Well, I have started my graduate school classes, and I am very busy with nightly scholastic readings. A hot topics in education right now is 'inclusion', including disabled and other special needs kids in the 'mainstream' classroom. Personally, I can see good and bad points about it. I had an autistic child in my first grade class in China, and he could keep up with the academic work, but the other kids would provoke him to anger on purpose because they could, and they thought it was funny to hear him shriek with rage. It made me very sad for him. I think he could have progressed further academically with one on one instruction.

Anyway, one current annoyance in my life is the way people react to my pregnancy. I have just barely entered into the 6th month, and all I ever hear is "but you don't look pregnant!" This has resulted in my having "belly envy", a la Sigmund Freud.

Some one even approached me today about helping plan for a 'surprize baby shower' for 2 of the girls in the graduate program who are due 2 weeks before me and are showing alot more. It wasn't an opportune time to say "Oh yeah? I am pregnant too!", because that would have seemed like a lame grasp for attention, but it was obvious that the person who was talking to me didn't have a clue. I guess she thinks I naturally choose to wear maternity clothes for fun and fashion.

I'm glad that my stomach isn't grotesquely stretched out, but I want credit where credit is due! I have gained about 12 pounds, but I am very tall so I have always carried weight well, and the baby has ample room to stretch out in my long torso.

I know it sounds like a wierd thing to complain about...

Love,

a very skinny ckb

Thursday, Jul. 08, 2004 at 5:56 PM