More updating...

Work: After returning from vacation, work started a few days later - that's right, early August. It seems like the summer break is getting shorter and shorter.

This beginning was a little awkward because I'm hesitant about my plans for the future in this job. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE my job, like LOVE it, and don't want to give it up. But maternity leave is coming soon and if I'm going to make a change, now's a very convenient time to do so. Aside from the deep emotions attached with this beginning, it's been nice to get back to work, helping kids who need assistance communicating.

My students include kids with Autism, Stuttering, Cerebral Palsy, Dysarthria, Traumatic Brain Injury, Emotional Disturbance, and other interesting disabilities. I think every child is a puzzle and my job is to figure out how to help them communicate more effectively in the school setting. This is truly my calling!

Marc: Just a few days later, like the second weekend into the school year, MARC CAME HOME!!

You read that right folks, my husband, best friend, favorite person, and Ava's daddy came home safely from his first deployment. He is a bean pole. I told him that I didn't think it was nice that he was dropping pounds and throwing them in my general direction. His come back?.... "At the rate you're going, we may meet in the middle, and maybe even cross over each other."....jerk ;) But that's my Marc, always the funny one :) He's home safe and has had the opportunity to feel Ava kick, accompany me to doctor appointments, and talk to her.

Since he's been home, he's been getting back into the swing of things, flying regularly, and other odd jobs around his squadron. He has also nearly finished his Master's Degree. He's doing his best to finish before Ava arrives...we shall see ;)

Ava: Speaking of Ava...that statement just makes me smile :) She's doing great! I'm almost 33 weeks, so approximately 7 weeks to go (which right now sounds like an eternity). She's measuring exactly right for her gestational age, and her heartbeat sounds as strong as ever. We're down to scheduling appointments every 2 weeks now, which I'm thankful for, because it's just nice to check in with the doctor and make sure both she and I are okay. At the last ultrasound that I posted about, I received some amazing pictures, but they were unable to get a good view of her face. So, I had to schedule another ultrasound (darn! LOL I get to see her again!) Check this out...

Amazing, right? Everyone, myself included, thinks she looks like Marc in this picture. I can't wait to meet her.

Toyota: We have been talking about buying a new car for a while now. My Civic was the perfect car for the 7 years I drove it, but was 10 years old. It has almost 140,000 miles, which, for a Honda, isn't the full life of the vehicle. So we are in the process of selling it. But with Ava on the way and living in a part of the US that snows, we needed to upgrade in size. We spent a weekend shopping around at a few different dealerships, thought about it for a couple weeks, looking for the best deal we could find and educating ourselves on the process of purchasing a vehicle. We decided to buy a Toyota Highlander...

I love it! There are so many features about this car that make it amazing: keyless ignition, moonroof, automatic back door, etc. This list is nice and long. This car is exactly what we need and has already come in handy. So, a few weeks after we bought it, Marc installed the carseat....an activity that's a lot more difficult than you would think.

Yay for a new car!

Keep checking back...More to come :)