Author: DebAnn

A week off… sounds glorious, doesn’t it? If only it were truly a week off. I have had a great fall break though. I have decided my favorite parts have been the mornings. I haven’t slept in much, but just not having to rush off has been great. Just laying in bed, being warm… surfing pinterest from my phone… Extra time with J… Actually getting to make some breakfast to eat… Casual  mornings have been magnificent!

I’ve accomplished a few work related things this week… I went to Alabama for one day to observe a teacher who uses our new math philosophy. While it took a whole day from break it was fun and great to spend time in another classroom in another place. Got grading done and some cleaning up in my classroom, as well as plans for the next two weeks… That means I only have about 5 weeks left to makes plans for until maternity leave!

I’m hoping to get a few things done around the house yet too… I have done the usual, laundry and stuff.. But I am hoping we can get some pictures hung this weekend.  Since moving we really haven’t put anything up on the walls and it’s starting to bother me… Maybe it’s the nesting instinct.

We started our prenatal classes. They have been going well. Nothing we didn’t really know yet… but we both enjoy the videos of cute babies and newborns. We also got to tour labor and delivery as well as the recovery rooms…

I started my twice a week appointments at my OB for non-stress tests. Emma has always been a big mover… well for the NST they strap a microphone to your belly and they want to measure her heartbeat for 20 minutes to make sure you aren’t contracting and she isn’t under stress… Well Emma moved around too much and they weren’t able to get a clear reading, so I had to go check into labor and delivery where they have slightly better equipment… So I got an extended tour in a way… I had to check in, get the bracelet, change into the gown, the whole thing… Everything turned out fine. She just likes to move. I loved when she had the hiccups while the microphone was on, it was adorable. The only problem is that what should be a 30 minute appointment turned into 3 hours… I definitely don’t want that happening twice a week. On Friday for my 2nd NST she went off the monitor a few times but the doctor said the reading was good enough… Luckily…

And to end the post, a recent picture of Emma waving hello… Or maybe fending the paparazzi off… hard to tell. 😀

Waiting… for December. For Emma to be here. To be done with school for a little bit and to focus on Emma and J.

Feeling… Tired and exhausted. This week was parent-teacher conferences. So on Thursday I was at school from 7am to 8pm. From 4:30-7:30 I was booked solid in 15 minute increments with parents. It takes so much energy to talk to the parents about their children and their children’s progress. It is such a short time to try to convey everything you are doing and the progress or lack of progress that their children are making. We have our 2nd night of conferences this Thursday. I have to be there for the same amount of time but this time I only have about 5 parents scheduled so it shouldn’t feel quite as draining. Add to all that the fact that I can’t seem to sleep straight through the night and I’m definitely ready for a nap… 🙂

Anxious… about getting everything done. Not this week but the next I start going to the OB twice a week. The latest they can start my appointments is 3:30, I am technically free from school at 3:10. So it is going to be a bit of a time crunch. I am going to talk to my principal about not waiting to wave goodbye to busses or having two of my coteachers walk my kids through busses but I don’t want to be a pain or annoying to anyone either. Also this week we will probably be starting our prenatal labor and delivery classes. We had gone into the hospital to preregister but apparently the person who did that didn’t complete the process. So I have been playing phone tag with people trying to get us preregistered so we can register for the classes. The classes will be 2 hours long every Wednesday night. Between appointments and classes and regular life I feel like life is about to get very hectic.

Looking forward to… fall break. This next week of class is our last week before fall break. It will be great to have a week off to catch up on cleaning and sleeping and maybe get ahead on a few things like plans.

Enjoying…. The beautiful fall weather. The moments when I’m not hormonally insane and just incredibly happy with everything right now. My pregnancy has been amazing, Jason is amazing, my family and friends have given me so much…. I am really just so incredibly blessed, now someone needs to tell those crazy pregnancy hormones that every once and while. 😀

Missing… Two beautiful women I knew from my 6 years in Iowa passed away this past month. Both too young. One with 2 young children. They were both always such positive bright people who influenced so many despite their struggles. It really makes you appreciate what you have. It also makes me sad that I couldn’t be with their families and the rest of my Iowa friends as they had to say goodbye…

A brief version of a post inspired by Kirsten and Ali.

Ahhhh…. Friday. I love it… despite work being crazy next week I still feel as on top of things as I can be. I got everything done in my room today so I don’t need to go in at all during the weekend. I have my laptop home so I can finalize plans and get my newsletter ready…. but overall I don’t have a lot to do this weekend. I have small plans with friends on both Saturday and Sunday for lunch and I plan on making the most of a weekend with so little to do.  It will be perfect weather to go for a walk on the Greenway and play around with the new camera, maybe even do a little geocaching…

All is well on the baby front. I am half way through week 29… We have a regular OB check up on Tuesday. Still haven’t heard about the glucose test which should be good news. They usually call within 2-3 days if there is a problem, but we will find out for sure Tuesday. In about 2 weeks I will start going to the OB twice a week… that will be crazy!

So I’m not gonna lie. I have had my share of hormonal ups and downs during this pregnancy… but right now I am on a pretty fantastic high… I’ve just entered the 3rd trimester and things are fabulous. I have been so blessed with a practically perfect pregnancy… I’ve lost 30lbs, all my blood tests have come back good, Emma is growing exactly as she should be, I never had any morning sickness, my legs and ankles aren’t swollen, I still feel like I can get out and move around…

And life in general seems pretty great at the moment as well. Jason and I are enjoying learning about our new camera. We are both getting a lot done at work and I actually feel like I’m not quite drowning for once. My first evaluation for the year is over and it went better than I felt it did… I have one more planned evaluation before my maternity leave and then nothing until after…

Fall is arriving, it finally feels good and comfortable to walk outside and even though some of pre-pregnancy clothes are a bit baggy the weather means a change in wardrobe which is nice… hoodies and jeans are back and I love it. I would love to live somewhere where it was 50’s, 60’s and 70’s all year round! I’m a little sad that my pregnancy ban on caffeine means I’m not enjoying all the awesome pumpkin latte’s but I’m definitely enjoying the start of fall… 😀

I love spending time each night browsing pinterest… from parenting advice to camera tutorials and just generally fun stuff. It is always a great way to end the night. Especially since I created my new account, remember to just message me on Facebook or text if you need my username. 🙂