House and Baby

I'll post pictures eventually, but not only did we find a house but we're all moved in! It's a cute little brick thing only a few miles from our old apartment and there wasn't anything that needed desperate repair besides the fuse box. Yes, that's how old it was, it was an actual fuse box. We had an electrician completely take it out and install a nice, big breaker box and that was the only thing that needed to happen. Dan did paint the walls in the two bedrooms and the living room. We also had brand new carpet installed because I suspect the previous carpet was older than we are. It was a lovely shade of orange (Dan called it "skinned Garfield") in the spots that weren't worn down (like where the previous owner's couch had been) and was coming up at the edges of the room. Now that the paint and carpet are done, we'll be unpacking and getting ready for the baby :)

I'm now in the middle of my 35th week. In two weeks, the baby will officially be considered "full term" but we still want him to stay in as long as he can. Sleeping more than 4 hours straight is pretty much impossible. I've definitely had Braxton Hicks Contractions for the last several weeks now, and I suspect that the baby has either dropped or is in the process of dropping. I've felt heavier and it's harder to walk because it's getting painful in the hip/pelvic area. I also had two separate people yesterday asked me if the baby dropped because it looked like I was carrying lower than usual. My next appointment is next week and I think that I start going every week after that. I do know for sure that they will be checking to see if I've dilated at all next week, which I'm kind of excited about but I have a feeling it will be annoying having it done every week.

We found out almost a month ago, that enrollment at the school where I work was down. They set a deadline to receive enrollments by and if it wasn't met then the school couldn't open in the fall. The number needed wasn't met, not even close. I had been undecided about going back because of the baby anyway, so that decision was made for me, but I empathize with the other teachers and students who have to uproot and move. I still have my part-time contracting job, so no matter what happens, I'll have that in the fall. We're hoping that Dan will be able to get a good full-time job (with or without benefits, we can get our own if necessary) so that I won't have to work unless it's just on his days off for extra cash.

And that's where we are right now. Today is the start of Easter Break at school, I don't have to go back until Tuesday, so it's a 5-day weekend XD I'll be spending the break unpacking and organizing as much as I can. I won't get much of a break and I didn't have one three weeks ago during Spring Break because that was when we moved into the house and that took all week. At least I'll be able to sleep in.

Baby Update :)

As I write this, I am nearly at the end of my 27th week (the picture above was taken last week). Depending on what charts you look at, I'm either at the very, very end of my 2nd trimester or just finished the first week of my 3rd. Apparently this transition is open to interpretation. Judging by the fact that I'm getting slight bouts of nausea back again, I'm saying that I've hit the 3rd. All my symptoms (with the exception of the exhaustion) switched off as soon as I hit my 2nd trimester, so why wouldn't they switch back on when I hit my 3rd? Nausea is supposed to come back and the exhaustion doesn't get better, it gets worse as I get bigger and attempt to find comfortable positions to sleep in. Technically I'm not really supposed to be sleeping on my back anymore, which just leaves either side. Turning over is a challenge, my stomach muscles are shot and basically no good for anything besides holding the baby up, so I end up having to swing my hips around. I didn't realize how much I used my stomach muscles for until I couldn't really use them at all.

My belly at 25 weeks. Crazy amount of stretch marks or "Flames of Creation" as one of my books calls them.

At 22 weeks, the baby was measuring around 1.5 pounds, which means he's well over 2 now. Since our 19 week ultrasound, he has been measuring big, the last ultrasound he was measuring 4 weeks ahead of where he actually is! I'm not sure how that is going to translate into how big he will end up being, I really hope it doesn't mean that he ends up coming early! I'm only taking the week before my due date off work, I really don't want to go into labor two weeks early and not only explain to the kids why I'm leaving in the middle of class, but also drive all that distance to the hospital!

My favorite ultrasound yet. Done at 22 weeks, he has his hands and feet up by his face!

This coming week I will be going in for my glucose test, where they find out if I've developed gestational diabetes. It's also a regular checkup and my doctor is out of town so I'll be meeting one of the other OBs in the practice which is fine. I have to go in a few minutes early so they can give me this sugary drink, then I do my checkup, then sit around for an hour and wait to see how my body handles the sugar rush. It's no big deal, but they have to draw my blood in order to do it which means that I have to go during normal hours while the phlebotomist is there and that means time off from work. Normally, I'd just take a sick day and be done with it, but it's report card time and we've already had one snow day mess with the exam schedule and we don't want it to have affected the report card and grading schedule as well. So depending on how quickly the appointment goes, I'll be heading back to school to work on report cards. After that appointment, I'll be going in every two weeks for checkups until the baby's born. I don't know if I'll be getting anymore ultrasounds or not, I want to see the baby but then I don't want to pay the bill, so either way I'm happy ;)

Pregnancy on a Budget

Maternity clothes are expensive when they're brand new, there's no way around that. I have managed to find a way around some full-priced things and save myself some money.

Clothing:

1) Bras - If you're like me and had to buy new ones almost every month, don't even look at the maternity or nursing bras, head straight to the sale rack at Target or Wal Mart. I got several bras for $5-$7 each in varying sizes so that I'll have room to "grow" ;) Also, I was well-endowed to begin with, so going larger meant sacrificing the pretty bras, they simply don't make them after a certain point. The other thing I found is that bras with little-to-no padding will last me longer and be more comfortable. My problem is that it's winter time and I don't need to broadcast to my whole school that I'm chilly. Solution: I took the small pads out of my bathing suit top (since I won't be using it until summer anyway) and use them with my current bra as I need them. I imagine nursing pads may do the same thing though I don't own any of those yet. I did score a nursing bra from the sale rack and it's been my sleeping bra, I like having it so I know what to expect when I actually have to start wearing them all the time.

2) Sleepwear - I do not own a single piece of maternity sleepwear. The idea is kind of ridiculous to me. I generally sleep in big shirts and comfy lounge pants and at 23 weeks (or 6 months) pregnant, I'm still doing that very comfortably. As long as your shirts are a size or two bigger than what you normally wear and your pants have an elastic waist, you'll be fine. I've seen some big sleep-shirt-nightgown things (that are non-maternity) and those probably work just as well too. I will also resort to stealing my husbands clothes if it comes down to that, though he's offered his clothes to me several times already. If you don't have a husband/boyfriend, typically men's clothes can be cheaper than women's clothes anyway. Again, check Target or Wal Mart.

3) Underwear - Now there could be a very good reason for maternity underwear, I don't have any so I can't really say one way or the other. I can tell you that at 23 weeks, I have not felt so completely uncomfortable in regular underwear that I've been tempted into heading to Motherhood and buying maternity underwear. I generally wear the "bikini" cut or "hip-huggers" and so far those have been perfectly fine. The only pairs that I haven't been 100% comfortable in were the pairs that were a bit on the small side anyway, but that's just an excuse to remember to throw out old underwear.

4) Pants - My first trimester was interesting. I couldn't tell if I started showing early or was just self-conscious about my stomach. Either way, I definitely wasn't fitting into my pre-pregnancy pants anymore. I went and bought a BeBand from Target for $17 and it was one of the best investments I've made during this pregnancy. There are other brands out there (BellaBand is a popular one but more expensive) for around the same price, Target's is on the lower side of the spectrum. What these elastic bands let you do is wear your pre-pregnancy pants unbuttoned and the band will flatten the button/button-hole against your body and keep your pants up all at the same time. Dress pants (my dress code at work) are expensive regardless of whether they're maternity or not, so I expanded my options to include how I could keep wearing the pants I already had since I had only slightly out-grown them. That was where the BeBand came into play. I wore that up to around 19 weeks which coincided with Christmas break, when I got maternity dress pants for Christmas, and have currently retired my BeBand since I have several pairs of maternity pants that actually fit now.

5) Thrift/Consignment Stores/Sale Racks - These should be your first stop when shopping for clothes. Our thrift store only has a teeny maternity section, but my mom managed to find me 3 pairs of pants (all that fit!) and a couple of shirts for much less than even Motherhood's sale rack. Consignment shops are more for kids stuff, but it's good to scope those out ahead of time so that when you do need to start buying clothes you already know where they are in your area. Sale racks are probably my favorite place in any store, maternity or otherwise. Old Navy has a tiny maternity section behind their kids section and when their stuff goes on sale, it's a good sale. I got an awesome pair of jeans from them for $15 (normal price is $30) and they're not "mom jeans", from the waist down, they look just like my pre-pregnancy jeans. I can continue wearing my style of jeans and be just as comfortable for half the price. I also recommend picking up a couple of tank tops when they're on sale. I use mine for sleeping or as an undershirt (one of the maternity shirts I was given is really low cut, but looks cute with a tank under it) and will definitely be picking up more when I see them on sale.

Non-Clothing-Related Savings:

6) Nursery Decorations - The reasons I know about maternity on a budget is because, well, mine's not huge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE all those cute nursery sets where everything matches including the rug, but for us they simply aren't practical to get. See my post in my other blog for Decorating a Nursery For $15. Cute decorations can be done on a budget and I tend to think that when you're limited in one way, it forces you to be creative and end up with something you'll love even more.

7) 3D Ultrasounds - Here's the deal: these ultrasounds are elective which means that your insurance probably won't cover them at all. My insurance has a huge deductible and I end up paying full price for everything anyway, including the diagnostic ultrasounds that most insurance carriers only make you pay a co-pay. Diagnostic ultrasounds cost way more at full price than 3D ultrasounds for a very good reason: they are examining your baby looking for potential problems and eventually your report will be sent to your doctor to be looked over again. I went to an elective ultrasound place (That's My Baby in Bowie, MD) for their Gender Monday special. The special was $40 for a 2D ultrasound and gender validation/determination. You can read the full details in my blog entry about it, but the short version is we also were given a peek at the baby in 3D and let me tell you, I'm glad we only paid for the 2D. I'm not sure what exactly the deal was with our 3D not being as clear as other 3D ultrasounds that I've seen, could have been the fluid around the baby, could have been he was a bit small, or it could be that 3D ultrasounds can be hit or miss when it comes to clarity. I had been toying with the idea of asking for one of That's My Baby's 3D packages for my birthday, but after seeing the fuzzy, blobby image that day, I'm switching my birthday request to a maternity photo shoot.

8) Baby Gear - We're in the process of looking for a house. At first we had found one and the inspection came back and there was no way we could take it (too much damage for a stater house with a baby on the way), so now we're unsure if we'll be moving at all before the baby's born. With space in mind, I started looking at Pack 'N Plays or Play Yards instead of a traditional wooden crib. I like Babies 'R Us for one thing: the store is family/pregnancy-friendly for set up. Their cribs, strollers, and car seats are all eye level or lower. Wal Mart and Target have a tendency to put their cribs and strollers up on a shelf where you can only look at them from the side. You don't get an idea of how high the crib sides are or if the stroller will accommodate your height. I don't like Babies 'R Us because it's a collection of name-brand gear/clothing at name-brand prices. So, I do my research there (I'm told they will let you borrow demo car seats to see what actually fits in your car, I will be trying this soon), then compare prices between Wal Mart, Target, and Amazon. Currently Wal Mart has the best prices on brands like Graco, but their in-store selection is wimpy. When it comes to choosing between Wal Mart and Target, it seems you'll have to weigh the price difference with the shipping cost unless you can get really, really lucky and find the exact item you want in-store. Me? I'm not picky. I don't care if my car seat, stroller, and crib match or not, I really don't. If I save myself a couple hundred dollars and the gear is mismatched, I'm a happy camper.

9) Baby Clothes - Since I told my family that I was pregnant, they have not stopped buying outfits. The outfits changed to gender-based once we found out I was having a boy, but every other week it seems I'm being handed another adorable outfit. Dan and I have only actually bought maybe 3 articles of clothing (technically 6 because one was a set of 3, but w/e) and that's a mere fraction of what we've accumulated so far. I read an article that suggested not even registering for baby clothes because those are the things people love to buy for baby showers. Even though I haven't had any showers yet, I can tell you that theory holds up just based off my family. When Dan and I walked into Babies 'R Us (with gift cards mind you) after finding out we're having a boy, we looked around at the various racks of boy clothes. I picked up a simply adorable zip-up hoodie with a pirate skull and crossbones on it. It was maybe a 6-9mo size and the price tag: $20. I put it back. It was not cute enough to blow an entire gift card on one hoodie that he'll only be wearing for a few months (if that many, by the time he'll need hoodies he would have outgrown that one). The sale rack was much more promising. Things were between $5 and $10 and between the two of us picking things out, we only used one gift card instead of both for several things (including a tuxedo t-shirt onezie, score!). Bottom line: don't register for baby clothes, you'll probably end up being given more than you'll need and when you do need to start buying clothes hit up those consignment shops we talked about. The consignment shops only put out the gently-used clothes, unless you have a really shady shop, the used-and-abused clothing doesn't come out at all. Like thrift stores, you can find name-brand stuff for a mere fraction of the original price, sometimes with tags still on it!

10) Toys - Last but not least. Toys are another thing that I have not actually paid for but somehow accumulated over the last couple of months. This is another thing that people will just give you. I put some cute things on my registry, but not a whole lot. We're especially not going crazy at Christmas because the kid is going to be playing in the boxes of whatever we get him anyway. I told my parents they can buy what they want, I'm wrapping empty boxes the first year or two ;) I still have a bunch of stuffed animals from my high school years and I will probably be re-gifting those to the baby for as long as I can get away with it. Also, if there are toys you've been given but aren't terribly fond of (my sister claims she's getting me all noisy toys), re-gift them at another baby shower. It's done all the time and saves you the money of having to buy a gift. Seriously, if it's something you really aren't fond of or can't use at all, don't feel obligated to open it just because it's a gift. Either re-gift it or donate it but don't let it take up space collecting dust (space is another thing we're currently short on).

Definitely Having a Boy :)

His leg and foot. The tech said he has big hands and feet already!

Yesterday was "Gender Monday" at an elective ultrasound place in Bowie. I found them several weeks ago when researching 3D ultrasounds (which I am no longer interested in, they're not that much better than the normal 2D ones) and I knew that I would have MLK day off so I made an appointment. Gender Monday is where they will do a 2D ultrasound, determine/validate your baby's gender and give you four prints from your session. It's also a customer-oriented company so they do a lot to make sure their customers are comfortable and happy. It was a small place with apparently only one person actually working there, but she was very friendly and a good ultrasound tech.

Definitely a boy, his umbilical cord was clearly visible in another shot and farther up his stomach.

Since it wasn't a medical diagnostic ultrasound, we invited family to come along. In the end, my mom and Dan's parents were the ones who came and they were very happy that we had invited them. The ultrasound room had plenty of space and a couch for family to sit on, the ultrasound was also projected onto the wall so everyone had a really clear view of what was going on :) I had an ultrasound done at 19 weeks to rule out anomalies, but the baby was not super cooperative and they got what they needed to see but we only got two pictures of his profile and they look almost the same. They didn't end up getting too many views of his heart and I have to go back later this week just for that, but I'm very glad that I made the appointment at That's My Baby.

3D picture #1, if you don't look at a big version, you can make out some detail.

Our tech even threw in a couple 3D shots, which was super cool of her. We took a quick 3D peek since he was being so good (although not at first, he had his hands up by his face, she had to poke him around a bit) and I have to say, I'm glad I didn't pay for it. I don't know if it's just that I'm 22 weeks along and other 3D pictures I've seen have been older babies (like 35 weeks), or if that's just the way 3D looks sometimes, but it was pretty blobby and not very detailed. We can tell that he's got chubby cheeks (which I could even see on the 19 week ultrasound profile, so that was no surprise), my chin, and probably Dan's nose. When we were looking at the 3D, they felt out of focus to me, and I liked the 2D much better because they felt clearer. We got more 2D pictures than 3D (yay) and we also got more than the 4 prints the package said it included. We got 9 pictures total and most of them are pretty good.

3D picture #2. You can see his chubby cheeks better here, his head still looks really big.

I was telling the tech about how at my last ultrasound they estimated my due date to be sooner than it really is because of how big he's getting. She did a quick measurement and said that her equipment was saying the same thing, that instead of measuring to be a 22 week baby, he was more like a 26 week baby! She estimated his weight at 2lbs. which is crazy because he was measuring around 12oz. at 19 weeks. So in a mere 3 weeks, he gained over a pound. I did some math and figured that if that rate of growth stays about the same, he'll be 8 pounds or more when he's born. I can handle 8 pounds. Dan was 10 and I was 6 so 8 is literally meeting in the middle ;)

I'm off to bed now. I was killing time waiting to see if school would announce a delay or a snow day, and they announced a snow day. I'll only be working 2 actual days this week (I have Friday off for the medical ultrasound and yesterday was the holiday), which I have to say is pretty nice.

New iPod + Podcasts = Life is Good.

Through creative use of gift cards and extra money earned on the side, my hubby's present to me was an iPod Nano that we got to order yesterday (no standing in line, free shipping, and free engraving!). I immediately went to iTunes and looked through pregnancy podcasts and found one that I haven't been able to stop listening to even though the iPod isn't here yet! Pregtastic has been a great resource since I'm the first of some of my friends to be pregnant. I get to hear actual new moms (and experienced moms) talk about what's going on with them, ups and downs, and just have real conversations about worries, appointments, registries, and baby shower etiquette. I get to feel like I'm a part of these conversations and reading on the internet and in books has been helpful too, but this podcast has made things feel more real and it gives all the information I've read a context.

Month 5: Feeling Pretty Good!

Monday was the first day of my 5th month and (for the most part) I've got my energy back and I'm not too big that I can't get my shoes on yet ;) Definitely getting bigger though and I'll have more belly pictures up soon. Blogger is still having issues with letting me put up pictures, only worse now because I can't get mobile uploads to work anymore. I have no idea what's going on and it's frustrating.

Dishydrosis is mostly gone, there's only a little bit that hasn't quite cleared up yet, thankfully. It's only noticeable by me now and I'm quite happy about that. Today is our last day of school before Christmas break and I cannot WAIT for this break. My goal is to clean the apartment but we'll see how that goes. If I can clean parts of the apartment, I'll be happy. I'll also be working on lesson plans and stuff over break because when I come back, I'll be 20 weeks, and I'll need to be prepared in case I can't make it to class for any reason. I'm hoping to take off the week before I'm due but we'll see if that actually happens. I'm going to be as ready as possible in the meantime for someone else to take over my classes.

Lack of pictures

Blogger's photo servers have been messed up for me for a while now. I've only been able to add pictures using my phone which is soooo not how I always want to do it. It's not like I have anything particularly picture-worthy to upload at this point, but it severely limits my motivation to post when I know there's an aspect missing.

In other news, officially in my 2nd trimester, yayness! I go in for my next appointment this coming Tuesday and I'm hoping we'll be able to hear the heartbeat :)

I also need to talk to my doctor about my nasty dyshidrosis, which is a rash that I usually get on my fingers every June (probably because of the change in humidity or something) but for whatever reason it started right about the time I got pregnant. I've read that hormones can initiate the rash, which would explain how it started when I got pregnant and not in June like it usually does (and did earlier this year). The treatment is typically a steroid cream, but from what I've read online, they haven't been listed as safe for pregnancy and mothers only use them when the benefits for them outweigh the risks for the baby. Initially, it wasn't that bad and I figured I could deal. It's pretty much exploded and is now almost covering a whole finger, moved on in small bits to other fingers, my palm, and even my other hand. It's itchy and no fun, which is why I'm hoping either she'll OK the cream or give me something else I can use that is safe for pregnancy and will get rid of this nasty hting. If I have to go 5 more months without anything, both of my hands are going to be covered and gross. The kids in my classes have started to notice, though mostly they're young enough I can get away with "boo boo" and move on.

I also need to get a flu shot eventually...So far the kids at school haven't been out too much with the flu, I think when they start staying home with it, I'll get one. Although, it might already be too late at that point.

Most posts in a year

My last post was officially the record in this blog for having more posts than previous years. I've been writing on and off since 2007, which is pretty amazing considering I tend to start blogs and then abandon them. 2007 was the contender to beat with 14 posts and the post prior to this one was #15 for this year. With lots more to come worth posting about, I'm sure that the record will get set much higher by 2011 :)

Say "Hi" :)

I am completely and totally in love with this picture. Our first OB appointment went really well, I love my doctor (only been to her once before, I had recently switched). We could actually see the heartbeat on the sonogram, which was amazing. Then, when the above picture was taken, the baby was actually moving around like crazy! According to the doctor, everything looks really good, at the time of the appointment I was right around 10 weeks, which is right according to the baby's measurements and the date of my last period. With a heartbeat like we saw on the sonogram, and being farther than 8 weeks, I've passed a hurdle and now the chance of miscarriage is way, way down. That was a huge relief and we made the pregnancy "Facebook Official" when we got home after the appointment. My biggest fear with putting it on Facebook too early was that we'd announce it, then at the appointment couldn't see anything and have to re-announce that it wasn't a viable pregnancy. But that didn't happen, and Baby is looking happy and healthy so far!

Got some better prenatal vitamins, there's two pills, one is chewable and one you swallow, but since there's the chewable one, the one to swallow can be smaller. It's way better than what I had before, the chewable pill tastes like pop-tarts, which is awesome. My nausea seems to have dissipated for now, it went away Monday or Tuesday earlier this week. I woke up one day for work and didn't have any morning sickness like I'd had the last several weeks and it (knock on wood) hasn't come back yet. I'm hoping it stays away for good, but as far as symptoms go, it could have been way worse. My back hurts every day and I can't tell if it's related to hormone changes or the fact that my boobs are perpetually growing. I went out yesterday and bought bigger bras.

I went to Target and got whatever was on sale that was a size up from what I normally wear. I also wore my maternity dress for the first time yesterday, and it felt good. Partly because it was comfortable and partly because I can't wait to get into more maternity clothes and to start showing. I know at the end of the pregnancy, I'll probably be laughing at myself and wishing to have the baby so my stomach isn't so huge anymore. The new bras definitely make me more comfortable, which helps a whole lot, and I know the rest of the pregnancy will be all about comfort!

Happy News :)

Few things are more awkward than peeing on a stick, you have to hold it just right for just the right length of time, then you have to keep it pretty much flat while attempting to clean it off because let's face it, you're putting that sucker on the counter and not in the sink. But yes, I am pregnant! It took a little while, but I know that's because the timing wasn't just right. Now I have a new job, Dan's out of his horrible one (still looking for a new one but that will fall into place when it's supposed to) and everything about it feels so right.

We are super excited, and the family and friends that we've told so far couldn't be happier for us! I have my first appointment this Wednesday and I'm stoked!!! I'm really hoping they do an ultrasound, even though we'll be paying for the whole appointment out of pocket (current insurance has a super high deductible, not to mention I've been signed up with them for almost two weeks and they've only sent vision cards so far), but I know first appointments can be expensive already because they do blood tests and stuff to confirm pregnancy. So we'll see. I plan on calling the office tomorrow or Tuesday just to get an idea of what we'll be looking at for cost as well as getting on a payment plan (even if I can do half-and-half that would be good).

My mom and a friend have already started buying stuff! My mom has bought some one-zies for when Baby gets a little bigger, in addition to some bath towels (neutral stuff with duckies on it, so cute!). My friend got a Dexter bib which is AWESOME, she says she'll get another one if/when we find out gender because there are more but they're either pink or blue.

I'm mostly just fighting nausea, nothing too bad but that's pretty much the one symptom I have a rough time with. Even when I get sick, I can put up with sore throat, cough, runny nose, just not nausea, that wipes me out. I have a fairly high pain tolerance, I can put up with pain (which I've also been doing, the craps have pretty much stopped, which is nice--had those for a couple of weeks--now I've got lower back pain on and off), but this nausea just gets me. It could definitely be worse, I'm not trowing up every day or anything, but smells will get me, especially rotting/old food. Oh darn, that means I can't take out the trash ;) It pretty much comes on when my stomach gets empty, which sucks because the last thing I want to do when I'm nauseated is eat. Ginger Ale and Saltines are my best friends in the mornings especially or when I need a quick snack between meals. I'm also supposed to be taking prenatal vitamins, but the ones I bought are:
a) huge, they're like horse pill size, I've had to bite them in half just to be able to swallow them,
b) really nasty smelling/tasting, shouldn't they taste like chocolate so pregnant women will actually want to take them?
c) they make me nauseated, and
d) I read the ingredients and turns out their coating is made with soy products which means that I can sort of justify not taking these particular ones because of my allergies.
 When I see my doctor I'm going to talk to her about getting liquid prenatal vitamins so it's easier to take. I am being good about medications though. I know that one of my two allergy-related medications is safe to take during pregnancy but the other is not, so I stopped that as soon as I found out I was pregnant, and I don't take anything without first checking whether it's ok or not. I'm trying not to eat too much bad stuff, but there was a whole week where all food made me feel sick except fast food. Now I can eat things prepared at home, except sandwiches, which is odd but I can deal.

One month in...

I'm having a good time with this job! It has it's ups and downs, there have been days where I've been stressed (lol, this past week when an entire book fair was dumped on me LAST WEEK to run), but then there's moments when the Kindergarteners are giving me hugs or when the 8th graders put things like "jail" under "an ecosystem near where you live", that make me smile and enjoy it.

The teaching aspect has been interesting, as well as the IT support part. The kids are all, well, kids so some days are better than others for behavior, but most of the time they're great. I managed to get through some basics in Excel with the 4th and 5th graders this week, they learned what a "cell" is, how to highlight, and also how to do graphs (they liked the pie charts). Several of the boys also figured out how to add lightning bolts and smiley faces, which I was fine with because it meant they were learning the program.

The IT part has been really interesting, since I basically know nothing about servers, switches, printers, networks, etc. I know what they are, but I couldn't begin to tell you how they work or how to troubleshoot when a problem occurs. The normal IT guy has been really great about showing me some basics that they won't have to pay him to do anymore (downloading upgrades and running spyware checks), so I've been learning and I like learning.

I'm getting ready to teach my first elective after Thanksgiving. The first one will be knitting and then in the spring I'll be teaching video production. I'm super excited to teach an elective because it's a subject I want to teach and therefore will be something I really enjoy. Especially the video production. Also the knitting will be awesome because I'll be able to work on my projects in class (ie get paid to ;) ) and get a new generation into knitting. So that will be awesome.

The end of this year and the beginning of next are looking up.

GOT THE JOB!!!!

I got the job I applied for! My crazy confidence paid off and they hired me! I have BTS tomorrow and Thursday (which stands for Back To School, nights where parents come and meet the teachers) and then I start in the classroom on Monday! I've seen my schedule already (although if it's for just next week or the whole semester I'm not sure, either way it looks great!) and I can't wait to see the curriculum and start supplementing and coming up with fun things to do!

"Viable Option"

In the last two weeks, I had my first and second interview at a Catholic school in Cooksville (out in the boonies of Howard Co.). They're looking for a media teacher. Initially, this isn't something that I would have applied for, since working towards a government video position has been my goal for the last year. However, things happen for a reason and Dan and I found ourselves in a situation where applying for a salaried job with benefits that is hiring NOW (as opposed to possibly, maybe, sometime in the future...) was a good idea. A very good idea.

I got a call yesterday evening from the lovely assistant principal who didn't want to leave me hanging this long Labor Day weekend. She let me know that I'm still a viable option for the position and that they would finish calling my references Tuesday and that I would know one way or the other by next week. I knew that they had been calling my references and from what it sounds like, I think it might be a close tie between me and at least one other person for the position. Now, it is a teaching position (I would see each grade, PreK3-8th, once a week) but also a support position. I would be called on by other teachers to assist with technical problems or call the IT person if it's something I can't handle myself. I do lack significantly in the teaching experience aspect, especially in a traditional classroom setting. The most I have is from when I taught karate, and even then, I really only have some basic classroom management skills and that's about it. I'm not sure who's worried more about my lack of teaching experience, me or them! It very much seems like they're working to find the person who is the "right fit" for the position, whether the fit includes teaching experience or not.

From what I understand, many of the applicants are qualified in either one field required or the other. Some people are teachers, but may not have the technological skills needed, or others are like me. It is a hybrid position, created from two part-time positions. It also includes being the librarian and teaching the children about print in addition to the technology. I do know that both of my interviews went really well. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm currently employed by a well-paying job or the fact that I'm fine with either outcome, but I had this confidence that I've never had in an interview before! Everyone I spoke with was very nice, I was completely comfortable with them and with myself, I love that because it's a Catholic environment, I got to mention my faith and talk about how I'm still trying to figure out where God wants me right now. I think that was the easiest, and best part. Most of the time, with other interviews, the "why here?" question is difficult. With these interviews, besides mentioning what a great school it is and how much I love their mission, I also got to talk about my faith journey. While I've had a lot of jobs that seem unrelated to each other or my major, God only helps those who help themselves and finding the place He wants me to be isn't going to be easy but I need to get out there and at least try!

If I'm not supposed to get the position, then I continue waiting to hear about a video position with the government and I at least got some (really good) practice interviews about of the deal. I still can't explain where my confidence came from, usually I'm a nervous wreck who over-analyzes things, I can only hope that in my next interview(s), wherever it may be, I'll be able to be just as confident and sure of myself!

Sleeve 1: Done-ish

Sleeve 1 just needs to have the tails weaved in, other than that it's looking pretty awesome!

Sleeve 2 is in progress now. I got through the cast on and bottom cuff pretty quickly today. I'm several rounds into the body and already I can see that there will be a difference in the stripes, they'll be thinner and it looks like there will be more of them winding around. I'm excited to see how it'll turn out!

Siren Sleeves Update

Still working on the first sleeve, having a knitting date with Theo tomorrow, hopefully she can at least explain to me what in the world I'll be doing for the "thumb gusset". I understand the words that I'm reading, I just have no idea how to actually put them into action. Otherwise, I'm having a lot of fun knitting these in the round.

I wasn't paying attention today while I was working on it, and I couldn't figure out why the needles were suddenly more awkward to hold than usual. I look down and I've got waaaaay too many stitches piling up--I had forgotten to re-introduce my free needle and was using two occupied needles to knit. Luckily, it was an easy fix (only working with 16 stitches per needle) because I hadn't gotten too far.

Crappy webcam pic aside, the spiral of colors is coming out nicer than I had expected! I can't wait to see what the other one will look like! I was going to say something else, but I forgot. Oh well.

For all you non-knitters, knitting with multiple double-pointed needles (or dpns) looks a little something like this:

I'm using four needles (3 to hold the stitches and one working needle), but it can go higher than that, depends on the project.

New yarn and 6 cast ons later...

Turns out my problem was DEFINITELY the yarn. It was way too slippery and couldn't hold the stitches in the gauge I was using and since I was at Micheal's with a friend yesterday (she was getting yarn and needles), I spotted some delicious new yarn and scooped it up. It's a worsted weight, not a sport weight, so the gloves will be a bit heavier than the pattern calls for, but the yarn is working fabulously and I haven't had any problems with it!

I did, however, how misunderstand stockinette stitches are done. Specifically, how "st st" is done in the round. At first, I thought st st was knit 1 purl 1, I was close but missing a crucial detail: in flat knitting, it's knit 1 row purl 1 row. The other thing I was missing was when working in the round, st st is accomplished simply by knitting. This only affected two of my rounds, and instead of taking out the two rounds, I left them in, planning on copying the "mistake" on the second glove. I have to say, I rather like the way that it looks leading into my st-st-only rounds. It gives me a very defined cuff, whereas the pattern calls for six rows of garter stitch (which in the round is knit 1 round, purl 1 round btw) and then start the st st which looks fine in the pictures the author included, but looks more like a detailing or embellishment than a cuff.

Cuff with slippery yarn

Cuff with new yarn!

Progress on the body in only a few hours

Now I know the pattern fits :)

Arrrg knitting!

Ok, so I started a project today (as a reward for being good at the doctor's office ;) ) that's going to eventually be fingerless gloves / arm warmers. I'm about to cast on for the third time. Yeah, very frustrated. I have no idea what my problem is, I don't know if it's the yarn I bought (I tried to follow the pattern and use a "sport" weight yarn, I have a softer, lighter yarn than worsted which is what I've been working with) not holding tight, if my stitches are too loose, if it's the fact that it's my first time with multiple double-pointed needles, if I'm giving up on the rounds too early and just need to do a few more before casting judgment on the work, or if I just need food and/or a nap.

I'm going to cast on 48 AGAIN and then have a freezy-pop before I go crazy.

The gloves will be sooooo pretty if I can just get the yarn to work with me!

Well, third cast on doesn't look too bad, we'll see how it goes...

Dairy/Wheat/Eggs again!

After talking with my allergist (and being crazy restricted for two weeks), I'm back to only avoiding the things I tested positive for (shellfish, treenuts, peanuts, corn, and soy), yay! Thank goodness because I was getting tired of that menu. After work, I tend to not want to make anything too complicated, which on the super restrictive diet was just hot dogs or hamburgers and chips. That gets old fast.

I am on a new medication, however, Flovent. Yes, the asthma medicine. Asthma sufferers have the same thing going on in their airways that I do in my esophagus, the eosinophils are hanging out wreaking havoc. The difference though is instead of inhaling the Flovent, I'm swallowing it. It's not in a liquid form or anything, I puff and swallow instead of puff and inhale. Two puffs, two times a day. This method can take a while before I'll see any results at all. Currently my doctor is just trying to get the inflammation under control before we start more methodically searching out the cause. Since the Big 10 (10 most common allergens) have been eliminated with no success, and since there's not much data out there for those of us with EE, so much of this process is trial by error. I've been trying to be the good patient and asking questions, but the questions I'm asking don't have any definitive answers to them. I would have to be the difficult patient that gets some disease there's no data on. Oh well, that's my luck.


*Knitting Update!*

My scarf is getting super long (I'll post a picture soon)! I've also started an additional project, something a bit bigger and more adventurous (I'm changing colors frequently!!), but it's a surprise and I don't want to ruin it. I will say that the pattern called for 5 skeins of yarn and a circular needle, all of which I got at Michael's for right around $20 because the yarn was on sale <3 I'll definitely post pictures once the present has been given, it's definitely going to be super adorable!

I've had a ball looking at patterns on ravelry.com and can't wait to practice and do some of the cooler, more complicated stuff! I've got patterns saved for fingerless gloves, a hat or two, several shawls (there's a really cool Celtic lace-knit one!), a poncho, and a bunch of other stuff.

Poolside Knitting!

My last several posts have been depressing even me so I thought I'd do a post on something I CAN do: knitting! I had a very eager and patient teacher who has now unleashed a monster now that I've become a member of ravelry.com!

My first project is a Garter Stitch Scarf, something very simple that I can do without having to sit and watch my needles. I'm to the point where I can do it very easily by touch which is awesome! After a couple of weeks of knitting on my own, I invited Theo of Arcaneknits (my awesome teacher ^_^) over to my parents' house where we could both knit pooside :)

What a lovely idea that was! The weather was perfect and even though neither of us did any actual swimming, it was nice to dip our feet in the water while knitting perched on the edge. Theo, at the time, was working on a very cute hat and she has since finished it. Much to her delight, it did fit after all (she had been worried it might be too loose)! It's a round design knitted with cables, which looks way too complicated for me just yet, but I hope to get to that point soon! I've been looking at patterns and things on Ravelry and can't wait to learn how to do all these cool things! I'd really like to do a lace stole, but you've got to walk before you can crawl (10 points if you get the movie reference). Fingerless gloves are next up in my queue and they'll match my scarf--all will go quite nicely with the lovely, red pea-coat DH bought me for Christmas :)

(well, I picked it out, but it was still a present from him!)

Well then what CAN I eat?

Visited the allergist again last Tuesday. Since the soy-free didn't seem to be helping my dysphagia (food getting stuck in my esophagus), she put me on an even more restricted elimination diet. It's only for two weeks, but it's going to seem so much longer! I still have to avoid soy, peanuts, and corn with the newest addition of wheat, milk, and eggs. I'm basically going to be the most difficult and weird vegan ever. No soy but meat's ok! Lol.

I've been on it for a week and have been doing ok. I've cheated, not going to lie, but I think with an even more restrictive diet it's also important to let myself have little cheats here and there (like margarine on my potatoes once) because otherwise I'll just go crazy. My mother-in-law brought over a whole bunch of groceries for me last Wednesday, she knew I was struggling with the idea of shopping with the new restrictions, so happy to have family close by! :)

I was doing some research tonight and found something interesting. I've never been crazy about raw fruit, or just fruit in general. I think it started with being a picky eater as a kid (although now I'm wondering if being a picky eater was a result of food allergies) but I never really grew out of it. I knew apples made my teeth hurt if I ate them raw--in a pie they're totally fine--and since I wasn't thrilled with any other fruit, I didn't notice any particular reactions. Since being put on this super restrictive diet, I've tried to give raw fruit another chance. I knew I liked pineapple juice and orange juice, so those seemed like good places to start. Bought a pineapple (not buying a whole one ever again, btw, definitely will be buying the pre-cut pieces) and a bag of oranges and did my best to give them a shot. Had part of an orange with lunch last week and even gave the pineapple a try over the weekend. Didn't particularly care for the way both fruits made my throat/mouth feel, not like an allergic reaction, just not right. I thought maybe I just wasn't giving them enough of a chance. I soaked the pineapple in some delicious cherry rum, maybe I could entice myself, the flavor was ok, but the same thing happened, strange feeling in my mouth/throat. For what I decided was the final time tonight, I made a smoothie with the pineapple (mold had grown on one of my oranges so that turned me off of them for a little while) and some cranberry juice I had in the fridge. Same exact thing again.

I apparently need to try things in threes before I'll get the message that my body truly doesn't want something. This isn't the first time I couldn't take the hint (thankfully no hospital visits related to allergies). I hopped online and started researching. I can have all the cooked fruits I want, fruit-flavored things, you name it, just not raw fruit. I stumbled across OAS, Oral Allergy Syndrome. Apparently, my strange reactions aren't so strange after all and there are lots of people who have the same problem with raw fruit. When I talk to my allergist next week I'm definitely going to mention the raw fruit issue (we had tested me for an apple allergy, which was negative) and bring up what I've read about OAS. Apparently, adults who suffer from hay fever allergies can have problems with raw fruit and vegetables. The proteins the fruits/veggies contain are structurally similar to the pollen or whatever your body is fighting off so they attack the protein too. Cooking and heat usually kills whatever protein the body reacts to (which is why soybean oil and peanut oil are usually safe for people with those allergies) and that's why only the raw fruits/veggies give OAS sufferers problems.

One big reason to talk to my allergist about this is (based off what I've read) so that she can test me for the pollen allergens because that's how the OAS diagnosis is made. It also could be completely unrelated to my EE. Joy. Another thing to add to my already lengthening list of medical issues...