Changes

It has been a while since I've blogged, but it feels like it's time to start again.  I just finished the end of another school year, and have decided to stay home with the kids next year.  It has been a more difficult year teaching this year, mainly due to losing my classroom space and trying to adjust to all the new changes.  But I made it through, and that's all that matters. Andrew will be starting Kindergarten, and I'm excited to be able to take part in helping him start his formal education and also look forward to spending more time with Meghan.

We are moving in 3 weeks, and I could not be more excited.  This move has been a long time in the works, and we have found a house that will finally be HOME.  I'm kind of hoping to use this blog as a way to talk about all the ideas and plans I have for the house.  It's going to be so much fun!

Belly

That post last week that said my belly was small...evidently it heard and decided to explode in the past week.  I definitely have a big belly now, and am getting pretty uncomfortable. But I know there is only more fun to come.

(I just ran into a student with my belly. I have no concept of the amount of space I take up anymore.)

Getting Closer

I'm currently 32 weeks along in this pregnancy, and I have to say that things have been very different this time around than when I was pregnant with Andrew.  Aside from the nausea at the beginning, I have generally felt really good.  I've had a few days of swollen feet and ankles, but nothing like what I had with Andrew.  I know there is still time....What really strikes me as different is how much smaller I am with this baby.  She is definitely sitting much lower in my belly, and I can feel that in my hips from time to time.  Everyone remarks how little I am, and the other day someone said I only looked about 5 months pregnant.  For now, I'm going to attribute that to the fact that I'm chasing after the most active 3 year old in the world. Unfortunately, I can't stop until he does.

Andrew has been talking more and more about the baby, and likes to pat my belly and say "big bellist".  He has helped me get out some of his old toys and still wants to play with them. He's also been much more affectionate lately, and knows something is going on. But I've been told by several people that he will inform you he is having a baby brother. 

Getting prepared for a baby girl has been different. I'm not the most girly-girl, so I'm definitely not into all the frilly stuff. But for some reason it has been hard for me to accept that I CAN buy pink things, and have fun with it. Maybe once she is finally here I will get more carried away, but for now I feel like I've done a good job restraining myself.

Ahhhhh....

This is a great description for my week.  I have been able to step back, take a breath, and relax.  How can I accomplish this? I simply just had to get rid of my husband and son, of course!

Brian has the week off but I, unfortunately, have to work.  He decided to take Andrew to Denver to visit his parents for the week, and I was able to join them there for the weekend before flying back on Monday. The plane ride was pretty relaxing, I will admit. I read a magazine and listened to some podcasts, and couldn't believe how fast the flight went.  Once I got home, the quiet of the house really hit me.  I have gotten so used to hearing Andrew thundering down the halls of the house, and having to watch Toy Story 24/7.  But now, the house was ALL MINE. Ahhhhhh.....

I will admit that I miss both of them, a lot. But I am definitely enjoying how relaxing my mornings are getting ready for work.  No dealing with a cranky toddler, chasing him around the house trying to get him dressed, rushing to get out of the house, drop him off at daycare at make it to work on time. Instead, I get to sleep in a little, check my email before leaving, and stop for coffee on the way to work. I am actually relaxed when I arrive at work.

Tonight I even have time to sit down and write this as I'm watching the weather forecasts, praying for a snow day tomorrow.  I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like to spend a whole day at home, by myself, with only myself to worry about.

Happy Holidays!

We traveled to Kansas on the 23rd to spend Christmas with my family. This was the first year that Andrew really understood Christmas, and he had a great time. As we were opening presents on Christmas day, Andrew shouted "I am SO happy right now!".  Santa brought him the trains he had been asking for, as well as Lightning McQueen's truck, and he has been playing with all of them for days.

While Brian had to go back to St. Louis to return to work, Andrew and I stayed and have been hanging out for the past week. We have been able to see his cousins Max and Erin every day we have been here, and he loves spending time with them. On Monday my mom and I took all 3 of them swimming at the indoor pool, and Andrew was in heaven. For a boy who sometimes hates taking a bath, he took to the swimming pool like a fish. It was almost a little scary for me because he had absolutely no fear about jumping in and trying to swim, but he still can't do it on his own. We'll have to get him in some swim lessons this spring so that he might be a little more ready for the pool this summer.


We will be heading back to St. Louis tomorrow, and it should be quite the event. Because Brian took the car back with him, Andrew and I will be taking the Amtrak train tomorrow. I cannot wait to experience this with Andrew, as I know he is going to absolutely love it.  Hopefully I'll get a post up about that after the trip.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Sorry!

It's been way too long since I've written on here.  I guess I assume most people see everything I post on facebook, but I do want to try to keep up with my blog for record keeping sake. I like being able to go back and read about different things I have blogged about, and now I get to add another item to the list of topics.

I am pregnant again! I actually found out I was pregnant on my birthday, which was a wonderful present to receive. It was a little bit shocking, as Brian and I had been waiting to try again until we were settled into our new lives in St. Louis.  Well, it happened on the first month. I'm due June 4th, the day after the school year ends and 2 days after Brian's birthday. Couldn't have planned that one any better!  It's been a fairly easy pregnancy so far aside from being nauseous 24/7 the entire month of October. But I'm back to feeling better, and have hit the point where I am outgrowing my "normal" clothes and am having to get creative with my wardrobe because maternity clothes are huge on me right now. I will start posting belly pics again soon.

We have informed Andrew that there will soon be a new baby in the house, and he does not seem very pleased about it. But I think the idea is growing on him.  It better!

Halloween

I think I'm getting to the point in my life where I really could do without Halloween. Sure, it's a fun reason to dress up and get candy. But I've started viewing it from a different perspective...the parent perspective.

As a parent with an almost 3 year old who has recently entered the world of being scared, Halloween does not sit well. Seeing all the scary costumes really freaked him out. We tried to go a party at a neighbor's house yesterday, and he would have nothing to do with all the people there who were dressed up.  I agree with him! I just don't get what is fun about dressing up as something dead or scary.  His preschool did have a Trunk or Treat event on Friday night which was much more my style, little kids in cute costumes.

I am honestly amazed at what some parents will let their children dress up as. There was one boy there last night who was probably around 10, dressed as the Grim Reaper. No thanks! I joked with Brian last night that maybe we should be exposing our son to swords and scary stuff so he would think it was normal and not get scared by it. And the girl's costumes are just getting too sexual. In a way, I'm relieved we don't have a girl and don't have to enter the world of girl issues.

Last but not least, there is the candy factor. Andrew has definitely inherited his dad's love for candy, and I will admit it was pretty fun last night watching him enjoy and marvel at his first Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. But putting a limit on the candy is so hard, and I don't want him getting sick either. The last thing I need is for this kid to have more energy from a sugar high!

A day of mixed emotions

Today is my birthday, a day that should normally bring happiness and celebration. As I've grown older, I have been able to find some joy in the day, but there is always something in the back of my mind about this day. Unless you knew me in high school, you probably don't know about how this day has a different meaning to me.

On my 16th birthday I lost a very important person in my life to suicide. It was a day that started off great, with my friends Anne and Danika waking me up and taking me out to breakfast before school. Also, my dad was pretty strict about me driving without an adult in the car, so my 16th birthday was a day I had looked forward to for a long time. It was a day that I would take one step closer to being an adult.

I remember sitting in math class, and one of my former grade school teachers came in to get me. She took me in the hall to tell me that Anne's dad, Dan, had died. I think the chief of police was there, too. I'm pretty sure I started sobbing, but don't really remember. At that point, I didn't realize it was suicide, I just thought he had died. We had seen him driving away that morning as we were coming home from breakfast. Dan was a police officer, and frequently went out to the shooting range to practice. That was where he went that morning when we saw him leaving.

Through the course of the day we learned that Dan had, in fact, killed himself. Dan had been a fixture in my life since kindergarten, and he often called me his adopted daughter because of how much time I spent with their family. I went camping with them often, and remember him always being around for an encouraging word at soccer games and swim meets. And now he was gone.

To this day I still do not understand why he made the choice to take himself from us. But in the years since, I have realized that I really don't think people who commit suicide are able to contemplate the impact that those who are left behind will face.

I often look back to my 16th birthday as the day I lost my naivete. The real world was now in front of me, and it has been a difficult world for me to handle at times. I have struggled through rough times in my life, but have always been able to overcome my hardships with the help of those who love me. For that, I am thankful for each and every birthday that I am able to celebrate and find joy in. Some birthdays are easier than others, and I never know going in to the day what I will feel like. Today has been an emotional day for me so far, I'm not sure why, but I really felt like I needed to sit down and write about it.  Thanks for listening.

Potty Learning

Warning***Yes, this post talks about pooping and peeing.***Get over it. I'm a mom.

We have officially entered the world of Potty Training, which I am trying to look at as Potty Learning. Andrew has shown some interest in sitting on the potty, especially because all of his friends at school use the potty. The last few days he has wanted to wear underwear over his diaper, so I decided this weekend we would take the plunge. Last night I found some sticker charts online, and printed a few off to use as an incentive. I let Andrew pick his favorite, and we started the morning by him getting to put stickers on it for pulling down his own pants and sitting on the potty. There were a couple of accidents in the morning, and I learned that having tile floors and a leather sofa are helpful! I decided I needed a shower, and of course when I got out Andrew came running to me and he had pooped. Ug. Hopefully we won't have to deal with that again.

He continued to have accidents in the afternoon after his nap, and I was getting pretty frustrated. It just wasn't clicking with him. Lately he has been on a pancake kick, and we had them for breakfast, and he asked for them for lunch. Then he started asking for them for a snack, and Brian suggested using them as reward. BINGO! He sat on the potty and peed for a pancake.

And then while eating the pancake, he had an accident. Sigh. But he asked for another pancake and I told him he had to go potty for it. He did! Maybe this was working...

I decided he needed some time outside, so we went out to swing and play soccer. Of course, another accident. What's nice is I didn't have to clean it up. I changed him and let him run around in his underwear outside, and he seemed okay.

It was getting close to dinner, and he asked for popcorn and Goldfish crackers. I told him that he would have to sit on the potty and go pee in order to get them, and he did!  It was amazing. Towards the end of the day I felt like maybe we had turned a corner. Hopefully tomorrow will be more successful.

I can't believe it has been so long since I've last posted. Starting back at work has kept me so busy. I am enjoying my new school, but of course have a lot of things to figure out and work on. I am hoping things will calm down soon and I can get into more of a routine.

Andrew has been doing an awesome job transitioning into his new school. There were a few rough days and lots of tears shed by both him and I, but now he happily runs in and will hardly stop to say goodbye to me. He also received his first backpack last week, which has helped him be more excited about going to school.  One of the greatest things about his school is that they have a big indoor gym area, so when it is too hot or too cold to go outside the kids can still have a space to run around. If you know Andrew, you know he needs that every day! He is so active all the time, and hits the ground running every day. Andrew is also learning so much at his school, and has started counting and reading letters very well. It is so fun to see his brain soaking in so much.

What I love the most is that he has started to sing. Every night before he goes to bed Brian and I sing "Hush Little Baby" to him, but now he will join in with us or even sing it all by himself. I love it!

Holy Hotness!

We are living in the midst of some hot weather here. I know it's been hot everywhere lately, but it just makes life so miserable. Today, the heat index was at 90 by 8 am. Andrew and I tend to not leave the house very much, and luckily we now have more room inside our house for Andrew to run around. I've even thought about bringing some of the smaller outside play toys we have into the basement for him to be able to use. What has been frustrating is that I don't really want to go out into the heat to run in the mornings, especially when I have Andrew with me in his jogging stroller. There are definitely more hills in our neighborhood here than where we lived in Ohio, and pushing him in the stroller is a new form of torture. But he does make runs a bit more interesting, with his constant talking and observations.

I've been trying to do some activities with Andrew this summer, and so far we have visited the Museum of Transportation, the St. Louis City Museum, and were able to go see Nick Jr's Storytime Live. Andrew loved all of the trains at the Museum of Transportation, and we are hopefully going back again next week. The City Museum was different. It's a very creative, fun place, but I think Andrew was a little too young for it. And the Storytime Live show was fun, although Andrew was a bit scared by it at first.

I start at my new job in less than 2 weeks, with 4 days of new staff orientation and then 3 days of professional development. School starts August 18th, so it will be here before we know it. I did find a daycare for Andrew that I think will be a good fit. Finding childcare is not easy, especially after how much we all liked his school back in Ohio. But I'm trusting my instinct that his new school will be a good fit.

Got it!

Through all of the changes that we go through, I have tried to keep believing that life will work out the way it is supposed to be, and things will fall into place. At times it is challenging to stick with that notion, but once they actually do fall into place it's an amazing feeling.

I had an interview Wednesday at a middle school in Clayton, Missouri. Clayton is the area of St. Louis located just west of Forest Park near the Washington University campus.The neighborhood around the school is filled with amazing houses, and I drove around in astonishment before the interview. The school district consists of 3 elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. Very different from Cherry Creek!

The night before the interview I read the job description again and found out the position includes teaching not only computer literacy courses, but also something called "Integrated Arts". When I looked for more information about the course, I was a little dismayed to see that is was Drama. What was I doing applying for this job? As I drove to the interview, I had pretty much talked myself out of any hope of getting the job. But, it would at least get me in the door to meet some of the people in the district, which is always a good thing. Walking into the interview, it just felt right to me. I met with the interview team, and had a great discussion. I learned more about the "Integrated Arts" course, which is actually team taught by 4 teachers, and is an in depth look at putting together a stage production. They would like to figure out ways to incorporate technology more into the productions, which would be the role of this position.

I left the interview feeling pretty good, and had changed my mind about whether I was qualified for it. In all honestly, the drama part of the position sounded like an interesting challenge. Something new!  I talked with Brian about it Wednesday night, and really felt like it was something I would like to have the opportunity to do.

Thursday morning I had planned to take Andrew to story time at the library, and as we were leaving I got a text from a friend at Davidson who was in the main office there when someone had called to get a reference for me. Interesting....so I started really thinking about things. Sure enough, around noon I got a phone call from a St. Louis area code. However at the time Andrew and I were going into the grocery store and I had my hands full so I didn't answer. When I got home I checked the message that was left and sure enough, it was the assistant principal that I had interviewed with the day before. I was going to get Andrew down for his nap before I returned the call but then my phone rang again. They were calling again, and in a flustering phone call with Andrew shouting in the background for me to turn on "Backyard-agains", I accepted the position.

I cannot tell you how much of a relief it is to have this next piece of my life laid in place. I know a bit more of what my future is going to be looking like, and it feels good. It feels right.

Missou-rah

Things are going well here in the land of Missou-rah. We loaded up the moving van on the 25th, sadly said goodbye to all of our good friends in Columbus, and arrived in "The Lou" on the 27th. So far, Andrew has done really well understanding that now we live in the "new house". He was super excited to see all of his toys that had disappear come off the moving truck in St. Louis.

We found a house to rent in Creve Coeur, which is a western suburb. Because we didn't know how long we might be here, we decided just to rent for now. Luckily, we found a fantastic house that gives us plenty of space and is in great shape. The house is in a quiet neighborhood where we don't have to worry about cars zooming down the street anymore, and I couldn't be happier.  I am still trying to get everything put away, but have made pretty good progress on the main floor of the house. Both Brian's parents and my parents came out to help us with the move, and I couldn't have imagined what it would have been like without them. My parents even took Andrew back with them to Lawrence for a few days so that I could get a little break and try to get some stuff done. Brian and I were able to drive out to Lawrence for the July 4th weekend, and had a good time visiting everyone. Andrew absolutely loves his cousins, and has already asked several times to go back and play with them. 

I had an interview today for a middle school position. It actually sounds like a great opportunity, and hopefully things will work in my favor and I'll be able to report soon that I have a new job.

Parents of the Year!

For some reason our child does not like ice cream or cake. I don't get it. Brian doesn't get it.

So, Brian and I, thinking that this child is missing out, decided that we would force Andrew to try some ice cream. We were at DQ with some friends of ours, and Andrew had been refusing all our offers of trying it. So Brian held him, and I took a dime sized amount and put it in Andrew's mouth.

And then there was vomit. Andrew literally gagged on the ice cream. Are you kidding me?  Gagging on ice cream?!?!

I think this incident scared the pants off our friends, who are expecting their first child. Seeing what power a kid has can be a little scary at times. As parents, we have a miniscule amount of control. Andrew has the majority.

Luckily we were outside and there was a water hose that I was able to access. I apologized to the college aged couple who also experienced the whole trauma, but pointed out that it was college that helped me get used to cleaning up puke. Who knew it would be such great preparation for being a parent!

Slip n Slide

Over Memorial Day weekend our neighbors put out a Slip n Slide for the kids, and they all had so much fun. Andrew was a little tentative at first, but once he found a ball to play with on it he was in heaven!

Fire trucks

(I wanted to test out publishing a picture from Picasa, as I have recently discovered its awesome features and am trying to get more organized with all of my files and computer stuff. Hopefully this will make my life easier!)

Andrew and his friend Joey went to an event at the local emergency services center where they had fire trucks, ambulances, police cars, and even a helicopter. The boys were in heaven, along with getting stickers, balloons, and suckers. What more is there in life?

Almost done

I have 7 days left of work. Woo hoo? The end of this school year is very bittersweet for me. I always look forward to summer vacation, but once it rolls around this year it means things will start to change drastically. We packed up a lot of our things before we put the house on the marked, but I have been putting off packing the rest until school is out. The movers are set to come June 25th, so we'll have about 3 weeks to get things done.

I'm not looking forward to this move mainly due to the fact that we now have a new "variable" in the equation: Andrew. I'm nervous about what this change is going to do to him. How will he adjust? Will he understand what is happening? I try to tell myself that he is still very young and most likely will not remember this. Plus, kids are so resilient. It's the momma's that don't hold up as well. :(

Unknowns

I will admit that I am often overwhelmed by all of the unknowns in our future. This past weekend has been especially hard. I can honestly look into the future at 2 months from now, and not have a clue as to what life will hold for us. There is so much up in the air, and so little that I can control. I am trying to trust that everything will work out, but at times I do get overwhelmed.

Brian, Andrew and I traveled to St. Louis a week ago and spent a weekend looking for a place to live. Because we don't know how long we will be in St. Louis, possibly only 3 years, we have decided to rent for now. Trying to find a rental home that met our needs was challenging, especially since I don't have a job yet. Techically, we should be able to live off of Brian's salary, but it would take some changes in many areas. We did find a house that I feel will give us plenty of room, and we are working on getting the rental agreement right now. I also had an interview while we were in St. Louis, and I am awaiting the results of that. The job would be an incredible step for me, and I would feel very honored if they offered it to me. But...more waiting until the decision is made.

We also closed on the sale of our house 2 weeks ago, and we'll just say that it is good to have it behind us. The turn in the housing marked in the past 4 years didn't do us any favors. But we have learned a great deal from the experience of being homeowners, and I think when we buy again it will hopefully be for our dream home.

Sometimes I really hate the roller coaster that we are on, moving every few years and not knowing exactly what is in our future. But I know that I am lucky to have a supportive husband and wonderful little boy, and for that I count my blessings.

Done

We closed on our house on Wednesday. It was not a pleasant experience, and we have learned a lot in the past 4 years about being homeowners.  4 years ago, we thought it was a wise investment to buy a house. Nobody knew that the market would fall, and unfortunately our house sale was affected by it. Because of our unknown future whereabouts, at this time buying another house just doesn't seem like a wise investment.  Yes, it would be great if we could take advantage of the market right now and buy a new home at a good price, but our situation won't let us. Brian's fellowship will be at least 3 years, and after that we don't know where we will live.  Part of me really doesn't like this, but it is what it is and we have to deal with it. On the other hand, I do enjoy some of the excitement of moving to a new city and what changes it might bring.

I am trying to remain positive through this whole process, and trust that things will work out for us in a way that we are happy. Until then, we are on a roller coaster that never seems to end.

Easter weekend

This was our first Easter where we actually were in Ohio to celebrate. I have found holidays to be a little difficult when separated from family, and Easter was pretty much the same. It seems as though almost everyone else is with their families, and for me it is hard to intrude on other people's family time. I've tried to look at our time in Ohio as an experience where we can start our own traditions as a family, but I still miss being able to share the time with our own families. That is definitely one thing I am looking forward to when we move to St. Louis.

That being said, this weekend was a nice, relaxing time at home with Brian off work and the weather was great. I had Friday off school, and Brian ended up having some free time as well so he and I went to the outlet mall about 45 minutes away while Andrew was at daycare. Shopping with a 2 year old is challenging, and I appreciate the ability to get things done with having to battle with Andrew. I can't tell you how many stores I have had to leave because someone wasn't cooperating. Andrew is getting to the point where he would like to walk instead of ride in his stroller, but of course by the end of a shopping trip that means someone gets to carry him when he gets tired.

We went to church on Sunday morning and then came home for an easter egg hunt. Andrew got to do one the day before at a friend's house, so he was pretty good! He definitely likes chocolate, and got some enormous suckers from his Gramma and Grampa B. His favorite gift in his basket was the "Cars" DVD. He has become obsessed with the movie lately, and we had recorded it on the DVR for him a while back. So now he can watch it on the portable DVD player, and we can have our big tv back. :)