Babymoon

My friends, it has been nearly a month since I last posted. That is unforgivable. I am so very sorry. I really don't have any god excuses for the time that has passed except for the last four days.

Beau and I took a wonderful babymoon.

We were toying with the idea of going away while we still can, but nothing really came to fruition. As the days leading to the week we decided would be best crept up, I started to worry that we were just going to call it a wash and stay at home. Fortunately, beau is an expert last minute planner and found a wonderful resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and booked it lickety-spit.

So, on Tuesday morning when the temperatures here were in the high 30's, we hopped on a plane headed south. We arrived in balmy Punta Cana in the afternoon and were so, so, so excited to be getting away together.

We went to the all inclusive Paradisus Punta Cana and enjoyed our four nights away thoroughly. The one thing I forgot to do before leaving home was charge the camera, so I was a little stingy with the photos. I wish there were more, but you'll get the idea from these. (Two nights before departure we discussed how anti-photo we both are and how we need to step it up to chronicle this babymoon. Figures.)

Here's what we arrived to.

The lobby has these raised wooden pathways over koi ponds. It was all open and breezy. Over to the left was the check-in, and over to the right was the lobby bar and seating area. We were greeted by a very freindly staff member who upgraded our room to a beach-front building near the pool and dining area so that we (read: I, the pregnant woman) wouldn't have to walk far to get to all of the important areas. A waitress soon brought us two non-alcoholic, tropical beverages to welcome us. Clearly we had arrived in paradise. The name of the resort is no accident.

Our room was absolutely lovely. I, of course didn't take any pictures of it, but thanks to the resort website, I can share our garden view room with you.

The weather wasn't perfect while we were there. The first full day we were there was too windy to sit on the beach. (I tried and got sandblasted...) The second day we woke to rain, but by the time breakfast was done and we went for a short walk, the weather was perfect. (When I say we went for a walk I mean we walked to the gym where beau worked out and  I got kicked out because I didn't have a doctor's note allowing me to work out.  I then took a nice long a walk around the resort to get some exercise.) By then the weather was pool\beach worthy and that is where we spent a good amount of our time.

Isn't beau about the cutest thing you've ever seen?

 There are multiple pools on the resort, but this one is a meandering lagoon type pool that I enjoyed greatly. There are plenty of sunny spots to sunbathe, and when that gets to be too much, there are tons of shaded and covered areas to lounge and read.

I flaunted my preggo belly in a bikini. I thought I might be a little uncomfortable, but no one seemed to really be concerned about it. At least no one made audible gagging sounds or pointed and laughed.

Somehow, though, when I went to the pool bar and ordered my virgin margaritas, they always made me the real thing. I'd slide that one over to beau and he'd make a big deal about making me stand up to bear my belly, point to it and say "no tequila, she has a bambino." The bartenders would look shameful, smile and make me sugary sweet virgin beverages that probably had our little guy doing flips in my belly.

Like I said, we also spent some time at the beach. The water was this magnificent color that I can't quite describe. It was somewhere between aqua and teal, but further out it was this deep midnight blue. Absolutely stunning. The photo below doesn't do it justice, but the photo we took on the beach right before we left comes a little closer.



Paradisus Punta Cana is all inclusive. There were numerous restaurants and bars that we enjoyed, but the food wasn't quite what we had hoped for. I've never been a huge fan of the buffet, and that's what breakfast was every morning. When we figured out that some of the restaurants were menued for lunch and dinner, we went to those. Despite being a buffet snob, there was nothing wrong with the food, and the location and feel of the restaurants was wonderful.  

While we dressed a little better for dinner (above), lunches were casual enough that we could leave our chaise at the pool or beach, cover up, and dine. Beau enjoyed the Presidente beers that they would keep bringing when his was empty. My water was almost as refreshing!

I am so very glad that beau wanted to do this. It was a wonderful chance for us to get away and relax. There is no one else in the world I'd rather be sharing these experiences with. To anyone who is undecided about the merits of a babymoon, I say give it a try. It may be a thinly veiled excuse to blow money on a vacation, but it really was worthwhile for us. We got to hang out together, do nothing and forget about the stresses of life for a few days. There was also much reading involved. Two book recommendations are coming soon...

When's the last time you were totally relaxed? Planning a vacation soon?

Feeling the Love

Most of us can agree that babies = love. That seems like a given.

What I didn't realize was a given was the love that is extended to an expectant mom. Everyone under the sun wants to know if I'm feeling OK, if I need help with that, if I need anything done for me, etc. The affection and concern shown to me over the past few months has been incredible.

My friends, family, and co-workers have already been so overwhelmingly helpful and generous, and I know that there is still more to come. Beau, this little guy, and I are truly blessed.

It would be obnoxious to lay out and photograph all of the physical gifts that our little peanut has already been given, but here's a sampling of the clothes, goodies and toys that have arrived on our doorstep and in my classroom because people we love are that excited for us.

The love and support that has been extended to us has been amazing and heartwarming. I'm not typically an emotional person (even with my hormones going haywire...) but this has me absolutely weepy.

Not that I would ever have favorites among the gifts we have been given, but I had to show you all this one. If you know beau and I personally, you know the significance of this little onesie. It goes beyond being simply "punny." A big thank you goes to beau's family in Massachusetts who included this in the valentines care package. The whole box was such a wonderfully thoughtful surprise, but this made me giggle.

I can't wait to see our little guy in this and all of the other super adorable little outfits he's been given.

Beyond all of the cuteness and generosity, what does this first time mommy absolutely, positively NEED? (We're getting ready to begin our registry and shopping madness and frankly, my head is spinning!)



Movie Night

So, since I don't have cable and was feeling too lazy to leave the house this evening, I decided to watch a movie instead of watching the big game. I'm not good at watching movies. I tend to fall asleep. Twice I've fallen asleep to this particular movie.

I'm not very discerning about which movies I'll sleep through. I sleep through Academy Award winning films and Razzie award winning flicks. They're all the same to me when I'm tired.

Tonight, though I decided I'd really like to stay awake for this. In part because the first time I slept through this I was really bummed. I'd really wanted to see it. Also, every time the title comes up in conversation, beau insists that I've seen it. He forgets about my narcolepsy.

So, tonight, five months pregnant (and five months from my last glass of wine) I watched Bottle Shock.

It was very good. It also made me proud to be a California girl. A California girl who drinks California wines. (Um, but not exclusively. I actually will drink wine from anywhere. Did you know Virginia has some very good wineries?)

I must admit, Bottle Shock would have been better with a glass or two of wine, but I guess I'll just have to wait another five months for that pleasure.

Perhaps I'll have to watch it again when I can enjoy a glass.

(Images both from IMDB.)

My favorite quote from the film was this: "'Wine is sunlight, held together by water.' The poetic wisdom of the Italian physicist, philosopher, and stargazer, Galileo Galilei. It all begins with the soil, the vine, the grape. The smell of the vineyard - like inhaling birth. It awakens some ancestral, some primordial... anyway, some deeply imprinted, and probably subconscious place in my soul." - Steven Spurrier Bottle Shock

What's the last good movie you've seen? Anyone else out there get movie induced narcolepsy?

What motivates you?

Tonight on the way home I was listening to NPR and there was a story about workplace motivation and such. The gist of it was that though there are companies like Google who serve gourmet meals, and another place that eludes me right now that has Nerf fights, the perks of work are nice, but don't really satisfy or motivate workers. What motivates employees, apparently, is progress.

(Image from here via Pinterest)

That got me thinking that if this is indeed true then education must be way up there on someone's list of super-cool-jobs-people-want-to-have. Bear with me here... Ignoring the low salaries, the mounds of papers to grade, the incessant scrutiny and dissatisfaction of the public and the constant funding cuts/class size increases, etc. that make the job complain-worthy, the career itself does actually lend itself to very visible progress and success. Each and every day I see students who have the aha moment or understand a concept they didn't get before. On a daily basis (or at least weekly...) I get to see that what I am doing makes a difference. I can't begin to explain to you how motivating and satisfying that is.

That line of thought got me thinking about personal motivation. For the past 12 years I have devoted my life to being a teacher. I have always been the sucker with "yes" written on her forehead. "Amy, want to advise the newspaper, and yearbook and teach multiple preps?" "Uh, duh. YES!" "Ms. W., will you write me a letter of recommendation today since I've procrastinated on my college applications and I need it mailed today?" "Sure thing." "We're having an open house/ parents night/ freshman orientation/ whatever time consuming event you can think of. Can you be present?" "Of course."

Never have I minded. It matters to the kids. Therefore, it matters to me. My personal motivation was tied up within my professional motivation and I was quite content.

(Image from here via Pinterest)

Now, all a sudden that personal motivation I got from devoting my life to my career is in flux. Now that I am expecting a child, I can't see myself doing what I've done for the past 12 years. I can't see myself staying after school until I'm not needed there any more. My motivation now comes from family.

It is a true paradigm shift and I'm just now wrapping my head around it. I know that I love my job, but there is more out there for me in the near future. I suppose my perspective on what is important will continue to shift as I get older. For now, I am going to trust my (pregnant) gut and follow what motivates me.

What motivates you, dear readers?

I Believe I'm Published

Last year I wrote a little essay for a collection my school system was compiling. The prompt was: What do you believe in? It is based on the NPR series This I Believe. I tried to be creative. Really I did. But after many starts and stops and [Ctrl] [A]s followed by [delete]s,  I finally wrote about what I really believe in. Words.

I know, I know, cliche much? I'm an English teacher. I blog. Of course I believe in words. Nothing else I could come up with really felt like a to-the-core-down-in-my-soul belief. Though, ice cream was a close second...

I got my copy of the book today. My essay is on page 38. A very large picture of me is on page 39. Not everyone got two pages. I'm not sure why I did... I look like I'm not breathing.

But there I am. Ain't no denying it, I'm that girl who wrote that essay that was published. In a book. With a bar code and an ISBN number. For real, people!

While it isn't the "write a book" that is high up on my bucket list, it is a start. And frankly, it feels nice to know that those words I believe in so strongly mattered to someone.

There were over 400 essays submitted. I was one of 58 to be chosen. To me, it is a small step in the right direction.

So there you have it. They'll give anyone a byline and a bar code these days...

What's big on your bucket list? Are you going to just tackle it or take baby steps like me?

The Best Thing Ever

I'm sure you, my loyal readers, have noticed my long stretches of absence. Annoying, right? I'm truly sorry. I promise I have a really good excuse...

I'm going to be a mom!!!!!!

(Image from Pinterest)

The first trimester kind of kicked me in the pants. I'd never been so tired in all of my days! I've always been a fan of a nap here and there, but during those weeks I'd literally come home from work, sit on the couch for a few minutes to rest and wake up four hours later just in time to go to bed. It was like my body had been taken over. No, it wasn't like that, that's precisely what had happened.

I had a sneaking suspicion I was pregnant about a week before I was supposed to start my period. I didn't want to get too excited just to be let down, so I waited a few days before I took a pregnancy test. It was positive! I wanted to do back flips and tell the world, but beau was out of town and wouldn't be back for about two weeks. I didn't want to tell him over email, so I held that little secret in and waited for daddy to come home.

Beau's birthday is in October and he was gone for it. I decided I was going to break the news to him while he was opening his birthday presents. It seemed like a really great present at the time. I didn't consider the fact that he didn't have pregnancy on his mind constantly. As soon as we started trying I was always conscious of where I was in my cycle and any changes from the norm.

So, to break the news I found the cutest onesie on Amazon and without really reading the description I ordered it with the other birthday gift I was purchasing. (This is why the onesie is purple. It looked gray in the photo.)

I still hadn't received the packages from Amazon by the day beau got home. I was pretty hormonal and the foiled plans really upset me. I was near tears.

But wait, was that a package on the doorstep as we pulled up to the house? Indeed it was. But it was too big to be a onesie. It was just the other gift. (Mind you, this was a gift I knew he'd be super excited about, but it wasn't the one I was super excited about. And that's what mattered.)

As we walked in I handed him the box and said "Happy Birthday" in the most festive tone possible. It probably sounded like Eeyore wishing Pooh a happy birthday. As beau opened the box I saw a flash of purple, ripped the box out of his hands, ran into the other room and yelled back to him that I had to do something. He was not amused. He told me under no circumstances was I to wrap his gift. I ignored him, but compromised by grabbing the gift bag that was on top of the box of gift bags. It was a Santa bag. Instead of tissue paper I stuffed the bag with the bubble packing from the box and was back out in maybe a minute. (Clearly I ooze class.) At this point beau was pretty convinced that I had gone crazy while he was out.

Maybe I had. Just a little bit.

His you're-gonna-be-a-daddy gift was this.

Cute, huh?

His reaction was absolute, utter confusion. I could see the thoughts as they sped through his brain. What came out verbally was, "This will never fit me." He thought about it a bit more and then it all clicked. "Are you sure?"

I showed him a picture of the test. (Since it would have been gross to have saved it...) I was sure. Tat and the pretty constant nausea had me 100% convinced.

Beau's going to be a dad!

His next reaction about 20 minutes later was that we were going to have to come up with $500,000 in the next eight months since kids are expensive to raise. Clearly he'd regained all sense of rational thought...

By the way, if this kiddo is a boy he's going to rock the purple onesie like a champ!!

Here's a picture of the peanut at the 12 week appointment.

 

I think the little one looks like he/she is giving us a thumbs-up.

So, dear readers, any advice for a first time mom?

Trial post from iPad

Hello my friends! Sorry it has been so long since my last post. It has been very busy here. I'll get into the details of that in a non-trial post.

I'm simply attempting to post a multi-paragraph post to see if Google and Apple have learned to play nice. Needless to say, I have my doubts. Today I tried yo swiftly and effortlessly move contacts from my Verizon Droid phone to my AT&T iPhone. It didn't work. I'm moving them all over by hand. I've never wished I had fewer friends before...

Check out the romantic presentation of my iPhone gift from beau. He's just adorable sometimes... Why yes, that us a decorative red onion on the left. (btw, I do kind of wonder if the love message was for me or if I had stumbled upon his shrine to the cult of Apple.)

It turns out I can't size photos or determine placement through the app. Otherwise, it seems to be ok!

Does technology irk you like it does me?