Today we received Baby Girl Jensen’s first outfit from the Hanson family (thanks!). Brian and Johanna are also expecting a girl about a week after ours is due. It was neat to hold the outfit and think that in a little over three months we’re going to have a little girl to wear it.
Baby Bump at 24 weeks.
My 5th graders performed The Addams Family and a rhythm exercise on the drums for this month’s PTA meeting. I was a little worried that no one would show up and was delightfully surprised when 25 fifth graders participated in the program. Here’s a few videos Josh took and edited from the performance. The last video is lacking sound, since the recording was rather fuzzy.
My little baby bump is growing! This past Thursday was the first time someone actually noticed (without any prior knowledge) that I’m pregnant. It was rather exciting to have someone shriek and exclaim, “Are you pregnant?!!!!” My kids at school keep me informed on the growth of my belly (“Mrs. Jensen, your tummy is getting bigger.”) and many love touching my baby bump. Baby Girl Jensen is doing well and I’m enjoying feeling her move. I feel her movement more on the weekends, but that’s probably because she’s wondering why her mommy isn’t talking really loud, singing, playing instruments, and dancing/moving. Weekends are probably pretty boring for our dear little girl!
I finally took some pictures of my classroom. I moved to a different portable this year and love the extra space! After my ultrasound last week I had all the kids vote on the gender of our baby. I also brought a printout of the ultrasound picture to show them all. My pregnancy is quite a learning experience for some of my students and has led to some interesting conversations in the classroom. After seeing the picture, one 3rd grader asked if the baby would be born with skin! I was also given advice about eating and taking care of myself from the 5th grade boys. This week they were concerned that it was not good that I was pregnant and wearing a belt with my shirt. When they asked why I had a belt on, I explained that it was a decoration and not tight at all.
Josh has had the flu all week, so I made him some homemade chicken rice soup. I always tend to put too much rice in the soup and then it’s more like stew than soup. I had to stop by the store and buy some chicken broth to add to my concoction! (The roses in the picture are a gift Josh brought home to me last weekend – my husband is so sweet!)
Amy has always planned out the meal schedule in advance, but usually just a week at a time. In September she got ambitious and made a menu for the whole month. She asked me to indicate my approval with a signature and thumb print.
Speaking of food, my most recent attempt at making macaroni turned out better than last time.
If you want a free copy of a book on orphan ministry in the church, head over to the Nightlight blog and follow the pretty simple directions. By tomorrow (Friday).
I started a new website last week — for Carolina Hope for Orphans, a sort of spin-off from what used to be Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency.
I got the flu on Monday, and Amy’s been taking great care of me.
In the second photo, she had turned and the bow in her hair was a little clearer for the photo. We are delighted to be expecting a little girl and were both teary-eyed to see her for the first time.
So here it is, a picture from our baby’s first photo session. If you have trouble getting oriented, our 7.88-inch goober is facing leftward. You can see the spine pretty clearly, and the profile. (Speaking of getting oriented, there was a fair amount of tummy slapping during the ultrasound to get the baby’s head turned.)
So — does our baby look more like me or Amy? You decide. You can also try to guess the gender based on facial characteristics. Put in your vote in the comments, and we’ll tell you if you’re right — maybe later today.
Baby Jensen is finally beginning to make his/her visual presence known – though most people
still say they can’t tell. Baby J. also started making his/her physical presence known last Saturday when I started feeling him/her move – love the feeling! We celebrated our 19 week birthday this past Thursday, and according to Babycenter.com, Baby J. equals a large heirloom tomato in size. Our ultrasound is on Wednesday, and we’re looking forward to seeing our little one for the first time.
On Friday night, Josh and I took Selah and Rachael Johnson to a production of The Music Man. It was an excellence performance and we were all worn out from our late evening.
Like last year, Amy and I went to Chick-Fil-A on Labor Day for our free sandwiches, earned by wearing team shirts, which Amy once again expertly crafted. We spread out a picnic table cover on our living room floor to eat our holiday repast, and then had an exciting game of Monopoly. As usual . . . well, can you guess who had all the money?
(If you don’t recognize that thumb, take a look at this face.)
Speaking of sad faces, here’s Amy two Monday evenings ago looking at the dinner I fixed:
There was supposed to be macaroni with those beans and hot dogs, but, well, things didn’t come out pretty. (A few minutes into supper I decided to supplement things with a grilled cheese sandwich. Not macaroni, but still good.)
Some people have asked for a photo showing whether Amy is showing. Stay tuned.
![IMG_1959[1]](http://jensendimension.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/IMG_19591.jpg "IMG_1959[1]")
![IMG_1959[1] (1)](http://jensendimension.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/IMG_19591-1.jpg "IMG_1959[1] (1)")
![IMG_1959[1] (3)](http://jensendimension.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/IMG_19591-3.jpg "IMG_1959[1] (3)")
This summer we got to meet and spend time with Dan’s fiancée, Isabelle during two meals at Jon and Ashleigh’s. (Dan got engaged in May and the wedding date is set for December 19th, 2009.) Jon and Ashleigh had us all over for dinner to celebrate our birthdays. Ashleigh made my family’s traditional watermelon basket (which my mom used to make for my July birthday). It was good to spend time with both my brothers and sisters-in-law (one future).![IMG_1959[1] (2)](http://jensendimension.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/IMG_19591-2.jpg "IMG_1959[1] (2)")
Mom J also made me a watermelon basket — and right now I’m using the gift Dad&Mom J got me/us!
In other news . . .according to BabyCenter.com, little baby J is now the size of a turnip!
In July between my 2nd and 3rd classes, we had a Jensen family weekend. Friday night we went to an Italian restaurant 
and had some amazing stuffed pizza and then attended the BJU summer play in Performance Hall.
On Saturday we went to Mount Mitchell, North Carolina. (Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi.) We had grilled hotdogs for lunch and then went on some hikes around the area (I will admit that since I was in my first trimester, the hiking really wore me out . . . at one point I didn’t think I could go on much longer and was glad that my husband gave me a piggyback ride so I could have a short rest!).
And that pretty much sums up our summer in review. The rest of the time was spent in class and (for me) in studying/researching and (for Josh) working. Our road trip home was fun – we headed up to PA/NJ to visit my parents, grandma, and great grandma and then took three days driving from PA to TX. We were delighted to make it home safe and sound!
This past June, we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. And yes, this picture is actually from this summer. Mom J needed a picture to match with the other siblings’ wedding shots on the wall, so we got dressed up again and had a mini photo shoot – it was fun to be in our wedding clothes again! Our anniversary fell on a Sunday before one of my 
mid-term exams, so instead of a big to-do, we celebrated that day rather simply by going to church and exchanging cards.
After school was over we got away for our wedding anniversary celebration for two nights at a bed and breakfast in Spartanburg — The Inn on Main. We had a wonderful time relaxing and enjoying a break after our very busy summer. When we arrived, the owner upgraded our room to the best in the house — the bridal suite — since the air conditioning was out on the bottom floor (where our reserved room was), and the wedding couple who had reserved the bridal suite decided they wanted a smaller room. We were delighted by our upgrade.
School has started. I’m teaching Grammar and Morphology to 16 eager seniors and MA students every Monday and Wednesday from 7 to 8:20 pm. I’m taking 2 courses: Structure of a Non-Western Language and The Computer & Natural Language. The final projects for both classes should directly contribute to my dissertation. Additionally, I’m working on my dissertation proposal — with a goal of defending the proposal by spring. Will I graduate in spring 2012? That’s what we’re hoping.
Before school started, I finished a web project for a local business, Earhart Electronics:
I also helped set up (but didn’t design) an e-commerce site for Hartley Cruver (for those who know him, that’s Dan Cruver’s dad), who arranges sacred instrumental solos. I continue to do web and publications work for Nightlight Christian Adoptions (which acquired Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency).
And, speaking of things that don’t change, I’m married to the beautiful, amazing, now pregnant RuthAmy Sutter Jensen. What could be greater than that?
My parents send us some little hats for Baby J (due February 18th). Now we have officially starting our baby’s wardrobe. It’s so neat to think that these little hats are going to fit on a little head that will join our family. Just to get used to it, I’m practicing with our little panther.
Last week, both Josh and I started school. We have a busy semester ahead of us. My teaching schedule is much better than last year. This year I’ll be seeing every class (32 altogether) once a week, instead of for a whole week every six weeks. Josh is teaching a class on MW nights and taking classes on TTH afternoons. We’re looking forward to a good semester.
According to BabyCenter.com, this week Baby Jensen is about the size of a lemon! (Surprise!) But he’s a lot cuter than a lemon!
After our visit with Grandma Martin, we headed to NC to spend the rest of the week with my parents and sister at Canaan Land. We enjoyed our week relaxing in the mountains of NC and the time we were able to spend with my family. We spent most of our week hiking around the mountains and waterfalls. It was nice to be away from the busyness of technology and school life. A great break before my summer classes.
We had a lovely time visiting with Grandma Martin in Atlanta, GA (June 14-16). It was good to be able to spend time with her, instead of arriving at the “Martin Hotel” late at night and then heading out early the next morning (as we’ve done in the past). Our visit included trimming some hedges, eating at Ted’s Montana Grill, and playing a couple rounds of Rook. 
We’re home to our apartment after 8 weeks away! We arrived yesterday evening at 7 pm CT. It’s so good to be home after two months away. Our apartment is bigger than I remember!
Total miles traveled: 4,800
Route (major destinations bold): Texas – Louisiana – Mississippi – Alabama – Georgia – South Carolina – North Carolina – South Carolina – North Carolina – Virginia – West Virginia – Maryland – Pennsylvania – New Jersey – Pennsylvania – Maryland – West Virginia – Kentucky – Tennessee – Mississippi – Arkansas – Texas
Total states: 15
Oldest person visited: Great-Grandma Hanyen (100 years old in May)
Places slept:
A great big thank-you to friends and family who put us up and fed us! More pictures to come at a later time.
Credit hours earned: 9 (my last three classes!)
Oral Comprehensive Exam: Passed!
Groceries from Grandma Sutter:
One year ago today I married my best friend. Happy anniversary, Amy! I love you.
(I told her in person, too.)
Last week Amy and I joined Dad and Mom Sutter (and Emily) for a week at Canaanland Camp in NC. On a hike, Dad saw this snake, which was later identified as a Timber Rattler (you can see the rattle if you look closely). Mom and Emily were taking a different path (the creek, actually), so only Amy and I were with Dad for the excitement. Fortunately, we had Mom’s camera because of the path she’d chosen.
In other news, Amy started her first block course this week (Differential Statistics). It’s pretty busy, so she probably won’t be posting here (or answering many emails) for a while.
Last night we had our friend, Yi Ling, over for dinner. Yi Ling is from Taiwan and has been attending our church since the fall. We’ve enjoyed getting to know her. After dinner we played Jenga and Uno.
