A hobby for me

Recently my loving husband suggested I might like to pick up a hobby.  Thinking through what could become my new hobby, dollar signs and storage requirements began showing up in my mind.  For example, scrapbooking is a fun hobby, but, my, does it require a lot of money to buy all of the accessories and space to store them all!  Not to mention the time spent to keep up with whatever scrapbook being produced.  Then reading is a great hobby, but the more books you buy, the more money you spend and the more bookshelves you must buy to store them all.  (I do love reading, by the way.  However, I borrow a lot of books from friends or the library.  If I must spend money, I buy piles of books at the local Goodwill store for 59 cents each. Then I soon pass off my books to other people, so I don't have to store them.)  Then it struck me.  Writing.  My old, awfully neglected blog.  From the financial aspect, writing is free.  In fact, sometimes good writing even produces income.  As far as storage space, in this age of technology, my laptop doesn't grow in size no matter how much text I save.

Writing used to be my hobby in high school.  Somewhere stashed away in my parent's musty basement are boxes of binders full of my writing from high school years from days before laptops were a dime a dozen.  As a girl I'd aspired to one day become a writer of some sort, be it freelancing in magazines, authoring a book, or becoming a journalist for the local paper.  I even sought publication a number of times as a teenager, and once, when I was 17 years old, my byline stood prominently above my feature story published in the local newspaper.  I don't think I felt prouder when I graduated from high school.  Over time life overtook my time and my deep-seated desire to write.  It hasn't been until lately that a bit of daily writing practice is enticing me once again.

Now as a stay-at-home mom, I'd love to find means to work from home.  Perhaps writing is my golden ticket.

Quick Update

Quick update. Well much has changed since I last wrote. While I still consider myself to be a teacher, I am no longer teaching in a classroom.  I am now "teaching" and raising my baby son, Noah.  The role switch has been easier than I had expected.  It helped that maternity leave started when I was about 36 weeks pregnant, so I had time to adjust to the new world of "stay at home moms."  My husband Jason and I are officially moving back to our home state of Indiana in June, after completing three years of teaching and living in Nicaragua.

Noah is growing like a little weed.  He started out at 6 lbs, 12 oz and by one month weighed 9 lbs.  He goes in for his two month checkup this week!  Momma makes good milk!  :)  I love watching him grow and change, enjoying his sweet smiles and funny facial expressions.  I am still learning how to be a mom, but I feel that it suits me well.

During the day while I nurse, I enjoy reading from a stack of books and some magazines that I've been saving up.  I like increasing in knowledge while Noah increases in size! When Noah is awake I like playing with him.  When he naps, I sneak in "me" time or I do the dishes.  We are getting a routine worked out, but generally he's a very happy baby who loves watching lights and windows.  He smiles and coos in the mornings and after bathtime, and usually he sleeps well during the night.  I couldn't ask for a better baby!

25 weeks

Well, it's hard to believe that the majority of the pregnancy is over.  We are excited to be having a boy.  So far, everything has gone really well.  I haven't been sick at all, and I'm very thankful for that.  The first trimester wore me out, the second trimester has been a breeze, and the third trimester is looming ahead in just a couple of weeks. My 2nd grade class is really well-behaved this year, so I am able to get more work done during the day and sit down while I teach to put my feet up.  They like watching my belly grow and hearing about how the baby is growing. 

It has been fun to see the ultrasounds at the doctor's office.  In a few weeks I will have a 3D/4D ultrasound here.  I am super excited about that. Our Nicaraguan doctor is very good.  People think we are "brave" to have a baby here, but I really wouldn't have it any other way.  My doctor acts more excited than I do when he looks at an ultrasound!!  There is a lot of personal care that you might not see in the States.

I am pregnant

Jason and I are excitedly looking forward to our first baby due to arrive around March 12.  Everything has gone really well so far, very little morning sickness and just general stuff.  I am 15 weeks and starting to really grow a little belly.  We find out the sex of our little bean in three weeks.  :)

Currently Reading The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth (Sears Parenting Library) By William Sears, Martha Sears see related

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