And then there were three...

So I haven't blogged since about this time last year when we found out that baby Addie was going to be a girl! I remember we were so surprised because we 100% thought we were having a boy, but all the same, we love her so so much!

Addie will be 7 months old on the 14th, ugh, how did that happen? When they say time flies, well time flies!! We are quickly realizing that our tiny baby is not tiny and is growing and learning sooooo much each day! And boy do they change so quickly!

Life as 2 and life with 3 of us has been a major change in every aspect of life...and what have I learned? Babies do not come with instruction manuals and there really isn't anything that can prepare you for the type of baby you are going to have. I look back at pictures of us with Addie when she was brand spanking new and I looked like death because she screamed all day and all night long and I never slept..seriously...never slept! I'm surprised I didn't go crazy but I think I was too delirious to go crazy :) If you would have asked me about Addie I probably would have said she wouldn't be as happy as she is today (Although we haven't reached teething yet).

Ya'll this little girl wakes up happy, happy, happy and ready to go, go , go! She is growing and doing things at lightening speed. She's crawling like a pro (and she is so fast), she can go from sitting up to crawling and vice versa, she is starting to try and climb up tables and tv stands. I seriously thought these things didn't happen until circa 8 or 9 months...at this rate this baby will be walking by then! She is also into everything we own, my house has become bare as everything is a hazardous object..cords...glass items (bye bye cute decorations). But it doesn't really matter because we are, as they say, making memories.

We are also learning how to be parents and it's tough. Our days revolve around her and her needs, when before our days revolved around ourselves. Now, when we do have an occasional baby free night we don't know what to do with the silence and we don't know how to "relax". I feel like the first year is a year of trying many different things, especially a sleep "schedule".  We are trying so hard to work on this sleep thing. We aren't perfect at it, but we try real hard. It's hard to read different things that tell you what not to do..don't rock the baby to sleep, don't nurse the baby to sleep..don't don't don't..well I can honestly say that we don't have the type of baby that will go to sleep on her own in her crib, it just doesn't work for us. So yes, we have to do some of the do nots in order to ensure sleep. I've also learned that even when she does sleep all night, I don't sleep...current insomnia situation. We are constantly tweaking things and trying to observe her needs and meet them. I always say...do what works best for you :) We aren't perfect, there is a lot that we don't know...like how we needed to change nipple sizes on the bottles (yep...mom fail). And I never really know when to change diaper sizes, sounds silly, but it's so confusing because they seem to be in between sizes. My baby doesn't wear shoes because she pulls them off. Trying to establish a feeding schedule that includes food is confusing no matter how many different things I read about it.

Life as 3 is good and will continue to get better each day, month, and year as Addie grows and learns. What I've learned is to take this journey day by day and expect the unexpected. We may stay at home more and seem anti-social, but that's life as 3. We wouldn't change it because she has given us a happiness that we didn't know existed; those gummy smiles and drooly kisses are the best!
Thank you for the wonderful blessing of Addilyn; she is amazing!

Gender reveal

 In case you missed it, it's a girl! Before I go any further, let's back up a few days to Wednesday. Wednesday was my 18 week check-up and first ultrasound. It literally took FOREVER to get to the ultrasound portion; I'm pretty sure I'm never going in 15 minutes early to another appointment because it's the second time I've sat in the waiting room for over 30 minutes. Anyway, the worst part about OB appointments are when they check your weight...I hate that scale, but I will report that from week 14 to 18 I did really good and only gained 2 pounds to make a total of 12 pounds! But I feel every bit of 12 pounds hanging around my waist, thighs, and bottom! Our ultrasound was kind of funny because Addilyn is breech and was sitting cross-legged facing the "camera." We have a lot of pictures of her alien looking face, but the tech was able to get the important parts she needed like the brain, heart, kidneys, measurement of her head...etc. Finally, at the very end, Addi moved long enough to show off her goodies to the "camera," and as soon as the scanner hovered over the sex part I immediately looked at Brandon and said "there is no pee-pee in that picture." His eyes got really big and he smiled and we started shaking our head and then of course crying...a little girl is a big deal! We are excited, no matter the gender, but raising a little girl is going to be a tough job. I am very thankful that everything is normal as far as her development, placenta placement, and cervix length. We received the okay from the doctor to see a midwife from here on out and I couldn't be more thrilled. The doctor we saw wasn't very friendly and I didn't really feel the same connection to him as I have with the midwives.

Now, for the fun part! Yesterday, we had a gender reveal party with the help of Brandon's sister. Parties are fun, but I was exhausted and you can probably tell from the pictures. I'm pretty sure we had a good 20 people at our house eating, talking, and we thoroughly enjoyed the love and support from all of you! Our theme was tutus or ties and we thought it was fitting because Brandon is a business man and owns a gazillion ties from his old job and well I guess you say I'm pretty girly (hence the tutus). We had a ton of decorations that I made and some were purchased too. Once everyone arrived we made them vote and wear a pin. Brandon's sister bought pretty blue mason jars and pink flowers...all of which we found on Pinterest. See, Pinterest always has great ideas of things to do for parties...I'm already planning and pinning ideas for a fall themed baby shower! After eating, I counted the votes: 9 girl and 8 boy votes, then we decided to go ahead and cut our gender reveal cake. It was an amazing cake designed by Billie's former co-worker and friend (she does professional cakes on the side). It literally looked like the one off Pinterest..and it tasted really good! We cut the cake and...surprise....it was a girl and we didn't have to keep our secret any longer!

And in this moment I probably could have cried again with excitement, but I contained it (darn pregnancy hormones). Even Briley was excited to see that it was a girl and he could maintain his "only boy" status for awhile. December 7th ish can not arrive soon enough, we are already planning the baby shower and starting a nursery...if only I could decide between coral, gold, and teal or coral and gold themes...who knows! We hope this baby really is sugar, and spice, and everything nice and of course, most importantly, kind! Hopefully she lacks the bit of sass that I have, but still gets our humor ;) 

Thank you all for coming and celebrating Addilyn Claire Jones. I am sure there will be many more celebrations and get togethers. We are happy and thankful to have your support, guidance, and most importantly love and friendship. For those of you who are too far to travel, we could still feel the love from miles away!

My decorator and planner in crime!

Besties since high school and my guidance counselor..hehe

Yes...so I missed out on my nap. It was worth it!

What I've learned...

Sorry, I know everyone is more interested in baby Jones but there isn't anything interesting going on in that department. I had a very quick appointment on June 3rd where they checked my blood pressure and went over my blood test results; which they had failed to send by mail. Basically I have gained 10 pounds and I felt very ashamed by this because I feel 10 pounds heavier, everywhere! I'm sure by the end of all of this, someone will have to roll me around because I'll be one giant swiss cake roll :) The midwife told me her concerns with my iron levels, she said they weren't low but they weren't "where they needed to be," this was a little depressing because I eat a lot of vegetable and fruit. On my next visit, they are going to draw more blood and check it again to make sure I don't need to take an iron supplement as well as the prenatal vitamins. Oh and the baby's heart rate was in the high 150's! Other than that...nothing has changed in the baby department.

However....I'm on summer break and I am pretty excited to have a break! This will officially become my first summer off from school (grad school that is). But, my brain is already planning for next year and I'm working on changing up my cooperative learning centers. In my spare time I read a lot of blogs from teachers who are successful with different things. I found a great science related blog that fits with fifth grade! This lady is seriously a woman after my own heart in that we share a lot of the same beliefs about teaching. She also has amazing ideas for note booking, vocabulary, and cooperative learning stations. I really wish CSI would offer a training on science note booking, or note booking in general because they are amazing tools when set up and implemented the correct way.

Anyway, what I really wanted to blog about are the things that I have learned from teaching. It's safe to say that I've come a long way from the first year, "survival of the fittest!" Literally, my first year of teaching is a blur...I really don't remember much aside from some of my students (who are now going into 7th grade, say what???). The first thing I've learned is that I am not a "fluff" teacher, but I do give out hugs. I don't have the calming soothing voice that a lot of k-2 teachers have, but I also don't yell at kids either. I think the best thing to think about is your attitude toward teaching and toward your students, as my favorite blogger states, "Stay upbeat about learning, don't tolerate nonsense, and be interested in your students success." I expect the same amount of effort from everyone and when it's not their very best, I make them do it again until it is. This is very frustrating on both parts, but it's tried and true. Once you accept something other than the best, your students become lazy, give-up easily, and will wear you down. Once they realize that someone believes in them and holds them to a standard, they will build respect for you and often put in extra effort to be successful. I can honestly say that my students this year but in a lot of effort, especially on those dread EOG's! Being consistent in how you manage your routines and your students behavior is very important. I don't like change...I'll be the first to admit it, when we constantly change things up in our rooms; it gets hectic and confusing (lesson learned from the first year of teaching). One last thing I've learned is to PLAN, PLAN, PLAN....and that is what I do during all of my "free" time. Literally, every summer (while I've been childless) I have used a backwards design for planning lessons (minus my first year). I actually didn't know the name for this technique until last summer when I took a graduate class on classroom management. One of the required readings for the class was a wonderful book called: Engaging Readers and Writers with Inquiry. In this book, it talked about using a backwards design for teaching. Basically, you begin your lesson plan with the end expectation (thinking about what you need your students to know) and work your way up to all of the little details. I'm pretty sure most teachers do this anyway, especially when you create a pre-test to determine what your students know before you teach a unit.

No, I'm not saying these are the best ways...everyone has their "niche." This is what works for me, and year after year I see my old students trickle back down to "mean ole" Mrs.Jones's room to chit- chat about life and school. Actually, many of them like to come and show me their report cards and the great work they are doing! Honestly, teachers are truly talented people who go through extreme measures to make sure children are successful. The best part is seeing them grow from the beginning until the end; even if it's only a little bit! As much as I've enjoyed Science this year, I'm glad for two months of R&R to re-vamp some things for next year!

No margaritas or bikinis for this chick!

And then there were 3 humans and 1 dog...

If you haven't heard, which I am sure you have, I am getting larger by the day (having a baby). I'll try to keep this post more on the peaches and cream side, but I am honestly feeling a lot of animosity toward pregnancy; I don't feel beautiful and am ready to have my own body back to normal!

Today I am 12 weeks and 5 days, let's just round up and say 13 weeks. I am entering what they call the second trimester which, according to blogs and this book I'm reading, it's supposed to be the easiest trimester; the first trimester has been pretty interesting!  I think we kind of knew I was pregnant around March 27th, when I took the first pregnancy test and received a faint positive. I waited a week and took another one of April 2nd and BOOM that thing didn't waste time turning into a bright blue plus sign. Like most people, I took another one to make sure the first two were right (because that makes total sense, right?). Honestly, I was totally freaking out, babies are expensive (especially daycare) I might need to donate an organ just to afford it...good grief! Eventually my nerves calmed down and here we are at 13 weeks...and growing (definitely growing).

There are many interesting things that happen to your body that I don't like..the first being nausea.  When I went to the doctor at five weeks, to confirm the pregnancy, I felt great and the midwife reminded me that by week 6 most women get "morning sickness". What a joke that word is! Literally this happened overnight, one day I felt great and the next day I felt like I had a very bad case of the stomach flu.....for the next, what are we 7 weeks in? During week 7, I finally called the midwife and told her that I was miserable and she let me go in a few times to get an IV (I really don't know why this made me feel better, but it always did). She also prescribed me two different things to try for the nausea-Diclegis (basically its Unisom and vitamin B6) and Phenergan...Zofran is apparently not good for pregnancy anymore. Phenergan works pretty well but it makes me very sleepy so I tried not to take it at work, but then I couldn't stop dry-heaving so I had to take it at work and just deal with being sluggish. I think most people experience some type of nausea during pregnancy, I'm the type that dry-heaves and literally throws-up..can't tell you how many times I've had to swallow barf while working. So, it's not been easy, there aren't any rainbows or butterflies, and I'm pretty sure I never want to go through this again...one baby is all we need (and I haven't even done the worst part). Also, your ta-ta's get really big, really fast and they hurt all the time! People keep saying they will get larger once my milk comes in post baby---I'll be able to tie those things around my neck if they keep growing...GROSS! But you know...this is such a "wonderful" time. One other thing that stinks about it all, is that the OB I am going to and have always gone to, does not do ultrasounds until it's time to scan for the anatomy at 17 weeks. So here I sit, getting bigger, being sick, and have no real visual of a baby....just symptoms;  it's pretty disheartening.

Luckily, they have APPS that you can download and it will show you pictures of the baby during each week and what, developmentally,  is taking place inside of the womb. Another great thing is that many people post pictures of their ultrasounds so I can get an idea of what mine would look like. Right now, it is the size of a peach and has developed all of it's major organs. I don't have cravings for things, but there are things I prefer to eat because they fill me up such as pizza, chips, popcorn (basically and unfortunately carbs). However, I do eat a lot of fruits and veggies like I normally would. I am struggling to eat meat!!! Some days I can handle it and other days it looks and tastes disgusting! I used to meal plan but now it's impossible to figure out what I am willing to eat from day to day; I am hoping this changes!

Anyways, here is to the 2nd trimester and hoping that the nausea takes a hike in a few weeks so I can feel more like myself instead of a walking zombie! My next appointment is this week, June 3rd and I'll go in so they can tell me  how fat I am, pee in a cup, and listen to the babies heart beat. July 8th is the anatomy scan where we will get to see the baby and determine if it's a boy or a girl. This will also allow us to start thinking about the nursery theme and slowly get that taken care of before the busy holidays come and we have a new baby.

Also.....it's almost summer break!!!! I've never been this excited to lounge around the house and rest!

Definitely... Pregnant!

New tradition

    This year we started a new Christmas tradition by having my family come to our house to celebrate. Usually we travel between Brandon's family's house and my parent's house during the holidays and it's quite exhausting. This year I decided we would spend Thanksgiving with his parents and Christmas at home and it was fun and tiring....

  My favorite part of Christmas day are stocking stuffers. Now that we are older we all contribute to buying one another little knick-knacks for the stockings. My dad always buys us kid stuff...we got play-dough this year, and my brother and husband decided to buy the men mini Nerf guns (bad idea). Those things pack some power..my poor dog ended up getting hit in the eye and pouted about it for six hours (you'll shoot your eye out). Needless to say, there won't be any more fun guns purchased :( My dad also likes to buy us car related things (haha) but they are things we would use like a car freshener and a tire pressure gauge...and then I pulled out an ice scraper and didn't know what it was. At first I thought it was a pooper-scooper for cat litter and kinda got mad because I was thinking, "Who the hell bought me a cat"? Cats are cute and all but I can't deal with the hair...Everyone laughed at me..ooops!

   We opened presents and enjoyed all of our new goodies, but then it was time to start dinner. The day before, I had prepped everything and cleaned the turkey and cooked the yucky things inside..GROSS! My mom guided me through the whole stuffing and turkey process because I haven't cooked one by myself before, I have only watched and helped here and there during previous celebrations. I learned it's all about the baste...literally..and making sure you salt and pepper the bird so it is tasty! However, everything gets pretty busy the closer the turkey gets to being complete. I made a new version of sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed taters, rolls, and three different pies. My brother even taught us why the turkey has dark meat and white meat...something to do with the muscle fibers (that kid is like rain man)! The dinner was delicious and over in fifteen minutes...booooo! All of that cooking and cleaning for fifteen minutes; good thing I have the leftovers this year :) Oh, and I am pretty sure my hands will smell like onions for weeks from chopping so many for the stuffing....

  In usual fashion, every one retires to the couch for a cat nap while their full stomachs digest all of the butter that was used in the making of my delicious meal :) It was a fun time with laughter and gifts. We missed several people this year as some of my family lives in another state and my grandparents decided to go tropical this year, but we enjoyed our little family time.

We have Ups and Downs

    I'm warning you this is not a very nice post, so if you want fa-la-la's don't read any further. Actually, this post doesn't really have anything to do with Brandon and I; I typically blog about our journey through life. This week has been CRAZY and has really made me a bitter person toward people; once again the human race fails again. My husband wonders why I choose to stay at home all of the time and the truth is that I hate having empty conversations with random people.."Hey how is work"?...."How is the house"? "How is school"? Ewww, my favorite word ever!

First, I would like to say that I have become a punching bag at work. Sorry if it offends you, but the truth hurts. I don't know where people think or have been taught that it is appropriate to say whatever you are thinking to a person. I know how hard it is to hold back negative comments, I truly do, I think about the negative things I would love to say to people or kids everyday, but I hold my tongue. It's call having common decency-If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all---did anyone learn this growing up? I have been threatened twice this year by a parent to have my tail torn up, I've been called a b**** twice, and the worst teacher ever. Why? Because I care what is going on in a child's life to call when their behavior plummets or when their grades hit rock bottom? Where is the professionalism? Who taught us that it is okay to speak that way to people? Is it the news, is it the government? I don't know, but it makes me ashamed, it breaks my heart to know that we (as a society) think it is okay to treat people like that. It is not okay....I repeat it is not okay.

Secondly, this whole racism stuff is sad too. We live in a world where people still want to separate themselves and hold on to untruths. How do you think this affects children today? They see this stuff on the news, they hear about it in schools, and the parents talk about it. It affects everyone; tension in our country is growing because of it. Can't we move past our judgements and love one another...cut the cable off...stop watching the news..I'm telling you that stuff is nothing but untruths!

Third, yesterday I received a phone call from the Pitt County Sheriff's office regarding my rings. Let me tell you, I have moved on and really didn't want to hear any more bad news about them. I listened to what the officer had to say- basically he has interviewed everyone who entered the bathroom and given everyone a lie detector test. As of yesterday (he saved the best for last) the person he thought was definitely guilty, passed the lie detector test. So...all in all...once again, it is okay to steal and get away with lying, cheating, and stealing from good people. Breaks my heart (like most things).

Lastly, please be kind to those who are working tomorrow. I truly believe it is sad that we value money and gifts over spending time with our loved ones. Whoever thought of opening stores on Thanksgiving day is a complete idiot. My own mother has to deal with people all day for 24 hours...it's not fair...it's crazy...and we have become so money hungry in our society that we can't even enjoy holidays. Heck- next year stores might be open on Christmas!

There it is...sorry it's not so nice, but people are not so nice. Cherish the moments you have with the people you love; whether they are friends or family. I am so thankful to have great friends, a loving and supporting husband, a wonderful family, and a job that pays my bills. In the end, that is what matters the most- not the news, not some parent who cusses me out, not shopping.

Hey, remember us?

Sooo, I took a hiatus from life (not really) but I'm back! Brandon asked me a few weeks ago why I hadn't blogged, in true Jessica fashion I gave him the, "Are you kidding me look (ha)"! MY LIFE IS BUSY, not necessarily his. I feel like a thoughtless robot going through the in's and out's of life...robot goes to work, robot comes home, robot grades papers, robot reads and does her personal school work, robot skips dinner, and robot goes to sleep; it's the same thing everyday. Who is this husband you speak of? I'm sure he feels like he has been put on the back back back burner, most nights I make it into bed before he gets home from work and on his weekdays off, I spend hours grading papers and working on grad school work. You won't hear a complaint from me, I know these were the choices I made, but goodness they are wearing me down! I am ready for Christmas break so I can go into hibernation!

Teaching: Hey, if you don't know...I am teaching fifth grade Science and Social Studies. A positive is that I really enjoy the curriculum and find myself spending hours pinning a lot of fun things to do in the classroom. It is a very unique age of children; I enjoy the (almost) independence they have from third graders, but a negative is that they are the most hormonal kids! The majority of them are trying to find some type of identity before they enter middle school; so it is a constant struggle between the teacher and the child to "figure" them out. They also like to tell a lot of untruths about things, so it makes it very hard to build a trusting relationship; something I am not used to. Another thing I am learning to "cope" with is having to share my class with two other teachers; I think we all have different ideas and styles which is a great change for the kids. I think after experiencing having one class all day, to having three I still enjoy having the same class all day long. It's easier to keep up with 24 kids, 24 parents, 24 papers, 24 grades rather than 68 of everything! Bless you middle and high school teachers! However, I am thankful for this wonderful learning experience; teaching teaches me more and more about what I am able to deal with and all the craziness that goes along with it.

Another positive is that I am in the home stretch....I am almost finished with my master's degree. This has been the toughest semester because I have had to spend a lot of time interacting with kids outside the elementary school and I have had to interview and complete many projects outside of the public school library. To sum it up....I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find the time to be at so many places in a limited amount of time (this usually means I have to take a day off of work to get these things complete). However, it is one of the greatest learning experiences I have ever had! I am learning soooooo much about things that effect all aspects of the library and library users (mostly children and teens). In undergrad I learned how to write an effective lesson plan, but now I am learning about how to make children learn, why kids don't enjoy school, and the in's and out's of a school....super cool!

That's my life, it's a crazy and tired one, but it will be worth it in the end...KEEP CALM AND STUDY ON! As for Brandon....luckily he has some good guy friends he can hang out with! He's my saving grace...he keeps my nerves in CHECK and is really running the home and making sure I eat SOMETHING for dinner. I thank God every day for having such an amazing partner..husband, YOU ROCK!