First of all, internal exams HURT! But aside from the discomfort, today's appointment was a good one. First, the disappointing news: I am not dilated at all, and he is still all the way up in my belly (she actually said "this kid is up in your tonsils!"). I really haven't dropped at all, no matter how much I thought I had! Booo!!! But then there was the good news: I am about 25% effaced, which means my cervix is beginning to thin out. Hooray for progress! His heartbeat remains strong and steady, my blood pressure is still low, and it appears that he will most likely be an average-sized baby (between 6.5 and 7.5 lbs., my nurse practitioner is guessing). I should be happy with all of this, but it's hard when I'm starting to get so uncomfortable! My last day of work is scheduled to be next Friday (the 12th). Why so late? Because if I can make it to that day, then I will have just enough sick days to last me through Winter Break. Which means I will get paid 100% of my salary the entire time I am on maternity leave! So really, I should be happy that I'm not dilated or anything, because it means I will probably make it to the 12th. At the same time, I am feeling soooooooo done with work, it's not even funny!
My students can obviously see the end in sight, too, which is cute... A bunch of them brought me baby presents today, which was so sweet! One of my former coworkers sent me a present, too, which was in my mailbox at recess time. Oh, and we started a pool at work today, betting on when the baby will arrive. I put my money on the 17th at 5:04pm (only because it's the anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake), but we'll see!
Two other really good things happened today, though they had nothing to do with the baby... For one, I got a letter from my school district officially telling me that I'm tenured! WOOHOO!!!! I knew that I was, but it was nice to get something in writing. Then, when I got home this afternoon, my CLEAR Teaching Credential arrived in the mail! I have held a Preliminary credential since 2003, and it was due to expire on January 1st of 2008. You can't renew a Preliminary credential-- you have to "upgrade" to the CLEAR one by taking a few extra classes (in my case, just two). I procrastinated on it, though, and was starting to get really stressed. I was worried that the college (where I completed my credential program) wouldn't accept the two classes I took (through another college's online extension program). I thought I would need to drive over two hours to go to the college in person and get things taken care of, since that's how things used to work. But thank God for the internet! They do everything online now, and it ended up being really simple. Hallelujah! So now I'm all set until 2012. One less thing to worry about when I'm on my maternity leave. HOORAY!!!
P.S. I almost forgot! I tested negative for Group B Strep... So I won't need IV antibiotics during labor! Woohoo!
1 comment:
i want to go on maternity leave too! take me with you.
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