More Change

We successfully survived Emmy's first week of daycare! Whew! However, there is still more change ahead for the Kennedys: Mommy has a new job! Over the last four years, I have been working at UNC Greensboro in the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Prior to that, I was a high school math teacher. It was a big change to go from the classroom to an 'office job,' but I have thoroughly enjoyed my work with prospective college students and the travel that comes along with a recruiting position. Over the last few months though, I have wondered how I could continue to work full time, while also juggling my role as a new mom. God knew my desire to spend more time with Emmy, and He was so good to open the door in a very clear way. My last day at UNCG was today, and as of Monday, I will be returning to high school as the college liaison at East Surry High School in Pilot Mountain. The position seems to perfectly blend both of my careers thus far, combining my background in high school with my experience in higher education. From the initial outreach and the interview, I got a great sense of the community and leadership at the school, and there have been other big and small affirmations along the way. Of course, it is with the usual nervousness that I take on this new opportunity. Change is always hard, especially in the professional sense. Where do I park? Will my coworkers like me? Where is the copier? Hopefully a lot of these fears will be eased in the days ahead. I hope that I will find comfort in the familiar: this world of bell schedules, homeroom, lunch duty, and faculty meetings. It is bittersweet to be leaving a job that I truly loved, but I know that God has prepared the way for something even better. 

With all these changes, time has marched on, and Emerson turned 9 months old! Our little girl has bravely started daycare and is learning lots of new things. Her teachers, Ms. Tia, Ms. Amanda, and Ms. Keyonna, say that she is improving with her sippie cup. Although she still has her milk in a bottle, we have introduced water in a sippie cup with a rubber-plastic spout. Emmy has learned how to grip the handles and raise it to her mouth. (We are still working on the actual consumption of the water!) At home, she is scooting around on her tummy, both on carpet and the hardwood. She hasn't quite figured out the mechanics of crawling, but inches along like a worm, putting out her arms first and then scooting her waist and legs forward. She is in 9-12 month clothing and has 8 teeth (4 on the top and 4 on the bottom). She is getting better and better at eating. At first, it took a lot of coaxing for her to eat anything other than rice cereal. Now, she eats a full size 2 Gerber food, twice a day. We have found that she likes anything orange (i.e. pumpkin, squash, sweet potatoes, and mixed vegetables), but she is also becoming less picky about the sweeter fruits. One thing is for sure, she does not like peas! But who does, really? She hasn't shown any attachments to toys, although she likes to hold the butt paste when she is having her diaper changed. She is very squirmy without it! 

9 months in, and 9 months out! Emmy, we hope you are loving this bright, big world!