Shrinking

My to do list is really shrinking. It's a great feeling!! I finished grading exams and research papers and have posted the semester course grades = BIG sigh of relief!!!! I've also made serious progress with getting my summer classes set up online. I'm ready for the first summer session course, and I'm probably about 75% done setting up the second summer session course. That one is taking a lot more time to set up since it's the online course. The good news is that the extra effort will result in the quizzes and exams being graded by the computer. I keep telling myself that my efforts will pay off in the long run! I'll still need to grade the assignments and discussion boards, but it will cut down on the grading. Yesterday I mowed the lawn, and this morning I planted some bulbs and the pansies I got at the MOPS meeting last month. I have asked Paul to mow the lawn next week while I'm in Maryland so that it won't be unmanageable when we get back from Florida. The tasks I hope to complete later today are packing our suitcases, buying a battery for my watch, and giving Paul a haircut after we get the kids to bed. Although I hope I do a good job with packing, I have to say I feel much more relaxed about it. All our vacations the past 9 years have been to another country. This is our first one within the US. I know it will be very easy to get more diapers or something like that if we run out or I forget to pack something since #1 we'll be in the US and I won't have to worry about the prices being absurdly more than usual and #2 we're renting a minivan so it will be easy to get to a store. When we go to the Caribbean we don't rent a car.

Ian's first stretch was only 5 hours last night. The bigger problem was that I stayed up 2 hours after he went down so that I could grade papers. I was very worried at midnight when I was feeding him that it was going to be an awful night. Thankfully it wasn't that bad as he did sleep a total of 10.5 hours over a span of 12.5 hours. I prefer just one feeding during the night (there were two last night), but I am pleased he slept over 10 hours total. That is progress! Another thing that makes me smile is putting size 3-6 month clothes on Ian. He's still wearing 0-3 month onesies and pants, but his short outfits are size 6 month (like the overalls he's wearing today). Size 6 month pants are still WAY too long on him. He can wear size 6 month onesies, but he can't wear size 6 month pants yet. Size 0-3 month pants are still perfect for him in length. He is like his sister and mom - long torso and short legs! Paul's mom got him a size 0-3 pair of swim trunks. I am glad we gone one pair in that size for Florida as the 3-6 month ones she got him are rather big on him, but I'm sure he'll use those in the wading pool later this summer. He's a growing boy!