As of Friday evening, I officially entered the land of Maternity Leave...for better or worse. For those of you who know me, I don't do well with nothing to do. Since Ellis has yet to make his arrival (not for lack of encouragement from his parents....), I'm attempting to find other things to fill my time. Granted, I spent yesterday polishing off lesson plans for this upcoming week, and I still have the following week to finish up as part of my "teacher duties", but then I'm pretty much finished with all major teacher duties for the next 2 months. I've also got plenty of things I can work ahead on for my graduate classes as soon as I get the motivation to do so.
However, I spent a good portion of this afternoon on Pinterest. Ah, Pinterest - that lovely place where you can find crafts, projects, teaching activities, and recipes! Today was all about the recipes.... I'm going to go back to school in December still wearing maternity clothes if I try all of these recipes! Okay, I know, moderation is KEY. What I do hope is that I'll be able to use some of these before Ellis is born (and the freezer is already stocked for after he's born). Unfortunately, with my crazy schedule thus far and the pure exhaustion I inevitably find myself in, we've been doing a lot of eating out. An embarrassing amount, actually. So, I am really looking forward to some home cooked meals - and having the time and energy to enjoy making them! Tonight's dinner is crescent pizza rolls (which are smelling delicious) - not very innovative, but it's pretty much all I had ingredients for without grocery shopping! That's on tomorrow's to-do list :)
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
3 Weeks
Only 3 weeks until Baby Ellis is due. When I think about it in terms of work, I have this week (Fall Break) and two more weeks until I'm on maternity leave. Those last two weeks are crammed full of trainings, meetings, and preparing to be on maternity leave.
I'm guessing this short timespan (and generally being pregnant) accounts for all the bizarre dreams I've been having lately. Besides the fact that I get up every couple hours during the night to use the bathroom...again, I have dreams all night long. Last night every dream I had was about going into labor and my subconscious's interpretation of what it would feel like. In one I had normal contractions, in another I had back labor, and in the third my water broke. Another night last week I had a dream that worried me so much that I had to wake Davis up to reassure me that everything was going to be okay.
Besides the abundance of weird dreams, everything else seems to be going smoothly (oh, except for constantly swollen feet and fingers). We have the car seat installed in my car and a second that needs to be put in Davis' truck. Sunday we packed the hospital bags and purchased some more baby stuff. We got sheets put on the crib, the bassinet relocated into our room, and started getting the dresser/changing table packed and organized. I plan to do a load of laundry today to wash all the remaining clothes, sheets, and other items that are Ellis'.
As far as grad school goes, I was given the opportunity to change my internship project to something I can do from home during maternity leave. My initial project was going to have to be pushed to the spring due to the time frame and scope of the project. With my new project, I'll be providing feedback and guidance to 3rd grade teachers who are implementing some of the same lesson types that I've done in past semesters. My other classes are going well, and it looks like I'll be able to work ahead a bit this week thanks to Fall Break. Now I really should get to work on the literature review I have due tonight for the Action Research project that I never have to implement.
At my check-up yesterday, everything was measuring right on track. Davis and I joke that Ellis is our "Textbook Baby". He's done everything exactly when the books and other information said he would. This makes me believe that he'll probably come right on time - my guess is October 3 (though I'd be thrilled if he came September 28 - the first day of my maternity leave!) So, my question to all of you is...when do you think Ellis will decide to make his appearance?
I'm guessing this short timespan (and generally being pregnant) accounts for all the bizarre dreams I've been having lately. Besides the fact that I get up every couple hours during the night to use the bathroom...again, I have dreams all night long. Last night every dream I had was about going into labor and my subconscious's interpretation of what it would feel like. In one I had normal contractions, in another I had back labor, and in the third my water broke. Another night last week I had a dream that worried me so much that I had to wake Davis up to reassure me that everything was going to be okay.
Besides the abundance of weird dreams, everything else seems to be going smoothly (oh, except for constantly swollen feet and fingers). We have the car seat installed in my car and a second that needs to be put in Davis' truck. Sunday we packed the hospital bags and purchased some more baby stuff. We got sheets put on the crib, the bassinet relocated into our room, and started getting the dresser/changing table packed and organized. I plan to do a load of laundry today to wash all the remaining clothes, sheets, and other items that are Ellis'.
As far as grad school goes, I was given the opportunity to change my internship project to something I can do from home during maternity leave. My initial project was going to have to be pushed to the spring due to the time frame and scope of the project. With my new project, I'll be providing feedback and guidance to 3rd grade teachers who are implementing some of the same lesson types that I've done in past semesters. My other classes are going well, and it looks like I'll be able to work ahead a bit this week thanks to Fall Break. Now I really should get to work on the literature review I have due tonight for the Action Research project that I never have to implement.
At my check-up yesterday, everything was measuring right on track. Davis and I joke that Ellis is our "Textbook Baby". He's done everything exactly when the books and other information said he would. This makes me believe that he'll probably come right on time - my guess is October 3 (though I'd be thrilled if he came September 28 - the first day of my maternity leave!) So, my question to all of you is...when do you think Ellis will decide to make his appearance?
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
36 Weeks - Ellis is the size of a honeydew
Tomorrow is officially when we hit the 36 week mark, but I had a few spare moments so I figured I'd go ahead and post. While Ellis is apparently only the size of a honeydew, if feels like he's a watermelon! A growing, kicking, punching, head-on-my-bladder, making-it-uncomfortable-to-sleep watermelon. As the next 29 days approach quicker than I can imagine, I'm feeling just about every emotion that What to Expect When You're Expecting says moms-to-be feel in the 9th month.
Exhaustion pretty much tops the list of symptoms. Thankfully we just had a 3-day weekend and next week is Fall Break, so I'm looking forward to a little more rest to finish out my last 2 weeks before maternity leave.
Then there's the mixture of anxiety and "hooray we're almost there". While I'm SO ready to meet Baby Ellis in person, I don't feel prepared - at least in the physical sense. The crib made it's trek up here a couple weekends ago and we've had the changing table/dresser for several weeks now. However, everything else is still in bags and boxes. Hopefully next week I can get in some good organizing. (Speaking of which....has anyone seen my nesting instinct that I keep hearing about?)
This past weekend I took advantage of Davis' birthday and the fact that it was Labor Day to do a "stay-cation". We rented a hotel room here in Norcross and spent the evening/morning being lazy, eating hibachi (and NOT doing dishes), and - best of all - sleeping in a KING sized bed. There was just enough space for me, Davis, Ellis, and the myriad of pillows that I seem to require while sleeping at this point.
On the positive side, my new para started today, and she is fabulous! You wouldn't have known that it's her first day with us. (Here's where I breath a HUGE sigh of relief at knowing that everything is on track for when I go on maternity leave in 3.5 short weeks!)
Now I'm headed out to our infant CPR class. Goodbye from Ellis (the watermelon) and me!
Exhaustion pretty much tops the list of symptoms. Thankfully we just had a 3-day weekend and next week is Fall Break, so I'm looking forward to a little more rest to finish out my last 2 weeks before maternity leave.
Then there's the mixture of anxiety and "hooray we're almost there". While I'm SO ready to meet Baby Ellis in person, I don't feel prepared - at least in the physical sense. The crib made it's trek up here a couple weekends ago and we've had the changing table/dresser for several weeks now. However, everything else is still in bags and boxes. Hopefully next week I can get in some good organizing. (Speaking of which....has anyone seen my nesting instinct that I keep hearing about?)
This past weekend I took advantage of Davis' birthday and the fact that it was Labor Day to do a "stay-cation". We rented a hotel room here in Norcross and spent the evening/morning being lazy, eating hibachi (and NOT doing dishes), and - best of all - sleeping in a KING sized bed. There was just enough space for me, Davis, Ellis, and the myriad of pillows that I seem to require while sleeping at this point.
On the positive side, my new para started today, and she is fabulous! You wouldn't have known that it's her first day with us. (Here's where I breath a HUGE sigh of relief at knowing that everything is on track for when I go on maternity leave in 3.5 short weeks!)
Now I'm headed out to our infant CPR class. Goodbye from Ellis (the watermelon) and me!
Saturday, August 17, 2013
A Strange, Crazy Week
Well, we've made it to Week 33 (and a half), and Ellis is now the size of a durian fruit. Yeah, I didn't know what a durian fruit was either, so Davis and I had to look it up. I particularly liked this sign we found about no durians on the transit system in Singapore (apparently they have a particularly strong odor and taste).
As of my last appointment, Ellis was doing great. He's growing a LOT right now, and he spent all day Friday kicking me to let me know he doesn't have enough space in there. At least, that's what it felt like. Ironically, everything going on with Ellis was the "normal" part of my week.
Last week my graduate classes started again, and I have class on Monday and Tuesday. I've been very fortunate to have professors who are going to work with me to ensure I am able to complete all my classwork even though I'm going to miss several classes once Ellis is born. Thankfully, my classes are done by Thanksgiving with the exception of attending one class in December to watch presentations by the other half of the class. This weekend my goal is to try to work ahead a little, but we'll see how that works out.
Thursday morning I woke up to an email from my new para explaining that he was resigning effective immediately, so I am currently para-less. I'll be working with a sub next week until we interview and hire a replacement. Thankfully, it will be the same sub all week, which will provide some consistency for the kids - and me! I'm feeling some anxiety because I've got 6 weeks before I go on maternity leave and only 4 weeks to prepare the new para to take over the class for 2 months. Several people have told me that while I'm gone, I shouldn't worry and that there's nothing can I do. If anything goes awry while I'm gone, I'll just have to fix it when I get back. However, as a planner and a worrier, it's difficult not to think ahead about what may happen. I just have to remember that maternity leave is my time to love on Ellis - not fret about work.
If anyone has any suggestions for preparing my classroom for maternity leave, I'd love to hear them!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Falling in Love
Well, I've got just over half of the meals prepared and stored in the freezer. There are still about 5 meals left, and I plan to work on those tomorrow. Hah, maybe. Also, I've gone through most of the children's books and textbooks I held on to from college (because everyone goes back and references those, right?). However, I'm having issues with taking pictures to post - my phone battery keeps dying, and the bending over to put the books on the table is quite painful.
On Sunday the pain was so excruciating (I wish that was an exaggeration, but I couldn't even walk up the stairs to the bedroom); I finally decided that the back pain was bad enough that I should see a chiropractor and get some advice from someone besides Google. Through research I had come to the conclusion that my back pain was caused by my sacroiliac (SI) joint. It was originally on my left side, but moved to the right in the last few weeks.
After consulting with the chiropractor, she agreed it's my SI joint. I'll be seeing her 3 times a week for a few weeks and then move down to 2 times a week, then once a week pretty much through the end of my pregnancy. I do a couple rounds on the intersegmental traction table which basically rolls a bar under my spine from below my hips to my neck. Then I do some stretches as the doctor presses/massages the area of the SI joint. Oh, but the best part is the percussor - it's like an intense vibrating massager used on my lower back/hips.
Okay, so the real point of this post was to say how much I am in love with Ellis, already! With the more I feel him move, kick, and bounce around in my belly, I love him a little more each time. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about when he finally makes his arrival and I get to hold him. If you had asked me 6 months ago when I wanted to hold him, I would have said to clean him up first; however, now I want to hold him as soon as possible - even if he is all gross and slimy! Now we're down to 77 days until the due date, and it seems like forever away and right around the corner at the same time.
On Sunday the pain was so excruciating (I wish that was an exaggeration, but I couldn't even walk up the stairs to the bedroom); I finally decided that the back pain was bad enough that I should see a chiropractor and get some advice from someone besides Google. Through research I had come to the conclusion that my back pain was caused by my sacroiliac (SI) joint. It was originally on my left side, but moved to the right in the last few weeks.
After consulting with the chiropractor, she agreed it's my SI joint. I'll be seeing her 3 times a week for a few weeks and then move down to 2 times a week, then once a week pretty much through the end of my pregnancy. I do a couple rounds on the intersegmental traction table which basically rolls a bar under my spine from below my hips to my neck. Then I do some stretches as the doctor presses/massages the area of the SI joint. Oh, but the best part is the percussor - it's like an intense vibrating massager used on my lower back/hips.
Okay, so the real point of this post was to say how much I am in love with Ellis, already! With the more I feel him move, kick, and bounce around in my belly, I love him a little more each time. I spend a lot of time daydreaming about when he finally makes his arrival and I get to hold him. If you had asked me 6 months ago when I wanted to hold him, I would have said to clean him up first; however, now I want to hold him as soon as possible - even if he is all gross and slimy! Now we're down to 77 days until the due date, and it seems like forever away and right around the corner at the same time.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Hello Third Trimester!
As Davis and I plunge into the third trimester, I'm realizing there's still a LOT to do in order to prepare for Ellis' arrival. For one, the nursery is still a holding zone for all the junk that we cleaned out from other areas of the house. There's no furniture in there except a rocking chair and couch that need to be recovered/refinished at some point in the next couple months.
As Ellis' due date gets closer, I become more and more anxious about being a mom. It gets more real with each day (and my ever expanding belly) that in a very short time he will be here. I'd like to think that my maternal instinct will kick in, but I feel so unprepared.
While I may not be able to predict what's coming, I can prepare food for after Ellis is born. That's my goal for this week - prepare freezer meals. Yesterday was my grocery shopping day, and I bought ingredients for about 12 different meals including some of my favorites - lasagna and broccoli cheddar soup! Each recipe should yield about 6-8 servings which means we'll have plenty of meals plus leftovers. I'll post the recipes and some pictures (hopefully) in the next post.
After I finish these meals up, I plan on going through the many boxes of books that have been sitting in our basement/garage/storage for the last 2+ years. I promised Davis that if/when I got the Pre-K position, I would get rid of any books that I can't use. That being said, if anyone has use for books in the 1st-5th grade age range, let me know. I'm more than happy to pass them on to friends or family members with children in that age range or to an elementary teacher!
As Ellis' due date gets closer, I become more and more anxious about being a mom. It gets more real with each day (and my ever expanding belly) that in a very short time he will be here. I'd like to think that my maternal instinct will kick in, but I feel so unprepared.
While I may not be able to predict what's coming, I can prepare food for after Ellis is born. That's my goal for this week - prepare freezer meals. Yesterday was my grocery shopping day, and I bought ingredients for about 12 different meals including some of my favorites - lasagna and broccoli cheddar soup! Each recipe should yield about 6-8 servings which means we'll have plenty of meals plus leftovers. I'll post the recipes and some pictures (hopefully) in the next post.
After I finish these meals up, I plan on going through the many boxes of books that have been sitting in our basement/garage/storage for the last 2+ years. I promised Davis that if/when I got the Pre-K position, I would get rid of any books that I can't use. That being said, if anyone has use for books in the 1st-5th grade age range, let me know. I'm more than happy to pass them on to friends or family members with children in that age range or to an elementary teacher!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ellis is the size of a Cauliflower!
Well, Ellis is certainly growing - quite a bit in the last few weeks! People are finally commenting that I actually look like I'm pregnant now (something I've been able to tell for over a month now!)
As of today, I am at 25 weeks and everything is progressing fairly normally.
Ellis's Heartbeat: Yesterday it was registering in the 150s and is getting easier to pick up on our home fetal doppler. We don't listen to it quite as much since Ellis has started kicking and we know he's actually real. (Sometimes it's still surreal to think that we're having a baby!)
Weight gained: 9 pounds total for Mama. My doctor told me that's in the normal range, but that I can definitely eat to satisfy my appetite - which is what I've been doing all along! Ellis should weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds with a length of 13.6 to 14.8 inches.
Kicks: As I said, Ellis has been kicking. A lot. And flipping, twisting, and hitting. I haven't distinguished any specific times of the day when he is moving, but there are definitely activities that get him active. Generally he'll kick when I'm sitting on the couch reading (he's probably bored to death of the Learning Theories textbook I've been reading for class!) If I'm laying in bed and switch from my right to left side or vice versa, he must sense that change and starts moving. He also responds to his Daddy! Whenever Davis rubs my belly, Ellis kicks him. Also, Davis has fun "shaking" my belly to wake Ellis up and get him moving. (He did this one night as I was trying to fall asleep, so I told Davis I'd kick him every time Ellis kicked me!) It has been such a JOY to watch Davis's face as he feels Ellis kick and move. His movements are getting stronger, and I can often see my belly move when Ellis does.
Back: As Ellis grows, so does my back pain. I've pretty much figured out that it's my left sacroiliac joint causing all the problems (it's near that dimple to the left of the bottom of your spine). Up until recently I was able to treat it with a heating pad and Tylenol, but nothing is working at the moment. Basically, it hurts to sit, stand, walk, bend, go upstairs or downstairs, and so on. I can essentially immobilize that portion of my back if I lay on my side with a body pillow between my legs, but that is not convenient for doing anything other than sleeping (and even that is restless at best). I'm about to the point of finding a chiropractor who works with pregnant women and see if we can come up with any other solutions.
Maternity Clothes: Well, I put this off as long as I could (and longer than Davis wanted me to). A couple weekends ago I gave in and went shopping for maternity clothes. I feel like I spent WAY too much, but I got 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of capri-style pants that can become ankle-length, 2 pairs of dress pants, 2 pairs of leggings, and 2 shirts. I'm hoping that between that and the clothes I already own I'll be able to make it most of the way through my pregnancy. I'll probably have to invest in more shirts, but that will only happen when I absolutely have to. The beautiful part of looking at maternity clothes is that they have elastic stretchy bands as opposed to typical waist bands - it has NEVER been this easy for me to find clothes that fit! As I told Davis, I may pretend to be pregnant forever just so I have an excuse to wear comfy pants :)
Here's some other, non-baby news:
- I've got a week left in my summer classes - and it can't come quickly enough! I am worn out trying to juggle 2 classes and work.
- My last day teaching Preschool is July 3rd, and I'll return on July 25th as a Pre-K teacher.
- My brother has moved to Atlanta and just began Physical Therapy school at Emory!
- Davis and I are taking a much-needed vacation in a couple weekends to the mountains.
- We were able to get together my family and my Uncle Ed's family for the Giants-Braves game over Father's Day weekend. Although we spent a LOT of time in traffic, it was great fun to see everyone!
- Davis and I put in a bid on a house, and we should hear back about it this week. We're not getting our hopes up, but it would be incredible if we actually got it.
Now I've got to get back to work (but thank goodness for those little things you can do to procrastinate, like writing a blog!)
As of today, I am at 25 weeks and everything is progressing fairly normally.
Ellis's Heartbeat: Yesterday it was registering in the 150s and is getting easier to pick up on our home fetal doppler. We don't listen to it quite as much since Ellis has started kicking and we know he's actually real. (Sometimes it's still surreal to think that we're having a baby!)
Weight gained: 9 pounds total for Mama. My doctor told me that's in the normal range, but that I can definitely eat to satisfy my appetite - which is what I've been doing all along! Ellis should weigh between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds with a length of 13.6 to 14.8 inches.
Kicks: As I said, Ellis has been kicking. A lot. And flipping, twisting, and hitting. I haven't distinguished any specific times of the day when he is moving, but there are definitely activities that get him active. Generally he'll kick when I'm sitting on the couch reading (he's probably bored to death of the Learning Theories textbook I've been reading for class!) If I'm laying in bed and switch from my right to left side or vice versa, he must sense that change and starts moving. He also responds to his Daddy! Whenever Davis rubs my belly, Ellis kicks him. Also, Davis has fun "shaking" my belly to wake Ellis up and get him moving. (He did this one night as I was trying to fall asleep, so I told Davis I'd kick him every time Ellis kicked me!) It has been such a JOY to watch Davis's face as he feels Ellis kick and move. His movements are getting stronger, and I can often see my belly move when Ellis does.
Back: As Ellis grows, so does my back pain. I've pretty much figured out that it's my left sacroiliac joint causing all the problems (it's near that dimple to the left of the bottom of your spine). Up until recently I was able to treat it with a heating pad and Tylenol, but nothing is working at the moment. Basically, it hurts to sit, stand, walk, bend, go upstairs or downstairs, and so on. I can essentially immobilize that portion of my back if I lay on my side with a body pillow between my legs, but that is not convenient for doing anything other than sleeping (and even that is restless at best). I'm about to the point of finding a chiropractor who works with pregnant women and see if we can come up with any other solutions.
Maternity Clothes: Well, I put this off as long as I could (and longer than Davis wanted me to). A couple weekends ago I gave in and went shopping for maternity clothes. I feel like I spent WAY too much, but I got 2 pairs of shorts, 2 pairs of capri-style pants that can become ankle-length, 2 pairs of dress pants, 2 pairs of leggings, and 2 shirts. I'm hoping that between that and the clothes I already own I'll be able to make it most of the way through my pregnancy. I'll probably have to invest in more shirts, but that will only happen when I absolutely have to. The beautiful part of looking at maternity clothes is that they have elastic stretchy bands as opposed to typical waist bands - it has NEVER been this easy for me to find clothes that fit! As I told Davis, I may pretend to be pregnant forever just so I have an excuse to wear comfy pants :)
Here's some other, non-baby news:
- I've got a week left in my summer classes - and it can't come quickly enough! I am worn out trying to juggle 2 classes and work.
- My last day teaching Preschool is July 3rd, and I'll return on July 25th as a Pre-K teacher.
- My brother has moved to Atlanta and just began Physical Therapy school at Emory!
- Davis and I are taking a much-needed vacation in a couple weekends to the mountains.
- We were able to get together my family and my Uncle Ed's family for the Giants-Braves game over Father's Day weekend. Although we spent a LOT of time in traffic, it was great fun to see everyone!
- Davis and I put in a bid on a house, and we should hear back about it this week. We're not getting our hopes up, but it would be incredible if we actually got it.
Now I've got to get back to work (but thank goodness for those little things you can do to procrastinate, like writing a blog!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)