I'm back

Since the big announcement, I have deliberately not posted any updates.

I can give several excuses for my lack of writing: the start of school, tiredness to be blamed on work and my pregnancy, the general hecticness of life. But I know the real reason that I have stayed away from my blog is fear.

Being pregnant has been such an exciting discovery, but it has also been quite nervewracking. While I called my mom and sister as soon as the stick in my hand turned pink, I have mostly kept quiet about the good news. I waited to share my secret with the rest of my siblings until after hearing the heartbeat at my first doctor's appointment. I didn't tell anyone else but my closest friends until I was well out of my first trimester.

I know that this is not unusual for some women. Miscarriages are common, especially in the first trimester, and many chose to wait to share their news with others. But I am usually a very honest person and am terrible at keeping anything under wraps for an extended period of time.

I have decided not let fear dictate my life anymore. Pregnancy has been such a momentous time that I want to write about it and share with others. So I resolve to return to the keyboard and post away, the good news and the bad.

Timeline

Saturday, June 28: Took a home pregnancy test with a shocking positive result

Monday, June 30: Our one-year wedding anniversary

Tuesday, July 1: Positive test confirmed at doctor's office

Tuesday, July 8: Finally revealed pregnancy to my husband, who had been out-of-town for work

Wednesday, July 9: Spotting. At the advice of the nurse and my mother, went to the ER. After more than eight hours at the hospital, the doctor confirmed that everything was OK, the baby looked healthy, and I was seven weeks along.

Wednesday, July 16: First visit to OB. Eight weeks and one day with a due date of February 24. Everything looking good.

Our Little Peanut

July 16, 2008

8 weeks and one day

Heart rate: 170 beats per minute

Both mom and baby are looking good. Next appointment will be August 17.

Big News!!!!

Who: The newest addition to our family ...

What: ...will be joining us

When: February 24, 2009

Where: Let's hope at the hospital, perhaps with the help of some drugs

Why: After a year of marriage and a year of wishing and trying for a baby, I am finally pregnant!


“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away” -Unknown

Where I'm From

I hate poetry.

When I hear students say they hate reading, I tell them that they aren't reading the right stuff. When I say I hate poetry, I don't really mean it. I'm just trying to say that I'm intimidated.

But through the National Writing Project, I'm slowly getting over my fears and actually making myself create a poem. This is a work in progress.

My inspiration is George Ella Lyon's "Where I'm From"

Where I'm From

I'm from overcast skies that constantly drizzle
Apple trees, blackberry bushes, and sparse strawberry patches
all yield tiny, firm, disappointingly bitter fruit
Afternoons spent roaming below towering evergreen trees
or hiding under stacks of kitchen chairs as Mom scrubbed the linoleum

I'm from piano practice and ballet lessons
Weekly Sunday school, followed by family brunch
From Go to your room, a crack of the wooden spoon
Always seeing someone you know at the grocery store
Where family isn't defined by blood relations

I'm from the Monticello Hotel and Lake Sacajawea
where life-size lit-up Santas wave Merry Christmas
The 4th of July means a log roll contest precedes the fireworks
Squirrels are protected from cars on the Nutty Narrows Bridge
The sour scent of paper pulp on clear days

I'm from a stone's throw away from the Columbia River
with field trips to tree farms, salmon hatcheries
and stories at a Native American longhouse
Where oversize flannel shirts are always in style
Along with Gore-Tex and Birkenstocks (with or without socks)

I'm from the land of Kirk Cobain, Microsoft, and Pike Place Market
Starbucks and its competitors peddling caffeine on every corner
Preferred pastimes include hiking and kayaking
Locking doors is only an option
Surveys declare One of the healthiest places in the country
Outsiders praise the mountaintops and green trees
Locals know the true beauty isn't in the scenery

Literacy-opoly

"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." -Dr. Seuss

Rather than sitting on my rear all summer, I decided to apply to a writing institute that is part of the National Writing Project. The program focuses on improving our teaching, as well as providing us time to write ourselves. I was accepted, and class begins on Monday.

The first project is a literacy portfolio. The only guideline was to represent what makes us literate, which is basically what we read and write. I was inspired by a post on my favorite blog, Weddingbee (Yes, I still read it, even though my wedding was nearly a year ago). I decided to make my own twist on Monopoly, and Literacy-opoly was created.

Following the directions on Weddingbee, I found a Monopoly template in Photoshop. I renamed the properties after my favorite books, grouped by authors including Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Tyler, Amy Tan, William Shakespeare, Beverly Cleary, and Judy Blume. The railroads became magazines that I read. The utility company and waterworks turned into my two jobs in journalism. The community chest squares were renamed after the schools where I have worked. The chance squares became choices I need to make in the future. It took some figuring out, but I managed to replace the traditional images with my own.

A special thanks goes to Bee Kim of Weddingbee for the idea, Mark at Kinkos for printing it out so quickly for me (and for the lecture on compressing Photoshop files), and my husband for helping me glue it to a foam board. Actually, he came up with the plan and I did the work, so it's not exactly perfect, but I'm pleased with the final product.

On the board, I included the quote from Dr. Seuss' Oh the Places We Will Go. As a teacher, this is one of my favorite lines, and I found it completely appropriate for Literacy-opoly.

I am looking forward to sharing my portfolio with the class. Wish me luck!

Sex and the City

It nearly killed me to wait for a week, but I went to see the highly anticipated Sex and the City last night. It was just plain fun. The plot wasn't spectacular, the acting wasn't stellar, but the characters and their friendship were incredibly satisfying. And the clothes ... fabulous. Let's just say that, hands down, made the movie.

This is an event for friends. Last Thursday, a group of girls dressed up as their favorite character, hit the town for dinner and drinks, then took a limo to the midnight release. The woman who told me that story said it best: "Now that's the way to do it."

I took the low-key route, joining a girlfriend one week later, although I did stock up on plenty of candy and sodas to sneak into the theater. We sat amidst groups of women, from their 20s to 50s, a few brave husbands with their wives and a cute pair of old men at the end of our row. It may not be an Oscar-winning movie, but it brought women together to celebrate their own friendships, something that I think is incredibly important.

I plan to return again, next time with my mother and brother, two people who will appreciate the blend of friendship and fashion. Perhaps we will toast with cosmos or a new pair of shoes or just enjoy being together for one great movie.