Thankful.

I am so thankful for everything God has brought across my path at this point in my life. 2010 had some really crappy things for my family and me, but where there are rain clouds, there is inevitable sunshine.

I am, obviously, so flipping excited and thankful about the little girl that is about to join our family. Just about 5 weeks left, which is insane to consider. I am thankful for my best friend, buddy, husband, Michael, whatever you want to call him, every.day. He is everything to me. Everything. My family is healthy, positive, and optimistic about the upcoming year. My friends are doing well...there are so many exciting things coming in the future for them that I just can't help but feel joy for them. They are pieces of my puzzle and their joy is my own, too. :)

I got an email from my NIU supervisor saying that everything is right on target and ready for graduation (in other words, my huge, p.i.t.a., painstaking internship portfolio didn't suck enough to fail) and that it's time to celebrate and relax! So, I'm DONE WITH MY MASTERS! I am just waiting to receive my degree and official notification from NIU. I remember all the nights, driving an hour each way to and from the NIU Naperville campus for classes, multiple times per week. I will miss the camaraderie that I found in meeting new friends through classes, but I definitely will not miss the all-organic, uber-expensive, under-staffed Arbor Vitae cafe (the only food option at the campus), or the tedious and never-ending assignments. I won't miss missing things anymore, especially on those summer nights when a beer garden or a movie is calling my name instead of sitting in class. Oh, and it's the first time in my life I've gotten a 4.0 throughout an entire program. I know no one cares, but I still think it's pretty cool.

I am so looking forward to the changes that are going to come about in the next month or so. My life focus is changing from teacher/grad student to teacher relinquishing the reins of her classroom for eight weeks to focus on caring for a newborn baby girl (aka motherhood)~...and I'm ready for the next chapter in my life and am so thankful for the positives that surround it.

All I Can Think About Is...

Work. I know. What's that all about? I literally dream and doze and wake to thinking about my classroom and my job. Impending doom while relinquishing control of my class? Do you think I should possibly be predisposed to think of....other things? Like how we're about to be parents in less than 7 weeks? Perhaps. What's with my brain? People tell me that I just won't care as much about my job after baby's here. The thing is, I really do care a lot about my job. I love it. It's me, it's my heart, it's what I truly love, it's what I believe in. I may act flippant and carefree most of the time sometimes, but it's really one of the very most important things in my life. I will really, really miss it during maternity leave. Don't get me wrong, it'll be awesome to have some "time off," but I know I won't be able to turn my brain off about it. I'm a nerd. That maternal-instinct thing can kick in anytime...

7 Cruel Ironies About Pregnancy

1. The most important news of your life thus far can't be blabbed like you want it to for fear of miscarriage. For 12 weeks.

2. Doctors advise against caffeine (for at least the first trimester), when you absolutely need it most.

3. When your gag reflexes are at their most temperamental, you see the size of the prenatal vitamin that you're supposed to choke down. Every day. ("Are these horse pills?")

4. The foods that make your stomach turn are probably the ones that your doctor is encouraging to eat a lot of. Veggies, fruits, all the typical healthy crap that makes you want to yack. ("Are crackers a meal?")

5. You spend a small fortune on a whole new wardrobe of clothes that resemble parachutes and that you hate.

6. During the time when you are most huge sensitive and you might actually care that strangers know that you're actually not an unwed teen mother, your fingers are far too fat to wear your wedding rings anymore.

7. When people advise you to "Get all the rest you can now, you'll have a baby to look after soon and won't be able to get any rest!", you realize that it's already too late because you're up every hour at night peeing ("but I didn't even drink anything before bed!") and/or you're getting mini-javelins to the ribs and lungs from someone who's awake and doesn't care about your priorities.

Seasonal Treats That Make Me Happy

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/buckeye-balls-ii/Detail.aspx

Go get some as soon as humanly possible. It makes everything better. I promise.

 

 

 

Baby Showers

Can we talk about how awesome Selina did with throwing me a super sweet baby shower? I mean...the photos don't even do it justice. It was one of the very nicest things anyone's done for me and I'll never forget it!

Diaper Cake ~ approximately 827,000 diapers surrounding baby bath supplies and burp cloths on the outside. Amazing.

Gourmet cheese and caramel popcorn and baby bottle favors..."Baby Fahey is ready to POP!" :) (get it?)

Games

Dirty Diaper Game. Hilarious.

I wouldn't judge you, I licked it too.

Michael was such a good sport. Love him.

The hostess with the mostest and beached whale Noelle.

Selina and her beautiful Mommy

My adorable coworkers and me

Soon to be 4 generations of ladies...

So hard not to cry at these books and their little heartfelt messages!

Goooo Huskies!

Love.

I love her.

Large and In Charge

I'm so excited for my baby shower(s) this weekend. I cannot wait to see everyone, although I could do without them seeing me in the house-esque state I'm in. I know they won't judge me, though. At least not to my face. It was really hard to find two dresses that didn't look like total tents on me. I can't believe we only have about eight weeks to go, though. I'm so, so happy. I can't wait to tell you her name...

On a sad note, our family cat (lives with my folks) died yesterday. He was the fattest cat I've ever seen in real life and one of the sweetest kitties. It's always tough when a pet dies, you feel so helpless. They really become a legit part of your family. Mister lived for 14 long years with us. He was found in a bird's nest (how's that for irony) when he was a kitten and we took him home to live with us. RIP, Mister...we love you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2C0_E4VoTA