Okay, things this week have been stressful to say the least. School has been rougher than I thought it would be. In my defense, I have the largest number of students in this class that they have had in 12 years. In addition, I have the largest and most aggressive second grader the district has EVER seen. Today, he threw a chair in my class that left a divot in the wall. Needless to say, I am working through the paperwork nightmare to get him the services he really needs, but that is never a quick process as many of you know. In the meantime, I am doing my best in the class of 10 with the help of my 3 assistants. It has been stressful to say the least.
The last few days, I have come home and tried to relax while Bean is up. Stretching while we are on the floor, walking with her, doing whatever I can think of to help me relax. It hasn't been helping too much.
Last night, I talked to Stacie, my oldest sister. We haven't talked in several weeks. Anyways, she was telling me stories about my neice Bridgette who runs cross country and is training for a half marathon. It really made me nostalgic for the days when I was running and training for the next race. I started thinking, if only.... And then I realized I could do something! I could run a little bit. It would definately help me sleep and help with my stress level. Not to mention help with my health and show Bean a positive role model.
So, tonight, after she went to sleep, I changed and headed outside with the baby monitor. I couldn't go far because the monitor isn't THAT good, but I could run laps around the "poop loop" in front of our house. So, I did.
I didn't try and go too far or too long. Just a few laps to see how I felt and I felt GREAT! I stretched when I was finished and then jumped in the shower. It's amazing isn't it. How such a small change can really help with a person's outlook and demeanor.
Okay, so I am going to try and continue. I have a few ideas how this will work and it may be a one day at a time thing most days. But, at least it is something.
As for Jenna, she went to yet another Amish wedding today. She was in a great mood when I picked her up, although she was exhausted as usual. We left the sitter and headed to the Preschool where I used to work to check out the Open House. It was nice to see everyone, including some former students. And it was wonderful to see how much the new teacher has done that is different. She is very creative, I can tell. Jenna loved crawling around outside and in the tent they have set up in the classroom. She just went in and out of the tent about 30 times. Not sure what the fascination was, but she seemed to enjoy herself. She also met a little boy about 2 months older than her. It was cute because his mom kept saying "baby" to him and pointing to Jenna. And he is only 2 months older than her, pretty much a baby himself :-)
Anyways, Jenna fell asleep on the way home around 6 PM, but I woke her up when we got here to take her bath and play at home for a bit. Can't have her going to sleep too early, or she will be up too early. When it was time, she laid down and fell fast asleep. She is just growing so fast!
Okay, now off to prep for tomorrow. Lunches to make and laundry to get started.
Hope you all have a great night.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Jenna took her first step!
Yesterday, after I got to the sitter's house to pick up Jenna we went upstairs to meet the new baby, Regina Lynn. One of the daughters of our sitter had her first child on Friday and I really wanted to meet this new baby. While we were upstairs, Jenna took her first step on the rug coming towards me. She, of course, fell down while trying to take her second step, but at least she did get that first one in with me watching! I was so proud.
The baby Regina is adorable. She has a lot of dark hair on her head and a cute little grin, which I got to see while I was holding her. Jenna and I gave her a little gift of some new clothes and then even brought over some preemie clothes the next day.
Last night after we got home, Jenna and I went out to dinner with Tracy and her family. It was great to catch up on some of the goings on at my old job. Jenna was fussy as she usually is when we are in a restaurant. She wants so badly to get down on the floor and crawl around to see everything. After dinner, Drew and Annie got some candy from the front register. Jenna wanted some as soon as she saw them eating it. They gave her a little bite of taffy and sour straws, but that didn't stop her from wanting more. We really thought she would make a face after eating the sour straws. Anyways, Tracy came to the rescue. She had a dum-dum sucker in her purse (cream soda flavor) and she offered it to Jenna, who had never had a sucker before. She grabbed it and started sucking and chewing on it. It was too hard for her to bite through, thank goodness, so it lasted a little while. She also put her hands all over it, rubbed it on her cheek, and almost got it in her hair. But, it did keep her calm while Tracy and I kept talking.
Overall, it was a great time!
Also, I think tooth number 8 is coming through. Jenna was fussy Sunday, all day, and then again last night. When I can catch a glimpse inside her mouth I can see a white spot, but she doesn't let me look as much as she used to. Either way, she is definitely going to have a mouth full before she even turns 1 year old.
Jenna still loves being outside, and being with animals both at home and at the sitter. I can't imagine what we will do this winter. She is going to be miserable, if we can't go outside. Which won't be much of a picnic for me either.
The baby Regina is adorable. She has a lot of dark hair on her head and a cute little grin, which I got to see while I was holding her. Jenna and I gave her a little gift of some new clothes and then even brought over some preemie clothes the next day.
Last night after we got home, Jenna and I went out to dinner with Tracy and her family. It was great to catch up on some of the goings on at my old job. Jenna was fussy as she usually is when we are in a restaurant. She wants so badly to get down on the floor and crawl around to see everything. After dinner, Drew and Annie got some candy from the front register. Jenna wanted some as soon as she saw them eating it. They gave her a little bite of taffy and sour straws, but that didn't stop her from wanting more. We really thought she would make a face after eating the sour straws. Anyways, Tracy came to the rescue. She had a dum-dum sucker in her purse (cream soda flavor) and she offered it to Jenna, who had never had a sucker before. She grabbed it and started sucking and chewing on it. It was too hard for her to bite through, thank goodness, so it lasted a little while. She also put her hands all over it, rubbed it on her cheek, and almost got it in her hair. But, it did keep her calm while Tracy and I kept talking.
Overall, it was a great time!
Also, I think tooth number 8 is coming through. Jenna was fussy Sunday, all day, and then again last night. When I can catch a glimpse inside her mouth I can see a white spot, but she doesn't let me look as much as she used to. Either way, she is definitely going to have a mouth full before she even turns 1 year old.
Jenna still loves being outside, and being with animals both at home and at the sitter. I can't imagine what we will do this winter. She is going to be miserable, if we can't go outside. Which won't be much of a picnic for me either.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Saying Goodbye to Daddy!
Kelly has been home for almost 3 weeks now, and it is getting to the time when he needs to return. Jenna and I are going to be heartbroken. She has really enjoyed having him around. She even looks for him in the morning after I get her out of bed. But we understand that he needs to get back to work.
Jenna is GREAT though. She hasn't walked yet. She stands, squats, can balance well, but she hasn't walked more then 1/2 a step. She has tried to step, but will fall as soon as the step is done. It is sweet, but I don't think it really counts. Nothing else too exciting here. Jenna has tried kiwi, which she loves and avocados, which she didn't really care for. She has started feeding herself more food. I gave her sticky rice the other day and let her feed herself, and it was cute. She ate most of it, whatever she could get a hold of, and the rest either stuck to her fingers, or was left on her tray.
The hardest part of this past week, is that she can't go outside because of the rain and the wet. We have had about 4 inches of rain this week and poor Jenna doesn't understand why she can't be outside. I will take her out for a minute or two while the rain has stopped, but she wants to get down and that is hard. When I put her in the gravel, she will try to eat the gravel and if I put her in the grass, it is too wet. So we have to go back inside and play. I think she is getting sick of her inside toys. The babysitter even says that she wants to be outside at their house. They will take her out on the porch and let her feel the rain, but she doesn't know why she can't be out in the grass. Maybe today we will go out in the grass just for the heck of it. All that will happen is she will get wet!
Tomorrow, Saturday, Kelly will probably have to leave. It will be hard for us, but Jenna and I will survive. We will have to go back to our old routine of getting things done on some sort of schedule. Actually, it might be a little easier, just because with Kelly home we have been out to eat some, and things have been out of our little routine, which I love and I know Bean does well with. With Kelly gone, we will just come home every night and stay home to play. Then when Jenna goes to bed I will be able to get all my chores done, many of which haven't been getting done with him home. Of course, we would just LOVE him home all the time, but being military and all that isn't an option right now.
Okay, back to work. Hope you all have a great weekend!
Jenna is GREAT though. She hasn't walked yet. She stands, squats, can balance well, but she hasn't walked more then 1/2 a step. She has tried to step, but will fall as soon as the step is done. It is sweet, but I don't think it really counts. Nothing else too exciting here. Jenna has tried kiwi, which she loves and avocados, which she didn't really care for. She has started feeding herself more food. I gave her sticky rice the other day and let her feed herself, and it was cute. She ate most of it, whatever she could get a hold of, and the rest either stuck to her fingers, or was left on her tray.
The hardest part of this past week, is that she can't go outside because of the rain and the wet. We have had about 4 inches of rain this week and poor Jenna doesn't understand why she can't be outside. I will take her out for a minute or two while the rain has stopped, but she wants to get down and that is hard. When I put her in the gravel, she will try to eat the gravel and if I put her in the grass, it is too wet. So we have to go back inside and play. I think she is getting sick of her inside toys. The babysitter even says that she wants to be outside at their house. They will take her out on the porch and let her feel the rain, but she doesn't know why she can't be out in the grass. Maybe today we will go out in the grass just for the heck of it. All that will happen is she will get wet!
Tomorrow, Saturday, Kelly will probably have to leave. It will be hard for us, but Jenna and I will survive. We will have to go back to our old routine of getting things done on some sort of schedule. Actually, it might be a little easier, just because with Kelly home we have been out to eat some, and things have been out of our little routine, which I love and I know Bean does well with. With Kelly gone, we will just come home every night and stay home to play. Then when Jenna goes to bed I will be able to get all my chores done, many of which haven't been getting done with him home. Of course, we would just LOVE him home all the time, but being military and all that isn't an option right now.
Okay, back to work. Hope you all have a great weekend!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Kelly still home!
yeah!! Jenna and I have been having so much fun with Daddy being home it has been great! He even kept Jenna all day one day while I was at school. I wasn't sure how it would go, but the babysitter was leaving Friday for a wedding in Kansas. Her daughter was going to be home (She is 20) and she said that she would keep Jenna, but the daughter is 8 months pregnant so mom was a bit scared. The neighbor also was an option, but Daddy jumped in and said he would love the chance to bond with his daughter. They had a great time. In fact, it was so much fun Jenna didn't want to nap that day. She fell asleep in the floor in the middle of playing with Daddy when she should have been in bed for her morning nap. Then she refused her last nap and ended up falling asleep in the bathtub at 6 when I tried to give her a bath at the end of the day. It was so sweet. I laid her back to rinse her hair, she closed her eyes and was OUT! I got her out of the tub, put her diaper on, pj's on and she never did wake up!
The best news, is that Kelly is staying another week! The past 2 weeks he has been working on a land/property transfer with 2 of the neighbors. If you have been to our house you will remember that we own 2 lots. One on the lake and the other lot is across the street. The "street" is a one lane private road, so it is fairly small and not often used, but it is still a road in the middle of our property. Last year sometime, the neighborhood decided to pursue getting the road paved, which would have put a 2 lane road between us and our garden and barn. The plans fell through, but it really worried Kelly and I. We didn't think that would ever happen when we bought the property. Anyways, we decided to get off our heine's and do something about it. We asked about buying out the road in front of our house. It didn't go very far, until we talked to our neighbors. There were about 5 empty lots on the other side of the road, and they wanted more space! They realized that if they bought the empty lots, and closed the raod, they would have a LOT more space. So, one thing led to another.... and here we are! We are all buying the property across the street together which will allow us to redraw the property lines and make them more even. And in addition, the man who owns that property we are buying is president of the road LLC and he is adding in the road easements as well. It's not a done deal yet. We have to get signatures from all the people who have property on our road, which is about 4 others, and then we can get the deeds to the road. After that, we will work on the simple part of buying the actual lots. It's working out to be a great deal for us! We will have a small amount of additional property across the road, not much, which is fine. BUt we will have a LONG front yard, which we will love! Anyways, Kelly is going to be home to get the rest of the work completed for the road and Jenna and I have help. What a blessing.
Hope everyone has a great week!
The best news, is that Kelly is staying another week! The past 2 weeks he has been working on a land/property transfer with 2 of the neighbors. If you have been to our house you will remember that we own 2 lots. One on the lake and the other lot is across the street. The "street" is a one lane private road, so it is fairly small and not often used, but it is still a road in the middle of our property. Last year sometime, the neighborhood decided to pursue getting the road paved, which would have put a 2 lane road between us and our garden and barn. The plans fell through, but it really worried Kelly and I. We didn't think that would ever happen when we bought the property. Anyways, we decided to get off our heine's and do something about it. We asked about buying out the road in front of our house. It didn't go very far, until we talked to our neighbors. There were about 5 empty lots on the other side of the road, and they wanted more space! They realized that if they bought the empty lots, and closed the raod, they would have a LOT more space. So, one thing led to another.... and here we are! We are all buying the property across the street together which will allow us to redraw the property lines and make them more even. And in addition, the man who owns that property we are buying is president of the road LLC and he is adding in the road easements as well. It's not a done deal yet. We have to get signatures from all the people who have property on our road, which is about 4 others, and then we can get the deeds to the road. After that, we will work on the simple part of buying the actual lots. It's working out to be a great deal for us! We will have a small amount of additional property across the road, not much, which is fine. BUt we will have a LONG front yard, which we will love! Anyways, Kelly is going to be home to get the rest of the work completed for the road and Jenna and I have help. What a blessing.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
KELLY COMING HOME!
Kelly called tonight and said that he is coming home Saturday, which is a few days earlier than I expected. He didn't know if he could do it. He had to get his duty schedule changed, as he has to stand a 24 hour duty out there every 2 weeks or so. Sleep on base, etc. But, he called the duty master and worked it all out so he could leave for 2 weeks! I was so excited. He still won't use all his leave before October 1st so he will lose some, but he will be home in just a few short days! I can't wait.
Jenna and I went to WaPa's house for dinner tonight. He cooked us some pasta with sauce of course, chicken and salad. It was a delicious meal and he actually packed me a doggy bag for lunch. Jenna had a very good time crawling around his house and exploring. She did slip once and hit her head on the floor, which was very upsetting for mom and Bean. But, overall, it was a great night. In fact, she even went to bed on time tonight. Which was the first time in several days. the past 2-3 days she hasn't wanted to go to bed at 8, she wants to stay up until 9 or so. I don't reallly mind her being up, but since she doesn't really sleep at the sitters it makes it tough because she doesn't want to get up at 6. Anyways, perhaps now she is back on a better schedule. We shall see how she sleeps tonight.
While I was there, WaPa and I decided that she needed to walk while Kelly was home for the next 2 weeks. Personally I am surprised that she hasn't walked already. She is very close. She will walk holding on to only one of my fingers, she can stand up without holding on to anything. She can continue standing for at least a minute if she is in the right position, etc. So, I know she is close to walking. But, she is still tiny. In fact, we are having trouble finding pants to fit her. I have been pulling out her 3 and 6 month pants because the 9 month pants are too big. When she crawls she pulls her legs right out of them. So, we are going backwards on sizes. But, that is okay. She will just more resemble Kelly and I that way. We both are a little on the short side.
Can't wait for Saturday!
Jenna and I went to WaPa's house for dinner tonight. He cooked us some pasta with sauce of course, chicken and salad. It was a delicious meal and he actually packed me a doggy bag for lunch. Jenna had a very good time crawling around his house and exploring. She did slip once and hit her head on the floor, which was very upsetting for mom and Bean. But, overall, it was a great night. In fact, she even went to bed on time tonight. Which was the first time in several days. the past 2-3 days she hasn't wanted to go to bed at 8, she wants to stay up until 9 or so. I don't reallly mind her being up, but since she doesn't really sleep at the sitters it makes it tough because she doesn't want to get up at 6. Anyways, perhaps now she is back on a better schedule. We shall see how she sleeps tonight.
While I was there, WaPa and I decided that she needed to walk while Kelly was home for the next 2 weeks. Personally I am surprised that she hasn't walked already. She is very close. She will walk holding on to only one of my fingers, she can stand up without holding on to anything. She can continue standing for at least a minute if she is in the right position, etc. So, I know she is close to walking. But, she is still tiny. In fact, we are having trouble finding pants to fit her. I have been pulling out her 3 and 6 month pants because the 9 month pants are too big. When she crawls she pulls her legs right out of them. So, we are going backwards on sizes. But, that is okay. She will just more resemble Kelly and I that way. We both are a little on the short side.
Can't wait for Saturday!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
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