When it rains, it pours

I swear, this time of year is always frustrating in terms of financial things that come up. You know the drill, I'm sure. Annual car insurance due. Need new tires. Both cars need their "big" regular maintenance. Christmas shopping. New home needs. All in one or two months. Stressful and frustrating.

And--on top of it all--Bentley has a little tumor of some sort (been there awhile; thankfully doesn't seem to be growing) on his shoulder and his ear hematoma is back. He gets blood-filled ear flaps from excessive shaking of his head. In the past, they've gone away naturally, but the one he's got now is kind of bad and worse than he's ever had. And...I'm sort of over it. WHY does this happen every year with excessive expenses? Sigh...

For now, I'll be praying (really hard) that his ear issue resolves itself ASAP. The tumor removal estimate was $1000 so we obviously opted to not do that right now. I'm sure the ear surgery would be just as much so I'd love to avoid that at all costs. 

When it rains, it pours.

Convicted {and Blessed}

I'm ashamed to admit it, but lately, I've been a little 'woe is me' about some things. You know - Carter has a fever again, stress at work, teething that tests the limits of my patience, fussiness, a messy house. Real problems, of course. OR NOT.

You know what is a real problem? This.

Now THAT is not fair. That is a real problem, and thirty minutes of reading that has me so convicted, I can't describe it. 

How in the world could I possibly think that my life is stressful when I'm dealing with fussiness and a less than 101 degree fever that gets my child sent home from daycare???

Unreal. 

It's really hard in life to think that your problems aren't really problems at all, huh? Turns out, I/we DO have a perfect life full of one blessing after another. A healthy, happy, growing (and adorable) little boy, a husband who I love more than life itself, our faith, a house, plenty of food, jobs, cars, a cutie dog, and on and on.

A sign I saw on Pinterest said it best: "If we all threw our problems in a pile and we saw everyone else's, we'd grab our's back." Pretty true.

So, convicted and BLESSED, I will find the positive in today and the ones to come as best as I possible can. Because friends?

What I have are not problems.

Pray for that precious little boy and his family as they make some tough, tough decisions on his behalf.

Workin' for the Weekend [A Day in the Life]

One of my favorite things to do is read blogs. I just love reading about people who are similar to me and what they do in their lives, getting meal ideas, and reading about raising kids! It is just so fun. Lately, I've been reading a TON of blogs about stay-at-home-moms and their daily routines. Being at SAHM isn't my thing quite yet, plus financially, it just doesn't seem right at this time. So off to work I/we go five days a week!

I thought it'd be fun to record what life is like right now with two full-time working parents, a 14-month-old, and a crazy brown dog.

First, let me say that I do think being a SAHM is hard work, but being a working mom is also incredibly hard too, and being one has given me a whole new level of respect for other moms who do it.

During the week, Seth and I wake up around 5:30 a.m. to start getting ready for work. Seth leaves by 6:10 a.m. and I leave around 6:40 a.m. We get up, I get a shower, do my hair, make-up and all that good stuff, while he gets dressed and eats breakfast. I eat breakfast at my desk each day which allows me a bit of extra time in the morning (and holds me over until lunch). Almost always on work days, Carter is up around 6:30, but I do often still need to wake him up for daycare, which totally stinks because then he doesn't like to sleep in on the weekends either! Boo.

After I'm dressed and ready, I always pack my breakfast and lunch and gather all of Carter's things for school (we provide his breakfast and lunch). Then, before Carter wakes, I load the car, feed the dog, and tidy up the house. Occasionally, if I have a few spare minutes (yeah right), I check e-mail, Facebook, and a few other things. Then, I wake Carter, get him dressed for school and head out.

I usually get to work around 7:30 a.m., and spend my day (until 5) doing all of the things you would expect an advertising professional to do - conference calls, meetings out the wazoo, designing ads and other materials, and occasionally pulling my hair out. :) I almost always take a lunch break because it is a moment of sanity in my day and allows me down time with my friends. Seth teaches all day.

At 5, I leave work and head home. My commute on a good day is 30 minutes, but it usually takes more like 40 or 45 on the way home. Seth picks Carter up Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and is fabulous about having dinner ready most nights he is home. Since he works a second job, Wednesdays are hectic, and that is a day that I have to pick up Carter and then go home and start dinner. By about 5:30, Carter is hanging on our legs, crying for dinner. We make/eat dinner, and then spend the next little bit doing things like emptying the dishwasher, packing breakfasts and lunches for the next day, doing laundry, vacuuming, and any other housework items that need to be done. During that time, Carter is playing in the living room or wherever we are.

By about 6:15, we are 'free' to do activities - we go outside with Carter and play in the backyard, blow bubbles, go for walks, go grocery shopping, and other errands that may need to be run. By 7:30, Carter is nearing meltdown stage and it is time to switch things up - so it's bathtime or Skype with the family time! Seth and I alternate giving baths so that the other has a few minutes to themselves. Around 7:50, we give Carter his bottle, read a few books (if he's even interested), get him in his PJs, and put him in bed. He is pretty good about going to sleep by 8:00 but sometimes it can be 8:30 til all is said and done.

When he is in bed, we finish cleaning up the house and prepping for the next day. By now, we're both checking work e-mail, grading papers (Seth), and maybe catching a show on TV. (That almost made me laugh just writing it because that doesn't happen too often).

Around 9:30 or 10:00 (yes, we go to bed early) we go to bed.

On Fridays, I only work until 11 but I leave Carter in school until at least after nap and usually get him by 3 or 4. He loves daycare so I know he's having a great time. On these days, I get home around 11:30, so I quickly eat lunch and then clean the entire house. This is when I catch up on tons of laundry, wash our bed sheets, mop floors, and do the 'real' cleaning of the week. I feel very accomplished (albeit a bit stressed/tired) by 5 p.m. on a Friday, but we usually go out to eat Friday nights as some nice downtime.

Anyway, this is life at this stage. We're in a routine, and are used to how things are. It stinks to not see Carter as much as we'd like during the day, but we know he's in good hands, and it is what is best for our family right now. It is allowing us to take him fun places, save plenty for college, have great insurance, and so on.

What We've Been Up To

Things have been fairly hectic around here the past week. I was in Jacksonville, FL for a marketing conference Wednesday through Friday, which left Seth in charge of the little guy most of the week. I prepped what I could food-wise and laundry-wise before I left, but Mr. Mom did a great job with him all week and really enjoyed the one-on-one time they got. I missed them a lot, but really learned a lot at the conference and also got to spend some time in the 75 degree sunny weather. It was a nice change of pace.

On Saturday, Seth's parents and Aunt Cindy came for the weekend. We hung out, played with Carter, had lunch and pretty much relaxed for the afternoon. On Saturday late afternoon/evening, Seth's parents watched Carter so we could go on a date night. We went to see a movie (which we had not done since Carter was born) and then out for dinner. It was so nice to get out for a bit and I think Oma and Opa liked watching Squirt. Thanks, Oma and Opa, for watching him!!!!

Carter seemed to be feeling not quite himself a lot of the weekend, but the poor child is teething so much it is almost to be expected. He had one pop through over the weekend (one of the top center ones) and he has about 5 more ready to come in (we can see the white ready to burst through any day now across pretty much the entire top gums). So, needless to say, there is some irritability, lots of drooling, lots of chewing on toys, and some trouble sleeping. I guess it could have been worse though. He slept from 7:30-6:20 from Saturday into Sunday but then fussed a bit throughout the night Sunday into Monday.

Oma stayed home with Carter on Sunday while Seth, his dad, and I went to church. I was on nursery duty at our church and Aunt Cindy and MK went to MK's church. Afterwards, we had lunch and some naps. A dinner out to Isaac's and some relaxation topped off Sunday evening. 

On Monday, Oma and Opa watched Carter while Seth and I were at work since Carter's daycare was closed for President's day. He had another semi-rough day with the teething, but things were much better Monday night after some Tylenol and dinner. Thanks for watching him Monday too, Oma and Opa. We appreciate it! Opa also spackled the drywall in the garage which was super helpful. Thanks!

And now, back to the swing of things. Carter had a fairly good night and is back at daycare for his last week in the baby room. Next week, he moves up to the "big boy room" with kids 9 months to 18 months. Big adjustments coming our way (though I think he'll enjoy it - he LOVES that room with the older kids).

Have a great week!

I'd be posting more but....

...Carter has been feeling under the weather with a nasty cough, running nose, low grade fever, and some teething torture thrown in for good measure. We seem to be on the upswing at least.

...Carter decided--in a split second--to grab my camera off the exam table at the doctor (had it there to show her pics of his super red cheeks) and throw it to the floor and smash it to many pieces. So long, expensive camera. :( Point and shoot it is.

...Bentley puked on our carpet. Twice.

...I was nauseous for quite a bit yesterday.

...we were out buying a new TV for the play room/home gym to help keep us motivated to work out more often. Entertainment always helps.

I should be back now. No promises though. Life tends to get in the way sometimes. :)

Flowers

Life has been hectic. I feel like my head is spinning and I haven't had a chance to sit down in weeks. I have, of course, but it doesn't feel like it. I'm craving a nice, fall day when Seth, Carter, and I (and Bentley too!) can enjoy fall and RELAX. I need some family time.

So suffice it to say that I was super bummed yesterday when Seth called me at work and told me he was pretty sure he had to work that night. He never works Mondays so it never even crossed my mind. But sure enough, he had to. So it was just Carter and I again.

I expressed to Seth that I was sad, bummed, and just overall "blah."

And you know what my wonderful husband did? He left work early to surprise me (albeit more like freak-me-out-like-no-other when I heard the kitchen door slowly open)...

...with a bouquet of roses in hand.

I love him.

Some Things I'm Looking Forward To!

I'm so excited that fall is almost here. NOT excited that I need to take some drastic measures to get back to looking decent in my pre-pregnancy jeans. And I better hop on that STAT since jean-wearing is creeping up pretty quickly.

Anyway, here are some things I'm looking forward to over the next few weeks:

- Getting my very first pumpkin spice latte (low-fat of course, to help with the aforementioned jeans issue). I hear they are back at Starbucks already!
- Wearing jeans and a sweatshirt and going for walks after work.
- Putting Carter in his adorable fall clothing before he grows out of it.
- Starting Carter on solids and making his baby food.
- Visits from family over the next few weekends.
- Being a part of the activities at Carter's school (daycare) like the Fall Festival, grandparent's week, Holiday parties...um, party planning? CHECK!
- Apple and pumpkin picking and making applesauce.
- Carving pumpkins with the little guy.
- Decorating the house!!
- The installation of our new heat pump/central AC and the addition of some new vents downstairs to make it warmer in the winter!
- Moving the new toy shelf we got Carter (and I painted) downstairs and filling it with some of his toys!
- Open windows...ahhh.......

What are YOU looking forward to this fall!?

A Little Perspective, Please.

Last night, Seth and I were sitting in the living room after Carter went to bed. It was 8:30 and we were barely breathing from exhaustion. We began to discuss how something's gotta give with this whole nighttime thing. Getting up two to five times a night is certainly not leaving us feeling very refreshed, that's for sure. The frustration is apparent - it seems like a million people are praying for us and for him to sleep, yet nothing has really changed.

I guess some things in life just plain don't make sense.

I don't understand why he used to get up once and now it's much more. I hate that he has to deal with acid reflux. I don't understand why he had to get a respitory infection at 3 1/2 months. I haven't had a hair cut since he was two weeks old and it is a massive disaster. I don't like that daycare costs an arm and a leg. I haven't slept through the night since I was about five months pregnant.

Blah, blah, blah.

As we sat there and rambled off a million and one things we are frustrated with, it hit me like a bolt of lightening. We were straight-up smacking the One who's given us everything right in the face.

MAYBE the reason we can't seem to catch a break (or some Zzzzz's) is plain and simple: we're ungrateful and selfish.

Rewind, Danielle and Seth....let's talk about how you HAVE a baby who is happy and healthy to get up with. Because last time I checked, there are thousands of people out there dying to be parents but can't. How he may have acid reflux but how you also have medical insurance to be sure that you can get him a prescription to fix it. How, thankfully, his bronchiolitis WASN'T something worse, like pneumonia. While we're at it, why don't we mention that spending time getting your hair cut is far less important than spending time with your little boy. How you have jobs to go to and have plenty of money to pay for child care. And, don't even talk about sleep, sister. You're waking up to tend to a part of you, and then when you're done, you come back to a warm bed with a spouse who loves you.

It hit us hard. Perhaps what we need is a good old-fashioned attitude adjustment and then something will change. We are blessed beyond comprehension. We are parents to a baby who knows nothing else in life but to rely on us for his every need and who trusts us unconditionally. He doesn't remember that we were angry with him when we were up for the 6th time...in the morning, he STILL smiles at us when we bend over the crib to get him. And it can melt your heart.

There's a time for everything, right? Maybe for us it is "there is a time for sleeping...it's just not right now." :)

So, on we go, working on our attitude's and our hearts, appreciating what we have, and realizing that someday, though we can't comprehend it right now, we will miss this stage. And when we see him driving away to college, I'm pretty sure we'll wish he was 4 months old again, waking us up every 90 minutes.

Carter Nicholas, we love you more than words can say. We're so sorry we get frustrated with you. You're just a little boy and still figuring out this great big world. We'll maintain, for now, that the reason you get up so much is just because you want to see your mommy and daddy so much.

Full Moon

Well, full moon passed and I didn't have the baby. Those wives' tales are big fat lies.

In continuation of my nesting, I set up his high chair (it has a reclining feature for infants or else we wouldn't have put it up yet) while Seth was at work last night and then vacuumed....again.

Don't forget to go to my post from April 14th and submit your baby birth pool guess if you haven't already. There are only eight days until I am due so not much more time to guess.

Yesterday at my appt, I was 80% effaced, 1.5 cm dilated, and he was in the 0 position which means he dropped a bit. So...being the nice person I am, if you guessed already and want to change it, I will let you in light of this new information. Or you can keep your current guess, too, if you still think it's right! :)

Yay for tomorrow being Friday AND the forecast being gorgeous weather!

Some random thoughts...

A few random thoughts for the day:

- I think it's so fun that the baby is to a stage where, if he falls asleep, I can put my hands on my stomach and move them quickly and he wakes up! It'll probably be the only time in life I want to willingly wake a sleeping baby, but it's fun for now! :)

- My sister's friend, Mary Beth, gave me a huge bag of maternity clothing to borrow and I'm soooo excited! I've been needing some new stuff and everything is in my size and perfect for the winter season! YAY!!!!

- I have a pre-natal massage tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited!! My grandma and grandpa got me a gift card for Christmas and, even though it's only been a few weeks, it has been burning a hole in my pocket. It's best to get them in the 2nd trimester so I figured I better get on that because I'm almost into my 3rd already -- YAY again! Also, the nurse I talked to at the ob/gyn's office said she doesn't recommend these massages because they aren't scientifically proven to be beneficial (um no, but RELAXING! haha). So I got all worried/sad and emailed my doctor as one last check and she said to "have a blast -- you'll love it!!!!" So now that I have her blessing, I will FULLY enjoy. :)

- Seth and I went on a date out to eat tonight. We went for Italian and I thought it was delicious. Baby, on the other hand, did not like it.

- I finished painting Carter's closet doors and touching up the rest of the doors in the house. We also organized the pantry. Tomorrow's project -- organizing the hall closet!

- 3 months and 16 days (hopefully sooner!) til I meet the cutie little baby boy whose ultrasound picture I stare at on my computer desktop every single day.

What's new with you? :)

It's been one of those days

Happenings of Late

I have seriously been slacking on the blogging front lately. It just doesn't seem like there is that much new stuff going on in our lives, plus most times I am just too tired to write.

Here are some highlights of what has happened since the last time I wrote:

- Bentley ate part of a towel.
- Seth whopped me at our first game of mini-golf for the season.
- I began to hate the 30 Day Shred.
- I tried the 30 Day Shred on Level 2 "for fun." It was not fun.
- Bentley threw up aforementioned towel.
- I began my new role at work and moved to the office with a window!!!
- I had one very bad headache.
- We took my mom to Willow Valley for brunch on Mother's Day. Where they promptly told me they didn't have our reservation and "would try to fit us in if they could" Ahh, the poor hostess. Let's just say they "fit us in."
- I got paged and had to go into work on Mother's Day. Hmmmph.
- The director of Medical Research for Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice spoke at the Medical Center, and I've been obsessed with Grey's ever since. I have been watching an episode a day to catch up to what I've been missing.
- I picked up every call in which the caller ID said "mom," "dad," or "Michelle" thinking Michelle was going into labor.

That is about it. Today, I am laying outside to get some color on my pasty skin and RELAXING. Then, I'll try to talk my gorgeous husband into going out for dinner tonight. :)

Have a good weekend!

Life's Going Ons

I almost can't remember the last time I wrote anything because it has been so long. Quite frankly, there is nothing at all terribly exciting going on. I work. A lot. I exercise. I eat dinner. I spend time with Seth. I sleep.

Two weekends ago, Seth's parents came for a visit. Seth's mom made us curtains for the basement which is wonderful! Now I don't have to fear another incident where I am folding laundry and look up to see a huge gray cat with bulging green eyes staring at me through the window. Instead, I'll just leave it to my imagination and try not to think what could be on the other side of them. Anyway, they look great, and it's nice to finally have them. Thanks, mom Ran! Seth and his dad did some little odds and ends, looked at coins, and chatted. We went for some yummy late night ice cream, too! Bentley licked the iron so he even got his very own doggy ice cream sundae. (I think he licked the iron on purpose for this reason) ;)

This past weekend, we had my sister's baby shower. She has about 2 months to go! The theme was peas in a pod, or "sweet peas." We did everything in orange and tones of green. It turned out really well. Here are a few pictures of it!




Above, she is opening a gift certificate for a mani/pedi combo (NICE!) and a huge stack of books. We asked each guest to bring their favorite children's book to start the babies' library (for those who don't know, she is having twins--a boy and a girl).

Anyway, that's about all that is new right now! Looking forward to the nice weather this weekend. I might go shopping with my sister one day, and Seth and I plan on going to the state park to take Bentley hiking.

My Not-So-Relaxing Drive Home from Work

Yesterday on my way home from work, I got pulled over. Well, sort of. Here is what happened.

There is a portion of the trip that I take that is not only a construction zone but also 40 mph. Since I'm absolutely paranoid of getting pulled over in a construction zone (double fine here in PA), I distinctly looked at the speedometer. I was going 42. Also here in PA, we have this new technology (new for here anyway), where they place upright poles on either side of the road.
When you go through them, it's too late. The info about your car and your speed have already been passed to the officer up ahead. Typically, they pull you over in groups (2-3 cars).

As I went through them, I looked at how fast I was going. 42. Perfect.

Or not.

Old coppy boy pulled out and put his lights on instantly. Naturally, if you know me at all, I was like WHAT?!?!? You have got to be kidding me!!!! He was still a few car lengths back, but I decided I wouldn't pull over until he was right up at me. In the meantime, an SUV pulled into the right lane (where I was) between the cop and I. And he just kept drivin' on, not pulling over.

Then, the driver of that car motions for me to get over, so naturally I assume that the cop behind him is motioning something. So I do. And then the SUV finally does too and the cop pulls in behind both of us.

(Allow me to use this time here to dispell any rumors about how I might act when being pulled over. I was VERY calm; absolutely no tears, no freaking out. In fact, I even sort of chuckled a bit in disbelief because I figured this cop must be quite the guy if he is pulling me over for 42 in a 40.)

So I sat there for, oh, an eternity, while he did all the paperwork and whatnot with the SUV. I saw in my rearview mirror the cop point up to me and ask the driver something, to which the driver shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

Finally, the cop started walking up to me and I rolled down my window. "Is everything okay ma'am?" he said. [confused] "Yeah, the guy behind me motioned for me to get over so I did."

To which he chuckled and replied, "Oh no, ma'am, he is the one that was speeding and was getting pulled over. You're fine and free to go."

Talk about a sigh of relief.

So, here's to the man in the blue SUV who tried to take me down with him!

The Joys of Life!

If you remember, I got a promotion a few weeks ago. It's been a learning process, and I've handled it pretty much in stride. I have some tough to handle days, but that is to be expected when you work in PR. And I've also had some easy days. Today was probably 50/50.

One of the most favorite calls was from one of our media contacts asking me if the hospital has had an influx of babies with the name "Barack" or "Obama." Are you kidding me? I checked, and not only is there not an influx; there are none. Shocking, I know. Because everyone gives some good, long thought into naming there son Ethan Barack Smith or Jason Obama Miller. :)

And top top off the stress, I've been rocking some sinus pressure and headache with a side of temporary peripheral vision loss thrown in for good measure. I'm convinced all of the headaches and eye issues are due to stress, because for as long as I can remember, I've never had one on a weekend. Only at work. Go figure. I'm going to give it a few more days before I get it formally checked out. I tend to be a little bit completely over the top about illnesses, and the thought of having a brain tumor has seriously crossed my mind more than one time in the past few days. Let's pray it's just stress.

AND luckily I made it to work today because I was almost in a really bad accident on the way to work. Good thing someone invented anti-lock brakes. I'm just sayin'.

Phew.

But, in fun, completely stress-less news...it's just a little over one week until we take a little weekend trip to see Matt, Erin, and Logan! Seth and I took off the Monday after the Superbowl so we could stay a little longer. We're looking forward to visiting them!

And I'm talking to one of my absolute best friends right now about our spring break trip to Florida in 2005, and I am laughing so hard. She knows how to break the stress. Here we are on the trip:

Now, to really top off the de-stressing, I'm going to curl up with my new book, make some tea, and chill. And not check work e-mail the rest of the night.

Hope your night is stress free! :)

Total Proof That We Are Growing Up

Yesterday as I was attempting to vacuum, I was getting extremely frustrated. Not only because it wasn't leaving those fancy marks on the carpet to let people know you actually clean it but because, well, it wasn't picking much of anything up. It sucks--and not in a good way.

Fortunately for me, we also got a handy dandy coupon in the mail for 20% off any in-stock vacuum at Lowe's. Seth told me I could check out what they had and we could possibly buy one. Well "go ahead and look" turned into an all-out vacuum finding mission. Of course, Lowe's had absolutely nothing I would want, which was their evil plan to begin with I'm sure.

Consumer Reports had a vacuum edition recently so I grabbed it and went to town. We weren't looking to spend as much as the first few on the list, but #5 was a mere $75 and beat out every single model of the Dyson (which I hear are totally overrated anyway).

And, as I expected, Lowe's did not carry it. Best Buy was the only place that did. To save myself a trip, I tried calling approximately 48 times before leaving the house to make sure they had it. I swore to myself they would have lost my business to Walmart had Walmart carried it. I sent up a little prayer for Best Buy that they would have one in stock so that they didn't have to hear me whine about how my vacuum is no good but if they would have picked up the phone I wouldn't have had to drive 20 minutes to find out they didn't have any.

Lucky for them (and me!) they had one! No lie, I was a little embarassed to push it in the aisle. It is smurf blue and looks like something straight out of the 80s. Clearly black is no longer the hot vacuum color. Whatever though, I totally bought it and practically squealed as I checked out.

And then, like any good housewife, came home and vacuumed the whole house to test it out. I. LOVE. IT. Who knew vacuum bliss was so cheap?!

Check it out: it's the Hoover Tempo Widepath and I'd highly recommend it.


It sucks--but in a good way.