Give a big hand for hand-me-downs.

I went to visit a friend from my teacher-training days yesterday. I haven't seen her in probably two years, so it was great to reconnect. I love having days off -- I get so much done! She had twin boys this summer, and after lots of time playing with the little ones and catching up on our lives, we got down to business. Namely, loading my car with baby clothes. And pillows. And a baby bath. The trunk was full! It was so fun to unpack when I got home. Actually, I'm still working on it! I have two big tubs set aside for clothes from 3-6 months and 6-12 months, plus stacks of stuff from 0-3 months which I've sorted into vague categories (teeny onesies, little pants, wee socks), and still three more bags to go through. Now we need some furniture so I can put it all away properly! It really makes this whole process feel more real, and more imminent. Exciting, yet a bit intimidating, too. A couple of items made me go, 'huh? what's this?' and I'm sure the learning curve will be steep.

Still, a big thanks is due!

Which came first: the chicken or the egg?

Or actually: three-day fall break or total classroom chaos? I was wondering today whether our break was just what we all needed, since clearly none of my students have any patience or tolerance for each other any more (not that I have much more at the moment), or whether the prospect of a long weekend is what truly caused all of us to go stir-crazy. Whichever, it was a huge relief to see the backs of my students today, and know I have five days off! Hopefully everyone will return to class calmer, more civil, and ready to learn. (Ha...well, I can dream.)

Unfortunately, while I don't have to SEE my students, I do have to spend a good chunk of my fall break thinking about them -- grading papers and tests I've put off, and filling out endless report cards online. As if to add insult to injury, I spent last weekend writing midterms to get ready for parent conferences today and yesterday....usually we hand out report cards at conferences, but the district is way un-organized this year, so I have to go through all my grades twice. Argh. Still, five days is a nice break. I plan to sleep in, meet up with a friend to snag her old baby clothes, meet another friend for a sewing extravaganza, and maybe even get outside for a hike. We're in the middle of Denver's "Indian summer" -- it's forecast to be in the seventies for the rest of the week. And then it will probably snow.

Ms. L, are you a chicken?

Just an update.

Not much to report, other than that strangers can tell I'm pregnant now.....and I bought my first maternity clothes! I got a great pair of jeans with a stretchy waistband at the Gap two weeks ago, and last weekend my mom and I found a baby/maternity consignment shop down the street from their place in Boulder. We ended up with a pair of wool pants, a slinky black dress (holiday 'mocktail' party anyone?), and a few tunic-y tops -- Adam likes to call them "tit curtains" but I think they're cute.

Baby kicking more than ever, my spirits and energy still high. Really looking forward to our fall break next week, though! We have parent-teacher conferences Monday and Tuesday after school, which means two twelve-hour days (must bring snacks...), but then the rest of the week off. Not sure yet what I'll be doing, which probably means I'll be here hanging out at home!

Our big annual Halloween carnival is tomorrow night. I'd like to publicly praise the genius who got this event going however many years ago, thereby avoiding an entire day of pretending to teach while kids run around in costumes and masks with bloody swords. This way everything happens at night, and the school day is relatively peaceful. It was more important on years when Halloween was actually on a school day, of course, instead of during fall break. Thanks to student council, however, it is still Crazy Hair Day tomorrow......oh well, you can't have everything. In any case, I'm going as a stork. (No mom, flamingos don't bring babies.) I'll post pictures later!

Things that go bump in the night

I've been feeling the baby move around a lot more lately -- mostly in the evenings when I'm on the couch with a book, or in bed waiting to fall asleep. I'm not sure whether he's just more active then, or if it's the only time I am calm and still enough to pay attention. It feels like little bumps, like hiccups in my belly. It never fails to make me smile. Even Adam can feel the movement now. It makes this whole pregnancy thing seem a lot more real! We've crossed the halfway point now, only 20 more weeks to go.....

I broke the news to my class last week, and they were pretty excited. They all had name ideas to share, most of which I politely ignored while pretending to be enthusiastic about. No progress on finding a sub to take over my class -- I suppose I should really start looking. It's going to be hard to leave my kids in someone else's hands. I get kind of possessive about my students at times! Case in point: I am supposed to take Thursday off for Yom Kippur, but I don't want to entrust any of my lessons to a substitute. Somehow I don't trust them to teach it the 'right way'... Clearly this is silly, as all my students will have at least seven to twelve more years of school ahead of them. One day (or even four months of my maternity leave) without me will not stunt them forever, even if I was a real genius. Still, it's hard to let go sometimes.

My sister came over tonight for dinner, and upon seeing me, blurted, "Oh my gosh, you're pregnant!" It made us all laugh. It's been a few weeks since I've seen her, and although it's still a small belly, I'm definitely showing more every day....