Good To Know

My students are so funny sometimes.

I have one male student who asks me at least twice a week how I'm doing and how the baby is doing. It's quite endearing.

The other day I was walking the kids down to the spirit day game on the field and he and I were talking. He suddenly stops and says, "Wait so you were pregnant when we were on the boat?" (We went on a field trip on a tall ship and went sailing out in the bay). I said yes, I was. "Wow, so that was why you were eating those ginger cookies. How did you get through it?" I couldn't believe he actually paid enough attention to what I was doing and remembered it months later.

I then tell him that I was also pregnant when we went geocaching and hiked 10 1/2 miles. "Whoa. You know Ms. Jennifer, you're going to have an fit kid. You know why? You went sailing and hiking when you were pregnant and you'll go sailing and hiking after the baby is born." Then, off he goes.

So funny. So there you have it. No couch potato kid for me.

My First Fluffy Mail

OMG so freaking soft and cute. This cloth diapering thing could be dangerous for sure. I can't wait until after my big U/S when I can go crazy purchasing covers. There are so many cute ones but they aren't very gender neutral.

On an additional note, I love my midwife, adore her.

A New Day

Yesterday was a day I will never forget, a day so many Americans have been waiting for, and a return to hope, pride, enthusiasm, faith and dare I say it...patriotism. I am so happy that my child will be born during an Obama presidency.

My first glimpse of that hope (yes, I know it sounds almost cliche now) was way back in July 2004, when I first heard relative unknown Barack Obama speak at the DNC.

Here is my post on LiveJournal the morning after:

Wow there were some great speeches tonight on tv from the Democratic Convention. I was brought to tears a few times. That may sound silly but that's how strongly I feel about things changing in November. If it doesn't I don't know what I'm going to do.

The speech that blew them all out of the water was made by a man I had never heard of before. After tonight I was ready to vote Barack Obama for president. What an eloquent, amazing, charismatic man. It's people like that that give you hope. He is our future hope. I pray some crazy person doesn't try to destroy that hope like what was done to the Kennedys and MLK. Here is a snippet of his speech.

"A belief that we are connected as one people. If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother. If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's that fundamental belief — I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper — that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one."

That was certainly another moment I'll never forget. I turned to Alex and said, "That man is going to be our president someday!" Little did I know it would only be four (albeit long) years.

Yesterday was a day I was brimming with pride for my country and for what its citizens have accomplished. To think that just 40 years ago Obama wouldn't even have been able to drink out of the same drinking fountain as many of us who voted for him. Just thinking about this makes me cry. A picture that really drove that home was this picture I found on TIME's website, the caption reading


A server at the coffee and the new President chat.


Now of course I realize things aren't perfect, nor are they going to be. I don't have on rose colored glasses. However, it's been a long time since I've had faith in our government and I am hoping beyond hope (there's that hope again) that things improve, that our government officials start working for us, and that if anything, this new administration inspires people to get involved and make a difference in our world. The self-centeredness and greed of today's America needs to change.

So long #43.

16 weeks, a Belly, and Ballroom

Four months! I can't believe I'm a month away from being halfway there.

Today I had my first full on belly rub. Our school's cleaning lady fully felt me up today at lunch. Strange thing is, I didn't feel like decking her in the face. I don't know why because usually I hate people touching me. I'm the type of person that does not like folks getting into my personal space unless I allow it/invite it.

Oddly, it was really sweet in a way. She has a very large family and it seems like she has taken me, the newly pregnant lady under her wing, maybe because she's done it so many times. She was wagging her finger at my students the other day because they left a highlighter on the floor and she was afraid that I'd trip and fall on it. She wouldn't let me hand her the plate of sandwiches (we had our monthly teacher appreciation lunch today) so she could get one and made someone else do it, and after school, when I ran to the bathroom to pee before our staff meeting she wagged her finger at me and clucked in Spanish that I shouldn't run. Now of course I find it endearing now but we'll see how I feel down the road.

Also in work related news, we had our first ballroom lesson today with the fifth graders. Some of you may be familiar with the documentary Mad Hot Ballroom



It's about a program that Pierre Dulaine, a renowned dancer and teacher (If you saw Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas, they based his character off of Pierre) started to teach children ballroom dancing through their schools. They specifically chose to work with fifth graders, though now they are branching into teaching high schoolers. These fifth graders involved in the program learn five+ dances within ten weeks.

The program originated in New York but they have started to bring it to schools nationally. My school is one of first schools in California to participate. There are only six of us in the whole state and we are all in the same county.

My kids are taking it for ten weeks during their PE period. Of course when they first heard the news they freaked out. In fact, you'd think we were asking them to cut off a limb or something. "What do you mean we won't get to have PE for ten weeks?!" "What do you mean we have to dance with boys/girls?!" Some of them even asked what would happen if they stayed home from school every Wednesday and Thursday. I told them that they wouldn't pass fifth grade if they missed that much school and would have to end up take it again the next year anyway. Some of the moms even freaked out about the classes(moms of boys, mind you)and called the Principal complaining. The principal told the moms the kids had no choice. Bwahahaha.

So today was the first lesson and I catch quite a few of the kids, dare I say it, having a fairly good time. Afterwards one of the boys says, "that was actually pretty fun". Another couple of boys were talking about the class saying, "That wasn't as bad as I thought." "You're right it wasn't that bad. It was still bad, but not as bad as I thought it would be."

Victory!

Am I Really That Big?

Today after work I met Alex downtown at the farmer's market. While I was waiting for him I ran into an older theatre friend whom I hadn't seen for a while. She had heard I was pregnant so she was ooing and awing over my bump. "When are you due?" "July 1st, I'll be 16 weeks tomorrow", I told her.

I got the look. Then I got the second look. "Really?" I had to explain that no, there was only one in there.

Am I really that big?

On aother baby note, I was home sick from work on Monday. When I came back to work today the kids were all excited thinking I had my big U/S. "What is it? What is it?" I had to explain to them that I was merely in bed, sick all day.

One of the boys then says, "That must have been nice to spend all day with your baby". LOL It was quite cute.

15 Weeks

This last week has been an interesting one. It was the first week back at work after break and thankfully my insomnia hasn't returned. Of course the exhaustion is probably just due to me having to get up at 6am every day. Blah. Work itself is a challenge. I have so little energy and actually getting there and being prepared is a drag. What the hell am I going to wear? What am I going to eat? How am I going to get through my day?

This week was also the week everybody and their brother could tell I was pregnant. There is no way to hide nor avoid the bump. The cleaning lady at work (who I doubt knew I was pregnant) pointed at her belly and then at me as I was walking down the hall shrouded in my coat, multiple parents in the car line made comments about the bump, and co-workers all brought it up. Even my students have been asking how the baby is. Of course I can't really tell them anything. It's too early for feeling any movement so I just have to trust that the little one is ok.

16 days until my next midwife appointment.

14 Weeks

It's 1am. I should be asleep but the need to eat something lest I vomit overpowered my need to sleep. So here I am, scarfing down a cherry Popsicle and peanut butter and grape jelly Uncrustable while I post my latest bloat pic.

I must say, the bloat is getting quite impressive at times. Even my belly button is disappearing. Normally I have an inny but it's flattening out. One would think it was too early for that but I guess my body has a mind of its own.

This morning I was super excited because I realized I could feel my uterus for the first time. It's nice to actually know where the baby is under all that bloat.

Hello baby!