Friday Fever!
It's Friday!
Even though being a SAHM doesn't provide the same type of regular work-week as working outside the home, Fridays still have that same feeling to them! The sun is shining, the weather's nice, the baby's sleeping...what a nice afternoon!
Here are some random thoughts of mine on this sunny Friday afternoon:
1) We had a wonderful weekend visiting Matt's family as his little brother graduated from high school. It was fun to spend so much time with them, and for them to see Grant so much. Being around high schoolers, though, made me miss teaching even more. I LOVE being at home with Grant, but I miss teaching. My heart will forever be in the classroom. I'm trying to remind myself, though, of the late nights grading papers, preparing worksheets, making out tests, and dealing with endless make-up work.
2) I am only 3.8 pounds away from my pre-The Boy weight!
Probably another 3 - 5 pounds after that, though, that I'll want to lose. Whew! I'm tired of this losing weight stuff! 
I just want to maintain!
3) I've really been getting to know one of our neighbors, M. She's *ultra* nice. We went out to lunch at Panera yesterday, and I treated her as a pre-baby gift. :-) (She's having a planned cesarean on Monday). Well, last night Matt was walking Lizzie (our dog) for the last "outing" of the night around 10, and M.was walking by to put a thank-you note in our mailbox. She's SO sweet.
4) The former said neighbor, M, and her husband, didn't find out the gender of the baby she's having Monday. So, we're all eagerly awaiting the news. So much anticipation!
Though I don't think Matt and I could ever *not* find out, it IS exciting!!
5) I have GOT to start running more and running longer. I have determined to find a race in August or September and sign up for it to keep myself motivated. (Along with the 5K I'm doing with my mother over 4th-of-July. Mom, that's only like, 3 weeks!
)
6) Do you like all of my smiley faces? I for sure do!
7) I have become quite adept at typing with one hand, while the other hand is either pushing the swing or holding The Boy.
8) Our said dog, Lizzie, has officially gone off-her-rocker. Last night around 1 a.m., I heard her click-click-clicking,walking on the tile in our master bath, where we have a water bowl for her. I had forgotten to refill it before I went to bed, and, sure enough, she was thirsty at 1 in the morning. She barked at her bowl, and I lied (laid? I can never get it right) in bed, trying to ignore it. So, the dog ran downstairs, and I faintly heard her paws click-click-clicking on the tile in the kitchen, drinking out of her water bowl there. She never came back up, though, so I had to get up, call for her, and shut the bedroom door. While I was up, I refilled her water bowl in our bathroom, of which she proceeded to drink 1/2 of. What in the world makes the dog so incredibly thirsty at 1 in the morning?
8) I'm working on organizing our house, one closet at a time! WHERE is all of this stuff coming from? I just took 3 huge bags of stuff to Goodwill. I think the stuff multiplies itself.
9) Speaking of which, I'm off to organize our dining-room-turned-craft room. :-)
10) Did anyone notice there are 2 number 8's?
Have a great weekend! And, stay tuned for new pictures of The Boy soon!
Even though being a SAHM doesn't provide the same type of regular work-week as working outside the home, Fridays still have that same feeling to them! The sun is shining, the weather's nice, the baby's sleeping...what a nice afternoon!
Here are some random thoughts of mine on this sunny Friday afternoon:
1) We had a wonderful weekend visiting Matt's family as his little brother graduated from high school. It was fun to spend so much time with them, and for them to see Grant so much. Being around high schoolers, though, made me miss teaching even more. I LOVE being at home with Grant, but I miss teaching. My heart will forever be in the classroom. I'm trying to remind myself, though, of the late nights grading papers, preparing worksheets, making out tests, and dealing with endless make-up work.
2) I am only 3.8 pounds away from my pre-The Boy weight!
Probably another 3 - 5 pounds after that, though, that I'll want to lose. Whew! I'm tired of this losing weight stuff! I just want to maintain!3) I've really been getting to know one of our neighbors, M. She's *ultra* nice. We went out to lunch at Panera yesterday, and I treated her as a pre-baby gift. :-) (She's having a planned cesarean on Monday). Well, last night Matt was walking Lizzie (our dog) for the last "outing" of the night around 10, and M.was walking by to put a thank-you note in our mailbox. She's SO sweet.
4) The former said neighbor, M, and her husband, didn't find out the gender of the baby she's having Monday. So, we're all eagerly awaiting the news. So much anticipation!
Though I don't think Matt and I could ever *not* find out, it IS exciting!!5) I have GOT to start running more and running longer. I have determined to find a race in August or September and sign up for it to keep myself motivated. (Along with the 5K I'm doing with my mother over 4th-of-July. Mom, that's only like, 3 weeks!
)6) Do you like all of my smiley faces? I for sure do!
7) I have become quite adept at typing with one hand, while the other hand is either pushing the swing or holding The Boy.
8) Our said dog, Lizzie, has officially gone off-her-rocker. Last night around 1 a.m., I heard her click-click-clicking,walking on the tile in our master bath, where we have a water bowl for her. I had forgotten to refill it before I went to bed, and, sure enough, she was thirsty at 1 in the morning. She barked at her bowl, and I lied (laid? I can never get it right) in bed, trying to ignore it. So, the dog ran downstairs, and I faintly heard her paws click-click-clicking on the tile in the kitchen, drinking out of her water bowl there. She never came back up, though, so I had to get up, call for her, and shut the bedroom door. While I was up, I refilled her water bowl in our bathroom, of which she proceeded to drink 1/2 of. What in the world makes the dog so incredibly thirsty at 1 in the morning?
8) I'm working on organizing our house, one closet at a time! WHERE is all of this stuff coming from? I just took 3 huge bags of stuff to Goodwill. I think the stuff multiplies itself.
9) Speaking of which, I'm off to organize our dining-room-turned-craft room. :-)
10) Did anyone notice there are 2 number 8's?
Have a great weekend! And, stay tuned for new pictures of The Boy soon!
Crazy Sunday!
I am exhausted. We've had like, 5 nights in a row where we haven't gotten to bed before midnight, and The Boy was awake for 3 of those nights at 4 a.m. Uggh. He slept better last night, so at least I slept from midnight until 6:30, but I'm still exhausted.
And church this morning was just a disaster. The Boy spit up a TON - the 2 bites of ice cream I had Friday night were 2 bites too many. He was spitting up chunks the whole time before the service started as I was trying to chat with different women. Now, the women who had kids were totally okay with it, but there were a couple of women who were looking at me like, can't she get that kid under control? I mean, I'm talking MAJOR spit up - chunks all down my shirt, skirt, legs, and all over the floor. It totally doesn't phase me any more, but I guess if you're not used to it you'd be grossed out.
So, he was doing that everywhere, and then I put him in the carseat on the chair in the sanctuary, and some little kid ran into the chair, knocked the car seat off, and Grant fell out and hit his cheek, and of course started screaming. This was like, 2 minutes before the service was supposed to start, so the sanctuary was packed and everyone turns and stares at me, with spit-up chunks still down my Ann Taylor skirt.
It was just nuts. I wanted to go home right then.
Here's hoping that that doesn't set the tone of the week!
And church this morning was just a disaster. The Boy spit up a TON - the 2 bites of ice cream I had Friday night were 2 bites too many. He was spitting up chunks the whole time before the service started as I was trying to chat with different women. Now, the women who had kids were totally okay with it, but there were a couple of women who were looking at me like, can't she get that kid under control? I mean, I'm talking MAJOR spit up - chunks all down my shirt, skirt, legs, and all over the floor.
It totally doesn't phase me any more, but I guess if you're not used to it you'd be grossed out.So, he was doing that everywhere, and then I put him in the carseat on the chair in the sanctuary, and some little kid ran into the chair, knocked the car seat off, and Grant fell out and hit his cheek, and of course started screaming. This was like, 2 minutes before the service was supposed to start, so the sanctuary was packed and everyone turns and stares at me, with spit-up chunks still down my Ann Taylor skirt.
It was just nuts. I wanted to go home right then.Here's hoping that that doesn't set the tone of the week!
Reverse
That seems to be the direction we're going in with The Boy, at least as far as his sleeping habits are concerned! He's been a terrific sleeper pretty much since day 1, giving us 4 hours at night from one-week-old. From about 2 months he was sleeping from 11 p.m. until 6 a.m., and it's just gradually lengthened since then. For the past 4 weeks he had regularly been sleeping from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m., eating, and then going back to sleep until 8:30 or 9.
Until this past week. He's been awaking at 4 a.m. to eat for the past 5 nights. He's STARVING, too - takes him 25 minutes to eat! (He can eat in about 10 during the day!) So, last night I tried to "dream feed" him before I went to bed at 10, hoping to make him sleep longer. Well, the reverse happened - he woke earlier and more! He woke up 2x, both for like 45 minutes a time.
And, when the Mom didn't go to bed until 1 a.m., it makes for a short night and a dazed mommy! Hopefully he'll nap well so I can, too!
Until this past week. He's been awaking at 4 a.m. to eat for the past 5 nights. He's STARVING, too - takes him 25 minutes to eat! (He can eat in about 10 during the day!) So, last night I tried to "dream feed" him before I went to bed at 10, hoping to make him sleep longer. Well, the reverse happened - he woke earlier and more! He woke up 2x, both for like 45 minutes a time.
And, when the Mom didn't go to bed until 1 a.m., it makes for a short night and a dazed mommy! Hopefully he'll nap well so I can, too!
Zzzz's
The Boy needs his Z's! He was tired when we got home from church early this afternoon, so we put him in - where else? - his swing to take a nap. Well, he slept in that swing for 4 1/2 hours!! We kept waiting for him to wake up, but he just slept and slept and slept. He then took an early evening nap, and then went down for the night at about 7:30. Growth spurt?
Dos Minutos
When running Day2 of Week 5 this evening, I started thinking about the dichotomy of time. Yes, a second is always the same length, but can often feel longer or shorter depending on the circumstance.
2 minutes. Sometimes it's an eternity, sometimes it's the blink of an eye.
When finishing the last 2 minutes of a Couch-to-5K running segment, it's an eternity. When lying in bed, savoring the last few moments before I have to get up in the middle of the night to feed The Boy, it's lightening fast.
I am often thankful that time never speeds up or slows down. Before going to an event I'm dreading, I repeat to myself, "12 hours, and it will all be over." It's then a blessing that time never changes.
However, as I'm drudging along, trying to finish my last couple of minutes of running, I wouldn't mind if time would at least just slightly speed up.
P.S. FYI, for the references to running, check this link out:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
2 minutes. Sometimes it's an eternity, sometimes it's the blink of an eye.
When finishing the last 2 minutes of a Couch-to-5K running segment, it's an eternity. When lying in bed, savoring the last few moments before I have to get up in the middle of the night to feed The Boy, it's lightening fast.
I am often thankful that time never speeds up or slows down. Before going to an event I'm dreading, I repeat to myself, "12 hours, and it will all be over." It's then a blessing that time never changes.
However, as I'm drudging along, trying to finish my last couple of minutes of running, I wouldn't mind if time would at least just slightly speed up.
P.S. FYI, for the references to running, check this link out:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
Pacifiers Needed
Who knew that The Boy would become a pacifier-crazed baby over the last 2 weeks? Standing in the aisle at Target, elbow-deep in rows of pacifiers, I realized that I have been branded by the Mommy iron. Because, of course the Boy has to have a certain kind of paci - or pluggie as Daddy calls them. Not just the cheap-o brand will do - oh, no, we have to have the Mam blue, sparkly, silicone-tipped pacifier. And, because I love this kiddo so much, I'll gladly be elbow-deep in the pacifier aisle, making sure I have the right type.
A cold, rainy day here in the Midwest! We awoke this morning to the workers arriving earlier than scheduled - around 7:30 instead of 8. We had gone to bed late last night, so 7:30 was early! (Even though I had already been up with The Boy a couple of times during the night!)
We have lots of family coming in this weekend, so I'm off to organize and clean and organize and clean some more!
Here's a new favorite picture:
We have lots of family coming in this weekend, so I'm off to organize and clean and organize and clean some more!
Here's a new favorite picture:
Head Down!
At my 32-week appointment yesterday, we found out that Baby W. is officially head down and ready to go! :-) Our OB did say, though, that she's occasionally been wrong about baby's being head down -- and laughingly said that some babies have pretty firm bottoms! :-)
Matt and I will hopefully close on our house Friday, which means Friday night will be our first night in our first house! :-) We're very excited. Baby W.'s room will be the first room painted. :-)
Matt and I will hopefully close on our house Friday, which means Friday night will be our first night in our first house! :-) We're very excited. Baby W.'s room will be the first room painted. :-)
A Pain in the...
BACK!!! Argh! About 3 days ago I awoke to horrendous back pain in the middle of the night, and it hasn't gone away since then! :/ It's worse when I sit for a long period of time, or when I sleep. I'm going to try to pick up a heating pad tomorrow to see if that will help. :/
Matt bought me a body pillow yesterday, though, and that was a miracle to sleep with! SOO Much better!! I highly recommend it to other pregnant women!
Off to do school work!
Matt bought me a body pillow yesterday, though, and that was a miracle to sleep with! SOO Much better!! I highly recommend it to other pregnant women!
Off to do school work!
97 Days!!
So, my computer counts down the days until my EDD, and I just saw that it's now saying 97 days! I remember when I was counting down days until our wedding, I was so excited to reach 2-digits. Now, I'm excited, but when I read "97 days" it causes a small amount of panic, too! Eek! Only 97 more days until we'll meet, have met, or be close to meeting Baby W. (who is still name-less!)
Middle-of-the-Night Musings
1. After not having a firecall in almost a month, we were awakened to the pager buzzing at 1:30 in the morning. Matt rushed around the house trying to find clothes, put contacts in, etc, while I tried to wake up enough to help him. I found his thermals for him, considering the wind chill is
-2 out right now!
I've been surfing the web and listening to the scanner for the past hour-and-a-half, and just heard that the department is back now. Hopefully he'll be home soon.
2. A new Wal-Mart opened here recently, and presumably to attract business, their gas prices are LOW. We filled up for $1.93 and would've gotten 5 cents of that if we had a Wal-Mart card. (Whatever that is). We almost bought a gas can just to fill up! Haven't seen it under 2 bucks recently.
3. Lizzie now has all of her puppy shots! Yay! Thanks to a super sweet, semi-retired vet who's in the office in the mornings just because he loves it. :-)
Okay, hopefully the pager will stay silent for the rest of the night...Sleep Well!
-2 out right now!
I've been surfing the web and listening to the scanner for the past hour-and-a-half, and just heard that the department is back now. Hopefully he'll be home soon.
2. A new Wal-Mart opened here recently, and presumably to attract business, their gas prices are LOW. We filled up for $1.93 and would've gotten 5 cents of that if we had a Wal-Mart card. (Whatever that is). We almost bought a gas can just to fill up! Haven't seen it under 2 bucks recently.
3. Lizzie now has all of her puppy shots! Yay! Thanks to a super sweet, semi-retired vet who's in the office in the mornings just because he loves it. :-)
Okay, hopefully the pager will stay silent for the rest of the night...Sleep Well!
You Belong in Rome |
 You're a big city girl with a small town heart
|
Visits With Old Friends...
We left this past Monday to visit our friends Mike & Rachel and their son Jonathan. They live north of Chicago and are preparing to leave for Thailand to be missionaries. (They're hoping to leave next fall). So, we're trying to squeeze in as many visits with them as possible before they leave.
We hadn't seen their son, Jonathan, since he was about a month old, so it was a lot of fun to play with him!! Here he is in his special fireman outfit worn just for Matt.
We hadn't seen their son, Jonathan, since he was about a month old, so it was a lot of fun to play with him!! Here he is in his special fireman outfit worn just for Matt.
Back in the Saddle Again!
Or, should I say, back on the other side of the desk again!
Monday I'll start a very part-time Spanish teaching position at a local Christian school. (And in local, I mean local: it's about 3 minutes from our house!) It's one-class-a-day, 4-days-a-week, and I'm through-the-roof excited! It feels great to break out my Spanish supplies again: lesson planning, here I come!
I'll keep you posted on how it goes! I'm trying to be a better blogger!
Monday I'll start a very part-time Spanish teaching position at a local Christian school. (And in local, I mean local: it's about 3 minutes from our house!) It's one-class-a-day, 4-days-a-week, and I'm through-the-roof excited! It feels great to break out my Spanish supplies again: lesson planning, here I come!
I'll keep you posted on how it goes! I'm trying to be a better blogger!
It's Blustery!
It's a blustery day here in the Midwest! Snow is on the ground, the wind is blowing, and the smell of a wood stove is permeating our house. My last post I mentioned that there's almost no other profession I love as much as teaching. Well, today is one of those days that makes me love my current profession as a stay-at-home-wife. Being able to get up, make hot chocolate, have supper in the crockpot, and just generally not have to go out in the cold is fabulous! Though I LOVE teaching, and hopefully will be able to do some part-time work soon, being able to stay at home, love my husband and enjoy being a wife is even better than being in my classroom.
So, bring on the hot chocolate, baby! The low is 10 here tonight! As my dad would say, it's going to be brisk!
So, bring on the hot chocolate, baby! The low is 10 here tonight! As my dad would say, it's going to be brisk!
The Greatest Profession Ever
When you teach, there are days, and then there are The Days. They're the ones where your lesson plans are clicking, students are interacting, and the classes are clicking along. On those days, when I'm in my classroom doing this thing called teaching, it's almost a rush. To have my students learning Spanish, laughing with me---the days when teaching almost seems effortless, those are the days that I absolutely love my chosen profession.
Yes, there are the frustrations, and, yes, if you listened to me complain sometimes you would wonder if I actually enjoyed my job, but overall, teaching is just the best profession there is. To have even a small impact on a young person's life, what more could I want to do? To be able to teach my student some Spanish, give them a positive idea of learning, and to encourage them to be positive, constructive citizens in this world...there is almost no other profession I could love more.
Check back soon for the almost clarification.
Yes, there are the frustrations, and, yes, if you listened to me complain sometimes you would wonder if I actually enjoyed my job, but overall, teaching is just the best profession there is. To have even a small impact on a young person's life, what more could I want to do? To be able to teach my student some Spanish, give them a positive idea of learning, and to encourage them to be positive, constructive citizens in this world...there is almost no other profession I could love more.
Check back soon for the almost clarification.
Back-to-School!
Though it often comes too early and too soon, the start of a new school year holds a special excitement and anticipation that only a teacher can fully appreciate. I'll try to describe the feeling for all of you non-educators!
You leave your classroom in June, feeling tired, impatient, slightly cynical and just all-around cranky from the previous school year. 180 days with 15-year-olds is enough to leave any teacher having white-sand and crystal water visions! So, the green grading pens are put away, teacher manual's stored, and the classroom locked up.
Then comes the special bliss of summer -- sleeping in, staying up late, and being creative for creativity sake, not the student's sake. Flexible schedules, no deadlines, and leisurely lunches invigorate a tired teacher. Summer projects are completed (or put on the list for next summer!), and the fresh summer days are breathed in deeply.
And then, that day in August comes, when you walk back into the school building. As the car is parked, you view the building with fresh eyes. Even the building itself seems excited: the smell of fresh paint lingers through the hallways and the freshly-waxed floors gleam.
Teachers greet each-other with smiles that were virtually non-existent 3 months previously, administrators start meetings with a positive plan for the new academic year, and curriculum is creatively planned. Anticipation builds as teachers get ready for the new year.
A fresh optimism fills the hallways as teachers count-down the days until students will, once again, flood into the builidng. Break out those grading pens, baby! A new school year, here we go!
You leave your classroom in June, feeling tired, impatient, slightly cynical and just all-around cranky from the previous school year. 180 days with 15-year-olds is enough to leave any teacher having white-sand and crystal water visions! So, the green grading pens are put away, teacher manual's stored, and the classroom locked up.
Then comes the special bliss of summer -- sleeping in, staying up late, and being creative for creativity sake, not the student's sake. Flexible schedules, no deadlines, and leisurely lunches invigorate a tired teacher. Summer projects are completed (or put on the list for next summer!), and the fresh summer days are breathed in deeply.
And then, that day in August comes, when you walk back into the school building. As the car is parked, you view the building with fresh eyes. Even the building itself seems excited: the smell of fresh paint lingers through the hallways and the freshly-waxed floors gleam.
Teachers greet each-other with smiles that were virtually non-existent 3 months previously, administrators start meetings with a positive plan for the new academic year, and curriculum is creatively planned. Anticipation builds as teachers get ready for the new year.
A fresh optimism fills the hallways as teachers count-down the days until students will, once again, flood into the builidng. Break out those grading pens, baby! A new school year, here we go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)