New Class 2009-2010

Many of you know how much I loved my class last year... So, I was very nervous to be starting with a whole new class because my "babies" went off to middle school. I definitely had 28 kids, well maybe 24-25, that I would have claimed as my own last year. That is how much I loved that group.

Anyways, I woke up Wednesday morning very excited to meet this new group. I got dressed, Matt took a picture of me on heading out the door on the first day, and headed to school to make sure that everything was prepared. At 7:45, the bell rang and all the kids headed to their new classrooms. I saw all their new, very timid, faces as they were lined up outside my classroom. I was their calm face because many of them were very nervous to be in a new classroom with a new teacher. There were a few that were an exception and took to their new classroom and new teacher with ease (maybe a little too much!). I directed them all to their seats and explained what they needed to be doing with their supplies. At this point, they are all being so cute and nervous, and I am thinking that this is going to be another great year. About 45 minutes into the day, a few of my new students began showing their true personalities, and I was astonished! Last year, none of my students began showing their true colors until second semester.

Needless to say that by the end of the day, I was thinking that I would go ahead and take my maternity leave a few months early and just not come back! Matt calmed me down, and I went to school on Thursday with a much better attitude. My kids were great! I left feeling very refreshed and excited about my new class.

Here is a breakdown of my new kiddos:
16 girls
7 boys
4 Marshallese
6 Caucasian
13 Hispanic
4 SPED (including 1 autistic)
23 very sweet kids!

Clear Waters Are on the Horizon!

As with, we assume, all expecting parents, we have been constantly worried about possible problems with Cori's pregnancy, including the possibility of Katie arriving before she was ready. I did a little research yesterday and found the following table of Survival Rates for Premature Babies:

23 weeks - 17%
24 weeks - 39%
25 weeks - 50%
26 weeks - 80%
27 weeks - 90%
28-31 weeks - 90-95%
32-33 weeks - 95%
34+ weeks - Almost as likely as a full-term baby

Cori is, today, 25 weeks 5 days... It is such a great feeling to know that she has almost carried Katie long enough that if she was born today, she would have an 80% chance of surviving to get to come to her home and be a part of our family! In just a couple weeks, we'll have a 95% chance of that dream being realized...

So - as far as our current worries, clear skies are on the horizon. I'm sure, though, that as first-time parents, we'll find plenty of other things to worry about in the coming weeks and months!

Puerto Vallarta

Cori and I are home from Mexico and are both happy and sad that the summer is over and we're getting started on the very busy year ahead of us! Our vacation was absolutely perfect - we could not have asked for a more amazing trip... The weather was perfect, the resort and beach were beautiful, and the company was fantastic!

While we were in Puerto Vallarta, we spent most of our time by the pool, though we also spent plenty of time in the ocean. I learned how to boogie board, and Cori loved floating through the waves. We went into the city one day. And because the resort was all-inclusive, we had all authentic Mexican food that we could hold!

There was a different show at the resort each night - the Mexico show, the Latin Dance show, the Comedy show, the Circus show, etc. One night was a Karaoke Night... Cori and I both performed - Cori sang "Hopelessly Devoted to You" by Olivia Newton John and "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain. I sang (appropriately) "Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House" by Garth Brooks. It was a lot of fun!

The best thing about the trip, though, was the view! We were surrounded on three sides (north, east, and south) by mountains, and the beautiful Pacific Ocean seemed endless to the west. We took a walk on the beach almost every night to watch the sunset.

Here are a few pictures from our trip:

Cori and I on the beach

The beautiful Pacific Ocean with the sun shining down on it

The Pacific Ocean with the sun starting to set

The amazing sunsets - it was this perfect every night
The view of our resort from the beach