Tired

I have been so bad about updating this blog but I am exhausted lately. Work has me running ragged, then grad school, Alex and currently Amir are all making me tired. Amir had major surgery on his spine on Monday. As a result I am not only caring for Alex but Amir as well as our 2 dogs. Amir is usually our dog care giver so I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed which is not a good thing for me.

Alex is doing wonderfully. He is talking, walking and getting into everything. He is such a "boy" he loves to climb and jump and LOVES cars. He also really enjoys music. Amir can not wait for him to be able to get a drum set (we are so not the anti-noise parents).

We are currently potty training. I KNOW there is a great deal of debate around this because he is so young but Alex was ready. He tells me when he needs to go in to the potty. He takes off his diaper and walks around naked when he is wet so it is time. We are not pushing it a big deal I just sit him on the potty when he wakes up and after he eats. If he tells me during the day he needs to go we sit on the potty then. I don't want to push it but I do want to encourage it.

His vocabulary has evolved so much and its so exciting to hear all he has to say. He is so curious and wants to know about everything and I love that!

As far as me things are ok. Grad school jump started with a run I have so much work to do for the two classes I am in now BOTH of the require huge papers by the end of the summer. I know for a fact one of them will be on analyzing single sex classrooms and determining their effectiveness. But I have no clue what I will do for the other. I am taking a research methods class and a organizational leadership class. I am also doing a lot within my new position and it has caused me to really think about my next steps in education. I know I want to become a principal. But I know that with my current hectic life I need to wait for that at least 2 more years. That being said, I am trying to decide if i want to stay in the classroom as a full time teacher or become a reading specialist. I LOVE teaching reading and over the past few years I believe I have become a great reading teacher. In addition to that I have gained certification in some great areas of reading so I am really excited about my growth in the area. That being said my school can really benefit from a reading specialist. Although I teach second grade I am currently working with a student in the fifth grade who reads on a second grade reading level. The reality is there are a TON of students in our school and other schools in DCPS just like him. If I could solely give my time to fixing that I think I would be happy. This is something I am thinking of talking to my principal about at some point this year.

Next week is my one year anniversary of the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As this day approaches I am filled with so many feelings. I have a friend whose attitude towards breast cancer has been so amazing and I believe I have had a decent attitude about it thus far as well however I am really just not over how this last year has changed my life. Since that diagnosis my anxiety has gone through the roof. I am pretty sure I have a panic attack once or twice a week these days which does not feel great. I am also such a hypochondriac now. I always think EVERYTHING is a sign that cancer has returned. So I still have so much work to do.