He's Back

I just got off the phone with my brother-in-law who asked me about my blog. He was concerned that I had not blogged in many months (since January?) and encouraged me to do so again.
And so, here we are.
I wo'nt bore you with details of the last five months. Instead I'll let you know of more recent highlights and future expectations.

1. My wife - God bless her soul, my wife is only a couple of weeks away from her due date. We've been trying to get prepared for the baby but, compared to last time, we just can't seem to focus well on what needs to get done. I guess we figure that we're prepared (in terms of stuff) because we already had one baby, so how much more do we need for the second one. I hope that our optimism has some foundation. I personally cannot remember anything from those prenatal classes that we took in preparing for Baby # 1. What I do remember from the previous experience only makes me more nervous for the current expectation (lack of sleep, dealing with the hospital, welcoming family, etc.)
   
2. My daughter - The biggest worry for the new baby is probably the old one. I can't imagine going through the birthing experience with a two year-old. What do we do with her when labor hits? (Best case scenario, my wife goes into labor on weekday at 8 am and gives birth by 3 pm. Then we don't have to worry as much about babysitters). We've also failed miserably at not spoiling our firstborn, so she is a very demanding and clingy child. We're worried that she might not like the new baby (gifts have already been purchased to ease the transition). There have been successes with my daughter, though. She has become very comfortable with the kids across the street (sometimes I can leave her alone there to play). She has also transitioned to a bed and a new room (painted pink and purple by her loving parents), which has freed up the nursery for the impending arrival. We feel it's 50/50 with her right now. In general, she has been the perfect child for us. We hope she maintains the status quo.
   
3. My job - Ah yes, the job. Well, the year is winding down. I'm hoping it doesn't end before I can take my 1-week paternity leave. Overall, this has been an OK year. I have gotten used to the school culture and the student body. I scored some points on Yom HaShoah when the display boards that I had my students create were very well received. It's just been such a long year and the job has taken a lot out of me. I'm really looking forward to that last day when - for two months - I don't have to deal with high schoolers, their parents or an administration (I will have a newborn and 2 yr.-old to deal with, but they whine less).
   
4. Summer plans - Once the year is over, my summer plans are pretty set. I will be home for a month before jetting off to Berlin, Germany for a week with Centropa (the original inspiration for this blog). I will follow that with a week in NYC as part of a program aimed at professionalizing the way Jewish History is taught in Jewish day schools in the US. I feel a little guilty about leaving my wife alone with our two children, but I'm sure that a nice piece of jewelry can make up for my absence. At the end of the summer (mid-August) we'll travel as a family to Palo Alto to reconnect with old friends and escape the suffocating heat and humidity of Baltimore. I go back to work Aug. 24th.

So now you're in the know.
Thanks to DG for encouraging me to start blogging again. Hopefully the next one will be a little more humorous.
Spud