Falling Behind

I seem to be falling behind in many aspects of my life. I think the interrupted sleep schedule is finally starting to affect me. My thoughts feel jumbled and my head feels foggy. Let me tell you, it's not easy teaching a bunch of fifth graders in this mental state! We're chugging along, though, and time is flying. 

I know you are supposed to feel a big rush of energy and begin "nesting" right before the baby comes...definitely not feeling any of that, which is good, because we're hoping he stays put for a while!

Here I am at 34 weeks...looking a little exhausted! Note that I am 35 weeks today. As I said, I'm a little behind on things!

What NOT to Say to a Pregnant Woman

Do you know what is NOT OK to ask or say to a pregnant woman? Here are some things that people have asked of or said to me. I've thought, Is this person actually expecting a response, or are they just kidding? Turns out, they were serious! As a public service to other pregnant women, I am posting my "favorites" here.

"Are you eating?"

Response I've Given - "Yes, I'm just watching what I eat, with my gestational diabetes."
Response I Want to Give - "No. I don't believe nutrients are necessary for the health and well-being of my child."

"Are you going to get an epidural?"

Response I've Given - "I'm keeping my options open."
Response I Want to Give - "How is that any of your business?"

"Why would you even consider natural childbirth?"

Response I've Given - "I'm not asking my body to do anything it wasn't meant to do."

Response I Want to Give - "My hospital gives you a brand new car if you can deliver a baby without drugs!"

"You look REALLY pregnant today!"

Response I've Given - "I guess it depends on what I wear."

Response I Want to Give - "Really? That's totally the look I was going for! That, or beached whale!"

"When I was in labor, [insert horror story here]."

Response I've Given - "Wow! That's awful!"

Response I Want to Give - "Wow! I appreciate you giving me more things to worry about, you know, besides all the normal stuff like being responsible for another human being!"

Anyone else got questions/comments to add to this list? How about other responses I could give to the ones above? Do share!!

A Shameless (Important) Plug

I don't normally do this, but I thought I'd get the word out on my blog. 

Last weekend, in a moment of productivity, I wrote a grant through the Donors Choose website. If you have not visited, you should. Public school teachers write grants for materials to enhance the teaching/learning experience, and through the kindness of strangers, these grants are fulfilled. I myself have had two grants filled through Donors Choose. 

The current grant I wrote is for an ActivSlate and ActivPens, which work with my brand new Promethean Board, an interactive white board. Read more about my project, "An Inter-'Activ' Classroom" on Donors Choose. If you, or anyone you know, would like to donate (any amount, great or small), my students and I would appreciate it. Also, take a look at the other incredible projects posted...you might be inclined to help out another classroom.

I'll let you know if/when it gets filled...wish me luck! 

Sleep Issues and Flat Shoes

Since I've posted excessively this week, I don't have too much to say. So far, all is going well. I've succumbed to exclusively wearing flats at work, which has helped limit swelling and pain in my legs and back. 

It's getting more difficult to sleep through the night, making me super tired during the day. I've resorted to a cup of coffee almost every day for the last week. The baby bounces off the walls (of my uterus...haha!), and I feel somewhat guilty about it, but I don't want to fall asleep on my feet!

Here we are at 33 weeks...almost there!

Ethan's Nursery

Here they are...the long awaited nursery pictures. On Saturday night, Kevin and I just sat in the adorable room, taking it all in. (Correction: I sat in the room taking it all in...Kevin kept asking if we could go watch TV.) I adore being in that room, which is fortunate, since I will probably be spending a lot of time there!

Just a note on the bedding...we will not be keeping the bumper in there once the baby is in there. It's adorable, but we feel it's a safety issue. Any ideas on what to do with it? My thought is to use it when we convert to a toddler bed.

I would like to highlight the work of some VERY talented people, without whose creativity, this nursery would not have been possible.

My best friend, Jenn, made this adorable quilt. 

(Thanks, also to her friend Kate for the embroidery!)

Cindy, Kevin's younger brother's girlfriend, made a Hungry Caterpillar basket, which we are using to store books.

 

 

Katie, who runs an Artfire shop called, Made By Loving Hands, created the bedding (except for the fitted sheet which is from Pottery Barn Kids) and the valance.

My friend, Marissa, for telling me how to make the wall decor out of embroidery hoops, a little white spray paint, and fabric.

Last, but not least, our friend Karen painted this beautiful picture on the wall above the crib. It looks just like a page out of the book!

Meltdown in Maternity

Fall weather has made an appearance over the last week. It's nice not to have to deal with the steaming hot temperatures while in my third trimester. What is not nice, is that I have to buy fall maternity clothes. I thought I was pretty well-equipped with my wardrobe...not so much.

Yesterday, after much frustration in the morning trying to find something warm enough to wear, Kevin and I ventured to the local maternity store. Ours has the pricey on one side of the store, and the affordable stuff on the other side. I stuck to the affordable side. All the stuff I tried on was so big and baggy (I think they call it "flowy", but I'm not buying it), it made me feel like a tent...and I'm NOT that big! I made Kevin come in the dressing room, where I broke down crying and kept saying, "This is not how I pictured I would look!"

Poor Kevin. He was at a loss for words. My brain was saying, This is the dumbest reason to cry...stop crying. I think that made me cry even more. To calm me down, Kevin told me to go to the expensive side and look around, but I couldn't justify spending a ton of money on things I will only wear for two more months! I finally ended up with some clothing I felt was "acceptable". I hate buying stuff I don't absolutely love. I apologized to Kevin...profusely. Miraculously, he was willing to accompany me to another maternity store, where I was more successful, and didn't cry.

I love being pregnant. I am grateful that my pregnancy is going well, and that the baby and I are healthy. However, as someone who has been fortunate in the weight department, I find myself struggling with how to dress my changing body. I'm sure every woman feels this way, and I'm sure my feelings of guilt for worrying about something so trivial and materialistic are normal, too. I'm hoping I don't have another case of "Dressing Room Drama" again...at least not while I'm hormonal.

32 Weeks

It's hard to believe that I've made it 32 weeks! I remember when I had 32 weeks to go, and thought it would drag by! Not the case. 

This week, my mom and her friends threw a shower for me, where I got to spend time with family and friends. It was lovely, and I even got a half-slice of the delicious Red Velvet cake that my mom's friend Debra made, per my request.

Two new developments in my pregnancy. First, I'm pretty sure I'm feeling to Braxton-Hicks contractions. My whole abdomen gets tight and hard. No pain, just discomfort. Second, I think the baby is starting to put pressure on my sciatic nerve. I've been having pain down the lower right side of my back down to the back of my knee cap. These things have made teaching very interesting. I'm trying to sit more, but it's extremely difficult. The best compromise I could make is to wear flats instead of heels. 

The nursery is almost done. I'm hoping to post pictures on my week 33 blog. Here I am at 32 weeks. From the back, I still don't look pregnant...and I think that's neat!

Not Our Day

I have been much less coordinated since I've been pregnant. Let's not forget the coffee-spill-on-the-computer incident at the very beginning of my first trimester, and my little trip down the stairs at the beginning of my second trimester. Now with my belly making itself known to the world, I am trying to be more cautious. It's not always possible.

Yesterday, I got up from the couch, and I guess I didn't see the edge of the coffee table. I slammed my right pinky toe into the corner...I think I misjudged the distance. I went to bend down and grab my foot, and my belly immediately stopped me. I couldn't reach it! I was in a lot of pain...but it was so funny, we couldn't stop laughing!!

Later that evening, I hear a HUGE thud upstairs. I yelled to make sure Kevin was OK. He shouted down that he was fine...he just went to sit down at the desk and the chair was not there. Fortunately, he said that he had plenty of padding in his behind to cushion the fall! 

Perhaps my clumsiness is contagious???

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend was full of lots of shopping and productivity for Kevin and I. Here are some thing we got done:

• Found two dress suits and casual slacks for Kevin
• Bought dressy maternity dress, comfy jeans, and cute tops
• Purchased several pieces of clothing for baby
• Baby bedding was finished and handed off to my brother for quick delivery to us
• Washed and put away baby clothes
• Started to organize baby closet
• Ordered "Pinsky Family" return address labels
• Bought a fancy-schmancy breast pump
• Wrote and sent "Thank-You's" for my baby shower
• Swept three rounds of Euchre against my brother and his girlfriend
• Spent 8 hours grading papers (I love my job)
• Read my book club book

It's no wonder I'm a little worn out! 

Yesterday at school, as I was walking around a corner, a female student looked right at me, pointed at my bump, and squealed, "CUTE!!" It made my day! So, here I am with my CUTE bump at 31 weeks.

Just Stopping By

Look who stopped by to visit Uncle Kevin and Aunt Anat! Just one of the most adorable babies ever...our nephew, Will!

Kid Quip

I forgot to post this due to my "Pregnant Brain Syndrome"...you know, where you forget things unless you write them down. Then, you forget, A) that you actually wrote them down, or B) where you wrote them down. It's funny, because I usually feel so together, but I just can't get myself to stay on top of things! Luckily, people give you A LOT of free passes because you're pregnant. After all, growing a baby is HARD WORK!

Anyway, I digress. Last week, while teaching exponents, one of my students looked at me and said, "This is so easy for me! Either you're a really good teacher, or this math is not hard." My response was, "Let's just go with I'm a really good teacher." I guess I'll take a compliment from a student wherever I can get it!