The Chunk

Sorry I have been a bad blogger this summer! Gus is now a week from being eight months old!

Things have been really busy around here. Plus there is Gus! I started teaching one day a week at the nursing school at local community college. It is only one day a week for 3 hours but it is A LOT of work. First I've never taught the class so there is a ton of prep work, and also we are having weekly tests. I have to say that I am more of a "practicing" nurse and less "academic." I'm trying to catch up with the terminology, but I think I am studying more than my students!

On top of teaching and working two nights a week, my parents have been gone since August 28th and they will be gone until September 20th. You could say that I am running the show on my own. It is overwhelming at times. I don't know how I thought I could have done this on my own in Virginia! Some days when I am completely sleep deprived from working all night (my shift is 7pm to 7:30am), my main goal is survival. If Gus is fed and clean and the animals have eaten, then I feel like I have won that day. Some days I actually getting to eating myself and if it is a REALLY good day I get to brush my teeth, too!

Gus is adapting to not having 3 people tend to his every need. He is playing by himself on the floor a lot. He loves my little cat Zach. Both Zach and Gus love attention and being touched so they are like two peas in a pod. The fawn over each other caressing and rubbing. Gus pulls on Zachs ears and Zach purrs in appreciation. I really thought Gus would start crawling now that he isn't held all the time, but he is a very stubborn child. On a good, he'll roll around and around and around and eventually will end up on the otherside of the room. Even though Gus lacks the gross motor skills, his strong suit remains sleeping and eating! In fact, we went back to see Dr. David and Gus was up to 17 pounds! And 29 inches! I swear all the food I give him goes to heighth and not weight! Dr. David was happy with Gus's accomplishment and we will go back the first week in November for his nine month.

You might be wondering who is watching Gus when I work nights and when I'm teaching. A neighbor watches him on night shift. He is an easy baby to watch at night since he goes down at 7pm and sometimes isn't even awake when I get home after my shift. But Cindy does an excellent job and I am at total peach when she has him because I know that he is well taken care of. When I teach from 1pm to 4pm, a girl from my chat group takes Gus. Jackie is wonderful! She is a really chill mom (a lot like me). She has two girls ages 3 and 1. Gus is totally in love with her 3 year old, and her 1 year old loves being the older woman in Gus's life. Of course you can guess what Gus thinks about all three girls giving him all their attention! He loves it at Jackies.

Last, I went to see my brother his wife and their kids this weekend. My hope is that Gus and his cousin Eli (2 years old) will be best buddies later on in life. There is only 1 1/2 years between them.

Happy baby with his sippy cup

First Hokie Game!

Jackie's baby Ruby (AKA Gus's older woman) taking away the pink doll he was playing with

Zach and Gus

Eli & Gus

Cousins!