Hispanohablante (Sort Of)

Academia: Check-in week for the summer term is over, and my free time and energy have returned, huzzah! Y'all have heard me talk about how crazy the first week of the semester is approximately eight billion times, so I won't go into much detail. I drove students around, I gave seminars, I answered what are now extremely familiar questions about housing, immunizations, insurance, and life in the US. Blah blah blah.

The only thing that really stood out as different was how much Spanish I got to practice during the week. We have a strict English-only policy at work; not because we hate our students' native languages, but because the best way to learn English is to use English as much as possible. So usually, I try to encourage my students to speak English with me, even though I minored in Spanish and am passingly fluent. But last week, we had several new Spanish-speaking students who really didn't speak English at all, and it was more important that they understand how signing a lease, opening a bank account, and buying health insurance works than that they get a few more hours of English practice.

It took a bit for my Spanish to un-rustify, but once I got going, I felt like I got by reasonably well. Everyone seemed to understand what I was saying at least. Plus, it's good for me to put myself in my students' shoes linguistically from time to time. Spending two whole afternoons speaking only Spanish reminded me how hard all my students are working every day to live life in English. It gave me a renewed admiration for them. At the beginning of the semester, when students are beating down my office door, remembering just how brave and determined they are helps me stay flexible and patient.

Sartorial: I wore this outfit last week on one of my Spanish-speaking days. I spent the afternoon driving students to see apartment complexes in the rain. Rainy days always make me want to wear jeans, and these pants are the closest maternity alternative I have. Actually, on a hot, humid day, they were better than jeans - the chambray fabric is lighter and looser than denim, making them the perfect summer pants. The loose top was cool and comfy in the humidity as well. All in all, not a bad outfit to spend a day in.

Back on the Grid

Hey everyone. I'm back.

I totally didn't intend to drop off the face of the earth for six weeks. Everything is going great here, which is exactly why I did drop off the face of the earth - everything going great means everything is also really busy. Here's a rundown of what I've been up to in the past six weeks:

1. Went to Paris with Cary. Tres magnifique!
2. Spent two weeks trying to mentally and physically recover from trip to Paris.
3. Had a nephew, who is honestly the cutest baby ever born. Three weeks old last Saturday, and the apple of his aunt Emily's eye.
4. Finished the semester.
5. Recovered from the end of the semester.

Plus, got increasingly more pregnant, as you can see. I'm 26 weeks right now and feeling wonderful, albeit a little awkwardly sized. Seriously, who would have thought that putting on a pair of pants would be such an act of balance? My daughter is strong and healthy, and quite the active kid. I couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy so far, and all I can ask for now is that it keep going the way it's been going.

So what are my plans for the blog going forward? Obviously, step one is not to drop off the face of the earth for six weeks again. Beyond that, I'd like to keep posting twice a week. I'd love to do more, but it's hard to come up with five non-repetitive outfits every week for months when my wardrobe is so limited. After Baby C is born in August, we'll take things one day at a time, but hopefully will be able to keep up the twice-a-week plan once we've got our feet under us.

Thanks for sticking around, and I'm glad to be back! Until Wednesday or Thursday, enjoy this adorable picture of me and my nephew:

See what I mean? Couldn't you just eat him up?

I Can't Believe I Watch...

Academia: Guys, I'm writing this as I watch the "Women Tell All" episode of The Bachelor. Holy crap. I can't believe I care about this show. I started watching this season as part of a discussion group on Christian femininity at church, which seemed like a legit reason to tune in. We talked about what it's like to be a woman in our culture, and how that relates to our faith. It was great.

But then the discussion group ended and I CANNOT STOP WATCHING. And weirdly, I can't stop drawing parallels between this and The Hunger Games. The women may not be getting killed off in a brutal fight to the death, but otherwise it feels pretty much the same. Except I was excited to share my love of The Hunger Games with others, but I feel the need to start every conversation I have about The Bachelor with a disclaimer: "Well, I was part of this Bible study..." Because Bible study makes this less lame, right?

Sartorial: There are three things that make this outfit Bachelor-inappropriate: 1) All of my limbs are covered, 2) These pants are comfortable, and most of the ladies' clothes on the show look like medieval torture devices, and 3) Spanx cannot do anything about my belly. And I'm pretty sure this wouldn't work for The Hunger Games either. Nothing about this outfit says "protection from the elements," "camouflage from enemies," or "flammable dress to impress adoring public."

Mental Fist Shaking

Academia: I think my university is the only public institution in the US that doesn't celebrate Presidents' Day. 364 days a year, I love, love, love working there, but on Presidents' Day, my alarm goes off, I look at my blissfully sleeping public schoolteacher husband, and I mentally shake my fist at the powers that be. And that's how yesterday went for me.

Sartorial: I'm also starting to mentally shake my fist at my wardrobe. I don't have enough maternity clothes to make a full wardrobe, but none of my pre-pregnancy pants or skirts fit comfortably anymore, so every day I just look at my closet and sigh. This in-between stage of pregnancy is killing my style mojo.

I felt better over the weekend when my friend Lilly, whose due date is one week before mine, said she was feeling exactly the same way about her clothes. She always looks really stylish to me, so that gave me hope that maybe I'm not looking as blah as I feel when I get dressed every day. I think a good solid hour of shopping for more clothes that actually fit would give my style mojo the boost it needs. I hoping that can happen this week; stay tuned for results.

I know I sound super whiny today, y'all. I promise I'm not fishing for compliments, and I hope to be back to my non-whiny self in my next post. Thanks for bearing with me.

Word Play

Academia: A lot of interesting things happened in my day yesterday, but the one that sticks in my memory most is the one that happened last. A student called late in the day, begging me to help him. Alarmed, I asked him what on earth was wrong. He had a horrible toothache and needed a dentist, he said. Okay, how much pain was he in, I asked.

"Emily, my tooth f*** me!" he exclaimed.

Ooooookay. What other possible response is there besides, "I understand and will find you a dentist immediately"? None that I could think of, so that's exactly what I said, and I found him a dentist immediately. And got him the number and address of an urgent care clinic, just in case. Because dang. Just dang.

Sartorial: When I was wasn't resolving crises of the tooth-f***ing variety yesterday, I was enjoying wearing the last, and maybe most favorite, of my new maternity dresses. Happily, our cold front has vanished (high of 80 yesterday, what what), so I got to try this out blazerless and blazer...ful? What? I have a master's in linguistics, y'all. I can make up words. 

Baby A-mazing

This is a picture of me with five of my favorite people in the world. This picture was taken at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, about a month before I got pregnant.

Seriously, these people are the best, and I'm not just saying that because three of them (Cary, obviously, and Mike and Suzanne) are in my immediate family. They're all awesome, all five of them. Except now I can say they're all awesome, all six of them, because the first of our babies, Jose and Adrienne's Baby A, was born Wednesday night.

New babies are always wonderful, but the birth of a baby whose parents you know well and like a lot is especially amazing. Cary and I visited Baby A in the hospital yesterday evening and she is pretty badass. She was looking around and sticking out her tongue at us, and seemed completely fascinated with Cary. I mean, I know all newborns do that stuff (except maybe for being fascinated with Cary, since not every newborn is fortunate enough to meet him), but when the baby of our dear friends was doing it, she just seemed so advanced and cool. Best baby ever.

The next baby up is Suzanne and Mike's Baby F, due in April. Baby F is also my nephew, and therefore will clearly also be the best baby ever. And then our baby is due in August, and I'm sure we'll think s/he is the best baby ever too. So to sum up, we're having a lot of awesome babies around here, who will be so amazing that they might actually be the next step in the human evolutionary cycle. In your face, other babies.

Anyway, here's what I wore on Baby A's birth day. I didn't know she would be born when I put it on in the morning, but it seemed appropriately festive for what turned out to be a banner day for our little group.

If you look closely, you can see where my own superbaby is beginning to be visible. We're living in exciting times, y'all.

Watch Downton Abbey. Seriously.

Academia: It's late and I need to go to bed, but to sum up today, may I just say that any day that ends with catching up on Downton Abbey is an awesome day. If you haven't watched Downton Abbey yet, get yourself over to Netflix immediately and set aside six hours of your life to watch season 1. And I mean six consecutive hours, because you won't be able to stop. Who knew that the inner workings of a 1910s English country estate were so completely engrossing? Well, now you do. Even if you don't give a hoot for British period dramas, it's worth watching for the clothes. So. Fabulous.

Sartorial: The only bad thing I have to say about this outfit is that it's not the clothes from Downton Abbey. Although my earrings are a bit 1915. So yay! Downton Abbey earrings! Now I just have to hunker down and wait for this look to come back in:

Seriously, I need these clothes.

Sudafed Brain

TOMS

Academia: Y'all, I honestly can't remember what I did in these clothes. I have a cold, and my brain just refuses to reach that far back. On a related note, what in the world do they put in Sudafed to make it non-drowsy? I suspect cocaine. That's the only decongestant I can take right now, and it made me lay awake twitching half the night last night. So my options are apparently cough all night and don't sleep, or don't cough but feel like I had five espresso shots and also don't sleep. If I weren't so tired, I'd cry.

Sartorial: I remember this outfit being comfortable, I think. Except that my pants are just barely hanging on. I think I rubber banded them together, which is a pretty neat trick when you're pregnant but too small for maternity clothes. Just loop a rubber band through the button hole, and then around the button, and voila! Pants that mostly fit.

The button hole is hidden in this particular pair of pants, but trust me, the rubber band is there.

Double Duty

Academia: Pictures didn't happen on Friday, so y'all are getting a special treat today: weekend clothes! And weekend clothes that aren't sweatpants and a t-shirt on top of that. I wore this to church yesterday, and then to the movies to see The Muppets (which I loved... "Rainbow Connection" always makes me tear up). And then I fell asleep on the couch in it, and can I say how great it is that clothes I wore to church can double as couch napping clothes?

Sartorial: I've worn variations on this outfit a lot, but that's just because it's oh so comfy and still looks polished. Let me reiterate: church and a nap in the same outfit. Win-win. Win.

Perks

Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: There are so many awesome things about my job. A student once told me I had four hearts, which was definitely a high point. I overheard one student tell another student who was being rude that he had "bad customer service," which I wouldn't call a high point, but was still pretty funny. And at the end of the semester, when all the teachers are running around in a flurry of grading, my job is actually winding down.

As a student life advisor, I work really hard at the beginning of each semester, when the students are new and still settling into life in the US. At the end, though, they're all housed, immunized, and insured, and there isn't as much for me to do. Although now that I've said that, I'm sure someone will set their apartment on fire or break their leg or something. So this week at work has been a bit more relaxing than a month or so ago. And at the end of a long semester, that's certainly a plus.

Sartorial: Another perk of my job is that I can wear leggings to work and absolutely no one cares. Bazinga.

Cat Nap Clothes

Brian's Etsy Shop, Bracelet 

Academia: Hey everyone! I'm back after several days off, and I'm feeling refreshed and ready to wear some clothes. Not that I haven't been wearing clothes all along (imagine the awkwardness/chilliness if I hadn't), but now I'm recharged and have some interesting things to say about them. I think. We'll see. 


Sartorial: Mondays in the all-you-can-eat holiday season call for stretchy clothes that look dressier than they feel. The combination of Christmas cookies and leftover weekend sleepiness makes me want to sleep late and read a book all day, but since I have to do things like pay my mortgage and feed the cats, I put on jersey clothes, don't belt anything,  drive to work, and try to catch a quick nap in my office armchair at lunch. And count down the days until Christmas break, although I try not to let on to the students that I'm doing that. Even though they obviously are.

Pre-Tryptophan

Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: Much as I love my job, and busy as I am right now, the holidays make it really hard to sustain any kind of momentum at work. I run around all day until around 4:00, 30 minutes before I leave every day, and then find it impossible to get motivated to do anything at all. I can see Thanksgiving right over the horizon and my brain is already shutting down in preparation. It's like it can sense all the tryptophan coming its way.

Sartorial: Pre-tryptophan brain means pre-tryptophan clothes. This is definitely not my most exciting outfit ever, but standing in front of my closet yesterday morning, I just couldn't get excited about any of my clothes and ended up going with comfy pieces I knew would work together. This outfit didn't set anyone's world on fire, but I wasn't naked and two days before a big holiday, that's about all one can hope for.

Early Thanksgiving

Brian's Etsy Shop 

Academia: One of the very best parts of my job is the opportunity to introduce our students to American holidays. I love wearing green on St. Patrick's Day, putting on a pirate hat for Halloween, and handing out candy on Valentine's Day, but my very favorite holiday tradition at work is our annual Thanksgiving potluck, which was held on Friday evening.

Here are the reasons I love the Thanksgiving potluck:

1. Sooooo much good food. One of our teachers takes the afternoon off to cook the turkeys for us, which are always delicious, and our students all bring food from their countries. And since our students all have different cultural norms when it comes to punctuality, we get new dishes continually for the first two hours of the dinner.
2. It's like eating with a really, really big extended family. Our students are all far from home, and they turn to each other to provide the sense of family they miss from the very beginning of the semester. By the time we get to the Thanksgiving dinner, students from different countries are taking pictures with their arms around each other, trying food from each other's countries, and learning words in each other's languages. Being around that kind of camaraderie would make anyone feel good. The food is really just a bonus.

Sartorial: We had a short-lived cool spell on Friday and Saturday (by which I mean it wasn't 80 degrees), which was perfect for an early Thanksgiving. This shirt over a bulky skirt probably wasn't the best choice for disguising the food baby I left the potluck with, but I was warm and I had a belly full of turkey, so honestly I don't think there was much to complain about.

Pre-Bad Hair Day

Academia: This is Wednesday's outfit, and the most important thing I can remember about Wednesday at this point is that I got my hair cut on Tuesday and this was my first time trying it out in public. I just got a couple of layers, which looked good on Wednesday, but were a disaster yesterday. I've had short hair for so long that I'm out of practice doing any kind of styling, but my sister says I need a flat iron and some heat protection products to keep it from frizzing out. Long-haired readers, do you agree? How do you keep your hair looking straight and not frizzy?

Sartorial: This was the fifth or sixth outfit I tried on on Wednesday. Just one of those days. Cary got home before me Wednesday afternoon and said he could tell exactly what kind of morning I had because of the explosion of clothes I left all over the bed. I ended up sticking with jeans and an easy blouse at the last minute. Kind of how I pulled my hair into a ponytail at the last minute yesterday, because omgfrizzymess. Seriously, y'all. Help me.

Schoolteacher

Academia: I've been sitting here for an hour trying to think of something to say about what I did in this outfit, other than "I ran around all day and didn't get to eat lunch until after 2:00." But since I ran around all day and didn't get to eat lunch until after 2:00, my creative faculties are suffering a bit. All I've got is "my feet hurt" and "What up with How I Met Your Mother last night?" So yeah. Sorry.

Sartorial: I wore this ensemble to church on Sunday (I always test-run new outfits at church) and my sister said all I needed to become a stereotypical old-fashioned schoolteacher was a ruler and a bun. I didn't want to go quite that far, but looking a little sterner at work couldn't hurt. Maybe I should start making students clap erasers or scrape the gum off the underside of desks if they don't turn in their immunization paperwork on time. That would be totally appropriate, right?

Escape and Oxfords

Academia: Just a quick post today because as you read this, Cary and I are heading out for a few days of don't-worry-be-happy escape from our lives at Disney World (which, if you've been reading long enough, you can guess is within fairly easy driving distance from where we live). I'm writing this on Wednesday night and we're trying to pack and clean, so all I have to say is yay Disney, and check out my new shoes!

Sartorial: I happened across these oxfords at Payless earlier this week and had to get them. I've been looking for the right high heeled oxfords for months, and when I saw these, I knew they were the right ones. I'm not quite sure how to style them other than with skinny jeans though. I think I can wear them with a dress and tights, but what about without tights? Will they cut my legs off and make them look short? It's still 80 degrees here, so I need a tights-less option. What do y'all think?