The rest of this week has been spent doing additional things. I've been trying to read about assessment and get through a ton of materials I have about assessment, and I've been thinking about what I might write for Emerging Dialogues, which is an online journal/newsletter (I'm not entirely sure what to call it) about assessment that our director of assessment is an editor for. I actually didn't have any meetings this week, though, which meant that I was able to spend my Friday at home with the girl.
But by the end of the week, I've been able to get other things that have been on the back burner done. I'm writing an article on the Anatomy Act of 1832 (which allowed corpses that had been 'abandonded' at workhouses to be sent to medical schools for dissection. Previously, there had been such a shortage of bodies, people were grave-robbing to get them, but this law meant that poor people had their bodies donated to science, whether they wanted it or not), and I was actually able to do some research on it this week. I've even been able to sit down and edit a couple of chapters of my book!
Speaking of book news, I've pretty much abandoned the sequel as it is and am starting over with it. My main character just wasn't...well, honestly, enough of an asshole. He wasn't as nice in the first book as I was writing him in the second, and that doesn't just change overnight. That's something we've got to see happen gradually. But as far as the first book goes, a friend of ours is going to design the cover for me, which I'm very excited about. Now to just talk to my brother about putting me together a website...
My sister-in-law spent a good portion of the week in the hospital, thanks to her gallbladder, which has since been removed, and I know she's glad to be back home with my brother and my niece.
And tragedy struck near my hometown, when Officer Daniel Ellis of the Richmond, KY police department was ambushed and killed. The entire community has just been shocked by the whole affair. My alma mater is hosting the visitation and funeral and has suspended classes (at all campuses, no less) from Tuesday night through Wednesday afternoon to accommodate the proceedings. They know precisely who was responsible for the whole thing--the man is in custody and will not be leaving...ever--but all I can think about is his poor wife and his little boy.
Among other things, it makes you feel gratitude for what you have, particularly the people you have.
It's a grey, rainy day here in the Coastal Bend, the kind of day that makes you want to snuggle up with a book and a blanket and the baby--the kind of day that looks like it out to be cold, but is really just sticky and humid. Right now, she's on her activity mat for tummy time and fussing about it, but she's getting good at holding her head up, and she could already pretty much hold herself upright when sitting. And if you don't watch her while she's on her tummy, she will scoot herself right off her mat.
We taught her how to mimic us sticking our tongues out, and this week, she's started initiating it, sticking her tongue out first to get a reaction out of us. And KC is so very, very close to laughing. It's like she has the facial expression, but hasn't quite managed to get the sound out. She's also had some better nights where she only woke up once--and then we've had other nights where she was up every two hours (and wasn't that fun with twenty some conferences the next day. Gramma took her the next night so Mommy could get some sleep). She was also Wonder Woman for her first Halloween and was absolutely adorable. She's growing like a weed, too. She's outgrown her 0-3 clothes, not because she's fat, but because she's so tall. Last week at her two month appointment, she was 23 1/2 inches long (and 11 lbs and 4 oz.). My girl is growing and changing every day, and I look forward to what's next.
