A little nutty

When I found out I was pregnant, I did a mad scramble to figure out how many days I needed in order to still qualify for mat. leave. Going back 60% as planned was out of the question. Instead, I subbed for 20 days in the spring and started back full-time in August.
I HAVE to work until Nov. 1st. People keep bugging me to "quit" soon. Money doesn't grow in trees, folks! I was originally going to work until Nov. 5 but now, my last day is the 3rd. I'm a bit of a geek and I want to finish my units with my kids and have all my report card marks entered. That should all be done by Wednesday.
Thursday, I plan to pamper myself, nest, wash teeny-tiny sleepers and some of Simon's little baby clothes, pack our bags and nap. (I know it sounds like a lot but, I can be pretty efficient.) The weekend will be all about the wedding and then the baby can come.
Trevor laughs at me and reminds me that babies don't always operate on my schedule. Here's hoping.

(This post has nothing to do with Simon but, aren't these pictures Andrea took of him adorable?)

Something Old... Something New...

Did I mention my brother-in-law is getting married in 2 weeks?
He's getting married on Nov. 7th.
My official due date is Nov. 8th.
Hmmmm... we're praying that the baby comes late. (How often do mothers pray that way?)

Because it's a family wedding, everyone's involved. Even my side of the family is going. All the ladies are getting swanky new dresses. I will be 40 weeks pregnant.
Have you ever tried to find a swanky maternity dress in this town? For a woman in all her poofy glory? (This is not a cute, glowing, 6 month pregnant lady we're talking about... this is at the end, at the "I feel like an elephant" stage).
It's impossible.
I've toyed with the idea of online shopping but, my own body-image issues make me doubt and re-guess my size all the time... regardless of what I measure. That and I'm still a little skeptical about online shopping (I'm just a girl of the 20th century, I guess).
Today, I went to one of the two major maternity stores in town to check out their Christmas collection.
Blech!


For Shiya's wedding, she had us wear these gorgeous 7-in-1 black dresses. I tried it on today and it fits well. It's not something new :( but, it fits and it's classy. Look out wedding goers, there will be a poofy pregnant sister-in-law attending. Give her chocolate, keep her little boy happy and tell her that her "dress crocs" look awesome so that she doesn't get upset and have her water break all over the aisle.

Awkward...

In Psych 20 today, we were doing presentations. Every student was to select a (school appropriate song) that personifies his/her attitude towards life. They were to play the song and tell us why this is how they see the world. I've always ended up with some very meaningful and heartfelt little glimpses into my students' lives.
Today was no different until one student played "Hot For Teacher". Remember, this teacher is 37 1/2 weeks pregnant. His reason for choosing the song was that he's a really funny guy and he deserves to get 100%.
I think he may have missed the mark entirely.
I think he may have made me and the rest of the class feel really, really awkward.

Sigh... just 9 more days of my life with adolescents before I return to the life of infancy and toddlerdom.

Ready or not and water games

Ready or not, our second child is coming. Here's my 37 week belly shot to prove it. I'm still a little entertained and amused by my size. :)


Simon's bandages are off now. His index finger is rough looking. It's red and swollen and yucky looking. The stitches are in the process of dissolving and it's healing. It's just gross to look at. He seems like he's in very little pain. He's a resilient little guy.
Normally, when adults have post-op wounds, we keep them under wraps. We probably do this because a) we feel sorry for ourselves and our post-op wounds, b) they hurt and c) they look gross. With toddlers, our Doctor says to leave the wound open. Toddlers don't feel sorry for themselves, if something hurts than they problem-solve and work around it and they don't care what they look like. Our only order from the doctor is to wash it with warm soapy water. A good bath does this just fine. The only problem is, thanks to my uncomfortable size, I can't really give Simon a bath anymore. Therefore, last night, when Trevor was at a meeting, Simon and I played water games so that his finger could get clean. I think I was one smart Momma.

Top 5

I have about 3 weeks to go until Schmoo 2.0 makes his or her appearance. I'm not the largest pregnant lady around however, I am getting to that very uncomfortable and awkward stage. These are my Top 5 Things That are Complicated for a Very Pregnant Lady.

5. Getting into my car.
I sit close to the steering wheel but, I've had to re-adjust to make room.
Seatbelts are also a funny situation. Every time I buckle up, I imagine the lap
belt covering this teeny-tiny face.

4. Shaving my legs.
Where did they go?

3. Toe nail clipping and polishing?
I think I did this 3 weeks ago. I tried again last night and failed.
I think it's time for a pedicure!

2. Cuddling with Simon.
Slowly, this little one has been pushing him away. I think it's nature's way of
preparing him to share. (He does rest his little arm on my belly when we read
stories - that's pretty cute.)

1. Any form of dressing.
I laugh hysterically at myself most mornings as I attempt to put on my socks,
slip into pants or find a shirt that covers all my belly (even maternity shirts
are getting a little short). The funniest is the strange balancing act I have
to do while putting on my undies.

This is a very short time in my life. Most of these situations make me giggle!

Better Now...

Trevor's home.
Life is always better when he's home.
I sleep better. I worry less. I cook better (and eat better).I put my feet up and relax.
I usually forget, until he's gone, how wonderful his presence is.
I feel safe and sound, snug as a bug and content... all because of my sweet man!

Poofy

The end is in sight, folks. It scares me spitless! (Just 3 1/2 weeks left until ETA).
I know I'm getting close to the end of my pregnancy because of all the signs. I'm starting to swell. My face is a little fuller, my legs are a little achy and my feet are now content to be clad in my "dress crocs" (they sort of look like Mary-Janes). My back is more tender, my level of tiredness has increased significantly and I'm finding it hard to bend, stand up, sleep and pick up Simon. I see my doctor every week. Baby is consistent in growing 2 cm every week. I'm now measuring 32 cm (should be 36 but, I carry my babies small). I'm sure I'll continue to "bloom" a little while longer.
My job was posted at work. Eeeek!

Today was a long day after Meet the Teacher Night. I watched too many grade 9 Social Ancient Civilization presentations. Some were good... I barely had a lunch hour and I had a long Dr's appt after school. Thankfully, Simon's baby-sitter could stay late. Somehow, my friend Laurie miraculously knew I was having an awful day. She invited Simon and I over for supper. It was so nice to be fed and looked after.

Trevor's away on a business trip and this has been an exceptionally busy week for me. I miss him and our tag-team approach to life.
I think I need a weekend. I also think I should unplug and go to bed early.

Gratitude

Sometimes, Thanksgiving seems trite. However, when I consider that all that I have are gifts that can be taken away, I am deeply thankful.
We've all heard the stories: friends who have lost jobs, health, homes, family, spouses, children. I can't imagine that kind of loss.
I have been given so much. This is what I am grateful for:

I am healthy. I have a healthy little person growing inside me. I don't have the same worries I had when I was pregnant with Simon. He or she is coming into our family at a God-ordained time and we are so excited to meet him or her.
Simon is healthy. He has been a resilient little trooper. His issues could have been much, much worse. We're so thankful that they are so minor on the grand scale. (He's also pretty adorable!)
We have some pretty amazing families. I love my family, my in-laws and the little family we are creating.
Fergus is pretty awesome too... despite the fact that he's the guy getting time-outs when the baby-sitter has all 3 kids here. (Poor guy's been relegated to the garage on those days.)
We both love our jobs. It's great that both of us get to do something that we're both passionate about and get paid reasonably well for it.
We tried to sell our little bungalow but, we're destined to be here a while longer and that's okay with us. It's cute and it's totally us. We still have enough space for two little ones to play and grow.
Every day, I thank God for the supportive man He gave me. I still can't get over how spoiled I am. Trevor is my best friend and my soul mate. He makes me laugh every day and he gives the best hugs. He's a phenomenal Daddy and somedays, he's the only reason I can stay sane.

What more can a girl ask for? Life is pretty grand!

Post-Op

Simon had his fourth surgery yesterday. This was the third under general anesthetic. His plastic surgeon "de-bulked" Simon's left index finger.
We went to the hospital at 6:30 am and Simon was put under an hour and a bit. I always think that the hardest part is when the porters take him through the operating doors and I have to leave him. I cry every time.
We got to see him around 9 am. He was a mess when he came out. He had so much to tell us and no way to communicate except crying. Finally, after some apple juice, he settled onto Trevor's chest and slept for a good 2 hours. He woke up quite chipper and himself.
He has a big blue bandage on his arm. It kind of looks like a cast. The nurses put a bandage on Tigger's left arm too. Simon likes showing me Tigger's bandage and his bandage.
Simon napped like a pro in the afternoon yesterday, slept the night normally and is now down for his afternoon nap again. That's a huge relief to us.
His hand doesn't seem to bother him much. The plastic surgeon's instructions to us are a little daunting though. He instructed us to keep the bandage CLEAN and DRY. Goodness, life with a one year old makes that a challenge.
Simon wouldn't let Trevor put a plastic bag on his arm last night for a bath. Simon freaked out when I took him out of the park this morning because all he wanted to do was play in the sand. Simon has had 3-4 misses when it came to getting yogurt, ice cream or Nutella on his bandage. Fortunately for us, that's been the hardest thing about the surgery.

Yesterday was one month until Schmoo 2.0 makes his or her debut into the world. I still hope he or she waits a few extra days to let us recover from the wedding.

(The leaf picture above was from today. Certainly not the most usual behaviour for an individual the day after surgery. The other two are pre-surgery and post sugery.) :)

A break and a sneak peek

I had an ultrasound scheduled for the morning. Simon and Trevor came with me. This will (hopefully) be our last chance to see Schmoo 2.0 before his or her arrival.
We waited in the waiting room for an hour... with a one-year old. He was a very, very good one-year old. His meltdown came when his Mommy climbed onto a table, bared her belly and let a stranger touch her. He was over-the-top mellow dramatic. I'd like to think it was out of concern for me. The hospital next month might be interesting because Mommy will be spend a lot of time in bed.

I called in sick for the afternoon. I still have that rotten fall cold and I can't seem to shake my cough. I slept through most of Simon's nap. I hope that helps my immune system fight it's way to normalcy again.

It's good to sleep. I'd forgotten that every pregnant lady should nap every other day if possible. Do you think my periods 5 and 6 classes would notice if I snooze through their lessons every day?

Schmoo 2.0 is head down and weighing in at a whopping 5 lbs 5 oz. He or she is kicking a squirming up a storm. Estimated date of arrival is now November 11th which would be a delightful day for a B-day.

Cause for Concern

One of the school divisions in our province is trying something "new". Instead of disciplining kids for plagiarizing, it's okay. It will now be documented on their new behaviour report card.

Their what?

Behaviour report card? For high school students?
So, if in 15 years, Simon copy and pastes an entire section of a report from who knows what website and hands it in, he will not lose marks? Instead we, his parents will read that he made this choice on his behaviour report card?

I teach high school. I know kids cheat. I catch them. Then, we have a long chat with their parent(s). Then, the kid redoes his/her assignment with a small mark penalty. Their mark sits as incomplete (ie:0%) until it is redone to the required specifications.

I actually spend 2-3 days with students going over how to properly research, cite and document where they found their info. This is good teaching. I tell them that I will be vigilant about watching for cheaters. If they research and record their sources properly, they won't have any problems. Most don't. I end up having one or two conversations and that's it. I set high expectations and kids meet them.

As a society, we need to do the same. We need to teach our kids to value good work ethic, to respect other people's work and to give credit where credit is due. Isn't that what we want from our future leaders?

To read more about this division's decision, check out this article:

Article about plagiarizing for you to peruse at your leisure