The most nerve-wracking time of the year.

Until last year, I would have never thought of February and March as being a time of the year that was particularly stressful or sleep-depriving. But, after going through the entire budget process last year (and having my position cut, and happily/mercifully/amazingly/gratefully restored), February and March are now my absolute least favorite months.

Local schools have recently been announcing their plans for budget cuts. The latest comes from Vestal; you can read about it here: http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20120221/NEWS01/202210384/Changes-weighed-Vestal-schools?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

The Vestal Superintendent makes it a point to say that the cuts mentioned are only options at this point, not decisions set in stone. Still, it makes me horribly nauseous and nervous and scared when I read that Vestal is considering 2 (TWO!?) library media cuts. If I'm not misinformed/mistaken, I'm pretty sure they made library media cuts last year, too, when they didn't replace retirees and now the LMSs  are covering multiple buildings. How are they going to cut more?

It also scares me that librarians are on the table again. It makes me worry about my job. I have to say, I'm a lot less freaked out this year than last year so far, but maybe that's just because I haven't actually heard anything yet. I keep getting these horrible flashbacks to last year (the year anniversary of that nightmare is tomorrow) when my principal found me in another teacher's room, and white-faced and grim, told me I needed to go to the conference room immediately...
...The instant panic that overtook me.
...Telling the teacher I was with that I thought I was losing my job...and being right.
...Walking down that long hallway with my heart in my throat.
...Sitting around the same table where we now have our monthly birthday breakfast and looking at the faces of my colleagues, most of whom looked as confused or scared as I felt as we waited for the meeting to start. ...Embarrassingly crying SO hard in front of everyone as they told us our positions were slated to be cut.
...Walking back down the hall and hearing other teachers sob, shell-shocked and stunned.
...Calling my husband and my mom in the car and trying to stay calm while I told them the news.
...Meeting with the union and an alarmingly HUGE number of teachers that heard the same thing on the same day in the church across the street.
...Going home and starting this blog and every other day after that while I considered my future, held my breath and crossed my fingers.

I really hope it doesn't happen again this year. Please, please, please.

Yet, if it does, I feel better prepared, if that's even possible. I feel like I lived through it once, so I can live through it again. I probably should be MORE scared with a baby on the way, but I feel like it's a bridge I can cross if and when I get there. We have more savings this year, and have sort of kept it in the back of our minds that it could happen again. We were OK last year; we'll be OK again. We have to be.

So, there's that. In the meantime, I'd much rather focus on the exciting, fun things that are happening than dwell on what might be. I have officially started my 6th month of pregnancy and am in the last 4 weeks of my 2nd trimester. Time is flying! Here's some bump updates:
Here I am just 2 short weeks after the last photo post, right after we found out it's a boy...

And then two weeks after that...I feel like I triple in size every 2 weeks! Maybe I should lay off the pudding I want to devour every night...

I can't believe I'm over halfway done with this pregnancy, and into the 6th month. Only 4 short months to go! Also, big congrats to Miss Kristina and her TWINS on the way. So many babies coming soon, our guy is going to have quite the little circle of buddies!