One Week Down...

The first week of school is FINISHED!  Okay, so it was only four days, and next week is only four days, but every day counts!  This year should be interesting.  Last year, I had the dream class.  I had a couple of slacker kids and one kid I really couldn't connect with, but this year, there are LOTS of behaviors.  Not all of them are bad, but I'm not sure how they mesh together.  Looks like I'm going to spend the better part of the weekend trying to devise a decent seating chart. 

Anyway- school aside, it's been tough to get back in the routine.  Monday, Eric was home with the kids for the day, which hasn't happened all summer.  I did get home late since it was the first day (6:30ish).  That has happened several times for me- that he'd leave early and get home late.  When I came home, he looked like he was ready to jump off the nearest bridge.  As much as I was not prepared to swoop in and take over right away, at least it's good for him to get it.   Parenting is hard.  Very rewarding, but hard.  I was secretly satisfied that he remembered that it's not all fairytales and cupcakes.  I'm the first person to admit that I'm a better mom because I work.  I appreciate, love and spend more time with my kids because I work.  The rest of the week, Eric was working a ton, to prepare to take the weekend off.  I was on duty by myself.  Yuck.  It's not fun. 

All of this has made eating right very hard.  I went to NYC last weekend for a bachelorette party, and gained a few lbs (I'm sure also in water weight).  By Tuesday, I also had a cold.  This doesn't help.   I got my act together and went for a run on Wednesday.  I had a weird clicking in my foot.  I made it to the podiatrist this afternoon and I officially have a bone spur.  No high-impact exercise for 7-10 days.  NOOOOOOO.  I'm taking the anti-inflammatory, so maybe it won't be quite so long.  We'll see how we can manage with the weight-loss.  Slow going around here!  :(

We are headed to Avalon this weekend for the un-official end of summer.  Bummer.  Where did the summer go?  I am excited to spend a nice, four-day weekend with my family- even if it is crazy and chaotic!

Midweek Confessions

I've joined Ashley at The Pollock Potluck for midweek confessions.  I'm going to try to do this each week!  

1. So I may have cheated a teeny bit on my sugar sweep yesterday- and God told me that my punishment was an immediate stomach ache!  Shame on me...
2. I may have had a dance party with my daughter when no one was looking.  Burning calories people, burning calories!
3. I'm CRAZY addicted to carbs- I've decided.  Not eating sugar is SOOOOOOO hard!
4. I wish I could get rid of the plastic mounds of crap that invade my family room.  I need less stuff and a bigger house.
5. I think about looking beautiful A LOT more than I do anything about it.... we can hope and wish, right?

Sugar Detox Begins Tomorrow!

Well, here we go.  Tomorrow, I will begin my sugar detox.  I gave up caffeine a week ago.  Day 1 was absolutely, positively AWFUL.  Not only was it the final three days of school, but I was up most of the night preparing gifts and my end of the year movie for my students.  Not fun.  My migraine lasted most of the day and evening.  By Day 2, thankfully, the headache had gone, but I was dragging, after two nights without much sleep, I really needed coffee or a Diet Coke.  By Day 4, I really didn't miss it.  I know that caffeine is going to be much easier to cut out than all of the other crap I eat.  I also was able to get by not indulging in a soda by eating something else, especially sweets.  I don't know what I'll do without both.  So, here goes nothing.  I'm sure there will be many posts about how miserable I am, but hopefully it will jump start some healthy eating!!!!

How Do We Do It?

How do you keep moving when you're exhausted, irritable and you feel like you can't keep going? I think you just have to deal. It's so much easier said than done, but eventually the pain will life, the sleep will come and things will get done. That's the only way I know- but every once in awhile, I get this feeling-bad-for-myself cloud stuck over my head when I'm really absorbed and I feel like the only person on the planet who has tried to take on all that I do. Of course, I do realize that I have voluntarily signed up for everything I have been dealt. I agree to be a working mom, to take on extra responsibilities at work, to have two beautiful kids (even if one doesn't sleep!) and try to keep the homes you see in magazines. Unfortunately, the last usually drops of the priority list along with sleep, but you see the point. Some days, you just don't.know.how.to.start.

So, today was definitely one of those days. Our school has had state tests for the last two weeks, and finished with report cards and conferences this week. To end the week, our team held a read-a-thon sleep over for the one hundred fifth graders we teach (yes, you read right- 100!) It was awesome, but required so much planning and time I think my husband wants to kill me. I'm also on the negotiations committee for our current employment contract and the meetings are long and mentally straining. After getting about 5 hours of sleep on Friday night (on a deflated air matress) I came home at 9:00 on Saturday morning to two bouncy-kids who were ready to run a marathon! All I wanted to do was crawl under the covers. I was okay mentally, but physically, I was dying for a few more hours of shut eye. Thankfully, my mother in law forced me to sleep for one additional hour before we prepared to drive an hour and half to a baby shower. I usually love family events and fun, but yesterday, it was everything I could do to keep my eyes open. I felt like I was being rude, no matter how hard I tried not to. I left and kept my eyes on the road during the commute home and crashed and burned by 8:30 last night.

I begged Mason to sleep- even if only for four hours in row, but somehow, he found a way to wake up at 11:00, 1:30, 3:00 and 5:30. Good times. I know babies are babies. I know the mommies with teenagers (or even older children) will tell you to cherish those moments- but when you're tired, you're bitter, and annoyed. I felt frustrated. With myself, with my baby, with my craptastic job of being a good mom. How do you sit a chair and rock at 3:00 am when you're beyond exhausted and soak in those moments? So, I awoke (barely) this morning to feeling hungover, annoyed and stressed out. My agenda included lesson plans, grocery shopping, cleaning out closets and maybe a walk. I have accomplished none of that. Thankfully, my mom agreed to take my duo for an hour and I got a massage. Hell yes! I do feel better- a lot actually, because right before I left, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, Momastery. Glennon asked her Monkies to read a post. Ya know how you read posts like this and automatically feel like a jerk? Yes- I do. But then I realized that I'm not a jerk, because I am lucky. I just need to take time in my hectic, self-imposed schedule to smell the roses. I am lucky I am alive. I am lucky to have two kids. I am lucky they are healthy. I am lucky to have a job. I am lucky to have a husband. I am lucky to have a house. I am lucky I can do what I want and choose to create a busy schedule for myself. So even though I feel overwhelmed, I need to remember how lucky I am.

We are all so lucky.

Yes, I AM alive!

Who knew I would take almost a one-month blogging hiatus? Sorry for letting you down, anyway! Here are some pictures from my last ultrasound!

Baby Fig's Face

A foot!

More face shots!

Another foot!

Here's a video of the baby smiling!!!!

I feel good- but I'm getting VERY big! Starting to feel a bit uncomfortable if I'm very busy... but I guess that's to be expected. We go the Dr. again on Monday and I'll probably have another update post after that!!!

25 Weeks Already?!?!!

25 Week Summary

How am I feeling?
I feel good- even though I've been sick for awhile!

How do I look? Cow kinda describes it!


Milestones
The baby is very active and always moving all over the place!

What am I craving?
Junk! Candy, brownies, anything sweet!

Aversions?
None

What do I miss?
Sleeping the entire night through.

What am I looking forward to?
Finding out if it's a boy or a girl! 15 more weeks!

Weight gain :
+14 lbs.

Discovery of the week?
We're almost there! There's really not that much time left! I've registered and the showers are planned. Now, we just wait!

Update...

So, I went back to the doctor today for a followup ultrasound. They just want to make sure everything's okay because of my past history. It was cool to see how much changes in one week. The little blip on the screen looks like a lima bean now and we were able to see a heartbeat! It was pretty cool. No pictures today, but still awesome to see the beating right there on the screen. The doctor also said that usually when you see a heartbeat, the risk of miscarriage drops to less than 5% after that.

I got back to the Doctor on July 8 for my first "real" visit. They'll work up all of my paperwork and get everything in order. Looks like things are good!

Keep your fingers crossed! :)