Yes, it has been a very long time. I have many pictures to post, and a video or two, but I thought I'd try to fill in the gap with some info on what we've been up to out here first.
After we got back from our Oregon trip, we had a short period of time to settle in before I had to go back to work and Ted had to go back to school. I was hired for a full time position by the local community college. While excited to have my very first full time "real" job, I wasn't too excited to leave my Teds at home. And Ted was slated to take the second semester of first year Arabic and participate in the Model Arab League during the spring term. We were able to arrange our schedules so that one of us would be home with the baby at all times.
Right before my first faculty meeting, Little Ted got sick with a stomach bug. I won't go into details - you can use your imagination to picture what it was like. All I will say is it was very messy, and I felt like I washed all his clothes two or three times that week.
Over the next couple of days, I started feeling sick, as did Ted. By the time my first day of work and his first day of school rolled around, we were all well, but Little Ted was not 100% yet and could not eat his normal portions. He was also teething and hit a growth spurt around that time. All that added up to a cranky baby and a rough couple of weeks for everyone as we adjusted to our new schedule.
But we all pulled through in the end. I am very proud of my hubby. Not only did he take on the responsibility of being a stay-at-home dad this term (a huge job in itself), but he also worked really hard in his classes, both of which presented their own challenges.
I managed to get through the semester and even sent off one chapter of my dissertation to my advisor, but that's all that I accomplished on the school front. As far as work is concerned, I feel that I had a successful semester and really enjoyed teaching my classes.
It wasn't all work this past semester (though it was mostly work). In March, we went to visit Ted's parents for spring break. It was nice to have down time. In April, Little Ted had his 6 month doctor's appointment. He weighed in at just over 16 lbs and was 25 inches long. He did well, even though he had to get several shots. But he already has a fear of the doctor's office - he remembers the exam table and the crinkly paper and associates that with getting shots. It's become enough of an issue that I can barely change his diaper when we are at Dillard's because Dillard's has the same set up for a changing table in the women's restroom. And in April, Little Ted was baptized during the Easter vigil service. We were able to celebrate the occasion with Ted's parents and nephew and Little Ted's godfather, Bryan, and his fiancee.
Little Ted recently visited the doctor for his 9 month check up (can you believe it!). He is now 19 lbs and 27 1/2 inches long. Surprisingly, that puts him on the low end of the scale for height and weight. But as far as we're concerned, he's a big guy. His doctor phobia reared its ugly head during the visit. While the doctor was examining him, he cried his eyes out - crocodile tears, beet red face, the works. The doctor joked that he was giving her a complex. Other than that, the visit went well, especially since he didn't need any shots.
The spring semester ended 2 weeks ago for Ted and last week for me. We are both breathing a sigh of relief - but not for long. I MUST write my dissertation this summer. I just sat down and calculated what that will require. Yes, it will be a mad pace, but it must be done. That means that Ted will be on baby duty for several hours during the afternoon, and I need to stay focused and write! write! write! from now until the beginning of the fall term. But I promise to try to keep the blog updated better during the process.
