No Leap Bump
To Jeremy, Brian, Alicia, Richie, Rosalia & anyone else who was rooting for a leap day baby,
My apologies. While I guess it is still theoretically possible, the odds of the baby being born before midnight are slim to none. You’ll have to settle for a March birthdate.
Kate & Bump
What a difference a week makes…
I haven’t posted as much as I had hoped to recently. Obviously family events led to other priorities.
That said, a lot of progress has happened on the Bump front. On my front Bump has dropped quite a bit and several people have commented on how much bigger I look in just the past week. I certainly feel bigger and definitely more stereotypically pregnant – walking slower, having a hard time getting comfortable, and leaning over tables to ease the pressure on my lower back. (Thank goodness I was able to make it to yoga once over vacation!) One mundane chore that has been quite a pain recently is washing dishes. Not that it was ever my favorite activity, but just try washing a whole sink full of dishes while standing 8 inches further back from the counter than you normally would. I’m not sure if my height is making the issue more pronounced, but at 5′ 2″ it’s pretty darn awkward.
One thing that has been cool to notice is how my schedule has changed. Teachers know that vacation weeks can have a pretty dramatic impact on your scheduling, particularly if you like to sleep later than work allows. As I entered my 9th month of pregnancy I was starting to have problems sleeping through the night, between bathroom breaks and just having random wakefulness. This week has shifted me even further from my work schedule into a schedule that I can only imagine will reflect what the baby wants – periods of 3 hours or so of activity followed by the desire for a nap. My friends who recently had babies have promised me that you will get 6 hours of sleep after the baby comes… just not in a row. Hopefully this shift I’m experiencing now will help with that transition.
That’s all for now. I will try to post more later as there is a lot to catch up on…
Kate
Maria Quiñones Oliver
As we await the arrival of a new life in our family, we also have marked the passing of another. My grandmother, soon-to-be bisabuela to Bump, passed away peacefully last night. I am sad that my son and my grandmother will never meet, but I am happy that she is at peace now.
Abuelita, I promise I’ll find a more flattering picture to add to this soon!
Love,
Kate
5:36 update:
Dad sent a picture worth posting…
Now this is a picture worth posting!
Brought to You By the Letter “C” and the Number “6”
Yesterday I put up a quick picture from the baby brunch that Lesley and Alicia were kind enough to throw for us. Today I will do the same, but this time the focus will be the food!
We were delighted to learn that our friend Susanne from Canto Six, C6 to the JP locals, was going to be able to attend the brunch. What we didn’t know was that she decided to cater all the savory and sweet dishes for us. Susanne, we are SO grateful!!
Yesterday’s picture showed me enjoying a mug of delicious hot chocolate made from the ganache Susanne uses at C6. Today you get to see some of the beautiful desserts: canneles, cookies, tappos, and chocolate cupcakes. Where to begin?!?
Delicious Desserty Goodness! THANK YOU SUSANNE!!!!
All of you who may be in the JP area, because you live here or if you’re in town for the arrival of Bump, be sure to visit Canto Six. My mom has already proclaimed she will be in for a visit after sampling some of the leftover quiche for lunch today.
“Baby Warming”
See the smiles on our faces?
They come thanks to Lesley and Alicia!
We are all smiles!
THANK YOU LESLEY AND ALICIA!!!
My Kids…
This May marks the completion of my 15th year of teaching. I cannot believe that it is possible that I have been teaching that long, yet being a math teacher I know that 2012 – 1997 = 15. Where did all that time go?
A note for my non-teacher friends: In K-12 education you will often hear a teacher refer to “my kids” when referencing the students they teach. For fifteen years “my kids” have been my students, some of whom are now old enough to be married with kids of their own. (How can that be?!?) As Bump’s due date fast approaches I am faced with the fact that I will soon have to distinguish between “my kids” and “my kid.” This will probably require very little effort once he is born, but when this thought first dawned on me a little while ago it was quite a revelation!
Of my fifteen years, ten have now been spent at HMS. Because HMS is pre-k through grade 12 I have had the pleasure of seeing some students grow from elementary students to high school seniors over this time. I really do think of these students as my kids, although I know many would balk at being called “kids.” Sorry guys! I relish their achievements and get a few more grey hairs when they make decisions that aren’t so wise. Yes, I am blaming my grey on my students. It’s a teacher’s prerogative!
Ricky, Emmanuel, and Douglas added a touch of class to Bump's wardrobe with an adorable button-down Oxford Onesie.
Above are some of the guys who felt they needed to have a positive influence on Bump’s wardrobe. THANK YOU! You guys picked out a great shirt. When he first wears it, we will take a picture. 
Ricky (shown holding the button down Oxford onesie) is one student who was in the first elementary class I worked with at HMS. The fact that he is now a senior and over age 18 meant I could just ask his permission for his picture to be included here. My apologies to my younger students who wanted to be included in the blog, but I can’t put up pics of you all without permission! Please know that Jeremy and I are sharing about all of your generosity and thoughtfulness to our friends and family when they come to visit.
More on the awesomeness of HMS students later on, but now it’s time to put away the computer and relax into vacation mode. Yay vacation!!
Photo Evidence…
Blurry image (really the best kind in pregnancy) from the staff shower at HMS...
Several friends family members who live far and wide have asked for me to put up some pics of the Bump in his current abode. I don’t have too many at the moment, but here is one from the work shower on February 1st. In the mean time, I’ll attempt to scrounge up a few that are actually clear.
My Students Are Awesome – 2.0
More on this later. I just had to put it in writing.
Update 2/13:
Last Friday my students threw me a surprise baby shower. It was incredibly touching and thoughtful of them. They planned it on their own and orchestrated the event with minimal staff involvement. I’m so amazed and overwhelmed at the generosity of staff and students at HMS. Once again, “thank you” doesn’t seem to cover it… but that won’t stop me from saying, “THANK YOU!!” to all of the students who pulled this surprise together. HMS students: You guys are the best and I can’t wait to introduce you to my son!
This also made it clear why so many students were asking me if Friday was my last day at work. Sorry… I’m around for another few days at least.
Below are a few photos of the event… sans students as I don’t have permission to post their pictures online.
(Any of you over-18s who want in on the blog, let me know and I can add your pictures.)
The awesome card made by my students! Artwork by Jalissa.
First page of wishes...
Second page of wishes
Back of card - only time will tell if Jalissa captured Bump's look!
Cake – yum!
From Far and Wide…
We are very excited to have so many wonderful friends that will be in Bump’s extended family. He will have the opportunities to be exposed to ASL, Spanish, French, a variety of religious beliefs and lots of different professions. While Bump will probably grow to feel he has far too many teachers in his life, we have a few friends who are busy working at saving the world. Some people say that teaching is noble profession, but several people we know put themselves in areas of turmoil while doing humanitarian aid. What could be more noble than that? One such friend is Fen, who has spent time in Haiti and other places far and wide doing her best to improve the planet.
We want Bump to learn to have compassion for his fellow man and we are looking to our humanitarian friends to help provide a greater world perspective.
Crafts from Kyrgyzstan - Thank you Fen!