Forget the past

Despite the fact that it is the last day of the year I cannot bring myself to reflect on the past. 2008 had some exciting moments.... like seeing the two lines on my positive pregnancy test.... but why waste time reflecting on things that can't change?

What I can think about is how much change is going to happen in 2009. We're going to be parents soon. And pretty much every married couple that we know is going to have a baby this year (slight exaggeration). But I am interested in seeing what's going to happen to our social life. I've seen couples who have kids and decide it's too much to handle and they just stop hanging out with people and become hermits. I've also seen couples who have kids and their lives barely change. They carry their kids everywhere no matter what. And I've seen couples that are in between. I am interested in seeing what type of parents we turn out to be. It's exciting, and scary all at the same time.

There's also other things to look forward to. We know we have a wedding in NH this summer, so we'll probably spend a few days up there. We want to go to Ohio. And of course we'll be going to RI. I am also really looking forward to when we can do things like go to the shore as a family. All this past summer I saw women walking down the boardwalk with baby strollers and I was so jealous..... I'll just have to learn how to juggle a diaper bag and a beach bag.

I'm also looking forward to how relationships with family members will change. The most obvious one will be me and Ryan. I know we'll probably grow closer, but I also know we'll be pretty stressed out at first. I've also heard that having kids brings you closer to your own parents. I'm sure I'll be calling my mom for advice a lot, and I know I'll probably view her differently once I know what it's like to be a parent. I'm sure we'll also be growing closer to mom and dad Weber since they're the closest and can offer more physical support than my parents can. Actually I am looking forward to growing closer to all of our NJ family. I am hoping for playdates with cousins, and maybe some bonding with my SILs over how to raise kids. I'm also pretty excited about seeing Amelie when she realizes Ryleigh is finally "out of the dark" since she's so obsessed with patting my belly already. haha.

Overall, 2009 promises to be one of the most interesting of my life.

Vacation goals

I am on vacation! Woohoo!! I don't have to go back to work until Friday. So far it's been fun because Ryan has been home with me and we got to go to NY, and we've had lots of quality family time. But Ryan has to work 4 days this week, so I have lots of time to myself. I am excited about being lazy, playing video games, reading, and recovering from yet another cold. But I refuse to be completely lazy, so I have set some goals for myself this week.

1. Take down Christmas decorations and put them back in storage.

2. Get ready for baby. Since you can never really predict when a baby is going to come I'd rather be safe than sorry. I mean, Amelie was due the same day Ryleigh is and she was born in December! I don't want to be in the hospital in labor, stressing about what Ryan needs to go buy before we can take the baby home..... well, we have all the big things, it's just a few small things that I need to get..... but Ryan gave me a spending limit and I will enjoy reaching that limit :-)

3. Write thank you cards. I would like to have all the thank you cards done before the baby is born. Haha.

4. Clean the house!! We previously had all our Christmas decorations in several different boxes, in our house and in the storage unit. So, we went and bought two big rubbermaid bins, so we can put everything in there, and put it in storage. That means I have some free space in our closets!! I get to reorganize! (No, that exclamation point is not meant to be sarcastic. I actaully enjoy reorganizing)

So I am off to have a productive vacation from work!!

Wicked Awesome

Yesterday we got to go to NYC to see Wicked on Broadway. I've been dying to see this show ever since it opened!! It's been impossible to get tickets because it's always sold out, but Ryan got them for me on eBay. So we took a bus to the city, ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, and saw the show. I was very happy with the quality of the actors. I was a little worried about the singing because I have the soundtrack of the original cast, and let's just say that the woman who played the witch has an absolute amazing voice...... but thankfully the current cast didn't disappoint.

There's the giant billboard telling us how to get to the show.



This was in the foyer of the theater. It's the dragon time clock..... but if you've never read the book or seen the show it is meaningless to you.

Here's Time Square. They already had a big 2009, and the pole that the ball drops down, up on top of the building.... you just can't see it in this pic.


And here's Ryan sitting in the Hard Rock, anxiously waiting for the purchase of another set of drum sticks. The whole restaurant was pretty cool actually, like a wall made out of guitars.... but I was lazy and didn't take pictures of that.

Blessed

At the risk of sounding materialistic I truly feel blessed by all the Christmas presents I received this Christmas.

I am so excited about what I got.

I love my copier/scanner/photo printer. I cannot wait to take tons and tons of pictures of the baby and print them all out to send to family members. As of right now I have tons of pictures I'd love to have printed so we can actually have pictures of us in our frames, instead of the photos that came with the frames. Haha. And, I know our number of pictures is going to increase 10 fold once Ryleigh is born.

I also love the earrings Ryan got for me. He treats me like a princess, so it's nice to have something pretty that makes me feel pretty enough to be treated like one.

But of course I am absolutely thrilled about going to see Wicked! I have been begging Ryan to take me for years and years. The tickets are so expensive. Thank God for eBay. Haha. I think that "experience" presents are always the best too. I am really looking forward to seeing the city all decorated for Christmas. And I am excited about doing something fun and exciting with my husband before we get bogged down with diaper bags, baby strollers, and car seats. The only damper will be that it's supposed to rain tomorrow :-(

I love all my other presents too... like the digital camera from my mom that we kind of opened a month early because I am impatient. Haha. I can't wait to use it to take tons of baby pics.

Silly me

So for the past few months I've been stressed about whether or not I would get all the baby things I need. Well, this week I got the travel system, swing, and a pack & play..... so all the big, somewhat necessary things have been taken care of. (I know I don't really need a swing, but it will be nice if it calms Ryleigh down).

Now it's just a bunch of little things that I don't necessarily need but would be nice to have left..... except for diapers, we definitely need diapers. But buying all the little things like an extra changing pad cover just isn't as much fun :-( I'm going to miss preparing for my baby's arrival.....
But I also cannot wait to buy cute clothes!! I've only bought her two outfits!! I cannot wait for when I get to take her out in public and dress her up all cute, especially for church!

Little known facts

It's a Saturday morning. Ryan's at work. I'm being lazy :-)
I was thinking the other day about how people who have newborns say they pretty much feel like they lose their identity once the baby was born. I'll discover the truth behind that soon enough. But, for the next 5 weeks maybe I'll try to focus on me. So, here's a list of little known facts about me.

1. I have held 9 jobs: Dry cleaner, camp counselor, TA for 2 bio profs, waitress, tutor, pre-K teacher, nanny, online tutor, and teacher assistant.

2. I have volunteered in 8 positions: peer tutor, nursery worker, animal shelter worker, tutor for inner-city kids, sunday school teacher, youth group leader, children's museum guide, and I've helped out in soup kitchens.

3. At the age of 10 I made a TV appearance. My best friend when I was kid had siamese twin sisters. They were conjoined from their chests to their hips. They lived full lives till the age of 8. When they died we went to NYC to be on the Maury Povich show to tribute their lives.

4. I have been out of the country 3 times. Once to Canada to compete in a choir contest (we got a silver medal). Once to England and France with the choir, we got to sing a Euro Disney, and at Stratford on the Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare. And I went back to England, and spent two weeks there to visit friends.

5. In the past 8 years I have lived in 4 states and at 8 different addresses. That's including my two summers in NH, but I'm including it because I think it counts if you are in a place long enough to warrant getting your mail forwarded there.

And that's all I can think of right now..... but so far I've done a lot and gone to a lot of places in my life, so hopefully I'll have memories of it when I become a mom and my life is filled with diapers, laundry, and bottles.

Surprise!

My co-workers surprised me with a baby shower today. I was all set to go shopping at Target during my lunch break, but instead I got showered with gifts. yay!
I got lots of things I needed like a swing, monitor, and diapers and wipes. Plus I got clothes, and gift cards, and sippy cups, and blankets. It was very nice.
Now the only thing we really need that's big is a breast-pump (sorry to any guys that may be reading this), and possibly a pack & play. We have a used pack & play from one of my aunts but it smells like a basement and had a few stains..... but it was free so maybe we should just deal.
I have felt so loved having 3 baby showers thrown for me! I know some people that never get any. I am so thankful for all the presents I've gotten, and I'm so glad we won't be responsible for buying everything cause we definitely don't have the money.

What's wrong with me?

Today my boss asked if I wanted Christmas eve off and I said no.... what kind of idiot is offered a day off and says no?
Well, it will only be a half day, and there is only supposed to be 6 kids in my class that day, and it's pajama/movie day.... so really it will be a very easy day, and Ryan will be at work anyway, so I may as well go too.

In other news, we got out travel system (stroller and car seat) today. We had the joys of putting it all together. And it's very exciting because the car seat is what we'll be using to take Ryleigh home from the hospital! :-) Right now though it's just taking up half the space in our dining room. haha.
I get so excited about every new baby thing I get!! I can't wait!
I just realized I'm not the only baby crazy person. I personally know 7 pregnant women! That's a lot! And that's not even including Angelina Jolie who is reportedly pregnant again. haha

I guess I'm crazy

I talked to my boss today and I decided to shorten my maternity leave. I will now be working until January 16th. That will give me just about 2 weeks before Ryleigh is due.

We have a Christmas break coming up, which will almost be 11 days long. We have to work on January 2nd, despite it being a friday which I think is retarded. I will be scheduled for the two weeks following that, but my boss said that since it would have been my maternity leave if I don't feel up to going to work I can just call out. They have also worked out it where if towards the end of the day they are able to send someone home early they will ask me first. They did that today and it was very nice, especially since I am once again starting to get sick.

The crazy thing is, they haven't hired anyone to take my place for when I actually do go on maternity leave. They will just figure it out day to day, and they'll be moving one full-time teacher from class to class as needed. And, when I come back another girl will be just starting her maternity leave, then when she comes back another girl will be leaving for her maternity leave........ To me it would just make sense to hire someone to cover for all 3 leaves.... I don't know what they're thinking.

But, all in all I hope it works out well. The only thing that will suck is if Ryleigh comes early, then I won't have any time off at all.

Also, we just signed up for birthing classes.... I was a total slacker.... so the class is on Tuesday nights, throughout the month of January. The last day of class is 2 days before my due date. haha. So, Ryleigh better not come early or I won't know what to do. I'm mostly concerned about the breathing techniques since I am still planning on not getting an epidural. We'll be cutting it pretty close. Haha.

I might be crazy but.....

.... I'm thinking of not taking as much time off before Ryleigh gets here. As of right now I am scheduled to take 4 weeks off before the due date. I have been counting down to this wonderful time with excitement. Except, now I'm kind of thinking, 4 weeks is a lot of time. Do I really need that much time. So, in the fashion of someone many of us admire (Rory Gilmore, haha), I have made a pro/con list.

Pros to taking an early maternity leave:
1. I would have less then 2 weeks left of work!
2. I would be avoiding a lot of physical things such as lifting very heavy children, and sickness carrying germs.
3. I could sleep in and be a lazy bum
4. I could prepare for the time when we're going to have a baby by doing things like making meals and freezing them to be reheated during the more busy times (but the likeliness of this actually happen is very slim)
5. The weather could be bad and I don't want to drive to work in the snow

Cons to taking an early maternity leave:
1. Filing for disability and only making a percentage of my income..... Although, I would be requesting to only work part-time during the month of January, so I'm not really sure which one would be a better option
2. I will get very bored doing nothing for 4 weeks. The nursery is set up, the clothes are put away, we're ready for Ryleigh already
3. I will get lonely. I majority of the people I know will be at work all day, plus I will still have the 6 weeks post-birth of staying at home and not interacting with adults at all
4. I've been very active and a go-getter during this whole pregnancy, what if I stop now and crash on the couch and never get up again until it's time to go to the hospital? I kind of want my energy level to stay high so I'll have more endurance when needed

I'm just not sure what is the better option. I am going to discuss it with my boss. I'll find out if I could only work part-time, and I'll think long and hard about it.

One co-worker said, enjoy the 4 weeks because after Ryleigh's born you'll never have time to yourself ever again...... but 4 weeks is a lot of alone time!!

Ahhh, I just don't know. Any thoughts?

A much needed refresher

Today at work something wonderful happened.
I have this student named Julia. She is over 2 years old, she is supposed to be in the older classroom because of her age. However, Julia has problems with her legs. The doctors tried to fix the problems but it was kind of doubtful that she would ever walk. They said her legs are too weak to support her, and they wouldn't function properly. So, Julia has been held back. She was actually in the infant room until last month because she could only crawl everywhere and by sending her to the toddler room they were afraid she would get trampled on.

Well, Julia has been making progress. She's stood up by holding on to things. Last week she started standing up without any support. And today she walked!! She took about 10 steps several times today. The look on the her face was priceless today. She was absolutely beaming. I teared up. The other teachers were in awe.

It was just so nice to experience something like that. It made me remember why I am in the line of work that I am.

When I was in college I had a student at Sylvan who doctors said would never learn how to talk. Well, he learned how to talk, read, and do math. It was amazing to be a part of something that people said would be impossible.

In what other kind of job can you help a sweet little child beat the odds like that? I definitely needed that reminder today.

So little time

I love going away for the weekends like we did for Thanksgiving. I hate losing an entire weekend of getting stuff done around the house. Because of my work schedules I can get absolutely nothing done throughout the week, it's all left for the weekends. So, needless to say, my house is a mess!! Just to show you, here's a picture Ryan took last night as we were trying to decorate for Christmas.

Note the piles of laundry, and hidden behind the chair is more junk.

But thankfully after a couple of hours of decorating and cleaning we managed to get the living room looking somewhat decent. Today I will tackle the bathroom and bedroom.

And I will leave you with this... Our pretty kitty, Hera, (a.k.a. Jabba the Kitty)

Yay for a new shower??

If you read my blog about a week ago you will know that our shower was leaking into our kitchen. Well the maintenance men finally "fixed" the problem today..... a week late.

So they covered the whole shower wall with a nice white plastic shower cover-upper thingy. So, at first glance it looks nice.



See, not so bad.... until you realize they didn't fit the plastic cover over the existing tiles, they just literally glues some plastic on to cover up the majority of the tiles, so there's still ugly pinkish and white tiles sticking out on the sides and top. Ugh.... these maintenance men are so cheap!!

And please don't look at all the stains on my tub, I swear they will not come off.... the horrible rusty water that we are forced to bathe in leaves awful irremovable stains on the tub.

Ryleigh Update

I had a routine doctor's appointment today. The doctor said everything is still looking good. I'm gaining weight at a reasonable rate and all the measurements of my belly are good. He suggested I go to a chiropractor or get a prenatal massage to help out with the major back problems I've been having. I prenatal massage sounds like heaven on earth right now. He also suggested I stop picking up toddlers...... I only wish I could comply with that :-(

He did give me some good news, as of right now Ryleigh is in a head down position and no longer breech! Yay. But he said she wont be in a "fixed" position for another month. But he did say that her heart is also down.... I don't know she could have had her head down and not her heart, but he said it means there's a very good chance she'll stay down like that.

He also showed me where her head, butt, and feet are positioned. The funny thing is, where her butt is is where I've been thinking her feet are. It's the place where she "kicks" the hardest.... so I guess she's just practicing how to wiggle her hips and maybe she'll be a great dancer someday. haha.

I start going to the doctors every 2 weeks now, so I'll have another update on the 17th.