Monday Update

I taught my last classes today. These COULD be the last classes I ever teach at UMD, depending on what happens next year. It was a pleasant day, not any actual teaching--just course evaluations, and for my poetry students, a final small group workshop and then a large group reading. We each brought in a single poem, just to read, not to workshop.

Interestingly, I got through a whole semester without telling my students about the pregnancy (although I know at least one or two of the poetry students, young women, have been checking out my belly). And I still haven't told anyone at school, because they still haven't announced lecturer positions for next year. So I am still stuck in a weird purgatory state with announcing and planning.

I found out I was pregnant (at least, I got the first of many positive pregnancy tests) the night before the first day of classes. January 26 or so? That's a long time to keep a secret.

I remember I felt AWFUL for about 2 days. Like I'd been run over by a truck. And my nose started running ALL the time. Then I felt better till about 6 weeks or so.

I still feel vaguely nauseous from time to time--pretty much every morning and random other times too. I guess that's not going to go away.

Anyway, in other news, I won a teaching award. I am a "Distinguished Teaching Assistant," one of 8 chosen by the English Department. It made me happy to find out. (THAT'S why they should want to keep me as a teacher.)

Also, I got a summer job with the English Department! I've been offered 20-30 hours a week to work as an office assistant. The pay ended up being decent, and I think I am going to take it. My other option is temping again. Theoretically, I could make more money temping, but to do that, I would also have to work more hours. It will be nice to work part time so that I can still write, as well as to be able to count on my schedule. With temp work you just never know. Last year I waited for jobs for a long time, then got an AWFUL stint at the Washington Post (NOT as interesting as it sounds; I was filing over a year's worth of car dealership and housing development ads). Then I was off some more, till I landed what was supposed to be two weeks as a receptionist at a law firm. Nine weeks later, I will still there. It was a mixed blessing--nice to have the work, but long, LONG hours--as in many hours a day, as well as hours that seemed to last for days.

What else? Several lovely people are planning baby showers for me, so I have gotten busy with the baby registries and such (as you can see to the right of the posts). I've made some big decisions: crib, stroller, car seat, although I am still researching a few details. I've learned a LOT about strollers in the past week. And I've probably creeped out my share of parents and babysitters, because I've peered at a lot of strollers too. The stroller decision is a big one for the city dweller. A lot of the strollers we saw on our Babies-R-Us field trip looked too flimsy for Capitol Hill's uneven brick sidewalks. As it turns out, many of the parents in our neighborhood have chosen strollers that are extremely expensive. But I think I found a good option (the City Mini, in case you're wondering).

And, the mystery baby has been moving around. It's mostly very faint movements, so faint I am sometimes unsure I am actually feeling the baby move. It feels like flutters or involuntary twitches on my insides. Sometimes, it feels like pressure pushing downward on whatever is just below the uterus. Cervix? I need my diagram. One night, the night of the poetry reading, I felt actual kicks--not hard, but definite kicks, sort of like light poking in my left side. Maybe the mystery baby was congratulating me?

I got a lot of kind comments about the poetry reading (this was the student prize reading). I am meeting with my thesis advisor one last time, tomorrow afternoon. I want to talk about what to do next. I suppose I am officially working on a book now.

The last random fact for the day: at nineteen weeks, the baby is "the size of a large heirloom tomato." (We've come a long way from lentil!)