2008 Resolution Redux

A review of last year's resolutions:

1. Write for at 15 minutes a day. Well, so much for this. Between being pregnant and having a baby, I've been high on excuses for not writing. However, I started a new writing notebook last week in hopes of getting on track for next year.
   
2. Post on the blog more regularly. Ha ha ha.
   
3. Read at least 25 books. In terms of starting books, I probably came close. But finishing books is another matter.
   
4. Get published. Yup. 3 times.
   
5. Apply to grad school. As of 12:06 pm, FedEx is overnighting it to Seattle. So technically completed this year.
   
6. Find a job. Well, I spent most of this year jobless (unless you count creating life as a job). My temp job in Seattle was alright, but not ideal. There probably won't be a job goal next year, unless I get into grad school and they let me teach little freshmen.
   
7. Do 100% of my visiting teaching. Still at 0%. I have an excuse for 3 months in Seattle where we never made it to the VT/HT lists, but I'm still battling my strange aversion to visiting teaching.
   
8. Keep in better touch with my family. I'll say I did a pretty good job at this. This summer we used more than half of our minutes each month. Impressive for us, let me tell you.
9. Figure out how spices work. I'm doing better at this, but it's an on going project.
   
10. Wake up early, and like it. Right now I'm feeling pretty good about mornings, especially since Baby G started sleeping through the night. Running with our new jogging-stroller-of-doom is also helping mornings be a happier time. (Never thought I'd say that.)

New resolutions tomorrow!

Baby by Numbers: Brief Note of Shock

• 8 - baby's record consecutive sleep hours, which happened on Saturday. (8 hours, 14 minutes to be precise.) I know I said that sleeping through the night would come sooner rather than later, but at 5 weeks? There must be something wrong with this baby he's so good. Maybe he's addicted to sleep? He's also sleeping almost 12 hours total at night. I am so spoiled. Poor second born child. He/she's doomed to hear stories about how great his/her older brother was for the rest of his/her life.
• $14,613.31 - current total of doctor's bills for little G's birth.
• $1,242 - current total we have to pay. Thank goodness for insurance, even the ridiculous student health plan with massive premiums. Of course, this is pending any more bills received.
  

Baby by Numbers: Post-Partum Edition

Last week, Ben pointed out that I haven't updated my blog since the big day, so for those of you who don't know . . .

• 11/7 - date George Edward Busby, Jr. was born. Yup. We went in for the non-stress test at 10:30 am on the 6th and the doctor suggested that we induce labor. Being the impatient people that George and I are, we were thrilled.
• 23 - hours after I was admitted, baby George arrived in the world. It's not as bad as it sounds, since they didn't induce contractions until evening, and with the epidural, I slept through most of it. However . . .
  
• 2 - hours of pushing is not a fun experience. They say it goes faster for subsequent babies. But it was worth it because I have my baby now! He's a total cutie! (See above or facebook for evidence.) Overall, labor was not as bad as it had been hyped to be. (Though without an epidural, I think it would have been much worse.) I'm pretty sure I could do that again. Not for at least a year, but anyways.
  
• 174 - number of diapers we have changed since then. How do I know this? Because of a wonderful little site called Trixie Tracker. Yes, at first glance it may seem a little obsessive to track your baby's every nap, diaper, and bottle, but it's a life saver. Keeping track of all these things has given me a bit of sanity and a project to do through this transition. It also helps me to understand baby G's patterns. For instance, if he falls asleep at 7:30 pm, I can check how much he's eaten today and accurately guess if he's down for the night or if he'll wake up for one more bottle. I feel a lot more in control just for having all these charts and stats. For more baby G stats, you can visit his site, Baby by Numbers.
• 20.4 - ounces of formula consumed by little G per day on average. I was hoping to breastfeed, but the doctors put G on formula supplementation because of jaundice at the hospital, and he never learned how to suck properly. After 2 weeks of trying and being on the verge of an emotional breakdown, we decided to give up and go to bottle feeding. It's sort of disappointing, but on the other hand, it means big G can help with the feeding at night. :D
  
• 14 - approximate number of hours baby G sleeps a day. About 10 of these are at night, which is great. Last night, he slept 7 hours straight and only woke up because I woke up anyway and wanted to feed him before I went back to sleep. Sleeping through the night will probably happen sooner rather than later. It's very considerate of him, though the lack of naps during the day makes it hard to accomplish other things, like . . .
• 29 - days until grad school applications are due at the University of Washington. Yup, I'm applying for next fall. I'm pretty anxious about getting in, which is a new sensation for me. When I was applying for undergrad, I knew I was a shoe-in for a full-ride at BYU, and only applied at other schools to satisfy my dad. It's weird to think about the prospect of getting rejected, though it really won't be the end of the world. I just think it would be nice to get my masters, and teaching freshman English is a good part-time job for a mom. :D But if not, I'm sure little G will keep my plenty busy.