Thursday, June 2, 2011

We're Back!

Sorry for the absence, dear readers.  We've just had so much going on in the last few weeks that blogging has been the least of my concerns (see other neglected blogs for evidence).  I figured I'd give a little update while I'm in the middle of baking.  :)

First, our new apartment is 97% put together, and Barney is 100% acclimated.  The nursery does not yet look like a place for a baby, but rather a storage area for people who might have a baby.  My parents' gift to us was the mattress, mattress pad, and crib (which is the same one used for Sarah and I).  Don't worry, the crib is safe...Dad retrofit it so the side doesn't go down, and everything else was up to snuff.  My mom took excellent care of it...although two little babies in the 1980s might have chewed it a little.  All it needed from me was a good thorough dusting.  We are still on the lookout for a futon frame for the mattress we have, so the room can be a guest room and so there is a place we can sleep if we need to between feedings and diaper changes.  Otherwise, I have two showers coming up, so I have a feeling we'll be a little more prepared soon.  My first shower is on Saturday (it's a "home friends" and family shower).  My mom and mother-in-law are having it together, just like my bridal shower, so I know it will be lovely.  One of my best friends and former bridesmaid, Michele, is having a shower for my Philly friends.  I'm so excited for both showers!

My sister graduated from High Point University at the beginning of May.  We all drove down to North Carolina to see it, and we are so incredibly proud.  She graduated cum laude with a degree in Elementary Education.  She's on the job hunt now, and hopefully she'll find something fulfilling and bill-paying soon.

I finished with school on the 12th of May, with the submission of my grades.  As of right now, I won't be going back until the spring, but I have my name in for one class, if they need me.  While I am a little stir crazy at the apartment, it's also nice to have time (for now) to work on personal projects.

What kind of personal projects, you ask?  Well, I've been working on some genealogy research for my father's family.  I have a giant binder of information, but I've hit a wall since I no longer have access to the Library edition of Ancestry.com, which was a free trial at La Salle.  I may start constructing a narrative, and eventually I would like to get some copies of said narrative self-published to give as gifts for my family.  I'm not working on my mother's side of the family because my uncle has that pretty well covered.

I'm also spending time researching Ph.D. programs and getting my materials prepared for that.  I would like to be in a Ph.D. program by fall, 2012, which works out well.  Our lease here ends at the end of May.  I'd finish teaching, and soon after, we'd move to where ever we needed to go.  There are no programs of interest to me in the Philly area, but I am seriously considering the Ph.D. leg of Penn State Harrisburg's American Studies program.  We could move back to our home base and be close to family, although we'd be far from our Philly friends.  We'll know more about that later.

Finally, I have a number of crochet and craft projects in progress, so I'm trying to finish those as soon as possible.  I'm almost done with a baby blanket for my cousin, and I have a couple of practical things for Elliott under way (bibs, booties, washcloths).  I also found a pattern for a little cotton baseball hat.  I have a bunch of red, cotton yarn, so I plan on making him a Phillies cap.  I also have yarn on order for a blanket for Elliott that will sort of go with the general theme of our nursery.

Elliott, by the way, is doing well.  He moves a lot, and about twice a day, he gets a case of the hiccups.  In babies, this is OK.  It means he's practicing his vital functions such as sucking and swallowing, so that's good.  I have an appointment tomorrow, and now that we are at 35 weeks, I have a feeling we'll start getting a better idea of his arrival time.  We're also hoping to take the hospital tour tomorrow.  We tried the other night, but they had 4 women in active labor, so there was no way for us to see a birthing suite.  That's OK.  We'll just keep trying.

So, that's the life of the Yinger's right now.  Busy busy as always.  Hopefully I'll remember to update again soon.  :)

2 comments:

  1. YOU ARE MAKING HIM A PHILLIES HAT?! I've been actively avoiding buying him Phillies onesies since I know you're a fan of the team-that-must-not-be-named. Oh man, it is ON. :)

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  2. Wow, sounds like you have life planned for the next few years! I think that's a good thing.

    I can't wait to see your nursery! Our nursery didn't get put together till after the baby shower either.

    We have to tour the hospital this time (they built a new one after Andrew was born). I'm very excited to see all of the changes. It's supposed to be "state of the art."

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