Monday, April 29, 2013

settling in with the pyrex collection

packing up my insane pyrex collection caused me a great deal of anxiety
in fact, days on end were spent just packing pyrex
which is why when all was said and done
much of the house did not get properly packed
because we just ran out of time from all our breakable items
[sorry to everyone who helped us move!]
I'm still working on figuring out how exactly I want everything displayed
but this window is making me too happy right now

the window ledge in our 1950's kitchen was just the perfect size to fit
my favorite pieces of pyrex
and seeing as how stacked pyrex can sometimes rattle a bit
especially on hard wood floors
I am happy to have these beauties in a secure, rattle free location
happy monday, hope you are finding little things to make you happy too

-also posting on the pyrex collective II today-

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Everly Mae's Nursery

When it came to designing Everly's nursery I knew that I wanted to stay away from anything too girlie, and anything too theme-ey.  When we lived in our flat, E's room was right in the middle of the house, so we wanted to keep the color scheme flowing with the rest of the house with some vintage touches.  When we moved into our house I was excited to paint her room to really bring together the vision that I had and wasn't able to pull together in an apartment that had already been painted pale yellow.  So here we are, and I love her orange, turquoise, grey, black, white, and ultra-patterned room.
I would say that I have been working on pieces for Everly's room for over a year now, and I think I finally have it just right.  Here are a few of of my shopping links:

crib, changing mat - amazon
rug, wardrobe, book ledges, curtain sheers, grey dresser [repainted] - ikea
hanging lamp, rocker, baby scale, E lamp, school blocks & radio - vintage
bumper, owl hampers, "first year" picture frame, grey drapes - target
wooden name, footprint canvas, acrylic paints - michael's
embroidery hoops & fabric - joann's 
quilted pillow & watercolor name art - handmade by two great friends of mine, nicole & kathy
hoho's made by crystal of little bit funky
pyrex inspired mobile made by hiramariya

Saturday, April 27, 2013

saturdays

One thing that has really taken some getting used to is not getting to sleep in with my baby, or husband for that fact. I love co-sleeping, I mean I really love it. Getting to have her with us for the first year is the plan, and I just soak up every snuggle and every kiss. Saturdays are the best because I get to lay there awake for as long as I wish and watch Everly snooze away. As long as I'm in bed, this girl sleeps in like crazy! This weekend I get a bonus, the mr. has the day off so we can get some things done around the house, so instead of him being out the door at seven, I get my whole family today, and I'm very thankful for that. Working opposite schedules is hard. Happy Saturday everyone, hope you get to spend it with the people you love too.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

oh hey, I'm 24 weeks old

hey folks, I am so close to six months old I can just taste it
speaking of tasting things, I have now officially tried rice cereal
and homemade sweet potatoes, and I'm not having either
I'm perfectly content with boobie snacks, but I guess there is more to eating than just that
so I'll give it another try next week
I do have two great looking teeth
they are so shiny and white, and sharp
I have brought many people to near tears with them
which is funny to me, because I chomp on my hand all day with no issues
and they call me a baby
in other news, I'm still working on crawling
my newest trick is sitting up and moving off of mom's lap
when I'm done boobie snacking
she doesn't seem too amused
and I keep hearing "that's why she's our ten percent-er"

this week I've also started giving some hugs
and my parents seem pretty into them
baths are getting way more fun too
there are toys, and turns out, I can make splashes with my hands
and mom is letting me stay in a little longer to play, fun for me
besides that, I can pull myself up into a standing position when sitting
as long as I have something to grab onto, people, sofa, stuffed animals
you get the picture
oh, and I now roll over from front to back, and back to front
officially
time for me to enjoy this wonderfully warm afternoon with a little walk 
with my parents
until next week
-Everly Mae

Monday, April 22, 2013

we share the same expression these days

going back to work seemed manageable for the first week or two, but lately, I'm feeling like nothing is getting done, or to be more specific, nothing is getting done well.  and that folks, well, it is putting me over the edge.  yes, I am forgetting my yard duty these days.  In six years of teaching I don't think I ever missed a duty, and since I have been back to work after Everly, I haven't been to a single one.  and today, that was pointed out by a teacher who didn't even know my name.  ouch. I almost cried. 

I'm trying my best, but I am spread SO thin, and everything seems to be suffering.  I know that things will get better, and I will be done with my masters in June, but that date could not come soon enough.  so I will be trying to keep things short and sweet around here, so I can get the most time possible with my little lady, because right now I am not getting enough time with her.

and why is Everly rocking this face?  well, we have been introducing solids, and she still is not having it.  rice cereal, blah. homemade sweet potatoes, bleh.  I think we will be trying a banana puree next, fingers crossed.  she is making all the "I'm ready for food" motions, but still seems pretty confused about the whole thing.  so we will take it slow, and for now, we will just have grumpy faces together.  or, I'll just give Everly a little food break, and I'll pretend like I have no work calling my name, and we will blow strawberries on Everly's little bare belly and call it a night.  ok, we're going with plan b.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

weird week in the classroom

This week I am covering four classes that are not my own regularly while my kids are at science camp.  I've been teaching in three different classrooms and never seem to have what I need. Pretty much chicken with head cut off scenario. But today, well it really takes the cake. I fell. Like pretty bad. In front of my entire class of 7th graders. The good news, at least if I have to make a dramatic fall in the classroom, at least it was in front of my own kids. 

My kids were working on a project and I decided I could get two more posters hung up for open house. Well, apparently not. As I was getting off the chair, I just fell. Went flying towards one of my students, grabbed their desk which I think saved me from actually breaking my ankle. 

Ever wonder how to silence a group of busy teens?  Well I wouldn't suggest this method but it sure did work.  I guess it is not every day you worry that your teacher may have just dropped dead, because from their angle I'm sure that's what it looked like. I squeezed out a shaky "I'm fine" and was thankful I had a few kids there to help me stand up.  So, needless to say I'm happy to be on the sofa with my feet up, because I am starting to realize I hurt just about everything but my head in the fall. Lesson learned, stay off chairs in the classroom, or at least pay attention to what you are doing while up there!  

And because thankfully no one caught this moment of awesomeness on their phone, I will just give you an adorable picture of Everly I caught on my phone over the weekend. Her smile makes me feel better. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

oh hey, I'm 23 weeks old

well folks, I've been so busy lately that I seemed to have missed last week
the past two weeks have been all about moving
I'm moving so much that you may think I'm crawling
we aren't going to say I'm a crawler
but it is close, oh so close
another thing that has been moving a lot lately is my second tooth
when the first little guy came out mom could see the corner of the second one
and sure enough, this week you can see two little teeth when I smile just right

besides moving, I also got a little bigger
13 whole pounds to be exact
too bad that still puts me in the 10th percentile, but that's ok
my parents have decided that it makes for a good nickname
so now they call me their little "ten percenter"
the only other big news around here is that sensitive skin of mine acted up
 turns out that lotion, even if made by the same company, can be very different
sure enough, mom switched lotions and we ended up with a whole eczema flare up
thankfully, we got to visit our dr. yesterday and now we have some 
tips & trick to make sure it doesn't happen again
and I'm already looking much better

oh, and mom made me bows, lots and lots of bows

Sunday, April 14, 2013

everly mae's birth story

my everly was born over five months ago, and the day she came into this world still seems like yesterday.  for some reason, I still have such clarity around the morning she arrived, but I know that time will start to take away some of these moments, so I will try to write down what I hope to remember down the road.
everly had a due date that changed countless times.  we joked that she would come somewhere between halloween and thanksgiving.  I had asked everly to hold on past the first weekend of november, because I had class that weekend, and let's face it, I didn't want to have to do independent study with a brand new baby.  well, everly listened, but just barely.

on saturday night I figured she wasn't going to come the next day, so I drank some red raspberry leaf tea to help get things going.  for me, it seemed like this tea worked, or it could have been a coincidence.   during our lunch break from class on sunday I started feeling some mild, very spread out contractions.  but hey, I had never had a kid before, so I assumed they were the braxton hicks contractions that everyone is always talking about.  I remember calling my mom on the way home that day and letting her know that I was thinking I might be having some contractions, but again, wasn't feeling very sure about any of it.  that night we had friends over to watch The Walking Dead like we do every sunday it is on.  contractions were getting closer, but nothing to call alert to, so I would get up whenever I felt like I needed a walk, and no, I don't really think anyone really noticed.  a short while later I started taking down the time of my contractions to see if I could get a better idea of when everly may arrive.  I loved around eleven that night when the mr. asked if he should turn off the christmas lights so we could go to bed.  I kindly let him know that I didn't think I was going to be going to bed that night.  and because we are just not "those" kind of people, he calmly said ok, and I let him know he would probably be calling in to work the next morning, and we said good night.  no, I didn't have him stay up with me.  I guess I was ok with starting things off on my own, and I figured if this could take days, one of us would need some sleep.
thankfully, I dozed off on the sofa for a couple of hours, only to wake up around 1 a.m. and realized that maybe everly wouldn't be taking days to make her arrival.  I decided a bath would hopefully make things better, and contractions were coming much more regularly, so I gave it a whirl.  I think it was only the second time I had used the bath tub in our flat, and man, did it take forever to fill up, especially when there was a good amount of pain coming my way every 5-10 minutes.  time begins to get very blurry around this point.  weeks after everly was born I found the paper that I was keeping track of my contractions on, and I'm so glad I kept it.  my handwriting went from "calm and teacher-approved"
to "I'm clearly being attacked by a wild animal over here".
after soaking for some time, and remembering that the midwife told me the bath could slow down labor, I started to realize this birth was most likely not going to be like the ones I had heard countless times before.  there was no slowing down.  now, the next part may sound silly, but around three in the morning, I decided to "get ready".  I needed a distraction, and I had just taken a bath after all, so I put on a light amount of makeup, and even curled my hair.  none of this was done for anyone else, I didn't care what I looked like, it really was just something I could do, standing up, rocking, and working through my labor.
by 3:30 I realized my contractions had gotten to a pretty steady two to four minute spread and realized that maybe I should get this little lady's dad out of bed before he missed the whole thing.  let's just say, I had to wake him up twice.  no, it wasn't like the movies where the dad jumps up and starts running around the house.  he was calm, and that was what I needed.  neither of us appeared like our lives were about to forever be changed, but I know it was on both our minds.  my proof?  well, when speaking to the midwife that poor husband of mine couldn't even spell my first name right!  I hear him, voice shaking, l...y...n...d...a...s...y.  poor guy.  an hour later, after way too much talking on the phone with nurses and the midwife [and calls to family members], I finally let them know we were coming to the hospital whether they liked it or not!  I know they wanted to make sure it was really time so they didn't have to turn us away, but come on, too many questions that mike couldn't answer, and I'm not one who likes to talk on the phone regularly, so I was really getting short with my answers to say the least.
car was packed, and cruise control was set for a perfect sixty-five mile an hour trek to the hospital.  the format was playing in the background and I did not open my eyes that entire twenty-five minute trip.  mike asked me if I was in my happy place, and I was, and I love that he knew exactly where I imagining myself to be.  we got to the hospital at five in the morning, walked through the doors, and realized we had no idea where we were going because we never got around to doing the tour, and in our defense, she was about a week early.  ok, so yeah, that wasn't really a good idea, but I was a women in crazy labor, and I was just going to keep opening doors until I found someone to help me.  thankfully, I only had to go through two before I found the nurses station.  they got me into the room quickly, and because the birthing gods were with us, the one room in the hospital with a birthing tub was free, and all mine!  we got settled, only to have things go from perfect to terrifying in about two minutes.
the delivery nurse checked everly's vitals only to get a very alarmed look on her face, insisting the midwife to get there right away.  not exactly the welcome we were looking for.  the pregnancy had been so easy, this was not the time for everly to start trouble.  her heart rate was half of what it should have been, they quickly threw me on my side, and started prepping me for a possible emergency c-section.  yes, I freaked out to say the least.  I remember laying there and pretty much shutting down.  I knew that my midwife would only suggest a c-section if it was the real last option which terrified me because that meant everly really was in trouble.  thankfully, after laying on my side for a minute her heart rate came right back up, but because of the scare, I was now forced to have an i.v. started [no meds] just to make sure that we would be ready if something like that would happen again.  that damn i.v.  I complained about that thing literally up until the minute she was born, the mr. can attest to that.

once we were out of the scary zone, my midwife asked me if she should get the tub ready for me.  the pain was so intense, and the i.v. had me feeling very defeated, I really had no desire to get in the tub at this moment.  thankfully, my midwife and mike knew it would help, and in the tub I went.  we were at the hospital for a total of two hours before everly was born.  yes, crazy, I know.  she was ready to be born, I didn't have any fears going into the birth, and I knew that I just had to go with what was happening to get to see my baby.  even so, those two hours are hands down the hardest two hours of my life.  being in labor is a full body experience.  you use everything you have to birth a baby.  I had the best delivery nurse by my side the entire time.  she knew exactly how to help, and mike had remembered everything they told us in those classes.  now, because this story would not be complete without this one detail, I must share.  now remember, mike experienced my labor for about four or so hours in total, and yes, he had not had breakfast before she was born, but my favorite memory of the moment right before we deliver is mike sitting right outside the tub, eating out of a can of nuts, about three inches from my face.  turns out the smell of mixed nuts in the morning while in labor is not really what you want, and between ridiculous contractions I remember asking him to get rid of that can!  yes, they had told the dads in the birthing class to make sure they eat and stay energized, but that was for the labors that lasted days.  so I still give him a hard time about this, because, well, other than that, he was the best birthing partner I could have asked for.
right before everly was born I remember losing everyone in the room.  I know they were there, but I was so focussed on what I was doing, I felt like they were gone.  I remember shouting if it was okay for me to push, and since we were working with wonderfully supportive professionals of natural birth, they said, "yes, do whatever your body is telling you".  so everly is called our three push baby.  she came so quickly that I think it caught all of us off guard, well, maybe not all of us, but me for sure.  and besides all the known benefits of having your baby in water, another benefit is a baby who comes out all squeeky clean.  she was in my arms seconds after she was born and was perfect.  everly came into this world at 7:24 monday morning weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces.  she was born with no meds, no bright lights, no stirrups, and I was so thankful that she let me deliver her this way.  after we had our first family moment, just the three of us, mike cut her cord, but I did have to prompt him.  I think the thought of it made him a little nervous, but I know he is glad now that he did that first "daddy duty".  everly was ours, and never left our side that day and a half we were in the hospital.
that day we saw many visitors, and maybe because she made things fairly easy on the both of us, everly and I were awake to see everyone.  I remember the nurses coming in throughout the day shocked that everly and I were still awake.  it wasn't until about seven that evening that I started losing some steam, and was very thankful to rest.  and well, everly started her attachment to us very early on and refused to sleep in the hospital crib, so she slept in my arms, and has been right next to us every night since.
ok, and can I just say that I love this picture.  the looks on our faces don't quite say we just became parents an hour ago.  mike's pretty happy he has his granola bar, and I'm sucking down some amazingly good orange juice.  go us.  love my little family to pieces.
 we love you everly mae and are so happy you chose us to be your parents - thank you
all images were taken by our friend geoff bardot of the goodness
thank you geoff once again for waking up insanely early to photograph everly's first hour
I think I fall even more in love with these images the older she gets

Saturday, April 13, 2013

the argument of "too bad, so sad" [and the middle school classroom]

Lately I have really been grappling with the idea of "too bad, so sad" in the classroom.  Being prepared for class and caring are some of the biggest issues I believe in middle school.  Countless students walk into my room with nothing, absolutely nothing, and do not see the issue with it.  If I don't have my binder, you cannot make me turn in homework.  If I do not have my notebook, you cannot make me take notes.  And if I do not have a pencil, well, you pretty much can't get me to do anything.  Elementary school just doesn't have this problem to this magnitude, because, well, they have desks, and stay in one room all day long, etc.  But middle school.  I get you for less than an hour, and then you are off to someone else.  So for those fifty-five minutes, let's get some work done, shall we?  Well, we do for those who are prepared.  But for those who aren't, what do you do?







Before maternity leave, I had a container of sharpened pencils.  I would start the day with 12 or so, and end third period with none.  We tried a check out system, a "you take something, you leave something" system.  But ultimately, I would never be able to stay on top of those darn little yellow things, and they would surely disappear.  Not to mention, the pencil fairy hasn't visited my room lately, so going through 12 pencils a day isn't practical.  Lately, I tell the kids, if they don't have something to write with, they can use one of the old crayons I have out for them.  This works, until I have a project that I really don't want them using a broken, dull, magenta crayon on.  Yesterday, things just about boiled over in my class of 7th graders when, I am not exaggerating, half of my kids did not have a single pencil to use in class.  We are starting a big project that will be displayed for open house, so I was in a dilemma.  NO WAY were they getting to go to their locker to get that almighty pencil.  So I delved out a few shiny new pencils just to get something done.  Meanwhile, I am handing out these pencils right as my principal walks in to bust one of my kids for what I can only assume had something to do with his locker and illegal substances.  I know he had bigger fish to fry than my handing out of pencils, but I wonder what his stance is on the topic [or how it is handled site wide for that face, hmmm, staff meeting agenda item?!?].

But what SHOULD I have done.  Is middle school an acceptable age to start the "too bad, so sad" mentality?  No pencil, no work.  But then they get exactly what they want, to get out of work.  And hey, you would think a grade might persuade them to do something, but bottom line, it does not.  Middle school you fight not only the students perception of grades being important, and in my experience, you also fight the parents on occasion.  These two-three years are seen as complete throw away years by too many.  Kids know that these grades have little effect on their lives, and if they also hear that message from home, well, then there you go.

So, do I supply pencils?  Make extra copies of the handouts and notebooks when they do not bring theirs to class?  Or do I let them sit there, take the F, and call it a day?  Because they need to learn some how, some way, that the world is not always going to supply them for their unpreparedness, and is this the way to do it?  Last year, this issue was minimal, and I seemed able to put out the fires with ease.  But man, this group is killing me when it comes to being prepared, and even though it is the fourth quarter, I need to figure out my attack plan for the next seven or so weeks.

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Or maybe this post will just turn into one big rhetorical rant, and I'm ok with that too.
[image from this ten on ten, when I had pencils in my classroom]

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

ten on ten [april]

capturing the day in ten photos
obviously I didn't really follow the rules this month
but I did catch the beauty for me over ten hours
so I think it still counts
1. best way to wake up  2. lunch  3. quick afternoon trip to the zoo, one day we will take Everly to Fairy Tale Town too  4. crazy zoo tree  5. family pictures & baby feet  6. didn't actually see crocodiles, and I'm kind of sad about that  7. love coi fish  8. on our way to great-grandma and great-grandpas house - waiting to say hello  9 & 10. well, we got our feet in the pool at least!  warm day, chilly pool.

happy ten on ten!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

sick days now days

being a sick mom is a whole new thing for me
thankfully, it is just a cold, but a doozie of one
I'm doing my best to make sure that Everly doesn't get it
which means about a thousand less kisses a day from me
which sucks
even though I cannot breathe at the moment
and my eyes are burning, watery, and red
and I have a cough that probably won't go away for a month or so
the upside to being a sick mom, no work
which means I do get a little more Everly time
even if I have to just look from afar a little more than I'm used to
and thankfully I have a pretty awesome guy I call this girl's daddy
to help me around the house, even more than normal
today we did one thing besides rest
made a new bow that fits better
and looks better, and I'm overall way happy with
and took a bunch of pictures on my phone
and yes, I couldn't get enough sun flare
or goober faces

want to make this felt bow - I used this blog to help
however, I just free handed it with some scissors,
 I didn't think printing out a template was necessary, but maybe I'm just lazy
all pictures edited through Afterlight

Saturday, April 6, 2013

lately.

life right now is full swing, beyond full swing. working mom. grad student. trying to be a wife, and occasionally helping out around the house. I'm doing my best, but man, am I'm exhausted, and very thankful I only have one and a half classes left before I can check grad student off my to do list!

Friday, April 5, 2013

everly mae is five months old

everly mae
you have changed our lives in all the best ways
I cannot remember how my life used to be before you were mine
you are such a happy little being
and that makes me even happier
you have melted my heart every time you grab my hand
touch my face
and ever so carefully run your hand against me

you, your never ending drool, and always busy hands
are all my favorite things
I will love you forever in a day miss everly mae
you are, as we always say, a keeper
and getting a little more fun every day
happy five months everly mae

Monday, April 1, 2013

oh hey, I'm 21 weeks old

why yes, I am actually 21 weeks old today
and because something pretty big happened today, I figured I would be "on time"
with this post
yes lately I've been drooling up a storm 
[something my auntie lovingly points out in every picture!]
chewing on anything I could get my hands [and mouth] on
and have been really beating up ole' Sophie lately
mom knew it was coming, and today, she was right
yes, it is official, I have broke my first tooth
you can see it, feel it, and overall, it's a pretty big deal
  besides the big "breaking news"
I have been loving long lazy hours outside
where I look like I just might fall asleep, but I rather just take it easy
I celebrated my first Easter where I was horribly spoiled by many loving
aunts, cousins, grandmas, grandpas, grammies, and great-grandmas
[seriously, it looked more like a very springy christmas amount of loot!]
so I'll say it here, because mom has really gotten bad about thank you cards lately
thank you for my goodies, I am one lucky, and very loved, little lady
-Everly Mae
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