The 18 week yuck!

After my concerts, like clockwork, I came down with the yuck. Apparently, my body was not happy with me after dress rehearsals, getting sick Tuesday and working a 13 hour day, and the putting on more concerts on Wednesday. By Thursday night I was done! I got sent home from work on Friday and found out that I have Bronchitis. When you get pregnant everyone tells you how awful you will feel, morning sickness, being uncomfortable, headaches, swelling. None of this has been an issue. So far things have been pretty easy and uneventful. What the doctors don't prepare you for is when you get a virus and you can't take anything to feel better. That is the pits! Eventually, my cough got so bad that they put me on an antibiotic, but they said it may not help since it could be viral bronchitis. So I am taking lots of naps and trying to feel better before everyone comes for Christmas. Jason had been wonderful and he has been taking care of a lot of the house stuff while I have been down and out. Hopefully, I will be back to my old self soon.

Concert Videos

The concerts went very well this year, and no one (including myself) threw up on stage this year, which was a definite plus. In addition to everything else that went wrong with concerts, my accompanist backed out on me the week before the concert. Luckily, I have a very talented 5th grader who worked so incredibly hard and learned the pieces in less than 2 weeks and played for me. What a talented kiddo, to be able to step in like that and also, in one concert she had to follow me, the chorus, and also play with another 5th grader who played a flute part. It is a little nerve racking to put all of your trust in a 5th grader at the last minute. I am very lucky that I had such a talented kid I could, otherwise, I'm not sure what we would have done. The kids did an awesome job with all of their setbacks, missed rehearsals, and only getting to rehearse with the accompanist twice before the concert.

 Sing We All Noel: Chorus

Bleak Midwinter: Chorus



 Good King Wenceslas: Handbells

 Carol of the Bells: Handbells

Concert Time

This year was the concert season that couldn't end fast enough. Every time I got one thing under control, something else went wrong. We had scheduling issues, cancelled rehearsals, I had 2 kids in handbells hospitalized with pneumonia, we had a $1000 handbell break right before our concert and had to have parts overnighted so we could play (luckily the part that broke was only $10), a student in handbells who needed emergency tonsil surgery right before the concert, (so I was going to play her part and the kids wouldn't have had a director) the day before the concert her surgery got cancelled and we were back to normal....and that's just the start of it. To top it all off, the only time I have gotten sick during my pregnancy of course was all night the night before my 13 hour day filled with 2 concerts. UGH! My poor handbells kiddos only had one rehearsal with all 11 of them between October 1st and the concert. All things considered, I though they did a pretty amazing job considering they only had 7, 40 minute rehearsals all year. We pulled everything off and no one in the audience knew of everything that had gone wrong and I was so proud of my kids. Most of all though, I was happy to get a nap and some rest after all the madness was over!

 Howard County Children's Chorus Concert at the High School.

Regular School concert at night.

 I just can't say enough about my awesome art teacher at school. She did another backdrop for me and it was beautiful! She is so talented and so giving of her time. Just recently this week she won the Howie Award for MD Art Teacher of the Year. She is wonderful and we are lucky to have her!

Jason Goes Flying...Finally

Finally after several attempts Jason got to use his gift certificate that Jim and Debbie got him to go flying. He really wanted to go in the fall and fly over Harpers Ferry, but he had 2 appointments and they got canceled due to weather. He scheduled again the first weekend in December and got cancelled, and we thought he was going to get cancelled again today but they moved his time up and the weather was great.

 Getting ready to go.

Flying over our neighborhood.

Flying over Lonza

16 weeks- Kids say the darndest things

So I am currently between 16 and 17 weeks and I go to the doctor for a check-up next week. This week all of my kids at school found out that I am pregnant. I had to ask parents for help during my concert season because I can't lift the risers and the sound systems like I did in the past. Well, news travels fast in that community when you tell 11 people. The next week everyone knew. I have always said that elementary school teachers should write books because the kids are hilarious. So as a part of my journal keeping while I am pregnant, I have decided to write down the funny things that students ask me or say to me. They are so honest.

"Mrs. Trueblood, you look fatter today than you did yesterday." (1st grader)
"I just have one question, how does that thing get in there, and how does it come out?" (1st grader)
"Of course, it comes out of her belly button" (1st grade)
"Are you too old to have kids, you are way older than my mom" ....scary right? (Kindergarten)
"Mrs. Trueblood, you keep making mistakes, I think this baby is making you crazy" (3rd grade)
"Is that baby still in there? How's it doing?" (1st grade)
"We would like to have a baby naming contest so that we can name your baby." (2nd grade)
"I think your child will hate recorders because if it can hear in there, we sound horrible!"(5th grade)
Right after having to punish a student he says "Whoa!! I can tell you're pregnant, your getting evil" (4th grade)
"If is it a boy you should name it Zack, if it is a girl, you should name is Mrs. Zack." (3rd grade)
"I don't believe that you are pregnant because my mom had babies and you are not as fat as her" (2nd grade)
"Who is going to be Mrs. Trueblood's sub because that baby is coming tomorrow!" (Kindergarten)

Poor Flashy

This weekend poor Flash got bit by a spider and broke out in hives. This has happened before. One time when it was really bad he actually ate a spider because the vet found the spider bit in his mouth. He had  big bite on his foot and he is extremely allergic to spiders. Poor guy was miserable this weekend. Not a very happy pup. Glad to say that after some steroids he is all better. He certainly needs to learn to stop playing with spiders though.

Jason's Company Christmas Party

 On Saturday we went to Jason's corporate holiday party. This was the first time I had ever been to one of the company parties and boy was the people watching fantastic! I was one of the only people there who was completely sober too so I really got an eye full. I decided that music majors and science majors aren't that different. They are both significantly dorky, just about different things, and  neither group can appropriately dress themselves to go out in public. So many P.H.D.'s and so many ugly pinata sweaters, white socks with black pants, short-sleeve shirts with ties, etc. There was everything from sweatpants to a ball gown with a train. Really a diverse group of people. Anyway, moving on to the dancing, which was fantastic as well. There was one man who had to have been drunk (because there is not other explanation) who was ripping his shoes and socks off  and throwing them on the dance floor during a interpretive rendition of Footloose.  I had a great time sitting back and watching.

Lots of dancing!

 Jason with his old roomies.