Tuesday, December 30, 2008

You have to see this! Oh, and happy New Year!

Hope you enjoyed the holidays and have a wonderful New Year. Our plans are to...wait, we have no plans. I don't even think we want to attempt to stay up for midnight, although we have caught up on a tiny bit of sleep since a Hanukkah miracle occurred the past 2 nights in which Eli slept through most of the night for the first time in a L-O-N-G time. He woke up twice, but got back to sleep on his own one of those times. So I only got up once to feed him on each of the past 2 nights. Glorious! Especially after he got up over 6 times on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and Boxing Day nights. Ugh.

But anyway, I really wanted to share this picture with you. I hope it brings you lots of joy in the New Year!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Thank you! You are the best!


In the spirit of the holiday season, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of my wonderful friends and family for being so supportive of me over the years and especially over the last several months. You are all really, incredibly awesome. I owe you all long-overdue thanks for SO VERY MUCH. For listening to me complain endlessly. For reading my dissertation (blech!). For helping me out on my many trips to Madison with rides/places to stay/baby stuff/etc. For acting like you are interested in all the minute details of life with Eli. For help and advice with job market stuff (which, if you're interested, lately is turning out in the always-a-bridesmaid-never-a-bride kind of way). For help and advice with Eli. And, most of all, for being such awesome, fun friends and family. So thank you. I hope you all enjoy your holidays, whichever ones you celebrate and however you celebrate them.

To help you celebrate, here are a few failed attempts of a picture of Eli appropriate for a holiday card. Whoops! Too bad his awesome shoes came off before the picture-taking began.


Though he still looks pretty awesome.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Totally officially done!

Tara successfully deposited my diss for me on Thurs and turned in my check. So that means...the nine and a half years of pain are over! Eli and I wore Bucky Red to celebrate (see him below.) Now if I could just get a job...Speaking of, I had an interview at a very nearby school (as nearby as you can get) last Monday. I thought it went really well - except for my talk (I just had to give a sample methods mini-lesson). I swear that I sounded like that Miss USA/America contestant who referred to "the Iraq and such." Ugh. I am haunted by the idea that I sounded like a total idiot after doing so well otherwise. But...maybe I am too hard on myself...maybe not.


In Eli news...I haven't told you much about him lately. I guess the most recent big thing is that he can clap - though I can't seem to capture it on film (below is as close as it gets). Good timing! He learned it just in time to give his mama a sitting ovation for finishing her diss!! Oh, and another thing is that two teeth are coming in. These have involved more screaming than the first two and they're still not all the way through the gums yet (one in particular is taking it's sweet time).


Eli survived our trip to Madison - though he had to sleep (I mean "sleep") in bed with us b/c apparently the pack and play we borrowed was the WORST thing that could have ever happened to him EVER! No idea why he hated it so much.

Otherwise, life is weird now that I don't have to be working on the diss all the time. I am trying to catch up on everything that I've been putting off the past however many months/years. And I still can't quite shake the guilt of not doing any work. I have told myself I have off until January, but then I should try to do SOMETHING with the diss during Eli's naps. But for now...REST and FUN (as much as possible). And, just to show you an adorable outfit...here is Eli dressed to the nines for Thanksgiving (I am dressed in his drool):

Friday, December 05, 2008

Defended

I successfully defended my diss on Wed. I need to strengthen my conclusion chapter and that's it. Of course, I need to do it ASAP to get it deposited before the end of next week - and I have an interview Monday. But THEN...I am taking a BREAK!