Apologies in advance for the weird formatting. I can't figure it out and I need to go to bed!
Grown-up behaviors are time consuming. Meeting a pediatrician, finishing up dog training, getting a guest room together, being the guest of honor at a baby shower, visiting with excited grandparents and aunts to-be, washing and folding baby clothes, and trying to be a good teacher: it's busyness every night of the week.
Tomorrow will be 38 weeks, which means, baby could come any time now. As overwhelming as it feels to have a real live baby, I simultaneously feel ready and anxious to meet this little one who has been with me for so long now. It's also getting just a little uncomfortable... so really any day would be fine. Of course, I have a feeling that he or she is really cozy in there, and is probably not in any rush to come out. I'm committed to working up until the Friday before my due date, so I have a short Thanksgiving week, and then one more week after that. If I get extremely uncomfortable or if my co-workers convince me to take off early, then I very well might.
The other day Nick mentioned that maybe we should look into some pregnancy photos, like from a pro. Until now I really haven't been interested in having any pictures taken. I mostly feel huge. After looking at some of the websites, and seeing how tastefully done maternity photos can be, I really thought I might be interested. And then I looked at prices. It's not the photo shoot that is costly, its the prints! To get several prints made would easily run our bill towards $1000. I can't rationalize it in my head. So, I had Nick take these two pics of me to share with my friends and family from afar, and I can see now that we have to work on lighting, wardrobe, and makeup before we take the next pictures, but I think we can get some good ones for less than $1000.
38 weeks of baby belly.
Yep, I'm really having a baby.
My dear friends Kristina and Laura (and their husbands Paul and Laura), gave us the most lovely baby shower a few weeks ago. I was so overwhelmed by the amazing people that came. It was sort of like our wedding, having so many of our favorite people in one place. So much love was flowing all around!
This is how Nick felt.
Lovely Sarah is exactly 10 weeks behind me! And I was 10 weeks behind Kristina. And now, Gus is the cutest thing around. It was so great to see this cycle of babies continue!
Remember this?
Kristina and I in late August at her shower.
The babies met :)
And now, Gus is a real, live, amazing baby. (With some awesome parents to boot.)
Life just keeps happening. And it's miraculous.
Some little miracles are happening in my class at school:
We have independent reading stations, that are actually working!
We are examining mineral samples and analyzing them!
We are doing independent research on Science topics.
We are folding cranes for our assembly on Asia on Wednesday.
And, we can read next to each other without talking!
It's the little successes that keep me going!
So long for now, I'll leave you with Arnie, trying to get his dinner out of an orange juice carton (our latest innovation in challenging his brain).
Howdy all. I hope all of us are keeping the folks in Japan and in the Pacific in mind. Unbelievable footage here. And I hope we're all paying close attention to the events in Wisconsin. Things are getting off the rails and some crazy sh!t is going down. Maybe, maybe the right will rally around their shining star of the past, President Ronald Reagan, and start supporting unions, like he once did, remember?
"They remind us that where free unions and collective bargaining are forbidden, freedom is lost. They remind us that freedom in never more than one generation away from extinction. You and I must protect and preserve freedom here or it will not be passed down to our children and it will disappear everywhere in the world."
Ahh, straight from the mouth of babes from the Man's mouth. (Cough,hypocrisy,cough) Let's see, this is from 9/1/80, I was 2, almost 3, therefore, I was a child. And now Wisconsin has shot down collective bargaining. Roughly 30 years, a generation? Hmmmmmm, spooky.
As a very, very wealth teacher, let me tell you I like living high on the hog (HA!). Sure, the states are hurting from the economic downturn over the last decade and sure, the states knew what agreements have been made with the unions over the years. I guess they didn't plan too well. That's ok, just take it out on us now (grinding teeth). One thing I've learned over the years is that those that do wrong (read wealthy/connected) are rarely punished, hell, sometimes rewarded, while those that are penalized/hurt are usually the underrepresented or innocent. How can anyone say the teachers and state employees did all this to state budgets? Maybe no one has said that explicitly, but the action in Wisconsin are playing out as if it was the unions fault. And the media is running with it. Sorry, I'm upset by all this, and the Hawkeyes lost yesterday in the B1G basketball tourney. I'm a little pissed off. Bailout the bankers, fu¢k over the teachers.
Whew. Calm down Nick, you're prematurely aging yourself. Quick Nick, go to www.blackheartgoldpants.com for some quick Hawkeye lovin' to bring you to a happy place. (It's a wonderful Iowa Hawkeye blog.)
In other news, Carleen and I went to a very entertaining dance performance last night at Hamlin Park. Our friends Laura and Ande and many others provided us with an excellent variety of differing pieces. The night was to showcase dance/movement therapists to, well, dance. We also got to spend some time with our friends Paul and Kristina (WINK!).
Tonight, we'll be having dinner with friends Jennifer and Adam at Gio's. Those that have visited us and have been lucky enough to dine at Gio's knows how delicious and special this grocery/diner is. Then we're off to the Green Eye bar to meet with our friends, Matt and Lynn, back for the weekend from Boston. So yes, Friday=Funday. Get out there and have a good one, for Nick (and the unions).
I am not sure how to feel: it's Sunday night in Pilsen and the only place that has free WIFI is McDonalds. I think I'm simultaneously embarrassed and thankful. This is the homeless and cold warm up place, also the family eatery, and the table is sticky. But I am truly glad to get my fill of the interweb, and to catch up on unpaid bills. Who would have thought that not having consistent wireless at the apartment would put me at such a loss.
Oh life is such a process, and this week was no exception. We are slowly acclimating to having some stability and certainty in our lives, and yet we regularly still long for the road. School is great. I am surrounded by amazing, positive coworkers and children that need me, and I am constantly learning and engaging with enhancing my skills as an educator. It's really nice. I've gotten to engage with my physical body as well, it's such a treat to take class, and this week I took from both Molly Shanahan and Kristina Fluty, who collectively equal two of my favorite people and movers. And today I finished my week off with some jamming at the Chicago Contact Improv Jam, it's always so so good to spend time in the sacred space that is Links Hall, and to let my kinks be rolled and pounded out, all the while honing my dance listening skills.
This week I've actively begun my Spanish learning attempt using the Living Language method, courtesy of Chicago Public Library. With practice the cds will be helpful, but I'm thinking that in order to really get it, I will definitely require a trip to Mexico or Central America very soon. Especially when it's miserable here in Chicago and we can't take the cold anymore. Of course, it would be solely for Spanish practice, which is required for my job, so I could write the entire trip off of our taxes, right? I think so.
This looks like a place where I could really practice my Spanish. :)
This week, Nick has been hard at work being a house husband. And I am completely content with it.
This is a corner view of the bed Nick made for us. It still is calling for a coat of paint, but for now it's perfect!
My crafty husband also fashioned a bead chandelier to spice up a lacking light fixture. It doesn't really filter the light through the colors, but it does create great dappled light and shadow in the room.
"Um, dear, why are you photographing me? I am right in the middle of building a desk for YOU."
And now for you curious folks, here are a few requisite photos of the new place.
Preliminary shot of the kitchen...
Check out our sunny bathroom. We picked up a yellow shower curtain and a yellow print mat yesterday. It really helps the mood in the early mornings!
And here's the guy himself, goofy as ever. And yes, we are happy.
Parting words:
Thanks Jill! This is something to live by.
And now that I am sufficiently fried, and craving Big Macs (j/k) I think I have satiated my internetting needs for now. Till next time...
