Gratitude Post - 9 of 12

Baby Jude was born on October 15, 2009 at 11:46 pm. Healthy baby boy. 8 pounds and 20.5 inches long. So much to be grateful for this month.

Gratitude Post - 8 of 12

Hmmm. It's October 8th. Why do I feel like something is missing? Oh yeah, my due date was YESTERDAY and still no baby. The truth is, 80% of first time moms deliver after their due date - or so my doctor told me at yesterday's visit. He said we usually deliver within 5 days after, but all of my Bradley Method materials say 8 days, so who knows which is correct but either way, I am not abnormal....just big and tired and ready to meet my baby. (Why do I feel abnormal then? If one more person calls or texts in disbelief that I am still pregnant, I will SCREAM.)

So in all of the anxiety of the past few days, it's been hard to see what I can be grateful for. So for gratitude entry number 8, I am grateful for a healthy pregnancy.

Being pregnant is hard enough for sure. Your every action affects not only yourself but the vulnerable little one growing inside of you. You feel tired, sick, more anxious and emotional than usual, and you are so big at the end that the most generic daily activities are literally impossible sometimes. Time to feed the dogs? Oh wait, I can't do so without help because I can't bend over to get their water bowls. Slide in that booth at your favorite restaurant? Nope. Won't fit. And trust me, when you are beginning week 41 of this "condition," your patience is wearing off.

That said, I've had it so easy compared to many women, and I definitely recognize that. I was a little sick in the beginning and of course tired, but the baby has appeared healthy throughout my pregnancy. As the months progressed, I've been fortunate enough to remain active and exercising. I can't imagine how slowly the time would be passing if I had been on bed rest or worried about the health of the baby or his showing up too soon. So if I have to go an extra week or so to test my patience and make up for my lucky 9 months, so be it. I am grateful to have experienced this as easily as I have, and I hope labor and delivery follows the same pattern. With that in mind, pray that little one comes soon on his own time before I have to be induced. We're hoping for the best in the days ahead!

Gratitude Post, 7 of 12

For my seventh gratitude entry of the year, I am sincerely grateful for all of our support from friends and family as we prepare for the arrival of Baby Jude. Preparing for a new baby is such an exciting task but also a very overwhelming one. There are products to research and things to buy, and the weight of it all can seem heavy to say the least. I'm thankful that I have friends and family who not only remind me that Jude will be happy if he simply has lots of love but also happily share in the joy (and some of the burden) of what is to come. As I glance at the calendar and see my due date looming about 4 weeks away, I can say that at least our home is ready thanks to our generous family and friends.

The best thing about baby showers is that you can celebrate with so many people you maybe don't get to see as often as you'd like. While yes the gifts are appreciated, the company is even better! I was lucky enough to celebrate Jude's arrival 4 times in the past few months.

family shower with my in-laws

family shower at my sister's house

a fabulous childrens' book shower with some lovely English teacher hostesses....Jude's bookshelves are stocked!

a lovely tea with my favorites - Brenau ladies welcoming baby Jude!

His drawers are full of clothes - many of which were donated or gifted from friends and family, and the nursery is stocked and ready to go..... crib sheets, wipes, diaper cream, childrens' books, toys, bottles, and over 300 newborn diapers. I can't say thank you enough for all of the support we've received. Jude is so lucky to come in to world that is so excited to welcome him!

Gratitude Post, 6 of 12

After last summer's big trip, Scott and I wanted to head somewhere low-key this year for summer vacation. Knowing this would be our last trip pre-baby, we also wanted somewhere different where we'd have the feeling of exploring a new place.

For my 6th gratitide post this year, I am grateful for our July trip to Cape Cod. The weather was perfect, our hosts were gracious, the scenery was beautiful, and the food was fabulous. All in all, it was one of the best vacations we've had together, and I can't wait to take Jude back one day!

I was unsure about how it would be traveling when I was 27 weeks pregnant, but everything was perfect. The weather was about 20 degrees cooler than it was here in Atlanta, so that helped my energy level considerably, and our decision to spend the Fourth of July in Hyannis made for such a memorable experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to see some New England coast and enjoy time together before our little family gets a lot bigger!

A view of Nantucket from the top of the Whaling Museum

Scott and me in Nantucket

The Fourth of July Parade on Main Street in Hyannis

Me - 27 weeks pregnant and in front of the Grist Mill in Sandwich, MA

Boats on the coast of Provincetown

The boardwalk at Yarmouthport

Scott and me at the Hyannis Harbor, stuffed with yummy seafood

Gratitude Post - 5 of 12

Gratitude Post 5 of 12

Teaching is hard. That’s no secret. It’s no coincidence that statistics show us most beginning teachers quit their jobs and run screaming in the other direction within the first three years. I certainly spend my fair share of time whining and complaining about how difficult my life is from August to May.

But summertime, oh summertime.

I can’t think of many other careers where one can have a full 9 weeks of glorious vacation. And for all of those out there who complain about those spoiled teachers with weeks of vacation, I’d love to meet someone who could develop the level of energy and motivation necessary to teach and actually sustain that level of energy for 12 months a year. There is no way I could possibly be a teacher, or a halfway decent one, without this 2 months hiatus.

So what do I spend my summer doing? It’s been almost 5 weeks so far, and I can say I’ve had a nice combination of laziness and productivity. I’ve read a great book or two that have no use in the classroom, and I love that summer gives me the time to do that. I’ve spent a week at the beach, shared lunch dates with friends, spent many a day at the pool, enjoyed some quality local theatre, and savored my coffee in pajamas at 9 or 10 in the morning as I watch my morning news shows. I make no apologies for my laziness, especially this summer as I enjoy my last summer of selfishness and childlessness.

I haven’t been all lazy, though. So many mundane but important things get pushed aside as the hectic school year progresses. From scheduling carpet cleaning to revamping household budgets to cleaning out closets, summer allows me the time to do all of those things I really should be doing 12 months a year. I’m grateful to be in a profession that allows me the time to be leisurely and to play catch-up from life’s craziness and chaos. Am I ready to go back each August? Of course not. But I feel more ahead, more rested, more myself (if only a little) than I did in May and that’s worth a mention of gratitude for sure.

Gratitude Post - 4 of 12

I’m admittedly a little late on April’s gratitude entry, but it’s been a busy month. One of the recurring April events that I am always excited about is Alumnae Reunion / May Day Weekend at my alma mater.

This brings me to my fourth gratitude entry. I’m grateful to be a women’s college educated woman.

When people ask me what college I attended and I explain my answer, I am often met with the same reply. “A women’s college? Like all girls? Why?” I chose a women’s college for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees, and I am a strong supporter of single-sex education. It’s often hard to explain the benefits to someone unfamiliar with this system, but a quick glance at research can give you a variety of reasons to support single-sex education (adapted from the Women’s College Coalition and the National Survey of Student Engagement).

Only 2.5 percent of the women attending college attend women's colleges, yet their graduates account for 24 percent of our U.S. Congress members and 1/3 of the female board members of Fortune 1000 companies.

They have measurably higher levels of self-esteem than other achieving women in coeducational institutions—9 out of 10 women's college graduates give their colleges high marks for fostering and developing self-confidence.

They are more likely to graduate, and more than twice as likely as graduates of coeducational colleges to earn doctoral degrees and to enter medical school.

They earn more after graduation because they often choose traditionally male disciplines, like the sciences, as their academic major, in greater numbers. Women's colleges continue to graduate women in math and the sciences at 1.5 times the rate of coed institutions.

Both seniors and first-year students at women’s colleges scored higher on active and collaborative learning and student-faculty interaction than their counterparts at coeducational institutions.

Facts like these, however, don’t even begin to explain what I got from a single-sex education. I think the most important thing I learned in my years on women’s college campuses is the importance of female friendship. Perceiving the world through female eyes is simply different than understanding life as our male counterparts do. We are persistently challenged with stereotypical assumptions, and we have to make choices about career and family that male peers don’t even have to consider.

Companionship is a need for all humans, but having a reliable circle of female friends who have grown with you is an invaluable asset. I loved my years at Brenau and my time at Agnes Scott, and there’s nothing more fulfilling than coming of age with a group of women whom you respect and admire. If I have a daughter, I can only hope that she finds fulfillment in female friendships as I have. Somehow “friendship” does not do it justice; I think a new word needs to be coined for women’s college friendships.

“You have been prepared for leadership, prepared to meet the intellectual and social challenges of this time. […] My sisters, we know women are agents for change in every society and country of the world. … Stand up for social justice and fairness, speak up for human rights, act up for America’s promise. Lead America into a new generation, a time of universal peace, justice and human rights. You are the leaders of this time. Seize this time and do good deeds." – Shirley Franklin 2008 Agnes Scott College Graduation (http://www.womenscolleges.org/thoughts/index)

Gratitude Post - 3 of 12

Knowing 2009 would be a big year, I committed to this monthly exercise to record my experiences and to take a look at all the things I am grateful for as the seasons change and the year progresses. March’s gratitude entry is a BIG one.

There are no words which can describe what it feels like to see a tiny flicker on an ultrasound screen, even when you’ve known what’s going on inside you for a month at that point, you’ve witnessed countless friends and family have the same experience or you’ve read about what is happening inside your body. No words. How can something the size of a blueberry have a heart? How can something that wasn’t even present 9 weeks prior be living inside of me? So weird. So exciting. So happy.

So for March’s gratitude entry, I am grateful for possibilities. Grateful for life, for growth, for change, for new beginnings. Grateful for a husband who is just as excited as I am. Grateful for the time we had together before this. Time to be selfish, travel, be leisurely, but also time to be challenged and reminded that yes we do want to do this and we are excited about where the year will take us.


Number of times I have puked: only 1.

Number of hours I slept for the past few months: way more than I thought humanly possible.

Amount of guacamole I’ve eaten: You don’t want to know.

Number of my pants my waist has already outgrown: all of them

Number of pregnancy and childbirth books I now own: 4

Number of children’s books I’ve purchased already: 8

Number of times I have looked at this picture: countless.



We are elated. Due date October 1st.

Gratitude Post - 2 of 12

My goal in these monthly posts is to reflect specifically on what I am grateful for from the previous month, not just generalities, and as I look at my January and what it gave to me, I see a definite theme, and I realize that I am becoming grateful for something that I would rather not have had just a few short months ago. As February begins, I am grateful for the stage I am arriving at in my life, one of age and a little experience, one of being settled into a certain steady routine, one of reliable comfort.

Just last week, we celebrated Scott’s 30th birthday with some friends and family, and I’m forced to think about what 30 actually means, or what it used to represent to me and what it means now. I am only 2 short years behind him, but I often still think of myself as 22. College certainly doesn’t feel like 6 years ago, and I resemble, in no way, what I once expected 30 to feel like. Truth be known, I’ve sort of been fighting this growing-older thing, and resenting what I thought it meant: limited chances, hard choices, too many bills, the same scenery forever. Only recently have I realized that age and experience has more than monotony to offer, and I am opening up to the idea that life doesn’t end when you settle in one place, but perhaps you give yourself permission to start a few things.

While we haven’t talked about it a lot, there was a chance, a very good one, that Scott’s company would have us moving somewhere new, actually somewhere far far away and new and exciting and all of the things you crave when you are nearing 30 and don’t want to be. Only this month did we find out that the adventure on the horizon won’t be happening any time soon. (Thank you, global recession.) That weekend consisted of far too many tears and glasses of cabernet, and then I realized that there are many things to be grateful for, even if I stay in this place the rest of my life.

We are lucky enough to have a house that we love, and it feels more like home with every passing month as we settle in and make improvements here and there. In the last month, I am grateful for welcoming the baby of a close college friend, celebrating Scott’s 30th, enjoying a family dinner or two with my sister and her growing family, and finally furnishing the ever-empty dining room we’d been staring at for the past 4 years. All of these moments come from the age, experience, and reliability that I am only coming to know in recent years. So perhaps the looming 3-0 around the bend isn’t so much a funeral for the years that have passed but a christening for what is to come.

on repeat

I'm in love. His name is Andrew Bird.




I know I might be a little late getting on this train, and a lot of you might listen to him already. But seriously. Can't. Stop. Listening.

Gratitude Post – 1 of 12

So here goes. Month #1. Post 1 of 12.

As 2008 drew to a close, I found myself grateful for the many memories and experiences the passing year brought me.

When I think back to college or graduate school, I can remember so many specifics about my daily life and weekend adventures – where I went, whom I went there with, what we talked about. Since then, however, I’ve often been feeling like the days, weeks, months, and even years just fly by and half the time I can’t remember what I do from one day to the next. I am so grateful that 2008 has been an exception to this, and as I look back on the year, I think, Wow. I really did something.

As my January gratitude post, I am grateful for the year we just closed.

________________________________

While there are many more than 14, I've written a list of specific experiences I am grateful for in 2008 (sometimes with a picture since that was, after all, last year’s resolution):

1. A fun birthday celebration at Eclipse di’Luna to begin my 27th year with some of my favorite people

2. An especially bright and unforgettable group of students whom I felt proud to have taught as they walked across the stage on graduation day – I am continually inspired in my profession by emails, notes, and visits from these kids, and I’m grateful to have mentored them.

3. An adorable niece born in March who could not be a more perfect addition to our family.

4. Two fabulous concerts in the month of May – Tea Leaf Green and Swell Season which, by the way, pleasantly surprised me as one of the most amazing concerts I have ever been to.

5. A reunion with some college friends last June in Seaside, Florida – These girls never cease to entertain me or remind me of who I really am.

6. Our trip to Europe this summer which was absolutely the highlight of my year - There were so many simple moments on that trip – staring out the window of a train, overlooking a canal, enjoying a sidewalk café, or strolling city streets – when I had to pinch myself as a reminder that that it was real and it was perfect.

7. The Decatur Books Festival in August – Seeing Billy Collins read for the second time (and getting his autograph!) and meeting Lee Smith, one of my favorite novelists, was such a joy.

8. The Black Keys concert in October – yet another great night of music

9. A presidential election that made me proud to be a voter and an American and excited about the future direction of this country – one of hope and tolerance

10. The wedding of a dear friend where we watched her revel in her own happiness and we danced and danced and danced

11. A fabulous girls-only slumber party in November where we drank, laughed, gossiped, and watched True Blood until we fell asleep

12. A family photo shoot I’ve already mentioned in a previous post that reminds me how lucky I am to have the family that I do

13. A November reunion dinner party with a cozy outdoor fireplace and the greatest company ever

14. Closing 2008 with some of the best holiday fun and relaxation I can remember in recent years


So when I look back at the year in review, I realize it was, indeed, quite a year and I look forward to the many things 2009 has to offer. My hope is that this little monthly exercise will make me take a look at these experiences as I'm having them, not just after they pass. The challenge is, as Jane Austen says, to “feel the importance of every day, of every hour, as it passes.”

Happy 2009, everyone! I wish you the best of luck with your resolutions, whatever they may be.

New Year's Resolution

So New Year’s resolutions come and go, but as I mentioned on my last post, I had a great idea for 2009’s resolution that involves this blog. Last year, my resolution was to take more photographs, and I really felt like I followed through with that one, giving me hope that I can stick it out if I put my mind to it. So this year’s goal? To complete a gratitude journal. This is certainly not an original idea, and if you peruse the self-help section or the journal selection at any Barnes & Noble, you can see the plethora of gratitude-focused books and journals, but I pledge to do this once a month and post it here. While a few others read this, the idea honestly is that it's primarily for my benefit. It will allow me the time and space to reflect on the many things in my life that are worthy of gratitude and shift my focus away from the things I complain about far too much.

My goal is to post an entry the first week of every month and to be as specific as possible in reference to what has passed that month…. Not simply “family” or “friends” but what about those people or situations is worthy of my recognition as a blessed individual. I'm sure that some months will yield shorter entries than others and some months it might seem hard to think of anything at all, but the truth is that I'm one lucky girl, and I want to use 2009 to focus on that.