First Grade Photos

Andrew has just seven short days of first grade left.  Two of those days are "early release" days.  One day is Awards Day, one day is Mega Party (sponsored by the PTA)/Classroom End-of-Year Party Day, and one of those days is Field Day.  Basically, he has just two "normal" days left, and that's tomorrow and Wednesday. 

Last Friday, Andrew's class had a spelling bee.  His teacher sent home a list of words that she would use during the bee and allowed us to use it as we practiced.  Andrew was very excited about the spelling bee.  He did everything I asked him to do - he stood still (for the most part) and asked for sentences and definitions when he needed them - you know, when he had to decide if the teacher wanted r.i.g.h.t or w.r.i.t.e.  He even remembered to say "correction, please" if he needed to start over.  I was very proud of him for trying so hard, and when he came home and told me he won the class spelling bee, I was ecstatic for him.  He felt very proud and was very pleased with himself.  His winning word was especially, e.s.p.e.c.i.a.l.l.y, especially.  Way to go Andrew!

I've been told many times that Andrew loves to learn.  He excels at reading and math, but he enjoys all subjects.  Just recently he learned all about the rain forest and came home telling me all about the four floors of the rain forest and what type of animals live in each one.  He absorbs things right now, and I hope that never changes.

I know I've said it before, but I have really enjoyed this school year.  Andrew had a wonderful teacher and his classmates were all great kids.  I enjoyed volunteering in the classroom and getting to know each of them - even though I still can't tell you which little boy is Elias and which one is Elijah!  I know the rest of them by name and hope Andrew will see a familiar face or two when he starts second grade.

This is Andrew's class photo.  Andrew's in a phase right now where is looks like he's just seen a ghost in most every photo that's taken of him.  This is actually one of the better pics I've seen.

And here are his spring pictures.  William often calls Andrew (jokingly), his "evil monkey," which I think is pretty good description of his expression in these. 

 

Here's to the end of first grade.  It's been a great year!

First Grade Field Trip

Okay, okay. I've not done very well blogging lately (two years is still "lately," right?). And I won't make any promises that I'm back in the swing of things, but I do miss it so I am going to try and blog as often as I can. And instead of trying to catch up with all the details I've failed to document over the last couple of years, I'm just going to start from here and move forward. If I find myself at a point where I feel like I can go back and reminisce, I will.

So here's what's going on at our house. Andrew will be SEVEN in a couple of weeks and that just seems impossible to me. He's a wonderful little boy who loves school and is the best big brother, ever! Megan will be FOUR in July. Again, where does the time go? She's a bright little girl with more energy that anyone I know. She loves to dance and sing and play with her siblings. Rachel turned one last December. She's a very funny kid with a very fun personality. She's in love with her daddy and Andrew, but I'll do in a pinch.

Andrew is finishing up his first grade school year. I think there's something like 27 days left. He's had a wonderful teacher this year that has been a great fit for him. I'm so thankful for her. Last year, I didn't think there would ever be a teacher that could fill the shoes of his kindergarten teacher, but we were just as blessed this year. It's so heart warming to find educators that care so much.

I've had the privilege of volunteering in Andrew's classroom several times over the last few months. That is one great group of kids and I'll miss seeing them all together once the school year comes to an end. I chaperoned my first field trip last Wednesday. The kids had a great time. We went to the WNC Nature Center, enjoyed a picnic, and had a little fun on the playground. I was so tired at the end of the day, but I do hope I'll have the opportunity to chaperone another field trip again next year.

Andrew is quite a little ladies man (apparently). His teacher tells me that there are four girls in the classroom that love to fuss over him. The day of the field trip, there were two girls who insisted they walk with him, sit with him, and hold his hand all day long. It was so stinkin' cute to watch them and their sweet innocence. And it was a lot of fun to see Andrew in that capacity - my little lady killer!

Here are a few pictures from our day:

 

 

I love their class shirts! We took the entire first grade - 5 classes/120 kids, and each class had a different shirt in a different color. It made it so easy to keep everyone together!

Sweet feet!

I know this is a little fuzzy, but this is a picture of Andrew and his two girlfriends for the day.

LOVE this kid (and his two girlfriends)!

Rachel's Birth Story

(I wrote this post many months ago and, for some reason, never posted it.  I hated not to share this story so I've decided to go ahead and post it.)

Rachel was born Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 9:13 am.  My c-section was scheduled at 7 am, but my doctor was called away to an emergency c-section for another patient.  And that delivery was followed by another.  My attitude has always been that I would not, could not, and should not complain because next time that emergency could be mine.  So, I held tight until it was my turn.

And to be honest, I was a little scared this time around.  This was my third c-section, but for some reason I felt a little uneasy.  So, the delay was okay with me.

Once I was in the (freezing cold) operating room, they administered the spinal block and laid me down on the table.  I had been fighting a cough for several days and lying on my back made it much worse.  That morning was no exception.  Within a few minutes, I coughed.  And a few minutes later, I felt just awful.  I felt like I was going to pass out but I could not find the energy to speak, so I couldn’t let anyone know.  Thankfully, one of the nurses glanced at me and saw I was in trouble.  She injected some type of medication into my IV and a few minutes later I was feeling better.  But, I have to tell you those few minutes in between were by far the worst I have EVER felt.  It happened one other time, but I was able to tell them what was happening before it was too late. 

Apparently, my cough made the anaesthesia move up my body much faster than it should have, which resulted in my blood pressure falling drastically.  The nurses had a hard time keeping my blood pressure up for several hours after Rachel was born but fortunately, I didn’t feel any other effects from it once I left the operating room.

All that said, every minute of discomfort was more than worth it.  I know all mothers say that, but I really mean it.  And my only advice to moms facing a c-section – don’t cough!

When Rachel first emerged, the first thing I wanted to know was if she had hair.  I had terrible heartburn my entire pregnancy and I had dreamed several times that she had lots of black hair.  So, when most mothers would have asked if there were ten finger and ten toes, I wanted to know if hair bows were in my future!  I was pleased to hear she did have a  little hair as we waited for over a year from Andrew and Megan to have more than a little peach fuzz.

My recovery in the hospital went well.  I did have a problem with my incision not healing correctly, which I’ve learned is not uncommon with multiple c-sections.  But, those are not details I care to share online.  And you should really thank me for that!

We brought Rachel home on December 23.  Andrew and Megan were happy to see us – and man was I happy to see them!  My mom had brought them to see me in the hospital the day I delivered, but I had only talked to them on the phone after that.  Andrew was not happy to see his mommy with IVs, etc. and didn’t really want to come back to the hospital.  I was okay with that.  I didn’t love the idea of them being in a hospital during cold and flu season anyway.

The transition of our family becoming a ‘party of five’ has been an easy one.  Rachel has been a very good baby from day one.  Andrew and Megan loved holding her when she was brand new and have turned into great little helpers.

Without further ado, please allow me to introduce you to our newest little blessing...

Rachel Noelle Hoffart

December 20, 2011

9:13 am

7 pounds, 1 ounce