Tax Day sucks

And I'll tell you why.

Yesterday, April 14, was like magic. I went to lunch with Lacie and we sat outside for a couple of hours, basking in the sunshine and 80-degree weather. The sun even turned my skin pink from too much exposure (just my hands/wrists, because I wore long sleeves and jeans, and had sunblock on my face), but don't worry, Grayson was in the shade the whole time.

Sun line in the closet

Contrast that with today, April 15. The temperature dropped more than 45 degrees and a bunch of white junk kept falling out of the sky onto the yards and streets outside.

It shouldn't be snowing in April, should it?

Finally, toss in the fact that we now pay state income tax, and I officially deem Tax Day one of the worst days ever. At least of 2008.

For Grandma Candy

Now that I know how much Josh's mom enjoys these little videos, I'll try and upload more for her to enjoy. We take a lot of footage with our actual video camera, but neither of us has ever taken the time to figure out how to take the videos off of it. So I'll try and take extra videos with our digital camera instead.

When I woke up this morning, I heard my baby babbling on and on. I peeked into the bassinet to see what was going on, and he was wide awake, talking to no one in particular. I told him "Good Morning, dear" and got one of the biggest smiles I've seen to date. Naturally, I tried to recreate the moment. It turned out well, but his face mostly registers the "I'm trying to let go of some gas" look toward the end.

Awww...

My husband is so sweet, that when there are just two slices of bread left in the loaf, he'll eat the heel and leave me the last remaining 'normal' slice, even though he eats breakfast first in the morning.

I sure do love him.

And here is a video of our little Chunky Monkey, taken just this morning:

Rejected

My pregnancy and Grayson's ensuing birth has turned my blog focus onto him instead of yours truly, but today I'm reclaiming it with some big news:

I got rejected by the dental hygiene program.

I got the letter last Thursday, March 27. I have to admit that I was surprised. Even though there are only 14 seats and about 60-70 applicants every year, I applied with a 4.0 GPA and high scores on the application exam and knew I had an excellent chance of getting in. So I was surprised, even though I had tried not to get my hopes up.

Well, surprise quickly wore off and sadness started creeping in. I started to cry. I cried lots and lots, more than I have in a very long time. I was so disappointed in myself. You see, Josh and I have a 10-year plan, but getting rejected was not part of the plan, and it had been going perfectly for the last 2.5 years. Why did I have to go and screw up the plan? I called Josh (he worked out of town Wed-Fri) and bawled to him. What are we going to do now? I felt completely lost and totally stupid. I felt so bad. I felt like a failure. Why did I think I could compete with all those girls 10+ years my junior?

Then I got mad. I got mad because if Josh hadn't dragged us back up to this God-forsaken state, I'd have gotten into the dental hygiene program in Vegas. I was done with those pre-reqs before we moved. I had taken their test. Their program takes twice as many students. There is no driving in snowstorms to get to campus. It was ideal in every way. But no, my husband had to screw it all up. I cried even harder, I was so angry. My emotions ran wild like that all day long.

Finally, at Grayson's 4am feeding, I let the relief I'd been quashing all day settle over me. I wouldn't have to leave my 6-month-old to go back to school full-time! We never knew what we were going to do with him - we'd figure that out once I knew my school schedule - but Josh's work schedule is so unpredictable, we were certainly going to have to find a sitter or daycare. Thankfully, that won't have to happen now.

As it turns out, I was rejected because my application was deemed 'ineligible.' The department called me on Monday and told me so. Seems the transfer credit office was mistaken when they told me Chem 121 would work to fulfill the Chem 1110 requirement, since it's a more advanced Chemistry. But nope. Not true. I have to take Chem 1110 this summer or fall to have it completed before I apply to next year's program. And the lady said I would have had an 'excellent chance' of being accepted if I had been eligible. Looks good for next year!

So we're sticking with the plan, but just delaying it one year. We're hoping it won't be so bad to start the program next year instead. Grayson will be one year older, and hopefully we will be permanently settled in our own home by then. Meanwhile, I'll take the infamous Chem class this summer, and probably Microbiology this fall, just to get it out of the way. The good news is I'm applying to SLCC right now so I can take the classes closer to home. And don't worry - I've already double-checked that the credits will transfer seamlessly this time.

2 months!

Over the last month, Grayson...

• Started 'talking' and smiling!
• Grew to 10lbs, 12oz, and 22.5 inches long
  
• Started stretching after every nap and feeding (I really need to upload a video - it's hilarious)
• Earned the nicknames 'Chunky Monkey' and 'Stretch Armstrong'
• Decided he prefers his bouncer to his swing (sorry Mom)
• Finally started fitting into some of his 0-3 month clothes
• Began hiccuping less frequently
• Fell in love with Daddy singing to him
• Manifested his lactose sensitivity
• Began wearing his cloth diapers!
• Started sleeping 5 hours straight during the night
• Attended sacrament meeting regularly
  
• Celebrated his first Easter!

My baby is huge now. He has a double chin, dimpled elbows, fat wrists, and rolled thighs. He has gained an average of 1/2 pound per week. I'm beginning to think he got Josh's family's genes, and not mine. I guess we'll have to wait and see how he turns out. I haven't taken any pictures of him since March 23 (the shame!) so I'll take one today and post it for all of you to marvel at his massive growth.