Just to Have an End-of-the-Year Post

To be perfectly honest with you, I'm just posting right now because I felt I should have an official end-of-the-year post. I think I should have something especially poignant to say, this being the year I became a mother and all, but I'm too sleepy and tired to come up with anything great. Christmas week was fun, but with all the traveling and not sleeping much, I'm just weary...but happy. (Amelia is still sleeping pretty well--she wakes up every three to four hours--but as Darryl said to me, six hours of broken sleep isn't quite the same as six hours of straight sleep.)

I remember that last year on New Year's Eve, Darryl and I did a super-thorough cleaning of our bedroom, and I remember thinking how lame we were that we had nowhere fun and exciting to go. This year, we're watching TV (well, technically I'm blogging) and Amelia is snuggling on Darryl's chest (her favorite place to be), and we hope to go to bed before 10:30...and there's nowhere I'd rather be.

Our trip to Florida was fun and we were able to see quite a few friends and relatives. I have some good pictures, but I don't have the patience to upload them tonight. Maybe I will in the next day or two.

Amelia is starting to do more things. She smiles a good bit and makes lots of spit bubbles when she does it, and we just think that makes her the most amazing child in the world. :)

I have several "do-able" New Year's resolutions, but I think I'll save those for tomorrow.

I forgot to buy black-eyed peas, but I'm okay with that.

And there you have it. Happy New Year!

Florida Christmas

We're in Florida for a few days to do Christmas with Darryl's family and to see lots of family and friends and to introduce Amelia to everyone. We're already having lots of fun. I should have some good pictures to post later.

I have to go now so I can beat my nephew Cameron at Wii bowling. :)

Merry Christmas!

While I'm sitting here waiting for my sweet potatoes to cook so I can make sweet potato casserole (with pecans, not marshmallows), I thought I would give you a glimpse into our Christmas festivities thus far.

Sunday night, Christmas Eve Eve, we (the three of us and my parents) went to my cousin Vicky's house for dinner and gifts. Here's a shot of Darryl, Amelia, and me with Amelia's first official Christmas present (lots and lots of clothes were in that box!) as well as the Christmas nativity scene from Vicky and Robert; the nativity is supposed to commemorate Amelia's first Christmas:


Christmas Eve, my mom and I had to finish up some shopping. The traffic and crowds really weren't as bad as I thought they'd be. (My mom mentioned that she needed to go to Walmart; fortunately, I was able to persuade her to rethink that, and she decided that Target would suffice.) Darryl cooked a DELICIOUS prime rib on the Green Egg for dinner.

And then the Christmas Miracle happened: Amelia slept for six straight hours! She decided that would be her gift to her mom and dad. :) (I'm sure this was a one-time thing, but hey, we'll take it!)

This morning was lots of fun opening gifts and spending time with family. Amelia, after drinking a big bottle for breakfast, decided she would just snooze through the present-opening festivities:


My favorite gift is this photo collage that Darryl gave me. (Please forgive the Christmas morning hair and PJs.):

Amelia finally decided to wake up after all the adults opened their gifts. The laptop Nana and Papa gave her was obviously a big hit!


And in traditional Christmas fashion at our house, everyone is napping except for Darryl and me. I'm sure the rest of the day will be fairly low key. The rain has delayed Darryl's turkey frying a bit, so who knows when we'll have lunch. We typically do the Thanksgiving fare--maybe a bit pared down--for Christmas since we really don't have dressing and the fixings any other time of year and we love it all so much.

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas with the ones you love. Merry Christmas!!

More sleep deprivation

So I thought my sleep deprivation ditziness was over...not so much.

I'm baking cookies right now, and instead of putting the cookie sheet in the oven, I started to put it in the dishwasher.

Yeah.

Time for a change

I decided I needed to give my blog a makeover. You would have thought I was trying to decide what college to attend or what wedding dress I wanted...that's how seriously I took this whole thing. I'm not kidding.

I'm not sure if I like it or not, but I'm going to give it a few days. Feel free to weigh in with your opinion...

(Okay, somebody please respond. Usually when I post a question, no one responds and I feel lame. However, I had nine comments on the post where Amelia was wearing an LSU outfit. Perhaps I should have titled this post "Geaux LSU" or something...)

Edited later: Oh, joy! I finally figured out how to set up a poll on my blog! This means that you can vote about my blog change! (Again, I will feel lame if no one votes. You don't want me to feel lame, do you?)

Really Random Stuff

1--I may be in the minority here, but I hate that song "Bubbly." HATE it. (Tim, I wonder if it is because my introduction to the song was the not-so-great rendition we heard at the Cobb pageant.)

2--I was watching an old episode of Friends this evening--probably an episode from the second season or so--and Rachel was wearing a pair of overalls with a belt. It made me laugh. I can remember doing that "look." Not so flattering, even on Jennifer Aniston.

3--I absolutely love jewelry commercials this time of year. Darryl was joking with me the other day that he had bought me a diamond necklace from Kay Jewelers (trust me, he hasn't), and I told him that if he gave me jewelry, he must present it in a dramatic fashion as we see in the commercials. You know, he either has to drape the necklace around my neck while I'm sleeping, or else we have to go Christmas tree shopping and he has to put it under a tree without my knowing and then point to the tree and say, "that's the one!", or he has to build a snowman (yes, in Georgia) and have the snowman hold it. Seriously...does anyone REALLY do these things?

4--Amelia is now "intentionally" smiling. Too precious!

Events o' the week

I'm still hanging out with Amelia during the week and loving it. I can't believe how fast she is growing.

Wednesday, Darryl had an overnight trip for work and I was a tiny bit concerned about having Amelia by myself, mainly because I was already tired (she had a quirky night Tuesday and got up much more than usual) and had no one to share the shifts with. It went really well, though--pretty much a peaceful evening of "just girls."

Friday, Darryl and I checked out the daycare where Amelia will be staying. We both have an extremely good feeling about it, and while I'm not looking forward to leaving her for the day, at least I can be reassured by the fact that she is being well taken care of.

Today has been a pretty slow day, but we've enjoyed it. The weather is cold and rainy, and we've been inside except for an excursion to eat lunch and shop at Costco. I really could write a whole post on the Costco trip because it was such a roller coaster experience, but in a nutshell...it involved a Christmas present lost then found (something I knew I wanted to get my parents but it had been restocked in a completely different part of the store from where it had been last time), a Christmas wreath lost then found (I saw it, planned to come back for it, and "they" had moved it while we were there!), and a fudge sample found then lost (when I went back to stand in the sample line--and yes there was a line--the sample giver-outer was on a break).

I could also post about Darryl and his love for warehouse stores. He loves to buy in bulk. Today he was looking at a big box of Clif bars. I asked him if he liked Clif bars. He said he couldn't remember. I said, "Well, I think they taste like dirt, but perhaps you should go somewhere and buy just one to see if you like them before buying, say, 36 of them." When we were first married, he went to Sam's by himself and returned with a box of crispy M&Ms and 12 cans of cream of mushroom soup.

You can tell we've had an exciting day.

One Month

Wow...I can't believe Amelia is a month old already.

If you are familiar with the play Our Town, you might recall that the character Emily is given a chance to re-live any day from her life. If I were given that opportunity, I would choose November 12...the anticipation, the excitement, and finally the moment when I met and instantly fell in love with the little girl I had been carrying for 41 weeks--it was beyond amazing.

I'm not trying to be extra-sappy or poignant or anything; I'm way too tired for that. I've just enjoyed getting to know her and I'm very happy to be her mother. :) And I think she's pretty cute.

A smile

I finally got a picture of Amelia smiling. :)

Also, if you look closely, you can possibly tell that she is pointing with her left hand. Now, I realize she isn't aware that she's pointing, but she does this all the time...when she has a serious look on her face and has that finger pointing, she totally looks as if she's telling someone off. Too cute.

Sleep deprivation, maybe?

This morning, instead of opening two Splenda packets and pouring them in my cup of coffee, I poured them onto a paper napkin. :)

Sunday Update

I know this isn't the best pic of Amelia, but hey, look at that swing. I put that together myself. Yes sir (or ma'am), I did. And it required screwdrivers.

I haven't posted much this week because, frankly, not much has been going on. This was my first week alone with Amelia, and it went pretty well. Some days were better than others. The swing was purchased after one of the not-as-great days. All in all, though, I can't complain. Amelia's a pretty good baby, and I'm really enjoying spending time with her. I told Darryl tonight that I'm fully expecting to cry when I leave her at the daycare the first day back to work...Okay, don't want to think about that right now.

So there you go.

Question...

Am I the only person NOT watching The Hills?

Christmas Photos

Yesterday Darryl and I took on the task of trying to get some good pictures of Amelia for a holiday birth announcement. Amelia was a trooper for about the first 15 or 20 minutes, but then she started getting annoyed with us.

We finally ended up with several good pictures, but she isn't smiling in any of them...at least she looks content. Of course, she gave us several smiles shortly afterwards when she was enjoying a bottle while lying in her daddy's arms.

(Part of me is tempted to send out this pic on the announcement, but I guess I'll go the traditional route and use something more angelic.)

Halftime Photo Session

Here's Amelia showing off her LSU cheerleading suit. (Forgive the milk/spit bubble--it's not very easy posing an almost-3-weeks-old baby for a picture.)

I think this one shows her frustration with how the Tigers have played so far in the game. I think she's saying, "What are you DOING??"

Goings On This Week

Here are some random tidbits from the week:

--My mom has been here, and she's been a big help. We've taken Amelia out almost every day for lunch and little shopping excursions, and so far that has been going well.

--Because my mom has been here, Darryl and I were able to put up our Christmas tree and other decorations. Deck the halls! We also went out last night for what will probably be our last "just the two of us" outing for quite a while. We even did a little Christmas shopping.

--Here's the life of a new parent: After having watched Dancing with the Stars all season long, I was so exhausted I drifted off to sleep before the winner was announced Tuesday night. Fortunately, I had TiVoed it (it's on my Season Pass, of course), but still... (I was glad Helio won, by the way, although I would have been okay with Mel B winning, too.)

--My calves and ankles are finally returning to their normal size after many months of fluid retention. I no longer feel like Fred Flintstone.

--Am I a big nerd because I'm excited about this Clash of the Choirs that is coming in December?

--I love Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts and want to have them over to eat chips and queso dip and play board games. Do you think they would accept my invite?

Amelia's first bath

Amelia had her first real bath tonight. Here are some pics...

Not too sure at first...
Warming up to it...
Look at that face!
I can't believe she's two weeks old already!

Amelia's first "real" outing

Amelia, my mom, and I went out yesterday on Amelia's first official outing. We had lunch at Ruby Tuesday's and shopped at DSW, HomeGoods, and Babies R' Us. I was quite proud of myself for handling the carseat and the stroller with increasing ease and confidence. (The other day, I asked Kim when the carseat stops feeling so awkward--man, that thing is heavy with a 9+ pound baby in in it--and she said emphatically, "Never!") Amelia was great through the whole thing, sleeping most of the time and waking just once to be fed, which my mom did in the car while I went into a store, and needing to be changed just once.

This outing was really more for me than Amelia, I think--now I'm not quite as terrified to leave the house with her. That's been a big obstacle for me to overcome.

In other Amelia news (knock on wood here), Amelia has had two good nights in a row, sleeping a few hours, taking a bottle and cooing some, and then sleeping a few more hours. Cross your fingers...

And in news completely unrelated to Amelia, it was just a bad football weekend at our house with LSU's loss (the curse of being #1) and FSU's loss (that's D's team, and let me tell you, he was NOT happy). Oh, well...

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was really good this year. It was at our house, and my parents were here along with two other sets of relatives: my Uncle Len, Aunt Jeana, and cousin Larson; and my cousin Vicky and her husband, Robert. If I'd had the energy, I would have really relished this opportunity to cook up a storm, but my mom did the cooking--with some contributions from others--and it all was delicious. (I did make Paula Deen's Gooey Pumpkin Butter Cakes--yum!)

Here are a few pics...

First, a "family pigging out" action shot:



Here's Darryl with Amelia and cousin Larson:


Here's our first "family" picture. It's not the greatest, but it'll do:

And finally, here are the two people I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving:

Morning after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was good. We had some family over and my mom--a great cook--prepared most of the food. I'll do my official post later today, complete with pics.

Other things going on...
--My parents watched Amelia Wednesday night so Darryl and I could go out to eat. Wow, that was nice; I hadn't been in a restaurant in over a week. (Darryl and I were big "going out to eat people" pre-Amelia.) It was really great spending time just the two of us, even for just a couple of hours.

--While I am anxious to get out of maternity clothes, I do have to say that I enjoyed wearing my "comfort waistband" maternity jeans yesterday for Thanksgiving lunch. Nothing like having pants that expand along with your stomach. (You're jealous of my "Thanksgiving pants," aren't you, Tim?)

--Speaking of maternity clothes, my goal today is to find some "transition" shirts/sweaters that will make me look a little less pregnant. The stomach is shrinking slowly, but in the meantime...

Well, my mom has finished feeding Amelia, so it is time for me to get ready to shop. I'll post more later about Thanksgiving.

Random Things

1. For those of you who read my blog (all 4 or 5 of you), thanks for putting up with my "all Amelia all the time" posts. I'm a new mother, and I love posting about her.

2. That being said, apparently Sunday night was a fluke. She slept a good portion of the night last night, but Darryl and I had to take shifts making sure she stayed that way. (The theory here is that the more she sleeps at night, the easier it should be to keep her awake during the day.) At 3:30 this morning, I was rocking the bouncy seat while watching last Thursday's The Office, which I thought was one of the best episodes of the season. (Or am I more easily amused when I'm sleep deprived?)

3. Is anyone watching Friday Night Lights? (Again, a show I watched while on the baby shift.) I'm loving the new storyline with Santiago and Buddy Garrity, and I think it has lots of potential. Anyone with me on this?

4. I must have this for Christmas.

I'm a week old today!

Dear Lord, please let this continue...

Amelia slept from about 10:45 to 2:30 last night, had a bottle, then slept until 6:45 this morning!

(Now, I have heard that babies can "trick" you by doing that one night and then never doing it again. I hope this is NOT the case with Amelia. Cross your fingers!)

Weekend with Amelia

Things are still going well. The day/night confusion thing is getting a tiny bit better day by day. I think it is just going to take awhile. Darryl and I are at least taking shifts, so we're both getting more sleep than we did the first two nights.

Today I had a little bit of cabin fever, so we all went for a ride in the car to run a couple of errands--first to a barbecue store for Darryl to pick up some turkey frying stuff (yum!) and then to Babies R' Us to pick up a couple of items. It felt as though light years had passed since I had been out and about. (Christmas decorations are up in our town. What???)

Here's an Amelia pic for the day. This was from last night. Call me a proud mother, but I think she's adorable. :)

Bonding with Amelia

Darryl and I are really enjoying this week with Amelia. My parents, who came up as soon as they heard we were heading to the hospital, left Thursday so that Darryl and I could have some "alone time" with the baby. (This was pretty gracious on their part; this is their first grandchild, after all. They're coming back for Thanksgiving, though.)

Anyway, she has us tied around her finger...even during the sleepless nights. (By the way, I think we may be on the verge of a breakthrough with that, knock on wood.)

We went for our first visit to the pediatrician yesterday, and Amelia is already up to 9 pounds, so she's definitely eating well. :) (I guess infancy is the one time in a woman's life when it is good to gain wait.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics from the last few days...

Darryl read her One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish yesterday. About halfway through, he said, "This is a long book." Amelia seemed to like it, though:

First Night

See that sweet little angel below, sleeping ever so peacefully? Yeah, she doesn't sleep like that at night.

I'm really big on the whole going by a (flexible) schedule thing, but these books I've read don't really talk about how to keep the baby awake during the day (with some naps, of course). I think we definitely have one of those "days confused with nights" situations, but I also realize it might take some time for her to get this figured out.

Today has been a little better with keeping her up for longer periods during the day. We've given her a sponge bath and have talked to her. We're also open to any reasonable suggestions for keeping a baby awake when she's supposed to be awake.

That being said...even when she refuses to be put down in her pack n' play at 3 a.m., we can't be mad at her. She's too stinkin' cute. :)

Amelia Paige is Finally Here!

Amelia Paige (finally) arrived Monday night at 8:23! She was 8 pounds, 9 ounces and 22 inches long (!). She has lots of blond hair, really long fingers, and big feet. We're absolutely in love with her and can't wait to get to know her better.

I'm trying to do that "sleep when the baby sleeps" thing, but I can't stop looking at her. :)

Still no news to report...

No baby action today, either.

Darryl made some really good chicken and sausage gumbo, and I made an apple pie and did laundry. The house is clean, I have food to provide for my parents when they come up as soon as they get "the" phone call...we're just waiting for the baby.

The wait continues...

I forgot to update last night, but really, there was nothing to update. Coretta still doesn't want to come out. I'm trying to convince her how much fun we'll have once she gets here!

Darryl and I went to eat with our friends Blake and Jessica last night at Ted's Montana Grill. It was nice to hang out with them and to get out of the house.

Oh...and will LSU be #1 again???? I hope so!! (Another reason Coretta needs to show up--she has an LSU cheerleader outfit to wear!!)

Still no baby

I feel an obligation to post an update every day. I've already learned that if I don't pick up my cell phone when it rings, people assume it is because I'm labor and can't answer it. :)

I pretty much stayed around the house all day, but tonight, in an effort to cure my cabin fever, Darryl and I went to eat at Macaroni Grill and then saw the movie Dan in Real Life. I liked it, and Darryl didn't. (He later confessed to me that he doesn't really like Steve Carell. What??) Granted, it isn't on my Top Ten List of Greatest Movies of All Time, but I thought it was a nice, understated movie.

Oh, when we were at Macaroni Grill, there was a table full of little girls--plus some smaller groups scattered throughout the restaurant--dressed in 50's attire (poodle skirts, pedal pushers, scarves around ponytails) with their dads, who were dressed in white t-shirts and black leather jackets. Apparently there was some daddy/daughter dance or event somewhere tonight. Anyway, it was really cute...made me excited about having a little girl. Of course, Darryl and I joked that mom was probably home with a glass of wine and a chick flick, enjoying a few moments of peace and quiet and having the house to herself.

And as for me...soon I'm going to bed in hopes that I'll be awakened by labor pains. :)

Darryl said it best...

Darryl just made a rather astute statement: "This feels like Christmas anticipation, but we don't know when Christmas is going to be..."

Yep, we're still here waiting for the baby to show up. Today, the midwife I saw said that she is just positive I will have the baby before the weekend is over, so she didn't want me to sign up for an induction just yet. If she's wrong, though, I go back Monday to schedule an induction for Tuesday or Wednesday.

And so we wait.

I baked a cake tonight. Oh, and Darryl and I went to the BBQ joint down the street, where the woman behind the counter said, "When is your baby due?" My reply: "Two days ago." The woman: "It seems you have been pregnant quite a while." You're telling me, sister.

My First TV Post in a While

My mother will just have to indulge me...I haven't posted about TV in a while. But while I'm waiting for a baby and nothing else is going on, I might as well...

I'm not really watching a whole lot this year. But here's the rundown on what I am watching. If you watch any of the same shows, I'd like your opinion, too...

Dancing with the Stars--I haven't been as much into the show as usual this year, mainly because it has coincided with trying to get lesson plans finished and stuff like that. I'm pulling for Jennie Garth and Helio the Racecar Driver. Or Scary Spice. (I didn't like Scary Spice in the beginning, but she CAN dance.)

Grey's Anatomy--I'm trying to figure out why I'm still watching this show. I think it is definitely on its way down. My favorite character, Addison, moved to the gross Private Practice show, and I don't really like any of the other characters right now. I'm over Meredith and Derek (although, and I know I'm in the minority here, I was never a big fan because I find her whiny and annoying), and I hate the pairing of George and Izzie. My favorite character now is Bailey. She's the only one I don't want to strangle.

The Office--While this show still has moments of humor, I almost think it seems to be trying too hard. Some of the plotlines are way over the top, and I thought the 1-hour episodes were 30 minutes too long. I do like the pairing of Jim and Pam...I'll hang in there.

Friday Night Lights--Still the best show on TV, even with the stupid plot involving Landry, Tyra, and the body they dumped into the river. Everything else about this show I love...and I will say that at least the actors playing Landry and Tyra are doing a great job with the yucky material they've been given. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton, however, are THE reasons to watch this show. They're brilliant.

And, of course, with the writers' strike going on...who knows how many more of these shows we get to "enjoy" anyway?

Any thoughts?

Still waiting...

Yeah, that's about it.

Due date has come and (almost) gone

Well, no baby appearance today. I kind of figured that would be the case. Does anyone ever deliver on her actual due date???

I did go to the doctor today. I'm still "progressing," but not much. The coolest part of the visit was I was hooked up to a non-stress test machine to chart the baby's heartbeat and movements, just to make sure she's not in any kind of distress. All looked good. I'm supposed to go back Thursday to discuss possible induction that would likely be scheduled for Sunday or Monday. While I would like for this to happen "on its own," I think by Sunday or Monday, I'll be all for an induction. I'm ready for her to be here!

So that's the latest. Until then, we wait...

November 5--Nothing Going On Except (Maybe) Nesting

Darryl is convinced I'm nesting. He may be right, but this isn't what I thought nesting would be. I thought nesting was all about doing "ridiculous" chores like attempting to clean out all the closets or cleaning the grout in the kitchen floor with a toothbrush. (Or, I also like Kim's story about having the desire to buy and put up all new Christmas decorations before her daughter was born.) I haven't had a nap in two days, though (and that is a record), and I've done laundry, changed the sheets on the bed, cleaned the refrigerator, downloaded lullabies on iTunes, cooked dinner, and made brownies. I also fit a visit to TJMaxx and Target in there somewhere. Is this "nesting"?

I'm ready to get this show on the road. Darryl and I have been walking the circle in our neighborhood every day for about two weeks, but today we went twice.

Tomorrow I go to the doctor. I hope she says something encouraging...

Sunday, 39+ Weeks, and Baby's Room

Today, Darryl and I--thinking that this could be our last weekend just the two of us--decided to drive up into the hilly countryside north of us to look at some leaves. Our first stop was Amicalola Falls, where we took this picture at the top of the falls:

Now, I didn't really walk up all those steps (you can park at the top of the falls), but I told Darryl I was ready to leave because I was attracting LOTS of attention because everyone thought I had hiked it. I also don't like my facial expression in that picture, so consider the following one my official "34 years old and almost 40 weeks pregnant picture":
We also went to Ellijay to an apple barn, where I bought some apples (healthy, right?) and a fried apple pie (um, well...at least it has fruit in it). It was a good day, and the leaves--at least the ones that had turned--were very pretty.

And finally, here are a couple of pics of the baby's room. We've had it done for a while, but I've just been lazy about posting the pictures.

Here's what the room looks like as you walk in. The wall to the left basically just consists of closet doors.

And here are the other two walls. Ignore the white basket with a few remaining items to wash. Oh, and Coretta's "official" name is going on the shelf above the changing table/dresser:

So there you go. We're ready.

My 34th

So, yesterday was my birthday, and it was pretty good. Typically, I still get excited about my birthday just like a little kid, but this year, it really took a backseat to the impending baby arrival. (It's probably just preparation for my "taking the backseat" pretty much for the rest of my life once I have a child to think about!)

Still, it was a good day...

--I started off my morning with Dunkin' Donuts and a caramel apple cider from Starbucks.
--Darryl and I went to various places, purchasing last-minute things for me and/or the baby. The baby can now come any time she wants. I'm ready.
--We had Mexican food for dinner last night, but I didn't really have too much of an appetite. Darryl told me that he'll take me somewhere really good after the baby is born and my mother is here to babysit one evening. (If Grandma doesn't mind doing that, of course.)
--LSU--in typical fashion--won a game in the last few minutes, and then FSU managed to beat #2 Boston College...so LSU should be back to #2!!! Geaux Tigers!

I have pictures to post later today: probably my "last" pregnancy photos as well as long-overdue pics of the baby's room. I know everyone is just waiting on pins and needles...

Maternity Leave...At Last!

So I'm officially done with school now. It's a good feeling.

I'm exhausted this evening, though; I was up until 1 in the morning finishing up with some grading.

But now I'm done.

Next on my agenda: rest, rest, rest until the baby gets here. :)

If you just heard harps playing and angels singing...

...it was because I just finished grading those blasted Julius Caesar papers.

Happy Halloween!

Yeah, that's all I have to say about that. I've been so busy this week that I didn't even pick up candy for my students, something that I always do.

It's been a busy week. I'm in the middle of trying to finish grading Julius Caesar papers (yuck), finishing up my semester exams and keys to go with them, and tending to some last-minute baby business. Last night I packed my hospital bag because Darryl pretty much forced me to. He's convinced I'm having the baby Friday. I think I've got another week...at least.

I have two more days of school. I'm learning that I should have planned a movie for this week. Instead, I'm trying to get through the first four chapters of The Scarlet Letter just so I can get my students clued in to a few things they need to pay attention to. What was I thinking?

Happy Birthday to Darryl!

I'm too tired to post much...but Happy B-day to Darryl! We went to Fleming's tonight for dinner to celebrate, and now I'm stuffed. :(

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Babe!

The weekend is here!

I'm so glad the weekend is here. Of course, I have tons of grading to do, but at least I can sleep in a little.

Here are a few other random facts about what's going on right now:

--I have one more week of school before I'm out. One. More. Week. It's odd...I get a mixture of comments like, "Wow, you're still here?" to "You're not working up until your due date?" I'm due the 6th; my last day is the 2nd. I don't think I'm being ridiculously indulgent or anything.

--Darryl is addicted to the show American Choppers. This makes no sense to me; he's not into motorcycles...what's that about?

That's about it. There's no news on the baby front. I think I'll make it to my due date, at least. I want Coretta to listen to her mother and not make an appearance until at least next Friday, when school is behind me and my grading/work is done. Then she can come any time she wants...the sooner, the better. (The cashier lady at Target yesterday told me that she didn't think I would make it to the 6th. You gotta love how everyone puts in their "two cents.")

Seriously, Santa?

I was lurking on an "Atlanta" board on babycenter.com, and I couldn't believe this...

Apparently, for the opportunity to sit on Santa's lap at Phipp's Plaza, you have to book an appointment.

Wow. Something tells me that Charlie Brown would hate this. :)

My Day in a Nutshell

1. Students rubbed my stomach.
2. People told me I was "getting large" three times within about 30 minutes.
3. I told my 7th period class that they were rude and immature and that I thought some of them should reconsider whether or not they should be in honors. (Um, yeah...I said all that. I said it in a nice, matter-of-fact tone, though--I wasn't yelling or anything.)
4. I worked hard on lesson plans, not leaving school until almost 6.

Baby Dreams

I have had three dreams in the past week that I have the baby, get her home, and forget to feed her. It's like, "Oh my goodness--I haven't fed the baby in eight hours!"

What's up with that?

P.S. Darryl and I slept in until 9:15--I can't remember the last time I have slept that late! My guess is that it won't happen again for a long, long time. :)

A little better today...

I'm halfway out of the funk I was in yesterday. I'm pretty much finished with my lesson plans for my juniors with the exception of the semester exam, which will pretty much be cut and pasted from old tests. My sophomores were a little better today; I think they could tell I was in no mood for their shenanigans, and that seemed to work somewhat.

I've decided that I'm taking the evening off from school stuff--is anyone watching Friday Night Lights? I swear I cry (or at least tear up) in every scene with Tami (played by Connie Britton).

Anyway...

You're Invited to My Pity Party

I know I have many things to be thankful for right now, and I am thankful for them, but this afternoon I have just felt overwhelmed. I'm hoping this post will either A) make me feel better by unburdening myself, or B) solicit any advice that may help. (If your advice is "take care of yourself and get some rest," just save it. These things have to get done one way or another.)

Here we go, in no particular order:

1--I'm not too excited about my longterm sub situation. I put off doing my lesson plans in the hopes that an actual English teacher would be taking on my classes, and my lesson plans would be something like this: "Hey, here are some things I've used in the past to teach The Scarlet Letter. You are welcome to use them, or you can do your own thing if you would rather teach your way." Instead, I have a teacher who hasn't taught English before, so I'm finding that I'm having to give very specific instructions and make detailed answer keys for everything. I probably answered 200 questions on reading guides for The Scarlet Letter yesterday. Today I tackled Taming of the Shrew, which my 10th grade honors students are going to be reading. I still have short stories to do. Oh, and semester exams. It's too much. And now I'm mad at myself for waiting.

2--I also have tons of grading to do. Because I wasn't sure what my sub situation would be, I decided to schedule most major writing assignments for when I would be there. While I think that was a good move (I don't really see my sub grading essays), that has left me with a ton still to grade. I can definitely say that I won't be making extensive comments on anything. And I definitely don't want to take anything with me when I leave to have the baby.

3--I'm very discouraged with my 10th grade honors students. Last year, I had a wonderful group who I felt actually learned something, and we had a great rapport. They were very conscientious, and they kept me going during what was a very trying year with my seniors. This year, however, my honors students are spoiled, whiny, unmotivated...and this afternoon I actually had hot tears coming to my eyes after the last bell rang because I feel like I have taught them nothing, and that makes me feel like a failure as a teacher. Granted, part of it is their fault--if they won't read or take anything seriously, I can't really help them--but I can't help feeling that part of it is my fault because I haven't thought of something great to hook them. And I'm too tired to think of something to hook them.

4--Probably adding to all these is that I'm sleep deprived. The heartburn is killing me--Zantac doesn't even help anymore.

So wah wah wah, right? I also worry that if I feel this overwhelmed without a baby, what am I going to feel like with a baby?

Busy week

It's been a busy week so far...

I enjoyed having my parents here this weekend. My mother and I had a good time buying some baby clothes at the Carter's outlet. While I have tons of onesies and gowns, I didn't really have many outfits for "showing off" the baby. Now I do. I also bought Coretta her first pair of Osh Kosh overalls. Too cute.

Monday night, I went to a school play directed by Tim, and it was really good. Tuesday night, I had to go to Parent Night at school, and it was pointless. I had two parents show up.

I finally have a sub for my class (good), and she is a certified teacher (also good), but she has never taught English before (not good). I'm in the middle of trying to get my lesson plans together, and it is proving to be quite time consuming.

Speaking of lesson plans, I better get back to them...

What???

Seriously...LSU lost to Kentucky? What's that about?

That stinks.

It's almost Friday!

Thank goodness it's Thursday. I think Thursday is actually my favorite weekday--it has always been my favorite TV evening (remember when The Cosby Show and Family Ties were back to back on Thursday evenings?), and there's just something about knowing that you have to make it through one more work day before the weekend is here. (Speaking of TV, if you're not watching Friday Night Lights, you MUST put it on your viewing schedule. I love it, love it, love it. You will love it too.)

Tomorrow should be somewhat of an easy day. It's early release because of Homecoming, and quite frankly, that means that I am just babysitting my students for several hours. I've found that it is pointless to try to accomplish anything of substance on early release days because students have already "early released" their brains. Fortunately, my students are pretty well behaved this year and can usually amuse themselves with looking at magazines and playing Uno while I grade some papers. (Wow--I really sound like Teacher of the Year, don't I?)

My parents are coming up this weekend, and I'm excited about that. It will be their last visit before the baby arrives. My mom and I plan to shop for my "hospital bag"--I just need a few things, and from what I hear, the biggest mistake people make is taking too much stuff to the hospital. Other than that, I think we are just going to hang out.

Well, I need to finish tidying up. It finally feels like fall today, so I think I'm going to put out my Pumpkin Pie Yankee Candle. Little things like that excite me these days. I'm obviously not getting out much.

One of my pet peeves

I hate when people spell "definitely" D-E-F-I-N-A-T-E-L-Y.

Other stuff from last week...and stuff from this week

I mentioned in my last post that last week was a crazy week, and boy, was it ever.

In addition to the shower, another highlight of my week was that we bought a new car. We had reached a point where we could either spend money to do "upkeep" repairs on the Pilot, or we could get something new. While I like my Pilot well enough, I wasn't crazy about it and didn't really want to drive it for a few more years. I ended up getting a CR-V, and I love it. I had a CR-V before the Pilot, and I really liked it better. The Pilot was just too much car for me, and the CR-V is actually just the right size. There's enough room for a car seat (or two--should Coretta have a sibling one day), and the pack-and-play fits in the back. I'll have to post a picture of the car soon.

We also had midterms last week. This is something new we are required to do. We had a "work day" Friday, and it would have been really nice if we could have used our work day to, you know, work. I still have midterms to grade, and my goal is to finish them tonight. Woo hoo.

I'm in a tiny bit of a funk--not a major one (no tears!), but a minor one. I have a lot of stuff to do in the next four weeks in order to leave stuff for a sub, but I don't want to do any of it. And that's another frustration...apparently a sub hasn't been "secured" for me yet. This makes me a bit nervous. I'm not sure what the competency level is going to be of the person who will be in charge of my classes. I know that I have more important things to be concerned about, but this "what's going to happen while I'm out" issue is a constant nagging issue in the back of my mind.

Oh, well...this situation isn't going to get any better if I don't do something, so I better get to grading those midterms. :)

School Shower!

I just realized that I haven't posted in a week--oops! This has been one busy, crazy week. I'll post more about it later, but I did want to go ahead and share some pics from my school shower that was held after school Thursday in the media center (as you can tell from all the books). Photo credits go to Tim, who was super-thrilled about attending his first baby shower.

Here's Kim (a.k.a. Theatre Director) pinning on the corsage:


This shot was Kim's idea...she knows how much I love the stomach touching!

Here are Sabrina F. (my guidance counselor bud) and Anne D. (a fellow English teacher) getting ready to serve:
Here are a couple of present-opening shots:


And here are a few random shots of party attenders. This one is of Bonnie and Patsy, two math teachers:


Here's Fraser, another fellow English teacher, obviously enjoying being one of the two males present at the shower:

I would post more, but Blogger is being a little slow with uploading the pictures. It was a great shower, though. I told Tim right before it that things like this make me nervous in a strange way because I'm concerned about either the possibility that no one will show up (thus scarring me for life) or the fact that I'm the center of attention. In the end, I did have fun and once again, people were quite generous and sweet.

So thanks, Kim and Tim, for your involvement in all this. It was fun!

The Week in Review

Well, here is one thing I've learned this week: when I'm 34 (almost 35!) weeks pregnant, it takes me a loooong time to recover from a weekend of fun and festivity. I had so much fun last weekend (I don't think I mentioned that my two sisters-in-law and two nieces, my mother, and my aunt came to town for the shower), but I still have that "hit by a truck" feeling. Add that to the fact that it was Graduation Writing Test week and my 10th graders are reading Julius Caesar (which, I'm sorry, I just don't enjoy teaching although I try to fake my love for it), and it has seemed like a really long week.

Other happenings this week: Thank goodness the new fall TV season started. Although I've Fake TiVoed most of my shows and plan to watch them at some point this weekend, I did catch my guilty pleasure, Dancing with the Stars. I wasn't really looking forward to this season because I didn't really care about any of the "celebrities," and I thought it was too soon after the last season, which ended, I think, in late May. I have to confess, though, that I think I'm really going to like it. Most of the celebrities seem likable, and there are some really promising dancers in the mix. My favorites are Jennie Garth (look, I loved 90210 back in the day) and Helio the Racecar Driver. He may be my schoolgirl crush for this season.

Last night, Darryl and I took a Baby Essentials class so that we could learn how the proper way to feed, bathe, and diaper our newborn. It was quite fun and informative. I've changed a few diapers in my life (but Darryl has probably changed more than I have), but I never feel like I'm doing it the right way, and I have NEVER bathed a baby. We have our hospital tour this Sunday, and then next week, we're taking Infant CPR. From that point on, the education--which I'm sure will be quite vast and overwhelming--will be hands on.

Tonight, I'm having the most fun I've ever had doing laundry...I'm washing baby clothes! I have to confess that I opened the washing machine lid several times to look at my pink and white onesies swishing in the water. I'm sure the laundry isn't much fun when it is, you know, soiled by various gross substances that I won't specify, but for right now, I'll bask in this moment of baby preparation.

Yep, that's about it for us. I have a long "to do" list for this weekend...I'm crossing my fingers that I get everything accomplished.

Baby Shower!

Saturday, my friend Jessica C. threw a baby shower for me. I'm having a school shower in a couple of weeks, so this one included some family and some of my non-teacher friends. It was lots of fun...good friends and family, fun conversation, delicious food (chicken salad on croissants, spinach salad, fruit salad, and cake), and very generous and beautiful gifts. I'll say this much--the baby is definitely going to be one sharply dressed gal.

Here are some highlights...

The beautiful cake:


From Left to Right: Darryl's Aunt Carol Sue, my cousin Victoria, my mother, and my Aunt Winifred:



Here's Jessica measuring me for the infamous baby shower game "How Big Is She?":


Here's a shot of some of my friends and family:


This was a bit of a gag gift from Darryl's cousin and his wife. Most of you know that Darryl and I aren't telling the name of the baby, much to the frustration of many of our friends and family. Brandy (Darryl's cousin's wife) figured that since she couldn't get anything monogrammed with the baby's real name, she would just give us a onesie monogrammed with "No Name." Ha!



Here I am chatting it up with my friends Tiffanie and Sheri; my friend Lisa is in the background, talking with my cousin Victoria:

It really was a fun time, and I am tremendously grateful for the friends and family I have. Good times!

This and that

The most eventful thing that has happened over the past few days is that Darryl returned home from a 3-week stint in South Africa. That was officially his last international trip for a while, and I was (and still am) really, really, really glad to have him home. He's also been treating me very well the past few days, cooking dinner two nights in a row while I sacked out on the "big chair."

I'm tired of hearing about OJ.

Funny dog story: Tonight Darryl and I were eating our dinner (grilled pork chops), and about halfway through our meal, Darryl noticed that Abby, our dog, was not in her usual dinnertime spot; she typically sits by the table, staring longingly at whatever we're eating. We immediately jumped up from the table, afraid that our gate was open and she had gotten out, but we quickly discovered where she was: the little boy next door was throwing Cheerios over the fence to her. Daniel (the little boy) loves Abby, and he was so cute taking a bite of his snack and then throwing part of it to her. I'm not sure how Abby felt when she realized she missed out on pork chops to have Cheerios, though...

The glass half full

I guess I woke up on the right side of the bed this morning because I am in a really good mood.

I just returned from Dunkin' Donuts (don't judge me), and the thermometer on my car said 66 degrees. It makes me think that fall might actually be on the way. Fall is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year. Fall festivals, county fairs, Homecoming at school, pumpkin patches, sweaters brought out of their summer retirement...I love all these things. To top it all off, I'm excited about the tremendous life change that Darryl and I will experience in November. I know from all my friends and family who have kids that this will also be a time of being overwhelmed, exhausted, and perhaps even "blue" from time to time, but I'm still excited about it.

I also can't complain about school these days. My mother commented the other day that when she asks how my day was, I'll reply, "All right" or "fine" instead of saying it was really good or great. Honestly, the only thing that keeps it from being good or great is my constant fatigue. Taking a break from seniors, however, has been a drastic improvement. I have a good group of juniors who have helped me remember why I like teaching. My honors sophomores have been a bit of a struggle in the sense that they don't seem very academically motivated, but I'm hoping they'll come around.

So all is good. I am about to grade essays, though, so I'm not sure how long this mood will last...note that while I did say I like my students, I did not say they are great writers. :)

Random Thoughts

I don't think I can put together a coherent paragraph, but here are some random thoughts...

1--I'm so very tired when I come home from school. I confess I've done nothing the past two evenings except watch TV and read magazines. And eat. And nap.

2--Why does Rosie always want to create drama?

3--The Fat March finale was last night. It's time for new fall TV.

Why do four-day weeks...

...seem longer than a full week? All the people in my lunch group seemed especially tired today, and we all agreed this week seemed longer than usual.

This week has been quite busy with grading and class prep. Next week is going to be easier for me, thank goodness; my juniors will be watching The Crucible (I'll think of you, Jen!), and my sophomores are going to be working on a research project.

I just looked at my stomach in the mirror and I think it actually looks bigger since this morning. Is that possible?

Ugh

I have to grade essays and I don't wanna.

The Past Few Days--Baby Shower and Parents' Visit

Thursday, my 2nd period 10th grade honors class threw me a surprise baby shower. Now, before you are completely overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness, I must say that I think part of this was motivated by a strong desire to have a party. Regardless of the motivation, though, they did give me two gifts--one was an arrangement of towels, bibs, booties, blankets, and diapers designed to look like a cake, and the other was a goody bad for me full of bath/spa products. (I took a picture of the "cake" arrangement, but I realized after I loaded the pic that I had also captured the card with my full name on it...so I don't really want to post it here. I'll take another pic soon and post it, though, because it is really cute.) And there was cake. The students were all very sweet.

You may notice from the pic how enthusiastic the boys are about their first baby shower. Also, I constantly tell this class that they remind me of a 6th grade dance because the boys sit on one side and the girls on the other. Now, if I could only get this class to put as much preparation into their reading and essay writing as they do into their party planning...

In other news, my parents have been here since Thursday. Darryl had to work out of town this weekend, so they came up for a visit. I have enjoyed having them here. We've been eating well (Friday, my mom made roast, mashed potatoes, okra, peas, cornbread, banana pudding...yum!), and we did some shopping. My dad also put together a closet organizer for the baby's room. My mother already has purchased a bag of clothes for the baby, and she couldn't resist buying the baby her first pair of jeans the other day while we were at Kohl's.

Oh, one last thing...you must go to Jen C's blog and read the diary entries she's posted from when she was 15 years old in 1987. Hilarious!

The baby's football season attire

This past weekend, our friends Rebecca and Damian came to visit us from Baton Rouge. Their gift for the baby was this fabulous LSU cheerleader outfit. This will definitely be the baby's Saturday attire. Geaux Tigers!!!

More on the stomach touching

Today a random student I don't know walked up to me in the hallway and asked, "Is you pregnant?"

I told her yes, I was, and then she said, "Can I touch your stomach?"

I said, "I'd prefer that you not do that." She said okay and went along her merry way. I'm sure she thought I was a big ol' meanie, but I did not know her at all.

I also have a student who recently returned to school after having a baby six weeks ago. She wants to talk baby with me every day. Now, I'm not one to "shun" these young mothers because many of them have very sad situations and I try to support them any way I can, but at the same time, I don't think we need to be bonding over pregnancy. Kind of strange.

I told TimShady the other day during one of our gab sessions between classes that I'm learning that motherhood is like a club and I'm a new inductee. Suddenly, women who really weren't all that friendly to me want to know all these things about me. When I was married with no kids, I was uninteresting to them. Apparently I'm incredibly fascinating now that I'm with child. Weird.

Pregnancy Brain

I definitely had the pregnancy brain yesterday. My students have been reading and discussing The Crucible for almost two weeks now. Yesterday, I gave several of my classes who were ahead in their reading a Crucible crossword puzzle. Up at the top, I had typed, "The Scarlet Letter, Acts 1 & 2." Even on the board under our agenda for the day, I wrote, "Scarlet Letter Activity." Go me.

School and Stuff

Here's some random stuff from the past few days:

--I had a prenatal massage Sunday. (For those of you who may be curious, the only difference I could tell between it and a "regular" massage is that I was on my back and side for all of it instead of on my stomach. Also, there are supposedly some pressure points that are supposed to be avoided on a pregnant woman.) Anyway, it was WONDERFUL. I told Darryl that I may need to fit in another one of those before November. :)

--I'm really enjoying teaching the juniors so far this year. I know it is kind of soon to speak, but so far, I have no complaints. I do, however, have some complaints with my 10th grade honors class. I'll just say that many of them--heck, the majority of them--probably should not be in an honors class.

--I just had some Publix Premium Monkey Business ice cream. Delicious. (Banana ice cream, chocolate shavings, and chocolate-covered peanuts...seriously.)

--Speaking of ice cream, my new guilty-pleasure TV show is Fat March on Mondays. A) I think it is both impressive and inspiring how much these people are walking. B) The ambulance makes an appearance almost every week. C) It gives me something to look forward to on Mondays.

Yeah, that's about it.

Why I don't like to watch the news...

So I sat down on the couch this morning to watch a little TV to "ease" into my Saturday, and within 10 minutes, this is what I heard about on the local news...

--Vick's involvement in the killing of innocent dogs (something that makes me want to throw up, by the way)
--The discovery of the West Nile Virus in the metro-Atlanta areas
--Armed robberies and assaults
--The danger of OTC cough medicine for young children
--Local car thefts

Happy Morning, Everyone!!!!

Trimesters and School

Well, I've hit the final stretch...the third trimester. Why do I think this will feel like the longest one? I'm feeling okay, but I think the tiredness has returned. I also think this tiredness is combined with the usual tiredness I feel when my body adjusts to starting school again. Anyway, the first item on my agenda when I get home is a nap. Do I really have time to nap? No. But I do it anyway. (That last sentence makes me think of Martina McBride's song "Anyway," except she's talking about big things like loving and dreaming and singing. I just want to nap. Go Martina.)

School is plugging right along. This is my first year without seniors, and I have to admit I'm enjoying the break. Seniors have this certain attitude of "I'm the big, bad senior, so I don't have to do what I don't want to do." I gotta say I'm not missing that. I'm a little disappointed with my two classes of sophomore honors students, and I can't really put my finger on why that is. They all seem like good kids, but both my classes are larger than the honors class I taught last year (last year, I had 13 students, and this year, I have 20+ in each class), and one class--the last class of the day--can be downright obnoxious and loud. Today was a little better, but we still have a ways to go.

My juniors are starting The Crucible tomorrow, and we're reading parts in class. That can either be fun or painful. Cross your fingers for me that it will be the former. I'm looking forward to the line--and fortunately, it takes place early on--when Abigail tells John something along the lines of "Remember when you clutched my back and sweated like a stallion" because that is when the students' interest perks up. :)

Well, speaking of The Crucible, I better start working on my prep. I've taken a nap and I've blogged, so I have no excuses not to work on it. Yay.

Back to School

Today was the "real" first day of school. Overall, it was pretty uneventful, which is good. My seventh period honors class wins the award so far for the loudest class--not bad kids, but they loooooove to talk. Loudly. My quietest and oddest mix of students is my 5th period. I spent most of the class wondering if I should check for a pulse. I guess it's the post-carb-load coma after lunch.

Our school is trying a "standardized dress code" (no jeans, collared or crewneck shirts of certain colors, etc.) this year. I honestly thought it would be a disaster the first day, but surprisingly, most of the students seemed to comply. I'm curious to see how it pans out.

Right after school was over, I was feeling really good, surprisingly energetic. Then on my way home, the exhaustion hit. I had to take a nap this afternoon.

Oh, my glucose test results were normal. That's good. Heaven forbid I cut out starches and sugar.

A long day indeed

Today has been the longest day ever. My day began with the 3-hour glucose test. While it wasn't horrible, it definitely was not the way I would choose to spend my morning. The worst part was that all the blood had to be drawn from one arm (four blood draws total) because the other arm wouldn't produce enough to fill the tube. (Of course, that required another needle prick to determine that.) The good thing is that the lab facility let me leave between blood draws, and Darryl (a.k.a. Husband/Baby Daddy of the Week) came along with me, so we actually drove around and ran errands. That definitely helped break up the time.

After the test, I went to school and worked on this and that. It seems that no matter how much I try to prepare, I end up scrambling at the last minute. For example, I thought I had my schedule set for Thursday and Friday, but I found out yesterday that we may have some kind of assembly Friday where students receive/go through their handbooks. Now I need a Plan B. I'm too tired to think of a Plan B.

From four to six this afternoon/evening, we had Open House. I could actually feel my feet swelling in my shoes. Open House also entails constant smiling and cheerfulness. I wasn't feeling it. Several people touched my stomach. I'm not a fan of the stomach touching. If you are a close friend, I am not offended if you touch my stomach. However, if I don't know you well, please do not touch my stomach. Why do people feel that it is okay to touch a pregnant woman's stomach? People don't touch a non-pregnant woman's stomach. In fact, that would be seen as inappropriate. As we were standing in the hallway, Tim told me that I just needed to go ahead and accept the fact that my female students will touch my stomach. Geez. (How many times can I write "touch my stomach" in one paragraph?)

Let me digress here to say that I truly am excited about this baby, and pregnancy, for the most part, has not been bad (so far). I don't want to sound like an angry, bitter pregnant woman. I'm just amazed at the obsession with the belly...and everyone's apparent entitlement to touch it.

I met Darryl for dinner, and while I was completely famished, I felt as though I could curl up in the booth and go to sleep. Speaking of sleep, I think I'll end this blog now. The bed is calling.

Comments I've Gotten Today

1. From Tim: When I arrived to school this morning, he said, "Don't take this the wrong way because I don't mean it that way, but you look more pregnant today than you did yesterday." (Sorry, Tim--I had to rat you out! All in fun...)

2. From the registrar at our school: "Wook at de wittle belwy. I wuv pwegnant belwies!" (This was said as she rubbed my stomach. If this woman weren't one of the sweetest people ever, I would have been really annoyed.)

3. From our friend Blake, over dinner: "You still have three months to go? You're going to be HUGE!"

First Day

The alarm sounded harsh this morning at 6:00.

The first day back to school (for teachers, anyway) wasn't too bad. I'm kind of glad to be getting back into a routine. My stomach--which obviously has expanded over the past two months--received a great deal of attention. I hope that's out of the way and we can all move on now. (I'm not too great with being the "focus.") Kim, Tim, and I had a good lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Unfortunately, today was the only full day we had in our classrooms; the rest of the time in our rooms will be an hour here and there between meetings.

On another note, I had a call today from my doctor's office that my glucose test results were "slightly elevated," so I get to have the fun three-hour test Tuesday. I've decided that this will be the real test of whether or not I'm over my needle-phobia; so far, I've done well with all the poking and prodding. Let's hope the streak continues.

Tonight I spent my $100 Teacher Gift Card. I didn't buy anything too exciting--pens, Sharpies, a stapler, and the like. It was fun, though--nothing like buying school supplies courtesy of the state.

She's How Old????

This may seem kind of random, but I almost flipped out the other day when I was browsing through an old magazine and discovered that actress Toni Collette is only a year older than I am. Am I the only one who thought she was...older? (Of course, this starts all those questions like, do I look that old? Does the makeup just make her look old?) No offense to Toni Collette (like she reads this blog or something)--I think she is a really good actress. But seriously...she's only 34??

(You can tell I have a lot to think about these days. Maybe it is time for school to start.)

The Last Days of Summer

School starts for teachers on Thursday, so I'm enjoying these last few days of vacation. On one hand, I'm ready for school to start--I'm excited about teaching 10th Grade Honors and 11th Grade American Lit this year, and I'm also excited about having my planning period first period and I also "should" be ending the day on a somewhat positive note because one of my honors classes is the last class of the day. (I say this because for the last two years, my 7th period classes have been not so great--they would leave me feeling defeated at the end of the school day.) All of these things are things I'm looking forward to. I've also been getting a little bored and restless lately, not really wanting to tackle anything that requires effort, but tired of just doing nothing.

On the other hand, I know that once the papers pile up and the grading begins, I'll be ready for a break. And I've enjoyed much of this summer, having occasional lunches with Darryl and other friends, getting the house organized and cleaned out (not fun at the time but feels good now), working on the baby's room, going to the pool, vacationing with family in Pigeon Forge, and relaxing. I've also enjoyed spending time with my girl, Abby:

You can tell that she has enjoyed a lazy summer, too.

So today I plan to have lunch with Darryl, do laundry, and work on some school things, and tomorrow I will have my glucose screening test done (fun, fun!), relax, and then have dinner with my friend Lisa.

Here's to the last days of summer!

This made me laugh and laugh...

Saturday night I was channel surfing and ended up watching an episode on E! of Saturday Night Live featuring a pre-DUI arrest Lindsay Lohan. This Debbie Downer sketch made me laugh so hard that it took me a while to get to sleep! I love it when they get cracked up. It all starts to fall apart about two minutes in and then unravels from there. Enjoy!

Last Full Week of Vacation

I haven't posted much this week because, frankly, not much has been going on. Here are the highlights:

--I met Kim Thursday for dessert (cake--yum!), and she wanted to know if I ever finished The Shipping News. I did. I thought the book was just okay, but I'm not going to judge it too harshly because seriously, people, my brain is just all over the place. My lack of focus possibly has something to do with my so-so reaction to it. (When a dead body was discovered, I actually had to flip back through the book to find out who it was because I couldn't remember. That's how bad my mind is right now.)

--I bought three pairs of pants. That might not seem like much of a highlight, but if you knew how hard it was to find a decent pair of maternity pants, you'd understand what an accomplishment this is.

--I accomplished some things for school. I now have my honors class planned out for the semester. My next task is to plan American Lit (11th grade) for the semester. (FYI--I'm taking a much-needed break from seniors this year. I've taught 11th before, so I'm not really doing a new prep. I'm looking forward to the change.)

Aside from those three things, I've just been enjoying my last opportunity to relax. I've watched TV (specifically online episodes of Friday Night Lights), played the Wii, taken some naps, gone to the pool. I'm soaking up the last bit of summer I can.

The Beckhams

Am I the only one who doesn't really care that the Beckhams are in America? I'm adding them to the list of people I'm sick of hearing about.

The Weekend in Review

Darryl and I went to Ingles for a "snack run" this afternoon, and this is what we bought:I have my glucose test next week...should I be concerned?

Other things of importance this weekend...we are pretty much finished with cleaning/organizing the house. Finally! My original goal was to finish before the weekend, but Darryl informed me that it would be impossible. He was right. It's finished now, though, thank goodness. When the organization guru was on Oprah a couple of weeks ago, he said that most households have "that" room that is never shown to company and always has its door closed. That room was our office, but not any more! Now it is the baby's room, all neat and tidy.

Yesterday we saw Ocean's Thirteen. It was just okay for me, but Darryl seemed to like it. I asked Darryl afterwards if it seemed slow because I was sleepy or if I was sleepy because it was slow. I liked the first two better. (Many people didn't like the second one, but I did.)

I should finish The Shipping News tonight. If I do, I'll consider this past week a success. This coming week, I really, really, really need to focus on school stuff. My main goal is to get my 10th Honors class planned out for the semester. This whole "turning my class over to a sub" thing has me a bit stressed because I have no idea yet who this sub will be. I need to structure my class so I'm leaving the sub with something "doable" for the last six weeks of the semester.

So this is my last full week of vacation. I hope to get in plenty of prep time, pool time, and even nap/reading/TV watching time.