A Family Portrait

Our last night as a family of three! I think I look terrible, but at least the guys look cute! :)

I can't wait to see what our next family photo looks like! :)

The Plan has Changed!

Got a call from the hospital a little while ago (the third so far today, for various things)... My scheduled surgery time has been moved from 9:00am to 7:30am! AACK!!!! It's actually a good thing, because it means I'll be the first surgery of the day (more likely to be on time). But my type-A self was all set for 9am and this has rocked my world. A 7:30 surgery time means that I have to be admitted to the hospital at 5:30am-- which means we need to drop Nikos off next door and leave the house by 5am! SO EARLY! I have to run it by Bonnie this afternoon, but I really don't think she'll have a problem with us dropping Nikos off that early. I'm just going to get him out of bed, bring him over in his jammies with his bear and his blanket, and he can go back to sleep for a while. We really are lucky that our daycare provider is right next door, and that she's such a nice person. We really lucked out when we bought this house!

Anyway... The house is immaculate, the bags are packed, and I just got back from a pedicure. I think I'll have a baby in 18 hours! :)

36 Hours and Counting!

That is how much longer until I get to meet... Rainbow! I very nearly typed her real name, oops! And what a shame to make it this far and then spoil the fun. We can't have that, now can we? :)

Anyway... No contractions today. They were slowing down when I posted yesterday evening, then stopped completely. Phew! My type-A tendencies really like the whole idea of sticking-to-the-schedule, you know? Nevertheless, we are packed and basically ready to go at a moment's notice. Though I think I'd still want to vacuum the house again first. Somebody I know was having fun throwing Goldfish crackers around the kitchen this afternoon (and no, it's not Gus-- this time!).

It's so crazy to think that I will be a mother of two in less than two days. I am not worried about the c-section, because at least I know what to expect in terms of the recovery and my mobility. I just hope that our baby girl is healthy and gets a good start in life. And I really, REALLY can't wait to see Nikos assume the role of big brother. I'm sure there will be rough patches, but he's such a sweet boy that I can't imagine him not loving his little sister.

Tomorrow, my plan is to vacuum for the millionth time, get a pedicure, buy a few last minute things from the grocery store, and then relax. Gus is going to come home earlier than usual, and then the three of us are going to go out to a local pizza parlor for dinner (since Nikos LOOOOVES pizza and can't ever get enough). We just want to have some quiet time together before becoming a family of four, and I think it will be great. I think I will also need to set up the tripod and take a family photo, but we'll see how that goes (Nikos and Gus can both be difficult subjects!). Stay tuned!

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Oh, and I nearly forgot! I had my final prenatal appointment today, and everything still looks great. She's a happy camper in my belly. I haven't gained any weight in the past month or so, but my doctor says that's pretty common and that she is still growing just fine. I also asked him what the odds were that I'd actually go into the operating room at 9am on Friday, and he said they were really high (90%, in his words). I guess that the hospital has three operating rooms-- two are for scheduled surgeries, one is for emergencies. And my doctor says it's pretty unusual for them to have two emergency surgeries at the same time (all they do at this hospital is deliver babies-- so really, most of the emergency surgeries are c-sections, and there aren't that many of those). It would take two emergency surgeries to bump me out of the operating room, which is really unlikely. So, hooray! Looks like I should be holding my baby girl shortly after 9am on Friday! :)

Contractions? What??

That's right, folks... I have been having contractions off and on all day. They are nothing to worry about at this point-- only about 15 seconds long and varying anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour apart-- but STILL! I never went into labor on my own last time, so this is just weird! And funny, because I always wondered if I would know a contraction when I felt one. Sure, I had them when I was induced last time, but I barely remember any of that!

Anyway, I am positive these are contractions (and not Braxton-Hicks). And, just in case, I have cleaned the house and gotten everything packed to go. Bonnie (our next door neighbor/daycare provider) is on alert, and can take Nikos if we need to head to the hospital. I'm still hoping that Rainbow stays put until Friday (the contractions do seem to be slowing down now), but we'll see! AACK!

Cute Letter

I just wanted to share this, because I think it's too cute! One of my students (an English Language Learner) typed me this letter and handed it to me after school on Friday. I'm going to copy it exactly as is (typos and all):

Dear Mrs. P.,

I hope you have fun giving birth Rainbow, I just hope that they put Rainbow's real name really quick on her birth certificate so you can tell us her name faster. Can you send us pictures of Rainbow in Patience's outfit that she gave you [another student]. I just hope that Rainbow doesn't cry a lot like you hope and that you get enough sleep. Keep Nikos out Rainbow's room he won't take her clothes, toys, stuffed animals, and blankets or baby books. I hope Nikos doesn't get jealous of Rainbow I hope he likes her and loves her. If God permits you can come to our Promotion [5th grade "graduation"], I'll be VERY happy!

Love,
A.

I love parenting advice from ten-year-olds. Isn't she sweet? :)

18 Months? Really??

When I was pregnant with Nikos, I started subscribing to the weekly e-newsletters from BabyCenter.com. I've posted some of them on here before-- basically, I get an email each week telling me how big the baby is, what body parts are developing, etc. Well... Once Nikos was born, the newsletters changed to follow his development, talk about milestones-- that sort of thing. Today, I got an email with the subject line: "Your Toddler This Week (18 months, Week 1)." Wait-- WHAT?!? Eighteen months? My little baby is a year and a half? I guess I knew this was coming, but with how busy things have been lately, I didn't realize that this milestone was upon us. How did my one-year-old suddenly become a one-and-a-half-year-old? And wasn't he just a helpless little newborn a few months before that?

Anyway, I guess I am (once again) having trouble wrapping my mind around how quickly time passes. But he really is the very definition of a "toddler" now-- not a baby anymore! And I don't even have time to mourn that fact, because I will have a little baby in my arms again on Friday. Holy weirdness, Batman.

In other news... Realizing that today was the 25th also reminded me that it's Patty's wedding day! Patty is one of my very good friends from high school, and she was the Maid of Honor at our wedding four years ago. I am so sad that I couldn't go to the wedding-- I'm not allowed to fly (too pregnant), and taking an eight-hour car ride (each way) just doesn't seem like a bright idea this late in the game. But I hope that Patty and her new hubby Joshua had a fantastic day, and I can't wait to see pictures! Congratulations, you two!! :)

Misery

Ugh... It figures, of course. Now that Nikos is feeling almost 100% better, both Gus and I have come down with whatever bug he had. And it is not fun. Poor baby-- now we have an idea of what he went through! We both felt like we were hit by buses today. I have this awful, constant, painful cough and congestion, while Gus is completely stuffed up and keeps getting chills. We are quite the pair. At least Gus can take Nyquil, though! He was able to sleep last night, while I tossed and turned and struggled with my heartburn and cough and just generally wanted to die. And of course, I had to go into work today, because we are in the midst of standardized testing! I felt like a zombie all day.

Anyway... With my c-section just one week from tomorrow, we are thinking that recovery is our top priority right now. So I just called my mom, and my parents are going to entertain Nikos at their house for the weekend so we can rest. More than anything, I just hope my cough goes away. The thought of uncontrollable coughing after major abdominal surgery is the stuff nightmares are made of-- even one good laugh last time was enough to make me burst into tears! So please, keep your fingers crossed that we both beat this bug soon. We have enough to deal with without being sick!

Some good news, though: Monday is our last day of testing and therefore my last day of teaching for this school year. Hallelujah!

The Great News!

So I mentioned yesterday that I had great news to share, but I couldn't say what it was until now. I HAVE A JOB NEXT YEAR!! The teachers in my school district voted to approve a 2.7% temporary salary "rollback" to save the jobs of approximately 150 teachers. And since I'm #29 on the list, I should be good to go! Even without the pay cut, I'd probably still have a job with all the retirements/resignations... But this pretty much seals the deal. I am SO HAPPY! I can go out on my maternity leave next week without wondering if I'll have a job to return to in the fall. Hooray!

Over the past week, my inbox has been flooded with emails from teachers across the district urging people to vote one way or another-- and most of them seemed to be against the pay cut. It was pretty depressing for someone in my position. It definitely didn't seem like it would pass. But I am impressed to learn that nearly two-thirds of my colleagues voted to save jobs at their own expense. I really do work with some amazing people who are willing to stand up for their friends and coworkers, and this is just another example of that. Happy day! :)

Odds and Ends

I tried to come up with a title for this post that would summarize everything, but have decided that it's just too hard. Or maybe it's just that it's hot, and I'm super pregnant. Either way, it's just not happening!

First... I had to share this. I guess it's sort of a bizarre pregnancy milestone but, for me, it really drives home the fact that I'm having another baby in TEN DAYS! I mean, I will have a baby before this milk expires!

Speaking of our baby girl... I had my 38 week (!!) appointment today, which went very well. She's happy as can be in her little womb-home, as she should be. I, on the other hand, am starting to swell. I blame this crazy heat wave that we've had for the past few days-- it was 104 degrees here yesterday! My feet are all puffy and painful, and my fingers have swollen to the point where I can no longer wear my rings. :( Luckily, I still have the same fake ring I wore last time, so my finger doesn't feel so naked.

Besides the swelling, I am also feeling kind of sick. Gus is, too. My throat is scratchy, and I've been coughing all day. I blame Nikos, who has apparently caught croup for like the millionth time! AACK! He had an awful fever over the weekend (highest was 103-point-something), which broke on Sunday and gave way to the lovely barking seal-cough we have come to recognize instantly. He seemed alright yesterday, and went to daycare for half the day (Gus stayed home in the morning). Today, though, he was miserable... So Gus stayed home again and took him to the doctor. Sure enough, it was croup-- no surprises there. They gave him a steroid to help reduce the inflammation in his windpipe, and he seemed to feel a bit better. Really, it's just a matter of waiting for the virus to run its course. It was fun, though, to be up with a cranky baby all night on Saturday night. It gave us a little reminder of what lies ahead... Oh, how I love my sleep. I am going to miss it when it's gone again. *sniff!*

In other news... Our big boy got his hair cut this weekend (before the fever) and only screamed for a minute or so! HOORAY! We decided to attempt the salon again, since I wanted him to look good for his first pictures with his baby sister. While he initially resisted by covering his head with his hands and yelling "NO," he soon realized that he was sitting in a big toy car that was very interesting and fun to play with. So we did it-- SUCCESS! Our little sickie even spent Sunday with Gus' family up in Anaheim to celebrate Easter (Orthodox calendar). He got to meet his great-uncle Dimos and his girlfriend, Diane, who were out visiting from Chicago. He also got to see his Uncle Min again (Gus' good friend/former roommate/Best Man). And for someone who wasn't feeling well, he was remarkably happy and playful. :)

Finally, a picture of big brother himself with his new haircut. Looking pretty good for someone with croup, I'd say!

P.S. I also have some other GOOD news (GREAT news, actually) to share, but I can't talk about it until tomorrow. Stay tuned! :) :)

Full Term!

I guess I should have posted this yesterday, but I am officially full-term now! This baby is fully cooked! And two weeks from today, I will be holding the newest addition to our family in my arms. It is so strange to think about. When Nikos was born, our identity shifted from "married couple" to "family of three." And it was incredible! But becoming a "family of four" sounds so much more... adult? In a good way! But how did I get to be a grown-up, anyway? I still feel like a kid inside, and yet here we are: the very picture of the typical suburban family. Two kids, a home of our own in the 'burbs, two cars, two pets, I'm a school teacher, he has a desk job in an office... and so on and so on. It's dizzying to look back over the years and see how quickly they have sailed by. I feel like I was in high school just yesterday, but that was 13 years ago!

Anyway, I am so excited for our baby girl to arrive that I am counting the days. I feel so much more prepared this time. I know that we're in for a lot of sleepless nights and groggy days, but I also know that she'll be as big as Nikos is now before we can bat an eyelash. And I plan to enjoy every second this time around!

Satisfaction

This is going to sound like the most dumb thing ever, but I have finally figured out the title/artist for a song that's been stuck in my head for oh, maybe two years?? Possibly three? Obviously, it's not stuck in my head all the time, or I'd be completely insane. And I could never remember any of the words, which made it very hard to Google. I just had the chorus stuck in my head, which was a series of la-la-la's that weren't very helpful. I was also operating under the mistaken assumption that it was a song by The Church (the singer's voice sounded similar). Anyway-- I figured it out!!! Out of the blue, a little snippet of a lyric popped into my head today, and I was able to find it. Hallelujah! In case you were wondering, it's called "Cuts You Up," by Peter Murphy. I never would have guessed that!

I warned you it was dumb. But boy, is it satisfying to finally have some closure, haha! :)

Happy Easter!

Or should I say, "Happy-First-Easter-This-Year," since the Orthodox church celebrates Easter next Sunday. We will celebrate with Gus' family next weekend. In the meantime, the Easter Bunny brought Nikos a basket filled with books and toys today, and he did a mini Easter egg hunt in our backyard. We didn't hide the eggs at all-- we just scattered them everywhere and let him gather them all up (which he did). Then he played at his sand/water table. Here are a few pics from our fun morning!

Mr. Slapstick

Saturdays are my day to wake up with the little guy, so we had fun together all morning while Daddy slept in. At around 8:45, though, Nikos decided that he wanted to visit Daddy. So we all piled onto the big bed and had a baby-cuddle-fest, hooray! Nikos was having SO much fun! Constant giggles, bouncing all over the place, that sort of thing.

Of course, all that bouncing around on the bed invariably led to him bonking his head on the headboard. He sat down, rubbed his head, and said "Owieeee..." Then he popped right back up and continued giggling like a madman. Gus and I were dying, it was so funny!

Well, I guess he liked our reaction, because two seconds later he went over to the headboard and INTENTIONALLY bonked his head on it and said "Owie..." We know it was intentional because he did it very slowly and barely tapped his head to the wood. And as he said "Owie," he looked at us with a big grin and giggled. Gus adjusted his pillow to block the headboard, and Nikos got very upset ("No, no, no!"). He moved the pillow away again, and the little booger bonked his head (very gently) again and did the whole "Owie" routine! He thought it was HILARIOUS!

That's right, folks. There's a new Stooge in town. Nikos, slapstick comedian extraordinaire!

36 Weeks

"Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

SOURCE: BabyCenter.com

Hmm... What on earth is a crenshaw melon? Off to Google I go... :)

Fun, Fun, Fun!

Nikos is having a pretty fun week, I have to say. He is currently conked out in bed after playing for the past two hours with my former students (9th grade, 7th grade, and 6th grade) and their mom. He had a total blast, and was so happy to have an audience! The last time he saw them, he was only a few months old-- it's amazing what a difference a year can make!

The fun really began yesterday, though, with his first-ever visit to the Wild Animal Park. I had a doctor's appointment scheduled for yesterday morning, so my parents offered to come down and watch Nikos while I was gone. When Gus heard that we might go to the Wild Animal Park after my appointment, he decided to take the day off work and go with us. So, we all went! And it was great! Nikos was mostly interested in looking at the birds and playing with Grandma and Grandpa, but he had a great time. He even stayed up an hour past his usual nap time, without a single complaint! He started to get a little antsy on the "Journey Into Africa" tram ride (he wanted to run around), but overall did really, really well. Here are a few pictures from his big adventure!

My Name is Nikos, and I Like to Dance

Finally, I managed to catch a little snippet of our junior dance machine. He seriously loves dancing soooo much-- it's hilarious! He also loves to watch the TV show "Yo Gabba Gabba" and dance along with them (it's pretty much the only show he expresses any sort of interest in, and we figure that if he's dancing, it can't be that bad!). Anyway... Move over, Fred Astaire-- there's a new dancer in town!

In other news, Nikos has developed a new talent: stacking things. It takes some balance and hand-eye coordination, but if you name it, he'll stack it! I captured this new skill at lunch today, when he decided to build a tower out of cheese cubes (this was a work-in-progress):


And on a completely different note, my sweet, darling daughter has given me the gift of a lifetime: stretch marks! They seem to have appeared overnight. Aaack! And I still have 3.5 weeks to go! I am posting just a little picture of them for your viewing pleasure (schadenfreude?)-- click to enlarge, if you dare!

Sprinkled

That's right, folks... The week of never-ending presents continued yesterday! My mom hosted a "sprinkle" (small baby shower) in honor of Rainbow's impending arrival. There were about 10 people in total-- just some close family members and friends. It was very mellow, which was nice. Lots of time to just chat and hang out, while Nikos ran all over the place and kept people entertained. We ended up walking away with a giant heap of beautiful clothes (this girl is sure to be "Best Dressed" at daycare), some toys, and gift cards. I seriously cannot believe all of the clothing that our baby girl already has. I'm definitely going to have to sort it by size so that she wears each outfit at least once-- I'd hate for her to outgrow any of it before she gets to wear it!

Anyway, here are a few pictures from the event. Nikos took his nap during the middle part of the shower, and managed to not appear in a single picture! He was definitely there, though. :)






Also, Mike and Steph both came to the party, and they brought wedding pictures with them (finally!). Steph gave me a CD with all the pictures, too! Here's a link to some of the ones with me and/or Gus in them. I was almost 3 months pregnant at the time... I am thinking that the dress probably wouldn't fit now! haha!

Spoiled Rotten, Part Deux

As if I wasn't already spoiled enough this week, my students (and room parents) threw me a surprise baby shower this afternoon!! It was so fun-- one of the moms led the class in a few games, including the ever-popular "Guess-how-big-around-your-teacher-is" game and the dirty diaper game, where kids had to identify what type of chocolate candy was smooshed inside each of five diapers. It was hilarious! I actually had my cheapie camera with me, so I was able to snap a few pics of the dirty diaper game (ignore my ugly temporary classroom-- we're only in here for a few weeks!):

When it was all said and done, they presented me with a class gift-- a big case of various baby supplies (diapers, wipes, etc.) and some ADORABLE outfits. They also gave me a little book that every student had written in. It was called "5th Grade Parenting Advice," and it's hysterical! Here are a few of my favorite quotes. My class cracks me up!

"Keep a constant eye on your child, it can easily put something in its mouth or something..."
-Tabitha

"Don't always give your children what they want. You don't want to spoil them!"
-Shane

"Give them whatever they want."
-Thomas

"Make sure Rainbow likes to eat chicken nuggets." -Kyle

"Make sure you keep a real good eye on here. You know what girls are capable of! haha!"
-Alyssa

"Make sure that Rainbow doesn't become addicted to the pacifier."
-Kei

"Make sure Rainbow is obedient and listens to your every command."
-Bharat

"Get her a cell phone when she turns 13."
-Eddie

"Make sure Rainbow loves jelly donuts."
-Daniela

"Don't spoil them, otherwise in the future things will go downhill. And make sure they watch Beauty and the Beast."
-Carly
Anyway, it was really sweet, and a ton of fun. I have felt so loved this week!! And did I mention that the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon was today? I gorged myself on an incredible Italian meal. What an amazing week-- and now it's Spring Break! HOORAY!!

35 Weeks!

The end is nigh!

"Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."

Source: BabyCenter.com

Four weeks from tomorrow!!!

Spoiled Rotten

I was thinking of writing this post later this week, since I know that I will continue to be even MORE spoiled, but then I might end up having to write a novel! Long story short, it has been a good week. Not only is it Teacher Appreciation Week, but today is my 31st birthday (yippee!) AND my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower on Monday! I am currently overloaded with presents and attention! And I have to admit-- I totally like it. A girl could get used to this sort of treatment! :)

Monday started off on a high note, with many (most) of my students bringing me little notes of appreciation that they had written. Some of them were really sweet, and a few were hilarious! When the school day ended, I hustled them all out of the room so that I could head over to our regularly-scheduled staff meeting in the library. However, when I got there and opened the door, it was all dark... and then "SURPRISE!!" Pink decorations everywhere, a beautiful cake, oodles of presents-- all for Rainbow! It was so sweet of everyone! My boss took pictures, which I will post as soon as she sends them to me, but I did take this one of most of the presents we got. Rainbow got TONS of cute outfits-- the pictures don't really capture the cuteness-- and nearly $200 in gift cards to Babies R Us and Target. Holy cow!

Tuesday was another great day-- just about every student in my class brought me beautiful flowers, and one of the moms brought in a large vase to put them in. The vase wasn't nearly enough, though-- I ended up filling two other large plastic containers with all the flowers they brought. My classroom smells like the Stargazer lilies now-- incredible! Definitely improvement over fifth-grade body odor. :)

And then, of course, today was my birthday. I was showered with presents, candy, balloons-- you name it! My favorite part was that one of my students made me this sign out of Starburst wrappers (I have a notorious sweet tooth) and then had the other kids sign it as sort of a giant birthday card.

After work today (Wednesdays are our early-release days), my teammates took me out to lunch at Chipotle, where we sat and chatted for well over an hour. And when I got home, Gus had left me cards from him and Nikos-- and Nikos gave me a gift certificate for a massage! What a great kid! :)

So, like I said, I've been spoiled rotten. And Teacher Appreciation Week continues through Friday, so I'm looking forward to whatever tomorrow will bring. That, and my mom is throwing us a mini-shower (a "sprinkle") on Saturday. I am definitely one lucky girl. :)

Hi!

Is he not the cutest toddler ever?? It's funny-- for a kiddo who has so many words, he has managed to avoid two of the most common ones ("hi" and "bye") until this past week. He used to just wave, but now he waves and says the right word-- over, and over, and over! I can't get enough. :)