It's beginning to feel a lot like...fall

Today when I left school I realized the most beautiful thing had happened. The weather actually corresponded with the correct season!?!?!?!?! We live in Texas, Houston no less, and it felt like fall. What a beautiful day. It made me want to go to a football game and cheer for the home team. I was seriously on cloud nine. Usually I don't care if we have seasons, but being twice my regular size, I have a new appreciation for cool weather. Whether it feels like it or not, fall is in full force. We are 5 weeks into school, football season is underway, and the sick kids are already creating a symphony of coughing, sneezing, and wheezing. Speaking of which, I have had sooo many kids out sick, it's just plain ridiculous.
Although 1/4 of my class is gone, I am grateful to be teaching. Here are just a few of the things that I love:

Seeing a kid understand something for the first time.
Getting hugs from Kindergarteners you've never met just because you were standing there.
Watching a student gleam with pride when you had back a fast facts test when they realize they went up by 20 points
Having discreet 5th graders ask in the most polite way if you are pregnant
Having a not so discreet 1st grader ask what was up with your belly
Having blatantly obvious Kindergarteners do a double take and stare at you as you walk down the hallway
Joking with the boys about how they annoy me
Joking with the girls that I shouldn't have a boy because they annoy me
Seeing a sliver of hope when your most disorganized student manages to find a paper that has been missing for days
Having the kids ask you where you were like they actually cared
Watching boys and girls become more mature pre-teens

Today we (me and baby) hit a great mark. The 24 week mark! woohoo. At this point, babies are considered viable and are able to survive with serious medical intervention and a few miracles. At this point our baby is supposed to be about a foot long and weigh 1.32 pounds. I do not believe that this kid only weighs just over a pound; it feels like I'm carrying a watermelon around all day. Also for your viewing pleasure (mostly Vanessa's) here is a picture of me, with and without the shirt covering the belly. It just looks so much different I couldn't not post it.