I Remember!

When pregnant with Jake I kept repeating, "I am only doing this once. I will not be pregnant again!" And here I sit, almost 8 weeks pregnant.

I found out about 3 weeks ago. I wasn't sure if I wanted to share the news with everyone and only shared it with a few people. Since then the news has spread and I have found out there's no such thing as a secret.

It is very clear to me, at this point, why I said I wasn't "going through this again." I have been having morning sickness pretty much all day, every day. I called my doctor last week and he prescribed me some meds to help with the nausea. I'd hate to know what it would be like without the meds because even taking them doesn't clear it up. I have to drink a coke to settle my stomach, on top of the meds, and that only works for a little while. I'll only allow myself one coke a day, so after it wears off, things aren't so good.

I'm hoping this passes like it did with Jake. I stopped feeling sick around 15 weeks with Jake but the meds my doctor gave me then worked great. It's the same meds this time.

I have no energy to do anything, at all. Laying in bed is all I feel like doing. It was really hard making myself get up this morning to get ready for work. It's going to be a super long 7 months!

Denial

Finally, for the love of Pete, the insurance company denied my claim from my accident on September 15. Can you believe it took them 3 months to make a decision?

Apparently, the guy who hit me was not insured, but presented an insurance card. The name on the card was that of the previous owner of the vehicle. According to that insurance company, the owner of the policy gave false information in order to get the policy. I don't really understand it all. So, my insurance paid for my vehicle to be repaired, for all my chiropractor bills and some lost wages. So far it's been about $6,000.

The other insurance company kept dragging their feet. They ended up hiring a private investigator and then had to send the case to legal. It's been a very weird situation. My insurance company (previous company) has been calling them so much they were asked to stop. Ha! Little do they know who they're messing with. As of yesterday, the claim has been denied, meaning I should be getting the money I've had to use out of pocket plus some. I was informed I would be getting money for pain and suffering as well. Hello paying off Christmas! Yay!!

Not so good for the driver who hit me. They will now be putting a lien on his license and going after him for the entire cost. If he doesn't pay, he can't ever get his license renewed. Now, does this really matter to someone driving around without insurance, probably not, but we'll see. He still owes me $250 for my deductible.

I'm really just glad this will all be over. I've been pretty frustrated about all of it and gotten very ugly with the other insurance company. This is probably why they were dragging their feet. They don't like me very much!

The Coat

We are traveling to Philly this week and taking a train to New York on Friday. The temps for Friday are supposed to top out around 40 degrees. My mom, Jake and I are also going to New Mexico in January to visit some old friends of ours. I'm sure it will be super cold there. I hadn't bought Jake an actual coat because, let's face it, we live in Texas. If it's cold out I throw a hoodie and a hat on him.

Yesterday I was on a mission to find Jake a coat. I should have known how difficult a task this was going to be. I went to Target on my lunch break and found some "mid-weight" jackets. I purchased one thinking I would return it after finding something better, but wanted to have it just in case. I then went to Old Navy. It's amazing how many girl coats I found. I even found coats for older boys and grown men, but no toddler coats. I hit Marshall's next. Same thing as Old Navy. I was starting to get really irritated. Apparently little boys don't get cold.

After work I headed to Carter's. Carter's has always had a great selection of boy clothing. No coats. I went to another Old Navy. No coats. I was informed there that most of the Old Navy stores in our area are considered "summer stores" and only carry a few winter items. Nice. Do Austinites not travel? Why did they have a whole row full of toddler girl coats?

I proceeded to go to another Target and only found the same jacket I had already purchased. I went to Walmart. Jackpot! I found a really cute, warm camo coat with a matching hat and gloves. What a relief. I took my new found items to the register, the cashier scanned the coat, and scanned the coat and scanned the coat, but it wouldn't pop up on the screen. She radioed a manager. The manager arrives and says, "oh, those coats aren't supposed to be on the racks. They've been recalled by the manufacturer." Me, almost in tears at this point responds by saying, "son of a bi***! You've got to be kidding me!" Both the manager and cashier were very apologetic but it didn't help my frustration.

I hit up Academy, with no luck. I got home, put the original Target purchased jacket on Jake with last year's mittens and hat. He was surprisingly excited about the mittens. Bill comes home and says, "I don't think this jacket is warm enough." AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

After hearing about The Coat, Bill suggested running to Kohl's, which is right down the street. I tried to get him to place a small wager on the availability of coats at Kohl's, but he refused...thankfully. Kohl's had several toddler boy coats to choose from. It was amazing. I hadn't been defeated after all. Jake, of course, picked out the orange one (his favorite color, much to my dismay).

Finally, we have The Coat!

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

For the past several months I have been seeing a counselor due to my OCD getting a little out of hand. I’ve always been a clean freak and everything in my house has to be in ITS place. This isn’t anything new for me. It has been brought to my attention that the cleaning is not the only OCD tendency I have. The way I think and hold on to things is part of it as well.

I’ve been concerned that my OCD is rubbing off on Jake. It started out as being kind of funny. I mean, the kid cleans EVERYTHING. He moves rugs to sweep or mop under them. He follows me around with his “popper” when I vacuum. Any towel or tissue is used to wipe the tile floor, or window sill or carpet or whatever. Yeah, part of it may be him mimicking my actions, but I’m starting to get really worried about him.

Last night, Bill and I were on the couch watching tv and Jake was playing with his toys. We have two big pillows that rest in front of our ottoman. Jake moved the pillows, vacuumed underneath them with his “popper” and then put the pillows back. One of the pillow corners was sticking out just a hair more than normal. Jake proceeded to stuff it back to its original state and then went on about his business. It made me tear up, really.

Is it really possible for a 19 month old kid to have OCD? I guess I need to do a little more research on the topic. And, being that I have OCD, I will obsess about this!

Scary Ol' Santa

It's that time of year again...and I love it! Jake, however, not so much. We went to visit Santa yesterday. For the past couple of weeks I've been trying to prepare Jake. We've talked about Santa. We've looked at pictures of Santa. We've played with out little stuffed Santa, and given him lots of hugs and kisses. None of it worked. Jake thought Santa was fun from afar, but when it came time to get close, he was having no part of that. Last year Jake did great. Of course, he was only 7 months old and didn't have a choice, but he thought Santa's beard was cool. I guess this year the beard was scary.

Bill certainly didn't want to sit in Santa's lap with Jake, so I got volunteered. I was just going to kneel beside Santa and hold Jake for a picture. It didn't quite work out that way. I looked over at Santa patting his leg and saying, "here, Mom, you sit here." I haven't sat on Santa's lap in years and it wasn't quite what I remember. It was a bit awkward, but we were able to get a picture of Jake smiling, which is what counts. Don't you just love the flip flops?!

The Badge Nazis

I’ve been working at the same building for 3 years now. Every morning a “security guard” is stationed right at the front doors and another is stationed behind the kiosk. Up until recently I was never hassled about my badge. It could be facing backwards and I wasn’t questioned about it. It could be half hidden and I wasn’t questioned about it. Now, it’s very prominently displayed on my person and yet, almost every morning, I hear, “Ma’am, can I see your badge?”

What is the purpose of the badge, really? I’m not coming here for any sort of criminal activity and can’t figure out why anyone else would. I’m not coming here for fun, obviously! Most days I’m walking in with my hair a mess and my hands full. It’s always so nice to be windblown and cramping from my half mile walk from the parking lot and be hassled about some piece of plastic with my picture on it.

Occasionally there will be new “security guards” down there but there are a few who have been here since I’ve been here. I’ve had real conversations with these people before. Yes, there are lots of people working here, but you’d think they’d start to recognize a few faces after a while. This morning as I walked in the guard at the door saw me, smiled, looked right at my badge and said, “good morning!” Apparently that wasn’t sufficient because the guard behind the kiosk stopped me and asked to see my badge. Good grief, people. Just let me be so I can climb the stairs up to the third floor (because only one elevator (of 4) is working and I refuse to ride with 15 other people) and get to my windowless cube to be pissed that it’s Monday again!

Rain Pain

After the hottest summer in the history of the world, the weather the past few days has been great! We need the rain more than ever, but does it have to come all at one time? Would it be possible to spread out the rainfall over the entire year, rather than a month?

Jake is having a really hard time with the rain. He loves being outside and just can't understand why he's not allowed to go out. At day care his class usually gets to go out for 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 minutes in the afternoon. When I get him home in the afternoons, we usually spend another 30 minutes or so outside. Yesterday, Sunday, was a bit rough for the little guy. He wanted so badly to be outside but there was pretty much a steady rain all day. He kept finding things to get into in the house. I couldn't get upset with him, he was just bored. We tried coloring, breaking into the Lincoln Log set (for ages 3 and up) and the Mr. Potato Head we bought him before he was even born. All that bought me was about thirty minutes and several color marks on the tile floor. He was soon back at the door trying to get it open.

I eventually stuck a hat on his head, hooded up myself, and went outside. The weather didn't phase Jake a bit. He loved it, especially the mud puddles. I guess I need some cheap, easy indoor ideas that will keep him occupied. I want to get some finger paint, but I have visions of my walls turning colors. Not good. Help!

The 5K

Well, we completed our first 5K this past weekend. This is the "before" picture, where we haven't yet realized what we've gotten ourselves in to. I'm not gonna lie, it was difficult. It was much harder than I thought it was going to be. Out of the 4 of us, Ryan and I are the only ones who ran the entire way.

I was a little disappointed in myself. At the gym, the fastest I've run a 5K is 31:20. It took me 39 minutes to finish on Saturday. Ryan came in just 2 minutes behind me. I'm pretty sure the hills had something to do with it. I literally had to talk to myself to make myself keep going. Anyone running around me, I'm sure, thought I was crazy. At one point, I exclaimed, "Shit!" I couldn't help myself.

We are all planning on running another 5K in December, at the Trail of Lights. I guess I'll have to go back to running at an incline on the treadmill so I can adequately prepare and beat my time of 39 minutes. And since it's not so hot outside anymore, I'll have to make myself get outside and run. It's so much better in the AC though.

Here's our "after" picture, where each of us is wanting to strangle me for talking us all in to running

Ouch!

Yesterday afternoon, on my way home from work, I was rear-ended. I don't really like to use the term "rear-ended" cause it kinda sounds dirty, but he hit me from behind (not sure that's much better). I was sitting in traffic at a stop light and he smashed right into me. It took me a second to register what had happend. My sunglasses flew off my face and my cds, that I keep in my visors, were scattered throughout the vehicle. Thankfully I didn't pee myself, but I was pretty freaked out.

My truck died and wouldn't move. I got out and my first thought was, "oh dear God, he doesn't have insurance." I called the police and they were there within minutes. The officer had to push me into the nearest parking lot because my truck was useless. I was in tears, mascara running all over my face. The officer informed me the other driver did have insurance and not to worry. He issued him a citation and we were on our way. Mind you, I was driving down 183 with my back window flapping up and down because it won't latch anymore, nor will the door open.

I get home, call my insurance, file a claim and found out about seeing a doctor. My neck was already killing me. This morning I talked to the medical adjuster, the auto adjuster, my agent and the estimate guy who came by to check out the damage. My insurance was quick to respond, but the other insurance company had yet to contact me.

I decided to be pro-active and called the other insurance company myself. They hadn't even assigned the case to anyone yet. Great! Finally someone calls me, tells me they have sent me some forms to fill out and an adjuster will be contacting me to set up an appointment to check out the damage. The lady finishes the conversation with, "oh, and the other driver is not covered on the policy, so we've sent you a letter regarding that issue...don't be alarmed." When I inquired about what that meant for me and getting my truck fixed, she said, "oh, don't be alarmed when you get the letter." HUH? Don't be alarmed? Are you freaking kidding me?

So now I'm sitting here stewing, just waiting for my phone to ring so I can rip someone's butt. How did the officer not notice the name on the driver's license and the name on the insurance didn't match? Is the other insurance company going to cover the expenses? I will not be out my deductible to have my insurance cover this. And won't that mean my rate will go up? The system, well, it just plain sucks. The officer informed me that they can't even state who's at fault anymore. Yeah, they issued the guy a citation and yeah it was more than apparent that he hit me, but they can't say who's at fault. Again, are you kidding me?

My insurance did tell me the other driver admitted fault. But answer this: what idiot calls up an insurance company and files a claim for a policy he's not even on? I'm so confused and mad and all I can do is sit here and wait.

My Musical Genius

I've played the piano since I was about 10 or so. My parents bought me a piano for my 12th, maybe 13th, birthday...I can't remember which. My piano has made many moves and is still kicking. It's a digital piano, so it never needs tuning, thank goodness. I can't imagine how many times that thing would have needed tuning after the hell it's been through. I rarely play anymore, but find when I do sit down at it, I miss it. I've had to make several cheat sheets and sometimes have to reteach myself how to read music. It comes back quickly and I can still pound out several memorized songs.

Jake has taken an interest in the piano, if a 16 month old can really take an interest in something. When he wants to play, he pulls the bench out and waits. I have to lift the cover and turn it on for him, but he'll pound on it a few times and then he's finished. He waits for me to get him off the bench and then he politely pushes it back where it goes. He really just wants me to play so he can dance. I'm not sure if he's using his fingers to conduct or uses them as part of his dance moves, but it's pretty funny!

Where Have I Been?

I haven't blogged in FOR-EV-ER! Guess I haven't had anything really exciting to say.

I have a new stalker at work. It seems I find a way to get rid of one and another is just around the corner. I'm thinking my new stalker might be gay, but I can't be sure yet. I mean, after me telling him I saw a movie with my husband this weekend, he offered to go see the new Alice in Wonderland movie with me. He sends me random emails throughout the day, "what are your hours? Do you go out to eat or bring your lunch? What type of music do you listen to? Would you like to come to my honky tonk luau?" I must investigate further, I guess. I really would just like to be left alone though.

Last week I learned that even though I have yet to find a teaching job, there's no rush, as my time never really runs out. I had thought I only had two years to find a job and then I was screwed. That's not the case at all. I can take as long as I want. Yay! All I have to do is retake the tests. No biggie at all. My life goals have not been squashed, just put on hold. That was definitely good news, however, no one was really as thrilled about it as I was.

Jake spent the weekend at Nana Nee and Papa Frank's house. He hasn't done that since he was 5 months old. It was strange being at home without him. Bill and I had a wedding to attend Saturday evening but spending all weekend without Jake was definitely weird. It was like when I forget to wear my watch...I felt nekkid! Of course, when we picked him up yesterday, he was super excited to see Dad and pretended to be shy when I came around. He's going through this, "I want Dad" phase, I guess. I'm trying not to let my feelings get hurt, but it does kinda suck sometimes.

I've been super excited about the rain we've had. I hope that it continues, just to cool things off some more. I can't wait for it to be in the 60s and 70s. Seems like we've been scorching for way too long now. The summer IS over, I guess, just wish the weather would follow suit. We've been patiently waiting for my Dad's pool to be completed. Sucks we'll only get a few good weeks out of it this year. Jake loves the water, so next summer should be fun with all the swimming we'll be doing!

Well, I guess that about covers it. Like I said, nothing exciting. We've been so busy the past couple of months, even with work. Maybe something exciting will happen soon and I can post about that!

A Donut a Day

Well, I've maintained my weight loss. At the end of the "No Chips Challenge" I stopped counting calories and haven't lost anymore weight, but I haven't gained any either. I've continued with running and working out. I try to get to the gym 4 days a week, 3 is the minimum. I've had to change up my routine...some days I go in the morning, some days I go at lunch. It's starting to get boring. Boring = harder to make myself go.

The past few weeks I've been stopping at Dunkin' Donuts on Fridays, as a reward for working out. I always get the large caramel swirl iced latte. It's the greatest thing ever. It's like crack, I tell ya. Well, I've never done crack. I'm not really even quite sure what crack is, but I'm addicted to the iced lattes.

On my way to the greatest place on earth, Dunkin' Donuts, this morning, I felt my tummy rumble. It was hungry. While ordering, I fought off the urge to purchase donuts, thinking, "that's way too many calories." I sat in line behind 3 other cars. When I got to the window, the girl slid it open and before she could say anything, the words, "can I get two glazed donuts, PLEASE?" flew out of my mouth. I don't really know where they came from, but I left with a very large caramel swirl iced latte, with whipped cream, and two glazed donuts! Was it worth it? Right now, yes. Next 4 miles I run, my answer will probably be "no!"

A Little Anxious

I'm a little anxious for the holiday season, starting with Halloween, of course. I think it might have something to do with it being 4000 degrees outside. Usually Halloween means a little cooler weather. If you're "lucky" enough to live in a state that has four seasons, you'll probably be enjoying cool weather long before October 31. I wouldn't live anywhere other than Texas, but sure would like to see some cool weather, say, tomorrow. You walk outside and practically melt.

I've lived in Texas all of my life (minus 2 years, one in Hawaii and one in Pennsylvania). I don't ever remember it being this hot. We just can't seem to catch a break this year. Everything is drying up. Our lawn has been crunchy for some time now and I'm afraid it might not ever recover. My beloved plants have taken a turn for the worse. It's not looking good.

So, I guess my light at the end of the tunnel, is Halloween. Of course, last year it was in the mid 80s during October, but at this point, anything below 100 sounds awesome!

The Dirt Devil and The Daisy

A few months back I purchased a Dirt Devil Cone. As most of you know I have a slight (ha) case of OCD. I love my real vacuum cleaner but wanted something small to suck up the random pieces of grass I find on the floor. Jake also loves the real vacuum cleaner. This may be due to me vacuuming almost every day I was pregnant, I don't know. He likes to hum when I turn it on. He has not been too pleased with the Dirt Devil though. Since we got it, he'll walk over to it and just stare at it. If he has to pass it to get a toy, he watches it every step of the way. I think the little charging light must freak him out. A couple of weeks ago, he started walking over to it and crying. I have tried to get him to touch it, but he won't. When I actually turn it on, he watches but doesn't get excited like he does when I turn on the real vacuum cleaner. Weird, right?

Well, Jake has now found a weapon against the Dirt Devil. This weapon apparently can protect him from anything. He's not afraid of the Dirt Devil when he has this weapon in hand. The weapon, you ask? Well, it's an artificial daisy, of course! He has poked, prodded and whacked at the Dirt Devil ever since discovering the daisy's magical powers. At least now he doesn't cry at it!

Invasion

For the past couple of weeks our home has been taken over by ants. We've tried everything! Bill has re-caulked much of the house. We've put out ant traps. We've sprayed around the outside of the house. We've thrown granules around the house. We've sprayed inside the house. We've done everything short of packing up and moving. Qutie honestly, at this point, I'm ready to pack up and get the heck outta there.

Yesterday morning I woke up and instead of finding Bill next to me, I found an ant. I've been trying not to freak out about the ants, but I'm at my wits end at this point. I'm a clean freak and having any kind of bugs makes me feel dirty. The ants have been in every room in the house. They've been in the bathtubs, the sinks, our laundry, etc. They WILL NOT GO AWAY. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get home one day and find the darn things carrying my house off. I'm also pretty sure I actually had ants in my pants this morning. They're relentless.

It's amazing what those little ants can survive. It's also amazing the damage they can cause. Did you know they will eat through your clothes? Yeah, they eat tiny holes in your clothes. They can swim. And I've learned recently they can withstand suction from the vacuum cleaner. I have to roll over them several times to get them sucked up. They're versatile little bastards.

I spent this morning cleaning up ant corpses in the kitchen. I walked in, found their trail and just started shooting with the ant spray. I'm pretty sure I looked like a crazy person. It's so irritating to see the ant trap laying there with ants crawling all over it. Isn't the purpose of those things to actually KILL the ants, not provide them entertainment? I know I'll go home this afternoon and have to kill and clean up some more. Man, I can't wait! Thankfully, tomorrow, the Bug Killer is coming to spray. He better bring some heavy duty spray, otherwise he'll be making frequent trips to my house. I can't take the little thugs anymore!

The Snorer

While sitting in my cube last week I kept hearing what sounded like snoring. After a couple of days of listening to it, I investigated.

A new employee started last Monday and she sits caddy-corner to my cube. At first I thought I was imagining the snoring. Then I thought, well, maybe she's just tired today. Well, dear Lord, apparently the woman gets no sleep cause now that's all I hear. We're not talking sleeping as in doing the head bob and waking yourself up from a slight snore. We're talking, full-on, S-N-O-R-I-N-G!

A co-worker and I tried banging on desks and talking loudly to wake the woman up, but she slept through all the noise. Word has gotten around that this woman is sleeping and it's become a good laugh. Her boss even walked in on her last week and caught her sleeping. Yet, here she is again, SNORING! I thought sleeping on the job was grounds for termination. Not that I want her to actually get fired, but at least put the fear in her so she'll wake up and shut-up!

I was sitting in my cube today minding my own business, actually finishing up some work and all I can hear is the snoring. I know starting a new job and not having a computer is boring, but bring a book or headphones to keep you busy. Or, for the love of God, get some Breathe Right Strips. My word, I don't know how she doesn't wake herself up with the snoring volume. You'd think there was a bear in hibernation over there. I've never heard a woman snore that loud.

Would it be inappropriate to yell "wake-up!?" Would it be inappropriate to wack her upside her head? What does one do in this situation?

Weight Game

GAME, not GAIN, I said. I spent Wednesday through Sunday at home with just Jake. Bill was in Philly visiting Dylan. I found that cooking for myself is silly. It's much easier to pick up something at the drive-thru rather than waiting for chicken to thaw, especially when you find all your chicken is ruined because the freezer went out. Another story for another time. I ate at McDonalds and Chik-fil-a. It wasn't too horrible and I made sure to check the calories before driving through.

What's worse is my brother has been talking smack about the 5K we're all supposed to run together. He has gotten it in his head that he's going to kick my butt. Ha, I say. Let me just go eat some more chicken nuggets and then we'll talk about who's going to kick who's butt at the 5K!

I decided to check out the damage this morning and got on the scale. What? I lost another pound? I was super excited. So excited, I laughed and then coughed. What? I gained that pound right back. Apparently coughing makes you gain weight. I would advise trying to hold in any kind of laughing, coughing, talking, etc. while standing on the scale. There's no telling what will happen. I'm really starting to dislike this weight game.

10 Pounds!

I finally did it. I lost 10 pounds! I was starting to get discouraged because I was stuck at the 7 pound mark for a couple of weeks. I was starting to wonder why I was sweating my butt off at the gym. I reluctantly got on the scale this past Monday, after eating at Hula Hut on Saturday night. I was scared to look but was pleasantly surprised when I saw I'd hit 9 pounds. I decided to jump on there again today and I had lost another pound.

I've got 8 more pounds to go. I've been able to run 5 miles without stopping. I don't usually have time to run 5 miles, so 4 miles has become my regular workout. My goal is to run 16 miles a week. The last few days I've gotten bored with just running, so I switch it up between running and the eliptical. Using the eliptical burns more calories and allows me to go a farther distance in less time than the treadmill, however, running uses all your muscles. I just need some variety.

So, it's highly unlikey I'll lose 8 pounds in two weeks, for the weigh-in, but I'll be close (as I sit here eating goldfish). I don't think Frank has been able to lose more than his 16 (had 28 to lose) so, maybe no one will win the $20. I guess if I stopped eating altogether I could do it, but I like food too much!

Stim-a-lis

I really shouldn't complain about my job. I come and go as I please, most of the time. No one cares what I do as long as my work gets done. Seeing as there's not that much work, I don't spend a great deal of time actually working, even when I am physically sitting in my cubicle. However, I must complain about the recent ending of the Legislative session.

I've only been working for the state for 4 1/2 years. Every year I've gotten some kind of raise on September 1. This year state employees will be getting a "stimulus" check in the amount of $800, minus taxes. Are you freaking kidding me? They didn't approve any raise for us, but are giving us $800 (minus taxes). This is what they are considering our raise for the next two years. Mind you, we don't get the $800 both years, just one, this one. We have to make that $800 stretch out for 24 months. That comes to $33.33 per month, minus taxes. That won't even fill up my truck with gas. It's kind of like being slapped in the face.

I think it's insulting. What's really the point? How is $33 a month considered a stimulus check when it won't even buy a tank of gas? I think our country has started to overuse the word "stimulus." They consider everything a stimulus check these days. What does stimulus mean to you? To me, it means paying some of my mortgage payment because I've been a faithful payor and never once defaulted. To me, it means taking away some of my student loans, because God knows I'll be dead before those are paid off...and again, never defaulted. To me, it means giving me a decent child care credit on my taxes, not $1200 total when I pay $10,000 a year for day care. To me, a stimulus means not telling me to bend over.

Anyway, that's my venting post for the stim-a-lis nonsense!

Papa Frank

It’s true, Frank and I have had our differences. We’ve been through some tough times. Call him short tempered or a hard ass, Frank is who he is and will always tell ya like it is. I’ve recently learned under that very hard shell is a big teddy bear. It was very surprising when Jake was born and met his Papa Frank for the first time how Frank was so careful with him. Jake cries when his “blood” Grandpa comes around, but never when he sees his Papa Frank. Funny how that worked out. I think Frank is a little anxious to start teaching Jake all about hunting. He’s already given Jake a gun, although it stays at Papa Frank’s house for now. He’s been designated as the teacher of all things gun related.

We spent the weekend at Nana Nee and Papa Frank’s house. It was the first time we were all able to get together with Ryan, Laura and Bailey. Little Bailey has gotten so big and is changing so quickly. It’s so amazing how babies grow their first year of life. It’s hard to imagine that Jake was just that way less than a year ago. Jake certainly isn’t a baby anymore. He had a great time with his Papa Frank this weekend. I’ll even go out on a limb and say Papa Frank had a great time with his grandkids.

Walking Jake

Facebook

Some co-workers talked me into playing Mafia Wars. It took all of about 2 minutes to get me hooked. I haven't accomplished anything work related today, but I've completed several jobs. I got tired of waiting for my energy to refill so I started playing Vampire Wars. I was just getting into it and figuring stuff out when the server went down, or so we all thought.

It seems Facebook has been blocked from use at work. What are we going to do? Really, what am I going to do all day now? There's not enough work to fill a whole 8 hours. I don't have time to play Mafia Wars or Vampire Wars at home. I come to work for 8 hours, go home and take care of Jake, watch a little tv, and then hit the sack. There's no room for any kind of Wars. I think I just shed a little tear.

The "Fight Club"

A couple of months ago some staff members at Corpus Christi State School got busted for organizing what everyone is calling a "fight club." At the time I was working in the State Schools section of DADS and things were pretty rough. We were all told we weren't allowed to talk to anyone about the situation and the acts were only "alleged," even though there was video evidence. It was only a matter of time before the videos were released to the media.

Two months later, the media has finally started talking about the situation, in depth, and the videos have been released. The videos are from staff member's cell phones and it was a complete accident those videos were found. A staff member, apparently, left their cell phone, by accident, at a hospital and it was recovered and turned in to the police. The videos surfaced and tell a horrible story.

It makes me sick to think people can treat other human beings in this way. If you watch the video you'll see a man walking away and moaning, pleading with his staff. "I'll be good!" Watching it brought tears to my eyes. The sad thing about this is, other than the obvious, it went on for a long time. How did no one know about this? How did no one notice the bruising and cuts on these individuals? How did no one report, even anonymously, the situation? The staff directly involved were fired and have been convicted. What about the other people who knew about it? You can't tell me NO ONE knew about it. Are people really so heartless they could sit back and watch as disabled people are beaten up?

It angers me that our system allows for this kind of behavior to happen. Caring for people with developmental disabilities is not an easy job. It's stressful and trying and usually goes unrewarded by employers. When you pay someone minimum wage to care for people, the "Fight Club" is what happens. Higher ups at State Office came up with "great" plans to fix the problem, but not any of their solutions paid people more money. Not any of their solutions will actually prevent this kind of behavior. Texas is so far behind, it's sick. Why can't we use other states as models and make our system better? I just don't understand.

There's legislation talk that will close Texas State Schools, but they won't. These facilities house around 5,000 people. Where would all of those people go, you ask? They'll go to community homes which are just as bad. It's not our State Schools that are the problem, it's people's thinking. It's our local society that's the problem. What does it take for people to realize the current system is failing, has been failing for a long time, and we're hurting innocent people?

Ace Pear Cider

Ace is my most favorite alcoholic beverage. Unfortunately, for me, most beer joints don't serve it. It's really good as a Snake Bite, mixed with Guiness. Yesterday I was invited to attend a "goodbye" party for my previous supervisor. He up and retired because, like the rest of us, couldn't take the crap anymore. We met for Happy Hour at the Flying Saucer. I had never been to the Flying Saucer, but I had heard they have every kind of beer you can imagine. I was super excited to drink some Ace.

I have been doing well on the No Chips Challenge. I've lost 5 pounds and still going. I'm able to run 3 miles without dying and actually starting to enjoy it. I tried to keep all of this in mind when ordering my Ace. I ended up drinking two big glasses. I dreaded logging those calories into my calorie counter, and for good reason. I had 560 calories of Ace. Good grief! What a waste of calories. I could have had ice cream instead! I did, however, really enjoy my Ace. My total caloric intake for yesterday wasn't too bad, 1625. Went over my goal of 1500 by only 125. Guess I'll be sweating all that out at the gym today. Fun times!

Life IS Good

It's not so nice to have to get up and come to work on Mondays, or any day for that matter, but it's nice when you can look back on your weekend and smile!

We had a great weekend. Bill had to work Saturday morning (yuck) but when he got home we blew up Jake's swimming pool, filled it with water, and hoped for the best. Jake wasn't too sure about it at first, but once Daddy started spraying him with the water hose, he really started having fun with it. Of course, since we have the whitest kid on the planet, we had to lather on lots of sunscreen, which Jake doesn't really care for, but we didn't want a lobster for a child. We've found that Jake really loves to be outside. We ran some errands later in the day and Jake was worn out by 6:00pm.

Sunday morning we got up and went to church. I really enjoyed the service this week and am looking forward to the conclusion next Sunday. We ate Subway for lunch, sticking with the No Chips Challenge, and we let Jake take another swim. Bill cut the grass while Jake and I went shopping, again. Bill grilled fish for dinner and we all played a little more.

I wish we had 5 days of weekend and only 2 days of work rather than it being the other way around. Life is good now, but it would be better that way!

Three Miles

3.25 miles, to be exact and both of my legs are still attached...

No Chips Challenge

Funny name, I know. Frank and I made a small wager this past weekend. I have to lose 18 pounds and he has to lose 28 pounds by the end of June. After that time we are going to run a 5K together. At the end of June we will have a "weigh in" and whoever has lost more than their above stated pounds will get a whopping $20. Yesterday was the first day and by dinner time I was ready to pull my arm off and eat it. I was starved all day. I managed to only log in 1218 calories yesterday. My goal is to eat no more than 1500 a day.

For the past 4 weeks I have been running at the gym. I've managed to work my way up to a 10 minute mile and am able to run 2.25 miles without stopping. Some days are much harder than others. I really have to push myself and pray that my legs don't fall off.

I feel like I need to blog about the challenge so I can hold myself accountable. I'm really good at talking myself out of going to the gym or talking myself into eating things I know I shouldn't. Things I shouldn't eat: those damn salty chips at Chipotle. Ugh!

So, for the next couple of months I'll be posting about the fun and exciting No Chips Challenge. I'll be pushing myself to lose weight and get back into my old clothes. Wish me luck!

Birthday Sadness

I’ve been counting down the days until Jake’s 1st birthday. I am having a hard time figuring out where the past year has gone. It seems like just yesterday we brought him home and started praying he would sleep. Now he has 7 teeth, is trying to walk and talk and is going to be 1. It just isn’t fair.

I know I’m going to cry on his birthday. It’s really a bag of mixed feelings. I’m happy he’s survived (and us) his first year. I’m excited he’s learning new things. I’m sad our first year is over. I’m sad he’s not a baby anymore. I have a toddler on my hands. What’s up with that? I still haven’t completely lost all the weight. Well, I only lack a couple pounds, but still. Where did all that time go?

This morning when I dropped Jake of at day care, one of the ladies was talking to me about crying on her youngest son’s 1st birthday. Her son shares Jake’s birthday and will be 21 on Thursday. Yikes. You want them to grow up but then you’re sad when they do. One of the other moms said, “well, Jake is your first, right? And you’re going to have another one, right?” As if having another kid makes Jake’s 1st birthday not as sad for me. Yeah, I’ll have another one but Jake will never be a baby again. Am I crazy or is this normal? Should I look into some kind of drugs? Should I seek therapy? Or should I just go on with my daily life knowing this is what happens to most moms?

Sharing

We all want our kids to share, right? I caught Jake sharing last night. Jake and I were in the kitchen, I was cooking dinner and he was playing in the tupperware cabinet. He started complaining so I opened up the Cheese Puffs and would hand him one every time he got irritated. It was working nicely. Buddy and Badger, of course, love when Jake is on the floor with food. It usually means they will get food they otherwise wouldn't get.

I would hand Jake his puff and he would hold on to it for dear life. I kept hearing little giggles. Every time I turned around Badger was right up in Jake's face trying to get the puff. I, of course, kept telling Badger to stop. Usually the dogs mind pretty well, but Badger was not backing off. I then witnessed what was causing the giggles. Jake would take a small bite of puff and then let Badger take a lick. Jake would take a bite and Badger would take a lick. Jake thought it was the funniest thing. Yeah, it's gross. No telling where Badger's mouth has been. But, Jake was sharing and he was happy about it!

Lucky Ones

Up until recently we've had a hard time getting Jake to sleep. When we first brought him home he had his days and nights mixed up, but even during the day the kid hardly slept. When he was about three weeks old, one morning after a sleepless night, I was at my wits end. I was so exhausted and needed some rest. Jake would not go to sleep. I put him on my bed and laid next to him and we just kept staring at each other. I started singing Lucky Ones by Pat Green. I was singing and crying and singing and crying...and praying the kid would just close his eyes. Finally, he did and we both slept.

Pat Green is my favorite singer. I've been listening to his music for a long time and have been thinking I should write him a letter. I need to thank him for Lucky Ones because it's like magic. It really is. When Jake is upset in the car, we just pop in Lucky Ones and he immediately calms down. He doesn't even have to hear the words, just the music turns his switch off and he starts to smile. It's the weirdest thing. When the next song comes on, Jake gets upset again. So, we rewind to Lucky Ones and the magic happens again.

My mom started singing Lucky Ones to Jake when we would visit because she knew it worked for me. Jake would look up at her as if to say, "you know this song too?" I can't explain it and I don't know why it's just that one song, but Lucky Ones ROCKS!

Baby the lucky ones
Baby the lucky ones
Baby the lucky ones for a moment or two
Get to fall in love with somebody like you
Get to fall in love with somebody like you!

Plaid Shorts

It's become a habit of mine, in the evenings, to pick out Jake's clothes for the next day. Last night the three of us were in Jake's room playing. Bill happened to notice I had picked out a pair of plaid shorts for Jake to wear today. He said, "you're going to make him wear plaid shorts tomorrow?" Why of course! They're so cute! And why not? He has several pairs!

Bill gets Jake dressed in the mornings while I get ready for work. Between Bill leaving and me getting Jake to day care, Jake poops. It's become a regular thing. I always feel bad for getting Jake to day care with poop. Yesterday I changed him myself when we got there. Today, I was going to do the same as Miss Kathy was busy with someone else. I put Jake down and proceeded to put his bottles and food in the refrigerator. I kept smelling the poop. That's when I noticed it. I had poop all over the sleeve of my white shirt. I took off my shrit, as I was wearing a tank top underneath, and scrubbed the poop out with soap and water in the tiny sink. There was no dryer. I really didn't want to have to go back home (but I ended up doing so).

Miss Kathy got Jake all cleaned up, but the plaid shorts were covered in poop. His cute lime green onesie was also covered in poop. Guess Bill got his wish...Jake didn't end up wearing the plaid shorts today. There's always tomorrow though!

Love Me Some Broccoli

When we first started giving Jake solids, he loved peas and green beans. He kinda liked carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. He kept getting sick and throwing up the green veggies and soon stopped liking them. He would refuse to eat them. One little taste and he would spit them out. Squash and sweet potatoes soon became his favorites and that's all the veggies he would eat. His little nose started turning orange. When he graduated to table food I tried green beans and carrots. He wanted no parts of either.

One night last week Bill and I had broccoli and cheese with whatever we were having for dinner. We thought we'd put some on Jake's tray to see if he would eat it. He gobbled it up. He would sort through all the stuff on his tray and only pick up the green stuff. So, I got some fresh broccoli and cheese and made him his own last night with his hamburger meat. He was enjoying the meat until I put the broccoli and cheese down. He would only pick up the green stuff again. He LOVES it!

We Got Our Lives Back!

Most of you know we've had issues with Jake sleeping. He's never been a sleeper. When we brought him home from the hospital everyone kept saying, "now, Angie, you have to sleep when the baby sleeps!" I was soon asking, "what do you do if your baby never sleeps?" We had such a hard time getting him to sleep. When he was about 4-5 months old, he slept through the night for the first time. That only lasted for a couple of nights. He would be doing so good and then he'd get sick and we'd be back at square one.

Two weeks ago, on a Saturday night, Jake woke up at around 1:30am and didn't go back to sleep until 3:30am. We thought it was a fluke thing. This continued for several nights. We were completely drained. Then last weekend Jake ended up with a sinus infection and was miserable. Of course he wasn't sleeping then. After 10 nights of no sleep, Bill and I decided to just let him cry when he woke in the night. It wasn't something we wanted to do, but we didn't know what else to try.

Tuesday night he woke around 1:40 and cried for 30 minutes. He would cry for a few minutes, stop, and listen to see if we were coming to get him. I stood at his door a couple of times to see what he was doing. He was just standing in his crib, looking around his room, crying. After that 30 minutes, he was out and slept until we woke him at 6:00am to get ready for "school." He was a little irritable...I think he was mad at us. Wednesday night he woke around 11:30pm, cried for 5 minutes and was out. We again had to wake him at 6:00am. He didn't want to get up, but he wasn't cranky at all. When I picked him up from day care yesterday they told me he had been waking up from his naps very happy. Last night he woke around midnight, cried for all of 10 seconds, and went back to sleep until we woke him at 6:00am. I guess it didn't take him long to figure out the drill, thankfully.

Listening to him cry the first night was torture. I just kept wondering what was going through his little mind. "Where are my parents? Why aren't they coming to get me? What's going on? This just isn't right!" I thought it was going to be a much longer process. Hopefully I haven't just jinxed us. It's been great getting sleep at night. I'm not tired when I get to work. I don't constantly think of taking a nap. We have regained control of our lives!

Bailey Ann Been

Welcome to the world! Bailey is an April Fools baby. She weighed 7 lbs, 8 oz and was 19.5 inches long. She has black hair, which is a shocker, cause neither of her parents have black hair. Ha!! I'm sure it will fall out and, as Sara said, she'll be a blondie. I'm praying that she sleeps well. It's so hard when you first get them home, but every minute is worth it!

It Won't Be Like This For Long

I heard a song a few weeks ago on my drive home from work. By the end I was boo-hooing, sitting in traffic. It made me think about all the times I’ve complained about not getting any sleep because Jake doesn’t sleep. It kind of put things in perspective and made me sad, but it’s so true…

He didn't have to wake up
He'd been up all night
Layin there in bed listenin
To his new born baby cry
He makes a pot of coffee
He splashes water on his face
His wife gives him a kiss and says
It gonna be okay

It wont be like this for long
One day soon we'll look back laughin
At the week we brought her home
This phase is gonna fly by
So baby just hold on
It won't be like this for long

Four years later bout four thirty
She's crawling in their bed
And when he drops her off at preschool
She's clinging to his leg
The teacher peels her off of him
He says what can I do
She says now don't you worry
This will only last a week or two

It wont be like this for long
One day soon you'll drop her off
And she wont even know you're gone
This phase is gonna fly by
If you can just hold on
It wont be like this for long

One day soon she'll be a teenager
And at times he'll think she hates him
Then he'll walk her down the aisle
And he'll raise her veil
But right now she's up and cryin
And the truth is that he don't mind
As he kisses her good night
And she says her prayers
He lays down there beside her
Til her eyes are finally closed
And just watchin her it breaks his heart
Cause he already knows
It wont be like this for long
One day soon that little girl is gonna be
All grown up and gone
Yeah this phase is gonna fly by
He's tryin to hold on
It wont be like this for long
It wont be like this for long
(Darius Rucker)

OCD

Many of you are aware that I have some OCD tendencies, especially when it comes to my house being clean. I just can’t help myself. I don’t like things to be dusty and I love my vacuum cleaner. I told Bill awhile back that it was not a good idea for us to have carpet. I vacuum and once I see a footprint in the carpet, I want to vacuum again. I’ll be the first to admit I have issues.

This past weekend we tore up the nasty carpet in our living room and put in laminate flooring. When I say “we” I really mean Bill and my dad. I spent all my time chasing Jake. He wanted to be where all the action was and wanted to play with the tools. Yikes! He’s gotten so quick with crawling that I had a hard time keeping up. Once they got some of the flooring down we were able to play and watch. Jake found the foam underlayment fascinating!

We’re still trying to finish up with some small details, like recaulking all the molding. Hopefully Bill still loves me after it’s all said and done. The molding has been a pain. It’s really frustrating, too, when you realize that the builder used the cheapest stuff they could find and then didn’t let the paint dry before placing the molding over the carpet. What a mess. But, I cleaned it up and repainted it all. The caulking and the t-molding for the transition between tile/laminate and carpet/laminate are all we have left. It’s killing me that my living room is out of whack. Good news, I don’t have to panic about footprints in my carpet anymore! Now I can move on to something else crazy!

Jake's 1st Birthday

I'm having a hard time figuring out the money situation for Jake's 1st birthday. I mean, it's not like he's going to remember his 1st birthday, but we will. I'm not the one to go out and buy matching plates, cups, napkins, etc. However, I've been searching for invitations and can't find much of anything (printed for me) for less than $50. I can't see spending that much money on invitations for a birthday party that my child isn't going to remember. I'm pretty sure he doesn't give a crap about his invitations. I give a crap though. How much is too much? $30? $40? $50? Bill told me to buy the cheap ones that you have to fill out yourself. You know, the kind our parents sent out when we were kids cause that's all there was. Back then there wasn't internet to search and order printed invitations. I just don't want to buy that kind. I would like to have some sort of "nice" invitations. I also thought about doing an e-vite, but I'm not sure. What should I do? Should I spend the money and then tell a little white lie when Bill asks how much the invitations were? Ha!!

Dual Posts

Well, I haven’t blogged in a while, so today I will bore you with two stories:

Flashback

Saturday was Bill’s (aka Mike’s) birthday. He wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, have a few beers and play some trivia. This meant leaving Jake with Grandpa and step-witch. He hadn’t stayed with them in a long time and I figured we definitely needed a night out. Funny how life is so different these days.

2002

6:00pm: Napping after a long day of 2 classes to prepare for night out.
8:00pm: Wake up to get ready for night out.
9:30pm: Head out to Northgate (Aggie’s know what I’m talking about) to Par-tay!
3:00am: Head home, wonder how I got there and pass out (hopefully not hovered over the toilet) and fully dressed.

2009

6:00pm: Take child to “babysitter’s” house.
8:00pm: Already have buzz from drinking one beer (in my defense it was a 23 ouncer)
9:30pm: Head home, take shower and wash clothes because everything smells like smoke and then crash
3:00am: Wake up and wonder why I don’t hear the baby!

We had fun, even though our evening was over by 9:30. We were both looking forward to sleeping. Jake was sick pretty much all last week and hadn’t been sleeping. It was nice to be able to crash without worrying about when he was going to wake up. However, I did worry about what was happening where he was staying!

My, how things have changed!


Recall Queen

I’m sure you’ve all heard me talk about step-witch sending me recalls on all sorts of items. She’s so worried I’m going to be a bad parent, I guess. After getting some good shut eye Saturday night, Bill (aka Mike)and I woke up, had some breakfast and were going to get our grocery shopping out of the way before picking up Jake. I called Grandpa and step-witch to inform them. Lucky me, step-witch answered the phone. She starts complaining to me that Jake didn’t sleep because he can’t breathe, due to congestion. Duh, welcome to our world! The kid stays that way. I explained that I had given him some children’s Mucinex (only after speaking to my sister-in-law about it, who is a doctor) to help break up all the mucus. Oh dear God you would have thought I murdered her dog. I got lectured about giving him medicine. Then she says, “he’s wheezing!” No, you’re kidding? That’s why the child is on breathing treatments with Albuterol. She asks, “is he on that because he has asthma?” Well, the doc doesn’t think it’s reached the point of asthma yet, but had us continue on the treatments to help Jake breathe better. Again, you would have thought I killed her dog. “All those things are bad for his liver!” It’s basically a no win situation. I just wanted to get off the phone so I didn’t have to listen to her anymore.

Then she says to me, “well, Jake had a tumble this morning!” WHAT? “He’s got a big knot on his forehead. He was sitting in that chair, rocking, and he rocked it right over. He sure is strong. But I read the directions and they said he could sit in it in the rocking position until he can sit up on his own!” The kid has been sitting on his own since he was about 6 months old. I asked, “was he on the carpet or the hardwood floor?” “He was on the hardwood floor. I just feel terrible about it. I had to call my sister, cause she’s a nurse and she had to help me put ice on it. He was just screaming!” Well, wouldn’t you be screaming? The worst part is he was still strapped in when he fell over. The only way this could have happened is that she wasn’t watching him. He shouldn’t have been in the chair in the first place. I’ve tried telling The Recall Queen that it doesn’t matter what you’re child is doing, you have to supervise them. Duh! A parent leaves their child unattended, something bad happens, so the item gets recalled. Soon, you’ll see the stupid chair Jake was in being recalled cause she’s a freaking moron!

Needless to say, we skipped the grocery store and went right to pick him up. When I told her we were coming to get him she said, “but he’s sleeping!” “I don’t care if he’s sleeping, we’re coming to get him.” Then she said, “but I’m not even dressed!” My thoughts, “I don’t give a rats ass if you’re walking around naked (although that can’t be a pretty sight), we’re coming to get our child!”

We get there, Jake wakes up and he’s got a nice red, quarter sized knot right in the center of his forehead. I wanted to kill her. I took pictures. I might need them as evidence someday. They’ll call it self-defense. He won’t be staying over there again until he’s 16.

Keelhaul

keelhaul • \KEEL-hawl\ • verb
to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture

I found this word on the DADS website. They have a daily word and occasionally I pay attention. I thought today’s was pretty fitting. Last week the commissioner of my agency called a mandatory meeting with my section. The entire hour, she kept referring to us as “a ship.” “We must keep this ship afloat.” Then I saw the word of the day for today and thought it was perfect as everyone in this unit feels beat down and scared. Everyone feels tortured here, every day. People are trying to jump ship. One person went to the COO and asked to be reassigned. Another person went and complained. Two people have given their resignations this week. I know of two other people who are desperately seeking other jobs. Then there’s my friend who is considering going back to her old job. Here I sit, wondering what the hell I’ve gotten myself into.

I did find myself in a situation where I’m making more money, which is good. My old position was posted this past week so I went and talked to my old boss. He all but promised me the position and is pretty sure I won’t have to take a cut in pay. I submitted my application on Tuesday, job closed yesterday, so I’m just waiting patiently to break outta here.

I have never heard more inappropriate, unprofessional things than things I’ve heard here. I can’t believe people are allowed to get away with the things I’ve heard and seen. If they would hire knowledgeable people as leaders, this place would be so different. I think the crap trickles down from the commissioner and maybe the newspaper should get a hold of that!

Separation Anxiety

Well, I think we’ve entered the “separation anxiety” phase. In the past few weeks, Jake realizes when I leave the room and he is left alone. He immediately starts to cry. And it’s not the “fake” crying. It’s the full blown, real tears crying. Last weekend I had to vacuum while holding him because every time I would step away he would get so upset.

I knew this would be coming and I knew it would be hard for me to handle when it happened at day care. Usually when I drop Jake off, he’s engaged in conversation with other kids at day care or is playing with toys. He’s always been fine with me leaving him, until yesterday.

Jake was sitting on the mat playing and conversing with another child. Before I leave him, I always sit down and talk to him for a minute and then tell him bye. Yesterday morning he was giggling and seemed to be fine. I got up, walked to the door and could hear him crying. I turned to see what was wrong. In an attempt to come after me, he had gotten on his stomach, but hasn’t yet mastered crawling, so was flailing about trying to get to me. It was horrible. Luckily, Miss Kathy picked him up, started talking to him, and he was fine.

I hope this phase is short lived because I don’t think I can go through that every morning!

I Love You So...

I found this awesome book that anyone with a child should have. I just happened across it yesterday while Jake and I were walking around Walmart, on my day off. I have a weird thing for books anyway. I love the way they smell and I want to buy ALL of them. Jake already has a pretty good collection of books and I just keep buying more. The book I found yesterday is written by Marianne Richmond. It's a book about unconditional love and I think it explains, as best as it can be explained, the overwhelming, awesome feelings you have when you bring a child into this world. I'm so glad I accidentally found it. Of course, Jake just likes to look at the neat pictures, but, hopefully someday it will be one of his favorite books. Anyone with kids out there, you should definitely check it out. I got it for less than $9 at Walmart. I found it on Amazon for about $11. It's definitely worth it though.

Have You Ever...

...been driving along and realize you have no idea how you got where you are? This morning I got stuck in a little traffic, nothing out of the ordinary. I said a few bad words and yelled at a few other drivers, nothing unusual. Then the roadway opened up and I was just driving and thinking. I don't even remember what I was so concentrated on but I looked up and noticed I was passing my exit. I have been coming the same way to work for over two years now. I take the same freaking exit every single day. How in the hell did I manage to drive right passed my exit? And it wasn't even like I was aware enough to be driving in the far right lane and could just swerve over and catch the exit. I was in the far left lane, passing people. I wonder how far I would have gone if I hadn't realized I passed my exit. Maybe I would have ended up some place fun rather than work!

Crawling

No, Jake isn't crawling yet, but not to worry, he's already applied for college. I'm starting to think he's going to skip the crawling phase. We have imitated crawling. We have put him on his hands and knees. We have put toys out of his reach. We made the dogs sit out in front of him. He has no desire to actually do it, I guess. He pivots himself around in a full circle, on his belly, but won't pick his belly up so he can go forward. He also scoots backwards, which he's been doing for a long time. He just seems content with whatever he's got in front of him and has no desire to move. When we move his toys, he plays with the carpet. It's kinda funny.

I was starting to wonder about him but he's started trying to pull himself up. I tried explaining to him that he can't pull himself up on stuff if he doesn't crawl over to it. He uses us when we're sitting near him. We also caught him with his hands on the top of his crib the other night trying to pull himself up. We had to move the matress down. I can't remember when I started crawling but I started walking at 13 months. We have no information on when Daddy did stuff. Of course, all babies develop at their own pace. We've certainly learned that Jake does things when HE wants to do them and it has to be HIS idea.

It's About Time

Well, I finally heard back about that "other job," three weeks later. I had gotten a call over the weekend from my friend who works in that section. She had been given some information from one of the head bosses. Apparently, I was the first choice pick but didn't have quite enough years of experience. I don't have gray hair and around here that's a bad thing. I come to work on Monday and get an email from the guy who interviewed me apologizing for not getting back to me sooner but they would be "letting folks know SOON!" I was starting to get annoyed with the whole thing all over again. How long could it possibly take to make a freaking decision?

Yesterday, Wednesday, I was sitting at my desk, overloaded with stacks of paper. (They actually gave me work to do. Yikes!) I get a call from the man and he asks if I'm still interested in the position. I said, "yes, but I would like to visit with you about it." So, I went and sat in his office for 45 minutes and walked outta there with a new job. Basically, I wanted to get a realistic idea of the extra hours I will have to work and I wanted it to be very clear that my son comes before work. His section has a bad reputation, but it's going to open so many doors for me in the future. And, as long as I stick it out for 6 months, I can keep the increase in pay no matter what job I take within this agency.

He was very understanding and agreed to work with me. He also told me that he had to convince the head boss to hire me. He said I lack ONE year of experience (which apparently is a big deal) but my "good reputation" more than made up for that. I almost crapped myself as I started to worry about what people were saying about me and what would now be expected of me.

I'm scared cause it's going to be A LOT of work and a huge transition for me. But, it's not forever. That's what I keep telling myself. Plus, my current boss, after thinking he was going to kill me, was super nice and told me if I want to come back, the door is open. So, I have some options. I won't be "stuck" anywhere.

I start on January 22. Cross your fingers that I can survive 6 months of hell and my first Legislative Session! Yikes!