1 Week Down...

7 to 10 to go. :)

I had a shocking (and rather silly) realization on Thursday. As usual, I got my little reminder on Thursday from Baby Center what week in pregnancy I'm in, how big the baby is, etc. (This week is a cabbage.)

This Thursday I hit 30 weeks.

For some reason that freaked me out.

All of a sudden the birth of my child, which before had seemed like it would NEVER happen, seemed very close.

If my first pregnancy is any indication, I could go (yes, like a bomb), in seven weeks. Ack! Hopefully, I've learned some things since my last pregnancy and I can hold him in for at least 8 weeks. (By the way, he just kicked me. That better be a sign of agreement.)

First, I'd like to delay birth until at least March for his health. Emerson was born healthy at 37 weeks, but she was small and not really interested in eating. It made things a little tough for all three of us.

Second, I like the idea of a March birthday for my little one. Our February is wacko with birthdays and anniversaries. March is pretty clear.

Third, my boss will be gone from February 11th to the 23rd. Her son is coming back from the war in Afghanistan and she will be flying to Tennessee to spend time with him. While I know that there is very little control that women have over when their children decide to arrive, I would love to be able to support my principal. Now, I don't know how helpful I will be at that point, but I would like to try.

This week back at work went well. I was pretty tired by the end of the day, but I got everything done that I needed to and my energy levels felt pretty high. It actually turned out to be important that I felt okay. The other vice principal stayed out on Thursday to take care of her daughter, and yesterday my principal had to leave to take care of a health issue. Luckily, everything went smoothly both days. But I'm not gonna lie, I was happy to leave on Friday.

This weekend should be the definition of relaxed. We slept in this morning, and we are starting to get moving. Today will be all about staying at home, hopefully getting some cleaning done. I'm not looking forward to cleaning out the spare room, but it really is necessary. Plus, I know I will feel better when the baby's room is ready. That'll take awhile...sigh.

But again, 7 to 10 weeks. :)

So Thankful

That this week is over. The week after a vacation tends to be doozie-rific, but this one was especially challenging.

First, and a little bit too late, I came to the realization that I am six months pregnant. While I am still in the second trimester, it became very clear that I need to slow down a bit.

It was such a busy week that I don't even remember Monday. It was pretty much a whirl-wind of preparing for an expulsion (boo), writing clerical evaluations (unexpected boo), and helping a teacher return to work after an extended leave (big surprise boo.)

Tuesday was a big day for me. I think there will be certain moments for me as a VP that will allow me to demonstrate whether or not I can really do this job. Tuesday presented that moment in my first extension of suspension meeting. This meeting is a part of the expulsion process. Hearing officers at the district level meet with school administrators and the student and his parents to determine whether or not there is enough evidence to move forward in the expulsion process. It takes an unbelievable amount of work (and paper) to prepare for this meeting, which is entirely necessary given how serious an expulsion is.

My meeting went okay, but of course led to me having to do more work. That's just the nature of my job. I'm never done. At least I can say that I learn something new from every experience. Sometimes the learning is exhausting, however. :) I would like to just know.

After Tuesday, the week was just a bunch of running around trying to finish tasks that I had to put off because of my expulsion issue. It's the end of the term soon, so students and parents are starting to become worried. This translates into panicked phone calls to the vice principal. I talked so much on the phone on Friday that my ear hurt.

This week also provided me the opportunity to work with district staff, which I always enjoy but which also makes me very nervous. I am, and always have been, very aware that my career is a journey. I plan on being in education for many more decades, and it is important to me that I keep my future options open. I am sensitive to the fact that my interactions with district personnel are an important factor in my ability to be promoted to other positions in the future. It's all a little nerve wracking. Luckily I survived with all my parts intact. :)

Today is Saturday (finally), and I am looking forward to some family time. Em popped up at 7:30, but we've had a pretty relaxed morning. We are planning to get a Christmas tree, and I look forward to buying a couple more ornaments and decorating with Emerson. She is very excited about Christmas (which is a gift after her discomfort with Halloween) and we have enjoyed planning for the holidays and singing songs and such. I am concerned that the tree will look a little drag queenish, but I know we will have fun.

I do have to do some work this weekend (of course), but I am not planning on going in. I want to stay home with my family, hang out by the fire, and drink my sugar-free cocoa in peace.

A List

Things I didn't think I'd care about before I became a Vice Principal:

1. How to turn off a fire alarm

2. What color paper I printed things on

3. The width of a girl's tank top strap

4. Wasp nests

5. The sleeping patterns of bats

6. The calendar

7. Getting to work before 7

8. Ironing my clothes and doing my make up every day

9. "I heart boobies" bracelets

10. Finding dot matrix paper

Welcome to my week. It went pretty well, but I have a weird job. :)