Christian & Emma: 10/01/2008

Hello everyone! I know it's been too long. I finished my first draft of my essays a couple weeks ago, but I've been spending my time trying to refine them and finish other aspects of my applications. The first ones are due at the end of this month and that means that the majority of my application (minus varients like cover letters and specific information requested by particular sites) needs to be complete. It's a lot of material (26+ pg application, 4 concise essays that explain who I am as a person and professional, transcripts, evaluations, sample psychological reports, vita/resume, etc., etc.) and it's a little difficult to explain how stressful and anxiety-provoking the process is, but every other doctoral candidate in clinical psychology in the nation (at my level) is applying for a limited number of positions... some of which are more competitive than others... and there aren't enough for everyone to get one. I think the latest stats say that 85% of people match with (or obtain) an internship. Most of the sites I'm applying to have a 1-10% chance of acceptance (when you look at their number of slots and people applying), so.... yeah, it challenges one's sense of "control" and my fragile ego as I rarely feel that I am quite good enough.

Fortunately, God blessed me with a wonderful mother, sisters, husband, and friends who have been giving me a lot of support and comfort. The first thing I had to remember (and continue to remember) is that God is still good and He's brought Christian and I this far. Even if the 'worst' scenario were to occur and I didn't get matched, and therefore didn't graduate, my life is still worth something and God still loves me. And that's enough.

Okay, enough with that. Will is doing really well. I wish I had the latest stats on his weight but I haven't accurately measured him lately. My guess is around 23-24 lbs. He's 30" tall. So, all in all, he's stayed in the normal range for his big self. :) Developmentally, he's been saying "mommom" alot and it's simply music to my ears. From time to time we've noticed that Will is in a "mommy's boy" stage, as he completely lights up when I come home from work or an errand. He sees me and all his limbs start banging back and forth and he giggles incessantly, then he'll stop to look back at me, get a smile from me, then continue wagging his limbs all over the place. It's hilarious and heart-warming all at once. He's also begun kissing. ... Well, I should say the baby-like kiss where he reaches out, grabs my hair to pull me toward his face, and, with his mouth open wide, he begins to slobber, suck, bite, etc whatever area of my face he was able to bring toward him. It may be slobbery-wet mess, but it is simply the most beautiful, loving gift I could ever ask for.

In regard to sleep and all that, this month has had its ups and downs. The great and wonderful thing is that since we've been back from visiting Ruth and Matt Will has been on a bedtime routine that includes a bath at 7:30pm and a sleeping baby by 8/8:15pm. We were struggling with that before, but Ruth and Matt gave us some great ideas and that, in combination with the trip shocking his sleep cycle in general, allowed us to put him on a routine that we have been able to keep it up. Okay, now, the hard thing about this month is that he is waking up WAY more often in the middle of the night than before. Now, part of that is because he reaches his usual 6-7 hours straight by 2-3am instead of 7-8am, but the other part is a little more complicated. He's begun to teethe like crazy (I've counted six teeth out so far) and he's also maintained one cold or another since before we left for vacation at the end of August. ... So, with a stuffy nose and hurting gums it's no wonder he can't sleep well, but, man, is it exhausting! I'm just so thankful that he's a pretty joyful and content boy overall.

Oh, and he's begun to crawl! Well, sorta. So far he's only been able to move forward one or two steps at a time, but he's gotten really good at moving backward and in a circular fashion. :) It's so fun to see him aware of his surroundings and deciding where he would like to move toward and taking action in that direction. It's just seeing that development... it's just so cool. We've also been able to experiment with a lot of different solid foods, but so far his favorites are bananas, carrots, oatmeal, and cheerios. I thought it would be fun to let him try some of the more sweeter fruits from time to time, but he really didn't like them... as I've heard quite a few babies don't... and that's really okay with me. In fact, making sure that he eats a healthy, well-rounded diet has helped Christian and I be more mindful of eating well ourselves... course, we have a long road ahead of us for that, but hopefully we'll at least continue moving in that direction!

Okay!! Now for the pictures! We do have video capability now, so hopefully I'll be able to load one or two up soon... I know you've been asking for them, Sharon! :) But, for now, pictures will have to do. :) I've tried to put them in chronological order...

TRIP TO KY:

(Will with his cousin, Aidan)

We went out to a nice restaurant with my parents who had just come in town and the boys decided they would prefer to play on the ground. :) Thankfully, we got a room off to the side.