First of all - and I'll get all teary and hormonal when I'm typing this - Bob decided that the thing he minds most about the start of the school year is us not getting near as much time together. We are basically together 24/7 in the summer. And no, we don't get sick of each other a bit. (I feel bad that some people ask me that, 'don't you want to go do stuff on your own? Have a girls' night out? Get some alone time?' Um, NO, not really. Maybe I'm sick and co-dependent but at any given time it goes without saying that I'd be happiest with Bobby.) So he decided that today is "spend time together" day. Which we did.
We got up at 9, breakfasted, and over breakfast we decided that the something we'd heard a relative discuss yesterday was a great idea. They talked about doing a Name Game, a guessing game for friends & family to guess their chosen baby name. We said we'd do it and started thinking about clues. Then Bob said we should post it online, since we have relatives far away, and we could update it. And that turned into a whole new BLOG FOR BABY D!
We set it up on Blogger, designed it, and put in content like baby's most recent ultrasound picture, a pic of us, links to our registry and other good stuff, and we started our own name game. We wrote clues, one for each remaining week of our pregnancy, assuming we get as far as 40 weeks. We posted it all, and started getting guesses almost immediately. We're thrilled! Keep guessing, guys! We're going to update as often as possible, and post a new Name Game clue every Monday. So far we've gotten really good feedback from people. It was sooooo fun, and it took us until lunch to finish it.
Then we lunched and watched an episode of Seinfeld on the 6th season DVD. We're trying to get through all our backed-up Seinfeld and Simpsons before Christmas. Then I got to take a very nice nap (naps make the world go round) and then we went swimming.
Well actually, we went pool-cleaning. See, Ernesto left a nice little mess in our back yard, and the pool was filled with piles of leaves and debris. Needed vacuuming in a BAD way. So Bob retrieved the big debris deep-sea-diver style, and I vacuumed for a loooooong time. This wasn't easy, as my hands were practically frozen to the vacuum pole. Yeah, it was COLD in there, baby. Well it was all rain water in there anyway, since the pool spent several days overflowing because of all the precipitation we'd had. (Did I mention we had HAIL?) We finally got the pool looking clean (although the water's cloudier than usual) and we let Max in to swim and work off some of that excess energy labs are famous for.
I eventually got frostbite and went in for a hot shower and made dinner - pasta & Bob's homemade sauce. Highly recommend the Barilla Plus pasta, btw, worth the extra $, lower carb, higher protein, Omega this-and-that...much healthier and more filling that the cheap stuff. And if you know me, you know I'm a sucker for all cheap stuff, so that's saying something. Enough advertising. Dinner was great - we ate out on the "Veranda" ie, back deck, and after clean-up we just sat on the couch in the living room and talked and played w/ Max.
We decided to hit some more Seinfeld, and finished 3 episodes: "The Mom & Pop Store", "The Suit" and "The Secretary". I'm sorry, I know the characters are often pretty darn despicable, but I LUV Seinfeld.
Now it's Bloggy time, and then we hit the hay. So early? Yep, it's a school night.
Ooh that felt weird to say. Let's try again.
It's a school night.
Ok, that's just freaky.
Well, to be fair, I don't start school till the 14th. No kids till the 18th (thank you LORD). Bob has inservice tomorrow and Wednesday, and the brats - and his are truly brats - roll in on Thursday.
Bob had SUCH a rough first year teaching at his school, 2 years ago. Last year he felt much better about, but still there were a few issues. And his decision to bow out of the neighboring high school's power-marching band this season couldn't come at a better time. We seriously still have to keep reminding ourselves that fall does not equal "Bob runs around like chicken w/ head cut off for 4 months" time. Like, he'll be home evenings. And weekends. And he'll get to sleep and eat real food and not put hundreds of extra miles on his car, for what worked out to pennies an hour. SOOO happy he's not doing marching band. I initially felt bad that he was dropping it for me & baby's sake, but he really doesn't want that lifestyle. The boy's a homebody. And it's not like he's wasting a college education, he's just changing the grade level he aims to teach. Middle school band directors are hard to keep, they all want to move up to high school...except Bobby. He wants to direct band, teach lessons, and be home in the early evenings and weekends. Not spend Friday nights (and Tuesday and Thursday nights and all day and night Saturdays and the occasional Sunday) standing in the rain with 100 kids, wondering if the clarinets' pads are getting ruined and where the Hell the band buses are. I love it. I'm worried he's sacrificing his happiness for our family, and he sees it as a lifestyle upgrade. How'd I get so lucky to get this man?
I can't believe it's school time. SCHOOL TIME, for God's Sake. I was going to be farther along than this when school started. I never gave fall a second thought, because fall was when I was having this baby. And I was going to have everything worked out, filled out, completed, painted, organized, washed, and set up for baby-time. I guess my mind kind of went Spring, Summer, Fall=babysodon'tworryaboutit time. And here it is, and I still have at least 2 months (God willing) left of being pregnant. The seriously pregnant time, too. I'm still waiting for the seriously pregnant stuff like ankles the size of waste baskets and being able to see her foot on my stomach from the outside. I feel like I have so much yet to prepare for, and so much more baby yet to grow. Well, that's true, I do. My mind never scheduled in this time in the plan.
So anyway, my Bobby goes back to work tomorrow, and mentally, so do I. I have to start sorting out things for the sub - a book of instructions that nobody else will tell her, so I don't come back in April to find my music program a pile of smoldering ashes.
Dear Sub:
- Here's all the extra programs and shows that they expect you to organize that they won't mention to you until the week of, only as an afterthought.
- Here's where they store the risers. Here's the list of custodians, in merit-order, who will help you with anything if you're sweet to them...and buy them a big-ass box of donuts after every performance.
- Here's my grading system. Do not change it, do not f*ck with it, or I will come and find you. ( I've got a delicate balance of actual truthful grading going on, and if you give every one of these kids +'s and make them think they can slide by with no effort, I'll be cleaning up that mess for years, via horrendous parent-teacher conferences.)
- Finally, you are allowed to try to get the kids like you, but not more than they like me. My kids. Mine.
- I'm sure once I have this baby I won't give a damn about the programs or risers or grades or kids. That doesn't mean you're allowed to screw w/ things. At least not in a way that would leave any lasting impression beyond your months at my school. Have fun.
- Oh and the little one in the AM Kindergarten is a biter, watch your ankles.
So that's where we stand. Had a fabulous day with Bob (Husband of the Year award is coming in the mail next week).
Ready for school, but not ready for my sub. Ready for fall, but not for the end of summer. Ready for baby, but not quite yet.
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