1st Day of 1st Grade

     I can't believe that our little guy is in 1st Grade already!  Isaiah started at Sunrise Elementary School in Kimberly this year, and he is loving it!  It is so wonderful to know that he gets on and off the bus every day with a HUGE smile on his face.  :D  (And as an added bonus, Isaiah does a GREAT job working on his homework in the evenings.)

- becky

First Day of 4K!

Today was Mallory's first day of preschool.  We're so proud of her, and we can't believe that this day is already here.  We all dropped her off, and Isaiah and I stayed for chapel.  She looked so cute sitting with the other kids!  Mallory, I now know that you can sit still and upright for what is very nearly the length of a regular Sunday worship service.  And Isaiah, you were quiet the ENTIRE time.  Thanks for showing me what you are capable of, kids!  Ha!

Isaiah and I have been lost all day.  (We don't start school for a few more days.)  We've just been wondering aimlessly around the house, not really accomplishing much of anything.  We can't wait to pick her up and see how her first day of school went!

"Helping" Mommy

Isaiah and Mallory were great "helpers" at the end of the summer when we went in to Denmark to set-up my new 2nd grade classroom.

- becky

Summer!

Yesterday was the last day of school! Yay for summer vacation!

We have so much planned for the summer. Next week, we'll be taking the kids to Vacation Bible School at church in the evenings. Then we'll have a quiet week before our vacation. We're making the loop to see our families with stops in Pensacola, Cape Girardeau, and Minneapolis. I'm a little apprehensive about our trip this year. Isaiah thrives on routine, as would be expected when you consider Autism. Hopefully, his laid back personality will trump the fact that his surroundings will be unfamiliar to him.

When we return in early July, I'll be doing 2 weeks of curriculum work, so the kids will get to visit their friends at "school" during the day. I'm sure they will completely ENJOY 2 weeks of day care fun in the middle of the summer. They love going there every day; we're so blessed to have such great teachers taking care of our children while we are at work.

August is going to be incredibly busy. Next year, I will be moving back into a classroom of my own. I'll be on a new adventure as a 2nd grade teacher. It will be fun to teach one of the primary grades! I am so super excited!!! It's hard to believe that the 2011-12 (how weird do those years look?!) will be my 10th year teaching already! I'm sure Isaiah and Mallory will be a HUGE "help" setting up my classroom.

Stay tuned for pictures showing our summer fun!

- becky

Day Care Woes

Isaiah and Mallory started at their new school the last week of August. All four of us absolutely love it, but things aren't always rosy...

It is INCREDIBLY expensive. We should be allowed to live in the building because we pay more each month for childcare than we do for our mortgage. I can't complain about that too much, though, because my children are much more precious to me than my house - even though it is really important to have a home to live in. We can say that we're getting what we pay for. They do some pretty impressive things at school.

Isaiah has already been out sick with a fever. Mallory missed most of this week because another baby in her class was learning to share and started by sharing croup with her. When the kids are out, we still have to pay their full tuition.

Isaiah got bit. I guess it's better that he was bitten that the one doing the biting...? I would have been so upset and embarrassed if he had bitten another child! We're hoping he doesn't learn this behavior from friends at school...

I had to sign an incident report when I picked him up. :(

Again, we really do love their new school. Just like everything in life, though, things aren't always perfect.

- becky

Back to School

The weather change is certainly letting me know that summer is coming to an end. I started back to work last week, so the kids started their new day care center. We sent them Tuesday-Friday even though I only had to work on Wednesday and Thursday. We had to pay for the entire week, and it was good to get them into a routine.

We're calling the center school. Wise word choice because that place is impressive! It really runs like a school! After just four days, the kids seem to have learned so much. Mallory has been working on clapping her hands, and I really thought that I saw her trying to wave bye-bye. Her teachers discovered that she will take a bottle if it has formula mixed with mommy's milk. This is a big relief for me because our nursing days seem to be coming to an end. :-( (I am grateful that we made it nearly 8 months!) Isaiah was walking around singing a song yesterday. We eventually recognized it as the meal prayer they sing in his classroom. He whines just a little bit when he is dropped off, but quickly cheers up as he looks for his friends. When he leaves in the afternoon he says, "Night night, friends!"

On Thursday afternoon there was a copy of the lesson plans for Isaiah's class next week. Lesson plans! This place is a teacher's dream! It's like a preschool. The center is very language and life skill oriented, which will be really, really good for both kids. We're considering sending them on Mondays, too. The original plan was for Isaiah and Mallory to stay home with Tim on his day off, but we're paying for Monday already. We don't want them to miss out on all of the fun things that they're doing.

First Day of School

I kept myself busy on their first day. Tim had to work, so I had the day to myself. I worked out and did a few chores around the house before lunch. I ate lunch at home and waited around to see Tim when he came home. After that I went to the mall, Babies R Us, and Barnes & Noble. I missed my kids, but I had such a nice time! I can't remember the last time I sat in a big comfy chair, drank a coffee, and read a magazine at B&N - one of my very fave things to do. Friday wasn't nearly as fun. I had errands and appointments - blah.

Tuesday will be interesting. Hopefully they will remember how much fun they had last week! I don't work tomorrow, so we're keeping the kids home with us for Tim's birthday. He's off, too, so it will be great to spend the last day of summer vacation as a family.

- becky

Back to Work

Today was the first day back to work after Christmas break. I really enjoyed being back with my students, but it was a big time bummer to have to wake up to the alarm so early in the morning again.

I'm in baby preparation mode both at work and at home. I met with my long term sub today to go over my schedule, where I keep things, yadda-yadda-yadda. She is wonderful, so I know that I will not need to worry while I am home with my children. It's really tough to keep things very organized (at work and at home!) so that we are as prepared as we can be when the baby makes its grand entrance. (When will that be already?!?! I am getting so excited!)

The car seat cover is in the washing machine right now. I'll get that re-assembled tomorrow and hopefully get my bag packed for the hospital. I have a regular check-up at my OB office tomorrow. Between now and my due date I have 5 appointments scheduled - 2 regular weekly check-ups, 1 ultrasound to check the baby's growth, and 2 BPP monitors.

I talked with the nurse today to get the results of my first BPP from last Friday. The baby scored 8 out of 8 points, which is a good score. My doc wants to move my BPP monitoring to her office instead of at the hospital. Because this change is at such notice, I will get priority as far as getting an appointment goes, but that does not necessarily mean I will get a time that is convenient for me. Apparently, my doctor wasn't very happy with how the BPP was read. She wants my next one to be done ASAP, so I will find out when that is scheduled for tomorrow. Hmm... I'm not sure I like the sound of that. I'll post an update after my appointment tomorrow. Until then, I'm just going to keep reminding myself that if they were REALLY concerned about me and/or the baby she would have had me come in immediately.

- becky

Busy Times

I can't believe Christmas is next week already! This is such a busy time of year.

I made one stop on my way home and was able to check someone off my list for Christmas gifts. (I love you, Dad!) I intended to finish my shopping tonight, but it is just TOO COLD! Now that I know the weather forecast for tomorrow - possible 3-5 inches of snow - I regret not getting the shopping done. We have play group at church tomorrow, so we're all going to go after that. Tim and Isaiah will drop me off at each stop, I'll run in to make the purchases, and hopefully all will be finished in record time.

Wednesday night is advent service and choir/youth at church. I have to leave work early that day for an OB check, too. I have to be prepared for a sub on Thursday because I will be attending a workshop in Neenah. Positive - don't have to drive to Denmark and more snow is predicted. Negative - the lady subbing for me is really, really bad. She doesn't follow the lesson plans that I leave and it really throws off the rest of my week. I'm thinking of leaving her a very direct note this time - AKA a nasty-gram. Tim has church in the evening. Friday we're back to church again for a Young Adult (new name - 3 CHEERS) Christmas dinner. Sometime before then I need to make sure we pick up a few groceries. You see, we bought eggs on Saturday, but then left them in the car overnight. Oops! At least it's so cold out that they didn't stink up the car. Imagine doing that while living in Florida! Yuck!

On top of all of these errands, I have a really long To Do List right now, and it seems to be growing longer and longer each day. I've got a few more Christmas cards and thank you cards for Isaiah's 2nd birthday to get out, and we ran out of stamps. We've got Christmas presents to wrap and FIVE packages to mail for family and friends out of town. Did I mention that my first paper is still not finished??? I've read the book, but I just need to complete the paper.

Ugh. I can do all of this, can't I?!?!

Tim and I worked on the baby's room a bit last night. It's time to shift all of Isaiah's stuff to his room and be sure the infant stuff is washed up and ready to go. I've also thought about getting my bag packed for the hospital.

Add it to the list of things to do. At least I'm not doing any baking until after Christmas. No way am I making cookies with gestational diabetes!

- becky

Snow Day!

Well, the call came at about 5:45 this morning. Yippee!!! I had gotten up 15 minutes before and saw my district listed on the TV, so I already knew. I was just settling back in bed, but the phone call was certainly welcome. We rolled out of bed about 8:30 this morning. It was so nice to sleep in today.

Deep Snow on the Deck

Tim worked so hard on the driveway and sidewalks this morning, only to have the plow come through as he was finishing...

Isaiah's reading teacher mommy is so proud of his love for books!

I'm very glad to be home today. Isaiah has had quite the runny nose, and is just not feeling himself today. He's very cuddly today, which I love. We watched Finding Nemo (his new favorite), and he even let me rock him to sleep for his nap. If you know how independent Isaiah is, this is quite unusual. He's been putting himself to sleep for a looooong time now. Let's hope he teaches his new brother or sister this very important skill...

Stay warm, and stay off the roads! School is closed for a reason, people.

- becky

Not So Comfy

Now that I am past that dreaded week 30 of my pregnancy, I am beginning to experience the uncomfortable phase. It is quite difficult to sit up straight. Recliners are most comfortable for me until it's time to get up. That's when I need a shove. I was sitting with Sara (a high school youth at church) and Isaiah for the children's message at church. When it was time to go back to our pew, she nearly had to help me up off the floor.

It's like being pregnant for the first time. When I had Isaiah, I was still at that "I feel great! I could be pregnant forever!" phase. Don't get me wrong - I am in NO WAY rushing this pregnancy. I enjoy every little movement, including the hiccups that I'm feeling right now as I type this. I just enjoy the movements more when I don't have to move around.

The hiccups are hilarious. I only felt them once with Isaiah - the day he was born. It was only when I was hooked up to the monitors that I realized what they were. This baby gets them nearly every day. It feels like a very rhythmic pulsing sensation. Baby must be growing!

Tomorrow is Scrap-and-Craft at church. I have a lot of things to work on, so I am really looking forward to going. I have some miscellaneous things to get done - Isaiah's birthday thank you cards, look up a few addresses for Christmas cards, finish my first of three papers for an independent study class that I'm taking for my WI teaching license, etc. We would also like to get our Christmas tree up this week. So much to do, and it's all fun stuff. Well, except for writing three papers... What do you do? Oh, well. I made great progress this weekend and should be ready to mail off my first paper by the end of the week.

Stay safe if it's snowing where you are. I keep hearing different weather reports for us, and they get worse every time I hear a new one. First is was 1-3 inches, then 3-5 inches, and now it's 6-8 inches (along the lakeshore). With my luck, we won't even have a 2 hour delay tomorrow. What a fun, long drive it will be to work. Note the sarcasm.

- becky

It's Official

I think we can officially say that Isaiah is done with his crib. Just like giving up his Nuk last July, he decided he was ready. About a week ago, we told him it was time to go night-night. He led us upstairs right into his new room with his big bed. (Note that I don't call it a big BOY bed. Ugh. That phrase bugs me. I can't explain it, it just does.) We put him in the bed to see what would happen, and ever since then he's been staying in bed and putting himself to sleep. Success!!!

Isaiah taking a nap one afternoon in October - love the toys in his hands! What a cutie!

I can't believe he's going to be 2 years old next Friday. Because the new baby's due date is so close to Isaiah's due date was, I'm getting really nervous. Tim keeps telling me not to borrow trouble.

I was telling my principal about my work-out at the gym on Thursday. I could only walk 1.7 mph. If you don't realize, that is ridiculously slow. She told me not to shake anything up. :-) I've been walking in the cardio theater, so it's not too embarrassing to be walking so slowly. Plus the time flies by when I'm engrossed in a movie. I'm hooked! Between the pool, cardio theater, and ladies only work-out room our new gym can be quite motivating to go to. Add to that Isaiah loves to play there and our friends Jen and Ken are also members, and we're good to go. Jen, we should get a work-out schedule together for next week!

This weekend I hope to finish my first of three papers that I have due for my on-line class. I have to take Wisconsin Native American history to lift a stipulation on my teaching license. History has always been interesting to me, so I'm trying to make the best of the class. I just need to set aside more time to get the reading and writing done. It's an independent study class, so I have 12 months from this past September to finish 3 papers and a one hour exam. My goal is to be done by the time the baby is born.

I also have to take an independent study class on conflict resolution and an on-line class about environmental education. I hope to take one of those while I am on maternity leave and the other next summer. I have to submit my credits to the Wisconsin DPI by January of 2010, so that will allow me to finish in plenty of time.

The house is a wreck, and Tim's at church for a workshop right now. I better go and get things done. I'm going to enlist Isaiah's help in putting laundry in the laundry basket now. He likes to do that. :-)

Saturdays rule!

- becky

Crazy Week

Monday

I took off Monday morning to meet with my dietician. If you haven't heard, I have gestational diabetes. We're controlling it with my diet, so thankfully I am not on any kind of medication. I have to check my blood sugar levels and ketones four times a day. It's kind of a pain, but I'm trying to turn it into something positive and develop some healthier habits.

Tuesday

Tuesday afternoon, Isaiah had a follow-up visit with the NICU at the Children's Hospital. It went really well. They were so impressed by his counting skills, even though he continues to skip the number 7. It's such a fun appointment - a physical therapist and speech therapist play with him for about an hour, and we talk about his progress. The NICU staff is such a wonderful group of people. We are so blessed to have a Children's Hospital in town with Isaiah's early arrival.

Wednesday

Yesterday was quite busy. I had choir in the evening, and Tim led confirmation class and high school youth group.

I did not get to go to the New Kids on the Block concert in Milwaukee. I won't say any more about that, though. I'm too depressed about missing it.

Thursday (Today!)

During reading this afternoon, a kid threw up on our guided reading library. We were able to salvage the books because they are kept in gallon zip locs, but the teachers cleaning it up were quite grossed out.

We went to Menasha Grill for dinner. It's a local place near Theda Clark with a cajun flair. I had a meltdown and cried while ordering because every dish was served with potato, bread, or pasta. Tim explained that I'm adjusting to gestational diabetes, and the waiter was very nice. He offered to have the cook prepare some vegetables for me instead of a potato. They were fantastic! We'll definitely be eating back there. (By the way, my blood sugar was only 96 after dinner. This a great - it's not supposed to be over 120 an hour after each meal.)

I was giving Isaiah his tubby after dinner, and he was so disappointed when I took him out. Well, what was I supposed to do?!?! Leave him in there with poop floating around??? That's right - oops, he did it again.

So, that's our exciting week so far. It's been crazy busy. I'm hoping for a quiet weekend to catch up on some e-mails and phone calls. (And the laundry.)

- becky

35 Candles on the Cake

Happy Birthday, Tim!

Today is Tim's birthday. (I'm sure he really appreciates me sharing his age with you - hehe.) After church, we enjoyed a wonderful family lunch at Tony Roma's in Green Bay. Other than that we've just been hanging around the house, but we're conserving our energy for Brewer games (Friday night and Saturday night) next weekend.

One of Tim's birthday presents was a new cell phone. His Blackberry Curve has so many cool new features. We splurged and got him Internet/e-mail access and a GPS navigator. Being the dorks that we are, we used the GPS to help us find Tony Roma's at lunch time - even though we already know where it is.

Birthday Boy setting up his new lifeline.

Tim's mom had a birthday yesterday - Happy Birthday, Grandma Bette!

Tonight is the last night I can stay up late. Early to bed tomorrow, because the daily grind begins again on Tuesday. I think that I can actually say that I'm okay with going back. Being away from Isaiah is going to really be a bummer, though...

- becky

First Day Back

I survived!

No kids today, though. We had teacher inservice and Open House.

- becky

Snow Day

Today was my first official day back to work. (Big time bummer, man.) OK - so it wasn't too bad. My team met to plan a fall literacy night which should be really fun. We were able to come up with lots of neat ideas that shouldn't be too difficult to carry out. I was also able to get my desk set-up (for the most part). I'm hoping to go through my filing cabinets before the kids come back.

This is certainly going to be an exciting year for me at work. This position is so completely different from "classroom teacher". I'm confident with the teaching aspect, but I feel like everything else (paperwork, planning, etc.) is completely new to me. I work with a great group of teachers, though, who are more than happy to answer any questions that I have and lift heavy things for me. (Don't want to hurt the baby!)

Isaiah went to play with Kamryn today. We left her mom, Jenny, in charge, and she did a FANTASTIC job! Isaiah even took a nap for her. Very impressive for day one and no blankie from home. :-)

- becky

P.S. The eagle leaves its nest in search of berries. That's for you, MOM!!!

Under Construction

Is painting considered construction? We're not changing anything except the color on the walls, so I'm not really sure.

Tim's parents were very nice to come up and help with our project. Tim and his dad are up painting Isaiah's new Little Boy room as we speak...er, as I type. We went with a dusty blue color which I think has a hint of purple, but Tim tells me that I'm crazy. We already knew that anyway, didn't we? The room has blue carpet, so that definitely helps to make the paint look blue. Yea, me - I thought to take before pictures, so I'll be posting before and after pictures once the room is transitioned from a guest room to a Little Boy room.

Why stop there? We picked up a tasteful shade of brown called brown bag at Home Depot, and they plan to paint down the hallway and the entire main level of the house (front room and kitchen). I didn't get a chance to get recent pictures of that level of the house before it got all torn up, but somewhere on my computer I have some pictures of when we had the laminate flooring put it. Those will work well for before pictures of that level of the house.

So, tomorrow I have to work. Teachers have to go in for a work day to make up a snow day from last year. The administration picked a Tuesday (weird, I know, but good for long weekend travelers I suppose) for us to work on curriculum work. I was talking with two of my co-workers, and we plan to make the most of the day in preparing for a family reading night at school. Do you like my positive attitude? I'm trying really hard! I certainly haven't missed that long drive to Denmark, though.

While I'm working, Isaiah is going to go over and play with Kamryn for the day. It'll be good to make sure he plans to be nice to her this year. ;-) I'm sure he will be - Jenny and I took the kids with us to a rummage sale last Friday, and he actually blew Kamryn a kiss! So cute! On Wednesday, I'm going in to work again to work a trade off day (giving me a paid day off in the spring), so Isaiah will stay home and play with his grandparents while they are here.

Yesterday, we completely spoiled ourselves at meal times. We knew that we would be eating in for the remainder of my in-laws visit because I'm making a HUGE pot of pulled pork today. For lunch, we went to Pullman's. So good!!! I had beer cheese soup and popcorn shrimp. It was exactly what I was in the mood for. (When I'm pregnant, I crave seafood, but I limit myself to once a week since you're really not supposed to eat it while expecting.) For dinner, we went to Beefeater's. Really good!!! Their spinach dip is out of this world. I think it's the cream cheese mixed it that makes it soooooo creamy. Because I LOVE cream cheese (another pregnancy craving right now) I had a roast beef panini - roast beef, carmelized onions, and CREAM CHEESE. It was all melted and oozing off the sides of the grilled bread. Oh my goodness, it was tasty! Jodie, I want to suggest either/both of those restaurants for Girls' Night Out.

Public schools in Pensacola started back today - I've been thinking of Shelby and Kari all day. It is so hard to believe that Shelby is in 2nd grade already. Kari is still teaching 5th grade - she has the best classroom! It is a really cool set-up with an office and walk-in storage closet that adjoins the classroom next door.

This is a really looooong post. I've had so many vacation pictures that it probably seems as though we've been taking a break from everyday life. Obviously, we haven't been! :-)

Three more things before I go - Happy Birthday, Tracy! And one day late - Happy Birthday, Mark! Aunt Pam and Uncle Mike - Happy Anniversary! We're trying to see when we can get Isaiah down there to see you!!!

- becky

School's Out!

Need I say more?

- becky

Almost

9 school days left. We're finally in the single digits!!!

I promise to post more regularly then. Things are crazy busy!

- becky

Still Here...

Sorry, blogging buddies. I'm still here. It's been quite a week.

Isaiah has yet another ear infection. He's on another round of antibiotics. I am very thankful for the numbing ear drops that we had prescribed this time. They are very helpful at bedtime!

It is hard to believe that there are only 13 school days left. While I'm feeling the crunch of so much to do in so little time, I am certainly looking forward to summer break. All I want is to spend tons of time with Isaiah. We're going to have a great summer!!!

Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.

- becky

Remember Me?

Sorry, people! It's been a very busy week.

My class took a field trip to the Milwaukee Public Museum. I remembered my camera, but I forgot the battery at home. Sorry that I can't post pictures from there. It was a GREAT time. I was very impressed with the exhibits. (The IMAX movie was kind of boring, though.)

Spaghetti Face

I think I need a tubby now...

- becky