Daddy's and Their Daughters...

We found out baby #2 is a girl. The ultrasound was so much fun! Seeing that little person was just as novel this time around. Doug and I were both convinced it was a girl so we weren't surprised when the tech told us the news. We were actually both pretty hopeful it would be a girl since everything we have is pink!! It's funny to tell people we're having another girl, though. I think that people expect you to be disappointed, like you should have wanted the other gender. I get very mixed reactions. Some people are excited but some people say things like "Well there's always next time" or "It's okay that it's another girl". Of course it's okay! It's downright exciting!! Leading up to finding out, I had mixed emotions. Finding out it was a girl would be a trip into the known...we've done this, we know this, we got this. If they would have said boy, a tiny little part of me may have panicked! That would be a trip into the unknown! It would have been a welcome trip but a new adventure nonetheless. Our friends who have boys kept trying to convince me that boys were fun, so much more fun than girls. This always left me confused because those same people had never experienced raising a girl. So it was hard to take what I know, combine it with what they were telling me, and form my feelings about the situation. Raising a girl has been more fun than I ever could have imagined and I am so excited to do it again. The bonus? My little punkin is getting a sister! Does it get much better than that???

What They Don't Teach You In College....

It's been a long hard week and it's not over yet but I'm getting to where I feel like I can start writing about summer being here. When I decided to become a teacher, no one talked about what it would feel like at the end of the year. You talk about making connections, teaching curriculum, etc. But no one speaks about the void you feel when your kids leave for the summer. You spend so much time with them for 9 months, and then they go on...move on to another teacher. They leave the "home" you've created in your classroom and move on to other things. It's a very bittersweet feeling. You feel proud, proud of what they have accomplished and done, but sad because you know your time is ending. I know not all teachers feel like this. Most teachers relish in knowing summer is here. They may feel slight sadness but overall they are happy to have some free time. On the last day of school, I am a complete wreck. I sob...and sob...and sob. My colleague and I decided we set ourselves up for this kind of a day. We may such a big deal about the end of the year....memory books, class pictures, slideshows to music that summarize our year. Our only option is to cry! But she truly said it best...the minute I end a year and I'm not sad to see my students go, I need to get out of the profession. Teaching is about the connections, the love for your students, and the family that is created in those short nine months in the classroom. It's about cultivating a love for learning and helping students see themselves as successful. It's okay that I cry and don't want to see them go. I'd like to think it means that the room was more than just a classroom for everyone involved.

Wordless Tuesday???