Monday, April 23, 2012

8 Months!

Levin is hands down, without a doubt, our wild child! But you'd never know by looking at this perfectly innocent little face of his!

At eight months old, he is always on the go! I can't keep up with this kid. Lucas was such a mellow baby who I never really had to worry over. But Levin is an entirely different story! I've lost count on the number of times he's fallen and bonked his poor head. And he eats nearly everything in sight....paper, business cards, wrappers, etc. He has already choked more times than his brother ever did. This one sure keeps me on my toes!

With crawling comes pulling up onto everything. He isn't content sitting around anymore and nearly every time I turn around he's standing on something different...and in a different room! No matter how many times he does it, I still always worry about the falls. I know it's a natural part of learning to get around, but at the rate this kid is going I feel like he's going to have his first ER trip before his first birthday.

Levi and I have this ongoing joke about our little tornado of a child. We seriously should have made his middle name 'Destructo' because he demolishes everything in sight. Levi sent this picture to me in class and all I could do was laugh. Of course he would trash the living room and yank the trim off the wall. I wasn't even surprised!

And have I mentioned that he is HUGE! He hasn't been weighed yet this month but my guess is close to 22lbs or so. He has nearly outgrown his car seat and it's about time to pack up the 12-month clothing too. I look forward to the day that I don't have to continuously go through clothes because my children outgrow them just as fast as they grew into them.

He has to be involved in everything that is happening and apparently he thinks everything belongs to him. Lucas has been pretty great about Levin snatching up all his things lately (with a few minor outbursts). No matter what's going on...Levin's right there too.


And of course, he still loves the Ergo! I don't know what I would do if I couldn't wear this child out in public. He's no longer content sitting in the front of a shopping cart these days. Little wiggle worm never sits still!

...unless brother is pushing him and racing through the store like a mad man. In that case, he's content sitting still and laughing hysterically!

He loves his big brother and mimicking everything that he does. Bath time may very well be his favorite activity. The moment he sees the tub filling with water his eyes light up and he nearly jumps out of my arms. I had to run back out to grab my phone once and he freaked. He did not like leaving the bathroom once he knew what was going on. And it's the same when pulling him out. These boys would play in the tub for hours if I allowed it.

He's a silly little baby who absolutely loves attention. His personality is hilarious and he always has this household laughing. He says 'hi' and 'dada' all the time, but his newest verbal accomplishment is yelling. Yes, yelling. Not in a negative way, but as in 'I want to be the loudest one in this house' yelling. He thinks it's hilarious and he squawks, barks, and growls. It's very fitting...he's such a little animal!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

1 down, 4 to go!

Woohoo...I survived the first semester of nursing school! What a relief to get through what many claim to be the hardest semester of all. I am so excited for our clinicals to start now and the real fun to begin. I just purchased my scrubs, shoes, and medical accessories and I cannot wait to use them! I honestly cannot believe how fast this first semester went. I'm going to be an RN in no time!

For some odd (and downright STUPID reason), the School of Nursing decided to alter their grading scale. Their rational was that if students needed to obtain a higher percentage than normal, that they would strive harder. But in all reality, I've seen just the opposite. Many students, and even myself, were actually deterred from really trying at the end. To receive an A, one needed to get between 93-100%, B: 84-92%, and C: 75-83%. I ended one class with a super high 80 and the other two with low 90's...so I ended up getting all B's. I went into my finals with this somewhat negative attitude because I felt that no matter how well I did, I could never get that A anyways. So I studied briefly and passed with enough points to keep my B's. And you know what....it was SO nice not to feel rushed or crammed. No wonder laid back people seem happier!

I honestly don't think it's a fair representation to alter the scale like this because I still felt that I performed A quality work. I am a bit disappointed on how this affects my GPA, but I realize that I can be bummed all I want and nothing is going to change it. I am proud to have done as well as I did and that I will be moving on to the next semester. There were many that were not as fortunate.

I am happy that we have figured out this juggle struggle for the most part. I couldn't do this without the support of my amazing husband! I think he may even be more excited for me than I am. Or maybe he just can't wait for me to be his sugar mama!

So now I'm on break for the next two weeks. (Well, as much of a break as one can get being a single mom while hubby is away.) Thankfully the sun is shining and the weather has been fantastic. I've been spring cleaning, relaxing, and enjoying this much needed time with my boys!