mama

Happy week 17, Little Valentine.
I've felt Baby move twice now, and he/she is making me crave a lot of cheese, milk shakes, and orange juice.
And I think in honor of his/her size, I'll be eating some onion rings this week. 

Avacado

It is hard for me to put into words the love I feel for this little human being. At least once a day, I freak out about the awesomeness of the miracle that God is forming inside of me. Being pregnant has done wonders for my prayer life. All day long I find myself praying for this sweet little baby: that he will be healthy; that I won't completely screw up as his mom; that he'll grow up to be kind and God-fearing; that he'll be more like his dad was as a teenager than his mom was as a teenager, etc...

And no, we don't know that it's a boy yet. I'm just trying to force myself to stop assuming that it's a girl. 

16 weeks 

Today one of my students asked me why I'm "so dressed up everyday". (They're used to me looking pretty scrubby I guess.) And I had to sadly inform her that I'm forced to wear dresses, because I can't button a single pair of pants.