My Brain Hurts!

Well, the first week of school is behind me, and I am still alive. I can't remember ever being this tired before, and it's not because I'm not sleeping at night. Thanks to my friend Ambien, I've been getting eight solid hours of rest.

Teacher work week was nothing exciting; we had meetings at school, a half-day of staff development on a topic that didn't relate to what I teach, convocation with all the district employees, and Meet the Teacher night. It was fun to see my friends again, but having to be somewhere for eight hours at a time is so tiring! Most of my kids showed up for Meet the Teacher, and I sat on a stool in the hall. I did have a few parents who seemed concerned about me being pregnant, but I expected that.

Mom and Dad came back last Thursday and brought Zach home. It was his birthday, along with his Meet the Teacher. Darren and I took him to his school that evening, and we really liked his teacher. Afterward, we took him to dinner at a Japanese place for his birthday. Mom and Dad watched Zach on Friday, then went home that evening. Last Saturday, we went to school for a while to work, then hung out on Sunday.

Whoever decided to start school on a Monday needs to be shot! It is so hard for both the kids and teachers to settle back into a routine, and five days is WAAAAYYY too long to have to do that at once. Our bus situation was horrible, as it always is the first week, so kids are coming in halfway through class in the morning, and some buses aren't leaving until almost 5:30 in the evening. That's a long day for a child who is not used to that kind of schedule! We had our usual collect supplies, tour the school, set up binders, and deal with paperwork first day, then spent two days teaching the school rules and procedures to the students. That went smoothly, then I started actually teaching yesterday. One of my classes has some REALLY low kids in it, and they are very hard to teach. It's going to be a rough year with them, simply because I am not experienced at teaching those kind of kids, and I feel sorry for the ones who are on grade level and will have to sit and wait while I slow down the pace for the others. I am not the most patient person, so I hope that I don't do a disservice to those kids this year. I brought tons of stuff home to work on this weekend, but I can't even think about taking it out of the car until tomorrow. I need a mental break!

I went to the doctor yesterday, and I am measuring at 36 weeks. I lost weight again, even though I am eating like crazy. She did an ultrasound, and the baby has settled into position. I am scheduled to be induced on Friday, September 28th, which is my doctor's birthday. I plan to work until Friday the 21st, then stay home until December 17th. I have my sub, and my leave has been approved. All that's left to do is write twelve weeks of lesson plans, and wash the baby clothes. My sister-in-law is giving me a shower next Saturday, and it sounds like there will be a lot of people there.

I'm too tired to write any more. Further bulletins as events warrant.