That Waitress Deserved a Bigger Tip...

This blog has been pretty neglected... I don't mean to.  I have intentions of writing more, but most days I just feel like everything is... ordinary and not particularly interesting.  Plus, most evenings my brain just wants to shut off, watch some Grey's Anatomy and drink a glass a wine.  

Today is turning out not to be one of those days...

Let me set the scene.  I've been solo parenting this week, so I took today to be "kid free" and get some errands run and recharge a bit.  I dropped the kids off at their old day care and did what needed to be done.  Fast forward eight hours or so, I head back to pick them up.  It's rush hour by that time, so I decided to take the kids out to dinner and wait out the traffic.

We head over to Applebee's because I know that a) there is rarely a wait for a table, b) it's never too crowded so I doubt loud kids will annoy too many people, and c) they have "low cal" menu options for me... and d) I like to be waited on when I have the chance to be.  =)

Our waitress gave me a knowing smirk when we were seated and asked if I wanted a margarita.... really wish now that I would have taken her up on that.

We got our drinks, ordered our food, and everyone, for the most part, was doing a-okay.  I was actually starting to pat myself on the back a bit at how smoothly the evening in a restaurant, with two kid, by myself was actually going.

Our waitress brought us out our food, and Emily proceeded to pull the corn off her dog in her usual way, when Sam started to make a noise.  I look over at him, not yet taking a bit of my own dinner, and see that he his puking.  A lot.  All over the place.

His high chair, his clothes, the carpet beneath his chair... all covered in yogurt-y looking vomit. Tinged, I'm sure, but the milk that he was sipping on prior to the incident.  Quickly I get a server's attention, tell her that we need to go containers and that he had just been sick.  Containers and a wet rag swiftly appeared at our table.  I sat there, trying to figure out how to get my son cleaned up, with his bile already on my hands, and somehow get our food packed up... thankfully I had a lot of hand sanitizer in the diaper bag, and a 4 year old that was willing to help (though her idea of packing up her yogurt also included stealing the serving dish that it was presented in. lol).

Finally I got the bill paid, both kids and food out to the car.  Sam got a quick change of clothes, and a prayer that he wouldn't throw up on the way home.  For the next 30+ minutes I sat in (not horrible, thank God) traffic with the scent of puke and Applebee's take out wafting through our car.

Getting home, Emily had fallen asleep.  She can be... challenging... to wake up, and tonight was no different.  I finally got her on her feet, and when to get Sam and our food.  Thankfully nothing extra had occurred.

Everyone got inside, I set our food down on the kitchen counter, and Sam started to heave again.  I tried to hold him over the kitchen sink, but he wanted nothing to do with that... he wanted to bury his face in my warm sweater and empty his stomach.

When he was done, I asked Emily to get herself a spoon so that she could finish her dinner, and I took Sam upstairs to give him a quick bath.  I got him in the tub (and sat there with him, topless, with my now-disgusting sweater thankfully removed) and he acted like nothing was amiss.  Like, "yeah!  I love baths!"  I really don't understand kids sometimes.  After a few minutes he stood up, said, "All Done", and I wrapped him up in a big towel, got him into his jammies, read him a book and put an almost-passed-out little man to bed.

I came downstairs to clean up and check on Emily, and found this...

She got the spoon that I told her to...

So, I cleaned up some puke, got the gross clothes from the car (how do I get that smell out?) and started a load of laundry.  Then I carried Emily upstairs and put her to bed.  Generally, both kids in bed and asleep before 8:00 would be cause for celebration... but currently I'm just worried.  Sam has already woken up once heaving.  Not sure what the rest of the night is going to bring.

I've washed/sanitized my hands about a dozen times so far... I can't get sick.  I'm photographing someone's wedding this weekend... I can NOT get sick...

THE House

I fully intended to blog more this year.  I got my yearly Blogs2Print book, and was shocked at home tiny it was.  My goal was to get a bigger book next year... but here it is, the end of March, and I've only written once.  I'm hoping to catch up on that as the year goes on, and as my to-do list around the house starts to shrink... (yeah, right?).

So, where did I leave off?  Oh yes... the house.  Our new, big, beautiful, "forever home" house!  I've been meaning to write about it, but I know that the post is going to be long and I never seem to have enough time to myself.  Today though, I'm sitting in a coffee shop after dropping the kids off with a sitter for a few hours, so, I'm going to try to tackle it.  =)

To start at the beginning... Jacob got a new job across the river in Vancouver back in July 2015.  It is a good job, with a good salary.  However, living and working in two different states caused a few problems.  First, we were still paying income tax for our home state (if we lived in Washington, we would have avoided this) and second, it meant Jacob was driving 1.5-2 hours per day between home work and picking the kids up from daycare.  When he got the job, we talked about moving over the river, but I was still working in Portland and our daycare provider (who we love and cuts us a SUPER deal) was also in Portland--and completely out of the way of what would be our new commute.  Moving would mean that we'd either a) have to find--and pay twice as much for--a new daycare, or b) me quitting my job and staying home.

At that time, I was just a few months in to a new job that had the potential for some advancement opportunities.  I really liked the company that I was working for, and was scared of the emotional and financial strain of being a stay at home parent.  So, Jacob continued with the commute and we kept the status quot.

Fast forward to the middle of August... I applied for a promotion at my job, something that I REALLY thought that I was going to get.  Something that I felt that I'd been kind of groomed to take on.  They offered someone else the position.  No ill will from me, really.  They made the decision that they felt was best for their organization.  However, I was then faced with making a decision that was best for ME.  Since 2009, between two different organizations, I had basically been doing the same work.  After 6 years as a direct service workforce development coach (and another 4 years before that in other direct service social service roles) I was feeling pretty burnt out... especially after being turned down for promotion opportunities twice.

One day in August I was driving home from out of town.  It was a long drive and my mind started to wander.  I started to think about our current situation, our desire to move, and how we could make that possible.  I thought about my job situation and if I wanted to stay somewhere (that I liked) doing work that I didn't for who knows how long... again.  I didn't.  Jacob's new salary is equal to what both of us made combined the year before, and we lived quite comfortably then, so I didn't fear the finance issue too much.  But could I be a stay at home mom?  The more I thought about it, the more I felt a resounding HELL YES.  After years of doing the working mom thing (it was exhausting and really emotionally draining for both me AND Jacob) and realized that I was ready for a new challenge.

When I got home, I talked to Jacob about my thoughts and decisions.  Very shortly thereafter, we called our real estate agent.

After speaking with our agent (who helped us purchase our first home, and would be helping us sell it), reviewing the housing market, and looking at time lines, we decided to find a house first, and make a contingent offer before putting ours on the market.  We didn't want to be stuck without a place to live.  So, armed with a Washington agent referral, we started our hunt for new homes in Vancouver, WA.

We looked at a handful of homes, and they were nice, but nothing was really taking our breath away.  The one that we most liked already had an offer accepted before we left the viewing, so we had to move on.  Since we were driving back and forth after work hours (during rush hour) and on the weekends to view homes (usually with 2 kids in tow), our WA agent decided to check into a few homes on her own and then let us know if she thought we should see them, too.  She had a pretty good sense at that point of what we were looking for and what features we did and didn't like.

One house in particular had one photo on their listing.  The description sounded good, but the single photo (a bad one of the exterior) made us leery about it.  Our agent went out with the intention of taking a look and sending us some additional photos.  Later that evening, she sent us some images with her story... after being assured that the alarm had been turned off, she entered the home... to be greeted by a blaring alarm through the whole house.  She waited for the police to arrive, explained who she was, and then ran through the house taking quick photos, covering her ears, waiting for the alarm to get shut off! lol  Thankfully her aural discomfort was not for loss.  We liked the photos and her description and decided to take a look at it ourselves.

The house was HUGE.  Jacob and I kept looking at each other with a "what the hell will we do with all this space" expressions.  The asking price was a bit above our self-imposed budget.  That and the space abundance were holding us up at first.  But, after seeing other slightly smaller homes with postage stamp sized backyards, we decided to put in an offer.  (side note: when we looked at the house we "surprised" one of the residents who was hanging out in her bedroom upstairs and didn't know that someone was coming to take a look at the house.  We should have taken note about the communication struggles at that point).

We made an offer, contingent on the sale of our home, for slightly under their asking price.  The responded that they would not take anything under asking.  After assessing our finances and what the likely monthly payments would be, we decided to accept the counter offer and pay asking.  Then we called our Oregon agent and pulled the trigger to list our current home.

For the next two weeks we kept our house sparkling clean, and crossed our fingers that we would get an offer and not lose "our" house based on the contingency.

We did NOT get an offer in time.  We prepared paperwork asking for an extension.  Three days after the contingency period ended, we got an offer.  As we had not heard anything back yet regarding our extension request, our agent contacted the sellers and asked to proceed.

They increased the asking price for the home by 10k.  And sure, we could proceed if we were willing to pay that.  Our agent was flabbergasted.  Our offer was the only offer that they'd received on the house.  Why would they UP the price??  Jacob and I had already offered 15k over our "budget", tacking on another 10k made me very nervous... especially since we were going to be on one income after we moved.  After some talk via agents, they lowered it to 5k.  We told them that we could not do that, and that we would have to pass (at this point we were just pissed and thinking about principal rather than dollar signs).

Our agent then took us to view about 6 other homes.  They all sucked in comparison to THE house.  I had gone and gotten attached to that house... something that I told myself not to do.  So much for that.  We had already accepted the offer on our current house, so not only we were in the position that we didn't want to be (on a time line for finding a place or we'd be homeless), but I loved a house that was above our budget... which is the exact same thing that happened to us with our first home purchase.

We decided to take the 5k offer and wrote the sellers a letter pretty much asking them not to be jerks to a young family that really loved their home (a home that they had only been in for about 2 years).  The deal was done and the inspection process started... on both homes.

Our to-be home passed inspections with flying colors.  The inspector even called me to tell me how gorgeous the house was.  The inspection on our current home was not so good.  There were wiring issues, and dry rot, some chimney structural concerns and (the one that grossed me out the most), rats.  Rats??  Rats.  Apparently we had rodents living under our house.  Which surprised me completely.  In the 5 years that we lived there, we saw a mouse... once.  No other signs of any other varmints.  So then negotiations for repairs starts.  Back and forth.  We'll fix this, but not this.  Finally we agreed on the terms.  And then the repairs started.

I feel like I should note at this point that during this whole process I was recovering from pneumonia.  During the initial offer/up the price portion, I was actually e-signing documents from my ICU hospital bed.  The inspections and repairs I was at home on bed rest.

Anyway, we got the repairs done, and the inspector came out to take a look.  They weren't done to his satisfaction.  So we had to get more contractors in to do more things.  Silver lining, because the repairs weren't done on time, we had to extend the closing date on our current home.  Which actually meant that we could make a smooth, single day move from one house to the other... without that, we would have been "homeless" for three days between the two closing dates.

Finally everything was done, movers were booked, boxes were packed, and it was time to sign closing documents.  Our house was sold!  A couple days later we went in to sign for our new home.  It was done!

We thought.

Fast forward to later on signing day... our agent calls us with some bad news.  One of the sellers is out of the country and can't sign his portion of the documents.  Let me note that throughout the whole negotiation process we had to wait, several times, for the husband, a musician to be in town to sign documents.  He was traveling constantly.  Problem is, they didn't tell anyone, THEIR agent included, that he was going to be out of the country during the closing time period.  Again, our agent was livid and so confused.  The wife went in and signed her portion of the documents, and then paperwork was started to give her the proper power of attorney rights to sign for her husband.  Problem is though that this was going to push the closing date out.  And the problem with that is that the movers had already been scheduled and we needed to be out of our old house!

After more conversation via agents, we finally got paperwork that would make us no-charge "renters" of the home before closing was official, which would allow us to move in as scheduled.  On moving day, I drove up to the new house to get the keys while Jacob stayed behind to help direct the movers.  I prayed that nothing would go wrong.  Our agent was there with the keys, and copies of all relevant documents... in case the alarm went off on us or there were any other concerns on our legitimacy to be there (she, as well, was having some trust issues at that point).  She told me then that she'd made a bit of no-no, but that it had worked out in our favor...

Apparently the sellers had wanted to charge us rent for being there before closing.  Our agent sent a text message blasting the sellers and stating that the issue was their fault and not ours, and that they were being greedy and difficult.  Fortunately/Unfortunately, she accidentally sent it to the sellers directly rather than the agent.  They didn't respond, but we received the keys and rental agreement with no further financial discussion.

We got everything moved out/moved in that day.  Aside from waiting for either a) international power of attorney paperwork to get processed or b) the husband to get back in town to sign papers so that would could finally close, we thought that things were done and over with.

But then we realized that we didn't have a mail box key.

Via agents, we heard from the seller that they expected us to change the lock and get our own key like they had.  I called the post office to inquire about this... $40, we needed to provide home purchase paperwork, and it could take a couple weeks.  Plus, we were RENTERS at that point and didn't have the authority to change the locks anyway.  It took us about a week to convince the sellers to give us the damn mailbox key!  I couldn't believe it.  Absolutely ridiculous.  I had to buy a new Halloween costume last minute because my costume for my office party was in the box.  It's petty, I know, but still soo soo annoying!

We closed on the house on Sam's birthday, October 30th.  Four days after we moved in.  After getting the mail situation figured out, I was so glad to be over with it and move on to the fun stuff.  So far we have replaced some flooring, painted some walls, bought some furniture and changed the locks.  ;)

Beware of Bronchitis

There were two thing that I had planned/hoped to write about before the end of 2015... the adventure of purchasing our second home (hoping to get to this soon!) and my 3-day stay in our local ICU.  Unfortunately, neither of these got written and posted in time to make it into my 2015 blog book (which I ordered today!), but better late than never, right?

On September 13th I headed to the beach for a work related conference.  I was SOO looking forward to three nights of "mommy vacation" in a quiet room and a bed to myself.  Plus, this was my third trip to this conference, one that I have enjoyed every year, so I was pumped.

I arrived at the hotel, checked into my room, headed to the restaurant to grab some dinner and a glass of wine, and started to feel a bit "blah".  Thought for sure that I'd just picked up another daycare cold and that I'd suffer through it.  The next day, Monday, I felt awful.  I made it through the day, but left the last session early to go rest.  I ordered room service for dinner.  A bowl of clam chowder and a roll... which would last me for the next two days of meals.

Sick in my beautiful, coastal hotel room

Tuesday I went down to the conference for breakfast, but had to leave about half an hour into the first keynote session... and spent the rest of the day in bed with what I'm assuming were chills and aches from a fever.  Wednesday morning I didn't even try.  I just got out of bed, packed up my stuff, and drove home... hoping that I could make it back safety.

On Thursday I went to the doctor.  He looked, listened, etc, etc. and told me that I had Bronchitis.  He pretty much told me that I had to suffer through it and that it would go away eventually.  BUT if I got symptom A, B, or C to come back.  I never got any of these additional symptoms, but by Monday I was still feeling AWFUL.  I could barely move, I had an awful cough, I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep all day.  By this point I had been out of work for a week.  My daughter was getting a bit scared (she cried one morning and told my husband how much she missed her mommy).  So, that morning we dropped off the kids at daycare and I had Jacob take me to Urgent Care for a second opinion on this whole Bronchitis thing.

I don't know how long we waited in the waiting room.  As I mentioned, I just wanted to sleep.  I may have very well fallen asleep.  Everything around this stage in the story is a bit foggy.  When we were called back they did the usual scale, blood pressure, check oxygen level thing... but something wasn't right.  They checked my oxygen twice (I think with two different devices) and then called an ambulance.  With in minutes I was hooked up to an oxygen tank, in a hospital gown, on a gurney in the back of an ambulance headed to the ER.

Turns out that I had developed pneumonia and was in "respiratory failure" (this bit was not made clear to me until after I was released from the ICU).  My oxygen levels were in the mid-80% range.  Hospital staff refused to let me move for about 24 hours as every time I did my levels decreased.  I had a nose tub oxygenation device AND a face mask for the first day/night.  The doctor told me that if my levels didn't increase that they would have to intubate.  I took LOTS of deep breaths after that point and thankfully it never came to that.  But that first night was awful.  I couldn't sleep with all of the oxygen being pumped into my nose and mouth.  Plus I still had a horrible cough and "waking up" coughing in the middle of the night with a mask on your face leads to some real claustrophobic type of feelings.

View from the ICU

By the middle of the second day I was off of the face mask and finally walking around a little bit.  My oxygen levels had reached the mid-90% range, but I still had to wear my nose tubing while they slowly decreased the amount of oxygen that was getting pumped into me to make sure that my lungs were fully capable of working on their own.  The second night I only had to "sleep" with the nose tubes.  I was thankful.

Day three, I started walking up and down the halls with my nurse.  The nose tubes were removed and I was steadily breathing on my own again.  My oxygen levels stayed up there and so that doctors agreed that I could be discharged from the ICU and moved to a "regular" hospital room... where I spent my last night and got to take a shower (Hallelujah! I will never again to Urgent Care without taking a shower first!).

I was discharged the following day (Thursday) and was pretty much on bed rest for another week.  In the end, I was out of work for 3 weeks... and probably should have stayed out longer.  It took much more time than that for my lungs to strengthen up again (I had to skip another 5k that I'd signed up for, and put my workouts on hold for about 2 months while I recovered), plus, I lost about 15 pounds... in a week... and was really, really weak.  I have also been told that now I am more susceptible to developing pneumonia in the future, so that I have to be extra careful and cautious when I get ill.  I may end up buying myself one of those finger tip oxygen reader things... I don't want to ever repeat that experience again!

Goodbye hospital bed!

I was so thankful for Jacob and our child care provider during this whole process.  Jacob worked remotely from the hospital room in the mornings and then went to the office in the afternoons... and then came back in the evenings.  Our daycare provider kept the kids for two overnights so that Jacob could be there with me.  I was so thankful for that.  It gets pretty lonely in the ICU, especially when you don't really know/understand what's happening to you or how bad of a situation you are in.

When the nurse in my "regular" room told her colleague at shift change that I had been "admitted in respiratory failure" I'm sure that my heart skipped a beat.  I hadn't known that things were that bad... seeing an 80% reading on an oxygen monitor doesn't mean anything to a lay-person... at least, not to this one.

Facing My Fears!

This is by far not the most important of blog posts in terms of the catch up that I'm trying to do, but I think it is definitely worth including...

I got a tattoo!

For some, this is no big deal, for me, it is a HUGE accomplishment and milestone of me facing some pretty big fears.

I have been terrified of (some) needles for a very, very long time... almost phobic (my doctor's have actually prescribed me anti-anxiety medications before to assist with the need for blood draws/testing).  Ever since I was a kid, getting a blood draw (or other intrusive needle jabbing)--and sometimes just the THOUGHT of it--was usually accompanied by a fainting spell.  Passing out in doctor's chairs, car passenger seats, my dentists chair, a pre-op hospital bed, health class (yup...), while watching medical shows on TV... it was definitely a "thing".  One of my biggest concerns about ever getting pregnant was the sheer number of pre-natal blood tests and being connected to an IV in the hospital.

Over the years, I have figured out ways to combat my anxiety around this and have discovered different coping mechanisms that help.  But getting in front of a needle is not exactly my idea of a good time (I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 25... AFTER getting my nose pierced as my quarter-century birthday-present-to-me/act of personal rebellion... I figured it was just one hole/needle rather than two! lol).

That being said, I have been thinking about getting a tattoo for YEARS.  In fact, a few months before I made the consultation appointment with the artist I got a Timehop flashback from FOUR YEARS AGO saying something around the lines of "I really want to get a tattoo!" =)  I figured that it was time. 

I'd been thinking about what I wanted for a pretty long time, and had been searching around Yelp/Google/Reviews/etc for artists and shops in the area... but I just hadn't pulled the trigger.  Then, a friend of mine got the name of an artist that she thought would do a good job... and Jacob said that he would finally get "his" tattoo, too!  So, we made it a sort of 5-year wedding anniversary adventure and gave up our tattoo virginities at the same time.  =)

I had a pretty good sense of what I wanted from my tattoo, but needed something designed.  I am very happy with the results!  The image is a floral "timeline".  The first flower, the Morning Glory, is a birth month flower for September (both Jacob and I were born in September), the Sunflower was our wedding flower.  The Sweet Pea ins April's flower (Emily's birth month) and the orange flower, a Cosmos (or could also double as a marigold, is for October, when Sam was born.

Jacob had a friend design his (based on line art that he had already created).  The symbol signifies a childhood nickname.  And also his online gaming persona.  ;)

Overall, I am very happy with the final products.  And am happy to report that I didn't pass out AT ALL!  That is a HUGE win!  It went so well (and didn't hurt nearly as much as I was expecting), that I'm already wondering what my next one will be.  ;)

My (Other) Baby Turns 1!

OK, actually, he just turned 13 months... I'm a bit behind with my life recaps (we've been busy, I swear!) but here is a cute kid photo dump of Sam's first birthday party last month!  His actual birthday double as CLOSING DAY for our new house, and so his birthday party the following week was kind of an open house for family and friends as well.  =)  Much to celebrate!

Sam was actually pretty tentative with the cake.  We didn't get the traditional "smash" that we were hoping for.  In fact, Jacob had to put Cheerios on it just to get Sam to put the frosting in his mouth! lol

Hypocrite Much? ;)

As I'm sitting here in a coffee shop eating a chocolate chip-raspberry muffin and drinking a brown sugar chai, I think this may be the appropriate time to talk about my weight loss and fitness progress and goals.  ;)

I have battled with my weight for YEARS.  I like to blame it on my kids/pregnancies, but that is by far not how/when it started.  In all honesty, I think it started when I finally found myself feeling safe, comfortable and happy (ironic, huh?)... when I was in my mid 20s.  (It may have started earlier than that, but thinking back and seeing myself in pictures in high school/college/graduation/etc, I didn't start to balloon until after I graduated from college).  I have discovered that my body is REALLY good at gaining weight.  But it's also pretty good at losing it... thus lots of fluctuation over the years (and lots of piles of pants that are either too big or two small in my closet).

When I got my first job post-grad school I was at my highest weight.  I hated to admit the numbers on the scale and mostly just ignored them (and had been doing so for months--maybe years--I'm sure).  My now-husband had also proposed to me just a few months prior to this point, and I knew that I wanted to drop some inches before my wedding day.  So, I did.  Between a counting calories routine and getting some exercise (though more of the former and less of latter, to be honest), I dropped 30 lbs in 8 months.  My dress had to be altered a lot (and the seamstress even commented on the fact that I bought too big of a dress size... I told her it was my "fault" for dropping the weight).

When I got pregnant roughly a year later, I was only up about 5-10 lbs from wedding weight... but then I gained a TON during pregnancy (too many brownies) and my daughter wasn't nearly chubby enough to take the bulk of it with her.  ;)  About a year after she was born, I was at my NEW highest weight (by about 15 lbs, I think) and felt awful.  So, I started the food diary/calorie counting routine again and started to (attempt to) work out again.  I'll tell you though, working out with an infant/toddler at home after working 40 hours/week is REALLY difficult, both emotionally and physically).  

By February 2014 I was down roughly 25 lbs, had just fit back into my pre-prego jeans, was 5-10 lbs away from pre-prego weight (and about 15-20 lbs away from wedding weight) and was feeling pretty awesome!  And then, I found out that I was pregnant with my son.  FANTASTIC news for my husband and I and our families, but terrible news for my body.  As I mentioned before, my body is REALLY good at gaining weight.

With my son, I stopped paying attention to the scales at the doctor's office.  I tried to be "good" with my eating and only had MAYBE one or two chocolate milkshakes the entire time!  But, I still gained a lot of weight (much more than the "recommended" amount) and, after my son was born, I was right back to the beginning in terms of my post-prego weight loss with my daughter.  Only, this time, I had a goal... by my son's 1st birthday, I wanted to have dropped the weight!  So, I kicked my own ass into gear!

In May I joined a "Biggest Loser" challenge with a group of local moms.  It was great to have the weekly food and exercise challenges, as well as the encouragement from others.  In the 8ish weeks that the challenge occurred, I dropped roughly 13 lbs.

During the last 4 weeks of the challenge, the weather was started to get nicer, earlier so I started (again, for the third time) the Couch To 5k (C25k) running program.  I would go in the mornings before work (hello 5:30 am) and go for runs... something that I was NEVER good at, and always HATED... before now, and before I saw the weight loss results that running could have!  After the end of the Biggest Loser challenge I continued the C25k program and signed up for another 5k (I signed up for one with my sister in law at the beginning of the summer, but don't really count that one as I walked the majority of the course).

I had a new goal... no longer was my goal to "lose weight", but rather to RUN a 5k.  And I was determined to do so by the race in August.

And I DID IT!  Not only did a RUN the entire thing, but I took something like 11 minutes off my time from the first (walked) race... and finished in the middle of my age division.  Did you hear that?  The MIDDLE!  Not the END!  The amount of pride that I felt in myself was unbelievable. And, as an extra bonus, I'd lost another 10 lbs or so.

I decided to sign up for another 5k a couple months later, in early October.  I continued to run with a goal to improve my time and do it for enjoyment (running on the beach is awesome!)

About a month in, something totally came in and ruined my plans... I got pneumonia.  I was hospitalized for several days (more on this later) and it just completed kicked my butt and knocked me out.  It was absolutely awful (more on this later)  That being said... I lost about 15 lbs... in less than a week, and found myself at pre-prego weight before little man's 1st birthday.  Silver lining?

Though I was down pounds-wise, I didn't feel strong anymore.  I felt so, so weak..

It's been almost 2 months since I was discharged from the hospital.  I have gained back about 6 lbs (I am ok with that for now, as I know that my body wasn't ready to lose it), and just started running around last week.  I have signed up for a 5k in March and am looking forward to the cold, wet asphalt and my ability to, once again, see my body in action and feel strong and accomplished.  Also, hoping to get back down to pre-Sam weight, followed by pre-Emily weight, followed by (dare I say?) wedding weight.  ;)

Our New Normal

There is been a bit of radio silence on this blog recently... mostly it's because life's been nuts (in addition to the general nuttiness of having two small children).  The Corey family has decided to change things up a bit... rather drastically.  

The whole thing started this summer when Jacob was offered, accepted and started a new job in Vancouver, on the other side of the river, in another state, with different taxes.  Jacob started talking about wanting to move as it would effect his take-home income, but my job and our (awesome) child care situation was holding us back.  Then, in August, you may remember my post about not getting a promotion that I really thought I had a high chance of getting... and was really the carrot at the end of the stick in terms of my then-current position.  

I had an epiphany at that point... I was, once again, "stuck" in a position that I didn't really want to do, for less than 1/3 of what Jacob was getting paid for a job that he loves (and would bring home more from if we moved to Vancouver due to the lack of income tax).  I was spending about 3 hours per weekday with my kids, 2 hours of which was stressing everyone out by trying to get them out the door in time for Jacob and I to get to work or trying to get them to bed.  I never had any energy on the weekends, was commuting roughly 1.5-2 hours per day (same for Jacob) between work and shuttling kids to daycare.  It just didn't make sense anymore.  I have always enjoyed my work and really cared about it's mission... which I still do.  But I couldn't make the argument anymore that I was continuing to work for my family and for myself... it wasn't true anymore.

So, in August, we found a house that we loved in Vancouver and put in an offer.  We put our house on the market.  We got an offer in September, and moved in October, the week before Sam's birthday and in November I finished working to stay home, raise my children, and manage our household. 

 This post was going to be about the process of the home purchase/move and our stumbling blocks... that's what I intended to write about when I started.  But the post has taken a different course, and I'm going to allow it to do so.  I'll tell you all more about the move later, but for now let me just tell you how amazing it is not to have wake up a sleepy 3-year old when it's still dark outside (when she REALLY doesn't want to open her eyes), skip breakfast EVERY morning because there just isn't enough time to get everything done, not eat dinner until 7:00/7:30 because I can't actually start cooking until 6:00, spend more than an hour a day listening to my children laugh and play, go to the store on a Tuesday afternoon when there are no lines, take my kids to the library and week day play grounds.  Jacob is loving it, too.  He can sleep/leave a little later in the morning (and in a better mood!), can come home on his lunch breaks to hang out with us, and is home about an hour earlier every night than he has been for the last 3 years... it's only day 4 (and, truth be told, today is my "me/errands day" and they are actually with the sitter while I go grocery shopping and run other errands - while still taking a Starbucks break for some peppermint hot chocolate and blog catch ups) but so far I'm not regretting my decision at all, and believe that we made the best choice for our family.  I am very much looking forward to seeing what our new "normal" is going to be like.  =)

12 Months!

Weight/Length- Your dad took you to your 12 month appointment... and forgot to remember/write down your stats!  So I had to call the doctor's office yesterday to get them.  =)  You are currently 23 lbs, 10 oz. and 30" "long" (I consider it "tall" now as you are walking around, but doctor still calls it "long").  Still mid-range with height (54 percentile) and above average with weight (80-something) and head circumference (70-something), but you are starting to even out a bit.  ;)

Eating- Pretty much everything that I wrote for this category last month could be written again.  Still a picky eater (we had to put cheerios ON YOUR BIRTHDAY CAKE just so you would taste it!).  Trying to offer you more and more table foods, but still resorting to cheerios and baby snack food thingies to get SOMETHING in your stomach during meal times.  Really hope that this stage passes soon!

Teeth-  I *think* (hope!) that you are currently teething.  You're moody, clingy, whiny and have a runny nose.  I really hoping your first molars are the reason...

Sleep- You've been getting to bed a little earlier these days, around 7:30.  Wake up is anywhere between 6:30 and 7:15 generally (more often closer to the 6:30).

 Clothes-Can still fit in to most of your 9 months clothes, but since we are unpacking (just moved!) I decided to phase out all of the 9 months (except pants, you little shorty) and pull in all your 12 month stuff.  You've got some cute, comfy sweats.  I'm jealous.

Personality- See above... whiny, moody, clingy... and starting to through tantrums when you don't get what you want.  Woo hoo to the toddler years! lol.  Pretty much your fits break down to the fact hat you want to be eye level with mommy (and sometimes daddy).  Which means that we either need to be down on the ground with you (at which point you tend to ignore us and play with whatever toy is down there, too, and check in every few minutes for a hug before you go on your way) or you want to be up in our arms so that you're up high, too.  This is starting to get painful... you're a big guy and I can only do so much one handed!  (And I can't cook dinner while sitting on the floor!)

Likes/Dislikes-

-You like running around with/chasing your sister and LAUGHING hysterically when she "chases" you, too.
- You like playing catch with a ball and rolling your cars/trucks across the floor.
- You like opening and closing doors... I'm just so worried about your little fingers!
- You like chasing the kitty around and "petting him"... he's not so much a fan of this new stage.  ;)

-You don't like playing by yourself.  You want someone with you, even if they are just sitting on the floor doing something else.
- You don't like not being able to go up and down the stairs like your sister! 
- You don't like the fact that mom won't let you walk/run and eat at the same time.  "Places to go, woman!"

Milestones-

- First haircut!  Check out the difference between weeks 51 and 52 below.  ;)
- First swim lessons!  You got upset when I wouldn't let you lap up the water... off the deck floor.  =P
- First time moving!  More to dome on this later!  I think you like the new house... so much more room to run around with your sister!

10... and 11... Months

*These last couple of months have been nuts... and Sam's growth progression blog posts have suffered.  =(  I'm hoping to write more about it later, but in the last couple of months we've put our house on the market, started the process of buying a new house, had two work trips (one for Jacob and one for me) and two bouts of pneumonia (also one each), both ending up in hospital visits.  So.. better late than never?



Weight/Length- Not sure on current stats... I'm assuming not much different than your 9 month appt... seeing as you're STILL able to get squeezed into some of your 6 month clothes...

Eating- You are a goober when it comes to food.  You'll put anything in your month... if it's not supposed to be there.  Food though, you poke at, taste, and then throw on the floor (at which point you'll eat it, off the floor, at a later time).  You're all about the cheerios and the goldfish... trying hard to introduce more a variety of foods, especially since you're getting so close to your first birthday!

Teeth-  You JUST got a couple more teeth this month, bringing the total up to 8... 4 each on bottom and top!

Sleep- Go to bed at 8, wake up sometime between 6:30 and 7:30 (though usually closer to the 6:30 mark).  The other morning though, you were up at 5:15!  We were not having that, so I gave you a toy and you talked to yourself until 6:00.

 Clothes-Primarily wearing 9 month clothes... with the occasional 12 (and 6) month item thrown in.  You have several cute fall shirts and pants, so looking forward to the weather cooling down so that we can mix it up a bit.  =)

Personality- This last month I went on a three day work trip, followed by being sick on the couch/in bed for four days, followed by 3 days in the hospital... by the time I came home you seemed to have gotten over the "only mommy" stage.  I miss it sometimes... but I'm SOO grateful to be able to sit down and/or go to the bathroom by myself on occasion!  You are still a very happy little guy, and very vocal!  You talk to yourself a lot!

Likes/Dislikes-

-You like electronics... cell phones, tablets, remote controls... you are going to be your daddy's little side kick!
- You LOVE your sister!  You two are finally starting to be able to play together (though sometimes she gets a little rough and makes me nervous).  You two giggle and roll around... it's so cute.  I'm so happy that you'll have a sibling to love you!
- You like cheerios... a lot.  Sometimes I'll put you in your high chair with a handful of cheerios just so I can get stuff down in the kitchen... I'm sorry for any issues that may cause you later in life.  ;)
- You LOVE trucks/cars/anything with wheels.  You will zip around the house pushing a toy car.  It's so funny how gender conforming you and your sister both are... even though we definitely didn't push either of you in that way.

-You don't like sitting still.  You have to be moving around... even if you don't really know where you want to be/what you want to be doing.
- You don't like trying new foods... you give them some pretty funny looks!
- You don't like laying down long enough for a diaper change.  It's getting a bit challenging to change your diaper, and I've had to resort to doing it on your bedroom floor a couple of times recently as I'm so afraid that you're going to fall off the changing table!

Milestones-

- First you stood by yourself for a few seconds without holding on to anything.  Then you took a pivot step or two to get from couch to ottoman, etc.  As of a couple of days ago though, you are WALKING!  Toddling around all over the place (unless your dad is trying to get a video... and then you are quite uncooperative!).  So, you started walking just before your 11 month mark!
- First time visiting someone in the hospital (me... ugh).
- First Powwow.  I had to work, so your dad brought you and Emily to check it out.
- First times being away from mom and dad over night... first so that we could go on a long weekend trip for our 5 year wedding anniversary in August (you stayed with Grandma and Grandpa), and then so dad could be with me in the hospital for a little while (you stayed at daycare over night).

Taking Risks

This post is about 10 months in the making.  I was waiting to write about it until it had an "end"....  it still hasn't reached that point, so here I am, to write what I know, while I still remember it.  =)

Toward the end of my pregnancy with Sam I was 95% certain that I wouldn't be returning to my job.  I hadn't truly been happy there since Emily was born.  I felt that the job (and the commute to get to the job) kept me away from my kids/family too much... and it was just generally a pain the ass anyway.  Riding the max/bus for 2-3 hours each day for five years... I had had enough.  I figured that maternity leave would give me a good chunk of time to look for a new job and get something lined up for when it was time to go back.

Of course, I didn't tell my current job that I wasn't planning to come back.  They were already treating me differently with just their assumptions that I wouldn't be... and I didn't want to risk my benefits, etc., while I was out on leave.

Just a couple of weeks before my maternity leave started, a couple of directors from another, similar program met with boss to talk about how we ran our program and kept things on track in terms of federal required outcomes and such.  My boss, calling me the "data guru" pulled me into the meeting so that I could help answer their questions.  I left that meeting thing, "well... that was dumb" with the knowledge that a struggling program had just heard from my boss that I'm awesome and do a lot to keep the program on track.

Fast forward to December.  I was on maternity leave, and was starting to look for jobs while Sam napped.  I had put out several applications, and decided to e-mail the two directors that I had met with previously.  I let them know that I was looking for something a bit more on a management track, and asked if they had decided to create a management position for their program.  I didn't hear anything back from them, but I did get an interview at another agency as a housing case manager and personal finance instructor.

I nailed the interview.  And the second interview.  They offered me the position, and I accepted.  I was set to start in the middle of January.  I gave my job notice that I wouldn't be returning.

And then I got a phone call from the OTHER program.  They wanted to bring me in for a "meeting".  I agreed.  We met.  We talked about what types of things I'd done for my last job.  They were surprised that I didn't have a more representative title based on the work that I was doing.  They told me about their program and the challenges they were facing with staffing and structure.  They told me that they were still trying to figure out the staffing structure for the program, that they planned to hire on a manager, and that I'd be a great candidate, but that they weren't quite "there" with budgets, etc.  The asked me in what capacity (and for what wage) I'd be willing to work.  They asked if I'd be interested in coming on as an independent contractor for a few months to get the program on track.  I told them that it would be something that I'd consider, but also informed that that I'd already accepted another position so would need to know something/make a decision soon.  They understood and said that they would get back to me the following week.

The "following week" would have been the week of Christmas, and I a week before I was set to start my new job.  I didn't want to be the jerk that gives them less than a week's notice that, "surprise!  The person that you hired for the position isn't going to be showing up on Monday after all!"... and I felt pretty good about the other meeting... and, as Jacob said, I was a lot more excited talking about the possibilities there than I was talking about the case management gig.  So... I took a risk.  Without even hearing back from the potential, short-term independent contractor gig, I turned down the new job... and crossed my fingers.

Thankfully, I was offered the contract position... and, of course, I accepted.  I kicked ass.  I got the program in order, helped them hire a new staff, redesigned the structure of the program and built an entire 3-week employment prep curriculum that has ultimately led to doubling program enrollments.  My boss referred to me as a "God send" on several occasions.  Our federal contract liaison congratulated them on getting me on board.  After the three month stint, they offered me a permanent position as the program coordinator... still not a "manager", and still, really, doing the same work that I've been doing for the last several years, but at least the title and pay were more in line with the duties, so I accepted it.  They continued to tell me that they were going to hire a manager (and that they hoped I'd apply), but that they needed to wait until the new funding year (July) when budgets would be refreshed.  So, I waited.

Last month the manager position opened.  Before I submitted my application I sat down with my boss and asked if she still thought I'd be a good fit for the position.  She did.  I applied.  I interviewed.  I waited.  I didn't get it.  The woman that did get the position has been with the agency for several years and is of the culture that the agency represents (it's a culturally specific organization).  So, I wasn't completely surprised.  My boss told me that it was a hard decision, and that she sees a lot of potential in my and room for growth within the agency.  I was a bit disappointed... both about not getting the position, and also in the fact that it seems that my career has kind of plateaued at the program coordinator/direct service level.

I took many risks when I decided to leave my last position.  And I don't regret a single one of them.  This story hasn't ended the way I hoped or expected it to, but that just means that there are more stories, and more risks to come...

9 Months!

*What do I do when I get a babysitter and a couple of hours to myself on a Sunday afternoon?  Go to Shari's, eat pie and catch up on week-late blog posts... such a wild life I lead...  ;)

OK... so Sam, you turned 9 months a week ago.  This summer and been busy and exhausting... I'm sorry about being late, but I'm just happy that I remembered to take all of the photos.  ;)

Weight/Length- At your 9 month appointment you measured in at 27.75" and 21 lbs 10.5 oz... That puts you in the 81st percentile for weight and 23rd for height.  My short, squat little man.  ;)

Eating- Trying to introduce more table foods now.  You love breads, your teething biscuits, blueberries (in your little mesh pouch thing), cereal, occasionally bananas... and anything on the floor.  You still refuse to let mom or dad feed you, as you seem to be just as independent as your sister was at this age! 

Teeth-  We're up to 6!  Four on top and two on the bottom.

Sleep- Sleeping through the night (for the most part!)  Hip Hip Hooray!!!  We did a few days of the dreaded 4 am night weaning, and now you're sleeping form 8ish to 6:30ish.  I hate getting up at 6:30 on a Saturday, but at least I'm not up at 4 every morning for a bottle break!

 Clothes- i don't know that you've changed much since last month... going back and forth between 6 and 9 month stuff.  Your 6 month stuff may be getting a LITTLE snug, but more in girth than length.  ;)

Personality- You have reached the dreaded "I don't want anyone else if mommy is in the room" stage.  It's a big exhausting.  I love that you love to love on me... but I'm tired and sometimes want to sit down with my feet up without having to hide in another room.  ;)

Likes/Dislikes-

-You like to move.  You want to be standing and "walking" (even though you can't walk on your own yet).  You've started to find objects that move (plastic patio chairs) and will use them to "walk" around.  I wonder how long it's going to be before you're running around with your sister...
- You LOVE your sister.  I'm so happy that the two of you get along so well.  She loves her "baby" and will let you crawl all over her (and only gets upset with you pull her hair).
- You like exploring and observing new surroundings.  Watching cars go by, checking out the doctor's office... doesn't matter.  You want to see what there is to see!

-You don't like hanging out with other people if mom is in the room.
- You don't like getting OUT of the bath tub.  You have way too much fun playing in there!
- You don't like laying still to get your diaper changed.  We have to bribe you with some kind of a toy so that you don't heave yourself off the changing table or stick a hand in something disgusting.

Milestones-

- First camping trip... and first trip to the beach!  You loved wandering around the beach... but weren't too fond of mom and dad blocking you from eating the sand.
- First Fourth of July.... didn't mean much to you though.  You slept.  ;)
- First time eating at a food cart... I think.  =)  You shared your sister's quesadillas.