Richard Update

Richard is growing up way too fast. He cracks us up on a daily basis with his mischievous ways and precious laugh. Some of his favorite things are standing up in his high chair, climbing on the table, playing in the trash can, sneaking reese's and hershey kisses. He brings so much joy to our lives! Here are a few pictures of him recently...

Richard is obsessed with anything that is a ball. He loves basketballs, footballs, tennis balls...you name it. Whatever kind of ball it is, there's only one place for it, in his bball hoop.



This is the most recent video of him playing hoops.



Here is Richard on his dump truck. Aunt Jen and Uncle Max spoiled him!



Here he is again on his new 4-wheeler from his cousins and auntie!



Richard was such a good boy when he went to see Dr. Beveridge. He played all around the room!



Good morning world! I am 1 year old today!

A Rainy Day

What a nasty, rainy day it is. Usually I crave going outside, but today I'm thankful I'm stuck inside the building. If only I didn't have to blow the whistle at hook-up...these are the days where hook-up takes a super long time. All of the kids stay inside the building, and there are about 4 of us outside trying to make it all run smoothly. Hopefully I won't have to deal with this one disgruntled father who never fails to make a scene. You think he would be happy that his child is warm inside...even if it does take us 30 extra seconds to get her to his car. Well, at the end of it all, at least the kids are safe.

The days at school are becoming very long. Even though I'm asleep by 8:30 pm, I can't help but feel extremely tired on a daily basis. Luckily, at 8:30 every morning, I've got 10 energetic, sometimes moody, but always loving kiddos running into my classroom. They sure do make the days at work worth while. Even though there are times they make me want to pull my hair out, right now, two of them are in here sharing a salad for lunch. Both of them ride the "blue bus" to school, which means they come from an extremely low ses setting. As bad as it can be at their homes, you can tell how much they love each other and how they care for one another.



Well, Baby Eleanor is growing like crazy, which means I am growing like crazy! All she wants is avocado and tomato sandwiches from Star Bagel. I think I've had it 5 out of 6 days the past week. I look forward to it, but I'm going to have to start making them myself because it adds up! There's just something about have it made for me...I guess jojo will have to step in and be the chef :).

Off to class!

Richard Update

Richard is now about the size of a butternut squash! He grew about 1/4 a pound this past week and will start gaining about a 1/2 pound each week. He will probably triple his weight by the time he is here. All of his organs are fully formed and functioning well. He is starting to mimic breathing movements. The total amniotic fluid is reaching its peak now. This is due to the fact that he is urinating up to two cups a day! Richard bone marrow is now producing his red blood cells from his liver. If he was born today, he would have a survival rate of 90%. He is rolling around all the time, which is reassuring. It's getting harder to breathe and harder to sleep, but luckily I've got a great man to take care of me :).

Public School is So Exciting...

My days and weeks are filled with so much excitement it is unbelievable. This morning we had a meeting with a mother of a 4th grade student. They are homeless and the mother is very upset about a lot of things. I follow my mentor teacher into these meetings and this morning was no different than the rest. The second I walked in the room, she looked at me and shouted, "WHO IS SHE?!?!". It was weird being verbally attacked like that, and it's not often that I feel like I am threatening someone just by being white. Supposedly she won't work with anyone who is white. It's a humbling experience to be the minority.

Then, our paraprofessional, who is basically a teacher's assistant, was served court papers because she is refusing to pay her car note. This is a different world and a great learning experience.

The Joys of Teaching

Jonas and I tutor at MBA until about 7 every night. Last night was no different than the rest. You never know what is going to come out of kid's mouths. I was having a discussion with three seventh graders (who are the toughest boys on the football field, but who also love singing every word of Miley Cyrus' Party in the USA) about how the Mayan culture said that the world would end in 2012. One of the boy is scared half to death to think about it, another thinks it's cool, and the third blurts out in all seriousness "I'm just mad that I'll have to die a virgin". It was one of those moments when you know what was said was so inappropriate, but you are taken soo off guard that you can't help but laugh so hard for a few seconds. He finally realized what he said and was completely mortified. It was definitely one of those moments that makes you love the kids you work with even more.
So, we had our normal four kids in there and we were working away. Once they're finished with all of their homework, they go in the gym to play ball. Jonas was finishing up working with the last kid and I snuck into the gym. I took on two of the seventh graders in an innocent game of horse. They were in awe when they both got beat by a pregnant women. One of them made the comment, "I didn't believe you could actually play basketball". It was hilarious. Then the other three made it into the gym, Jonas included. For the next 20 minutes we had a six person game of pig. The boys loved playing with "Coach Rod" and it was so fun to be in such a relaxed setting at such a strict place. They had a chance to just be themselves and play. It was another one of those special moments.

First time blogger

Well, I've been inspired by reading other's blogs and decided to start one for our family.  I'm excited to have a place to post updates, pictures, and somedays just vent.  More to come in the near future...