Little Stinker Update

I had another ultrasound on Friday, so I took my sister and mom along. We saw what they said was quite a bit of hair, and we watched him suck his thumb - so cute! At one point his thumb fell out of his mouth, and the "Little Stinker" did not like that. His head and hands were moving back and forth quite a bit until he was back at it again. We saw this all on an ultrasound, and I felt it too. Technology is amazing!

According to the baby size equation that doctors use, he already weighs approximately 7 pounds and 7 ounces. I hear that babies at this stage gain about an ounce a day. I think he should join us sooner rather than later don't you?

My doctor also told me that he wouldn't let me go past my due date. That was exciting news. I have a good friend that went 18 days past hers. It's comforting to know that is out of the equation for me. That means he'll be here sometime in the next 3 1/2 weeks!

Everyone is asking us, "Are you ready?" The answer is almost. We'd be thrilled if he would show up tonight. We're ready in that sense. Jon is excited, but I sense he is getting a bit anxious about the actually day or night when it's time. I'm doing okay in that department, but I'm not ready at school. I'm scheduled to work the next two weeks yet (9.5 days!), but I am going to attempt to have everything ready and waiting for a sub in the next few days just in case. This is no small task, but I'm almost there. Ideally, I'd like to meet with the sub, but they haven't found one yet. It's nice to know I'm not that easy to replace. The administration has been telling me not to worry about it, but now they seem to be scrambling. Oh well. My kids will survive, and pretty soon I really won't be worrying about it at all.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I'll post more about my super fun weekend soon. Have a great week!

What's in a name?

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

Every year I teach Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet to freshmen. I'm teaching it right now. It's a challenge, but I really enjoy it. Most students end up getting a big boost of confidence as they make it through and understand a Shakespearean play. Some of the lines we look at are the ones above about names. One of the reasons their love is doomed from the start is because Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet; their families are long standing enemies. As they quickly fall in love, they wish names weren't important. The lines above explain that a rose would still be a beautiful rose even if it was called something else. Unfortunately, it's not so simple for them. I think we all know how it ends.

Names are of course taking on a whole new meaning for us right now. I'm pretty sure we have a name selected for our "Little Stinker." It's a big responsibility! At this point, sometimes I question our choice, but I think it's only when I focus on the enormity of the decision. Jon seems more sure, so that is comforting.

For those of you wondering and haven't asked yet, we have decided to keep his name a secret. I get asked by curious students everyday at school. And my mom wins the grand prize for trying to figure it out. She asks questions such as: "What letter does it start with? How many letters are in the name? The nickname?" In Disney World, she also offered to buy a really cute name print for us, but we would of course had to reveal the name. Both Jon and I have resisted the pressure, and we haven't slipped yet either.

Our three year old nephew, Braden, also weighed in on the name topic this week. When Pam asked him what he thought his new cousin's name should be, he replied "Pablo" without hesitation.

Thanks for all of your concern this week about my cold and Jon's thumb. We're both on the mend, and we are LOVING this warmer weather. We're at the Raterink Cottage putting in the dock and shore station. Well, I'm not any help and Jon isn't contributing 100% either, but on days like today you realize that summer can't be far off.

Enjoy your warm weekend!

We're kinda falling apart

Jon and I are both sitting on the couch tonight taking it easy. Right now we're watching reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond. I never used to like the show, but now that we're married and a bit older we both find it hilarious. I stayed home from school yesterday because I had no voice. I've been fighting a cold since we got home this weekend. I went to school today and did as little talking as possible. I am so stuffed up and blowing my nose constantly, and to make matters worse I can't take cold medicine. While I was at school today I got a call from Jon thinking he was just checking in on me, but instead he said, "Don't freak out." That's never good. He was at the hospital getting a wound on his thumb looked at and x-rayed. He pinched his thumb between two really heavy things, and as a result it pretty much split open. He's sitting here dealing with quite a bit of pain as the numbness wears off. He has to head back to the hospital tomorrow for them to change the dressing on his thumb and needs to get their OK before going back to work. It's not broken, and the doctor says there's no reason he shouldn't make a full recovery. Apparently we've seen tonight's reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, so now we're watching dirt bike racing. It's just not the same, but I suppose he's been through enough today. I won't make him watch Oprah or Dr. Phil.

The Raterinks at Disney

Jon told Belle that Dan fell asleep in her show after Dan told her that Jon could sing her songs.

Jon LOVING Germany at Epcot as well as his temporary pirate "tat" below.

What a great trip! Disney World through the eyes of child is amazing, but as adults it's an absolute blast. We stayed super busy. We entered all the parks and saw a ton despite the fact it was really busy. We ate amazing meals too.

And of course we didn't have "Little Stinker" in Orlando. This was always in the back of our brains and caused some anxiety. We made it home without too much trouble despite the fact that the airline industry has been quite a mess lately. Jon's parents got stuck in London, but they are home now thankfully. Back to school tomorrow, but only 18 1/2 more school days until I start my maternity leave. Yippee!

It's not just my students!

I thought the inappropriate and hilarious comments about my pregnancy were just coming from my students, but it turns out my parents are right there with them.

As we were about to board the plane to Florida, my mother in all seriousness, told me that they probably would have an extenda-belt available if I needed one.



I used a wheel chair quite a bit at Disney World because we put in some HUGE days. I didn't want to miss anything, and it really made the difference. While we were doing some of the more popular attractions at Disney World you can get a Fast Pass which prevents you from waiting line. Dad told the family he would just use me...his Fat Pass (they treat people in wheel chairs really well).


I'll post some more pics of the trip soon.

More Comments from Students

Back by popular demand...

Here are a few more memorable comments from students about my pregnancy that have come my way in the last couple weeks:

• Mrs. Walcott, are you scared?

• Mrs. Walcott, you are waddling.

• Mrs. Walcott, I can see your belly button.

• Mrs. Walcott, did you grow a lot since yeseterday?