I never in a million years thought that anyone would be anything but happy for the arrival of Baby J. Well, this past week at school was quite the eye-opener.
Without rehashing every gruesome detail, I will just say that I was almost yanked from teaching a class that I proposed, I researched, I wrote, and I submitted to the College Board so the course could receive "Advanced Placement" status. The AP stamp of approval means that if the students take my course, they can take an exam at the end of the year that can possibly exempt them from a college course, thereby saving them time and money. Not to mention the educational benefits of the course...But I digress...
This past Monday, our School Board president (a woman with children), asked if I should be the one to teach the AP English course next year or if the whole class should just be postponed...because I'm pregnant. That started a whirlwind; my assistant principal text messaged me, asking how long of a maternity leave I planned to take, when I would be back, and then in school, we had many a'meeting about the "best case scenario" for the course. Who should teach it? If Mrs. Jankowski is going to take maternity leave, will she be able to teach it? Fortunately, my principal appeared to be on my side the entire time, but just sitting there listening to the idea that I could not do something because I was having a baby infuriated me. Yes, I understand that I would not be there in the beginning of the school year and that could be cause for concern; however, they were thinking about throwing me into a new teaching assignment when I returned, which would mean it'd be yet another brand new year for me. Brand new mom, brand new curriculum, no thank you. Therefore, I made it clear that if that were the case (me having a baby and pretty much being punished with teaching NEW stuff AGAIN), I would consider taking the whole year because I refused to stress myself. Okay, maybe a bit, as my grandmother used to say, "lippy" on my part, but need I point out the numerous contract-breaking and possibly illegal BS I had endured up to this point? Anyhoo, my principal came to see me later in the week and said that I should take the time I need and rest assured that my teaching assignments (including the AP course) would be waiting for me when I returned. He said that he didn't want to lose one of his "best teachers" for an entire year because she was hesitant to return to a new position. How nice...finally!!
Because of the drama at the beginning of the week, I took advantage of the sunshine this Friday and called a personal day. Zach was able to come with me to a Baby J. Dr. appointment, and then we had some lunch before he left for baseball and I worked on some grad school stuff...in the sun! The Dr. appointment went well. I've gained a total of 20 pounds (for week 26, I should have gained between 16 and 22), my blood pressure is still good (I think 110/60?!), and Baby J.'s heart beat was loud and strong. It's crazy to think how soon this whole pregnancy thing is coming to an end: I have one more every-4-week appointment, and then after May 16th, I have to start going every 2 weeks! AND THEN, at 36 weeks, I'll start going every week and having those awesome internal exams again. CAN'T WAIT! But until then, I'd just like to finish school, go on a tentative vacation my parents are planning, and relax before the birth of Baby J. I cannot wait to find out if this child is a boy or a girl!!
I had hoped to be able to post pictures of the nursery, but it's not quite done, so you'll have to check back!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Happy Easter!
Even though our Easter has just begun (it's only about 8:30 in the morning), I thought I would write while I had the chance. Holidays are always super busy for us, as we travel from one end of the earth to the other, but that's how we've always done it, and we appreciate being able to see so much of the family. We're not sure what we'll do next year with a Baby J. to tote around--it'll be interesting, that's for sure! Today, we head to Punxsutawney to see Zach's mom's side of the family, then we'll stop in at Spring Church for Rick's family gathering. Nonna and Nonno are always so good to us--we get an Easter basket every year, and this year, I will dominate the chocolate with no apologies :0) At the end of the day, we travel to Monroeville for my dad's side of the family, and let's just say that's always a...treat! Needless to say, come 8 pm, I'm ready for bed! I just hope I can make it through this year without excusing myself for a nap!
We attended the annual Easter Sunrise Service at Northmoreland Park this morning. This year, it was just me, Zach, and my dad, but very nice nonetheless. I couldn't help but laugh as I stuffed myself into my winter coat; it fit just three short months ago, but today, the resemblance to "fat man in a little coat" from the Tommy Boy movie was all too evident! But at least I was warm and Baby J. kicked her approval throughout some of the songs at the service--probably because she heard her dad's wanna-be-priest singing voice over everyone else's!! Never a dull moment!
Speaking of my musical hubby, he surprised me with some "gourmet" rootbeer in bottles and some chocolately goodness for Easter. He was very proud of the rootbeer: "It's won awards two years in a row for its 'creaminess!'" So I'm sure to enjoy that! For whatever reason, we've always exchanged gifts on Easter. One year I got a gorgeous bracelet, another year, diamond earrings! Talk about over-the-top Easter eggs! My favorite and most memorable Easter was the one where Zach told me he loved me for the first time. Ahhh memories. Now we're going to be parents...and as I type this, he's swearing upstairs at the painter's tape.
This week, Zach is on break (whereas I am back to work...grrrr...), so he has a long to-do list he's hoping to accomplish. Among the many things that he's deemed as "must be done this week" is the nursery. I'm so super excited to see it painted with all of the furniture in there! I love the idea that I'll come home and it'll be done one of these days! Yay!! We've also been finalizing (or trying to) our registry; it's a lot harder than I thought it would be! I'm going to have to go test drive some stroller options because I don't quite understand all this lingo: travel system, car seat base, etc. I'd like to see what's out there, so we'll probably make that trip sometime soon as well.
That said, tomorrow is the taste testing of the shower food. I think it's a bit odd and unnecessary to offer so many options of food for a shower--and then have to indulge ourselves in an actual TASTING of the options!--but my mom is taking the reigns, so I'm just along for the ride. Let's hope all goes well, ie: mom is happy with the food or this shower planning could get ugly!
On a final note, my left hip is not my friend. I can't lie down on my left side (which is the BEST side, the experts say) for more than a half hour before all of my new weight starts to put such pressure on it that the pain shoots up my back. I've been a real project at night, too; I can't stay still, I'm tossing and turning constantly, I wake up Zach by either moving too much or accidentally smothering him with my body pillow (which, by the way, is taller than I am...). It's been a minor inconvenience, to say the least, but one that I'm sure will disappear when the baby comes and I lose the weight. From what I gather, I won't be doing a lot of sleeping once the baby comes anyway, so I might as well get used to this!
Off to get ready for the day. Happy Easter!
We attended the annual Easter Sunrise Service at Northmoreland Park this morning. This year, it was just me, Zach, and my dad, but very nice nonetheless. I couldn't help but laugh as I stuffed myself into my winter coat; it fit just three short months ago, but today, the resemblance to "fat man in a little coat" from the Tommy Boy movie was all too evident! But at least I was warm and Baby J. kicked her approval throughout some of the songs at the service--probably because she heard her dad's wanna-be-priest singing voice over everyone else's!! Never a dull moment!
Speaking of my musical hubby, he surprised me with some "gourmet" rootbeer in bottles and some chocolately goodness for Easter. He was very proud of the rootbeer: "It's won awards two years in a row for its 'creaminess!'" So I'm sure to enjoy that! For whatever reason, we've always exchanged gifts on Easter. One year I got a gorgeous bracelet, another year, diamond earrings! Talk about over-the-top Easter eggs! My favorite and most memorable Easter was the one where Zach told me he loved me for the first time. Ahhh memories. Now we're going to be parents...and as I type this, he's swearing upstairs at the painter's tape.
This week, Zach is on break (whereas I am back to work...grrrr...), so he has a long to-do list he's hoping to accomplish. Among the many things that he's deemed as "must be done this week" is the nursery. I'm so super excited to see it painted with all of the furniture in there! I love the idea that I'll come home and it'll be done one of these days! Yay!! We've also been finalizing (or trying to) our registry; it's a lot harder than I thought it would be! I'm going to have to go test drive some stroller options because I don't quite understand all this lingo: travel system, car seat base, etc. I'd like to see what's out there, so we'll probably make that trip sometime soon as well.
That said, tomorrow is the taste testing of the shower food. I think it's a bit odd and unnecessary to offer so many options of food for a shower--and then have to indulge ourselves in an actual TASTING of the options!--but my mom is taking the reigns, so I'm just along for the ride. Let's hope all goes well, ie: mom is happy with the food or this shower planning could get ugly!
On a final note, my left hip is not my friend. I can't lie down on my left side (which is the BEST side, the experts say) for more than a half hour before all of my new weight starts to put such pressure on it that the pain shoots up my back. I've been a real project at night, too; I can't stay still, I'm tossing and turning constantly, I wake up Zach by either moving too much or accidentally smothering him with my body pillow (which, by the way, is taller than I am...). It's been a minor inconvenience, to say the least, but one that I'm sure will disappear when the baby comes and I lose the weight. From what I gather, I won't be doing a lot of sleeping once the baby comes anyway, so I might as well get used to this!
Off to get ready for the day. Happy Easter!
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Eating, Sweating, Sleeping--Oh, My!
As we're now officially in month 6 (24 weeks), I am noticing a few changes in myself. For one, I'm bigger. Zach was in Florida for a week and when he came home, even HE could notice. And if Mr. Unobservant noticed, it must be true! A few other changes...
2. I want to eat anything all the time. I've been doing a good job and not giving into the cravings, but if I think about the same food or snack for more than 3 days, I give in. So far, so good as I've only really gained weight in my belly, but I can't promise that will be the case by the end of this pregnancy!
3. I sweat--A LOT! I can't even imagine what it will be like in May and June at school. If I'm at home or with family and friends and I'm a sweaty mess, I don't really mind. But at school, I'm supposed to be professional, not drenched in grossness. I think a lot of the reason why I find myself needing to reapply deodorant 10 times a day is because I don't have my own classroom, so I travel around the building, up and down the stairs, fight through the crowded halls all in an effort to arrive to my classes on time. And when I get there, I'm hideous. Oh, well; small price to pay considering WHY I'm sweating :0)
4. I can now nap with the best of'em. Any time, anywhere, give me a blanket and I'm out! It's not as deep a sleep as what Zach has demonstrated (you know, when he falls asleep in bars and clubs while Big with Seed plays 10 feet away from him--I don't know HOW he does that!), but sleeping during the day for short bouts has become much easier. And as I'm sure I've mentioned before, I LOVE naps! I'm looking forward to being out of school and having the leisure to nap whenever I want. Clearly, I'm a party animal!
Other than THAT (thanks, Terri!), I'm still feeling wonderful. I notice the weight gain when I walk for long periods of time (I get winded much easier now), or when I'm doing something that I used to take for granted, like tie my shoes! I've always had my weight in the back, never in the front, and now that I've seen it both ways, I prefer my "junk in the trunk," thank you very much! Speaking of, we saw some friends last night, and I was told that I'm for sure having a girl. When I asked why, I was told it's because I've "gained weight all over." Ahh! This person is the ONLY one to say that, so I'm trying not to take offense or swear off eating carbs for the next 3 months, but OUCH. What's weird is just the day before I walked into a room and someone asked me if I had had the baby because he couldn't tell that I was pregnant until I turned to the side. I liked his comment better :0)
Active Baby J. slowed down a bit earlier this week and because of the stark contrast between her constant movement and what I noted as nothing for 2-3 days, I called my doctor to see if there was anything I should do...or if there was anything I should necessarily be worried about. We didn't share this with the parents or rest of the family at the time because we didn't want to stress anyone, but I ended up going to the doctor "just in case." They hooked me up to a machine that REALLY freaked me out, and monitored the baby's heart beat and movement for 20 minutes. There was a print out of everything, too, and it showed that everything is perfectly normal. The doctor said I did the right thing in keeping track of the baby's movement and calling her about it, so I didn't feel as silly as I thought I would! No need to worry, everyone; all is well!
That's all from these parts; next baby appointment is April 17th (or something like that!). We'll keep ya posted with new developments. Until then, I'm off to nap!!
2. I want to eat anything all the time. I've been doing a good job and not giving into the cravings, but if I think about the same food or snack for more than 3 days, I give in. So far, so good as I've only really gained weight in my belly, but I can't promise that will be the case by the end of this pregnancy!
3. I sweat--A LOT! I can't even imagine what it will be like in May and June at school. If I'm at home or with family and friends and I'm a sweaty mess, I don't really mind. But at school, I'm supposed to be professional, not drenched in grossness. I think a lot of the reason why I find myself needing to reapply deodorant 10 times a day is because I don't have my own classroom, so I travel around the building, up and down the stairs, fight through the crowded halls all in an effort to arrive to my classes on time. And when I get there, I'm hideous. Oh, well; small price to pay considering WHY I'm sweating :0)
4. I can now nap with the best of'em. Any time, anywhere, give me a blanket and I'm out! It's not as deep a sleep as what Zach has demonstrated (you know, when he falls asleep in bars and clubs while Big with Seed plays 10 feet away from him--I don't know HOW he does that!), but sleeping during the day for short bouts has become much easier. And as I'm sure I've mentioned before, I LOVE naps! I'm looking forward to being out of school and having the leisure to nap whenever I want. Clearly, I'm a party animal!
Other than THAT (thanks, Terri!), I'm still feeling wonderful. I notice the weight gain when I walk for long periods of time (I get winded much easier now), or when I'm doing something that I used to take for granted, like tie my shoes! I've always had my weight in the back, never in the front, and now that I've seen it both ways, I prefer my "junk in the trunk," thank you very much! Speaking of, we saw some friends last night, and I was told that I'm for sure having a girl. When I asked why, I was told it's because I've "gained weight all over." Ahh! This person is the ONLY one to say that, so I'm trying not to take offense or swear off eating carbs for the next 3 months, but OUCH. What's weird is just the day before I walked into a room and someone asked me if I had had the baby because he couldn't tell that I was pregnant until I turned to the side. I liked his comment better :0)
Active Baby J. slowed down a bit earlier this week and because of the stark contrast between her constant movement and what I noted as nothing for 2-3 days, I called my doctor to see if there was anything I should do...or if there was anything I should necessarily be worried about. We didn't share this with the parents or rest of the family at the time because we didn't want to stress anyone, but I ended up going to the doctor "just in case." They hooked me up to a machine that REALLY freaked me out, and monitored the baby's heart beat and movement for 20 minutes. There was a print out of everything, too, and it showed that everything is perfectly normal. The doctor said I did the right thing in keeping track of the baby's movement and calling her about it, so I didn't feel as silly as I thought I would! No need to worry, everyone; all is well!
That's all from these parts; next baby appointment is April 17th (or something like that!). We'll keep ya posted with new developments. Until then, I'm off to nap!!
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