Nothing.
Tuesday I tried reflexology to make the baby come.
Nothing.
Yesterday I tried pineapple core and spicy Indian food.
Nothing.
Ok, the food wasn't that spicy and I heard that doesn't work anyway.
Today I am going to go downstairs and walk on the treadmill for an hour. I might even go hog wild and up the speed past 3.0 miles and hour. I ate the rest of the pineapple just now as well.
I did end up getting the Bringing Up Bebe book about the American woman living in Paris who writes about French parenting habits. It's actually really interesting and a pretty good book to read as I am getting ready to embark on this journey called motherhood.
The author talks about how French babies "do their nights" (sleep through the night) usually by three months because French parents do "the pause" and wait 5 or 10 minutes before getting them at night. She talks about how this is based on the idea that all people wake up in between sleep cycles but it doesn't necessarily mean they need something. If they learn to connect their sleep cycles and go back to sleep, then they will quickly be able to do their nights at a younger age. I don't really know how that works in relation to breast feeding and keeping up a good supply of milk because she also says French women don't breast feed, but every mother has to figure out what's best for herself and her child. You can really only take parenting books for what they are....it's not gospel.
She also said that French women are very careful about what they eat during pregnancy and typically get their figures back by three months at which time they go back to work because being a stay at home mom isn't common in their culture. This has a lot to do with the government subsidized creche (daycare) that parents have access to. The cost is on a sliding scale depending on family income.
Also, French parents feed their kids four times a day. 8:00, noon, 4:00 and 8:00. Kids don't snack. They eat meals that contain multiple courses including vegetables, different cheeses and desserts consisting of fruit or fruit puree. Therefore, the author observed that French children develop a greater patience, especially when it comes to mealtimes, and therefore can handle themselves better in restaurants because they are not used to instant gratification. She talks a lot about kids' behavior in terms of French kids not having meltdowns and behaving better in public. She attributes this also to the fact that in France parents make sure to continue fulfilling their own needs which means that kids often have to wait for their parents to tend to them rather than always getting what they what right away.
I think I can finish the book today and overall it's been a pretty good read. Like I said before, it's not like this is gospel about parenting, but having lived in Europe it is really interesting to learn about how parenting and child rearing differs culturally. It's really awesome that the only things on my agenda today are to read and get some exercise.
Oh, and to have a baby! Stay tuned....
Not yet
Still no baby...
My official due date is not until March 31st, so she's not actually late yet, but I was really thinking that my hour long reflexology session yesterday was going to kick labor into gear. I actually told the girl to do whatever tricks she knew to make labor start and she did...I just think that the body is ready when it's ready and all the "tricks" that people do only work if the body was ready for labor anyway.
No such luck. She's not ready to come out.
I baked some amazing cookies yesterday with a recipe I found on Kevin and Amanda. Gooey S'mores cookies with pulverized graham crackers, chocolate chunks, and mini marshmallow bits. Yum! I am going to make another batch today because the batch yesterday only made about 14 cookies and I have more ingredients so why not make more? I have a lot of time on my hands.
Speaking of which...when I am working, all I want is more time. When I have a lot of time, I feel a bit aimless. I finished the draft of my dissertation proposal and sent it off to my advisers even though they are both on spring break vacations right now. I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget in the craziness that will ensure when the baby comes. Now that the paper is checked off, I don't have anything really pressing to do.
I need a good book to read! Any suggestions?!
My in-laws suggested that new book called Bringing up Bebe about French parenting and I definitely want to read it, but I am thinking something more fluffy for right now would be better. I am considering going back to my endeavor to read all 100 novels from that list of 100 novels every teen should read. I read a good chunk of the titles listed back in Germany, but never finished. Now seems like a good time to try again. That would require 1. finding the list and 2. walking to the library. That could potentially be on the agenda for today.
I was so convinced I would be in the hospital by now having the baby, but now I am starting to think that she is going to be an April baby for sure. I went to the doctor yesterday and he confirmed again that all I need is contractions and things will move along, but he wanted me to schedule an induction date just so it's on the books. I guess it's just typical procedure to do so. Since my due date is 3/31, he said they usually schedule one week after that, so I have an appt. on April 7th at 6:00 am to be induced if she doesn't come before then. I really do NOT want to be induced and wouldn't necessarily mind waiting more exactly one week beyond my due date, but I think if I really wanted to push it back I could decide that at my next appt. The doctor just said that when the baby is late it's important to monitor and check just to make sure the baby is still doing okay. Sometimes there can be complications from being in too long, so they prefer to induce at 41 weeks instead of letting the baby stay in until 42 weeks. Fingers crossed she just decides to come out on her own before April 7th!
My official due date is not until March 31st, so she's not actually late yet, but I was really thinking that my hour long reflexology session yesterday was going to kick labor into gear. I actually told the girl to do whatever tricks she knew to make labor start and she did...I just think that the body is ready when it's ready and all the "tricks" that people do only work if the body was ready for labor anyway.
No such luck. She's not ready to come out.
I baked some amazing cookies yesterday with a recipe I found on Kevin and Amanda. Gooey S'mores cookies with pulverized graham crackers, chocolate chunks, and mini marshmallow bits. Yum! I am going to make another batch today because the batch yesterday only made about 14 cookies and I have more ingredients so why not make more? I have a lot of time on my hands.
Speaking of which...when I am working, all I want is more time. When I have a lot of time, I feel a bit aimless. I finished the draft of my dissertation proposal and sent it off to my advisers even though they are both on spring break vacations right now. I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget in the craziness that will ensure when the baby comes. Now that the paper is checked off, I don't have anything really pressing to do.
I need a good book to read! Any suggestions?!
My in-laws suggested that new book called Bringing up Bebe about French parenting and I definitely want to read it, but I am thinking something more fluffy for right now would be better. I am considering going back to my endeavor to read all 100 novels from that list of 100 novels every teen should read. I read a good chunk of the titles listed back in Germany, but never finished. Now seems like a good time to try again. That would require 1. finding the list and 2. walking to the library. That could potentially be on the agenda for today.
I was so convinced I would be in the hospital by now having the baby, but now I am starting to think that she is going to be an April baby for sure. I went to the doctor yesterday and he confirmed again that all I need is contractions and things will move along, but he wanted me to schedule an induction date just so it's on the books. I guess it's just typical procedure to do so. Since my due date is 3/31, he said they usually schedule one week after that, so I have an appt. on April 7th at 6:00 am to be induced if she doesn't come before then. I really do NOT want to be induced and wouldn't necessarily mind waiting more exactly one week beyond my due date, but I think if I really wanted to push it back I could decide that at my next appt. The doctor just said that when the baby is late it's important to monitor and check just to make sure the baby is still doing okay. Sometimes there can be complications from being in too long, so they prefer to induce at 41 weeks instead of letting the baby stay in until 42 weeks. Fingers crossed she just decides to come out on her own before April 7th!
This reminds me...
The apartment is clean thanks to Mr. Sneaker's help last night.
A loaf of banana bread is baking in the oven and making the whole place smell delicioso.
My roller crate that I have used all year for carting stuff to and from school is officially put away.
I've got a pedicure with Jilly and reflexology on the agendas for today and Tuesday.
Life is good. :0)
This reminds me of life in Germany when I only worked part time and had so much more time during the week to get stuff done. I still have my paper to work on, but the fact that I do no have to get up for work tomorrow makes that seem like a small hurdle. I've been working on it a bit this morning and I feel good about being able to get it done before baby Sneaker comes (unless she decides to make her appearance later today!). I have the feeling she's gonna be an April baby, but we'll see....
Any time between now and her arrival is about glorious indulgence for me because life is about to change!
A loaf of banana bread is baking in the oven and making the whole place smell delicioso.
My roller crate that I have used all year for carting stuff to and from school is officially put away.
I've got a pedicure with Jilly and reflexology on the agendas for today and Tuesday.
Life is good. :0)
This reminds me of life in Germany when I only worked part time and had so much more time during the week to get stuff done. I still have my paper to work on, but the fact that I do no have to get up for work tomorrow makes that seem like a small hurdle. I've been working on it a bit this morning and I feel good about being able to get it done before baby Sneaker comes (unless she decides to make her appearance later today!). I have the feeling she's gonna be an April baby, but we'll see....
Any time between now and her arrival is about glorious indulgence for me because life is about to change!
It's Official
No, Baby Sneaker is not here yet, but I am officially on spring break and that makes me a very happy soon to be mama! I had a great last day with both classes and the PM class blew me away with a very sweet baby shower that took place during the last 45 minutes of my day with them yesterday. The moms got together and planned a hand print painting activity for the kids, a snack, and lots of presents for me. The kids were so cute when I was opening presents and kept on saying "awwww" when they saw each item. I told them Baby Sneaker is going to be very spoiled and they weren't sure what spoiled meant. I told them and then they kept agreeing as I opened each gift that yes, she was going to be very spoiled.
One of the moms that came for the shower made me this beautiful cupcake arrangement.
The kids had to eat a store bought snack, so they got frosted cookies (2 each...lucky little things) and then one asked if they were getting cupcakes too. One of the moms said, no those are for Mrs. Sneaker and her husband and one little guy exclaimed, "you have a husband!?" I chuckled to myself thinking how else would I explain this big baby bump??
I met some friends at the movie theater by my school to see The Hunger Games after school and it was really good. We read it in our book club last year (along with the other two in the series) so we decided to go see it as a group. It was a bright and sunny afternoon and the perfect way to start spring break.
I still have some paper writing to do, so I am not completely in relaxation mode, but it is nice to have some time (an unknown amount considering Baby Sneaker can come at any time now). I will make sure to work on sleeping, relaxing, and enjoying life with every moment I have until she comes. Then a whole new kind of enjoyment will begin.
Almost There
Well...2 days left turned into 1.5 because we have a 2 hour delay today. This is the first time since I started teaching Kindergarten that we've had a delay and it basically means the AM session is canceled, so not only do I get to come in two hours late, but I also get about 2 additional hours of planning time prior to the arrival of my PM kiddos.
Woot! Woot!
This delayed start could not have come at a better time for this tired and very pregnant soon to be mama!
It was glorious to sleep in this morning and enjoy a long hot shower rather than rushing to get out of the house. The weather looks fine now so I am not too concerned about the commute to school, so I can get a few more things done before I head down out to work.
As I browsed on facebook this morning (another luxury of the 2 hour delay), I came across two really great and very interesting videos. Take the time to watch them!
The first one is about changes Finland made to their education system in order to become #1 in the world. The second is a clip of Diane Ravitch talking about the status quo in education in the US. Both are pretty short and worth watching!
Woot! Woot!
This delayed start could not have come at a better time for this tired and very pregnant soon to be mama!
It was glorious to sleep in this morning and enjoy a long hot shower rather than rushing to get out of the house. The weather looks fine now so I am not too concerned about the commute to school, so I can get a few more things done before I head down out to work.
As I browsed on facebook this morning (another luxury of the 2 hour delay), I came across two really great and very interesting videos. Take the time to watch them!
The first one is about changes Finland made to their education system in order to become #1 in the world. The second is a clip of Diane Ravitch talking about the status quo in education in the US. Both are pretty short and worth watching!
two
Two days left.
I tried my hardest to get assessing done today because I kind of thought that I was going into labor and decided that saving it for Friday might not be the best plan in the event that I am not actually at school on Friday.
I feel like I am making huge efforts to have everything really organized for when Jill takes over after spring break because she will need to do report cards about 2 weeks after she starts. Obviously that doesn't really give her much time to get to know the kids and grade them herself, so I am trying to have all the info ready so she only needs to do the data input on the computer. At this point I think I have pretty much everything done besides behavior--always the hardest for me.
I just finished going through the kids' journals and grading their writing so that was the last big chunk of evaluating I needed to do. I always prefer the truly objective items when it comes to report cards like whether or not the kiddo can count to 30. It's simple and easy to say they need more time, they've made good progress, or they can do it. The other items that are subjective are always so hard. Most things are developmental so I really have a hard time giving out pluses at this point in the year, yet the plus doesn't mean that they have completely mastered something it just means they consistently demonstrate it. I always like parents to know that there is still room for growth though. If a child consistently spells words phonetically now that doesn't mean that they have achieved all they will achieve in terms of writing and spelling for the year. So the same grade now and in June doesn't reflect the huge growth their actual writing might show.
I have been trying to really just enjoy this last week with the kiddos and appreciate how much they have accomplished so far this year. It's really cool to think that I am already impressed with the gains they have made and they still have a few more months to go. I have never had this many kids reading before and I am just such a proud teacher to see how well they are doing.
We'll have to wait and see if I actually get in two more full days with them because this little baby could come any time. I had a check up yesterday and the doctor said pretty much everything is in place. There has been some progression in terms of effacement and dilation and the baby is in position and very low. She said all I need now is contractions. I've been feeling tight all day and feel lots of pressure, so at this point I wouldn't be surprised if I end up in labor in the next 48 hours, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I'm still pregnant 10 days from now either....
I tried my hardest to get assessing done today because I kind of thought that I was going into labor and decided that saving it for Friday might not be the best plan in the event that I am not actually at school on Friday.
I feel like I am making huge efforts to have everything really organized for when Jill takes over after spring break because she will need to do report cards about 2 weeks after she starts. Obviously that doesn't really give her much time to get to know the kids and grade them herself, so I am trying to have all the info ready so she only needs to do the data input on the computer. At this point I think I have pretty much everything done besides behavior--always the hardest for me.
I just finished going through the kids' journals and grading their writing so that was the last big chunk of evaluating I needed to do. I always prefer the truly objective items when it comes to report cards like whether or not the kiddo can count to 30. It's simple and easy to say they need more time, they've made good progress, or they can do it. The other items that are subjective are always so hard. Most things are developmental so I really have a hard time giving out pluses at this point in the year, yet the plus doesn't mean that they have completely mastered something it just means they consistently demonstrate it. I always like parents to know that there is still room for growth though. If a child consistently spells words phonetically now that doesn't mean that they have achieved all they will achieve in terms of writing and spelling for the year. So the same grade now and in June doesn't reflect the huge growth their actual writing might show.
I have been trying to really just enjoy this last week with the kiddos and appreciate how much they have accomplished so far this year. It's really cool to think that I am already impressed with the gains they have made and they still have a few more months to go. I have never had this many kids reading before and I am just such a proud teacher to see how well they are doing.
We'll have to wait and see if I actually get in two more full days with them because this little baby could come any time. I had a check up yesterday and the doctor said pretty much everything is in place. There has been some progression in terms of effacement and dilation and the baby is in position and very low. She said all I need now is contractions. I've been feeling tight all day and feel lots of pressure, so at this point I wouldn't be surprised if I end up in labor in the next 48 hours, but I also wouldn't be surprised if I'm still pregnant 10 days from now either....
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