Some exciting things have been going on in our family since the last time I posted. We're expecting baby #9 at the end of September. I'm about fifteen weeks right now. We call the baby Kiwi because at the very beginning of the pregnancy, I craved kiwi, which is odd because I don't really like kiwi. This has been a nerve-wracking pregnancy because I've had two miscarriages in the last fifteen months: one at ten weeks and one very early, at six weeks, and I had some spotting a few weeks ago, which was very scary for me. But we've had several ultrasounds, and the baby is doing well. I think I'm feeling movement now, which is very reassuring. I get my next ultrasound on April 15, when we'll find out if Kiwi is a boy or a girl. When I went to see the maternal fetal specialist, the doctor took a peek at Kiwi via ultrasound and he and Rob both swore they saw boy parts. I'll wait until April 15, because I really doubt we'd have a boy. Besides, right now the only name I have is Millie, which is plain silly for a boy.
Next exciting thing: Zoe tried out for cheerleading and made it, so she'll be on the freshman/jv squad next year. It's hard to believe she's starting high school, although she does look like it. Where did my chubby bubby baby go? She used to be so fat I had to push up the skin on her wrists to wash her hands, and put baby powder in the folds of fat on her thighs to keep her from getting a rash. She hid cheerios under her chins to eat later. Now she's almost as tall as I AND she won't hold my hand in public anymore. What happened??
And last, but not least, Eve got a full scholarship for college. It's based on grades and financial need; it's for seventh graders, and she was one of sixteen kids in the county to receive it. It pays for two years at a community college and then two years at a four-year college. I'm also counting on her getting a Bright Futures scholarship (if the funding for it still exists), which pays 100% tuition and is for kids who have at least a 3.5 weighted GPA and a 28 on the ACT or a 1270 on the SAT and 75 community service hours. Right now, she has a 4.0 GPA (granted, it's seventh grade, but she's taking honors classes), and a 19 on the ACT. (To get a Florida Medallion scholarship, a high school senior needs a 3.0 GPA and a 20 on the ACT. That scholarship pays 100% tuition at a community college, or 75% at a four year.) She WILL still hold my hand in public, even though she's almost as tall as I am, too.
The only thing that upsets me is that I've never been *tied down* to a place before. We don't own a home; we can up and move whenever we want to. But now, we've spent an obscene amount for Zoe's cheerleading uniform, and if we leave Florida, Eve loses her scholarship. We're tied down, just as I'm starting to feel restless here, and thinking about moving--maybe further south (still in Florida, but Zoe's cheerleading uniform is useless at any other school), or to Texas or back to Colorado (good bye scholarship). Adding to the stress, I may or may not have a job at the high school next year. It all depends on budget, and since I've only been there two years, if somebody who has a continuing contract gets bumped from another school in the district, they could conceivably get MY job. With the baby due in September, it's just about impossible for me to find another teaching position for next year. It's all so stressful right now!
