Gauchos! Hello again from your teacher Mrs. Valenzuela. I hope this blog finds you well. I will quickly update you with what I have been up to. It's quite a short list. I have been: feeding baby, changing baby, burping baby, bathing baby, stopping-a-crying baby. MY WORLD REVOLVES AROUND MIKAELA. Not much time to be Mrs. Valenzuela. I only exist as "MOM" right now. Luckily, my husband is taking time off (called "baby bonding") to be with us and help this busy momma. Who knew something so tiny could be so needy? But she's worth. I mean... LOOK AT THAT SMILE. (See third picture below.)

Mikaela is as healthy as can be. She can burp like a grown man. She has started to smile like a little ball of sunshine. She can sleep (almost) all throughout the night. And she is a Giants fan. (I'm praying they make the playoffs via wild card!) As for me, my health has been better. It's hard work recovering from a baby, and some unforeseen issues have occurred. On another note, Hernan and I celebrated our one year anniversary this Monday (September 26), and our little celebration was great. I hope one day we can reach our 50th, 75th year anniversary. It doesn't hurt to dream!

Last blog, I mentioned I would be attending an ECHS football game. Well, I went to my first two El Capitan football games these past two Fridays. Since my health is "meh" and Mikaela is still teeny, we  left after halftime both games. But they were a blast! I had never been to any sort of high school football game in Merced. They were certainly different than little ol' Le Grand High School or Delhi High School football games. I deeply enjoyed the band playing throughout the game. To any of you on the band, great job! And of course, I loved that varsity beat Golden Valley on homecoming. I even saw one of you there, as one of you said hello to me. (To whoever you are, you will have to tell me your name on my first day at school!)

Okay, Gauchos. I'm off to put my baby Mikaela for a nap. Maybe Mrs. Valenzuela can fit in some Zzz's also.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Valenzuela

Hi Kiddos!

It has now been about a month that you have all been in school. (Actually... it will be exactly a month tomorrow; whoa!) I hope you have enjoyed having Mr. Lang as your substitute. And, I know that you have a new sub now, and I hope you are all treating her well (which I am sure you are, because you seem like great students although I've only "met" you virtually!). Back to School Night was yesterday, and I hope you were all able to attend. Homecoming week is next week, and I encourage you freshmen to participate in as many activities and dress up days as possible; and sophomores, I hope you continue the school spirit in your second year as Gauchos. It kills me that I am not in the classroom with you all (especially during Homecoming!), but the time will come.

As for me, I have been spending time with my baby girl, who is now 6 weeks old. As I type this, she's laying in her baby bed smiling at who-knows-what (maybe dreaming about pooping?). This weekend, my husband and I were fighting over which onesie she was going to wear on Sunday-- her red and gold Niners onesie or her black and silver Raiders onesie. She ended up in red and gold this time. My husband claims she looks better in black and silver, but I beg to differ. When she's older, she will have to make a decision as to which team will be her favorite. Fingers crossed it will be the 49ers; can you just imagine if she ends up liking NEITHER?! I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up favoring another team-- Cowboys, Jets, or Rams. Hmmm.  Time will tell.

I will (hopefully) be at the ECHS Varsity football game tomorrow, so if you recognize me from my photos, please feel free to say hi! I will be there with my mini-family, cheering on our Gauchos.

Oh, and lastly... to those reading Night by Elie Wiesel... This novel is actually one of my all-time favorite books. I read it for the first time two years ago, and it has made it to the top of my favorites. It's a tragic tale that Elie writes, but it's an important story to read and an important time in history to learn. My students last year (at Delhi High School, where I taught at prior to ECHS) were hooked on each page as they read about the difficult journey of Elie and his family. My fingers are crossed that you all enjoy reading this tragic memoir, as well.

Have a wonderful week, Gauchos. And we will meet soon.

Mrs. Valenzuela. Out.

Another week has gone by. I don't know about you kiddos, but it seems that this summer has gone by incredibly fast. I know for you it seems that summer is over and fall is here, but for me, as long as there is hot weather, it is summer. (Not to mention I haven't "started school," so it's a LONG summer for me!) And although I love summer, I am ready for this Merced heat to come to a close. I'm beyond ready for some cool weather, boots, and FOOTBALL. As I mentioned before, I'm a 49ers fan AND a big UCLA fan. I'm hoping to become a big ECHS football fan too! But, I can't lie... I will be heading to some Le Grand High School football games to see my goddaughter cheer. (And because that is where I went to high school! Some of you may have heard of Le Grand... I know ECHS has played them before for volleyball, football, and other sports during preseason/scrimmages.)

Another week down, another week closer to meeting you all. I read every single one of your letters where you introduced yourselves to me and Mr. Lang. I was incredibly entertained! Some of you were hilarious (with your smart-alecky writing)... some of you shared some very personal information that touched my heart (about your struggles or your family dynamics)... and some of you made me think Me too! (Like when I read that some of you are Niners fans, Giants fans, Blink-182 listeners, Mexican food eaters.) Reading your letters made me that much more excited to meet you. Nice job on your letters, kiddos. We have some work to do in terms of proper letter writing and grammar, but I know by the end of the school year, every one of you will have it down!

And another week for my baby girl. I know reading about babies might bore you guys. So this is where you can stop reading, or at least scroll down to the photos. Mikaela is 5 weeks old today! She's growing bigger by the day. She stays alert for longer periods of time now, and she has even started smiling (see photo below!). This little Gaucho is certainly growing.

Anddddd now... time for this mom to eat her Costco churro and take a nap while Mikaela still slumbers. See you soon, kiddos! Be good. Work hard. Remember, good habits start NOW. Start the school year off right!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Valenzuela