October

October was a busy month, which I'm sure all of you could have figured out by my lengthy blog silence. On top of our state of almost constant motion in the school, I was also suffering through some tough pregnancy symptoms. Throwing up became a constant annoyance in my life. By the time October ended I was actually 15 lbs lighter than I was at the start of my pregnancy, which didn't thrill my doctor since I am already a fairly small person. Fortunately, by the time I hit 16 weeks the doctor had prescribed me some wonderful medications and I was able to start to return to a more normal state of being. Unfortunately, I had to go all the way to Anchorage to be prescribed anything worthwhile. The views on my travels from Pilot Point to Anchorage were spectacular, but the need for a barf bag was not. 

After I returned from my little journey to Anchorage, things only seemed to get busier. Our all-staff inservice was in middle of October and I had to travel to King Salmon for four days of meetings and trainings. Thankfully, I did get to spend quality time hanging out with a few of my favorite teachers and I made another pair of beaver fur mittens (this pair I gifted to Cody since I made myself a pair last year). 

Towards the end of the month we hosted our annual school Halloween Party. It was a blast, as always, but also a ton of work. In the bush, the school is the center of all of the action in town, so the turnout for these kinds of events is pretty large. Amber (the MS/HS teacher), Cody, the parent committee, and myself put a ton of effort into cooking food, decorating the school, making games for the kids to play, and organizing the event. It was all worth it though to see how much fun the kiddos had at the party. 

As the month ended, we said goodbye to our nice, beautiful weather. October actually gave us some rare sunny days and I got the opportunity to get out and do a little hiking and adventuring before the weather turned. It was a wonderful break, especially after September gave us nothing but rain and wind. 

Now that it is November, we have transitioned into winter pretty firmly. Snow has fallen on multiple occasions, the wind is at an almost constant roar, and the temperatures are sitting firmly below freezing. I'm sure I'll be posting pictures of a winter wonderland here before too long, and I really don't mind the weather changing because it just means we are onto another season of adventures and one step closer to our biggest adventure - parenthood. 

Your turn...How was your October? 

Currently listening to...Zombie - The Cranberries 

Baby Middleton, Coming April 2018!

Cody and I have some big news to share, and we are very excited that we can finally say...

we're expecting! Baby Middleton - coming April 2018!

That's right, I am working on growing our little adventure babe as I type this post. Today I entered my second trimester and baby is growing right on track. Being pregnant in rural Alaska has definitely already been an interesting experience, as it is truly not like being pregnant anywhere else in the US. Typically, when you're expecting, you take a nice little drive to your OB once a month. When you live in a rural village though, the nearest OB is very far away.

Since August I've already taken two solo trips to Anchorage for appointments, which has been an expensive endeavor. It costs $800-$1,000 to fly from Pilot Point to Anchorage roundtrip and insurance will only reimburse me for two roundtrip flights (and one of those flights has to be my trip to give birth). As long as all looks well with Baby M, I'll probably only be going to the doctor every 6-8 weeks until I am farther along. Once I make it to the 36-37 week mark (March) I will have to relocate to Anchorage for the remainder of my pregnancy. Cody and I are currently looking at renting an apartment from the middle of March until early May.

The last couple of months have been a complete whirlwind for us. We're so incredibly excited and thankful. I can't wait to see how the next year changes our little family for the better.

Your turn...Any suggestions for a first time mom?
Currently listening to...I Don't Mind - Defeater