Michael's two permanent bottom teeth are about half-way in! I don't know about you, but whenever I lost a tooth as a kid, it always seemed to take 3 years for the next tooth to grow in. I know that's not the case, but it sure felt like it. Kind of like when a building seemed so huge until I went back to it as an adult and was shocked by its smallness.
Noah is developing the little repertoire of manners and it's so precious. He's definitely someone who feels the need to close out all conversations with the last word. So, if you say "Thanks so much for helping me!" He'll absolutely have to respond "You are so welcome!" Likewise, if he says thank you to someone, he will wait for the individual to say "you're welcome" and if that person doesn't say it in a timely manner, Noah will say "Now, say you're welcome."
Avery finally got her first tooth! She's definitely my kid who took the longest to get a tooth. I read some older blog posts of mine the other day and on Noah's 8 or 9 month update, I mentioned that he already had two baby teeth on the bottom. I know Michael had baby teeth before he stopped nursing, which was at 9 months. So, Avery is my kiddo who took her time getting her teeth. I'm not mad about it either. Nursing a baby always gets a little more nerve-wracking once the baby gets teeth. She has one tooth on her bottom jaw, but I see the bumps ready for her second bottom tooth to pop through and I also see two bumps on her upper jaw where the top teeth will come in within the next month or two.
In other big news, Avery has taken her first steps! I'm so glad she did this when I was around to witness it! She practices more a little everyday and most of the time commits to 2-3 steps before plopping down on her bottom. She's taken as many as 7 steps in a row. She's definitely my earliest walker! Noah walked around 12 months, but Michael was closer to 14 months before he walked. Both boys were much bigger than she is at this age of 10.5 months, so maybe it was harder for them to lug around that extra weight! She really wants to keep up with whatever her two brothers are doing, and she also spent some time around my 18-month old niece last week who was staying with my mother-in-law for a few days. I think Avery really felt left out when she was the only one who couldn't keep up with everyone!
I can't believe it's already July and that school will start next month for Michael. It's harder for me to believe he'll be in first grade. I don't remember a whole lot of when I was in kindergarten, but I remember a lot about first grade. So it's weird to me to think that he'll soon be making memories that he'll remember as an adult! Parenting is a fast ride!
My coursework this time around in school is quite challenging. I am taking a History of Alabama course, which will serve me well if I have to teach that subject in school. I was able to rent the textbook from the library, so that was a blessing! It's a very interesting read, but very long! In addition, I had to select my own book regarding Alabama history and write a book review on it. I found a book in the library and read it within 24 hours. One of the best books I've read! (It's The Last of the Scottsboro Boys by Clarence Norris and Sybil Washington, if you're interested). The book review (3-4 pages) isn't due until Sunday, but I finished it already. I have a research paper coming up (13-15 pages) on a topic of my selection. I'm stuck between writing about the Montgomery Bus Boycott or the Tuskegee Airmen. I've accumulated journal articles for both stories, but haven't made my final selection yet. I have to decide and email my choice to the professor, along with 6-8 sources.
I'm also taking a Theories of Personality class. It's interesting to learn how different psychologists explain how our brains develop. The class is not particularly trying, but the reading passages can become dull, especially when passage length is adding into the equation. Each week, I have to write a 2-3 page paper on a different theorist. This isn't extremely difficult since the professor has outlined four questions that we have to answer in each paper. My difficulty this week is culling my paper to the 3 page maximum (right now, I'm at a solid 4 pages), while still including relevant information. If I shave too much content, I lose connecting points. That's one of my dilemmas to work on today.
My third class is a Special Topics course in Political Science Readings for Secondary Teachers. This is by far the most difficult course for me. I enjoyed all of my Sociology and Criminal Justice courses while at Auburn, and I had to take a Political Science course (or two or more?) while I was an undergrad, but I forgot how unlike Criminal Justice courses Political Science courses can be. It's mainly philosophers (Plato, Aristotle) combined with political theorists (John Mill, Nietzsche), and it's very difficult for me to make the connections in their writings. Also, the comma is so overused in their writings that it makes it quite hard to follow and dissect the sentences. In this class, I have to write three 5-page papers on essay prompts provided by the professor. The first one is due tomorrow and I haven't started yet. I've completed most of the readings, but I am struggling to identify the concepts to write about. So, I suppose I should get off the blog and go pour over this paper.
Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba
Your courses sound so interesting! Good luck with your paper! I can't imagine editing down to 3 pages - that seems so short!
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