Summer is over… and the first few days of autumn were wet, windy and cold. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come because I’m not ready for summer to end yet. Another month of warm sunny weather would be wonderful!
Not only is the summer coming to an end but I feel Maya’s babyhood is going to come to an end far to quickly. Although she is only 8 months old she is not only crawling but also standing and cruising the furniture- and attempting to stand alone. She is very determined to get moving, and I am anticipating having a toddler on my hands far sooner than I would really like. She is growing into a happy, bubbly little girl and we are very proud of her.
We have settled back into Wellington very happily and are enjoying being close to family and friends. I am also enjoying being a "SAHM" (stay-at-home-mum) for the moment, having finally completed and submitted my thesis. It was an amazing moment when I finally had my other "baby"- a printed and bound copy of the thesis in my hand- with my name embossed on the front. Now I just have to sit back and wait for the results… and get motivated to complete a report for the individuals and organisations who helped me (coming soon I promise!).
While my life is now revolving around Maya (and the housework) Luis is working hard to pay the bills and debts accumulated over several years of study. He is back working at the local hospital as a health assistant in Mental Health. He is employed on a casual basis, working wherever they need help across the hospital, however he has been able to get more or less full time work, he is quite popular both in the general mental health units and also in the forensic care units.
Unfortunately however studenthood is not completely behind us as Luis has found out that he needs to complete three more papers to graduate. So he has re-enrolled as a part-time, extramural (distance) student. He will actually do four papers this year- the extra paper will enable him to graduate with a double degree, so the extra study will definitely be worthwhile.