(Hope You Had a) Holly Jolly Christmas

I love Christmas - I love the lights, the music, the food, the presents (I'm still a kid at heart, what can I say?), baby Jesus, and getting to spend time with the people that I love most. This year was no exception. We had a wonderful Christmas and hope that you did too.

This is the first year out of the last 5 that we spent the entire Christmas season at home. Normally we spend some part of the vacation in Florida with my family. This year (some of) Florida came to us! My mom and dad arrived on the 16th and we have been having fun, fun, fun ever since!

We started the Christmas week by celebrating with Jeremy's dad, Clark, his girlfriend, Jeannie, his brother, Brett, and his girlfriend, Molly. We had a great dinner at the Olive Garden (my fav!). It had been WAY too long since we had all been together.

On Christmas Eve we went to Jeremy's grandparent's house for lunch with his side of the fam. Gramps was feeling good and looking great. That was the best Christmas present any of us could have asked for!

That evening we went to church and performed our Christmas musical. For the last few years (4 maybe?) JZ and I have worked with a great team of friends to put on a musical/drama with the kids of our congregation. Each year we all freak out and think that it is never going to come together, but it always does. We somehow forget that, only a week before, we were all swearing that, "We are never going to do this again." Somehow, when it all comes together perfectly, we all remember why we do it - to give our kids the opportunity to share the story of Jesus's birth in their own way. This year we performed a musical called Imagine Christmas. It was a modern twist on the biblical story - I think the electric guitar, fog machine, and lights made it modern. Pretty much it just rocked! Even with the twists the story was still the same and seemed to touch the hearts of the audience members. Also, our kids are great. They are cute. They are endearing. They love Jesus and wanted to celebrate His birthday the best way they could. This was their gift to Him. What's not to love about that? For a more detailed version of our performance and some pics, check out my friend Amanda's blog (http://www.lifewiththethreeamigos.blogspot.com/).

No mater how old I get, Christmas morning still makes me feel like the kid at heart I am. It takes all the restraint I have not to leave cookies and milk out for Santa and get up as soon as my eyes pop open at 5 am. This year I made it until almost 9! Now, I know the true meaning of Christmas. I know it is not about the gifts and presents under the tree. But this year a few of the gifts under the tree were so meaningful and sentimental I had to share them.

I have never cried so much on Christmas morning - I cried at a gift we gave my dad, a gift my dad gave my mom, and twice at gifts that were given to me. Here are my favorites:


This is a crystal stork with a baby in the basket that my parents gave us. Not only is it beautiful and sparkly, but it has a great story too. When my mom was pregnant with me, my dad found this man who made her a crystal stork and baby and gave it to her for Christmas. A few weeks later it got knocked over and one of the teeny tiny stork legs broke. She cried and cried. My dad fixed it for her, and to make sure it didn't break anymore, masking taped the stork to a 3x3 piece of cardboard. She still has the stork on her dresser today. Growing up, I always knew it was a "treasure" I was not supposed to touch and that the baby in the basket was me. I never understood why this pretty crystal stork was making taped to cardboard, but now I know and now I have one of my very own (minus the cardboard - they have made the legs stronger now!).




I also blubbered at a gift JZ gave to me. A few years ago, he bought me a new wedding ring (I know, spoiled Princess!). It is so beautiful, but we never got the wedding band to go with it. For the last four years I have been dropping oh so subtle hints about how much I would love the band that goes with it. Since I've gotten pregnant I say things like, "Sure would be nice to get married before I have your baby," etc. Lots of you are probably thinking that I just wanted more jewelry, but the truth is that I love the symbolism of the band. I love that it goes on forever without end, just like our love. I love that it is an outward symbol to the world that I am a "taken" gal. Cheesy, old fashioned, I know. Can't help it, I love tradition. Anyway, I thought my Christmas was pretty much over. All of my presents had been opened - just my stocking left. Normally my stocking has things like bubble bath and candy. This year it had a pretty black box in it. Even before I took off the bow to see the name on the box, I knew where it was from. It's not Tiffany's, but it still has the same automatic recognition for me. Inside was my pretty little silver band. Even being fat, emotional, and tired all the time, he still wants to marry me. That is a sign of true love! After 6 years of being married to JZ I can honestly say that I was lucky enough to find a man with integrity, compassion, honesty, humor, and humility. I told him I'd think about it. :) Just kidding, everyone knows I'd marry him again in a heartbeat!

From our (growing) family to yours, we wish you a belated Merry Christmas, and a safe, prosperous, and peaceful New Year!

Operation Nursery Begins

Yesterday, the first phase of Operation Nursery officially began. JZ and my dad worked extremely hard moving lots of furniture. We had two guest rooms upstairs with a set of furniture in each room. Of course, I wanted the furniture that was in the soon-to-be nursery moved into the other room, and the furniture in the other guest room moved downstairs. In addition, our basement is a DISASTER and space had to be cleared for the bed. To their credit, neither one of them argued with the pregnant woman, and they worked like busy little bees getting it all organized and arranged before I got home. Thanks JZ and Dad!

Here's what the nursery looks like now

As a point of clarification, the boys say that they did not "arrange" the furniture - girls arrange, boys "place" furniture.

We still have a lot of work to do, but it sure feels good to know things are moving in the right direction. We are working on a vision for the painting. I think we have narrowed down the theme and color scheme of the nursery. We are leaning towards baby jungle animals in green, brown, and yellow. Here is a picture of the bedding we have picked out:

It's called NoJo Jungle Babies and we found it at Babies R Us.

We got the crib about a month ago, and we got the steal of the century! The set was used by a student in my class. Her mom and I were talking on one of her volunteer days, and she told me she would make me a great deal on a set that she was about to post on Craig's List. Jeremy and I went to look at it and fell in love with it. It's so beautiful and in perfect condition. You can't even tell that two kids used it! It is a sleigh crib and dresser/changing table in pecan wood. It's a little lighter color than we thought we wanted, but we got over that quickly when we saw it (and heard the price!). The package also included a glider and ottoman and a pack-n-play. It is a perfect set and we can't wait until This Baby can use it. Until then we're letting Curious George take the crib, changing table, and glider for a test drive. The set was purchased as a gift for us by JZ's mom and boyfriend - thanks Donna and Kim, we love it and you!

Funny Furst Graders

I often time come home with funny stories about my first graders. I could seriously write a book! This week was no exception. My class has been very excited about the baby. They have said really cute things about giving the baby lots of gifts and kisses, and some not so cute things about how "very big" my tummy is getting (I've decided that is because my baby bump is right at their eye level. I'm trying not to be offended).

On Thursday, word of the baby's sex spread like wildfire. One of my students said to me, "Mrs. Zahrte, is your baby a boy?"
"Yep, it's a boy."
"Y-e-s-s-s!!!!, I've always wanted a brother!"

Hmmmm...possibly you should not mention that to your mom and dad!

The Belly

I promised I would post a few shots of the belly. Having my body expand and change has been more difficult than I thought it would be, but I know it's for a great reason!

10/31/08 - 12 weeks. Holding the pumpkin Jeremy carved for This Baby on Halloween.

12/6/08 - 17 weeks. On the way to my staff Christmas party.

It's a...

We had our 17 week appointment this afternoon. We were ready to beg the nurse practitioner and pull out all our tricks in order to get her to do an ultrasound. We didn't even have to do that - all we had to do was ask. Who knew?!? The NP we had (not our regular one) couldn't quite tell, so she pulled in another NP. That one knew for certain. This Baby was not shy. Nope, our little one was putting it all out there...


Free Glitter Graphics, It's A Boy Glitter Graphics

Were we ever shocked (but delighted!) to hear that. We were sure it was a girl. Everyone we talked to was sure it was a girl. SURPRISE!

JZ is already warming up his pitching arm and I'm going to make this a quick post so I can get on the Pottery Barn Kids web site to look for blue things!

Ultrasound Pics

Most pregnant women with my insurance only get to have 3 ultrasounds - one at 8 weeks, 20 weeks, and 36 weeks. We are lucky that we were able to have an extra one. Our fertility specialist did an ultrasound at 7 weeks to make sure that everything looked normal, before releasing us back to the OB. Once we were released to the OB, they also wanted to do an ultrasound at 9 weeks to make sure everything was OK. Fine with us! Take as many pictures of This Baby as you'd like!

9/29/08 - 7 week ultrasound - Heart rate 153 BPM. We could hardly tell what we were looking at, but that doctor could!

Two weeks later - 10/14-08 - 9 weeks. Heart rate was 174 BPM! That kiddo was flip flopping all over the place! The growth in only 2 weeks was amazing to see!

Our next ultrasound should be scheduled for the week over Christmas. That is the biggie and we will be able to find out what we are having - unless we can convince the NP to pull in that machine at our appointment today. Wish us luck!

Unsolicited Advice

I was going to blog about my ultrasounds and share some photos, but I have something on my chest (literally!) that I must discuss.


Everyone has been so excited to find out that we are expecting. Most people are very kind and say nice things about how great I look and how you can't even tell I'm pregnant from the back, etc. There are a few well meaning individuals, however, that are offering up unsolicited advice. All of it seems to be around one area of my body - not my baby bump, a little north of there. I have had two people inform me that it was time to go get new undergarments. Now, I know these ladies and took their unsolicited advice with a grain of salt. They were right, I did, and now I'm so much more comfortable. Another one told me she suspected I was expecting because my blouse was a little tighter than normal and I needed to be careful about the tops I wore. Again, I smiled and thanked her for her help. But last night, HOLY SMOKES, this one takes the cake!


Amanda and I were at our weekly (although we are trying to make it bi-weekly) water aerobics class. If you have never been to water aerobics, it's actually quite fun and a great workout. It's good on my joints, I actually feel light again, and it's great for Amanda's bad back. The group is multi-generational. We are usually the youngest, and Joe and his cute wife are probably in their 80's. The best part about water aerobics is that you don't need a lot of "stuff" - your styrofoam barbells, water shoes, a bathing suit and your good to go. Yes, you read that right. Pregnant girl in a bathing suit (don't think about it too long, it's scary!). But again, we're with 80 year olds and people we don't know, so we don't care!


Most people in the class know I'm pregnant. It seemed important to tell them in case they were wondering why they were looking svelte after a workout and I was getting pudgier. Last night we were talking about whether the baby liked the water, could I feel it kicking, etc. Poor instructor guy, no one was listening! After class Amanda and I were drying off when this oh so kind lady says to me, "You know, you are not going to be able to wear that suit for much longer." I replied, "I know." She continued to say, "And I'm not talking about your stomach either." Excuse me?!? Are you talking about my chestal region?!? Mandy seems to think I have a sign on my forehead that reads, "Please talk to me about the size of my chest!" I'm going to try to wash that off, but I think it's written in Shaprie.



OK, so here's the deal: I know all of the above information. Yup, nothing gets by me. The thing is, I can't do much about it. I can't diet them away right now, and I'm pretty sure no surgeon in the world is going to take me on in my current state of "blossomness" (also a word used to describe me by one individual mentioned above). I know they are for a purpose, I just can't figure out what it is yet. Also, I live in Colorado. And it's December. Maternity bathing suits are difficult to find.



So now, my dear friends, after all of the unsolicited advice I have been given, I will now give some to you too. When talking to a pregnant woman, only say really kind things like how she is glowing and how lovely she looks - even if it is not true. We are very hormonal and could possibly break down and cry. No one wants to see that!



Oh, and if you're wondering, I came home and immediately got online to see if I could find a maternity bathing suit. One should be arriving next week - hopefully in time for water aerobics!
I promise not to post any pictures.

This Baby

We have decided to call our little one This Baby for the time being. You know, "This Baby will be here in May" and "This Baby is hungry" and don't forget "This Baby is sitting on my bladder and making me go to the bathroom!"

There is actually a story behind This Baby. When I was little I had several baby dolls. When my mom would ask me which one I wanted to play with, I would answer, "This baby." Over time that became her name. My mom tried to get me to choose a more traditional name, but I was convinced I had already named her - This Baby was born! When I told my family what we were going to call the unborn little friend, my Grandma said, "I remember This Baby. I'm just not sure how she got in your tummy!" Hopefully we'll be able to come up with a more traditional name before May!

This Baby is the pink one on the far right. The other two are Chrissy #2 (on the left) and Chrissy #1 (in the middle). You can see I loved my babies!

I'm Going to Call It "Inconclusive"...

So now I guess I should back up a little and tell you how our great adventure began. If you've had any contact with us in the last year and a half, you've probably heard this story, so feel free to ignore this post. I promise not to be offended.

Jeremy and I decided that we wanted to expand our family in June of 2007. We had just returned from our FABULOUS trip to Europe and decided now is the time. Fast forward to July, 2008 - no baby and no reason why. I had spent the previous 13 months praying, and hoping, and wishing on every star, birthday candle, and lucky penny I could find. Then came the tears. I cried and made deals with God. I couldn't understand why He wouldn't give us a baby of our own. Jeremy and I were great with kids. The state of Colorado seemed to think I could handle an entire classroom of them, but God didn't think I could handle one of my own?!? I did a lot of talking about surrendering and all in God's timing, etc., but the truth is that I was dying on the inside. To top it all off, it was babypalooza around here. All of my friends were having babies, and while I was truly happy for them and loved their little ones endlessly, truth be told, I was green with envy.

In July 2008, JZ and I finally decided to see a fertility specialist. We did all kinds of tests (I'll leave the gory details out for the sake of family friendly blogging!) and the tests all came back clear. The doctor told us that was good news and bad news. There was no reason why we wouldn't be able to conceive, the bad news is that he didn't know why we hadn't already. In mid-August I went in for an HSG test. Basically they put dye into your uterus and fallopian tubes and take x-rays to look for blockages. My test came back clear - no blockages were found. In late August we set up an appointment with the specialist and he recommended that I begin Clomid. Clomid is a fertility drug that makes eggs more viable and 10% of the time causes double ovulation resulting in twins. At this point we were ready for anything! I had to have an ultrasound of my ovaries to make sure they were not enlarged. I actually said to the Dr, "Do you see a baby in there?" He told me that since it was only day 19 of my cycle, even if I was pregnant he wouldn't be able to see it. He ordered the Clomid and the plan was for me to call on day 1 of my next cycle, pick up the Clomid and begin it on day 5. For the first time I couldn't wait to start my cycle. We had a plan and I was ready to get going!

A week later (Sept. 7 to be exact!) Jeremy and I were having dinner at my parents' house. All of a sudden I felt sick. I felt like my entire dinner was about to revisit me. I immediately told JZ it was time to go home. As we were getting in the car he asked if there was anything he could do for me. I asked him to go by Safeway so I could get a pregnancy test. He told me he thought we should wait. After all, I wasn't late yet and he couldn't stand to watch me be disappointed yet again. I told him that this time was different, I had to know. Sweet man actually went and purchased it for me.

I immediately went home to take the test. I waited the endless 2 minutes and looked at the test. I thought I saw two lines (which I had never seen before!) but one line was significantly lighter than the other. Did that count?!? When I showed it to Jer he asked what it meant, I said, "I'm going to call it inconclusive." He told me to wait another few days and take the other test. Yeah, right! I waited all of 12 hours and took the second test the next morning. It looked exactly like the first one. I decided that was good enough for me, I was calling the Dr.!

See, it's tricky, huh?!?

The next day I called the Dr. and they had me come in for a blood and urine test. I couldn't believe this was actually happening! I hadn't started the Clomid yet and I had just had an ultraound 10 days earlier. I had to have been pregnant then! A few hours later it was confirmed - for better or worse, regardless of what happened, our lives had just changed forever. Our great adventure had officially begun!

The Beginning...

Well, I guess it's now our turn! All of the cool kids have their own web pages/blogs, so I decided that the expanding Zahrte family needed one too. With family and friends spread around the country (on a side note - Boo to that! All of you need to move back, please!), I thought this would be a great way for us to share stories and pictures. We invite you to join us through the journey we have just started - expanding our family by two feet (I always thought those birth announcements were so cute, but oh so cheesy!).

As a disclaimer I should warn you that I am not a writer. OK, I can put a thought together, begin with a capital letter, and end with punctuation. I do teach first grade after all! However, I am not a master of the written language. I am not eloquent in my speech, let alone my writing, and I type too fast and make a lot of typos. My cousin Lauren is the writer of the family and my friend Amanda can create such vivid mental pictures while making you laugh and cry at the same time. Fair warning, don't expect any of that. But, I'll try my best if you'll be kind!