Foot on the Floor

My friends who've already passed the comprehensive exam generally tell me that their productivity came and went in waves.  After a particularly productive week, they'd find themselves letting off the gas a little bit, and then they'd get back to serious work a few days later.  I can see how this is a productive approach and how, to continue with the analogy, it would keep you from running out of gas.  Unfortunately, I do not have this luxury.  When you have a small child, all kinds of things come up that are out of your control to throw a wrench in your plans.  Like Friday, when she had a fever and I had to stay home with her.  Or today and yesterday, when her school was closed due to Hurricane Sandy.  It's tempting to think, "You know what? I'm ahead of my reading schedule this week, I'm going to take a night off and hang out with Billy."  But I feel like I have to keep my foot on the floor whenever I'm traveling the open road because I never know when I'll come up on another roadblock.

That said, my reading is going well.  Here's my list:

As you might guess, I've finished all the texts that are crossed out.  Today I reached a major milestone: none of the novels left on my list are over 300 pages long.  This means that everything left could feasibly be completed in a single day.  My apprehension about completing the list is decreasing while my apprehension about being able to consolidate my thoughts into the presentation with which I will begin the exam is increasing.  So it goes.

I must get back to work, but in case I haven't said this emphatically enough before, I want to say it now: this thing that I'm doing, which is really hard, is also a really, really exceptional privilege.  I can feel myself getting smarter every day.  Periodically I get to read articles that I read early in grad school over again, and it helps me to realize how far I've come intellectually in just a few years.  Having all of these ideas in my head concurrently is an unbelievable feeling that I assume could only be achieved by reading them all practically at once.  Basically, what I have gotten the chance to do is put together a list of the texts I think are most important, for the topic of a field and dissertation of my choosing, and then I have gotten to sit down and read all of these texts.  The minutes in my day that I don't spend with my daughter and/or husband are occupied with reading, thinking, and talking about art.

If I walk out of that test in less than a month, and they tell me I didn't make it far enough in the journey to pass, I won't be sorry for one minute of the ride.  I will have done what I set out to do: the best job I could.  And I only have to keep my foot on the floor for four more weeks before I get there.

Post-Sandy

I thought this would be the quickest way to let everyone out west know that we survived Sandy without incident. The worst we have to contend with are a stir crazy baby, leaves to rake, and an exam reading schedule to catch up on. We feel fortunate to have had so many people checking up on us, and fortunate that we have no bad news to report.

Now, when one goes to sell one's house, how does one advertise that the house's power supply is exceptionally reliable? :)

Baby Steps

Since her birthday, Nora has progressed from taking a few unsteady steps, to walking when prompted to move toward an object she likes, all the way to walking of her own volition.  She still acts like a little tightrope walker, and prefers to walk from one object to another, but at this rate she'll master this skill in no time!

Here is some footage from October 22:

And another clip from this morning:



I also have a newfound appreciation for the "baby steps" expression.  I used to think this just meant taking small steps.  Now I can see that it means taking itty bitty uncertain steps, one or two or five at a time, steadying yourself, and then trying again.  : )

Outdoor Fall Fun

We are busy watching the models of Sandy and gearing up for a major weather event, but up until now, the fall weather has been very mild.  This has allowed us to take in some fun fall activities with Nora.  First, we went to a pumpkin patch with Oma and Aunt Vickie.  This past week, Nora posed with one of her pumpkins while wearing an outfit from her Grandma and boots from Oma.

This afternoon, Grandma and Granpop joined us to take Nora to a local corn maze.  The maze itself is quite intricate, but we thought Nora was a little young to enjoy it.  Instead, she watched the other kids run around, played in the hay bale maze for kids, rode the cow tractor train with Granpop, and went on another hayride with all of us.  She likes being outside so much that it doesn't take much to entertain her!

Nora at 12 Months

Last night while Nora ate dinner I finally got a chance to edit together some of the footage I took to capture her mobility and personality at 12 months, like I did at 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months.

This montage also includes what is sure to be the most anti-climactic first birthday cake experience you've ever seen... but it is fun to see her realize everyone is singing to her.




Additionally, when we took her to the doctor last week, her size percentiles continued right along at a similar pace.  She now weighs 19 lbs 8oz (46th %), is 28" tall (13th %), and her head circumference is 18.5" (94th %).  Big brains in there!

Exam Visual #2

I have just over 5 weeks left to prepare for my exam. One minute I feel like I'm making good progress, and the next I feel completely panicked.

These are my book stacks and my notes. The books in the left two piles are yet to be consumed. The books in the right two stacks are in my brain already... somewhere. And every book or article I've read has been reduced to one of these notecards so I can review them in the week before the exam.

When you are in the thick of reminding yourself constantly to Just Keep Playing, it sure feels good to drop your aching brains and bones into bed at night.

Visit from Oma // Pumpkin Patch

We were all very fortunate that my mom made the trip East to join us for Nora's first birthday!  We haven't seen each other in person since July, so she loved seeing how mobile Nora is these days.  Mom has been very supportive and encouraging since Nora was born, so it meant a lot to me to have her here for the celebration of Nora's first year as well as our first year as parents.  She was also such a big help with Nora and party preparations in the days leading up to the party.  When I mentioned to a colleague that my mom came for the party, she asked if that was the first time she had met Nora.  I explained that she also saw her at birth, four or five months, and seven months, which put things in perspective and made me extra appreciative that my mom is willing to travel to spent time with her granddaughter and with us.

Mom also brought the bumblebee costume she made for Nora's second Halloween.  Mom made all of my costumes through elementary school until I decided it was not "cool" to wear a homemade costume and asked to be a store-bought witch.  I quickly learned that Mom's costumes were way better than anything you can get at the store. I can't sew nearly as well as she can, so I am excited that she was happy to carry on the tradition with Nora.

On the day before the party, we dressed Nora up in her costume and took her to the pumpkin patch for a hay ride.  It was a lot of fun for all of us to see the excitement and wonder in Nora's expressions, and I enjoyed having Vickie and Mom along to share this trip with us.

And now, for the photobomb.  This bumblebee is just way too cute to leave any of these out.

Thanks so much for making the trip, Mom, for all the help you gave us while you were here, and for finding ways to be actively involved in Nora's life even though we live so far away.