Sunday, December 28, 2008

Christmas Wrapup

I don't want to go to work!
Well, I don't.
It has been a nice break being home most of the past week.  Luckily, I'll be able to do the same this week, only having to work Monday, Tuesday and part of Wednesday.  But, come the end of this week it will be hell month again.
Yes, it's reporting month AGAIN already.  I'm ignoring that for now.
We really didn't do much the rest of the weekend.  Christmas day was good, even if Boo was a bit cranky off and on all day down at GrammaSue and PopPop's.  We all got some very nice things and enjoyed each other's company.  Jon liked the game we bought him and Becca loved the scarf I made.  It looked really good on the black sweater she was wearing.  Hanuka dinner was yummy and everyone ate too much as always.  We didn't stay long after that because Boo was getting very, very cranky.  He did fall asleep before we even hit 202.  He woke up long enough when we got home for me to get him into bed.  He really is a sweet little boy.  I miss him so much when I have to go to work.
I do have more pictures.  I just hate trying to post them here.  Blogger isn't very picture friendly when you have multiple pictures to put in a post.  Oh well.  I guess that's one of the drawbacks of a free site.  I really don't mind though, because most of the time I'm just posting one or two.  I'll just have to point you in the direction of my Flickr.  There are many, many more there.  And if you want to see all the crocheted gifts I made this year, just click on the "Crochet" set.  (You may have to go back a page or so to find it...)
Anyhow, other than the family gathering Thursday, the last several days have been nice and low key.  Boo has enjoyed spending more time sitting on the floor playing with his toys lately.  He's sitting very well.  He'll even ease himself to the floor from time to time to grab something.  He can't get back up yet (or maybe it's won't, I'm not sure...) and hasn't quite gotten to the crawl stage.  You can tell he's thinking about it though.  
Of course, knowing him, he'll crawl a time or two and then just stop.  It's like his rolling over.  I caught him once rolling from his back to his front, and never again.  I didn't even know he could go front to back until GrammaSue asked me the other day if he could go back to front because he'd gotten himself onto his back and looked confused.  I think he'll be that stinker in school that just because he can get good grades, doesn't mean he will.  Sometimes the apple doesn't fall far enough from the tree.
Anyhow, just a quick little update to let you know we're still here and doing just fine.  Aunt Michelle is winging her way to Singapore as I type.  It so won't be New Year's without her, but she'll be having a good time over there.  Even though we haven't gotten together all that much over the past year or so, I'll still miss her like crazy.  I mean, before it was just that we didn't get a chance to get together, now with her in Singapore until the end of February and then in June going up to Canada for most of the next two years, it will be much harder.  At least Canada is "local".  Or at least more local than Singapore.
I wish her the best of luck and all the fun adventures she can have.
I'm off to read for a bit before bed.
I don't wanna go to work tomorrow....

Peace to all and may your family gatherings be good and your friends close.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Merry Merry!  Today is a good day.  This morning everyone woke up nice and early, including Boo.  We exchanged a few family gifts and saved the rest to pack up to go Over the River and Through the Snow to Gramma(Sue)'s House!  (The only thing that could possibly make this a better day would be for Gram to be here in person, but I know she's smiling down enjoying the gatherings._
I got Gak's present almost right, the size was just a little small.  (The new Army Navy store here in town has Navy Pea Coats and he's been lamenting the fact he doesn't have one any more since he moved up to the Frigid North.)
Gak and Boo got me lots of neat things.  I got a new book, a new movie, some shirts and two really cool tech toys.  Gak got a fab deal (he won't tell me how good) on eBay for a refurbished Magellan.  So now, we won't get lost going on adventures with Boo!  He also got me a beautiful lilac iPod Shuffle.  My Nano has all but permanently moved into Boo's room, except for trips.  Now I can put books or music on the Shuffle and have something to listen to wherever.  It's so little and cute!
Boo had lots of fun trying to eat everything.  He would pull on things (to his mouth) if we gave them to him.  He got some really cute clothes from his Aunt Michelle and a fabulous bead-popper toy from his Nana!  He's even tried to push the button to make it go himself!
Anyway, we've got a little to do around here and then we're heading to Christmas and Hanukkah down at my parent's.  I'll write more about the wonderful time we had last night later.  I just wanted to share this really cute picture from this morning.

Peace to all and may your holidays be joyous and bright.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Holiday Happenings

Well, Christmas is almost upon us.  I'm so excited.
My brother, Becca and mother are on their way up.  We're having a "make your own Pizza" party.  I'm excited.  I haven't done this since we were kids.  I used to beg mom to let me do this for my birthday every year for about 3 or 4 years straight.  I'm also excited because Jon and Becca haven't met Boo yet.
After an early-ish dinner, we're going to head over to Kat's house for the annual Christmas Eve Open House.  It's an open door policy and people come and go all evening.  It should be fun.
I hope Boo continues to be in a good mood, but I'm not sure.  He's currently fighting the nap monster again.  It had won for a little while, but he's beginning to fight back again.  I'll give him another few minutes to see if he settles back down.  He may actually be hungry, I'll see.  (Therefore, I've got to keep this post short.)

I did want to rant a bit about ice.  Can I tell you how much I hate ice, sleet and freezing rain.  Sure, it let me get out of work a little early on Friday, but it still stinks.  You can't drive on it.  It causes trees and wires to come down which causes all kinds of havoc.  It does look pretty, but it's a mess.  I just hope this year doesn't go like last winter where every storm would start out as snow and then turn to ice and yuck by the end.  I'm not holding my breath though, because it's done that three times in the last week.  (Of course, it'll be 50 by Friday I think.)

Anyhow, just a quick check in to let everyone know to be on the lookout for some fun pictures in the next few days.  I can't wait to see what Boo does with the wrappings.  I have figured out though, that he has to be interested in the first place.  If you put something wrapped in front of him and he already has something in his hand that is more interesting, forget it.  I'm sure it'll take most of the day tomorrow for him to open things.  That's OK.  It just means more photo opportunities for me.

Boo fell back asleep again, but I'm going to take this opportunity to pick up a few last minute things around the house.  (It'll never be spotless, but I can make it a little better....)

Peace to all and may your holidays be bright!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Flickr Update

Yes, I finally got the pictures off of my camera and up to Flickr.  No, I didn't get any of the ones GrammaSue has taken up there.  I know she doesn't mind me posting them there, but I always feel I need to add a disclaimer to them so that others know they are hers not mine.  I don't want to take credit for her great shots.
Anyhow, we had more ick from the sky today.  But not too much, it was just about all done by 11 am and hadn't really started until 7 or 8 to begin with.  Just enough to be annoying.
We did have a good morning though.  We had breakfast at the dinner.  Then we went up to the big book store for some last minute things.  (I can now say that I do not need to buy another present for anyone... at least until birthdays start rolling around again.... or I feel like it, which is probably more like it...)  We then stopped at Gak's work and the grocery store.  I've been fighting a bit of a bug or something since Friday.  My guts haven't been to happy with me.  (TMI, but I tend to get like this if I haven't had any yogurt in my diet in a while... and well... it's been a while.... so tomorrow I start eating it again and hope that helps...)  So, Boo and I stayed home while Daddy went to the Q-mart on his weekly prowl.  I almost got a nap in, but was just about to fall asleep when Gak got home.  Oh well.
I have no idea what the boys got me for Christmas.  Gak wrapped things this morning while I nursed the boy.  Or I should say, he wrapped one thing and boxed up everything else and got me to wrap the box.  Somehow, I'm not sure that's fair.  Anyhow, despite the crowds, Boo did very well yesterday.  He didn't get fussy until they got home, and by that time he was hungry.  Apparently, if I don't like the color of one thing, I can blame Boo because he chose it.  We've been giving Boo the chance to decide between two shirts when getting dressed.  Gak continued this when shopping yesterday.  He said he got lots of strange looks.  I think it's great.
Anyhow, just wanted to quickly post that there are new pics up and to take a look.
Peace to all and may your weekends be good.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Almost There!

Well, this work week is over and I still haven't uploaded pictures to Flickr.  I do have a few new ones on the camera though, and GrammaSue has sent some cute ones as well.  I'll get there, I promise.  It's mean of me to make you go a whole month without new Boo pictures.
Speaking of Boo, he and Gak are off on an adventure.  Gak has gone shopping for my Christmas present.  I have no idea what he's going to get.... and neither does he.  I'm sorry I'm so hard to shop for.  I don't mean to make life impossible....
Anyhow, this is the first time Gak's driven anywhere with Boo since I was allowed to drive again, and the first time it's just been the two of them on a shopping expedition.  I hope Boo behaves himself for his daddy.
I'm so looking forward to the next few weeks, although New Year's won't be the same.  Michelle was supposed to come up.  She won't be able to make it.  She'll be in Singapore.  Yep, that's right, Singapore.  She leaves here on the 28th and will be back at the end of February.  So, needless to say, she's a bit time crunched and won't be able to make it up here before she's got to head out.  It won't be the same without her, but I'm so excited for her.
Anyhow, I've got work Monday and Tuesday and then off for the rest of the week.  Jon, Becca and Mom will be up Wednesday for dinner (we're doing "make your own pizza" night) and then we'll head over to Kat's for a bit.  Thursday will be Christmas in the morning and Hanukkah in the evening at Mom and Dad's.  It'll be a great two days.  I so can't wait for Jon and Becca to meet Boo.  I know they're looking forward to it too.
I only work Monday, Tuesday and half of Wednesday on New Year's week.  So, it'll be a nice chance to spend a lot of time with my boy.  I don't get enough time to spend with either one of them.  I love them so much.
Anyhow, I'd better take advantage of the empty house to wrap Gak's present and to try and clean the kitchen.
Peace to all and may your holidays be bright!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Uh... where whas I?

It's been a busy week around here.  Unfortunately, I have no idea why it's been busy or what we've done.
It feels like it should be Friday already, but it's not.  Gak's been working extra hours this week, which is nice and will make up for the fact that he's got some extra days off and some reduced hours the next two weeks.  Unfortunately, it won't really make up for having Boo in day care all this week.  Me having off most of the next two weeks will though.  He'll only be in 2 half-days the next two weeks.  We won't know what to do with ourselves.
I must say, I'm really, really looking forward to Jon and Becca being here.  It's been a year since I've seen them and they haven't had a chance to meet Boo yet.  He's gonna knock their socks off!  They'll be up here for dinner Christmas Eve and then we'll all be down at Mom and Dad's for Christmas Day and Hannakuah night.  (It's very cool that they overlap this year.)  Mostly we're doing it this way because that'll be the only night we're all home together and also because my dear husband wants latkes.  He says they taste almost like the way his dad did hashbrowns.  I don't care, they're yummy.  It'll just be good to have everyone together.
Work's been long and ardous the last few days.  I keep feeling like I'm chasing my own tail.  I think I get one thing fixed, and nope, it's still broke or something else isn't right.  Of course, it helps if the guy you're talking to actually listens to what you're trying to tell him to do and does what you say.  Oh well.
I did a quick check of assigned call numbers yesterday.  As of 5:00 yesterday, the only person who had more assigned to them than me was Bill.  And I'm the training manager and training is supposed to be my main focus.  To be blunt... WTH??  I don't understand.  Oh, wait, I do understand.  It seems that these days there aren't too many of us who have a clue of how to actually do anything.  I mean, Dom's good with the hardware/computer support end, but hasn't really bothered to learn a whole lot about the rest.  (Of course, I'm really good at the reg stuff, but not so good at the code any more... but I can still do it... just don't make me do hardware/network stuff, I've never been good at that...)  Right now; George, Bill and myself seem to be the most knowledgable people.  And George hasn't been here a year yet, but he's been busting tail to understand the reg stuff as well as show off his hardware/general IT mad skills.  If they don't hire him in at the end of the contract, I'm going to kick someone.  We can't loose this guy.
OK.  I've got to wrap this up.  I didn't want to turn this into a work rant.  I just wanted to say that we're still here.  Life's been good but busy and hopefully I'll have tons of pictures and things to post over the next few weeks.  Sorry I haven't updated the Flickr since Thanksgiving... I don't have too many pics to put up there in the first place and I've been too lazy too in the second.
I'm off to find the shower...
Peace to all and may your lives be full.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Check-up Check-in

Just a quick little post before I head off to bed.  Today was a morning of doctors' appointments.
First I had my yearly exam.  I am so done with being poked and prodded.  Oh well, at least this year it'll be an entire 12 months before I go back.  This spring it almost felt like I was living there.  That went as well as those kinds of appointments ever go.  And yes, if any of you haven't had a yearly exam, woman or man, do it!  If you don't take care of yourself, no one else will.
Ok, off my soap box that I didn't mean to stand on.  I must be tired....
The second appointment of the morning was Boo's 6.5 month check-up.  My boy now weighs in at 7 lb, 4 oz.  That's a gain of just shy of 1 lb.  To put it in perspective, it took him the 2 months prior to that to gain about 1.5 lb (I think....)  He's also 26.75" tall.  I honestly think he's an even 27, but he just wasn't stretching out to his fullest.  Tonight I had to move his bouncer up a notch because he was flat footed in it.  He's supposed to be on the balls of his feet.  Oops.  His height/weight ratio is hovering right around the 50% mark, which is excellent.  That means he isn't too tall for his weight or too heavy for his height.  He's also hovering just above the 50% mark for both height and weight for age.  Yep, my boy is growing well.  We're supposed to start trying to feed him thee "meals" a day and then nurse/give him a bottle after.  We'll see how this transition goes.  We're also allowed to feed him whatever foods (i.e. veggies, fruits, cereals, meats) that we want.  I'll probably try him on oatmeal instead of rice this weekend.  I still plan on introducing food one at a time.  We've added butternut squash to the good list.  Peas were a disaster (but then again, neither Gak nor I like them ourselves... or many green things for that matter...).  The jury is out on carrots at the moment.  I'm thinking they'll be in the "acceptable but not a favorite" category.  That's OK.  Just so long as he's got some variety, life will be good.  Dr. C was very pleased with his physical development.  So, overall it was a good checkup.
Of course, I forgot the form for day care, so now it'll cost me $5 to get it filled in.  Oh well.  That's the price I pay for ignoring the big piece of paper stuck to the fridge.
Oh! Yeah!  I almost forgot.  I think I mentioned Boo's cough yesterday.  Well, Dr. C said Boo's chest sounds clear and that it's a "good cough" and not to worry.  I'll still worry, but that comes from being someone who gets too many chest colds herself, not just paranoid Momma.

On another note, I have only one holiday present to buy.  I have to figure out what to get my father.  He's hard to shop for.  I know I could just get him an B&N gift card and he'd really appreciate it, but I always get him that.  Of course, he tends to buy us books and give us homework to go with it.  I never did finish last year's book.  Michael Chrichton definitely lost his edge.  I'm sure the book got better, but I was half way through and still had no idea what the plot was really about.  Oh well, I'm sure I'll pick it up again some time.

I'm beginning to ramble, so I'd better go to bed before I end up with the impression of the space bar in my forehead.
Peace to all and may your health be good and your hearts happy.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Revealing Week

Well, I've been a bad blogger this past week or so.  I've also been a bad Flickr-er(?).  I haven't uploaded any pictures to there since Thanksgiving.  Of course, other than the dragon photos two weeks ago now, I haven't really taken any of my boy.  Yes, I've been a bad photo momma.  It's not that there haven't been a hundred little moments that I'd love to have on film... er... digital image (that doesn't sound as nice..)  It just so happens that for the past few weeks any time that Boo was being cuter than usual, the camera was elsewhere.  Oh well.
I'd love to say I've been busy and swept up in the holiday spirit, but it's more like I've been busy at work and tired.  That and I just couldn't come up with anything interesting to say.  I'll probably make up for that today though...
Let's see... last week was somewhat interesting.  My friend Bill and my boss were out at a customer site all week; well, they left Monday afternoon actually.  That was both good and bad.  I hear lots of good did come out of their meetings, but bad because we could really have used them in the office.
Our biggest competitor is apparently not content to steal a lot of our talent; they want our customers as well.  They set up a call with our steering committee members.  (Gee... I wonder how they got that list of people...)  A lot of them are now regretting that they attended the call.  It's just a slimy thing they're doing and it only gets worse.  Well, the competitor sent out something about a thing they're holding just for our customers.  And they made it sound like we were in on it and approved.  To be blunt, there's no way in hell that we'd ever even consider such a thing.  That's OK.  We're hoping this costs them an arm and a leg.  I mean, in this market, I don't know of too many big customers that have a couple million to rip out their existing software and replace it before April.  Sure, we may loose a few people, but they're probably our problem children and we'd loose them sooner or later anyhow.  So, yes, we're seeing this as a huge opportunity to call them to the carpet and call them on what they're doing.  Lawyers are already involved and no, you're not going to get any more information out of me.  The one person who I know occasionally reads this blog that will know what I'm talking about will already have all the information.  It's just heartening to see the business leadership playing hardball with this, not rolling over and taking it and moaning and whining that this happened.
Anyhow, enough about that little interesting bit.  Well, the one big interesting thing to come out of the drama other than the drama itself is the fact that the business manager himself told me that training is my priority, service tickets are secondary.  Now, I just have to make sure I keep my butt in gear and make sure that the training really is the best that it can be, not play at it.  I've been neglecting it way too much the past 6 months and it needs a major dose of elbow grease and a nose firmly planted against the grind stone (ow!).  I've got to get it back in the best shape that it's ever been.  I can't let this guy down.  That goes above and beyond just letting the customers down.  This guy has put a lot of faith and trust in me to do it and do it right.  Therefore, I've got to; I have no choice.  I just hope I can get my boss to agree and get a few of the things assigned to me assigned elsewhere before the customers get too cranky...
Like I've said before, the whole attitude of this office has changed a lot over the course of the year.  At the beginning of the year when we were between business managers, it really felt like rats leaving a sinking ship.  This summer and the chaos that it held put a lot of people on edge.  But now, the service department, or at least those of us who work on reporting requests, is really feeling like a team again.  Of course, it helps that we've got people who like each other and will all pull their weight involved.  The rest of the building is coming together as a team again too.  It's quite refreshing.
Another neat thing is how involved the activities committee is now.  It doesn't hurt that our business leader is on the committee.  We had a really good picnic.  Dave thought it wasn't so good, but that was completely out of his con troll.  He did everything he could to have a great picnic, even if the weather didn't cooperate.  The dinner cruise holiday party seemed to be a hit as well.  And, for the first time in the 8 years I've been there, we had a holiday family for the kids.  Yep, that's right.  There was a holiday party held for the kids.  It was Saturday at a local bowling alley.  It started around noon.  Boo and I got there around 12:30.  The business leader dressed up as Santa and there were presents for every single child there, including Boo.  There were about 24 kids there all told.  Yes, this is another case of the camera not being where I was.  I'd even put it in my jacket pocket so I wouldn't forget, but I wore the other jacket.  At first I wasn't going to take Boo, since he's only 6-months old after all.  But then, I decided it would be fun to hang out with some of the other people from work and their families.  I was right.  It was a good time and a lot of fun was had by all involved.  It was a well planned and fun activity.  I hope we do more family friendly things in the future.  Maybe on a Saturday afternoon instead of noon time.
Friday was Zoe's Christmas Program at School.  Gak and Boo didn't go because Boo has come down with a bit of a chest cold or something and has an icky chest cough.  (He's got a doctor's appointment tomorrow and he's not running a fever so I wasn't too worried...)  It was cute.  I do have a picture but it's bad.  I was too far away and there are too many heads in the way.  Oh well.
Today was spent with me taking Boo on a BJ's run.  I spent more than I planned, but when I think about how much I won't be spending at the local grocery store on things for the next month or more, it isn't that bad.  I think it's just the spending it all at once thing that's a little painful.  While I was out doing that, Gak was waging war against the slime in the shower.  It seems like overnight (although it was much longer *blush*) the black slime that tends to appear in the one corner of the shower went from just barely a stain to "it's trying to take over the world" huge.  After 45 minutes of scrubbing, the shower is again presentable.  I am so indebted to that man.  (Especially when you figure how big he is and how small the shower is....)

Anyhow, that was the excitement of the weekend.  I know some other people got pictures from the bowling party.  I'll try and steal one to post.  I also promised you one of the pictures that Josi sent me the other week.  Well, here you go.  

This was taken on the playground at our elementary school, Earhart Environmental Complex or EEC for short (yes, I've been a liberal tree-hugger from the start I guess... or at least a tree-hugger...)  I'm trying to remember the name of the girl on the left, but it escapes me.  She looks familiar though.  I'm the little wisp of a girl in the middle and Josi is on the right.  No, that's not a real fur coat.  That's a faux-fur that Mom made for me.  It made her swear off fake fur even more than real fur.  Of course, she's helped me make several fleece/fuzzy animals for the kids of the "family" since then.  I'm not sure she (or I) liked some of the fleece that we've chosen over the years... a raspberry cat comes to mind....
Well, I've got to finish weaving in ends of my second to last (I think) Christmas project.  Aww, who am I kidding... I'll probably try and get 7 more things done in the next 10 days...
Peace to all and may your weeks be good and your parties fun.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Quickie

I'm still here.  We haven't gone anywhere, I've just been up to my eyeballs in work and too lazy to blog again.  Just a quick note, Boo is trying to wake up.
I've received some really interesting and cool email from Josi.  She sent some pictures of us from when we were kids in elementary school.  Too cute!  I'll have to post one later.
Monday GrammaSue and I put up the tree.  Boo wasn't too sure what to make of the deal and was a bit cranky, but Monday was a "sleep" day.  Can we say growth spurt?  (We'll find out Monday, as that's his next appointment... and I've got one too... ugh!)  GrammaSue also sent some really cute pictures she too.  We were all standing around in Boo's room while I changed him.  I got distracted and with his diaper half on, noticed that he was chewing on his foot.  He had his left foot in his hand and his right in his mouth.  That's the first I'd seen him do that!
Anyhow, work is a bear.  I've been trying to decide which customers to make grumpy by paying attention to which half of my job.  I've got to have a sit-down with my boss about this.  I feel bad about not getting the training stuff done, but I've got over 30 work orders that are waiting for my attention, some of which are getting quite old.  I just can't seem to find the balance.  Aargh!
Well, that wraps up the Cliff Notes version of what's been going on.  Hopefully later today or tomorrow I'll be able to post pictures and write a little more.  But now, Boo is awake and is probably hungry.
Peace to all and may you brain not be scattered to the four winds.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Holiday Musings

I've had lots of things bouncing around in my head since Thursday.  Unfortunately, none of them have made it int electronic form.  For that matter, they haven't been staying in my own head that long.  Oh well.
Let's see... Friday I got a note back from Josi.  She does remember me and was wondering what had happened to me.  We've begun getting to know eachother again and learning what the other has been up to since we lived in Kansas together so many years ago now.  I'm just glad she remembers me and that I've been given the chance to get to know her again.  I've given her the basics of what I've been up to, but 20+ years is a long time to catch up on in one note!

Anyhow, on to the rest of the weekend.  Yesterday was sort of one of those days.  The morning started off well enough.  We got out of the house on time and laundry didn't go wrong.  What was really impressive was the fact that Boo took a nap that was just about 1.5 hours.  I didn't manage to get anything done really, but hey, it was nice for Boo.
Yesterday Gak did have one of those days at work.  And he's fighting off some kind of bug he thinks.  Joy.  He wasn't exactly the happiest camper when Boo and I went to pick him up.  That and there were some last minute people who were about to push him over the edge.  I didn't care, I made him go with me to the grocery store before going back home.
It was supposed to be a "guys night out" for Gak, Scott and possibly some others while Kat, Joan, I and the kids went to Hershey in the evening for the Hershey Christmas thing.  Well, because of the thread of snow, Scott got called in to work for midnight, so that canceled the guys night.  (That and Gak wasn't in a happy mood and just wanted to crawl under a rock and ignore the world for a while...) I still was taking Boo out to Hershey.
We were to meet at Kat's at 5.  Well, of course Joan was running late.  We eventually get our act together and out the door by about 6.  I'm getting a little frustrated because it's pretty close to Boo's eating time and I knew we would be on the road for well over an hour.  It was also beginning to snow.  Not much, some real fine stuff.  Anyhow, I had Joan, Ant, Zoe and Boo in the Durango.  Kat and Andy were in the Jeep.  (Unfortunately, we couldn't all fit in one car because I don't have the 3rd row of seats in the Durango...)  We take the back roads out for a bit and stop for gas and a bite for those that wanted it at WaWa.  It was getting icky out, so we'd been taking it slow.  We figured it would get better because we were about to get onto the highway.
Well, that didn't happen.  The highway was a sheet of ice and it goes up and down hill.  So, we decide to get off at the next exit and take the back way home.  In this case, the back way was actually safer than the highway.  Well, Kat's Jeep skidded at the end of the off ramp at the stop sign.  Fortunately, I was going a good bit slower and was able to stop.  Unfortunately, the man behind me wasn't able to stop.  Yep, he tried to put his little VW under the bumper of my Durango.  *sigh*  I've already had that bumper replaced once!  And I've only owned the truck just shy of four years now!  Oh well.  Such is life.  Everyone was OK and both cars were drivable.  Progressive takes care of these things quickly, so it shouldn't be too bad.  With any luck, it won't cost me anything.  Because the accident was either no-fault or the other guy's fault.  We shall see.  Of course, it didn't help that Boo was not being a happy camper even before the crunch.  Happily he fell back asleep about 15 minutes into the trek home.  Little harm, no foul.
Today was a good day over all.  Boo slept well all night, even with all the excitement and messed up schedule of the night before.  He even took a nice long nap again this morning.  Gak and I managed to get most of the Christmas shopping done as well.  This is probably the only year we'll be able to take Boo shopping with us for his presents.  We went to Target for most of the shopping.  Boo was able to give us approval of the things we were going to get him, and won't remember about them until he sees them again.  We also managed to pick up a gift for Gak's brother, who was one of the people we had no clue what to get them.  We also went over to the Q-mart to pick up some things for Zoe.  We managed to find a few things for Ant and a gift for my brother as well.  He was another of the "what do I get him" people.  So, there are a few odds and ends to pick up.  I've got a lot of crocheting to finish as well.  (Most people are getting something hand made this year.  Amazingly enough, I was able to get most things out of stash I already had!)

I must say, this is the first year in many years that I've been downright happy about Christmas.  It seems good this year.  It seems like a happy time.  Even though I'm all but broke.  Even though the economy in general is in the toilet.  Even though there are a lot of troubling things going on in the world.  I actually feel happy about the holiday season.
I think it's because I have a sweet, innocent little boy who doesn't see all the bad things, doesn't see the materialistic greed, doesn't know the hurt that can happen.  He just smiles and giggles and loves and grows.  He's not old enough yet to fully experience this time of year, or even really realize what's going on.  But, he can, and does, make me very happy.  I'm looking forward to sharing so many traditions and family things with him now and in the coming years.  He's really put the joy back into this season for me.
I must admit, and those that have known me for a while already know this, that I haven't been a Christmas person in a long time.  At least, not with the joy that the holiday deserves.  I looked forward to seeing the family and to some extent the giving and receiving of presents, but for the most part, all I could see was the commercialized monstrosity that this has become.  I let the marketing, and my dislike of it all, overshadow the good of the season.  I don't care what religion you are, what holidays you personally celebrate, any holiday season dealing with birth, rebrith or rededication is a happy, joyous time.  And for many years, that joy just didn't touch my heart.
This year it has, and I'm happy about it.  Everything is so much brighter and more beautiful.
And on that note, I'm going to wrap this up.  
No new pictures.  I didn't take too many this week and the camera is still in the car.

Peace to all and may the joy of the Thanksgiving and Holiday season bring joy to your heart.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Wow!

Yesterday we had family pictures done.  We went to the same place as we did for Boo's 7-week photos.  It was a good session.  Of course, even though I knew how many pictures I needed, I still ended up getting more.  Oh well.  The poses were just too hard to choose from.  I'm sure I could have narrowed it down a little bit more, but that's OK.  He'll only be 6-months old once and I got mostly wallet sized pictures to include in my new year's letters.  (If you don't think you're on my snail mail list and want to be, email me with your address and I just might add you...)  We got several good family pictures as well as a ton of boy pictures.  Boo is just too cute and takes way too good of a picture.

The real exciting new is... I found Josi!!!  Or, more specifically, I found Jori her little sister.  I have a facebook account....
Wait, let me back up, I should tell you who Josi is first, and why this is so monumental.
Josi was my best, best, bestest friend ever from Kindergarten through the middle of fourth grade when we moved away from Kansas and moved to Pennsylvania.  Her mom was my Girl Scout leader and one of my favorite people.  Josi and I were inseparable.  I spent a ton of time over at her house.  I miss her tri-colored collie Kelly.  He was so big and lovable.  I think he's the one who started my love affair with collie dogs.  Anyhow, she has a younger brother named Josh who is the same age as my brother Jon and a younger sister Jori.  At the end of 4th grade, Josi and her family moved out to Colorado.  They moved around Colorado a couple of times, and we eventually lost touch some time around the 7th grade.  I miss her a lot.  I have no idea how much we have in common any more, but like I said before, we were inseparable in elementary school.
So, how did I find her?  Like I said, I have a facebook account.  I've started playing with it a bit more now that I know Flauta has a page there as well as a few others I know.  I'd recently been in contact with a guy I went to high school with, but didn't know very well.  (If you didn't know me then, I was definitely the loner, outcast weird type... wait... I still am to some degree....)  It's been nice getting to know this guy and he's come to wish he'd gotten to know me in school.  (Somehow, I doubt that would have ever happened...but hey...)  So, out of curiosity, I tried to find one of my high school buddies that I'd lost touch with as well.  Yep, he's got a Facebook profile too.  (Although he doesn't keep it very up to date....)  Well, for grins and giggles the other day, I decided to type Josi (lastname) into the search.  It didn't come up with her, but one of the people it found was Jori (lastname).  Well, the picture looked like she should be about the right age to be my friend's little sister.  And Jori isn't exactly the most popular name like John or Bill or Jennifer or something like that.  So, taking a chance I sent her a note through Facebook.  It turns out I was right, she is my friend's sister.  I didn't find my friend because she's married now and her last name begins with a K instead of an S.  So, I promptly sent her off a note just now.
Here's hoping she remembers who I am.
I'm so excited.  I'm almost as excited as when Abi found me last year.
Isn't technology grand?
Anyhow, I'm off to go read for a little bit and try and settle down before I have to go to bed.  One more day of work this week and then the weekend.  I'll probably be escaping work early tomorrow.  It's the company holiday party and since it's a "dinner cruise" down in Philly, and Gak has a hard time getting off work this time of year and the logistics of trying to get someone to take care of Boo and be able to pick him up from daycare and all that jazz was just too much.  I kinda wish we were going, but in the long run I think I'm glad we're not going.  Anyhow, everyone who's going is leaving at 3 (I think), so I'll probably leave around 3:30 or so instead of 5.  Shhhh... don't tell.  (Although, I really should stay, it's been an unproductive week due to technology issues....)

Anyhow, peace to all and may you find happy surprises.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

6 Months!!!

I can't begin to tell you how fast the last 6 months have just flown by.  Is it just me, or was I just in the hospital yesterday?
Yes, Boo turned 6 months old yesterday.
Yes, he's sitting, almost standing, all by himself on his dragon.
No, I'm not ready for him to be this old yet.
Let's see just a fraction of what Boo has learned to do over the last 6 months.  He's learned how to nurse, and how to drink from a bottle.  He's even learning to eat solid food as well.  He's learned how to sleep through the night.  Boo is very good at grabbing things and getting better at it all the time.  He can track both sounds and sights and can recognize people he likes and will look for them.  He's learned how to sit, how to bounce and is trying to roll over.  He's discovered feet and fingers and plays or sucks on them whenever he can.  He's learned how to hold his head up too.  He's also learned about books and stories.
Yep, that's only a fraction of what he can do now that he couldn't do 6 months ago.  And he keeps growing by the moment!  He can do so many things and is going to learn so much more, just within the next few months.  I'm amazed every time I look at him.
Anyhow, I think Boo is trying to wake up, so I'd better hop in the shower quick before he decides that he wants breakfast now
Peace to all and may time not move quite so quickly.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

And the Party Continues


First off... Happy Birthday Aunt Abi!!!  Yep, my friend Abi has her birthday today.  She too is old.  She's exactly 1 year, 51 weeks older than I am.  If you remember how old I just turned, then you can figure out her age.  I won't tell you directly, because that's not nice. *grin*.
Anyhow, last night was a good night.  We got to Kat's right about on time.  Unfortunately, Uncle Andy was running a little late, so that made us a little late.  So, dinner was a bit hurried.  That's OK, I was more interested in the show anyhow.
Did I mention that there was an earlier TSO show and a Tina Turner show at 8 as well?  Did I mention that traffic around the sports complex sucks when there's only one event going on?  I'm glad I wasn't driving.  (I always seem to get turned around and not where I want to go down there... even following the hordes...)  I do feel for Kat though.  She was driving.  A stick-shift old Jeep.  In heels.  Nope, not fun.  So, we end up getting into the Wachovia Center right at 8:30.  The show was supposed to start at 8, but they held it until 8:30.  This means we missed the intro and the first two songs by the time we made a really quick pit stop and found our seats.
All the way up in nosebleed territory.  We were about as far to stage left as you could go and still be in front of the stage.  Our seats would have been great, about 3 sections to our right.  Oh well.  That's what I get for waiting until the last moment to buy them and not be able to afford "good" tickets.  Kat was expecting to sit up in the rafters with us.  But she was lucky enough to actually win tickets from WMGK.  So, she and Scott got to sit 3rd row, almost center.
Yes, I thought about calling her all kinds of nasty names.
Then I realized that if anyone deserves something cool like that this year, it's her.  She's gone through a pile of it the last year or two, so this was nice for her.
I'm still jealous though.
Anyhow, the show went until just about 11.  No, I don't have any pictures because I left my camera in Boo's room.  Not that any of them would have turned out.  (Kat did get some great ones though....)  It was even more rocking than the last time I got to see them.  They had lots and lots of pyro this year.  I mean, we could feel the heat from them at times all the way up where we were!  At one point Gak leaned over to me and said "I gave up counting lighting cues..." in a very awed tone of voice.  That's what I get for marrying a theater tech.  I wish we lived closer or could afford a second car or something so he could actually get a job doing things like that.  He'd love to be doing that again.  And he's good at it.  *Sigh*
We got home and crawled into bed at just about 1:30.  Mom was all but conked out on the sofa and Boo opened his eyes to look at me as I walked through his room, but went back to sleep right away.  I'd love to say I slept like a log, but as always after a late night, I slept like crap.  Oh well.  Hopefully Boo will be a happy little boy today and I won't have to have too stressful a day.
I finally got the pictures from the weekend uploaded to Flickr.  Enjoy!  As I'm sure you'll see, we had a good time.
Well, I'm off to find something quiet to do while my boys sleep for a bit.
Peace to all and may your holidays be fun and family filled!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Bittersweet

Yesterday was bittersweet for me.
The bitter is the fact that one year ago yesterday, my Gram left us.  I still feel the pain of that to one degree or another most days.  As funny as it sounds, especially when I look at Boo.  Maybe it's because of how much I know she was looking forward to being a great-grandma.  Maybe it's just me remembering all the wonderful times I had with her growing up.  Maybe it's because I used to call her and talk to her about anything and everything that was going on in my life and I so want to share all of his growth and milestones and even crankiness with her.  So, yes, yesterday was a bit bitter in that respect.
But it was sweet as well.  It was sweet because it was my friend Ed's birthday.  He's old.  Well, maybe not old, but he is 3 years older than me... so, yes, old.  
It was also very sweet because we got to have second Thanksgiving at Kat's house.  She didn't do Thanksgiving Thursday because Wednesday she'd had tests done to see if they can finally pin down the reasons for the migraines and felt like crapola Thursday.   That and everyone could have "family" Thanksgiving on Thursday and then have "friends" Thanksgiving on Friday.  And, really, in many ways these friends are my family.  At least my extended family.
The house was packed, as usual.  There were a few people who weren't there, but we wish they were.  Of course, they were traveling to family, so that's understandable or had to work.  Boo did very well with so many people in the house.  Our house is usually so quiet and calm most of the time.  Even when he's at day care, it's not so noisy most of the time.  But he did well and only got fussy near when he normally goes to bed.  So, we put him down on Grammy's bed and he slept until we were ready to go.  Which was only about an hour later, as I was beginning to fall asleep myself and began to feel overwhelmed by all the people myself.  Don't get me wrong, I love all my friends and getting them all together in one place.  It's a rowdy, happy, noisy, fun time.  It's just that after a while, I need some quiet.
So, yes, yesterday was sweet as well.
Tonight should be fun.   Tonight Gak and I are going out.  Without Boo.  We're going to go see Trans Siberean Orchestra in Philly tonight with about 6 other people (I think).  We all got our own tickets since no one could afford to get all 8 or so at one time.   We're meeting up for dinner before the show, and maybe drinks after the show and sitting by ourselves for the show.  I think that's actually a great way to do this.  Then it's like both a group outing and a "date" all in one night!  Uncle Andy will be watching Boo for about an hour or so while we're at dinner and then GrammaSue will pick him up at Aunt Kat's house and bring him home to ours.  She told us to stay out as long as we wanted to and not worry.  Well, of course I'll worry, I'm the Momma!  But, I won't worry about getting back late.  Like she said, if it's late enough and she's tired enough, she'll crash on the sofa and decide when we get home if she's going to drive home or sleep here.  I'm just glad she was able to watch him since Grammy (Kat's mom) has to work and couldn't switch.  Uncle Andy loves Boo, but it's been 8 years since he's had one that little, so isn't comfortable having to take care of him long.  If we time it right, he won't even have to give him a bottle.  GrammaSue will, but she's used to that.
Anyhow, Boo is asleep and I'd better make the most of it.  He'll probably wake up soon.  Look for pictures later today or tomorrow.  I've got so many I'm having trouble sorting through them and getting them ready to post.

Peace to all and may your days be good and you have fun things to do.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.  I'm sure we've all got plenty to be thankful for this year.  I know I do.  I have a happy, healthy, thriving baby boy.  I've got a husband who loves me.  My family and friends are all in good health, although there are some health problems in the families of those I know.  We may not have much money to spare, but we're getting by.  Both Gak and I are gainfully employed, even if we don't always like our jobs or coworkers.  The election is over and come January, a new chapter will be begun for good or ill.
So, yes, there is a lot to be thankful for, even in these crazy, chaotic, messed up times.
Today we went down to GrammaSue and PopPop's house for the day.  We left here about 9:30 because that's when it was nap time now.  We waited until Boo was ready for a nap so that he'd sleep most, if not all, of the way down there and not mess up his schedule too badly.
We had a good day.  GrammaSue made homemade mac 'n' cheese for lunch.  (We have thanksgiving dinner, or supper... not lunch...)  Boo got to spend a lot of time with his PopPop today and was a very good boy.  He took two little naps in his pack-n-play (that thing is a life saver at times!).  We even got to meet the little boy Henry who lives next door.  Henry is just shy of 11 months old.  The boys played for a good 30 minutes or so until Boo suddenly decided he was hungry and tired.
Boo ate a lot today.  He had apple sauce and cereal for early lunch and then nursed some.  Cereal with milk was the order for late lunch.  For dinner he had a good bit of baked sweet potato and a couple of bites of GrammaSue's homemade apple sauce.  He wasn't quite sure of what to make of the added spices, but he still ate it.  You should have seen him go to town on the piece of sweet potato that he had in his mesh bag feeder.  I think there was maybe a baby spoon full of mush left when all was said and done, and that he ate off the spoon.  Of course, he nursed several times over the course of the day.
Right now, I'm listening to Boo talk to himself in his bed.  We left at about 7:15 when he was getting very cranky and sleepy.  He was asleep by the time we got onto the Turnpike, but sure enough, as soon as we stopped when we got home, his eyes popped open.  I was lucky Tuesday that he was asleep enough to barely wake up when we got home.  He'll talk himself to sleep shortly I'm guessing.
Yes, I have lots of pictures from today, but they're still on the camera and I'm being lazy.  I just wanted to say happy thanksgiving and say what a nice day we had today.  I hope to post a lot of pictures in the next few days.  We're doing Thanksgiving again tomorrow night at Aunt Kat's house and Saturday Gak and I are going to see Trans Siberian Orchestra with a bunch of people.  It will be fun.
Anyhow, I'm off to read a few pages before I go thud.
Peace to all and may we remember the little things in life and have good family moments.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Holiday Ramblings

Well, I had lots to post about yesterday, but I have no idea what it was.  I'm sure it was something interesting and pertinent to the rest of the world, but it's gone now.
Oh, that's right.  I was supposed to be working on Boo's holiday lists.
Yes, I said holiday.
I'm allowed to.
You see, coming from a mixed up crazy family, Boo will celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah.  (Which I can never spell right on the first five tries...)  So, yes, Boo has holiday lists, not Christmas, not Hanukkah, but holiday.
So there.
And , no, I don't really have anything put together.  I can tell you what he needs though.  He could use more long-sleeved onsies.  3-6 month size fits nicely and 6-9 are a tad big, but since winter will be long here... either size works.  Socks are always a good thing for baby toes.  The washer and dryer are good at absconding with one now and again.  If you really want to, I won't stop you from buying diapers.  He's currently in Pampers Swaddlers size 2, but 2-3 would probably fit too.  (Those of you with littles of your own understand what I mean by 2-3... it's the in between size between 2 and 3, so more like 2.5....)
So, that's what he needs.  What he wants, well, I don't have that list together yet.  He's got more books than other toys, but that's not a problem.  He could use some more "interactive" toys since he's getting to that age where he's trying to figure everything out and manipulate things.  Just please, go easy on the noisy toys.  And those of you with littles will remember that I'm the aunt that gives books, craft stuff and non-battery operated toys.  Yes, the craft stuff tends to be messy, but I try and go for age appropriate messy at any rate.  And you can't tell me they weren't fun.  So, go, wander over to Fat Brain Toys and see if anything strikes your fancy.  (You can even exclude toys made in China from your search... yes, I say that a lot, but with all the news lately are you really sure what you're getting even with new safety checks in place on this end?  Besides, should we be rewarding them with our business in general when they treat their own people like dog doo-doo?)

Ok, plug for people to buy my son things over.

I must say, sometimes the ladies at the day care confuse me.  On Thursday they send home that note about me not feeding him enough.  So, we started sending cereal for the afternoon.  Now, when Gak dropped Boo off yesterday (but not when he dropped him off Monday) he was asked why we're feeding him so much cereal.  I'd upped his afternoon cereal to 3 Tb on Monday.  Well, the long and the short of it is... Dr. C wants him to be getting around 6 Tb a day.  So, he gets about 2 Tb in the morning when Gak feeds him, about another 2-3 in the afternoon and maybe 1 or 2 in the evening.  This would be 6 Tb approximately right?  So, what's the problem?  He lets us know when he's done.  He lets you know when you're not shoveling it in fast enough.  We use fruit or veggies and a splash of water to mix it up in the morning, 2 oz milk in the afternoon and either milk or fruit in the evenings depending on what's available.  He's still getting 20+ oz of milk a day.  (4 4oz bottles = 16, plus 2 oz with cereal = 18 and two or three nursings = at least 22-26 oz)  I know they mean the best, but could they stick to "complaining" we either feed him too much or not enough?  Other than that, they take very good care of him and he's happy and healthy when I go to pick him up in the evenings.  (I actually think the one lady is nice, but just doesn't always deal well with the fact that kiddos will do things their own way... but she's good to my boy...)  He doesn't seem to not want to go or unhappy when we drop him off.  Boo just marches to his own drummer when it comes to doing things, and well, the apple didn't fall far from the tree now did it?

Anyhow, enough of that.  Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and that's a good thing.  Although, I did get a worrisome email from Abi.  Her mom is going into surgery today because of an infection that isn't going away.  It's pretty bad.  I hope everything goes well and that her mom heals quickly.
Well, I'd best be getting my butt into gear so I can make it out the door for one last day of work this week.

Peace to all and may you not have frustrating things to deal with.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday.  In March I will be 1/3 of a century old.
Yes, this means that I turned 33 today.
No, that's not old compared to some, but older than others.
It's been a good birthday over all.  On Friday I got my gifts from my dear husband and son.  They got me the 3-disk Peanuts holiday movie set.  So, I now own the Great Pumpkin, the Thanksgiving and the Christmas shows.  They are my favorite holiday shows.  They also came with 10 or 12 free music tracks, which is great, as I love the music from Peanuts.  They also got me a set of bamboo crochet hooks in sizes G through N.  I used the H earlier today and am using the G now.  They're very nice.  They're light weight, smooth and have the head shape that I like.  (The Susan Bates "notch" style as opposed to the Boye rounded style.)  They seem to be working well with good old worsted weight acrylic.  (I'm using up some of my stash yarn on holiday gifts for some of the kids.)
Last night we all went out to dinner.  Originally Kat's mom was going to watch Boo, but she had to work and Andy was watching Zoe and he's just not comfortable watching such a little guy any more.  That's OK, I understand.  We weren't going anywere too fancy anyhow, so Boo got to come along.  Remember a while back I mentioned that I got some rewards from work for making customers happy.  Well, I used one of my gift certificates last night.  Our bill came to $52 before tip, so it only cost us $10 to have a nice dinner out.  Boo was good through most of it, but we didn't time it quite right and he was getting fussy and a bit hungry at the end and I didn't bring a bottle.  (If I'd brought a bottle, he wouldn't have wanted it... but since I didn't....)  He got quiet once we got into the car, so we stopped at the book store.  I bought two books for Boo for the holidays and Gak one as well.
Today was mostly a low-key day.  Boo let me sleep in by about 45 minutes.  We had a good and semi-lazy morning.  I then ran some errands around noon.  I had to go pick up brake parts (I need breaks soon on the truck and Andy is going to do them for me...) and a little bit of grocery shopping.  After Boo's next nap, we headed over to Aunt Kat's to hang out a bit and maybe get the breaks done today.  Well, it turns out that we'll be getting the breaks done Tuesday, as Andy's car needed a little more work than he thought.  That's OK.  I don't need the breaks right this second, but definitely before it's inspected.  And since I already have the parts, it'll be a pretty quick job Tuesday.  I also got a great call from my brother.  It is always good when I get the chance to catch up with him.  He was agonizing over the bad Eagles game and was lamenting the fact that he introduced Becca to being a Philadelphia sports fan.  The Phillies this year are an exception to the rule.  We're very good at "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory".
I really don't want to go to work tomorrow.  But, that's just because I don't want to go to work and would rather be on a weekend.  Boo is going to go to daycare tomorrow afternoon because GrammaSue isn't feeling well.  I totally understand her not wanting to take care of a busy almost 6-month-old (eek!) when she's not feeling well.  This just means Boo will actually hae 3 days instead of 2 at day care this week.  That's still one less than normal.  (I think Christmas week, he'll only be in one day since I have Christmas Eve and Christmas off, and I'm taking the day after off as well.)
Anyhow, we introduced Boo to apples.  We gave him some applesauce the other day and today as well.  I tried it.  My word is it sweet!  The ingredients are "Apples and water needed for processing" but wow!  can we say sugary sweet?  Boo wasn't so sure about it.  I wasn't either.  I think I'm going to make some homemade apple sauce up and make sure it's pretty smushed up.  We also introduced him to solid apples.  Thursday I ran down to BabiesRUs on my lunch break and picked up the mesh bag thingies I liked (the mesh bag is white, not technicolor) as well as a couple of sweatshirts and a pair of khakis for the boy.  He attacked the mesh bag like no tomorrow, but wouldn't hold it himself.  He'd hold my hand, but wouldn't grab it.  He didn't get very much out of it, but that's OK.  He did a great job chewing and I'm sure he'll get it sooner or later.  We'll see how he does Thursday with baked sweet potato.  (Properly cooled down to almost room temperature of course!)  Today while we were at Aunt Kat's he ate 3 Tb of cereal with 2.5 oz of milk and almost half a container of sweet potatoes!  He thought about nursing for a minute, but then decided he was full and didn't want a drink.  That boy is going to eat me out of house and home before he turns one!  Oh well.  it just means he's growing and is healthy.  He's not putting on too much weight and is keeping pace both in height and weight.  I'm just glad he's taking to eating well.  I know he'll be getting mostly milk for at least another 6 to 8 months, but it is nice to have him be able to get some extra here and there from other sources.

Anyhow, it is just about 9:00 and I'd better get going to bed.  Oh, I almost forgot.  The picture at the top of the post is Boo's very first fridge art!  One of the ladies at the center spent a couple of days tracing the babies' hands and creating these adorable little turkeys!  I almost cried when I picked his up.  I didn't know they were doing it and it's just amazing.  I'm amazed at both how big and how little his hand is.  It is defiantly his hand.  It is so cute.  I love it.

Anyhow, I've got to get going.
Peace to all and may you have good days and wonderful family days.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Frustration

This has been a frustrating week.
Frustrating because I didn't get anywhere near as much done as I could or should have at work.
Frustrating because Boo has been in day care all day this week because Gak has to open all week.
Doubly frustrating because Gak's boss was supposed to be back in town last night, but got stuck.  This means Gak has to open and Boo will have to be at day care all day one more day.
Triply frustrating because of the note that was sent home last night.

Apparently I am not feeding my boy enough according to the nice ladies.  According to them "most babies his age don't eat every 2 hours but every 3-4 hours"  "he is very restless"... amongst other things.  (The note is in the bedroom, and I'm not...)

Can I tell you how much of a bad momma this made me feel like?  Like I don't even know how much my son wants to eat?  That it implies I don't ever have to deal with him being fussy or cranky or anything like that?  I know they mean well.... but.... they're not with him the rest of the time, and only a few hours a day most days.

Yes, he eats every 2 hours still.  Yes, he sometimes fusses these days when the bottle is all gone.  Yes, I deal with this too!  Even when nursing.  Frequently these days when he's done he'll pull away and scream.  I know it's not because he's still hungry because he's nursed longer than he used to.  I'm pretty sure it's not a supply issue, even though I've come up short a few days at work.
Also, my boy sleeps through the night.  I don't mean he goes to bed at 10 after a feeding and wakes up at 6 for an 8-hour night.  No, he goes to bed by 8 by his choice! (demand really) and doesn't wake up until 7, later if I let him sleep in on the weekends.  This gives him 12-13 hours to eat 25-30 oz of milk.  Add in at least two 2 Tb servings of cereal and some fruit or veggies as well....  Take into account that a baby his age still only can comfortably hold 4-5 oz in his stomach.  This means that he has to nurse 6 times or more in a day.  He nurses at 7 am and 8pm.  This leaves 4, or maybe 5 other times he'll want to be fed.  Like clockwork he demands to be fed around 9 and 11 when Gak has him in the mornings.  He gets fed between 2 and 2:30 and 4 and 4:30 at day care.  I'll often feed him at 6 or 6:30 if possible while waiting for Gak to be done work.  (Although, not the last week or two since Bill's working there instead of the chicky... but that's another story...)

They also didn't "complain" that he doesn't nap much in the day, other than 4 30-minute naps between 8 am and 5 pm.  He falls asleep when he wants and wakes when he wants, at fairly predictable times.  Gak has learned the signals of when he's getting fussy and sleepy as opposed to fussy and hungry.

Anyhow, here's the note I wrote back to the ladies:**

Thank you for your concern.  I know most babies his age eat every 3-4 hours.  He will do this on occasion himself.  Boo sleeps through the night, usually from about 8pm until 7am.  Therefore, he has 13 hours to eat 25-30 oz milk and some cereal.  His stomach only comfortably holds 405 oz at this point.  He fusses quite a bit these days when he is done nursing as well, and I don't make him stop after a set time, but wait for a signal he's done.  (Often these days rearing back yowling.)  It may be teeth we can't see yet.  It may be supply (although I know he gets at least 20-24 oz between 2 nursings and 4 bottles.)
I have sent 5 bottles and 2 bowls cereal.  Use the 5th bottle to mix the cereal @ 11 and either 2 or 4.  Also, if he'll eat half the jar of sweet potatoes at either or both meals, feel free.  I also suspect the change in schedule this week has added to the fussiness.
Yours,
Addey.

(As a side note, I'd been having both Gak and the day care mix 2 oz of milk with 2 Tb of cereal at 11 and give the other 2 oz of the bottle after.  Gak hasn't told me of any problems with this, and neither did GrammaSue on Monday...)

Well, it is almost 6:45 after this long winded rant.  I'd better hop into the shower and finish getting everything together so we can get out the door yet again.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to leave a message for the day care that Boo will be in all day today, as we didn't find out until about 8pm and they didn't have an answering machine.  That's OK.  We get to talk to the Girl Scout leader in the morning and she understands these things.  I hope I didn't sound too bitchy in my note to the ladies.  I figure Boo is doing just fine as his doctor last week didn't say anything about him not growing enough or asking how much milk he's getting.  He just wants us to make sure we get about 6 Tb of cereal into him so he knows Boo is getting enough iron.  I can understand that.

Well, I'm off.
Peace to all and may you never feel like a bad parent when you're doing everything you can and know is right for your kiddo(s).

**Edit:  I didn't actually give this note to the ladies today.  I got a chance to actually talk with one of them this morning when dropping Boo off.  It was a good conversation and covered what I'd put in the note, so didn't figure it was necessary.  She was hoping she didn't offend me or sound like she was being pushy (which she wasn't to my rational side, but my emotional momma side wasn't happy...).  Anyhow, we'll see how it goes with 2 cereal feedings with "extra" milk instead of from the bottle he's about to get.  Maybe, hopefully, it's just a growth spurt or something...

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Oops....

Well, I finally did it.  Yep.  Yesterday I finally left my "kit" at work.  And didn't realize it until we got home.
Ugh.
This meant that after I got Boo put down to bed and he was asleep, I had to run all the way down to work and back.  It's not that far really compared to some people's trip.  But, it's still just shy of 16 miles each way.  This meant that my entire "evening" was used up.  Ugh.
I really had wanted to spend some time playing with yarn last night.  Or reading.  Or even blowing things up on the computer.  *sigh*  Such is life.

Work was a totally unproductive day.  We had a "Safety Stand Down", which was supposed to be mandatory.  A lot of people didn't show.  Some, I can understand because they truly were working on customer critical issues.  Some, well... I'm just going to hold my tongue.  Or would that be fingers, since I'm typing?
Anyhow, it was a good thing over all.  I mean, there were a couple of hours that they could have condensed a bit, but whatever.  I'm sure a lot more people in the front office will be taking safety more seriously.  Not that we work in an overly dangerous job, even the guys who go on site.  But there are things that we do, or don't do, that aren't exactly bright.  I hope more of the people don't realize this is a joke.  I mean, I'm no safety queen or anything, but I follow the procedures about safety.  I can at least make sure my own head doesn't get smashed by some random something or crap in my eyes or anything like that.  I may not like some of the safety rules I've run into over the years or like the fact that I have to sit through a poorly done video at almost every site I go to, even if I'm just going to be in the office, but it's done for a reason.  If I don't keep myself safe, who will?

Anyhow, enough of that.  Today will be another wasted day for me at work.  Well, I wouldn't call it wasted because I'll be in training (instead of giving training) on some regulatory things that are coming up.  I need the information.  Unfortunately, with 2 days of meetings this week and 2 holiday days next week, I'm falling even further behind on what needs to get done.  Something's got to give.  I refuse to let it be time with my son and husband.

And speaking of holidays... what do you mean it's already Thanksgiving???  I mean, just last week it was 4th of July and we were having Boo's welcome party.  It can't be the end of November already.  I'm still not finished reporting issues from last month!  I've still got all kinds of things to put together for the week-long seminar I'll be doing at the beginning of next month!  I still have to come up with lists of things that it would be nice if someone got for Boo!  AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Ok, major panic averted, only minorly panicked.  Anyhow, if I want to get anything done this morning before waking my son and bundling him off to day care (this is his last full day this week), I'd better run this through spell check and get going.  I think Boo is trying to wake.  I hope he stays asleep for another little bit so I can shower and things like that....

Monday, November 17, 2008

Crankiness

This weekend was both good and cranky.  Saturday started off with everyone sleeping in a little.  That's nice.  Boys waking up cranky, not so nice.
Boo had slept a lot on Friday.  I'm guessing the vaccine left him a little drained.  Saturday, however, he was a fuss-bucket.  He did just fine through laundry and even fell asleep at the end.  The rest of the afternoon however, he was tired and cranky and didn't want to eat or sleep.  No fever, but I wasn't expecting one.  That evening he woke up crying and screaming and didn't stop.  For over an hour.
Nothing was working.  I ended up giving him a dose of Tylenol (which I'm not sure did much...) and then plopped him in the bath for a bit.  He's really beginning to like bath time.  He wasn't happy boy, but he did sit there and kick and splash and not scream.  Therefore, I counted it as a win.  I eventually had to pull him out of the tub because my hands were getting wrinkled.  It was then PJs, nursing and bed for the boy.  He did sleep well through the night though.
I even remembered to call my dad on Saturday!  (It was his 70th birthday.  He's not happy about it, so I'll just let it go...)

Yesterday was a bit better.  We had more boy smile, which is always a good thing.  We didn't do a whole lot other than eat breakfast at the dinner, go grocery shopping and to the Q-mart.  Our landlady finally got the toilet fixed, so no more constantly running water.  It's nice having a quiet bathroom again!  (I know, the small things in life...)
Gak is working full days through Thursday this week.  Gramma Sue is currently asleep on my sofa so she can watch Boo all day today.  This is going to be a long week for all of us I think....

Anyhow, anyone who doesn't want to listen to me rant about something that's probably TMI for most people, stop reading here.

OK.  Here's my rant.  As much as I love nursing my son, where I have to pump at work sucks! 
Here's the numbers:
Over 60: number of people in my building.
12: number of women in my building.
3: number of women of possible child-bearing age and stage in my building.
1: number of women who is married (not a pre-requisite these days...), has an infant and is nursing.

So, the numbers are against me however you look at it.  Yes, the corp who owns my business has received many honors as being both "family friendly" and "mother friendly".  I say, that may be true if you work in one of the big corp offices, but it's just not the case here.  I mean, sure I can get the time I need to take Boo to the doctor or whatever, but other than that, forget it.  Of course, the numbers aren't in my favor to begin with in this industry.  Oh well.

If you remember, when I first went back to work I said I'd been using the office of my former boss to pump.  Well, the new guy running the department has moved in several weeks ago now.  This means I had to change venues.
Options: 
I work in a cubicle, so that's really not an option.  I mean, I'm not shy, but please.  This isn't something that the entire office needs or wants to be a part of.
I could use a conference room that doesn't have locks on the door and has at least one window in the door, if not the entire wall of windows.  Again, a little too out in the open for comfort.
There is always the option of my car.  While this does provide at least more privacy as I'd be the only one there, it's not exactly the most comfortable or easiest place to pump.  I don't exactly have anywhere to set anything or running water.  That and it's getting cold.  I don't want to have to run the car and waste precious gas for 20 minutes at a time at least twice a day.
This leaves the bathroom.  Or, more specifically, it leaves the "unisex" closet of a bathroom(yes, it literally was a closet when I started working here...) instead of the ladies room.  The ladies room has two stalls, nowhere to set anything and I'm just not comfortable pumping in a place where people can come and go.  Like I said, I'm not really shy but....
So, here is where I go spend at least 20 minutes twice a day.  (I just can't seem to get my schedule or work load to let me pump 3 times like I probably should....)

This is the door that I must remember to lock.  There have been two occasions where I forgot to do this for some reason.  For being an "alternate" bathroom, this place is busy.  The door gets rattled at least once a session, often quite a bit more.

This is the lovely seat I get to sit on.  It's not comfortable.  It's cold and hard and it creaks.  Not to mention, I can't help but think of it as less than clean.

This is the view I get to stare at while pumping.  You can't see it, but there is a cobweb that's reflected in the mirror.  It's been there for weeks.  You can also see my kit all zipped up on the sink.  I love the fact that my entire kit fits into a two compartment lunch bag.  I've got 3 ice packs in the top to keep everything cool and it works quite well.

This is the lovely space I get to try and set things on.  There isn't much room, it's hard to reach and I'm never sure about how clean it really is.

And here, here is my wonderful little pump.  See how nicely it all fits in the bottom section of the bag.
Anyhow, I just thought I'd vent a little at how miserable a place I've got to pump.  I love being able to provide for my son this way, but I'm really beginning to hate this part of it.  And there isn't much I can do.  There are no open offices for me to steal.  I mean, I could steal the one for the reg specialist, since he works from his home in OK over half the time, but that's just rude.  I'd be invading someone else's spot.  (It was different before, that guy didn't use the office any more, so it was "free for the taking" in my eyes.)  So, for at least the next 6 months or so, I'll be staring at the cobweb in the mirror two to three times a day.  *sigh*

Ok, it's safe to read again

Well, I must go hop into the shower so I can get ready.  It's just about 6 now and I've got to put the pictures into the post yet.

Peace to all and may your days not be cranky and you have what you need.

Friday, November 14, 2008

5.5 Month Checkup

Today was Boo's 5.5 month checkup.  It went very well.
He's up to 16 lb 5 oz, almost a .5 lb gain from last month.  He's a whopping 26.5 inches, which is a .75 inch growth spurt from last month.  He's doing just fine; he's right at the 75% for height and just above 50% for weight.  He only got one shot this time, the second Polio dose.  He wasn't sure if he should cry or not with this one, as it is such a quick little shot.  Developmentally he's doing just fine.  He hasn't rolled over yet, but he does try.  He doesn't try all the time, but he does when he feels like it.  He can sit fairly well without assistance for short bits of time.  Mind you, his posture stinks as he has a hard time holding his trunk totally upright at the moment.  He'll get there.  He does try and "talk", even though he's quiet quite often.  He's just mellow and laid back and is engrossed in watching everything.  I'm not worried about him.  He's growing strong and well.  We can introduce him to fruits and veggies if we want, but he doesn't need them.  We can up the cereal to about 6 tablespoons a day.  He's currently eating a little less than 2 at a shot.  He'll eventually get there.  We'll start introducing him to fruits and veggies, just to start him learning about different tastes.  I don't care how much of these he eats at this point, I just want him to try.
Of course, I had to wake him from his nap to go to the doctor this morning.  He woke up about a half hour late, so he took his nap about a half hour late and didn't wake until I picked him up to put him in his car seat.  He also didn't want anything to do with eating or nursing when we got home.  He just wanted his nap.  He went down at just about 10:00 and Gak had to wake him at 11:30 to get ready for school.  He may or may not nap at school today, but that's OK.  We'll deal.  Tonight is bath night though, so that is usually fun.  We'll also try and get some cereal into him this evening.  Even if he doesn't need it, I'd like him to get at least a little practice each day eating solids.  I also have to remember to pick up one of those mesh feeder bag thingies.  They have them at Target, but I'm not sure I'm going to get them there... they're brightly colored, which is nice to look at, but I don't want Boo learning even this early that food needs to be technicolor.  What's wrong with naturally colored foods?  I mean, just look at sweet potatoes or the greens and reds of apple peels or berries or all the other wonderful foods out there.
Anyhow, I've got a meeting to get to.  I'm working on a post for this weekend, which will probably be TMI for many of you, but that's OK.  It's something that's been on my mind and I just need to share, or at least get it off my chest.
Peace to all and may your checkups go well.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Grumpy

Sorry for the lack of posting this week.  I either just haven't gotten to it or just haven't felt like it.  I still don't feel like it, but can't let an entire week pass with only one post.
I went to bed grumpy last night and woke up even more so this morning.  You're just not going to get your normal Happy Addey post.  Sorry about that, but that's the way the world stands at the moment.
Anyhow, Monday was about as good as a Monday can be.  No major drama.  Just work, work and more work.  And the promise of having Tuesday off.  Boo was good for Gramma Sue, but has started crying every time he's done either nursing or having a bottle.
Tuesday was a good day.  A very good day.  I had off and got to play with Boo all day.  The morning was pretty laid back, other than Boo being both hungry and not wanting to nurse or take a bottle.  This really makes me think he's getting teeth, even if I'm not 100% sure I can see or feel them.  (Of course, if I stick my finger in his mouth I immediately get licked, so therefore, I have to wait until he's screaming to get a good look...)  His middle finger on his right hand is getting very red and sore looking from all the biting he's been doing on it.  Of course, I can't get him to chew on anything else that wouldn't hurt.  Oh well.  (I really did feel that yesterday's For Better or For Worse really was talking about Boo, not Farley.)
Anyhow, Tuesday afternoon we had a bit of an adventure.  We went down to the Nature Center!  Yep, I finally got my boy down to the center.  We got to say hi to several people I've known for ages and worked with.  It was great to see them all.  It was a little chilly and by the time we got finished talking with people, Boo was too tired to go on a walk.  (That, and knowing me, I'd choose the hardest trail to take his stroller down.... although, it would have been nice to go over to the pond, which is easy.)
After the Nature Center we stopped by at GrammaSue and PopPop's framing gallery.  I wasn't planning on stopping there long.  Long enough to say hi, give Boo a snack and then be on our way again. (I didn't have a bottle with me because I wasn't planning on going down... but he fell asleep after dropping Gak off at work... so....)   Well, instead, Boo spent a good hour or so hanging with his PopPop.  He did eventually get that snack he was wanting and we did eventually leave when he started crying because it was nap time.   But it was a good day and a wonderful visit.  I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Boo is doing very well with the solids thing.  He's gradually eaten more over the last few days.  He seems to like the rice cereal, and it's not bad, mostly just flavorless until you add milk.  (Of course, I had a better version for breakfast yesterday... home made rice pudding!)  Probably tomorrow after his doctor's appointment (5.5 months already!) we'll try giving him some applesauce or sweet potatoes and see how he likes that.  In my last post Aunt Flauta gave me some interesting links.  I've got to think about it a bit.  I know people are of mixed minds of those mesh bag feeder things, but I think they're OK.  I mean, it will help him understand the concept of biting (or gumming) off pieces, but won't let him get too big a piece.  Hopefully I'll remember to pick one up by Thanksgiving and then he can try real sweet potatoes.  Or at least gnaw on a baked one himself, cooled down of course.

Anyhow, since things at home are going swimmingly, I can only guess that it's work that's put me into this foul mood.  And, I know at least part of that is right.
Here it is, almost 2 weeks after the reporting period ended and we're still up to our eyeballs in work.  Here's the raw numbers, or as close as I have them.  There are 11 people in the department.  One of them is our manager, two of them have been here only 4 months or so, one of them is more of an administrative person than a tech and one works remotely and is transitioning to a project engineer anyhow.  So, that's the composition of the work force.  A few days before the reporting month started, there were 180-190 work orders spread out amongst us.  I had about 15 or so, which was a low number but I've also got the training to manage.  My friend Bill had a majority of about 50, but some of those he was to spread to us who have regulatory knowledge.  He gets assigned them all and then is supposed to "share the wealth", which he often doesn't do.  As of yesterday, we were at well over 300 work orders.  I'm up to about 30 myself, which is about right if you evenly divide things.  Bill, on the other hand, has over 90!  About 1/5 to 2/3 of mine are regulatory related.  I'm working my tail off (admittedly, not very well some days) trying to keep my head above water with the training things that I'd been putting off for a month and getting the regulatory crap out the door and done correctly without bothering Bill as much as possible.  Then, one of the guys who's been here 3 years now, an been doing some of this regulatory work for over 2 is asking Bill stupid questions about something from a site that isn't in the position of having to resubmit their reports to the EPA.  And it's not like they're questions that he couldn't have answered himself by reading the stupid error report he was sent.  I mean, it says right there, one hour with missing or bad X with the first (and in this case only) occurrence at mm/dd/yy hh.  I mean, how much clearer do you want it buddy??  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that you go to the data for that hour and see what's going on.  And it isn't like the report failed, it was an informational error!  Meanwhile, I've got at least 2 sites and at least 4 units that have to resubmit their reports because of things that are yelling at me and aren't so straight forward.  (One had a test saved for the wrong unit and a typo in the test itself, two have records that look to be entered right but aren't flying and one that I'm still trying to figure out...)  And I've got people yelling at me about stuff for training.
Which do I do first?  Do I make the people who have to make sure the reports are in by Friday so their numbers match for some data the EPA is pulling wait?  Do I push off the people who are wanting training and wanting to pay for training wait?  When do I get to revise the book I need for the December training?
And don't get me started on the two new guys.  I'm about ready to drop kick both of them.

Anyhow, it is now almost 6:15 and I haven't showered yet.  I'm still not any less grumpy, but at least you've seen a glimpse into my little world this week.  If I didn't enjoy parts of this job so much and if the job market wasn't looking so scary, I'd seriously have to consider moving on.  I'd hate doing it to the loyal customers who I've been able to truly help over the years, but for my own sanity... Oh well.  The weekend is coming and I get to spend more time with Boo.  And Gak.

Peace to all and may your good things be great and your troubles few.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Food!

Subtitle:  Boo Gets Messy
Well, today we did it.  We introduced Boo to cereal.  His doctor had given us the green light at his last appointment a few weeks ago.  I wasn't quite ready for it.  I was tempted to wait until the Thanksgiving weekend so we'd have 4 days at home to try this.  But, I decided that maybe it would be nice if he could have some sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving with the rest of us.  (They were my favorite as a baby after all....)
No, Aunt Flauta, we didn't wait until 6 months.  I figure 5 months and a week is close enough; besides, the AAP says any time between 4 and 6 months, and this is just about in the middle of that window .  He seems happy enough with just nursing, but might as well get him (and us) used to the idea that life is going to get a whole lot messier... and tastier.
For all of the pictorial goodness, head over to my Flickr.  There were a couple of priceless ones.  He willingly opened up his mouth and even took the slush off the spoon.  (I think I mixed a little too much milk with the rice cereal... it was definitely not much thicker than normal milk.)  He just wasn't very sure what to do with it once it was in his mouth.  He didn't turn away.  He didn't scream.  He looked quite confused, and even a little worried.  Overall, it wasn't a bad experience.  We'll see how the next couple of days go.  Before you know it, he'll be eating us out of house and home!
The rest of the weekend hasn't been all that exciting.
Well, I take that back.  We had a bit of an adventure with getting new tires for the back wheels of the truck, but I'm not sure I really want to go into the details.  Suffice to say, it was a more expensive endeavour that we were planning.  Oh well, so much in life is these days isn't it?
Today was a pretty mellow day over all.  Boo slept a lot today.  Gak got a nap in too.  (I didn't... I spent the quiet time working on some holiday presents.  Can you believe it's November already?!?!)  Boo was also quite cranky every time he nursed.  He would eat for a few minutes on a side, then howl and be almost inconsolable.  I'm wondering if that doesn't mean teeth.  I think I read somewhere that biting makes teeth feel better, but the sucking of nursing makes things hurt worse.  Although, he did take a bottle for Daddy this afternoon.  (I knew he hadn't had enough the rest of the day and wanted to make sure he got one "good" feeding in... even with the handful of extra calories from the cereal....)

Well, at any rate, I've got work tomorrow, but have Tuesday off for Veterans Day.  I appreciate the day off, but I'm confused as to why we couldn't "celebrate" a day earlier on Monday?  Anyhow, it's a worthwhile day.  We really do owe everything to the Vets.  I mean, if they didn't stand up for us, who would?  (And no, I don't just say that because my husband, father-in-law, and at least 4 of my friends willingly served our country...)  So, I get a short week and Boo gets a really short week at day care, only 3 days this week.  That'll be nice since next week he'll be there full days for four days as Gak's working open to close while the boss is on vacation.

Well, I'm off to read a few pages before I go to sleep.  Here's hoping I do sleep.  I've had a very rough several nights recently.  I think Friday night I woke up about a dozen or more times in the course of 8 hours.  So, yesterday I was working with a sleep deficit.  Luckily last night I slept better, but then again, I did spend most of it on the couch so my tossing and turning wouldn't keep Gak awake.  (He said Saturday morning that he'd almost throttled me at at least one point in time the night before.... I didn't want to push my luck a second night *grin*.)

Peace to all and may you sleep well and have some messy goodness in your life.