All Sorts of Updates

Well, we are back from Texas and life is back in full swing.  Phew!  I'm tired.  I'd like to take a few more weeks of Christmas vacation, please!  Here's a little bit of what's been going on the past week:

Air travel- All our flights went better than expected!  Praise the Lord.  The first day of traveling I was really nervous about how things would go flying while pregnant.  Even though I feel pretty good, I can't sit for more than an hour or so without my legs cramping and getting really uncomfortable.  Thankfully, I was able to sit next to DH on each of the 4 flights and get up and move around.  We also were blessed with smooth air and on time flights! We had enough time in Dallas each way to walk from one terminal to the next, which really helped reduce all leg cramping, and on the last flight, we had 3 seats for the two of us, which meant I could even lay down and sleep.  That was definitely an unexpected blessing.

Free day care- While visiting the in-laws, DH and I got to join his mom in being free day care for an undisciplined 4-year old and a 5 month old (DH's youngest sister's kids).  We did no know this going into our trip, otherwise we might have timed it differently since we went to visit during the week.  DH's sister drops her kids off at 9am and then my MIL drives 30 minutes into town at 7pm to drop the kids off at home.  Talk about a full day!  And all of this while the father of the kids (and the live-in boyfriend) stays at home by himself because he hasn't worked in months.  Talk about dysfunctional!  Don't even get me started on all of the boundary issues involved.

1st cold- As a result of being run ragged by the 4-year old, I came down with my first cold during this pregnancy.  Previously, I had been lucky and careful to make sure I rested enough so that I didn't get sick. Well, 3 days of free day care was enough to put me over the edge.  I had a mini-meltdown with DH our 2nd day there because I was afraid this would happen, and sure enough, the next day I felt horrible.  (That's why I appreciated the extra seat to lay down on on the flight home.)  I still feel like I'm trying to catch up on my sleep and we've been back for 4 days.

1st shower- While there, my in-laws had a family gathering/baby shower for us, which was nice.  We got to see family and church members that go way back with DH.  It was fun to be able to celebrate this miracle with them, and they were very considerate of our limited carry-on space, which meant lots of Target and Babies R Us gift cards.  I just purchased some of our nursery decor this week with those gift cards and can't wait for it to arrive.  I'll be honest though, it still feels like I'm living a dream and wondering when I will wake up from it all.

Baptismal gown- We went through MIL's cedar chest and brought home a few baby treasures with us.  One of those treasures was the baptismal gown that her mother made from remnants of her wedding dress. DH was the first baby to wear the baptismal gown, and since then, 8 other siblings and cousins have worn it for their baptism.  We're next in line to use it, and I can't wait to see what our little one looks like dressed in that gown! The gown has both a pink and blue insert that goes underneath, depending on the gender.  We brought home both colors:-) We also brought home DH's baby blanket that his mother made along with an adorable yellow and green crocheted outfit that his grandmother made for him before he was born.  He's the only one with such an outfit because his grandmother died when he was one.  I know that will be a treasured picture when we get to dress our little one in that same outfit and get a picture.  Have I mentioned, I still can't believe this is all real?!?

8 years- That's how long I've lived in my current town, which is so hard to believe.  I never would have thought I'd still be here.  I moved out in early January 2004 to start graduate school and see what was happening with a relationship (with my now DH).  I committed to living here a year, finishing my Master's degree, and seeing where things would go. Well, at the end of the year I was engaged and 8 months after that, married.  I never thought that would happen either as DH and I had dated in 1999 for a bit, but it all ended with a bitter breakup and a year of me not talking to him.  That's a story for another post!

A new term begins- Tuesday marked the beginning of classes, which means I'm back to work.  I do love my job, but I feel so preoccupied with a million other things that I want to be working on, cleaning, organizing, decluttering, etc.  I'm only teaching one class, and after that first day of teaching, I am so glad I made that decision to cut back now.  I was nervous because one class only equals about 15 hours of work a week.  I was scheduled for 2 classes (30 hours of work/week) and really had a hard time deciding to give up the extra pay while it was still available.  Based on how tired I was after that 1st day, I'm confident I made the right decision.  Plus, I'm amazed at how God provides the financial means when I just trust Him more.  Right now, my students are from Chile, Cambodia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, China, and Iraq.  Quite diverse, huh?

Tenured faculty- Sometimes I get so tired of the people I work with.  One colleague of mine really takes the cake. He's taught in the department for years and isn't far from retirement, but he's the laziest instructor I know.  Last term, he gave all of his students As in an intermediate speaking course.  The first day of this term, he only held class for 15 minutes (out of 75 minutes of scheduled time) because it was "the first day."  Seriously, sometimes I wonder why I even worry if I'm pushing my students enough.  I never let them out of class early and assign homework every night.  I shouldn't worry so much.

Weeks left- There are 15 weeks in this term.  The 16th week is final exams.  And then the 17th week is my due date.  Cue major freakout moments when I thought about this this week.  Ahhh!!!  I'm really going to try hard to stay ahead of my lesson planning and exam writing in the event Baby decides to come early.  There's no telling what will happen, but I'm trying not to think too much about it because when I do I freak out.

Christmas down- DH and I have finally started taking our Christmas things down this week.  We usually leave the decorations up until Epiphany, but with not feeling well, my motivation to do that work has been lacking.  Plus, I absolutely love our tree, our ornaments, etc.  With those put away, our house feels so boring and drab.  January and February are the worst months for me in terms of mood because it's still so dark and cold outside.  At least Advent is during December and by March, things are starting to warm up a bit and there's more sunlight.  What do you do to brighten those two drab months?