23 Weeks

As of tomorrow I will have officially finished my first year as a teacher. As the icing on the cake, one of my students came up to me yesterday (after I gave the semester exam) and said he had to talk to me. I have not had the best relationship with his family and it is 'that' family that all teachers dread. He came up to me, hand shaking and all, to tell me thank you for teaching him this year. That he actually enjoyed a class, my class, for the first time in many years and he appreciated the patience I had with him this year. He is dyslexic and ADD and is a very unique person. His sentiments were a great end to a crazy year.
This last year I have a learned a lot about myself as far as what I can handle, what I *do* handle and most importantly, how to say no. I learned that you can care for students, but expect to be disappointed by them, but how to love them anyway. I have learned that you don't have to please everyone and that you should come first. All things I thought I had been doing in my life and found out quickly I was wrong. Next year will be different and the first sign that I am going down the wrong, stressful road, I will quickly change my path.
The end of the summer will be a bittersweet event for me. I will be ending the summer and going back to work, but I will be that much closer to meeting little Emily. I will teach for 4 weeks and then have her. We are thinking we are going to induce. I know that some people don't agree with that, but for mine and John's life it fits great. We are thinking of inducing on the 21st and will have the official date next time we go to the doctor. There is nothing stopping her from coming early of course.
Here is my 23 week picture. I have another sonogram next Friday and I hope that I will get a 4-D picture. But true to her mother's personality, last time she was not willing to move because we wanted her to. So, keep your fingers crossed she is a little more 'cooperative' so we can all see that smushed (but precious) face of hers!!