A Shout out from the Trenches!

Welcome to 2009 and second semester!

I am certainly buried under a pile of grading, papers, proposals, surveys, this damn portfolio thing. That pile is of course buried under tumbleweeds, baby clothes, toys, and other assorted things. Sigh.

So, we all keep plugging along. Somehow. Some days I think I am going to lose my mind. I breathe deeply, I drink more coffee, and off I go.

So here are the big accomplishments of 2009:
1. Jack and Scout continue the trend of being unsupervised during the day in the family room and kitchen. I am happy to report no injuries or damages to my house.
2. My husband is runner-up for Dad of the Year Award. He is awesome. He may not be as hippy dippy as me, but he is amazing. He is helping me make baby food, spending lots of quality time with E, has taken over bath duties and has been constantly supportive of me with school, with pumping, and life.
3. I am here. Enough said. I am a doctoral student, and I am a mom. Somewhere hidden under the baby food, papers and caffeine I am hiding out. :) I am up almost all night every night in a caffeine-induced whirlwind of activity.
4. E is almost 8 months old. GASP! Where did time go?? Everyone is all into the list of baby accomplishments:
--She no longer sleeps through the night. HA! Really not so bad, she just gets up early in the morning for a feeding. My supply is worth garbage so I appreciate it.
--NOW she is into rolling. Front to back and over and over again. She won't crawl, but she will scoot backward. Sigh.
---Solid foods are only semi-painful. She is into finger foods, grabbing the spoon and feeding herself. I just let her do it.
--She is getting away vocal. Last Thursday she broke out into a chorus of mamamamamamamamama and later a babababababababa. I like to think that means her first word is mom and she loves me. :)
--No more napping at daycare. Can't do it, won't do it. What can I say? She is my daughter. Who needs sleep??