Loyalty

I need to get this all down on paper - so here goes ....

I moved to your average city in Kansas 6 months after I met DH on a blind date on New Years Eve.  I knew that this relationship was going places, so after much discussion with DH & prayer, he liked the town he was currently in, so I would just find a job there.  So I sent out resumes to all the Cabinet places in town (I was in luck, there were about 7-8).  No one really was hiring, but I did follow up on calls to all the people I sent resumes to.  I had interviews at two places.  One was a small Mom & Pop Cabinet Showroom, where they sold Cabinets, Countertops, etc.  The other was at a Builder Supply store (and a pretty crappy one at that).   When I was offered the job at the Mom & Pop Showroom, I accepted & was excited about working there.  They even drove their delivery truck up the 3 hours to where I currently lived to help me make the move, helped pack & drove my furniture back.

I have learned a lot these last 7-1/2 years (it will be 8 years in June).  I've had a great teacher in the "Pop" that owned the shop & have (mostly) enjoyed all the customers & am very confident that I am a great Kitchen & Bath Designer.  I'm not trying to toot my own horn & look down my nose at others, but I think I do a thorough, complete, efficient, proficient job.  It is not award certified, I'm sure, but I do have a lot of happy customers as a result.

As we were growing the business, M (the "Pop") was the lead designer & his wife, L (the "Mom"), was the book keeper & helped with customers.  M's health wasn't great, as he's had heart trouble, foot trouble, back trouble ... you name it.  I quickly learned the ropes and became the "go-to" person in the company for getting answers to questions, designing, quoting, ordering, project management & all customer relations.  By the end of my second year, I was working til 7 or 8 (sometimes even 9) at night on quoting & designing, just to keep up with quotes, while M & L went home at 5-6 pm.  DH & I ate out all the time as I didn't feel like cooking when I got home, so we ended up weighing more than ever.  It didn't do wonders for our marriage, as we never seemed to see each other.

After about a year or more of this, I was getting burnt out & feeling overwhelmed.  M & L began to look for another designer to come on board to help me out.  We hired a young designer from the same college in Nebraska that I went to, who soon moved to our town with family (including two young children).  In the last 4 years, she has been a big help & blessing, as well as a great friend.  She grew up 1/2 hour north of where I grew up, so we have the same background & current weekend travel schedule when it comes to family.  I really like her & we have got along great.  

Over the years, we've always had troubles with getting a good Installer to be on-staff or reliable to install our products.  For a few years, we had a great guy who was easy to get along with.  Then he and his wife went through a divorce & he was never the same.  He ended up throwing a few people in our company under the bus in front of customers & that just wasn't right.  M, the owner, wanted someone that he could have run the company so he could retire for health reasons.  So he found this next guy ... This next guy was hired (he is a cousin of M, the owner), but he just recently is giving his two weeks.  This guy never put in more effort than it took to get the job done.  He didn't want to work nights or weekends or organize anything in the warehouse in regard to being efficient.  I was primarily "in charge" while he got the big bucks.  He was intolerable for us until ... the owner hired his son, J!  

J has been a shop teacher the last 15 years & installed Cabinets & Tops for his dad prior to that.  J also coaches football, wrestling & track at a small-town high school about 20 minutes away.  What that means is that J leaves about 3 pm everyday to go coach the sport of the season, while "making up" his hours at another time.  I do not believe he makes up the hours.  I have not ever seen him in on weekends when he wasn't pressured into getting a job done because he procrastinated too long.  While J has been great about organization, he does it when HE wants to, not when it should be done in regard to customer jobs.  He put off building or installing Customer projects while he spent 2 weeks organizing the warehouse.  That should be done on his OFF-time, not during business hours.  J also is a pretty big know-it-all, as he is always giving his opinion of how things should be done (which is fine if I ask for it, but it is not fine in front of customers to talk over them to "do things this way").  He also wants to do things his way in the Showroom, instead of asking how things have been done, what works best & then deciding that if his way is better (or worse), adapting accordingly.  I have been a very knowledgeable source of information as I've been at the company the last 7-1/2 years practically running our day-to-day & install schedule, but he doesn't ask me anything.  He wants to re-invent the wheel, but I don't know why he wants to, other than to "prove it can be done."  I know what works & what hasn't, but it makes no difference.  

J had thrown me under the bus a few weeks ago, saying that a customer delivery error was my fault (it probably was, and if you know me, I would readily own up to that myself), when he could have just said, "I'm sorry that this was messed up."  The customer was a repeat builder who is very nice & I have a great relationship with him.  Instead, he said, "It is not MY fault.  It is AIHPT's fault.  SHE wrote the ticket wrong."  Also, as we are trying to come up with branding jingles for the business (this has NEVER been done!), there was an idea about a line that I thought I'd dreamt up & it sounded good.  When talking with the man who will actually put together the jingle, my friend the other designer, said that I had thought it up.  To which I replied, "oh, it is a blend of all our ideas, I just put it down on paper."  To which J said, "I came up with that."  Seriously!?!??   

As you all know, we had a major snow storm come through the Mid-West the last few days.  The owners are pretty hard-core about working no matter the weather, but we stayed actually home from work on Thursday, as it was still snowing & we didn't know how much it would accumulate.  Oh ... and also ... guess who wasn't around for the snow (and its removal)?  J (the son) wasn't there because he is a wrestling coach & they left Wednesday at 3 pm (2 days ahead of schedule) to head to their state tourney.  So he hasn't been at work or even working off-site since Wednesday at 3 pm.  As a result, there's no one to blow the snow off the parking lot so we can actually drive in without getting stranded or scoop the sidewalks at work (I do NOT consider snow removal a part of my job, especially if they want quotes done.  Pick a horse, people!).  J also wasn't there last weekend when we had our local Home Show and we had to work 3-9 on Friday & 9-8 on Saturday.  Now by "we", I mean that the only two people that worked were myself & the other designer.  All day.  And we have young children.  J was at a wrestling thingy and couldn't be there.  But he did come in at the end of us tearing things down.  And he is going to purchase this company in June.  Nice of him, huh?  

Back to the snow.  So .... I get a text from the other designer last night saying that the owners have called off work today because of the drifts, there is no one to remove snow, etc.  Then at 12:45 pm today, M calls me and says, "L is mad that there is no one at the Showroom & we are going to get behind on Quotes.  We need to get in there this afternoon & get to work"  I'm blown away.  Huh?  Where did this come from?  Luke is in the other room taking a nap, I'm showered, but not dressed or any makeup on, I'm doing Laundry, etc.  And I need to drop it all to go into work ... now??!!??  I explain to him that I hadn't heard anything from him ABOUT working today & this is kind of short notice, as I told day care that Luke wasn't coming in today, but I guess we can get ready and get out there.  Then M calls me back & says not to worry about coming in today, L will stay at the store, but I & the other designer need to come into work tomorrow & make up our hours & get Quotes done.  ... But ... we HAVE been getting Quotes done.  We both took home projects to work on during the snow storm & I personally have been working on those during Luke's nap times & late at night when I could have been goofing off.  I know I've put at least 1-1/2 days in so far.  But one thing's for sure, if L's mad, then no one's happy.  M is the head of the company, but L is the neck that turns the head, if you know what I mean. 

About 3-4 years ago, M & L decided that they wanted to work more part time than they had been doing for the last 5-10 years, so they came in every other day or so.  Then it drizzled down to every 2 days, then every 3 days.  Now, we see L maybe once a week, if that, for a few hours to do her bookkeeping.  M hasn't been in the Showroom much since his son J started in June.  The problem with that is that when we made the most as a company, we had M, L, me, the other designer & an installer, all working in the showroom full time.  Now, we have me, the other designer & their son J (when he is not at his sports events), but we are expected to still work & perform the same output as when we had 5 people.  Ummm, I'm bad at math, but even I will tell you that it ain't going to work.  All the owners (and future owner-to-be, J) want the income, but they don't want to be there - or replace themselves with another valuable employee.

It is frustrating when you give a company your all, and then it starts to go downhill.  In June, when the son J is taking over, J wants to hire his BIL to come work for us.  Problem is ... his BIL works for J's uncle (M's brother) at the small shop that builds our Custom Cabinets (you got this all straight?!?).  If J takes his BIL from his uncle, he is taking a major part of that company away.  What BIL does is most of the same things that I do ... design, quote, sell & manage jobs, but also he can build Cabinets too.  What I'm worried about is that J & BIL will be out doing their own thing, on their own time, while myself & the other designer will have to try and keep them on schedule.  Have you tried to manage a man who is 10 or 20 years older into doing what you, a younger person (and a woman to boot) wants to have done?  It is like herding cats.  J is pretty headstrong & has BIL wrapped around his little finger.  In our handbook, it states to "not hire family," yet that is all we've been doing!  Only myself & the other designer haven't been related to the owner & his family.  Family business = Family drama.

I guess I give you the background I do to tell you this:  I am considering applying to a Kitchen & Bath Showroom back in my home town.  Since Luke was born, it has been on my heart more to eventually move back closer to home so that Luke could see his grandparents more & we have babysitters (!!) with the aunts & uncles and then when other cousins come along, he will have some playmates.  As I was thinking today (due to all of my work developments, as well as DH not liking his job) while watching Luke & doing laundry, I thought of the perfect rental house that we could move into if we moved back to my hometown soon.  My sister & BIL bought my grandma's house (who died in November) and are fixing it up for a rental house.  They hope to have it rented shortly - maybe by March.  It would be close to home (same town as my entire family) and close to my in-laws (they come to my hometown to shop, as their town is so small).  

I was a little excited about that thought, texted DH about it, then thought that - ok, we need to have income, we just can't pick up and move.  So I said a prayer & asked God if he thought this was a good idea for our family, to let me know what to do.  A little while later, I was curious about what jobs might be available, so I opened up our laptop while Luke was playing & started searching for jobs for DH close to my hometown.  He is a designer/drafter, so I searched for that.  Lo and behold, there was an ad in today's paper for a "multi-tasker" in one of the local Kitchen Showrooms.  I thought that I would maybe talk to DH about this when he got home & see what he thought.  Then a few minutes later, I saw a more thorough job description for another job on Monster dot com in my hometown.  That was even more up my alley.  I began to get a little more excited!  This was God, showing me a new direction, right?!??

PROS to Moving:

 - Being close to family (both immediate & in-laws) & friends

 - Being able to save money / time / mental health / Luke's sanity on traveling once a month for 2 or 2-1/2 straight days and never seeing everyone enough / splitting the time equally

 - Initially renting, but in the end, getting a smaller house (& payment) so DH can stay home with Luke & work on expanding his side business & income (JBTC - you'll love this!!!  :-D)

 - Being close to a Runza again (LOL - it is yummy fast food (like beer rocks) & I used to work there)

 - Being back in a good traditional Catholic parish

 - Maybe our next adoption happens in NE?

CONS to Moving:

- Leaving my job (they just bought me a new computer at work)

- Leaving my house

- Leaving Luke's birth family (we would still come down to visit 3-4 x per year.  I plan on staying in touch 110%.  Also, we are currently FBook friends with his birthmom & birthmom's boyfriend)

- Being close to family  :-)  (sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder)

- Moving & packing

- All the unsettled, new things a new job brings

- Finding a new adoption agency

- Being away from the NaPro doc that led me to PPVI (but if we adopt, it doesn't matter much, other than I do have her as our family doc & like her a lot) 

I was excited about the whole new job / moving home for awhile, until I thought about leaving the company I've worked for & also our home.  The wonderful thing about the owners M&L is that they have been very generous to me over the years (they are not bad people, despite the bad things I've written here, rather they are very nice & pleasant most of the time).  When remodeling our home, we haven't paid for a single cabinet, countertop or shower that we've installed, and we've remodeled our entire house (I have worked a bunch of overtime for years that wasn't paid for, as I was salary, so DH says I worked for it.  I was always taught by my dad to work & perform as if you owned the company).  When I had Luke, I did get paid maternity leave for 6 weeks (which my friend, the other designer, says they grumbled about me taking so much time off while I was gone, as you cannot have 1 designer doing 2 people's work), but for our next child, I will get unpaid maternity leave, as they said "they can't afford it" (which is odd, as L still earns full salary + profits comparable to what I make for doing a few hours worth of work each week - yes, I know, perks of being an owner).  However, in August, they removed my 401K benefit & their contribution to it because it "cost too much", and then said, "oh, we'll give you a bonus to compensate for our missing contribution," which hasn't happened yet.

They also haven't kept their promises very well on promotion.  I've been told I was going to be a Vice President of the company (which doesn't mean very much when there are only 3-4 people), but still ... why say something & then never follow through ... just don't say anything to me at all!  I've been told since October that we are going to see how well the company performs (get our 3rd quarter stats on Profit & Loss) & get final year-end info on how well we did for 2012, but we have yet to see any information about that (they do share stuff with us on performance, who our biggest clients are, etc), but there is no "big game plan" for what to do to improve the company (like, how about we do "x" and "y" for sales improvement).  The owners are just absent most of the time, so they don't see what goes on & what needs to happen.  And with their son J being in it half-heartedly (it seems), I don't think it will get better.  There are also no employee reviews or compensation package available.  Just salary, which is 40 hours + working Saturdays (9-4) as needed, so some weeks, that is  47 hours with no day off the following week.  You just work extra.  No health insurance.  No 401K.  No paid maternity (the other gal is mad, as she wants to try and have another child).  

I'm torn on my loyalty for the company vs. what's good for my family (which I feel is moving home), feeling like I'm jumping ship (if I quit, the other designer will soon follow, as she also wants to leave too for the above reasons, but BIL will come on board, so they're not totally screwed), afraid of disappointing the owners & having them mad at me after all they've done for me, sad for missing my repeat builder customers & knowing that I do my job well, hating that I would go from "top dog" down to "low dog" again, afraid / sad of leaving the life & city I've known for the last 7-1/2 years, leaving my beautiful house (yes, there IS always another), hating to pack & move & say goodbye ... it is just ... I HATE change!  I'm also a people pleaser, a pessimist & a worry-wart (lets play the "worst case scenario" game - or the "I have a plan for "x,y,z" game.  DH hates both).  Granted, I have YET TO APPLY, but my mind is racing & I can't sleep.  If you have any prayers or advice on how to make a decision like this, I'd welcome them both.

Novena for Pope Benedict

This Novena will begin on Tuesday, February 19, and end on the last day of the month (the Pope's last day). We will pray for Pope Benedict as he steps down from the Chair of Peter. There will be a separate novena for the election of his successor.

Here is the Link for the Novena.  If you sign up for the daily emails, you will not forget to pray each day.  Please pray for the Pope!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, we got the call that changed our lives forever ... an expectant mother had chosen us to be parents for her son, due April 1st. As I sat today & thought of the blessing bestowed on our family this year in the form of Luke & his birth family, we could not have a better son & extended family in our lives. Luke was the balm for my bitter, broken heart. Oh, how we had waited & prayed for this moment!!!
Knowing that so many of you still wait for the day a little one comes into your lives, I continue to keep you in prayer as God continues to write your journeys. I pray for the happiness I have experienced this last year to be shared in your families soon.

Help Micah's Adoption Happen

While I do not know this couple personally, they have a whirlwind of a journey to become parents. Here is their link & their story. Lets pray they can raise the funds to adopt their son Micah.

http://m.facebook.com/pages/Tim-and-Juli-Shafer-Adoption/255550247904970?id=255550247904970&_rdr#!/profile.php?id=255550247904970&__user=747864508



Dear Family and Friends,
As many of you know, it has been a desire of Tim and mine to have a family. For 11 years we have trusted God to provide that family for us when He saw fit. This August Tim and I had talked about following through with testing and seeing where that would lead us. We also talked about the possibility of adoption.
Then a miracle started to happen. On October 13th we had a lady in our church approach us asking if we knew anyone who could help a young lady she knew who was pregnant. Tim told her to talk to me, as I grew up volunteering for Bethany Christian Services, a Christian adoption agency. I gave her all the information I had and also my phone number. I let her know that I would love to answer any questions this young lady may have.
On October 21st the pregnant young lady came to church and wanted to speak with me. I went over to introduce myself and we went into a room to talk. As I explained about the adoption agency and how the process worked she just sat quietly. After I got done talking she looked at me and said, “I know you two have wanted to have a family and don’t have one yet. I want you to take my baby. I’m due November 9th and it’s a boy.” I just sat there in shock. My only reply was, “I will talk to Tim and we will pray about it. We will see if that is what God is leading us to do. But if I don’t feel led to take the baby I will help you find the perfect home for him.” She looked at me again and said, “I want you to have my baby.”
From then on it has been a whirlwind of emotions and praying. Trusting God to do what He felt was best. I contacted a friend of mine named Bonnie who used to work for Bethany Christian Services. I told her about the conversation that had taken place earlier that day. She agreed to meet with the birth mom on Monday, October 22nd. Bonnie talked to the birth mom for 3 hours and got her background, her emotional stability, health situation, etc. After meeting with her, Bonnie looked at Tim and said, “How serious are you?” We knew at that moment our lives could be changed forever.
Tim and I talked for hours about this new possibility of being parents. We prayed and sought God’s will in the whole situation. We felt God telling us this was His plan for us and the baby. A peace came over us and we knew from that moment on we were going to take this baby.
On Wednesday, October 24th I went with the birth mom to an ultrasound appointment. The doctor performing the ultrasound said that everything looked good. Then he dropped a bombshell on us. He told us that her water had broken and that the baby was coming tonight. I was in complete shock. We were barely ready for a baby coming on the 9th of November; we were not ready for a baby 3 days after meeting this young lady.
I texted Tim that the water had broken and the baby was coming tonight. Needless to say, he freaked out a little. Then he drove down to the hospital and was there waiting with myself and Bonnie.
Well, long story short, Micah Timothy came into the world at 9:40pm October 24th, 2012. He weighed 5 lbs 15oz and was 18” long. Talk about being instant parents. We had nothing for a baby, we thought we had a couple weeks to prepare, but God’s timing is perfect and He knew that we could handle Micah coming that night.
Here is where you come in. We would like to ask two things of you. First, we ask that you partner with us in prayer as we begin this new adventure. Pray that we can raise Micah to be a man who serves God and lives his life for Him. The second thing we ask is for you to consider partnering with us financially. It is going to cost about $10,000 to adopt Micah. With only 3 days’ notice we were not prepared for this financially. So, we are asking that you would consider making a donation to help us legally adopt baby Micah. Tax deductible donations can be made to Palm Canyon Community Church, 25550 Ironwood Ave., Moreno Valley, CA 92557. Please note “Micah” in the memo line.
As we look back over the last few weeks we can see God’s hand in the whole situation. We serve a powerful God who wants His people to have the desires of their hearts. We believe that God has called us to raise this baby and that He will ultimately provide for our needs.
Thanks so much for journeying with us as we start this new phase of life. Please do not feel obligated to give money. Your love and prayers are a great support to us and are much appreciated.
Love,
Tim and Juli Shafer

Luke's Room

Here's Luke, doing a Happy Dance in his crib - He loves to look at all the new stuff on the walls!

Door to the hallway (we have a simple 3 Bedroom Ranch with bedrooms at one end)

The cubby unit & storage bins we bought at Lowes and use them to store all of Luke's toys (that are in his room).  We loved this so much we bought another organizer unit for the Living Room!

The LUKE letters I purchased here.  The Animal Wall Decals (alligator, zebra, tiger, etc) were a gift from Luke's Grandma (my MIL) purchased here.

View from the Hallway.  On the right is Luke's bookcase & the Closet.  Note the heater keeping Luke warm at night.  :-D  It has made all the difference!  Upon entering the room (unseen now), to the left will be the recliner, changing table & crib.  

Another view from the Hallway.  Here is our wonderful overstuffed recliner.  SOOOO much better (in my opinion) than the little glider rockers.  I tried out a glider rocker this weekend at my SIL/BIL's house and it was a tight fit and uncomfortable to sit there holding Luke.  I've never been so glad to take up so much space in Luke's room with such a huge chair!

The photo in the black frame is of DH, Luke & I just a few hours after he was born.  The Floating Shelves I used were the two we weren't using from our Living Room to put a few of his keepsakes on.  The clock I had from the Living Room redo that didn't make its way back on the walls out there.  The wrapped canvas animal prints I purchased here.  The white and blue sign with the bear & saying is from my friend who had the twins (the sign says my favorite verse (she didn't know it!) from 1 Samuel 1:27:  "I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.")

Here is a photo taken as if I was standing at the closet ... the night stand was DH's from his bachelor days.  The lamp is my baby lamp from 30+ years ago.  The dresser we had purchased from Walmart once-upon-a-time for our own closet.  It is pretty tall for most people to use as a changing table, but for us 6'1" & 6'2" tall people, it is the perfect height!  The changing pad & cover we purchased from Walmart.  The black frames on the wall in the corner I used from a collage of photos purchased at Kohls (still need to print the pictures ...).  The ceiling hanging is an Angry Bird decoration from Luke's biological brother's 2nd Birthday party - his Birth Mom loves this color Angry Bird, so we put it up in Luke's room for him to enjoy.

The Wall Saying we purchased here.  It sure nails it, doesn't it?  :-D

The crib is my crib from 30+ years ago.  No, there is no lead paint.  Yes, the slats are regulation width.  I checked it all out beforehand.  I don't think the crib was ever hardly used, as my mom usually co-slept ... so it is in pretty darn good condition.  The bumpers (Luke sleeps better with them if you can believe it), bedding & wall hanging were a bedding set at Walmart (I think Garanimals?) which has probably changed by now.  I had trouble finding a bedding set that I liked for a boy.  If Luke would have been a girl, there were infinitely more choices to pick from - but I'm glad he is who he is!  The rug on the floor is a rag rug made by my dad using polyester material.  Dad sure put the Goodwill bell bottoms & polyester jumpsuits to good use!  

Well, there you have it!  The pictures aren't great (I am NOT a photographer in the slightest!) and the descriptions are a little hurried, but the room looks SO much better as a nursery than it ever did as our office.  When I remember that it was an office just one short year ago, I can't believe it!  I am so blessed!

Getting Ear Tubes

Last Friday, Luke got tubes placed in his ears.  I was so glad he was able to have it done.  We have had 3 ear infections (4 if you count that the 3rd infection lasted a month!) each month since October.  That's an infection on Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & mid-January (even during his ear-tube surgery!).  We've tried all kinds of treatments to get the ear infections to go away & stay away, but they never would.  Lots of antibiotics and one set of tubes later, we have hopefully had our last infection.  I felt so bad that Luke was constantly having to take meds & just wasn't his happy self on some days.  Some days he would just cry.  That was upsetting.

The surgery was last Friday, scheduled for 8 am.  We arrived at 6:45 am in our Sponge Bob pj's to the registration desk.  Luke hadn't had anything to eat since midnight (that in and of itself was traumatic!), but he did really good.  We got vitals & just hung out in the hour and fifteen minutes until surgery.  It was fun entertaining a very hungry child, let me just say ...

There was another young baby girl who was also in for ear tubes, but she was older than Luke, so Luke got to go first (I think due to fasting).  While in the waiting room, Luke & the little baby would peek at each other from below the privacy curtain ... it was so cute!  Luke would get down on his belly & stick his rump in the air & just smile at her.  She would giggle back.  Just adorable!  <3

We didn't go back to the OR with him.  A nurse took him back.  He didn't scream or cry when she took him back (odd, due to his "only mommy can touch me" phase he's been in for a few months now).  About 10 minutes later, we could hear him crying ... he was all done!  The nurses had told us before hand that babies don't take well to anesthesia wearing off.  Babies are usually unfamiliar with why they feel so "weird" that they cry and cry and cry.  And Luke did just that.  He was inconsolable for about 30-40 minutes.  It was frustrating & a little emotional to say the least.  For being the mom who can console Luke just by holding him, this time I couldn't do that.  Even with holding him & whispering to him & kissing him, I couldn't make it better.  Even a bottle wouldn't stop his cries.  He just didn't know what to do.  He would drink his bottle, then pull off & cry.  Then start drinking again, then pull off and cry.  The nurse who was monitoring him, I have to give credit to.  She must have seen how frustrated I was, as she kept reassuring me that this is normal ... he will be okay ... just do what you can.  I honestly can't imagine what mothers of children who endure major surgery feel like.  This was tough.

We left the outpatient surgical hospital by 10 am & went home.  Luke slept for about 4 hours, then was up about 2 pm.  He drank a bottle & was back to his rowdy self ... he smiled, posed for pictures & videos & then proceeded to climb all over the couch screeching & grinning.  I was so very glad to see him perk back up so quickly!

(Watching Dora on TV)

Now, a week later, we are back to being sick.  This time, not from ear infections (I hope), but from a virus from some of the day care kids (oh, the joy!).  It starts with a cough (which he presented on Thursday & for sure right after daycare on Friday) and then moves into a runny nose (all day today!) and a fever (we were up to 102.9 as of 1:30 am).  I like daycare for the sociability, but NOT for the communicable diseases that are spread like wildfire to all the kids!  I think everyone who has been at daycare has had this wonderful disease.  Ugh. Currently, Luke is down to 100.2 degrees, so hopefully the fever is going away, and the runny nose is too! 

In other news ... I believe I have finally finished Luke's room!  Yes ... only 9 months after Luke came home, I have put most of the finishing touches on his room (walls, mainly).  I will take some pictures & post them.  I realize I have yet to do this for my living room, which I painted a few months ago.  It is never "clean enough."  LOL

Cycle Symptoms

I'm writing a post for my youngest sister who is 22.  She has short 1-2 day or 2-3 day periods, a hard abdomen & painful cramps each month.  I know Endo may be a culprit due to her painful periods (and our family history), but I'm not sure what would cause the short periods or the hard abdomen.

My mom wants her to use homeopathy & have my sister see a homeopathic doctor to treat / prevent the Endo & growth, which may work.  But after my experience in high school with painful periods ... being asked a zillion questions ... trying a bunch of remedies that didn't work ... & getting frustrated with it all.  I ended up taking ibuprofin to give me relief from all the pain, as well as recommending my sister take it for pain relief.

Does anyone have a recommendation of a doctor in Central Nebraska that would be a NaPro doctor?  I have looked at the following website:  http://www.fertilitycare.org/nebraska-medical-consultants/ .  I know that Dr. Skoch is retired, but it also listed a Dr. James Craig in Red Cloud.  There are other doctors practicing in Lincoln & Omaha, but Central NE is where my sister is located.

My sister doesn't have the resources to go to PPVI right away, so I recommended that she start with a NaPro trained doctor first.  She would need to chart first anyway to keep a record of her cycle patterns.  My sister is seeing a general practitioner doctor right now, who is no help.  Even though they have done blood & hormone tests, they all come back "normal."  We all know what normal means.  (eyeroll)

If you have any ideas, input or suggestions, it would be great!

A Squirmy Little Worm

Luke turned 9 months old yesterday.  He is getting to be quite the active, energetic, willful little boy.  I've noticed his little personality grow at home, but in the last week or two, I've noticed it A LOT at Mass!

Luke wants to crawl around, which isn't good in a confined space, as I'm sure he would crawl up the aisle or under the pews.  During Mass, he will squirm, writhe, babble, try and stand in my arms, jump back & forth from me to the hubby ... you name it.  We've recently brought Cheerios to Mass and he will behave if we keep him chewing (or gummin', as he has b.a.r.e.l.y one tooth).  He is at the stage now where he only wants Mommy or will cry or get upset, so Mommy holds him during Mass, errands, home, playtime, etc.  It makes it a little hard to get him to have fun with Daddy, Grandparents or Aunts & Uncles if Mommy is in the room.  But in reality, I do love his "all-things-Mom" attitude.  I have waited so long for that!

When I was little, there was a Cry Room at our parish.  Lots of people used it, but our family didn't come to Mass to head to the Cry Room.  We got a "look" from dad & straightened up pretty quick.  I am sure there were times when we headed to the back of the church or the Cry Room, but it wasn't often enough that I remember them.  Most days, it seems that some families just head to the Cry Room when they come to Mass, instead of try to sit in the pews and then if their kids are being disruptive, they head to the Cry Room.  It is not a bad thing to head to the Cry Room, I just want to try and avoid doing so as a weekly routine. 

The last Mass on New Years Day, he was pretty onery.  We had one lady stop by after Mass & say that she liked seeing us in the Church instead of the Cry Room or leaving Luke at home.  And she liked to hear him babble (which is really good ... it is hard to get him to stop sometimes).  It wasn't a complaint about Luke, but I feel pretty ragged once Mass is over ... like I've just completed a marathon of Luke-wrangling.  I do offer it up for those who would give anything to have a little one ... that is NEVER lost on me.  I just want to have some better ideas or behavior modifications to start so that we can sit in the pews with everyone else & have a well-behaved baby most of the time.

What are some ways to get a 9 month old to behave in Mass?

 My angelic little Cherub is watching out the window for ... Santa Claus!  :-D  Just kidding.  I think he was watching the flags blow in the wind.  It really mesmerized him!

 Flipping a basket on his head makes him ... "Davy Crockett"  

Plus, I just like putting things on his head.  He seems to love it too!!!

Goofing off with Mom on New Years Eve.  No Daycare + Mom = a Great Way to end 2012!

(P.S.  The blanket just got pulled off of his head ... now how do you think it got there?  hehe)

Prayer Buddy Reveal

I had the privilege of praying for Ania who blogs at The 411 on the 418's this Advent Prayer Season.  On May 10, Ania announced her pregnancy after years of struggling with PCOS.  I was elated right along with her (although I'm sure not QUITE as much!  :-D).  I had begun following her a year or more ago & had prayed along with her during her journey to become a mom.

Ania, I prayed the Christmas Novena, the St. Andrew Novena & one more (I forget, sorry!) for your intentions that you mentioned, as well as the desires of your heart to be fulfilled.  I am glad to read that some of my prayer for you has helped in a small way.  Know that I will continue to keep you in prayer, especially as .... ummmmm ..... you have only 2 weeks left before your due date!!!  I'm beyond excited for you!  I wish you the utmost in blessing in 2013 for you and your family!

An early morning God-incidence

Christmas is next week.  I have a to-do list a mile long, it seems, but I do have half of the gifts bought that I need to, so I will count that as a win.  One of the projects on my to-do list was to find a substitute for my Holy Hour, which falls on Christmas morning, as we will be out of town visiting our families.  Last night, I got up to go to Holy Hour from midnight to 1 am just like normal.  I spent my time in prayer, then went to the back of the chapel to copy names from the substitute list.  I was worried that I wouldn't find anyone to either trade with or have substitute for me due to the holiday.  Back to my seat I went to finish the hour.

I am reading St. Faustina's Diary (a gift from my mom years ago, but I've never read it, until now) during part of Holy Hour and got lost in the words & pages I was reading.  I realized it was 1:05 am and the next person had never shown up.  He has been late before, so I gave him until 1:10 am.  Then I tried to call him, but no answer, as it went to his voicemail.  I sat back down & thought, "Ok, I was just enjoying reading this book.  I will have another hour to enjoy reading it.  God must have a reason for having me be here for another hour."  A few minutes later the phone rang.  It was the guy who was supposed to be there.  

As he apologized for over sleeping & not hearing his alarm, I had an idea.  Instead of him coming in this morning, I asked him to take my hour for next week and we would be even:  I would do two hours this morning & he would do two hours next week.  He agreed.  It couldn't have worked out more perfectly!!!  

After I hung up the phone, I was elated.  I was dreading calling people to see if they would come in to cover or trade, as some of the people on the list are either no longer available or have restrictions on when they can come (I found this out the hard way when Luke was born ... try getting someone to cover your hour the first night after your son was born!  That's when hubby went by himself the first time.  I couldn't leave Luke's side.)  I was so happy that God had arranged this so perfectly and I hadn't had to make one phone call.  He truly blessed me this morning - so to glorify Him, I wanted to share.

I would love to hear some of your stories of how God has worked in your life (aka "God-incidences"), taking care of you & providing for your needs.  Please share your stories in the comments.  I feel the need to rejoice in God's providence & blessings on me this year, which is a 180 from where I was at this time last year.  

Also, I have to add ... as this just hit me ... I am praying the St. Andrew Novena, which ends on Christmas Day.  The words of the Novena are as follows:  (emphasis mine)

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment

in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,

at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.

In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God!

to hear my prayer and grant my desires,

through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,

and of His Blessed Mother. Amen

My Holy Hour next week would begin at midnight on Christmas Day.  Another God-incidence, I believe.  I will set my alarm & pray the Novena at midnight, for "in that hour" I will beg God to "grant my desires" that I have prayed for in my Novena.  To my Prayer Buddy (and several others), you will be especially prayed for at that time.  I pray that God will grant the desires of your hearts.

Walking App suggestions?

Hello, ladies! Thunder Thighs, here. Does anyone have a good recommendation for the name of a walking app I could download for my phone to use at night (like the Couch to 5k for running ... but for walking)? I have some pain in my knee and don't want to be too hard on it at this point in time.

I'm trying to not be super depressed about splitting out another pair of jeans in the thighs this afternoon. Although I do believe jeans are made of thinner material now than they used to be.

P.S. Lucky as Sunshine, a big thanks to you on the DVD you sent. I need to put that to good use. Splitting out your jeans is great motivation ... so is seeing a photo of myself. :-D

Baby Sickness -- Q & A

Luke has been a sick little boy these last few weeks.  We are at it again with another ear infection, which we discovered at the doctors after we took him in to check out the serious eye goobers/pus he had in his left eye for about 3-4 days (over the Thanksgiving holiday, no less).  More antibiotics in his system for his right ear, this time.  I'm sure it has spread to his left ear, as he has been grabbing at that for the last several days.  His pediatrician has said that because he's had 2 infections within the last 2 months, with a third infection, she will refer us to the Ear, Nose & Throat doctor to discuss the possibility of ear tubes, to help with the pressure & drainage in his ears.  My poor baby is only 8 months old.  Is this common in someone so young?  I am up for anything to ease Luke's discomfort.  We have been keeping him dosed up with Motrin to keep the pain at bay.  I had a ton of earaches as a kid, so I remember the pain.  Ugh.  I was hoping to get some input from those who are familiar with ear tubes ... pros & cons, how have they worked for you/kids, etc.

With Luke's ear infection, comes a sore throat & cough (which we may find out at our re-check tomorrow is bronchitis).  It isn't helped by the temps in the house at night, either.  We keep our house about 72 typically, but have been running it higher at 74 to help with Luke's sicknesses.  At night, the temps seem to drop regardless (and when you breathe dry air through your mouth because your nose is plugged, I don't think that helps either).  We've run the humidifier at night in his room, but sometimes it will quit working in the middle of the night.  I think it may be due to our hard water creating a calcium buildup or something inside.  Luke also likes to squirm out of the covers I put in his crib.  Usually he will start at one end of the crib with a few blankets from his waist down.  Then by morning, he will be huddled at the other end with no blankets.  When I change his diaper in the morning, he always feels a little cold, so we get a bottle & snuggle under a few layers.  I dress him in the one piece footie pajamas (not a super-thin fabric), but even with that, I'd still like to keep him warmer at night.  Aside from a space heater (which I'm nervous about due to a fear of a fire starting (yes, I'm paranoid)), do you have any suggestions on how to keep Luke warm?

Since I'm questioning everything under the sun, here's another one.  Crib bumpers.  We'd purchased a crib set with the thick bumpers that I know you're not supposed to use due to suffocation risk.  So I put those bumpers away & haven't used them.  When Luke started to get wiggly and make 360's in his crib, we wanted to get something so his arms & legs wouldn't get stuck in the slats, so we purchased some bumpers that have large air holes at Targ.et.  Those worked ok, but kept sliding down all.the.time, which drove me crazy (you tie them onto the slats).  I wondered if there was an age when you could use the "thick" bumpers if you know that your child can move away from it.  I'm not willing to risk Luke suffocating with these bumpers, though, so I'm posing the question to get some input before making any changes.

Lastly, but definitely my biggest headache in the question department ... thermometers!  I want to throttle all thermometer manufacturers.  Seriously!  I realize with a squirmy baby that the temps won't always be the same, but with a whole degree difference, I think that is for the birds!  We initially purchased a forehead thermometer, but after comparing that with my digital thermometer I used when taking my BBT (I took it under Luke's arm), I realized that the forehead thermometer was crazy!  So I bought the Brau.n Ear Thermometer, which you can stick in the ear after putting a plastic sleeve over the tip to prevent ear wax getting on the sensor.  That reads a little better, but still varies a little.  I'm about fit to be tied!  Any good recommendations on thermometers?  I'm not thrilled about going "old school" and trying to stick a thermometer up Luke's (very cute) behind.

We like to pull ourselves up on anything now!

Luke is very mobile!  He has been crawling for a month and will go from the crawling position to sitting just like that.  He likes to crawl around his piles of toys for the most interesting things ... this time, he was going after the yellow ball.  

Having fun with Cookie Monster (a gift from his birthmom).   Yes, I stuffed CM in the back of his pants to "ride along" because I thought it was too cute.  I am "that mother."  :-D

Showing off our "I can pull myself up and stand in my crib now" skills.  We've learned to hang on, as when Luke doesn't, he takes a tumble!