Ah, I recognise that username!
Don't sweat it, fella. You're only 7 hours into 'a very long journey'! Everything that you outline seems to be par for the course. Don't sweat it (and certainly don't listen to those knockers who claim that "I solo'ed in 35 minutes blah, blah, blah"- everybody learns at a different rate.)
Out of interest, what are your pre-flight ground briefs like? Are you covering everything in detail (and, most importantly, so that you understand it all before you go flying) or is it a quick 5 minute chat before you go? If you're struggling for capacity when you're flying, then it will really help if you are absolutely sure in your mind what it is that you're trying to achieve before you leave terra ferma. The same applies to the R/T - I always found (and suggested to all of my students) that it really helps to run through over the intercom with your instructor what you're going to say before you say it 'live'. "Do the thinking before you push the button."