Friday

I sure wish I had something to report. But I don't.

We finished up the second week of school, Greta brought home a whole folder of great work, most of it she's already well-accomplished at thanks to a great pre-K teacher so we're doing more at home to keep up her skills. It's fun brining her to school each day, our classes still have recess at the same time -- Greta is getting spoiled by 5th grade girls fawning all over her, I don't know how she always gets people to do that. And then to see her at my classroom at the end of the day is just too cute. However, I'm certainly not getting my 'last minute' tasks done before or after school, although she has accompanied me on several errands to the copier and is a big help carrying and collecting the papers.

I am officially done with work until the second week of October, or something like that, after our Fall 3 week break. So, maternity leave has begun, and I am looking forward to it, baby or no baby.

Update

So, I had a dr's appt today. A half centimeter of production -- bumping me up to a whopping 2cm -- in two weeks. Lazy cervix! So, more waiting. And...if this cruel torture continues...then we appear at Labor and Delivery next Wed at 5:30am.

If you need me, I'll be the lady with the watermelon under her shirt practicing some squats and encouraging the next generation to come forth.

Test 2

Ticker

See that poor little turtle up at the top? He's sick of being there.

Doctor's appointment tomorrow at 4. I'm sure I'll be there.

---

Nope.

Here's a Good One

I am leaving this post up until I have something better to say. Until then, click here.

Look at the web address and be amused.

Nothing to See Here

Just in case you're wondering....

Nothing new. Except that not too long ago the Real Feel temperature was 113 degrees.

school

Awesome picture from Greta's second day at school -- when the whole class was finally there together. I have had so much fun bringing Greta to school with me and walking her to class. After school she has thoroughly enjoyed playing on the Smart Board in my room -- and cleaning the white boards. WOW! CLeanest they've been in years. :)

Help!

Someone stole my ankles!

Ending and Beginning

We start this post with a picture from the last day of Pre-K. This dress was carefully selected by Greta a few days in advance, and we even ignored the rules and wore sandals instead of tennis shoes. Thanks for a great year of fun and learning Ms. Marianne!

Posing in front of the Crepe Myrtle, the dress was laid out 2 days ahead of time, the only last minute change was to the hair. And, for the record, when she heard me say we were going to take pictures outside in the morning before school, she was practicing her poses inside asking me which looked the best for the pictures. Sigh.

Look out Kindergarten. Here she comes.

Breaking News

No, not water-breaking news. Unfortunately.

Greta is with me, vaguely telling me bits and pieces of her day, but actually having more fun writing on my white board with every color marker available to man. And after a bit of review on how she liked what I packed for snack, she immediately followed that by "I hope we don't do math tomorrow."

Me: Oh, you did math today? Great! Didn't you like the math.
Her: No! It was Bee math ( the theme today was bees ) and all we did was counting bees. It was so borin'. I didn't like it.
Me: laughing I'm sure it will get more fun as the year goes on.
Her: It was just too easy for me right now. I want to like it, I just didn't like it.

Pictures to follow this evening!

Womb Watch

Well, I've made it through my two goals for this school year -- the first few days of my classroom, and it looks like I'll make it through the first day of Kindergarten. YAY! I'm excited, but enough already. Hey baby, didn't anyone tell you that babies come 10 days early in this house? Your mommy and daddy are never late -- for anything. Not that you're late or anything yet, but our motto is, if you're not early - you're late. We're all so excited to meet you, and seeing as the temperature is still supposed to be miserably tropical for the next forever, mommy would really like you to come out. For the first time last night, she couldn't find her ankles.

Any how, let's make an activity out of all of this! Readers, please leave a comment of the day and time you think our dear little one will make her way into this world. Let's see who gets the closest! Prize? No. Unless you want an autograph picture or something. I have NO idea, so I won't even venture to guess. What does everyone else think?

Sooooo,

I get to the dr today, and the nurse said "oh, I see a note here that says we've called you a couple of times. First to tell you that you didn't have to come in we will call you a prescription, and then to see if you wanted to come in earlier."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Seriously, Universe...

I'm not in the frame of mind to be amused. You already have me waiting not-so-patiently to release this being from my womb, but you have to give me Pink Eye on top of that? Not funny. At all. You better hope that -- since I have to go to the dr tomorrow, during my time at work (thank you to a nice boss who isn't making me take a half day off) just for them to look at my eye and tell me, yes I have pink eye WHICH I HAVE ALREADY SELF DIAGNOSED -- you really better hope that I am also told it could be 'any minute now' that I go into labor. Otherwise, don't talk to me anymore.

Nothing

Nothing going on, just wanted to let you know. :)

We are currently enjoying an awesome rain shower, mini-thunderstorm. It has (temporarily) cooled us off o about 77 degrees outside. And while I know it will all just shoot up as soon as the rain departs, it is still refreshing. Granted, I'm not outside, but just knowing it's cooler is refreshing.

Womb...With a View

A week from now, Greta will be in the middle of her second day of Kindergarten. If she doesn't have another little sister by then, she will be very very close to having one. She is excited for both events immensely, though I think is more excited for the baby to come. I have a feeling I'm going to have to wrestle the baby away from Greta, because all she talks about is how she wants to hold it, rock it to sleep, push it in the stroller, etc. Wish she would play with dolls like that.... I suppose that, even though she was pretty young when Clara was born, that is not as foreign to her as Kindergarten and this whole big school. She is wondering how she will know where the bathroom is, or how she will know where things are, and will I be able to sit next to her at the lunch table. We have lots of discussions about schoool that I think she just still can't grasp yet. Tonight is Meet the Teacher night, and while I won't be able to go with her because I have to meet all of my students and their families, I'm excited for Greta to get a chance to see her classroom one more time before next Wednesday.

In an effort to help the budget by saving money, the school system has once again this year decided to close on Fridays during the summer. No personnel may work at all, because they do not want to have any electricity/air conditioning, etc. running. There are only 2 year round schools in the county so it doesn't affect many people, but the first four weeks of our school year we only have 4 day weeks. (They take it out of our breaks later on to make up for it.) So, tomorrow is officially my last day of break I will have for the next 10 or 11 years where I will not have any children at home with me on one of my breaks. Needless to say, I am going to enjoy every minute of tomorrow. Next Friday Greta will be home with me, and who knows who else!

To the point of the title of this post. If Hadley were to look around in her great, giant soft bubble she's been floating in all of this time, it might be a little brighter in there..... I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and it looks like things have started. I am about dialated about 1 1/2 and 50% effaced, and if that means nothing to you it simply means to me that it won't be too long based on the history with the other two deliveries. I believe at this same time period I was dialated the same and both girls came within the next 5 days. Soooo...Once again, here's hoping that I'm not spending Greta's first day of Kindergarten giving birth and that it either is before, or after. Chris has to work this weekend though, so I really would prefer it not to be then because I don't feel like floundering around in agony and having to referee Greta and Clara -- mostly Clara -- as she follows Greta around and tries to take anything and everything she has. Or keep Greta from bouncing Clara off of the floor in some way shape or form. But, oh well. Try as I might, this is one thing I have no control over and can not plan for, as much as my anal side tries to plan for it.

I'll try to keep you posted on how I'm feeling, and will try to spare the graphic details for the sensitive members of the audience. Stay Tuned!

Hello Friday

Another week zooms by. Funny, I don't remember them going this fast before. Funnier still, instead of putting away the groceries right now, I decided to do a quick blog entry. Hang in there yogurt -- I'll be right there!

Any one else feeling like the header picture to this blog is throw right IN THEIR FACE? Every time I come to the blog page I have to laugh because that picture is so huge it just feels like it's SCREAMING at me. In a nice way of course, but it feels loud. I suppose I could play around with it, but I think there are some other dairy products that need my attention sooner than later, and after that I have plans. Big plans. Involving sitting. In a chair. With lots of pillows.

Mother Nature -- who has cruelly sat this bubble of heat right over us for longer than I can remember -- decided to grant us a quick reprieve by giving us some rain last night. Of course, it just made it feel hotter because the current humidity is right around one million %, but I'll take rain any day. I'm greedy, more please Mother. As Clara would say "right NOW". Lovely child that she is. There is even a chance tomorrow that we might not reach 90 degrees -- woo hoo! Of course, in Mother Nature's constant good humor, she wasn't just going to let it rain. She had to pull out the atmospheric theatrics and (what, chicken? Is that you? You'd like to be put away? One minute please, mommy's blogging) and add some thunder and disco lights to the whole show. Which means one dog clip clopping his way from room to room from tub to tub to drowned out the lightning and thunder, and suddenly a bed which is ridiculously over crowded with human elements. Greta was the only one who actually came in, Clara slept through the whole thing, which is quite amazing seeing that in the past month she is up nightly no LESS than twice. Not that it helped me sleep, but I won't go into that.

Alright, I've kept the groceries waiting long enough. And those pillows are really looking like they need my extra 30 (+?) pounds to flatten them out some more. Happy Weekend. The above picture is taken from a fire truck from the late 1930's they had on display at the fireworks this past weekend.

Busy Day

The girls didn't have school on Monday so we ventured out for an early morning playground visit, followed by some splashing in the wading pool in the yard. We are still letting Greta pick and choose whether she "needs" to take a nap each day or not, and even though Clara and I managed to get some midday shut-eye, Greta didn't seem to find the need at the appropriate time.

Until about 4:15.

Slacker

I know, I know....

I don't even know if people still read this, what with my sporadic postings now. How is it that while I am working full time I seem to make more time to blog than when the kids are at daycare and I have all day? That's right, because when I'm not working I am sitting around painting my nails, eating bon bons and napping while watching countless hours of the Today show which seem to take up the entire morning now. Who wants to blog when they have that going on? ha ha.

I hope at least someone sees the humor in that.

It's a wonderful thing this year round school calendar, because it means every nine weeks my house looks AWESOME. Laundry is done in a timely fashion -- including sheets and towels -- floors are clean (er), meals are elegantly prepared, grocery shopping is done solo, dusting, vacuuming, and the kitchen VOILA. It's nearly effortless. I actually do not mind it. In fact -- I even find matching socks not quite as horrible. Don't even ask me about how clean the closets are -- seriously, sometimes I amaze myself. So you can see why blogging has to take a back seat. I will add, however, that I did paint my nails yesterday, and still managed to do two loads of baby clothes -- it's nearly that time you know.

So the above pictures are some shots from this weekend. Poor daddy was stuck at work for 10 hours each day, this heat is just oppressive, but we managed to steal him away for some fun and fireworks anyways.

I head back for some workdays next week, but the most amazing thing...two weeks from today, someone I know will have her first day of Kindergarten. And assuming I'm not in the delivery room, which I'm assuming will almost be a guarantee, since when else would be a great time to have a baby but for your oldest child's first day of Kindergarten, I just know I will have blog posts to share with you. Hope to get a few more in before that though.