Goodbye For Now

It's been such a long time since I last posted. And the funny thing is, I have no clue where the time has gone.

I've been working hard, teaching three classes this session (Cooking, Creative Writing and Codes, Puzzles and Word Games). But now work is over. This week is the mid-winter break for Easthampton Public Schools, but it's also the beginning of what we can call my maternity leave. Because our program sessions run approximately 8 weeks each, the next (beginning next week) runs into mid-April, which Andy and I thought came a little too close to my due date (May 2). So I opted not to teach this session, aside from substitute work in the after school program (which comes in handy, since I already know I'm working 3 days next week. So even though my "break" has started, it's really doesn't feel like it).

I've also been busy with baby stuff. I still have other interests, I haven't lost my sense of self or my identity (always a fear, I think, for a modern-woman-turned-mama...or at least for me) but I have definitely devoted a lot of my time and energy into reading up on all things baby. But, you know, when you have a living thing inside you, kicking you and reminding you it's there 24/7, it's hard not to be obsessed.

We are still gradually working on our home. Now that we've been living in this house for nearly eight months, we do truly feel like it's home.

Day by day new things are being set up or arranged, everything we can do to make this our home. I suddenly understand how my grandparents' house never really changed. The placement of each piece of furniture or candy dish seemed like it had been there forever (probably had) and would outlive us all (which they all did, for the most part).

As someone who lived in a variety of places growing up, as well as moving between divorced parents' homes, I feel now the amazing comfort in simply setting up my belongings and knowing that I will not have to move them anytime soon. It does make me wonder if you were to fast forward 50 years into the future, would the house would look completely the same with the exception of Andy and I looking 50 years older? While I can see that being depressing to some, it doesn't bother me in the least. The worrywart side of me likes the stability that image implies.

Anyway.

Because I have a hunch that in coming months life will start to become all-things-baby, and because I feel there's a natural line being drawn in our lives, no matter how resistant we might be toward it (life before baby and life after baby), I have decided to retire this blog and move the party over to my newer blog -
Western Mass Mama.

The new blog, as the title indicates, is a bit more baby/family-oriented. I also started it not so much as a personal "all about me" blog (like this one has been) but more of a resource for parents in our area.

When I started looking for information on prenatal yoga in the Western Massachusetts area, I could find very little info. The same goes for other parent or child-related things. So that's the mission of the new blog - provide some resources for parents in the area.

The blog is also pretty new, so now that I'm on leave and moving forward in my pregnancy, I hope to devote a little more time to it and flesh out some ideas. I hope you will check it out, even if you don't live in the area (and aren't a parent).

So, here we are.

It's been a long run.
A fun run, since my first ever blog post - my outrage over "Veronica Mars" being canceled, to my summer of training for the NYC Teaching Fellows to the first of many accounts of our 8 months living in Prague and traveling around Europe, from 2008-2009; and finally, to our moving back to the US and buying a house (and the decorating that followed), and of course, to finding out we were expecting a baby.

Thank you for dropping by, and I hope to see you soon!

Allyn (Western Mass Mama)

Kooky Old Ladies

I'm a big fan of kooky old ladies - are you? Who isn't!

I hope you get as much happiness and joy out of watching this video as I did!

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays!

We are so thankful to be celebrating Christmas with our family, and are also thinking of our family in the Czech Republic, where we had such a blast celebrating Christmas last year.

Have a lovely holiday, everyone!

*AND, if you are looking for something to do with your time off, feel free to check out a great new blog - Western Mass Mama - by someone you're a little familiar with, about baby-related stuff in Western Massachusetts, and pregnancy in general. Enjoy!

The Answer!!

It's a girl!!

We're thrilled!

Baby Boy or Baby Girl??

Tomorrow we have our anatomy scan ultrasound, where we'll find out if we're having a girl or a boy!! Hooray!

Our plan is to have the tech write it down and put it in an envelope. Then we'll go someplace private and open it just Andy and me, and find out what we'll be expecting.

Can't wait!

Holiday Madness Begins!

I haven't written much lately. Truth is... I've been really sick! Like, 1st trimester morning (all-day)sickness and serious fatigue.

It's not pleasant. Especially since I'm nearly 18 weeks pregnant (this Sunday!). I should be feeling better, and I'm not. But I am looking forward to feeling the baby move, which could happen any day now.

But, we go on. Other than that I'm fine, and obviously very obsessed with baby stuff right now, which is the real reason I haven't written as much lately. Oh, and work. That takes my time, too.

On the bright side, it's the day before Thanksgiving! We will be spending the time with family, and it's exciting to realize that next year we'll have an extra mouth to feed pureed sweet potatoes to. Yay! It's also amazing to think that on Thanksgiving last year we were in Prague and went to our favorite Thai place, Noi, in Stare Mesto (I don't have the energy to go looking for proper accents right now, sorry).

Have a great holiday, everyone!

Announcement Time!

Family and friends know this already, but for everyone else...

I'm pregnant!

My mind and focus have been all over the place lately, and I've been very baby-oriented.
Today I am 14 weeks. Today the baby is the size of a 3.5" lemon!

Here's my 14 week picture. I'm starting to show a bit! I wasn't the skinniest to begin with, but I'm fairly confident that the bump that's starting to show is baby and not ice cream and Halloween candy (*I hope!*).