Christmas 2008

A lot of people told me that Christmas would take on a whole new meaning, now that I have a child.  I listened, I smiled, I nodded, but I didn't really take it to heart.  However, I should have listened.  Christmas was amazing this year.  Not because Hannah really participated in the holiday, but because of the meaning behind Christmas.  Having a newborn made me realize, more fully, exactly what God did all those years ago.  I can't imagine sending my only child away.  Hannah is such a precious part of who I am and the thought of sending her away is something I can't even fathom.  But that is precisely what God did.

We had a fantastic time on Christmas and hopefully did a few things that will become family traditions.  Of course we know Hannah won't remember her first Christmas, but that doesn't mean we can't try to get things off on the right foot.

Our holiday week started off with a trip to Frederick Meijer Gardens.  I really wanted Jeremy to see their "Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World" display.  I have seen it before, with my students on a field trip, but I knew that Jeremy would really appreciate all of the fun, historic facts that come with each tree.  Hannah enjoyed looking at all of the lights.  Of course our visit wouldn't be complete without a stop at the Ireland tree.  Apparently their big holiday tradition is to decorate their trees around "The 12 Days of Christmas."  Here is a family picture in front of the Irish tree.

Sadly, we couldn't make it to church on "Christmas Sunday" because of the weather.  It was too crazy outside, so we stayed in and had a family day.  By Christmas Eve, the weather had cleared up and we were able to make it to a very meaningful service at church.  Our pastors focused on the different elements of the traditional Christmas tree and how they relate to the true Christmas story and to the Christian life.  It was fantastic.  Christmas Eve was also Hannah's first trip to the church nursery.  I'd like to say that I handled it okay, but truthfully, I was a nervous wreck the entire service.  Of course, she slept the entire time she was in their, so I had nothing to worry about.

Christmas morning we lounged around after a delicious breakfast of waffles and bacon! YUM! We opened gifts, mostly for Hannah, and just spent the day as a family, watching Christmas movies and hanging out.  Since all of our families were out of town over Christmas, I fixed Jeremy and myself a Christmas dinner with most of the trimmings.  Hannah feasted on her usual bottle of formula.

All in all it truly was a wonderful day, all that we could have hoped for.  We have been so blessed this year and are so thankful for everything God has given us.  We're looking forward to the new year and all it has to bring. 

Two Months...and a couple of days

I apologize for the lack of updates, but we've had a busy past month.   Plus, our computer died on Thanksgiving day, so that didn't help things at all.  

It's hard to believe that Miss Hannah is two months old already.  She is changing so much, growing and growing and growing.  I think the biggest change is her beautiful smile, which she is sharing with us constantly.  I'm sure I can speak for both us when I say that her smile totally melts our hearts.  She is just beautiful.  Sadly, we haven't quite caught the smile on the camera yet.  We're still working on that, but trust me when I say, it's beautiful.

She is also "talking" to us a lot more, constantly cooing and making very cute little noises.  Hannah is such a good baby.  I'm hesitant to admit it, but she is consistently sleeping through the night, which is such a huge blessing.  Lately she's taken to falling asleep around 7:00pm, waking around 9:30pm for her bottle, falling back asleep by 10:30pm, and sleeping until about 5:30am.  We couldn't be happier and can only hope that this continues.

This month also saw me going back to work.  I headed back on December 1st and it was with mixed feelings.  I was hesitant to leave Hannah behind, but I was anxious to get back to my regular routine.  It has gone really well.  Hannah is home, two days a week with Jeremy, and at a really nice daycare center the other three days.  My students and I have adjusted to being back with each other and that is going really well.

We are looking forward to this first Christmas as a family.  We know that Hannah won't remember it, but still know that this will be a very special Christmas for all of us.  Hopefully, with Christmas vacation starting next week (HOORAY!!), I'll be able to post more, but I won't make any promises.  

Until then, we truly hope that you all are doing well!!

Thankful

As Thanksgiving approaches, I'm constantly being reminded of all that I have to be thankful for. While at times it is easy to complain about the things that I don't have and wish for more, I truly have been blessed this past year.

So, here is a list (not nearly complete) of the things I am thankful for...both serious and silly. :)

1. Jeremy, my wonderful husband who takes care of our little family.
2. My sweet little girl...need I say more? :)
**she sleeps through the night consistently!!**
3. My family -- mom, dad, Heike, Shannon (&Tom), Baeley, and Amber
4. Pacifiers
5. Having a job - despite its demanding hours and workload, I am so thankful to have a job during a time when so many do not.
6. My sweet little dog who has kept me company on many a night when Jeremy has been at work.
7. Starbucks and Biggby -- without their yummy coffee drinks, I would be so sad
8. Bouncy seats
9. Text messaging
10. Lower gas prices
11. Doctors who stepped in during a time of crisis and made sure Hannah would be okay.
12. Edy's peppermint ice cream (why is it only seasonal?)
13. Our DVR
14. Wonderful friends to work with -- I've missed them so much while on maternity leave
15. Great pastors who challenge me each week
16. The freedom to go to church anytime I want to
17. Being able to wear my wedding ring again (those swollen pregnancy fingers just made me miserable)
18. Google
19. Facebook (I have reconnected with so many "old" friends)
20. Target (could there be a better store?) :)

Okay -- so, not nearly all of the things I'm thankful for. This list is just a "smattering," if you will, of the things I'm thankful to have and the people I'm thankful to know. While Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday, I am glad that we have a holiday that is about reminding us to be appreciative of the things we have.

So, what are you thankful for?

Easy Gift Cards

As my friend Erin posted...I'm going to throw a little plug on here for two reasons.
#1. Who doesn't need/want gift cards?
#2. It's free and easy.

I was on moneysavingmom yesterday and read about something called Swagbucks. You can read her post here about it or you can see how one woman earned enough to do all her Christmas shopping here.

You register to use Swagbucks as your search engine and then you get Swagbucks when you do a search. Your swagbucks can be used toward gift cards. I installed the toolbar, started searching this morning and have already earned some bucks.

If you want to earn even more, then you can refer people and get extra swagbucks when they sign up. Hence, another reason I'm posting this on my blog. If you decide you want to look into and sign up for this, please use my referral code:
http://swagbucks.prodege.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=247453

I also like it because I use Google as my primary search engine and Swagbucks searches by Google and ask.com.

One Month (and a day)

I had hoped to post yesterday, in order to mark Hannah's one month birthday. However, Hannah had other plans, plans that involved being held all day due to extreme fussiness. Apparently she didn't receive the memo about the planned blogging. I'll have to work on that for next time. :)

It's hard to believe that Hannah is already a month old. I know everyone told me that the time would go quickly, but still I am surprised. Along with that comes the knowledge that in just two short weeks, I'll be returning to work. While I am anxious to get back to my students and co-workers, I also am sad to think of leaving Hannah each day. It is also sad to know that in just two short weeks I will have try and fit into my old work clothes. You know, that really isn't sad...it's scary!

But this isn't supposed to be about me, it's supposed to be about Hannah, so back to her. :) She has grown and changed so much in this first month. Again, something I know every new parent says, but not something you realize as truth until you experience it for yourself. At her first doctor's appointment, which was when she was only a week old, she had already gained 9.5 ounces, putting her at 7lbs, 15.5oz. I'm sure by now she is over that 8lb mark.


Her hair, which I had fully expected to fall out (mine did when I was a newborn), is still there. It's growing longer and has just the slightest bit of red to it. My sister, who is a redhead herself, finds this to be the most exciting thing ever. Her eyes, which are generally quite dark, do have a steely blue to them as well. They are just so dark, but so bright at the same time. They're beautiful, that's for sure.

Jeremy and I have come a long way in figuring out her cries and moods. When she starts to shake her fists angrily in the air, we know that she is probably hungry. We have also learned that she does not like to have her feeding interrupted in order to be burped. She cries and wails when the bottle is taken away, but since she is a gulper (and therefore takes in a lot of air), she has to be burped several times during each feeding. Sadly for her, we just tune out the cries and burp her anyway. I think we all feel better when each feeding is done.

When she was two weeks old, we took her to have her pictures taken. An experience that we have agreed was not positive for anyone. Hannah was tired and uncooperative, the girl taking the pictures was obnoxious, and the pictures just didn't turn out that great. We'll try again in a few months.

Hannah also celebrated her first Halloween this month. She celebrated the day by going to my school and visiting my students. We also made the rounds to the different teachers. It clearly wasn't very exciting, as Hannah slept the entire two hours we were there.

This month also brought with it a lot of visiting with family. It has been so much fun introducing our little girl to all of her family members. Its already clear that she and Baeley will have a special bond. He can't wait for her to get a little bit bigger, so that he can play with her and teach her all sorts of things. Hopefully, they won't get into too much trouble together. :)

I'm sure there are many more things I could write about, but someone is awake and requiring my attention. Duty calls!

Life

Things are going well here in the Blanchard house. We're adjusting to our new life, which includes adjusting to the new challenges we've been experiencing. Hannah is a lot of fun and we're so happy to have her in our life.

Jeremy returned to work last Friday, the 31st, so Hannah and I have been spending some quality time together. Honestly, I've felt a little stir crazy, but have tried to make sure we get out of the house at least once a day. We've been to school a couple of times and my students really love seeing Hannah. It was great for me to see them and my co-workers. I was really nervous going into my maternity leave, but being able to stop by school has really helped. Apparently, they can all survive without me. :)


Hannah and I participated in the democratic process this morning, hopefully you've all done the same. Thankfully, I picked the right time to head to the polls. I didn't have to wait in any sort of line, which was great. I happily took my "I Voted" sticker and went to Biggby, where I was given a discount on my latte. I know I could have gone to Starbucks and received free coffee, but since Biggby was on my way home, it made more sense.

Anyway, I'm sure I have more interesting things to share with you, but Hannah as decided she is done sleeping. I'll try to come up with a better post for next time.

I Was Tagged...

I'm also writing a real post today, but my friend, Treasure, tagged me to do this little survey. Since Hannah seems to be relatively entertained with her pacifier right now, I thought I'd get this out of the way. :)

One Word Tag:

1. Where is your cell phone? bed
   
2. Your significant other? Jeremy
   
3. Your hair? blah
   
4. Your mother? helpful
   
5. Your father? opinionated
   
6. Your favorite thing? sleep
   
7. Your dream last night? Palin
   
8. Your favorite drink? Pepsi
   
9. Your dream/goal? thin
10. The room you’re in? bedroom
    
11. Your ex? none
12. Your fear? snakes
    
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? house
    
14. Where were you last night? home
    
15. What you’re not? motivated
    
16. Muffins? poppyseed
    
17. Where you grew up? Oregon
18. The last thing you did? lunch
    
19. What are you wearing? jammies
20. Your favorite TV? Ellen
    
21. Your pets? Molly
    
22. Your computer? crummy
    
23. Your life? new
    
24. Your mood? crabby
    
25. Missing someone? Lisa
    
26. Your car? Sebring
    
27. Something you’re not wearing? socks
    
28. Favorite Store? Target
    
29. Your summer? busy
    
30. Like someone? love
31. Your favorite color? blue
    
32. When is the last time you laughed? today
    
33. Last time you cried? yesterday
    
34. Who will/would re-post this? Erin?
    
35. Bath or shower? shower
    
36. Holiday? Christmas
37. Writing utensil? pen
38. Vacation activity? relaxing
    
39. Bedding preference? warm
    
40. Pet peeves? mumbling
    
41. Cookies? chocolate
    
42. Eggs? yuck
    
43. Favorite thing to do on a rainy day? movie
    
44. Your biggest strength? organizing
45. Favorite thing about school? co-workers
    
46. Most awesome gift received? Hannah
    
47. Neighbors? noisy :)
    
48. What do you collect? shot
    
49. Oldest kept item from childhood? bear
    
50. Greatest indulgence? chocolate
    
51. Your house? rented
    
52. Fruits or vegetables? Fruit
53. Quiet or loud? Quiet

A Few Days Later...

Sorry for the "internet silence," but things have been pretty busy around the Blanchard house. Not that I'm complaining, it's a wonderful thing, having a baby, but it's a busy time for sure.

I was discharged from the hospital on Thursday night. I'm not really sure why they kept me for so long, but I do know that it was nice to be at the hospital and be so close to Hannah. Thursday night, Jeremy and I spent some time at home, making sure everything was ready for Hannah and just spending some time processing all that we had been through in the past few days.

We returned to the hospital on Friday morning, where we were able to give Hannah her first bath. There were a few rough moments, but overall the nurse said we did well, Hannah didn't cry too much, and Jeremy and I survived.

Hannah doesn't seem to really like being all exposed, which I can't say that I blame her. She was much happier when we wrapped her up in a blanket and held her close while we finished drying her and then dressing her.

We were able to give Hannah a few feedings while we waited to meet with her doctor to go over her discharge papers. We also (mainly Cassie) had to take an infant CPR class and go over what to do if an infant starts choking. Jeremy went to the class, more for moral support, since he really should know how to handle both of those situations.

After the class and meeting with her doctor, it was finally time to take Hannah off of all of the monitors. It was so good to finally hold our little girl without having to stand right next to the hospital monitor. We could move around all we wanted to. The nurse had us sign the final set of discharge papers and we were set to go.

Jeremy loaded Hannah up into her car seat. I was so surprised to see how small she looked. It was like looking at a doll or something like that. She just looked so tiny and so precious. We said good-bye to Hannah's nurse and finally headed home as a family.

Our first night at home went really well. Jeremy and I both were obsessed with just watching Hannah. Every little sound she made had us up and out of bed, making sure that she was still okay. Of course she was okay, but boy did it make us feel better just to check on her.

The biggest surprise has been how Molly (our beagle) has adjusted to this new little person living in our house. She has done such a great job and has become Hannah's little guard. She doesn't freak out when Hannah cries, which is what I had expected. She follows us when we take Hannah in to change her diaper or feed her a bottle. She sits right at the feet of whoever is holding Hannah at the time. We were concerned about her being aggressive, but we haven't seen any sign of that at all. Molly just shows constant love for this new person in her life. We've been doing our best to make sure to praise her when she is good and give her treats often too.

Yesterday, Sunday, was a big day of family.

My parents arrived in town, my sister Heike and my nephew Baeley, came to visit for the
day, and Jeremy's parents came for a little bit as well. Poor Hannah was passed around from person to person, but she handled it pretty well and only got fussy later in the day.

A Little Update

Well, our little girl is a little over a day old and is just as cute as can be. We were able to spend a lot of time with her today, which made us both incredibly happy. When we went down to see her this morning, she was incredibly alert, looking all over, kicking her legs back and forth, stretching her toes (they move really far apart!), and just all around being as precious as possible.

After lunch, we went back to spend some more time with her and found out that they had been able to give her a little bit of food from the bottle. She actually ate about 15cc's, not quite an ounce, but still a good thing. She's basically on a sliding scale, so depending on how much she eats, they'll reduce the amount of fluids she receives from the IV. Jeremy changed his first diaper and Hannah was nice enough to just give him just a wet diaper. He did a pretty good job. Between the nurse, Jeremy, and myself, we fed her her second bottle and she took in about 32cc's, which really made her nurse happy. They were able to reduce, again, the amount she's receiving from the IV.

This evening, I had the privilege of changing her diaper and Hannah wasn't as nice to me. She gave me a pretty dirty diaper to change. What a little stinker! :) We had a hard time getting her to take her evening bottle, but eventually she took in about the same amount she took in this afternoon. Because the amount wasn't any higher, they didn't make any adjustments to her IV.

At this point, I'll be discharged tomorrow, but we're not sure when Hannah will get to come home. She has a couple of goals to meet before we can bring her home, like keeping her temperature up, eating the right amount of food, and things like that. We're hoping that we'll get to bring her home on Friday or Saturday. It's going to be pretty rough to go home without her, but we know that this is all in God's plan and that He is taking good care of her and watching over her, even when we aren't in the room with her.

Jeremy and I are doing pretty good. We're both pretty tired and hope to get some good rest tonight. We're both just so thankful for all the doctors and nurses who are taking such good care of all of us. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Keep them coming!

Hannah Marie Blanchard

What a whirlwind the past 36 hours have been. There have been many highs and a few lows, but the end result is wonderful. Our baby girl, Hannah Marie, has finally joined our family.

Our journey started yesterday, when I went to the doctor and found out I was only dilated to 2 cm. This wasn't exactly what I had been hoping to hear, but couldn't really do anything about it. He did a few "maneuvers" to try and help get things started, said he would probably be delivering my baby in the next few days, and scheduled me for an induction next Monday, just in case I was still pregnant.

Once I got home, the back pain I had been having since late Sunday night, suddenly intensified. I was experiencing pain that I couldn't describe and had never felt before in my life. After a few conversations with Jeremy, I relented and called my doctor who told me it was time to go to the hospital. Yikes! We were about to become parents. The reality hit us like a ton of bricks.

When we got to the hospital, we spent about 2 hours in triage, where they concluded that yes, I was in labor and began the process of admitting me. They quickly gave me my epidural (sweet relief) and we began our hospital stay. Things moved along very quickly, and before I knew it, I was dilated to 9 cm.

Around 10:15am this morning (Tuesday), my doctor declared me ready to start pushing and so push I did. Surprisingly, I only pushed for about a half an hour before Hannah decided to join us. That's where our story takes a scary twist.

The entire time, they had of course been monitoring me and monitoring Hannah's heartbeat, which was perfectly fine. She delivered smoothly and with zero complications, until they took her to weigh and measure her and realized that she wasn't breathing. She was looking around and moving, but she wasn't breathing.

I can't begin to tell you how scary that was for us. They quickly began working on her, trying to clear her airway, and hoping to get her to breathe. They called down the neo-natal team, who joined our room and joined in on working on Hannah. All Jeremy and I could do was watch, hope, pray, and cry from my bed. They quickly determined that she had an unusual amount of "gunk" in her lungs and air passages and worked as hard as they could to get her to breathe on her own. They weren't as successful as they would have liked and ended up having to stick a tube down her throat and hook her up to the vent. I truly don't think I have ever been so scared in my life.

About 15 minutes in, they were able to get her stable enough, that Jeremy and I could hold her for just a minute or two before they whisked her away to the NICU. We were told we probably wouldn't be able to see her for about two hours -- the longest two hours ever.

When we were finally able to join her in the NICU, she was doing better, but still didn't seem to have the right oxygen levels. They had her underneath an "oxygen hood" that was supplying her with the right amounts of oxygen. This meant we couldn't hold our baby girl, which was really hard. We could take pictures though.
They told us that Hannah would probably stay in the NICU for 24 hours, then be moved to the NIM (neo-natal intermediate unit), then, if she was doing better, we could probably take her home sometime around the end of the week. The end of the week? That was tough to swallow, but we know these doctors are the best, so we accepted the news and began praying that she would heal quickly.

Around 4pm, we were told that she had been out of her oxygen hood for two hours and was holding her own, so they transferred her to the NIM tonight. Not tomorrow, like they thought, tonight! We are ecstatic about this. It means our prayers were answered. They also told us that if she continued to improve, she could probably be moved to my room/the regular nursery tomorrow, and go home with me on Thursday. We were blown away when they told us that.

We went down to the NIM, where we were finally, 7.5 hours later, allowed to hold our sweet, little girl. We were able to kiss her, hug her, and hold her close. We are so thrilled to finally meet her and of course, we think she's absolutely perfect.

Please enjoy these photos! We'll keep you posted on Hannah's progress and covet your prayers.

Things I'm Looking Forward To...

This afternoon as I left the doctor's office, and again he had zero good news for me, I began thinking of all the things I'm looking forward to. You know, the things I've gone without for the past nine months. Don't get me wrong, I'm really looking forward to meeting this little girl and everything has been worth it. But, there are certainly things I just can't wait to welcome back into my world.

*Regular Pepsi
*Belts
*Pants that have zippers and buttons
*Shirts that button
*Shirts that don't have a tie in the back
*Shaving without it being a workout
*Sleeping in my own bed
*Regular coffee
*Wearing my wedding ring
*Painting my toenails -- again, without it being a workout
*Picking up Molly
*Walking quickly down the hallways at school
*Having a normal belly button
*Fitting my feet into shoes
*Not having to go to the bathroom every hour, on the hour
*Having a lap again

Now, I'm a realist, I know that these things may not come immediately, but a girl can dream, yes? Really, I'm just ready for the "pregnancy" part to be over and the next part to begin. Does it sound a little like a pity party? Probably, and for that I'm sorry. I really am doing okay and I really do have patience. Today was just a hard day and so it seemed inevitable that a pity party would happen. I'm sure tomorrow, after I've had a good nights "sleep," things will look up.

No matter what, as my doctor keeps telling me, she will come out. Right now it's just a matter of not really knowing when....yeah, not a lot of help, but he's trying.

Two Weeks and Counting

Well, we're only two weeks away from the almighty due date. It's hard to believe that we have finally arrived at this point. Back in February, when we realized we were pregnant, October seemed so very far away. Now, October seems almost frighteningly close.

Technically, we're ready. The crib is set up, the car seat has been installed in the car, we have clothes coming out of our ears, diapers are in place, our hospital bags have been packed, the house is relatively clean, and I have lesson plans figured out for, at least, the next two weeks.

Physically? I'm beyond ready to be done. I'm ready to lose my "waddle." I'm ready to not need to use the bathroom every time I take a sip of water. I can't wait to see my toes again. When it comes to sleeping, I can't wait to be able to roll onto my stomach.

Mentally? Well, we're as ready as we can be. I'm fairly certain that you are never truly ready, but we're getting there. We're certainly ready to meet this little girl and welcome her to our family.

It's our prayer that these last two weeks, or less, or more, go quickly and smoothly. We're praying for a safe (and maybe painless??) delivery. :) We're praying that God will enable us to be the kind of parents that we need to be. That He will give us the strength that we will need when life seems overwhelming.

I realize this is a rambling post, so I apologize for that, but my thoughts are all rambled these days. I hope you understand. :)

Free Cakes for Kids

For those of you reading in the Oregon area (or really any area for that matter), please check out my sister's new venture. She is beginning an Albany chapter of "Free Cakes for Kids." This is an organization that donates birthday cakes to kids who might not otherwise receive one.

She has her website, Free Cakes for Kids - Albany, up and running, along with her blog. Shannon truly does tremendous work when it comes to creating cakes of all types. I can't wait until she posts some pictures on her site so you can see just what she is capable of. I'm so proud of her for stepping out and working to make a difference in the lives of children.

Learning to Breathe...

Jeremy and I just got home from our weekend childbirth class. Because of our schedules, we were unable to take a traditional five week long class. Instead, we took a class that was held for three and a half hours on Friday night and then six and a half hours today. Everything all in one weekend.

Well, the most important thing to note is that we survived. Neither one of us is feeling particularly overwhelmed right now, which I think is a positive sign. More importantly, we both made it through the class without strangling this one guy in our class who was totally obnoxious. Seriously, he's lucky to still be alive! :) Truthfully though, neither one of us was surprised to have an obnoxious person in class. Between the two of us, we've taken enough classes to keep our respective professional licenses valid, that we know with classes will come an obnoxious student or two.

I think it's safe to say that we have had our share of breathing practice and pushing practice and bathing a baby practice. Personally, I think a lot of the stuff that was covered was common sense, but at the same time, it was good to hear some of it as well. I think we both feel a little more secure and a little more ready. This is good since we only have about four weeks left...hopefully! :)

I'll leave you with this..."hee, hee, who."

Still Alive...

I apologize for taking so long to post something new. The first two weeks of school have been absolutely crazy. Much crazier then in the past, that's for sure.

In reflecting on the first two weeks, I have to be honest. I have a feeling it might be an incredibly long year. Truthfully, it has nothing to do with being pregnant because my teaching partner, who is not expecting, and the other teachers in my wing all feel the same way. It just feels like we will definitely have to work harder than we have ever worked before. I can't really explain it, so don't ask, it's just the "vibe" at school right now. :)

That being said, I do have some real sweet kids in my class. I have a couple of girls who are just so sweet and kind, it's wonderfully refreshing! I have a few boys who have a great personality and who I really think I'll enjoy teaching this year.

I guess I just have to remember that each year is different. I'm sure that by the end of the year, I'll look back on this time and wonder why I was worried. :)

A Brand New Year

Tomorrow marks the start of a new school year for me and I truly am looking forward to it. Last week we had our Open House, so I was able to meet around 16 of my 26 students. From those that I met, it seems like I have a really good group of kids. For the first time in recent years, I have a lot more girls in my class than I do boys. Thankfully, I teach 4th grade, so having more girls doesn't necessarily mean the same thing that it would if I were to teach middle school.

In a lot of ways, the first day of school feels the same to me now, as it did when I was the student, not the teacher. I still get nervous, I still have a hard time sleeping the night before, and I still have a fear of oversleeping the morning of the first day. I get completely giddy looking at school supplies and still think it's fun to get a new outfit for the first day. Although this year there was no new first day outfit as I've had to buy a lot of new clothes as a of late.

Of course, the first day of school also means that summer vacation is over. Now is the time when I reflect back on my summer and think about whether or not I accomplished everything I had hoped. Well, I had hoped to read a lot of books and was able to do that. I wanted to finish the quilt that I'm making for my precious little girl, and sadly, that I did not get done. Although it's almost done and hopefully, by the end of this week, it should be complete. I had hoped to get my home completely ready (clean and organized) for the arrival of our new family member. I can give myself a 50% on that one. It's looking a lot better, but still needs to have some work done. I can't be too disappointed in myself as I really enjoyed my summer which is the most important thing.

Well, to those of you heading back to school or sending kids off to school, enjoy the first day. To the rest of you, well, I suppose you can enjoy your day as well! :)

I know, I know...

Okay, I know it's been awhile since I've posted! I promise to get something up soon. With school starting next week, things have been just a teensy bit busy for me. Be patient, posting will resume soon!

Children's Classics

I've decided to participate in this monthly "meme" from Jennifer at 5 Minutes for Books. (Thanks should go to my friend, Jen, who mentioned these blogs on her own blog.)

Anyway, the idea is to respond to this simple prompt:

• Would you recommend the book? To whom?
• If you wouldn't recommend it, why do you think it's been so popular?
• Has your child recently discovered a classic author? What is his or her perspective on the differences in classic and contemporary children's writing?
• Have you recently shared a childhood favorite with your own child? How did you each respond to it?

As always, picking just one book is really hard, so I've decided to pick two books. One of which was my absolute favorite as a child and the other one being a book that I have recently discovered and that has become an absolute favorite to share with my 4th grade class each year.



When I was a kid, I absolutely loved reading Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. In fact, I still have the original copy that I received as a gift when I was probably 8 years old. I keep it in my classroom and show the well-worn, much loved, tattered book to my students each year. They think its funny that a book they enjoy reading so much, along with its sequels, is a book that I enjoyed reading so very long ago. (I'm not really sure that at 27, I'm that old, but too them, me being 8 years old was soooo long ago).

I would definitely recommend this book to any child who is struggling to find a book that they can relate to. I really feel that there is something in this book for every kid. Most children, around 4th grade, are dealing with siblings, either older or younger. For me, I was dealing with older siblings and reading this book made me so thankful that I didn't have any younger siblings to deal with.

I do use this book, each year, as a read-aloud with my students, right at the beginning of the year. It is so much fun to listen to them laugh as I read the tales of Peter Hatcher and of course his little brother, Fudge. In the weeks following, they simply devour all of the sequels to this book. I can't keep them on the bookshelves of my classroom. My husband and I have talked about how we can't wait to be able to share this favorite of ours with our own little girl, when she is old enough. (Right now we just can't wait for her to make her appearance in October!)

While this isn't the most classic of literature, and it doesn't take a lot of work to read, this book is great just for introducing kids to larger chapter books and the great genre that is realistic fiction.

The other book, which I have just recently (a few years ago) discovered is The BFG by Roald Dahl. Oh My Word! Where was this book when I was a kid? Oh right, it's a fantasy book and when I was a kid, I hated anything that wasn't realistic fiction. Another teacher at my school suggested I read this book to my class. I wasn't really sure that it would be a good fit, as it is pretty lengthy and my class, at the time, suffered from ultra-short attention spans. But, I decided to give it a try, and boy, I was not disappointed. I'm not really sure who laughed more while we read it out loud, me or the kids?

As always, Roald Dahl does a fantastic job of weaving a story together. We learn about Sophie, a young orphan girl in London, who mistakenly witnesses a giant (The BFG) blowing dreams into a house across the street. Since giants aren't supposed to be seen by "human beans," as the BFG refers to them, he snatches her up and wisks her away to Giant Country. A dreary place where the BFG, along with 8 or 9 other giants live. We learn that the BFG is a rare giant, as he is kind and gentle. The other giants, well, let's just say they're less than "refined."

The challenge in reading this book comes in navigating the language of the giants. They speak English, but it certainly is confusing. For example, they don't say, "Am I right or wrong?" Instead they say, "Am I right or am I left?" The only food available to the giants are "snozzcumbers" and the only beverage would be "frobscottle," which causes "whizzpoppers." Needless to say, the kids got a kick out of this book, and each class I have shared it with since can't wait for read-aloud time. I even had one student, this past year, who after we read The BFG, was so into books by Roald Dahl, that by the time the year had ended, he had read all of Roald Dahl's books, including his autobiography, Boy.

If you're looking for other fantastic, middle-grade, chapter books, make sure to stop on over to 5 Minutes for Books, and check out the other great suggestions. Happy Reading!!!

What the games are all about!

So, I couldn't stay up last night to watch the best moment of the Olympics (so far), but thanks to our DVR, I was able to watch it today, over and over again. If you are feeling clueless, I'm talking about the men's 4x100 freestyle relay finals. You should really check this out. Watching it this morning, I already knew the outcome, but I was still on the edge of my seat (figuratively, of course).

Anyway, this moment is why I watch the Olympics. It's just so exciting to watch these athletes see all of their hard work pay off. Plus, it's just a bonus to see/hear another country (the French) totally trash talk us and then have to eat a large helping of humble pie!

Olympics Begin Tonight!

It's that time again! Once every two years, the world pauses and watches as thousands of athletes compete for those coveted gold medals. I must admit that the Summer Olympics are my favorite. I enjoy the winter games, but the summer ones, in my opinion, are just more fun to watch.

I do find it strange that I enjoy the Olympics so much, being that I'm really not a big sports fan. I can't explain it, maybe it's that we always watched the Olympics when I was a kid. Maybe it's all of the media hype. I don't really know. All I do know is that my DVR is going to get quite the workout in the next couple of weeks as I settle in to watch my favorite events. These would include swimming (go Michael Phelps!), gymnastics (how in the world can they be that flexible??), track & field (no one should be able to run that fast), and soccer (that's really more for Jeremy than me).

I also know that I'm ready to welcome Bob Costas back into my home so he can tell me the personal and "behind-the-scenes" stories of all of the athletes. How is it that he is such an iconic figure of NBC, yet we really only see him every two years at the Olympics??

I look forward to more memories being created. I'll never forget watching Kerri Strug being carried out by Bela Karolyi during the 1996 games in Atlanta, along with their memorable routine to "Macarena." Watching the "Dream Team" win the gold in Barcelona is another favorite memory.

So for those of you who are going to watch, what are your favorite events or favorite Olympic memories?

Summer Reading - Children's Literature Edition

This summer I have had the chance to finally spend some time reading. I love reading and during the busy school year hardly find the time to get it done. But, this summer, I was determined and boy did I meet my goal!

One of my favorite genres would be children's literature. Being that I'm a 4th grade teacher, that shouldn't seem real strange. It's one of the first things I check out when I'm a bookstore or library.

Thankfully, for the sake of our family budget, most of my "kid lit" books are purchased at a reduced price, thanks to my monthly Scholastic book orders. I'm also a frequent shopper of the semi-annual Scholastic warehouse sale in my area. I think Jeremy cringes deeply when that time of year rolls around. For those of you interested in "kid lit," I encourage you to check out the Scholastic warehouse sale site. They usually have 1-2 locations in each state and it's truly a wonderful thing. I also pick up used books at garage sales and thrift stores. How can you say no to finding a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book for a quarter?

This summer I have discovered a new fantasy series that I was surprised to actually enjoy. After last summer and the release of the final Harry Potter book, I was sure that I would never read fantasy literature again. I've never actually cared for the fantasy genre, but like the majority of the world, I found myself longing to know more of this magical world where Harry Potter and his friends lived and was sad when it all ended last summer.

I was a little leery of this new series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, written by Rick Riordan. It is about a boy, Percy, who finds out that he is the son of a Greek god. I have never been interested in Greek mythology and find it all to be a little confusing, but decided to persevere and finished the first book of the series, The Lightning Thief. It was such a good book that I immediately told Jeremy that he needed to read it, since he really does enjoy Greek mythology. He couldn't put it down and right away wanted to know when we could get the 2nd book in the series. Thankfully, by the time we discovered this series, the first four books had already been released. We're currently waiting, somewhat impatiently, for the fifth and final book of the series to come out.

This isn't a series that I can put in my classroom, as the content is a little too mature for my 4th graders. However, for my nephew, who is going into 6th grade, I think this series is ideal. It's very entertaining, while managing to hold you in suspense. Overall, it's just a really well-written book.

The end is in sight

There have been decreasing flea sightings, leading us to believe that the end is in sight! Much google research has been done and many "home remedies" tried. We seem to have won this battle!!

Much Annoyance!

It all started last Thursday. We received a phone call, from our landlord, letting us know that our neighbor (we live in a duplex) had found fleas in her house, from a dog she had been dog-sitting. She was calling the bug spraying people and we needed to keep an eye out, in case the fleas had found their way into our side of the duplex.



We weren't too worried. We keep our dog treated with flea stuff and routinely vacuum and clean, so no worries, right? Wrong! Thursday evening, Jeremy decided that he would comb through Molly's fur and just make sure. Well, that was our downfall, sure enough, there were a few fleas. A quick call to the vet and we knew that Molly would be okay, since she receives monthly flea treatments. The fleas might hop a ride on her, but would die due to the flea treatment.

We called our landlord and him know that we too seemed to have a flea problem. Our theory was that Molly had picked them up outside when she went out that evening to do her business. No way were they in our house. We decided that it would be a good idea to have the bug spraying people come to our house, as a preventative measure. We scheduled a time for them to come on Tuesday, since they couldn't come any earlier.

Friday morning comes and I receive a phone call from our landlord's wife. She thinks (and I agreed) that waiting until Tuesday wasn't a good idea. That we needed to have the bug spraying people come out right away. She scheduled for them to come Friday afternoon and urged me to call my doctor to see what precautions a 7-months along pregnant woman should take. I quickly called my doctor and was told that while things would probably be okay, I shouldn't take any chances and should vacate the area for 24 hours. 24 hours? That's a long time. But I would feel terrible if something went wrong, so I agreed.

We thought about staying with my in-laws, but they live about an hour away and Jeremy needed to be near our house the next morning for a 5K race. We decided to just bite the bullet and checked into a hotel that would allow pets.

Saturday afternoon we returned to our house. Not a flea in sight, so we breathed a sigh of relief. We were in the clear....

What were we thinking? One day and all of our problems would be solved? Of course not! Sunday rolled around which meant Jeremy would be at work for most of the day. Throughout the day, I killed a few fleas that I spotted on Molly. She of course did not appreciate me coming at her with the tweezers, but it had to be done. By the time Jeremy was home and we were getting ready for bed, we had probably killed a dozen more. They weren't gone, they were simply coming out of hiding!

So, last night at 9pm, we were throwing all of the rugs and linens into the wash, vacuuming the carpets and the stairs, and making the decision that until further notice, Molly would have to stay in her crate, in the basement. We made another call to our landlord to let him know that sadly, our optimism had been in vain. He vowed to call the bug spraying people as soon as they opened to see what the deal was. Would we just have to spend a few days killing fleas? Would they eventually die? Would we ever be able to sleep in peace again?

Needless to say, much annoyance fills my soul. Fleas are gross and getting rid of them is consuming my time. What a pain!

21 Questions

I don't have a lot on my mind today, so I "borrowed" a meme from my friend Jen.

21 Questions to Break the Silence

1. I've come to realize the last person who held my hand...
was my husband, yesterday, as we wandered through Kohl's looking at really cute baby clothes.

2. I am listening to...
the radio, B-93, our local country station. I also can hear the guys down the hallway (I'm at school) who are replacing the carpet in the classrooms. And, if I listen real closely, I can hear the song that has been stuck in my head since Saturday. I won't tell you what it is, as I'm trying to get the song "un-stuck."

3. I talk...
when I have something to say, when the phone rings, or when I accidentally talk to myself. Truly, I probably talk to myself more than I should, but I tend to think out loud, which is fine when you're by yourself. When other people are around, apparently it can really annoy them.

4. I am dating...
my philosophy of writing paper, my multi-genre project, and the quilt I'm making for our little girl. I guess you could say I'm also dating the baby's room. All of those things are consuming all of my time.

5. My best friend(s)...
have been around a long time. They tend to have a similar sense of humor and care about me, no matter what.

6. My car...
is a messy, white Hyundai Elantra. This thing could really use a good cleaning, in AND out. It also takes about $30 more to fill it now, then when I bought it. Oh, the good old days of getting a full tank for around $10. I miss those days.

7. I hate it when people ask...
why we haven't bought a house yet. It really isn't any of their business in my opinion. We'll buy a house when we're good and ready. For now, our duplex is working out just fine. I also hate it when my students ask if whatever assignment I have given them is going to be graded. Does it really matter? You should always do your best, no matter what.

8. Love is...
the answer to all of the problems. Our former pastor put it best when he said that the answer to everything is simple, "love wins." If you're willing to love, things will be okay. You have to make the choice to do it.

9. Marriage is...
what keeps me going when I feel like I can't. Knowing I have someone to walk alongside me forever makes life so much easier.

10. Somewhere, someone is thinking...
about Abraham Lincoln.

11. I'm always...
moving my toes.

12. I have a secret crush on...
no one. My husband knows that I love him more than anyone else. Besides, my crush on Tim McGraw is hardly a secret at this point. :)

13. My cell phone...
keeps me entertained during my boring graduate class.

14. When I wake up in the morning...
I usually hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. Other times I am able to wake right up and start watching the news. Most of the time, I wake up to the dog reminding me that I should probably take her out or wake Jeremy up and have him take her out.

15. Before I go to bed at night...
I set two alarm clocks, just in case I sleep through one of them. I also try and read a little bit of whatever book happens to be on the floor next to my bed. Usually I fall asleep during this time and wake-up when Jeremy is taking my glasses off and turning off my lamp.

16. Right now I am thinking about...
The fact that I'm supposed to be working on the two projects that are due next week for my graduate class. At least I'm thinking about doing them, right?

17. Babies are...
about to enter my life. Well, one baby, but still. I'm sure our life will be turned upside down and a period of adjustment will definitely happen, but we're still really excited to become parents in October.

18. Today I...
will work in the school office until 11am, then go to class until 3pm (eating lunch in the car on my way to class), then tutor a student until 5pm. After that I'll finally go home and think about what we should have for dinner.

19. Tonight I will...
probably work on these two projects for class and watch last night's, "The Next Food Network Star."

20. Tomorrow I will...
work in the school office until noon, tutor two students, and then go home and work on stuff for class.

21. I really want...
the temperature outside to become more comfortable, the next couple of months to go well, for this stupid class to be done, and to be a good mom.