Changes, changes

As if we didn't have enough changes going on right now, we had to add just a couple more. As I mentioned in the last post, Lily began a new school on Monday. This came about rather suddenly, but we are all so, so happy with this development. Lily's friend's mom (from our playgroup) mentioned a program that her daughter attends that piqued my interest. Basically, the program is in a nearby school district that has a very good reputation. The school district has inclusion classes that have children with mild disabilities in classes with "model" (or typically developing) children. The idea is that the typically developing children will model positive language/social/cognitive/motor skills while the children with special needs will provide an opportunity for the typically developing children to gain an acceptance and appreciation for differences. It really is a win-win situation. Best of all, this is a free program through the district. Lily attends the school 3 hours during the morning, 4 days per week. This has been an absolute dream for us so far. Lily really enjoys the school, and I have enjoyed being able to get things done like grocery shopping, running errands, etc without having to drag her along. I'm just so grateful for this situation. I also couldn't be happier about the timing because this will keep Lily in a routine and give her an outlet and her own special time when the baby comes.

The other change is that I will be starting a part-time job in January. I have signed up as an adjunct faculty member at our local community college. I taught a Psychology course at a community college when we first arrived in Baltimore (8 years ago), and I haven't taught college-level courses since, but I am really excited to get back into it. I will probably end up teaching about 5 hours per week. This is my ideal set-up. I really do want to use my degree and work but still be able to devote the majority of my time to being a mom.

I really feel like I was floundering a bit for the first year that we moved back to St. Louis. I just couldn't find the right school situation for Lily with the right work situation for me. Finally, I feel like it is coming together. This, combined with a successful pregnancy after trying for a year and half, makes me happy and content beyond what I conceived possible.