Random Ramblings of a 3L

I've had an eventful couple of weeks. My substantial writing requirement is turned in. The. Final. Paper. Is. Turned. In. Yea!! I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders this morning when I hit the "send" button. Poor professor Thomas now has to read twelve of these monsters. Professor Thomas is retiring after this year. I have been in three of his classes. He is kind and knowledgeable. Many professors have not practiced much and teach more theory than practical knowledge. Professor Thomas has practical experience and teaches both. It is a sad day for the law school. Professor Wood is another awesome professor that is retiring this year as well. I know the students will miss them. It is starting to dawn on Robert and me that we are leaving this year as well.

Law School has had its ups and downs. I have grown so much through this experience and met some truly amazing people. A part of me thought this day would never come. But here I am staring at my graduation announcements and ordering my cap and gown. I entered law school as a scared 1L (first year law student). I was single and thought I would remain single for some time. I had started to make plans for my life. Then, I met Robert. I started my 2L year as a newlywed; I never thought I would have a child when I graduated. Yet, I started my 3L year six months pregnant. I took one set of finals while throwing up from morning sickness, and another set of finals recovering from giving birth. I learned through this experience that I can do more than I thought I could. I also learned that the Lord does prepare a way for you to accomplish what he commands, even when it seems impossible.

Yet, things are difficult. I never really rested after having John. I had classes to attend less than two weeks after his birth. Then, I had finals and the holidays. While I had two weeks to rest over Christmas, it was not enough. Soon, I started another semester and went back to work. I'm not suffering from anything huge, just several little annoyances that will not go away. I feel like I'm only functioning at 60%. But, as of last week I no longer have a job. My good friend Elizabeth hired me last year as an editor and I loved that job. After a busy day writing my paper and taking care of a very fussy John, I had had it. After John finally went to bed Robert noticed that Elizabeth had called us both repeatedly. Sure enough she had left five voice messages on my phone. I knew then that it was not good news. Robert called her and she and her husband wanted to come over (it was 9:00). Elizabeth and her husband are our classmates and our good friends. Elizabeth told me that most of the company, including herself, had been laid off earlier that day. I know that must have been hard for her to have to do.

I am sad and a little scared, our summer plan was for me to work while Robert took the July bar; he would then, hopefully, get a legal job and I would take the February bar. Now, we do not know what our plans are (other than Robert is taking the July bar). Once again I had made plans for my life but my life is going in a different, unknown direction. With this added stress came the stomach issues and the flare up of my TMJ (inflamed jaw due to overuse). When I'm stressed I clench and grind my teeth which causes my jaw joints to swell and protest in pain; I do this in my sleep as well. I have not a flare-up this bad since High School. Usually, I have a mild flare-up every couple of years. I take some advil for a day and then I'm fine for another couple of years. My jaw has hurt so bad this week I could barely talk (but I finished "that paper" in spite of it). I guess the point of all this rambling is that life never turns out how you expect it to. There will be times of great stress and distress but, hopefully, things work out and you make it through.

That's My Roly Poly

John learned how to roll from his back to his tummy on Monday. It is his new favorite trick and he does it all the time. Poopy diaper change = attempt to roll over; getting clothes changed = attempt to roll over; put down on his back = will roll over. Robert had to go into the other room. John was on his back. When Robert came back (maybe 30 seconds later) John was on his tummy. We kept missing him roll because he would do it in the 2 seconds we turned our heads. Finally, we were able to see him.

The video was hard to get. Every time I would have it ready he would stop turning to see what this camera was, or he would turn before I could hit "record." Luckily, I caught this one just as he started his turn.

He still is not a huge fan of tummy time so when he rolls he is all proud and then realizes "wait, I'm on my tummy!" Then he cries. When he gets really going we roll him onto his back. Two seconds later, he rolls back to his tummy. Sigh. He attempted to roll over in his crib the other night but got stuck when he rolled onto the edge of the crib. His hand-eye coordination is really good now. If he wants something he can usually grab it if it is within his reach - up, down, side, etc. He still giggles and squeals. He loves Robert's voice; whenever he talks John smiles and giggles. Wow, a semi-mobile baby. Now the fun starts!

Snow now? Really?

Yea, it's March! It snowed this week. A lot. Ugh. It was a sunny Saturday though. We took the MPRE and then did Saturday chores. But, alas, it is raining today. I was sick this week. I had a horrible cough, no voice and felt like crap. I'm feeling a little better but am completely drained of all energy and I still have that dang cough! John caught my cough, but he's still happy, smiley, and giggly. I'm counting the days until graduation. I'm so ready to be done with law school. My professor returned my substantial writing draft and I don't have to change much. I'm so glad. That paper took a long time to write and I was worried that I'd have to rewrite it.

John likes putting everything he gets in his hands into his mouth (including my hair if he can manage it). We had to take the stuffed animals out of his crib because he moves around in his sleep (hey, he sleeps like daddy) and we don't want anything to happen. We go in before we go to bed and put his blankets back on him, only to find them once again kicked off in the morning. He and his swing have been good friends lately. He is having trouble napping, but the swing puts him right out. He looks relieved if he's really tired and fussy and we put him in it. He also likes to be put in his bed before he's asleep so he can fall to sleep on his own. Win-win I'd say. He loves sucking on his fist or his index finger. He loves it when we sing to him. He smiles and giggles (this is really great when he's cranky). One of his favorites is the hokey pokey (probably because he loves the arm and leg movements that we do for him).

Tired.Reading his book on bugs.

Sleeping in his swing.

Looking at mommy.

Putting everything into his mouth.

Sucking on his fingers.

Looking out my sliding glass door.

This is March!

This was only a third of what we got.

Winter Wonderland.

Sunday Ramblings

So, it's been a while. Yeah, I know. I've been sick, then Robert got sick. We both take the MPRE on Saturday and I've been finishing my substantial writing requirement. The rough draft is due tomorrow and then I have a week to fix it after receiving back the professor's comments. I've been trying to get everything done but it's been really hard. Graduation is approaching and most of our class, including us, do not have legal jobs upon graduation. Normally, you have an offer before Christmas, but with the economy the way it is, few of us do. Many have said it's the worst economy for law graduates ever. Lucky us! The school hasn't been much help either. I've been wondering why I went to law school. It's been difficult wondering how things are going to work out; wondering if they are going to work out. This just makes it that much harder to focus on my paper. I'll be glad when school is over, that stress will be gone.

John is doing well. He is so dang cute! He rolled over the other night on his own and giggled for the first time the other day. He is tolerating tummy time now (he hated it before) and continues to talk to "Fudgie the whale" in his gym. He loves his baby mobile and grins in awe when we turn it on and it moves. He also loves the tv. Yeah, not necessarily a good thing, but we found it funny when he kept looking at the tv and crying. Robert turned it on and he was fine. We don't watch that much tv but I guess he paid attention when we had it on. Thank goodness he usually sleeps well at night. He has grown so much. He is in 6-9 month clothes now. He won't eat unless he's hungry - he will spit the bottle out if he doesn't want to eat and will turn his head. He loves sucking on his fist but he won't take a pacifier anymore. He loves to stand or sit and only wants to lay down when he is tired or wants to play in his gym. His hair is starting to grow back from rubbing off in his crib. Socks don't stay on his feet for long. He also moves himself with his legs. We will put him down and come back and he's moved. If his arms were stronger he'd be crawling.

After the first paragraph I realized I needed to list the things that I am thankful for (in no particular order):

John sleeping through the night or only getting up once a night.
John giggling and smiling; it's great to come home to that at the end of a bad day (I've had several lately).
A husband who cleans the bathroom when he can tell I'm overwhelmed.
A husband who is a LexisNexis student rep. I know when all the trainings are.
A husband - more particularly my husband.
Family.
Having another nephew on the way - Congratulations Brian and Mindy; little boys are so much fun.
Baby formula on sale for $4 off - I bought every can at the store yesterday.
Contact lenses - I hate glasses unless it's night.
Law school study carrels - it makes you feel that your tuition was good for something (stay away undergrads, some are not so nice about kicking you out of their carrels).
Being non-diabetic - yeah, that was horrible I'm glad I can eat real food again and that I don't have to prick my finger anymore.
Good chopping knives.
Sleep - It eludes me far too often.
Friends - I love my friends.
Starting to feel human again - giving birth rocks you.

Due to popular demand, pictures of John follow:

After church.

Daddy taking his sweater off after church.

Playing with daddy.

More playtime.

Helping dad with homework.

John and dad having fun with the camera while mom is gone.

In his baseball outfit.

Sitting up.

Kind of a Crummy Week

So, last week and this week have just been crummy. Robert sprained his ankle last Thursday which meant that he had to sit around for two days. Thursday, John wanted to be entertained all day so I got no homework done and got behind in classes, especially when Robert hurt his ankle and could not do much. luckily, Robert's ankle seems to be fine now. We got John a "gym" so that he will be entertained more and, boy, did it sure work. He loves that thing and I am singing the hallelujah chorus! I am almost caught up in all my classes again. It's never a good idea to get behind but sometimes life happens and it's unavoidable. Luckily, I have one small assignment to finish this weekend and I will be set (except for that whole, huge substantial writing paper thing). Work is going well but my schedule is more difficult with John and making sure that he is taken care of and that I get enough time with him. Plus, I've just been in an overall bad mood that I think is starting to lift. I call it the February fog; it happens every year around this time in Utah. The thrill of the new semester has worn off, fatigue starts to set in, and the weather is usually dismal. So I suck it up for a week until it passes.

My dad was here last weekend for Aunt Gloria's funeral. He had a good time seeing us and had a blast with John. It was good to have some time with my dad; we get that a lot with my mom but not much with my dad. It was laid back Sunday at the cabin and Monday night we had sushi (the first for me since my pregnancy) and it was so good. John "talks" to everyone and everything now. My dad and John had so much fun "talking" to each other. John loves being able to "talk" to us; his smile is always huge during it. He is now grabbing the rings on his gym. He is also drooling a ton now. That was something new. He is also having a hard time falling asleep on his own. He now needs to be cuddled and rocked to sleep. I love this cuddle time with him. I know that there is only a small portion of his life where this will happen so I try to enjoy it instead of stressing about what needs to be done.

John in his gym.

He was so cute I took another one.

I love this outfit and took a picture of it because he has almost outgrown it.

John's Two Month Doctor's Appointment

John has his 8 week check-up today. He is nine weeks but the doctor was out of town last week. John is 14 pounds 1/2 ounce. Yes, he is a chubby little, well big, baby. The doctor is not worried and said his weight is fine; it is a good sign when babies can gain weight well. He is 23 1/2 inches long. His weight is 90th percentile and his height is 75th percentile. He said everything was good. His ears and throat looked good. His development is good and right on track. He starts immunizations soon.

He almost rolled over from his tummy to his back last night. He had just had a bath and was on his tummy so I could lotion his back. He hates tummy time so he rolled onto his side. He almost made it all the way over. Robert and I cheered for him but he couldn't quite make it over. He had never done anything like this before. He continues to coo and track with his eyes and smile. He knows my voice and Robert's voice and look for us when we talk. I think he gets that we're his parents. He is discovering that his arms are under his control. He stares at his left arm and moves it up and down and you can see the wheels in his head turning and things start to click. He likes to put weight on his legs with Robert or I holding him; we call this his standing stage. He almost prefers standing to sitting.

School is in full swing and is going well. I have my substantial writing to do this semester which will be a huge amount of work. Luckily I am writing on a topic that I like; but it is still over 20 hours of research, several drafts turned in according to a schedule, and writing a minimum of 30 pages. I start work again this week and I am excited. It has been snowing this week and although it is pretty I wish we had rain instead of snow. Pictures follow.

Looking at the zebra and bouncing in his bouncer.

After his bath last night. Check out those chubby leg rolls.

Sleeping in his bouncer. Every now and then it lulls him to sleep.

Falling asleep after his dinner.

Having some floor time.

In his towel after his bath. He loves his bath and he loves splashing.

Just a Boring Post (With Pictures)

I kept trying to find a catchy title but couldn't think of anything as this post is just a bit of a boring update.

We all survived week one of school. John came to school on Thursday and did pretty well. Robert and I have a class that overlaps by 15 minutes so my professor told me I could bring John as long as he was quiet. When Robert's class is over he comes and gets him from my class. John sleeps pretty well at night (with the exception of last night) and I wish the same could be said for me. I wake up at every sound because I think it's the baby waking up, or I wake up for no reason and can't fall back to sleep. I woke up every night for nine months and now it's hard to sleep through the night. I'm slowly getting better but have moments where I still feel yucky. I figure it took me nine months to get here and it will take longer than a month or two to be back to normal. I went to the doctor this week and I'm well enough that post partum restrictions are lifted. (Now to work on the pregnancy weight).

John started a new thing this week; instead of just kicking his legs like he is riding a bicycle, he now lifts them up into the air (so his legs are at a 90* angle to the floor) and pumps them up and down. He loves doing this and usually "talks" when he does. He is liking his bouncer more and more and doesn't need to be held as much as he used to. He is becoming more aware. He is starting to discover that he has hands and that he can control them (usually while he's grabbing a handful of my hair). He doesn't like to be alone so one of us has to talk to him while he has floor time (if we're using the time to do some chores or homework). On Sunday, he was crying in his crib after he woke up from his nap. When I walked in his room and he saw me he stopped crying. Robert fed him one morning (early) and he spit the bottle out, looked at Robert, and smiled. It's moments like these that make the less than pleasant times worth it. I love this baby!

Many people have requested more pictures so here is a random sampling.

Minutes after he was born. Can you believe he fit inside of me.
Eating with auntie Christine at the cabin around Christmas.

Meeting Grandpa Duffy. My dad was sick when John was born so he didn't get to hold him until John was one month old. My dad loves being a grandpa.

Hanging out at the cabin with Grandma Great. (My Grandma. I thought I had a picture of John with Grandpa Great but I don't)

On his blessing day.

Another blessing day picture.

Just after he got dressed.

His first day of law school with mom and dad. (I had explained the finer points of the bibs the law school gals made him. I think he absorbed that conversation well).

Sleeping in his car seat. He slept through my entire doctors appointment.

Goodnight to you all. Sleep well.