2004-09-07 - 6:33 p.m.
I had a wonderful weekend with my family! My sister and her family came into town and we were able to spend some quality time together. It was wonderful. I missed her terribly when she left. I cried, as usual. I was pretty blue the rest of the day, to tell you the truth. I felt like I had a gaping hole in my chest. It was awful, moreso than usual, perhaps because I'm pregnant. It wasn't until she called me around dinnertime to say she got home safely that I felt better. In fact, minutes before her phone call, I had been crying and made my husband hold me because I missed my sister so much. When the phone rang and he said it was her, I jumped out of the bed. Once I heard her voice, I felt much, much better. I realized that I'd be seeing her next month and it really wasn't that far off. I love my sister. I love her very much. It's great seeing her and it's awful when we part. She's my sister and she's my friend, too.
I had my doctor's visit today, my monthly pregnancy checkup. I was pleased to hear that everything looks good and is proceeding quite well. She's slightly concerned that I gained more weight than she expected I would since my last visit. I told her I didn't care how much weight I was going to gain. I have a baby in there that needs a healthy Mama. I'm only 129 lbs. right now, so I told her I didn't think it was such a big deal. I'm going to eat when I want to. I crave protein and calcium all the time, so I'm going to give my body what the baby asks for. It's not like I'm sitting around eating potato chips and candy. I thought I'd crave sugar, but I really don't. I eat better than I've ever eaten in my whole life. I told her I felt movement on August 24th. She said that was a little early, but I also reminded her that I was only 110 lbs. when I found out I was pregnant, on the low end of what's acceptable for my height, which is 5'2". I am SO not concerned with my weight right now. I'm pregnant with baby, double my blood supply, and lots of extra fluids. It'll all go away soon enough. My doctor just doesn't want me to have a huge baby I'll have problems getting out because I'm normally tiny. I, however, don't think 129 lbs. is big. It's just bigger than I've ever been before and for good reason. I bought new bras today and I'm a 36D! What the fuck! I've never been a 36D! This is so wild. I heard the baby's heartbeat again and every time I do, I want to explode right there. It takes every ounce of energy I have not to laugh or scream for joy. I have to concentrate on being still so I can keep hearing it. This is such a joy for me. I never thought I'd ever be so happy to hear my own child's heartbeat. I almost wish I'd been pregnant sooner. I want it to last forever. I've never felt better than I do right now.
The first day of school with the students wasn't too bad. I have two 122 minute classes. That's a long time to put up with the shitheads, but most of the kids I have are good, so far. It's only day one, however. I just politely told them that all of their mothers were pregnant with them at one point and that if I have to call their mothers, tell them I'm pregnant, and that their kids are giving me a hard time, it will wind up being a very long year for them. All of their mothers know how I feel right now and mothers know not to mess with pregnant women. You just don't do that. Most of the kids were good about it after that. My first class is my homeroom and they are the Honors students. There's 32 of them and they are challenging, but extremely manageable. They know the boundaries already. I was very clear on my expectations. Only one girl gave me a hard time and I had her mother in the school by 2pm. My second class only has 24 students in it, but many of them are shitheads. They will tax my nerves the most. Thank goodness the class isn't 122 continuous minutes. It's broken up into two separate timeframes, unlike the Honors class, which I see for two 61-minute periods in a row each day. All the kids know that they get five grades from me: Reading, Listening, Speaking, Proofreading/Editing, and Writing. They all know what is acceptable and what isn't in my room. If it's anything I've learned in the last ten years of teaching, it's that you have to be extremely clear with middle-schoolers. Otherwise, they'll eat you alive. I've established myself as the Alpha Dog. They take their cues from me and I lead by example. That's all there is to it. Be firm, be consistent, and don't smile until Christmas.
It was a full day for me. I'm beat. I had one difficult student, a few very challenging ones that will prove to be handfuls once they get into the swing of things (one of them had part of his penis shot off this summer-you don't hear THAT often), a great doctor's visit, loving dogs who were grateful to see me when I got home, and I have new bras now. All in all, it was a good day. I can only hope the good days continue to outnumber the bad ones.
Right now, my neighbor Mary Ellen, is yelling, "Business! Business!" at her dog to make it go potty. The weather is cool and breezy. The dogs are napping. My belly is full. My homework is done. And I'm already in my pajamas and it's only 7pm.
Isn't life grand?
