We finally did it! We made it a week without going to the hospital! Although there are still two hours left in the week, I am feeling hopeful that we will make it to Sunday morning with only the lingering signs of a chest infection and upper respiratory virus. As soon as these are gone, we will all be 100% healthy again--I have almost forgotten what that feels like.
On another happy note, our hallway, stairs, and landing are all beautifully lined with paper and painted. It only took three days for everything to get fixed from the debacle that was left by the first guy and we can finally rest easy knowing that our house looks presentable again. If anyone in the Southport area needs a handyman and decorator, then please check the comment section below and I will advertise our decorator's contact information.
The weather this week was bitterly cold and extremely wet. This may sound like a bad thing, but for the past two days, we have had hail in Southport and signs of a little bit of snow in Preston (where I work). I am grateful for this because for five years, I haven't seen snow--bar 5 mm two years ago--in this country and if the weather has turned wintry this soon, then that could mean a snow day may be in our future. And seeing how our luck is on the upswing, a magical snow day might very well happen this year. Fingers crossed!
Work has been very hectic lately with assessments and deadlines that had to be met for data analysis. In the past week, I've clocked about fifteen hours of sleep. Teaching seven-year-olds really shouldn't be this hard. And it isn't the teaching that is difficult--it's the behind-the-scenes requirements of paperwork that really doesn't affect the children's learning at all. But, I am really thankful to have my job and to be working again. A year ago, I was so tired and delusional from not getting any sleep that I could barely put a sentence together; and now, I'm teaching a class of Year 3 students to use adverbs as sentence starters and the correct use of 'a' and 'an' determiners in their own writing. What a difference a year makes! Teaching is a really competitive field because there are hundreds of applicants for one job, as I've seen recently at our school. So even though it is extremely demanding, I am grateful for the time I am teaching and working with my class.
To all of my family and friends in The United States: Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for all of you and I miss you. Enjoy your turkey with stuffing, creamed corn, dinner rolls, Macy's Day Parade, time with family gathered around the table, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, deviled eggs, yams with marshmallow topping, and pumpkin pies with a dollop of Cool Whip on top. We will have our own little Thanksgiving meal next Saturday to celebrate everything we have and everyone we have in our lives.
Our little bibliophile
Reading From the Day You Were Born
Our hallway after the old wallpaper was torn down, but pre-drunken decoration by the irresponsible decorator
Our hallway after the reliable decorator fixed everything
This photo shows the true colour of the paint a bit better (Valspar State Secret)
Developmental updates: Jackson took his first steps today! We were so happy to both be in the room to see him let go of a stool and then take three steps across the living room. (Thank you, Jackson, for waiting to do this at home with your parents instead of at nursery.) Today he uttered the words, "Hubba, hubba," about six times. We aren't sure where he picked that up from. At mealtimes, Jackson is averaging an adult-sized portion of food (or two toddler servings at nursery) and gets very impatient if we are slow with the spoon. When Jackson reads his books now, he points to the animals or other characters and laughs. He points to the same ones every time and his favourites are a badger, a rabbit, and a little painting on an easel in one of his books called Best Friends Forever. When we read with him, sometimes he just points and waits as if asking what the name of the thing is at which he is pointing. Slowly, we're building his vocabulary, and we're waiting with great anticipation for the day when he reads his first word!
If you see Sammie Miles Davis, Jr. and Bella, give them my love.
