jelly donut.

this post is a tribute to my puppy, who is now old, who is going to be put down this week. =(

Jelly Donut aka J.D. is now 14 years old and past his prime. But he's had a good run. He's been through ridiculous amounts of snow in New Jersey where he couldn't run around because his legs are too short, moving across the country, camping in a trailer endless amounts of time, moving houses in Nevada, being left at the puppy hotel while we went on vacation, eating ice cream cones and getting brain freezes and herding our psychotic cat Lacy back inside from the backyard. He will be missed dearly by Lacy Mae, the one cat left, and by the family who he's grown up with but he will be in a much better place soon. I love you!

twizzler.

This is Twizzler, our new beta fish we inherited from Tashina. His name was originally Fish, but I decided to stick with the candy theme and rename him. =)

This is Snickers "guarding" Twizzler from unwanted attackers.

And this is the "unwanted attacker".

However, there has been some delay on eating him because she doesn't like to get her paws wet. We haven't decided if she just likes watching him swim around (because he does tempt her. for some reason he likes to swim to the top when she's watching and then zoom back down to the bottom when she looks like she's going to get him) and wants to play with him, or if she's actually going to eat him. That is why we put the fish in our office and only allow her in there when we can watch her carefully. It is highly entertaining though, watching her scratch on the door to be let in. =)

uh oh.

So, the past couple nights I've been having this feeling that I should change my major. Seriously? After all of the hours I spent getting into my program, applying and doing all of the stuff that goes along with it, I have this desire to switch. Let me explain....

Next fall, I am supposed to be doing a "cohort" with a bunch of girls who are in my major. Basically we take all of our classes together, and then the last half of the semester, we are in the classroom with kids. Then in the winter semester, I will student teach for two different grades, Pre-k- kindergarten and 1st through 3rd. Having worked in the preschool and kindergarten now, I know that this is a 7:30-4:30 job all day every day. So, because of this, I've been having doubts on whether or not I want my child staying with someone else all day, and because Levi will be working and going to school that's how it would be. Now, the problem is that I have taken waaay too many parenting/socialization/brain development classes to be ok with this. I know that attachments are formed within the first year, and yes, even though I would have our kid for 4 months before I started all this crazy school business I don't want my kid calling someone else "mom" for their first word because I'm not there. I also know that their neural connections are being built this first year too and not that I don't love and trust other people, but I do know somewhat what I should be doing to help my kid. So, I am not comfortable with leaving them all day like a daycare kid.

Soo, I've been looking into a major that ties in with the classes I've been taking and found one that I have a lot completed: Marriage, Family and Human Development with an emphasis in early childhood. All of my classes this semester would go towards it because I had to withdraw from all of my ECE ones to make working work. So because of that, I'm in 3 SFL classes, which although I didn't think it was at the time, but maybe it's hinting to what I should do? I don't know...

These are my reasons to switch so far:
1. I can take 5 of the classes I need, independent study next semester so that I don't have to take any on campus and I will be able to finish them before our kid is born that way I still get credit for the semester.
2. I can graduate in December 2010, instead of April 2011. Along with that, I would only have to take 3 classes in the fall, which would be even better. Also, levi is thinking that he'll graduate then too and since he'll be finding out where he's going to dental school then, he could work fulltime whereever we decide to go, and take a break before life gets all crazy for him.
3. Obviously, I could be home with our baby more and not have to have someone watch them all the time.
4. Even though it isn't my perfect major, who says I'm going to work after I get my degree anyways? Is it worth giving my kid to someone else so that I can finish what I want to do?
5. I can always go back and get the teaching stuff for it later.

Cons:
1. I love my major. Hands down. I love the kids I work with now and think it's a fabulous job.
2. I don't really know much I could do with the major when I would get it. It says you can work at daycares, or rehabilation centers etc. But do I want to do that? However, I have always though that I could have a little daycare thing at my house while Levi is in dental school to bring in some extra money.
3. I can't think of any right now, but I know there are some more.

I will add to this that my husband thinks it's a stupid reason to switch majors when there are clearly other options (though he hasn't given me any other options to choose from). However, I will not tell him that I think he has no idea what he is talking about since obviously he has not read the studies and been to all of the classes pertaining to this like I have.

Soo... any tips? Suggestions?

fame etc.

i saw fame this evening and was not particularly impressed. i am a big big fan of musicals and thought this was going to be fabulous with all of the dancing and what not, however i was mistaken. it was ok, not worth my $8.50 I paid for it, but oh well. I would have liked more singing and dancing and developing of character's stories, but then it would have been like 4 hours long so i see why it was so short.

also, i did not post my fabulous baby bag on here! i got it in the mail today and it's even better than i expected. it just makes me want to buy stuff to put in it. =))

isn't it just fabulous? levi was like "you would buy a bag like that. it doesn't even look like a baby bag" and i said, duuuuh. but yes, i'm going to be such a cool mom. hehe

as an update, levi doesn't have the swine flu- he's just been sick for the last 17 million days, well it feels like that anyways, it's only been 4 technically. and because of this, he has watched 3 whole seasons of heroes. you should be impressed. i don't know many people who can watch that much tv in a day, but my husband can. =)

also, i am loving all of the people getting married now. it's kind of crazy!

---.

Well I have been told that I have begun to slack a little on the blogging bit, which I admit I have. Not like I do much homework, but I have much less motivation to write out long things about my life than I did during the summer. Probably because I'm actually doing other things besides working and coming home to watch TV. Anyways, here is my update:

1. My husband thinks he might have the swine flu. He texted me while I was at work today and said he thought he was getting sick because he had a lot of flu like symptoms. Well, two hours later he got an email from a kid in one of the classes he TA's for that said he has the swine flu and wont' be coming to class for a while. Apparently this is the type of kid who sits in the front row, comes to all his office hours, so his exposure is legit enough for me to make him a doctor's appointment bright and early tomorrow morning to get it checked out. But I'm going to be kinda ticked if he has it. a. because that means that I am a contact of it and probably can't work with my 20 children who have worse immune systems than me and b. i don't want to get it but seeing as we share a lot of things in this house hold, it is very likely that i could. death.

2. I still fail at doing homework, studying, and motivating myself to do anything related to school. Apparently I can't take 13 credits because I feel like I have nothing to do. I'll remember that in the future.

3. I would like to comment on the friends I have going to the Miley Cyrus concert tonight-- there are 3 girls in the kindergarten going with their moms as well. Maybe you'll see them there. =)

4. I hate having people call asking for us to donate money to some charity or another. I always feel like a jerk for not wanting to, and they don't ever let you hang up ever.

5. I'm excited for this dramatic change in weather that is supposed to happen this evening. I'm tired of being all sweaty after coming in at recess. And plus, I have some lovely sweaters to wear now.

I am really lacking in the inspired writing department tonight so that is all I leave you with my good friends. =)

body.

Let me tell you what an interesting sensation it is to have your pants fit in the legs, but then be extremely tight at the waist. I have invested (well my mom invested, and gave it to me) in the BellyBand, and I must say that it is fabulous. I might even wear it when I'm not pregnant because it holds the pants up without having to zip or button them.

However, I will tell you of the incident in kindergarten yesterday, I was wearing these cords, which were a lot lower rise than any of my work pants, which also made it hard for the band to stay down and cover the fly, because I have a longer torso yadda yadda yadda. Well, I was doing a good job making sure it was covered, but when I stood up from the chairs at the table, which I should mention are about a foot maybe off the floor so it's extremely awkward to get up from, the bottom part of my zipper was showing and I immediately got a "your pants are unzipped teacher". Awkward. then "are they too tight, do you need a bigger size?" What do you say to a kid, to explain that while you don't look like you have anything inside you, you actually do, and I don't need bigger pants, I just needed the stupid thing to stay down farther, which wasn't going to happen. Sigh. it'll be nice to look like I am not just gaining weight specifically in my stomach but that there is actually something there so I have a legit excuse for the children, besides "my stomach is too big" which I felt like saying.

Also, yoga right now. Holy freak. The only reason I go is because I like the way I feel when I'm done. Other than that, I wouldn't go, not only because I hate working out, but because it's hard!! Power yoga is a work out man!! She pumps the room up to like 80+ degrees so we are dripping with sweat and then we do the same things over and over again. But it feels so good, my body likes it, so I will continue to sweat it out every other day, knowing that this is the only exercise I'm going to do besides walk up the death stairs every day. =)

oh boy.

we had our first baby apppointment today! it was awesome! we heard the heartbeat, which is beating at 173 beats per minute btw, and saw the ultrasound. It makes it seem a whole lot more real considering I haven't been sick at all so it really just doesn't feel like we're going to have a kid. but apparently there is something growing inside of me! So our official date is April 10, 2010 which would be awesome because Levi's birthday is the 9th!

btw, kindergarten is crazy. that's all i have to say. it's been a lot of work this week man.