The first weekend in May we excitedly attended the Cloth Diapering 101 class that Zoolikins in Scottsdale offers for free. It was not only informative, enlightening, and exciting, but expensive! Well, not if you compare the cost and exposure to chemicals of disposable diapers. We purchased the amount of materials we will need to get us started. I'm not going to become a cloth diapering preacher, but I do encourage all moms to look into it. I was scared at first that it was going to be so complicated and I kept thinking I would need stashes of disposable diapers around for nights or travel or anytime I was just too scared to use them. The class gave me the confidence I needed to make a full commitment. As they said, people have been cloth diapering for hundreds of years! Many generations were raised on it and they survived. Also, they've made them in so many varieties and choices to suite anyone's budget and preference. I have to laugh when people tell me "Good for you! I just don't think I could deal with all the poop." So, with disposable diapers you don't have to mess around with poop? Using disposable diapers will guarantee a yuck-free life? I don't think so. I have a dog. There is no such thing. As for travel, I once saw a young couple change their baby's diaper on a plane and stick the soiled cloth diaper into their wet-bag and into their diaper bag. No problem. If they can do it, we can do it.
It was my very first Mother's Day as an almost mother. For years I had participated in accepting flowers or what-have-you on Mother's Day with great reluctance. I would always wave it away and shy my head. "No thanks. I'm not a mother yet." They would encourage me to take it anyway. I had a realization this year as I contemplated sending a card or email to Marissa on Saturday, May 10th, or "National Birth-Mother's Day" and I decided to wait and send her a happy Mother's Day the next day. Mother's Day is really Woman's Day as we are all mothers. It occurred to me that I should have been proudly accepting the flower at church every year as I have been a teacher, a pet owner, and a wife. What are we women, if not mothers to us all? Whether we give birth or not or even choose not to have children, I believe we all possess a certain feminine divinity that qualifies respect as long as we live our lives with the dignity our position requires. That is my belief.
Matt had the opportunity to participate in another Top Performers Luncheon that the Regional Trainers of his company put on for those who make top sales or goals for the last quarter. Matt has already attended 3 other times so we can't help being proud and impressed. They love him and are very excited for the new addition to our family. His boss, Jennifer, has a 3 month old boy and has been very generous with the hand-me downs which we are very grateful for.
As we waited for baby O (most people know the first initial by now), I was finishing up my last school year. I must say, I have loved every class I've taught and all with very different classroom personalities, but this year was the best class as a whole. They were so well behaved, fun, and eager to learn. We certainly grew a lot together this year and I was sad to see our year come to an end at graduation. Our graduation program was absolutely perfect! The theme this year was musicals so I taught the kids to sing "Pure Imagination", the set was decorated with giant pieces of candy and golden tickets. Alas, I have not pictures at this time, since I was too busy directing. Then, they sang and the boys danced to the Newsies "Seize the Day", followed by an energetic "Footloose", and closed with a sweet "For Good" from Wicked. I wish I could even begin to describe the pride I felt when we pulled it off without a hitch. It was amazing! We moved graduation from the last day (the 21st) to the 19th in case little baby came early. He did not. So, we had 3 more fun filled days of school together before we said good-bye for the summer. On the last day, the staff announced to the children that I and our first grade teacher would not be returning to work next year. My dear dear friend Mrs. Sherman is moving back home to Indiana to be with her family. My class already knew about my forthcoming plans, but as 5 year olds typically tend to do they overgeneralized this news and commented to each other, "Mrs. Sherman has to go get a baby too!" So, I had to clarify the situation.
Shannon has been like family to us as they have lived out here in Arizona without their family around as well. We've had Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter dinners with the Shermans and their adorable little boys. I am going to miss them so much:
It has been bitter-sweat as I finished my last week with my All Aboard crew. We all had been assigned large, tedious, curriculum mapping and pacing guide projects to complete and turn in by our last day. It took me 4 days!I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend those 4 days with my closest friends as we all cozied up to the same table in my classroom with our laptops and watched movie after movie. We laughed, we cried, we threw paper at each other, we sat in silence for hours only to erupt in fits of screams and shrieks. It will be a week I will remember for the rest of my life.
Having to be let out since I had already turned in my gate key, it was a strange feeling to leave my work for the last time as an employee. I couldn't leave without leaving a million sticky-notes all over the cabinets and materials for the new teacher. So much of my identity is made of what I did for a living. I didn't know how much until I knew I couldn't call myself a Kindergarten Teacher anymore. I just hope no one mind a visit or two next year as I stroll through just to see how things are going. Mostly, I'll be back to say hello.
Since then, we've been scrambling to get a few last minute things ready for when baby comes. We've even packed a bag and made arrangements for Lucy if we have to leave for the hospital at a moments notice.
Here we are, June 1st, Little O's due date. I had a feeling he'd be late. So, we are waiting around at home, keeping our phone's close. It has been an amazing ride, and we are ready as we'll ever be. Tomorrow morning, she is scheduled to go in at 7 am to be induced if there are rooms available. Only time will tell what will happen as we've com into June, so we'll keep you posted. Until then, enjoy our silly video:
