Back to School!!!

Boy have I been tired since going back to work! It is nice to be able to come home and rest for the most part. Tuesday night we had our Back to School night at school and I got to meet all of my new third grade families. It was a blast and I loved seeing all the kids but boy was I exhausted! Yesterday when I came home from work my ankles and feet were pretty swollen. That was a first. I rested the entire evening and that helped. When I woke up this morning I still felt really tired though. Luckily today is a non-contract day so I got to rest a little bit this morning before I go in to work and get my classroom ready for the first day. Here are the pictures of my classroom this year. I absolutely LOVE how everything turned out.

Here is the bulletin board right outside my classroom. Pinterest gave me the theme idea and I just went my own way with it. The little bird I painted is my favorite. He is just so cute!

 Wreath I made that hangs on my classroom door.

 This is the GIANT bulletin board in the hallway. Now I will have a place to hang all of my students' work. All I will have to do is clothespin it up on the wall. No stapling needed!

 Reused job chart from a couple of years ago. The colors worked so I just made inserts from cardstock I had.

 These tissue poms were ordered from Etsy. Don't you just love that site? I do! They came all folded together and then I just "fluffed" them. Took some time but I love how it turned out.

 My new way of posting my learning targets. So easy to write on with dry erase markers and then just wipe off. Thank you Pinterest!

 Lunch check in. Looks the same every year but I found popsicle sticks in the colors I needed.

 Our reading focus wall.

 I used fabric for a lot of my bulletin boards. I loved how the colors worked.

 Table markers that look like little nests.

 Not sure what I am doing with this board yet. I am thinking either a science or math bulletin board.

 More painting I did. Just a fun bulletin board over one of my bookshelves. I had painted the birdhouses earlier this summer along with the clay pots. The bird and "fly" sign I painted in my classroom on butcher paper.

 My new birthday treat idea! Thank you Pinterest! Now every kid will get to pick a silly straw out on their birthday since we are not doing classroom treats anymore.

 Gotta represent my Cougs!  This is my own personal board behing my desk.

 Even found some cute green things for my desk at IKEA and Jo-Ann Fabrics. The clay pots in my room were all painted earlier in the summer.

 New bathroom passes. Again, Pinterest!

The Name Game

Last week was my 30th birthday (which was spectacular by the way, dinner and a movie with my man) and when I talked to my grandma on the phone she mentioned that it had been a while since my last post. Oops! Here are the baby haps in the last month:

We decided on a first name!!! That is a huge one. Tal and I have been debating over names ever since we found out we were expecting. We really liked Payton to begin with. Me being Miss Planner had a list of baby names that I had been adding to over the last year. It wasn't until a family dinner with Tal's family that we heard a name we both loved. Tal's mom mentioned the name Harper. After a lot of contemplation we decided last week that was the name. It is so exciting to have a name to call her now. We are still working on a middle name. Will keep you posted on that one.

I am now going to the doctor every two weeks since I am in the third trimester. We had an appointment last Wednesday and everything looks great. I am super healthy and so is Harper. My blood work has been normal (no thyroid problems interefering, thank goodness!), urine sample was normal, blood pressure was great, I haven't had any swelling or any major issues to report. Just a lot of body aches! I guess that comes with the territory. Harper's hearbeat is strong and she is a growing girl. I measured at 30.5 weeks at our last checkup. I have gained 16 pounds so far. For being 30 weeks pregnant, I feel pretty darn good about that. Everyone keeps telling me it looks like I haven't gained any weight except for the basketball in the front. I am still walking as much as I can which has been helping a ton.

In other baby news we scored a free bassinet from our neighbors (awesome!) and also a great deal on baby stuff from a parent at my school. We got a car seat, two car seat bases, a stroller, a baby carrier, a car seat cover, and a mirror for the car. Everything was $220! Amazing deal! We had all of that stuff on our registry and the price was about $575. Everything is like new and very well taken care of. The next day that same parent brought us four bags of baby clothes for free! Super adorable and in perfect condition. People are just so generous. I have had so much fun going through all of the clothes. I have washed and put away all of Harper's clothes according to size. I even have larger clothes washed and folded and stored in our new IKEA containers under her crib. This girl is going to have an amazing wardrobe.

At our 28 week checkup Tal and I had our whooping cough vaccines and I also had to get a Rhogam shot since my blood is Rh negative. I wasn't aware that I was Rh negative so the nurse explained to me what it was all about. Here is a brief synopsis:

"When Rh negative blood is exposed to Rh positive blood the Rh negative person begins producing antibodies to fight the invading blood. Antigens trigger your body to produce antibodies. Antibodies are usually a good thing and serve to protect a person from foreign invaders.

 

Now the problem lies when a pregnant woman is carrying a baby that is Rh positive. If the mother has antibodies to the Rh antigen, those antibodies can attack the baby's red blood cells. This can lead to complications to the baby including anemia, jaundice, and other blood related problems."

 

This shot was a doozy right in the rear! The needle was super thick and it kind of hurt, unlike most shots. Out of all the shots and blood draws I have had in the last couple of months, this one was by far the most painful. Totally worth it to protect our baby girl though.

 

My favorite baby thing right now is just to feel all of her kicks, jabs, and rolls. Harper is one active girl, must take after Tal! She is getting so strong. I just love to feel her moving around and knowing that soon we will get to meet her. It is so much fun!

In non-baby news, Tal and I start back to school tomorrow with inservice days and work days. I am actually really excited for school to start (I am every year). I love late summer/early fall in the Northwest and back to school time is so exciting. I have been setting up my new classroom and I love how it is turning out. I will post some pictures when I am done. I get to meet my new kids this week which I am really looking forward to.

I cannot wait to reveal our nursery pics. I just love everything about Harper's room. We are still working on things so I don't want to show it off until we are all done.