The Peanut Part 1

It's official!  I have been chastised.  I have been a sorry blogger, and it's come to someone's attention.  And I have been given this suggestion - "write about your pregnancy woes." 

So there's my first bit of info - I am with peanut.  In fact, Nate and I saw the little peanut just yesterday at our first ultrasound.  And while it was a very uncomfortable experience (internal ultrasound, anyone? it's a new level of humiliation and discomfort), it was also extremely exciting.  Did I cry?  No.  Did I beam?  Absolutely.  Because I'm delighted beyond belief to be pregnant, and will be even more so when I stop feeling so sick.

I've been given a lot of advice about morning sickness.  Anyone have any advice on sickness that lasts all morning, all afternoon, all evening, all night...?  That's right, I am SICK.  All the time.  And to add insult to injury, I'm supposed to be delighted about this sickness, because it apparently means that my baby is extra healthy.  Seriously?  What kind of perverse joke is this?  My pillow is full of crackers, because I eat them before I roll out of bed very sloooooowly, so as not to make any sudden movements.  I'm sucking preggie pop drops like they're going out of style and rubbing some sort of medication on my wrists that eases the nausea enough for me to stand up straight, all the while attempting to eat every two hours even though it makes me throw up in my mouth a little every time.

Pregnancy is a delight.  Truly. 

On top of all this, I'm still zookeeping my students for the last 9 days of school, and they're making life a little more interesting every day, and I'm seriously kicking myself for agreeing to teach summer school.  But it's money for the peanut, right? 

So, here's what I'm learning.  Pregnancy is a lesson in the selflessness required to be a fantastic mother.  Because I am desperate to be this fantastic mother, I will accept all the above mentioned "woes" with a smile on my face and still attempt to like my students and the people around me.

But don't be surprised if I'm in bed by 7.  Jen told me that growing a baby requires a similar effort to climbing a mountain, and I'm believing her more and more every day.  Happy growing!

It's Friday, it's Friday, it's FRIDAY!!!
And it's also nearing the end of the schoolyear, which means my job has become part zookeeper, part sunshine maker.  Think of me, giant, fake smile plastered all over my face, trying to coach kids to keep working on clauses when all they have in sight is summer.  Woops...  Apparently they forgot that finals stand in the way of their impending freedom.

Anyway, my classroom is quiet, my kids have all left for the week, and next week is the last official week before finals.  Help me, Jesus.  We can do this.

Have a great weekend!

Wedding of the Year

Okay, I'll write on my blog.  I'll be a good girl and tell you all about Sarah's wedding, which I know you've been holding your breath waiting for...

It was beautiful, busy, a little bit hectic. I did Sarah and Lily's hair and makeup while Ann and Jen headed up the decoration committee. And believe it or not, it took all of us much longer than we assumed. In fact, we three girls were left with about 10 minutes to throw together our hair and makeup, and zip our ample bosoms into our very fitted dresses...  Let's just say there were some safety pins involved, as well as some frantic hair-straightening, and in the end, it was a beautiful team effort that got us all to the aisle.  But look at my beautiful Sarah's hair.  It's my finest creation, and she looked exactly like a princess. This is a testament to the power of prayer, because I spent quite a bit of shower time praying over this updo.

I also got to do Lily's hair, and she was just beyond cute. Mom bought her a huge lily (what else?) for her hair, which was both adorable and completely appropriate.  Surprisingly enough, she sat still long enough for me to french braid the sides of her hair back, and curl the entire back of her head in ringlets.  I topped it off with some tiny blue flowers and that giant lily, and she was immediately the cutest thing I've ever seen.  The child is truly a wonder, and she made it through most of the ceremony without throwing (too big) a fit.  I will admit, though, that at one point I looked down and she was lying flat on her face in front of my mom, screaming because she couldn't come stand on Sarah's dress while she was saying her vows.  It's hard to be two...

The ceremony itself was simple, and probably my favorite outdoor event to date. At one point, a wasp crawled up Michael's jacket as he performed the ceremony (his first wedding ever, and he did great!), and then flew and attacked the maid of honor and poor Ann, who literally took off running before she realized that it wasn't necessarily appropriate for the occasion. After the wasp wreaked havoc, he flew off in peace, and I think I saw him click his heels as he left. That was the only glitch, though, which amazes me.  The weather was perfect, the reception went well, the plates of veggies and fruit that I devoured were delicious, and I heard good things about the rest of the food. What more could they have asked for?

All in all, Sarah and Bryan should be proud. Their wedding was gorgeous, and they have a lot to look forward to in the years to come. As for all of the rest of us, we were both exhausted and happy when it was all said and done, and I now have a lovely blue dress that shows off my cleavage and makes Nate smile. In the end, everyone was happy. And Lily was asleep.

TGIF

Awwww.  Remember the days of TGIF? I used to look forward to Family Matters for the entire day, and I spent just about every Friday night devouring pizza, glued to the tv. Those were the days.

And so it is finally Friday.  I'm thinking of hiding out in my bed for the rest of the evening after work and not coming out again until the wedding tomorrow.  I am that tired!  But girls' night was a blast, The Backup Plan was just as cute the second time, and I was seriously tempted to stay for the midnight showing of Iron Man 2, but where would I be at this moment had I done so?  OUT on the copy room floor, napping the heck out of my conference time. Instead, I went to bed at the respectable hour of 12:30 and am just yawning my way through the morning.  I don't even have the energy to bring a hot Cheeto to my lips, and you know that's really saying something after the last few days...

A wedding to remember

Well, how have I failed to mention this up to this point?  Sarah is getting married.  This weekend!  I think it's one of those things that has been on my mind so much that I assumed I had already talked it to death.  Come to find out, I haven't mentioned it yet.  How weird!

Yes, my little Sarah is getting married, and I almost can't believe it, but it is indeed happening.  We have a girls night planned for her tonight.  Nothing raunchy (and thank goodness), just dessert and a trip to see The Back-Up Plan, which sounds like a lovely and cozy idea to me.  Good planning, Jen!  Now make no mistake.  I fully intend to give her a pair of GIANT granny panties to celebrate her upcoming nuptials, but that's as far as I go.  Let's hope her friends don't have other plans...

And let me just tell you this.  I have already seen The Back-Up Plan, and have been scarred by several scenes in it (first ultrasound?  birth in a kiddie pool?  anyone?  anyone?).  So why am I so excited to watch other people be scarred by the very same scenes?  My twisted mind.  I'm smiling just thinking about it.

Anyway, here's to you, Sarah!  I raise my hot Cheeto (yes, I'm at it again) in celebration and say, "GOOD LUCK!" You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I love you, lil' sis.

Cinco de mayhem

Well here I sit, celebrating Cinco de Mayo by eating hot Cheetos during my conference period.  They are quite possible one of the world's most amazing foods, so I'm feeling quite perky and delighted at this particular moment.  But what is it about the end of the schoolyear that makes me not want to come to school? Because, honestly, at this moment, these Cheetos are the only thing keeping me going...

Could it possibly be my students, whose determination not to work comes from the practice of other classes, who stop working after the TAKS test?

Could it be that I'm teaching clauses (and not of the Santa variety) to some kids who still look at me cross-eyed when I ask them what a verb is?

Could it also be the knowledge that at least 80% of the rest of the building is watching movies for the next 3 1/2 weeks?

Surely not.  It must just be me. 

But enough of my whining.  There's a rainbow on this cloudy day!  We took Berkley back to the vet last night, and she is free and clear of any and all traces of mange.  Well, besides the somewhat patchy coat she's sporting right now.  But hallelujah, her hair is growing back, and now we need to decide for sure whether this mini-monster is going to be an inside dog.  Get this - the baby gained 15 pounds in the two weeks she spent outside.  15 pounds!!!!  The vet is estimating her to end up anywhere between 70 and 100 pounds, which means she will more than likely be able to beat me in both a footrace and a wrestling match.  Holy cow!  I'm sure there will be stories galore in the next few months...

And I'm finished with my Cheetos, which means it's time to go make some more lesson plans.  Wish me luck, and happy Cinco de Mayo!

Back from HOTlanta

And yes, it was an interesting trip.  For so many reasons that I could only tell you in person.

But let me just chronicle the kind of people I saw:

No fewer than 3 professional women at the conference with full beards and moustaches.  UNACCEPTABLE.

2 people wearing white pants with absolutely no undergarments (and it was obvious). 

1 female wearing a pair of jeans with a rip across the butt.  And absolutely no undergarments.  Seriously?  Who needs to see buttflesh while waiting for a flight home at the airport?

I also saw Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic site, which was extremely humbling.

I ventured inside the Atlanta Aquarium and stood in a tunnel underneath assorted types of sharks.  As you know, a year ago I would have never set foot inside, but I'm learning to face my fears and realizing that they are normally quite unfounded.  I've faced some of the worst things life could offer and WON, so why fret about a shark or two?

And I took a lovely run through the Olympic Centennial Park, during which a man wielding a leafblower doused my eyes in dirt and I had to wear my glasses for a full 24 hours because my eyes were too irritated for contacts.  Therefore I was quite irritated as well.  CRAZY.  Anyway, those Atlanta hills made me feel like I had climbed stairs for several hours non-stop, despite the fact that I had only run about 3.5 miles.  Oh well.  Old age must be chasing me down.

So that's the trip in a nutshell.  Interesting sights and sounds, beautiful (and ghetto) city.  One tired Kate on a Monday morning.