Karma?

Well, I made it through the first week of school! Technically, I made it through the first three days of school since the students didn't come back until Wednesday.....but us teachers were there Monday and Tuesday slaving away in our classrooms and attending countless meetings. So, it was a full week back to work for me. First off, Max did fabulous getting up early to go to daycare on Wednesday and Friday...AND did a fabulous job with his teacher and new friends there. Thanks Max for being such an awesome little dude! :) Now for even more exciting news...

I know it's still pretty early on in the school year, but I am really digging where I'm at and what I'm doing this year. The students, though challenging, really need a positive role model...and really do seem to want to learn underneath a lot of underlying issues they are having in life. The teachers are so down to earth and welcoming...real people! The staff is so helpful and funny. And the administration....WOW! They have been so supportive and real, it's amazing. I have never felt like I had a team on my side until now. Not only have they supported my classroom decisions regarding discipline and my students since day one, but they have shown that to the students by following through on their zero tolerance policy for behavior. WHAAAT?! You mean, you actually care about me and my classroom?! You mean, you want me to be able to create an environment in which learning is possible....yet the classroom is structured with strict procedures and consequences?! It's amazing. I went home from school the first three days with a huge smile on my face, anxious to go back the next day and continue to make a difference for my kids who truly need it! *For those of you that are wondering what in the world I'm talking about regarding discipline and all that in my classroom, I teach students with emotional disabilities and some severe behavioral issues.* OH, and did I mention the big ol' security guards and school police officers and patrol up and down the hallways...popping their heads into my room to let the kids know they're there...as well as to see if I need anything?! LOVE IT! I also must mention the fact that there is another teacher in my building that teaches the same group of studentsd I do, only in a different grade level. He, too, has been an amazing help and support to me. I feel truly blessed and thankful for this opportunity I have been given this year. I feel as though my teaching experience has been totally flipped around, and I have that "spark" to want to teach again...something that was fizzling out due to previous circumstances. I'm so excited to get that spark back and be excited for each day. I'm so excited to get through the rough exteriors of my students and actually help them in their lives. I'm so excited to be a a part of the community I've been welcomed into. I know I'll have some rough days. I know everyone won't always agree. But for right now, I'm so thankful, thrilled and happy. Although I do still miss being at home with Max everyday, I know I'm doing what's best for my family, myself and really these kids in the community. Who knows, maybe my perspective will change in two days, but for right now I'm hopeful and open for change. Karma has swung in my direction :)

Oh boy!

It's a BOY! This holiday season, we will welcome Jackson Anthony to our family. We plan to call him Jack, so we will have our rough and tough Max and Jack. I felt kind of bad when a lot of people thought I was angry or disappointed when it didn't turn out to be a girl. Of course I'm not - Jack is healthy and that's all that matters! Would I like a girl someday? Heck yeah! But I'm excited for Max to have a little brother close in age that he can play with and they can grow up being best buddies. I also have an excuse for all the clothes I buy Max now since Jack will be able to wear them as well :) In the future (distant future, folks!), we may have another one...and maybe that will be a girl....but if not, we will be a chaotic family of three boys haha. Anyway, I am VERY excited to welcome Jack and even more excited to get back and shape and fit into my clothes! I tell you what....I don't like one thing about pregnancy, and I am over having a very limited wardrobe and feeling fat. I still have a little over four months to go, so I guess I'll just need to keep on truckin.

One small hitch in the pregnancy that we currently have to keep our eyes on is that apparently my placenta is lying pretty low in the uterus. For those of you who may not know, the placenta is what provides the baby with nutrients through the umbilical cord. It usually lays up high, so that when it's time for the baby to be born, there is nothing blocking the baby's exit. Well, when your placenta lays low, it could block the baby's exit and also cause some damage to mama. The ultrasound revealed that right now, it's not completely covering the exit for the baby, but it is low enough that we have to keep an eye on it. When I go for my next check up in 4 weeks they will do another ultrasound to see the placenta's position. I guess this is something that sometimes just corrects itself and it migrates back up north. Otherwise, if it continues to stay low, that could mean a possible c-section. If it stays low, it COULD cause some problems toward the end of the pregnancy as well....so I'm really hoping that it migrates back up north so we have no worries of any minor complications and so I don't have to have a planned c-section. We'll see what happens!

School starts in one freaking week for my corporation and I am NOT prepared. We have been so busy since I've accepted this teaching position that I really haven't had much time to prepare. This week, though, I'll be in my classroom for most of the week getting myself organized and ready to go. Max also starts daycare on Wednesday (he'll go Wednesdays and Fridays) and I'm freaking myself out about it...he;s getting so big!

Well, adios for now, I will update soon with the happenings of our fam.

FIVE days!

It's finally here...well, almost! This Friday...in FIIIIVE days...we have our ultrasound and will find out if we're having a boy or a girl. Of course, the number one thing I want to here is that baby is doing well and is healthy. After much debate, we have a name picked out for a boy and for a girl....which I will announce on Friday as well :) I hope this week doesn't drag by, so I guess it's a good thing that I have meetings and appointments all week long! We will be quite busy this week...and I only have two weeks left of summer until school starts...yikes!

Tomorrow we are heading to the bank to refinance our house. Interest rates are amazing right now and we're getting an awesome deal. It really won't bring our mortgage payment down much (boo!), but more of our money will be going towards principal than interest, which is a good thing in the long run. Tuesday I will sign all my paperwork with my new school corporation :) Wednesday and Thursdays I have trainings all day long with other special education ED teachers like myself. This is something I'm really looking forward to...last year, I was all by myself and had no one in a similar position to talk to. Now I will have a whole room full of people just like me to share ideas, go over the program and expectations for the year and just kind of support one another. It will be nice to meet people who "get it" and understand what you're doing, so I'm pretty excited to see how that goes. Then, it's Ultrasound Friday, woohoo!

I also feel I must spend a little bit of this post complaining about money....ugggh do I hate money! Especially that time of the month when all of your big bills come out at once and you're left thinking, "What the hell just happened?!" We took Max to Indy this past weekend to see my sister, brother-in-law and niece.....we got to go to the State Fair with them as well as my parents, which was a blast! Mark, Max and I went down early on Friday to hit up the malls first....Max needed new Fall clothes since he grows like a weed, and I needed some maternity clothes for work and all of the maternity clothes around here are hideous (except for Target...I will give props to Target!). Well, I found our that maternity clothes in general are pretty hideous. I'm not the "flow-y shirt" type girl...I'd rather have form fitting shirts and clothes for that matter....I'm not trying to hide a pregnancy, so I'd rather not make myself look any bigger than I already am. I got two pairs of maternity work pants and a few shirts...number one, because maternity clothes are freaking expensive....number two, I refuse to spend a lot of money on clothes I can only wear for a few months...and number three, because most of the clothing is disgusting. Then came Max's clothing....which I am obsessed with shopping for clothes for Max. Max always gets more clothes than anyone else in the family....I fear how bad my habit will become if we find our we're having a girl, because girl clothes are twice as cute and twice as easy to find! The problem with boy clothes is it is so hard to find anything cute....so when I find a store that actually has cute boy clothes, I go crazy and buy everything. Sooo, Max cleaned up in the Fall clothing department...and STILL needs another pair of shoes and a Fall coat and I'm sure other things that I'll think of. In true Mark fashion, he only bought himself two things, as he can never find anything he likes in any store.....but between the three of us, it was a pretty salty shopping trip. Then came the most expensive...but fun....fair I've ever been to! We ended up dropping a lot of cash at the fair as well, since you have to eat all that fried and expensive fair food. I must say the money was worth it though, because Max got to go on quite a few rides with Harper and my mom (I couldn't go with him since I'm preggers :()...and HE LOVED IT! He had the biggest smile on his face...worth every penny! It was freaking HOT though...which did not do well with walking around all day pregnant....so my feet swelled up pretty nicely I must add. Anyway, although we had fun, I can't help but feel guilty sometimes when I blow a lot of money. It's not like we won't be able to eat next month or fall behind on our bills, but I am a freak of nature when it comes to watching our bank account and making sure we have an adequate amount in our savings so we can live as comfortably as we are blessed to live. Sometimes I just get into a funk and a bad mood over it, which is so silly....but anyway!

So there ya have it. Minus my mini freak outs, we're enjoying our last few weeks of summer, but are anxiously awaiting the Fall! On a side note, Max starts daycare next week, and I am a MESS over it. He's only going two days a week...but I can't help but feel scared and worried....and not happy about the new bill in the house haha :) BUT, I know he needs it...I know it will free our stressed out work schedules up a little bit when we need to work a little later...and I know it will be good for him to get our and socialize and to learn a "school-like" routine. I sure hope he loves it, because that will make it a lot easier for mommy to take him there two days a week when she knows he's excited to go and will have a fun day :) My big boy is growing up so fast!!!

Stay tuned for the exciting information on our newest Holiday addition :)