Old MacDonald's Farm

This afternoon we took Addison and the neighbor, Samantha, to Old MacDonald's Farm. They were able to ride the ponies, feed the animals, play in the sand and hay, and ride the train. A good time was had by all.

Here's Addison on her second horse ride and playing on the big sand pile.

Great fun! Feeding a goat and playing in the hay!

Here's Addison riding some makeshift tire horse, and Addison and Samantha feeding a very hungry, greedy sheep.

Cruel!

Last week as I am driving in my car to the college, I hear that GEORGE MICHAEL is coming in concert! GEORGE MICHAEL! Yes, that's right, I'm a fan! They say on the radio that he hasn't toured in North American in 17 years! It's a must go see concert. One slight problem...it's in mid-July. Potential delivery time. Just a slight problem in my opinion. I immediately call David. No answer. What? This is important. It takes several calls to get him to answer, but he answers and I excitedly tell him the news!!! His reply is no way. No way are we getting tickets because it's too close to when the babies are going to be born. SHATTERED! Are you kidding me? The wind is taken right out of my sails. I try to make a case saying that if I indeed did go into labor, there would be medical personnel on hand AND I would be closer to the hospital than had I been at home. He's not budging. Well, I say we could get the tix and if we couldn't go then we could just give them away. NOPE. Why must some people be REASONABLE? I do try to convince him over several days, but he just won't cave. I usually get my way, what's the problem? UGH!

The other night I am downstairs and suddenly I hear George Michael on the upstairs computer. David is downloading and listening to George Michael. What? Is this a cruel joke? I try again to get him to buy tickets since he is obviously listening to the music. No, no tickets. Sorry. Maybe next time. There won't be a next time, I'm sure. Thanks!

Today, I am scrapbooking and George Michael comes on AGAIN. I walk over to David and ask, "Since when do you listen to George Michael?" His reply, "Since he has been on Eli Stone." How cruel can he be? UGH! So, on behalf of all the George Michael fans out there (probably mostly closet fans) here is a video!

Letter in the Mail

It's official!!!! The school district has accepted my resignation. Did they have an option? LOL! As of April 8, the Board of Trustees has accepted my resignation and would like to thank me for my service to the students. 13 years of teaching behind me and I'm hanging up my dry eraser! Wow. It's been a good run, but I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life.

I have been blessed to work with a variety of students with disabilities. I have worked with kids aged five to 22. My first year teaching was with 15 7th grade students with mental disabilities, and my last year has been with 10 students with varying disabilities. I went to school to work with students with mental retardation (MR). In addition to teaching students with MR, I have taught students with learning disabilities, Fragile-X syndrome, Autism, emotional disorders, Schizophrenia, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, Down's Syndrome, speech impairments, auditory impairments, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, two students who have had hemispherectomies (half their brain removed to help stop seizures), and I am sure other disorders that I am forgetting about. Beyond the labels students with special needs are given, there is a very unique child. Each and every one has their own gift and lesson to teach. I have loved working will all of them and feel lucky to have been their teacher. Last year I ran into a former student of mine who was then a 12th grader. I had taught him in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. He said I was one of his favorite teachers and he remembered that I made him work hard. It was nice to hear that. One of the things I think makes me a great teacher for these kids is that I make them do for themselves and treat them as I would treat any person, with or without a disability. They don't want sympathy and they will not get it from me! I can't say I will never teach again, but right now I feel a pull to something else.

As far as nursing school goes, it will be tough to get in. I hope to be one of the top applicants, but it still will be difficult to get in since the spots are so limited. I am applying to an online program through a local community college that starts this fall. They are only accepting 10 applicants. I am also applying for their night and weekend program with a January 09 start. They take 30 applicants with about 300 applicants applying. Admission is based on three criterion: GPA in English 1301, one Anatomy and Physiology class and basic Psychology. Pending an A in my psych class this semester, I will have a 4.0 for this section. The next one is based on 27 credits or the pre-reqs they would like you to have. I have all 27. I should be 2 for 2 so far. The last is the reading comprehension score on the HESI. The HESI is a pre-nursing entrance exam. I think I need a 92 on this part of the test to be a top contender for nursing school. I hope to take the HESI in the next two weeks. The application for the online program is due May 15. I won't be terribly upset if I don't get in this program because I think I would prefer the night and weekend program. Wish me luck!!

23 Weeks

First, let me start my post by getting my whining out of the way, and then I can move on to the good stuff. I have had heartburn for about 32 hours now. Well, I was sleeping during some of it, but I have been awake for at least 25 or so hours of it. I think I'm dying. I have taken Pepcid, Tums, Gaviscon and Zantac and nothing has helped. This can't possibly last much longer, can it? It doesn't matter what I eat or don't eat. It has no mercy. Yesterday when I said something, Addison said, "Heartburn?" Today I said I didn't feel well and she said, "Mommy needs medicine." Then she put her little lovey blanket on my belly in hopes to make things better. So sweet!

Moving on! Hopefully this heartburn will too!

Today was my fourth ultrasound. Everything looked great! Baby A is still breech and Baby B has turned breech. They could turn many more times between now and when they are born, so hopefully Baby A will at least find a comfy position that is head down! If Baby A is breech then it's an automatic c-section.

Here's their stats:

Baby A (Landry Elise...still pending on Elise)

Weight: 1.2 ounces (49th percentile)
Heart rate: 146 bpm




Baby B (Name pending at Landon Reid or Reid something)

Weight: 1.3 ounces (51st percentile)
Heart rate: 146 bpm



I measured at 28.5 weeks. Blood pressure was 120/80 and weight gain is about 30 pounds. My doctor was very pleased with everything he saw, so my next appointment will be in one month and next ultrasound will be in six weeks. From there he said I will come in every two or three weeks.

That's all for now, and I still have heartburn!!!! UGH!

Feeling Scholarly Today

Today I took my second Psychology test and I made a 91!!! I am sooo happy about that. On my first test I scored an 88.66. So with my test grades, I have an A average which is the whole point to taking this course. The homework assignments are another issue though. It takes me HOURS to complete them, and on my first one I made an 85. Hopefully with my next one, I can bring up this average. I would rather write a research paper, than contend with this homework. It's like busy work and it doesn't help me to learn the material any more than studying does. I can't stand it. In any case, I have signed up for Developmental Psych which will be a three week mini-mester course in May (just in case I get a B in my current psych class).

In Micro, I am hovering at a 90. It might be my first B since starting this journey last June, but it's Micro and I can live with that. I can't however live with a B in Psych.

21 Weeks 2 Days

I had a great doctor's appointment today! Baby B's (boy) heartrate was 150 and Baby A's (girl) was 149. My blood pressure was 118/62. I am measuring 27 weeks and my weight gain to this point is about 24 pounds. I am still tired and, quite frankly, I feel like I will never get a burst of energy!! I have felt the babies moving on a daily basis for a couple of weeks now. David felt them yesterday for the first time. Heartburn started with a vengence last week. It is already occurring on a daily basis. I had it with Addison everyday starting about 30 weeks so this time will be no different I am sure. It is obvious now to people that I am pregnant and they are starting to ask "When is the baby due?" I didn't get my first stranger comment with Addison until about 36 weeks.

Here's the pic from 20 weeks (with Addison on left and twins on right):

My Puppy How You Have Grown

Here is Ziggy when he was just a puppy:


Here is Ziggy now at almost one year old!

Little Kramer

If you have never seen David's hair without hairspray in it, think Kramer. Now there's a mini-Kramer in the house!

18 weeks 1 day!

I can't believe I am almost halfway there. Since full term is 37 weeks, I will be to the halfway point in the next couple of days. That is very exciting. I feel great for the most part. Weight gain to this point is 17 pounds. Recommended weight gain for twins at 20 weeks is 20 pounds so I should be right on the mark!!! At 14 weeks I started to feel movement. Very faint movement. In the last couple of days the kicks are getting more easy to recognize than at 14 weeks!

The nursery bedding has been purchased!!! I came across bedding at Pottery Barn Kids that will work perfect for a boy girl nursery. Of course, it is discontinued so I had to purchase most of it off ebay. Luckily, I was able to find all the pieces. I can't wait to get it in so I can go pick paint colors and start painting. Well, my parents will paint the nursery. I think I will do stripes on the bottom though and they can paint the top and ceiling. Our ceilings and walls in the house are beige so the ceiling will need to be painted white. Here's the bedding:

My good friend Stacy has a very crafty mom and I hope she will be able to paint "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or something along those lines on one of the walls with a moon and stars.

As far as furniture goes, we will be mismatched there, but that is ok! We will be using Addison's crib and getting her a toddler bed. My sister-in-law graciously offered my nephew's crib that is in their attic, so baby boy will use that. We will also move Addison's changing table to the nursery. Other than that, we probably won't be making any other furniture purchases until Landry moves into Addison's room around age 3. Here's what we would like to get for the girl's when they are older:

I love that bed. I think I'll sleep there!

Well, there is a lot of work to be done. Over spring break, I will at least try to clean out the room that will be the nursery. Currently, it's a complete mess!

Picaso in the making, or mess maker? You decide!

Addison loves to finger paint. At least she thinks she does. She asks to do it quite frequently, but when she actually gets started, decides she does not like the mess. It lasts all of five minutes.

Here we are getting started:


After five minutes:


Keeping the messy theme going. Addison loves her berries:
And, of course, the clean up!