Motherhood Miracles!

My little girl is getting so big!  It's so easy to make room in my life for someone whose grin makes me feel like I am doing major things in the world (even if I'm just making insane noises to try and get a grin).

First of all, she has rolled from her belly to her back.  Sadly, I have not witnessed it myself.  My mom and dad kept her for the week when we were working (nice alliteration!) and she did it during the day.  I'm hoping to see it this weekend.  We're working very hard on it!

Second, she has skipped a nap!!!  This is major.  She went from 4:30 to 9:30 last night with no nap!!!  It was really a shock to our systems more so than to hers.  She wasn't even fussy until about 20 minutes before the time she usually eats, and even then it wasn't much fussing.  I am so amazed.  I knew eventually she'd nap less.  It just shocks me that we're already there.

Third: She keeps her head up during tummy time for-EVER!  I am blown away by how fast she got so strong!  She's going to be crawling before I get out of school for summer!!!  I'll be exhausted!

Fourth: She's already learned how to get to sleep with Mom and Dad at night.  She's a genius.  Not really...I'm sure most babies figure out that if they wake up at cry at the worst times possible that Mom and Dad will do whatever it takes to get some sleep.  She woke up at either 2:30 or 3:30 every night this past week to eat, so of course, she slept with us until 5:30.  As a result, I didn't sleep much.  I don't get good rest because I'm so afraid of squashing her.  My poor baby! I can't imagine.  So, I sleep in a weird position and wake up regularly to check her breathing.

TONIGHT:  Crib attempt.  We're going to see if she can stay asleep in there for a night time run.  We were supposed to try last night, but I was SO tired.  There's no way I would've been able to deal with it, and she would've ended up in our bed all night, and then I would've been tired again tonight.  Instead, she was in her playpen with her little pillow chair and she slept until 4:15!!!  Better than during the work week!  She ate, went back to sleep (in our bed  :/ ) and then woke up at 7:15 and we both felt refreshed.  Tonight, it is on!  If it goes well, we are going to have a good week.  I think she'd sleep better in there than on her little pillow because she sleeps just like she does in our bed--on her side and all cozied up instead of splayed out on her back with her arms going nuts waking her up.  She refuses to be swaddled (and is old for that now I guess) and she rolls to her side when we put her on her back, so this should be better than the chair.

LET'S HOPE.

Work is AWESOME.  News in Gifted Land:
1. I may present (we're going to do a proposal, at least) at the State Gifted Conference in NOLA in November!!!  I say I, but it would be a We.  Me and my Talented counterpart may present on our building our programs up from nothing in our new little district.  Could be cool.  We're working on the details and will write up the proposal next week.

2. I am going to get scheduled classes with my kids next year!!!  This is HUGE!  We are currently only offering pull out sessions for students, which means they are missing a class to see me.  This causes big problems, the biggest being that I'm not really doing them much of a service like this.  They need more.  Also, they miss work, forget, teachers get mad--it's just a bad system.

3.  I've found something to do with my students that they are super excited about!!!  This is major--it is hard to motivate them in general, and then to see them excited--wow.  We are hosting a gifted challenge day for the younger gifted students in the district.  FUN.  Academic challenges, student led, and I'm thrilled.  Even one of my boys who doesn't come to see me said, "wow, yeah, I'd like to be a part of that."  Earth Shattering!

Whew...life is good.  My daughter makes me want to be a better teacher, and teaching makes me want to be a better parent.  What a great cycle.