Kids

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. I'm trying to get the house organized and put together before baby comes, because it definitely matters to the baby. I have made quite a bit of progress with the nursery but still feel like I have miles to go on the rest of the house. Hubby is making quite good progress with putting down grass and if the rain would ever stop long enough for the ground to dry out, we might get a fence.
The kids are getting excited and also regressing a bit, especially the girl. She's been clingy and whiney and I have been tired and exhausted and lack any sort of patience these days, which makes it all worse.
Here are some pics that I finally downloaded.

She is fascinated with the spinning of the washing machine.

I wonder what she's dreaming about? Pinewood Derby- Judge's Favorite!
TV issue still not resolved, so right now, it's just a dream...
Yes, I am this huge and bloated!! And my friends are too good to me.

Shower

I finally finished the book Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka and it was an ephiphany. It has completely changed the way I view my son and and I am slowly working on changing my reactions to include less anger and more empathy. One of the messages in the book is to try to understand why they are acting the way they do and it is not because of defiance or because they are out to get you.

One of the big struggles we had was getting the boy out of bed and moving in the morning. When I looked at it from an angle of understanding, I realized that it takes quite a bit for his father and I to get out of bed and get moving in the morning as well. My routine includes a warm bath and a cup of coffee while hubby prefers a long, hot shower. As a trial, we replaced the boy's evening bath with a morning shower and the results are amazing. He still doesn't bounce out of bed, but 30 minutes of begging, pleading and yelling have been replaced by a five minute warning that the window to take a shower is closing. He is then a happy, agreeable child after the shower. The more subdued morning has spilled into his school day and he goes off to school happy and is now having more good days than bad. All because of a shower!

True colors

I knew that my mom leaned towards the right on her thoughts and ideas, but I had no idea just how closed minded she was until the other morning. We had a conversation about politics, which I always tried to avoid. I tried to ignore the fact that she called all the candidates by their last name, except for Hillary, which I do find a bit demeaning. Her hatrid for Clinton has long been clear. Not that she's my choice for president and nationalized medicine for all scares the wits out of me after learning about how well Canada's system works, but I do think she deserves the same amount of respect as the others. How much respect politicians deserve is a whole other conversation, but I digress.

I made mention that I was so glad it did not look to be another right wing extremist in the running on the republican side. I stated that I could not take another 8 years of it in office. She mentioned that she liked Bush and that she thinks he did make our country safer. I couldn't disagree more on that point, but when she added that she's terrified because of all the Muslins moving into our country, I nearly flipped my lid. I tried to remain calm as I explained that it is actually a peaceful religion and that radicals exist in every society. I also mentioned the very fact that our country is 'the melting pot' is what made us great. Then she proceeded into a tirade on how difficult it is to work with this nationality or this other nationality. I think she needs some serious diversity and inclusiveness training. Like maybe making friends with some people outside her tiny world. I'm still irritated by it all. Certainly not to say that I don't have my biases and prejudices, we all do, but I do at least try to understand where people come from and understand how cultural differences can affect our interactions.

Monkey

One monkey off my back this weekend. Well, actually two. I went through the 6+ months of boxes stuffed with the 'to be filed' papers and sorted and filed and organized. I hate filing. The even bigger monkey was finishing up the books for both businesses and incorporating all the comments from the bookkeeper and organizing all the data and dropping it off with the tax guy. Whew! I hate tax time.

The next major task at hand I've nicknamed Operation Baby. We need to prepare the nursery, stock up on baby supplies, buy and install infant car seats, pack the bag for the hospital, take the kids on a sibling tour at the hospital and probably the most challenging is to agree on a name.

I've already warned hubby that completing Operation Baby just means that I'll next be on him about finishing up all the little projects around the house. Aren't hormones fun?

The windows

Hubby and I have been trying to reframe the way we look at the house. It is difficult because each and every day we find more flaws. Speaking of which, we finally hired a real plumber to come out and assess the damage. If anyone is interested in installing tankless water heaters, I've become quite the educated resource. Where was I? Oh yes, positive reframing. It really is quite amazing that we are now living and breathing in a space that we envisioned and created. We are more than pleasantly surprised with how easy and nice it is to live in this house and how well it really does work for us.

Three windows that we had the architect add on the east side of the living room frame nature perfectly. I can lay on my couch and watch the sky change colors and trees blow in the wind. It is a picture frame that changes throughout the day. There is a similar window in the master shower on the second floor that I equally enjoy.

I finally made the phone call I have been dreading and brooding over for months. I called the architect to give feedback on his recommendation, our builder. He was more than appreciative for the feedback and immediately stated he will never be recommended again. I had a brief twinge of guilt, although I don't wish our experience on our worst enemy.

In other news, hubby had the luxury of taking both kids to the doctor to get a strep diagnosis- the boy on Tuesday and the girl today. Luckily we got it early and they are up and playing like nothing is wrong.

Boom box

Yesterday evening as I walked the boy home in the cold drizzle (seriously people- enough of the cold and the rain- this is Houston- we're not supposed to have winter here), we ran across the neighbor boy down the street and his friend. The boy shouts out- Brian! Brian! Hey Brian! Is that a radio? They nod and then the older kid turns to me and says- this is an old timey radio- like what you used to have? It's a circa 1980's something boom box with a tape player and I solemnly nod yes. The kid responds with our stuff sounds a lot better.

When did I get old? How did this happen? And since when is a boom box considered an old timey radio? Isn't that a phonograph or something?

Actual Door

Not the best picture and the trim has to be painted before it can be installed, but you get the idea...

Door

We finally received our long anticipated, very hard to find, custom craftsman front door last week. This is what we ordered, although ours is stained ebony. I'll have to update with a picture of ours this evening. The locksmith came and rekeyed all my locks Friday, the carpenter installed the door on Saturday, and we had people out yesterday to stain it. The carpenter still has to install the trim around the door, but has to cut the stone first to make more room.

In other news, we are heading to arbitration with Conn's over the tv issue. We filed a small claims lawsuit and they denied any responsibility for selling us a smashed plasma. Unfortunately, the courts are backed up and it could be March before we get a date for arbitration. Looks like we won't be having the SuperBowl party at our house. I'm really not up to it either, I am still terribly exhausted and now it hurts to sit, to move, to walk. I don't remember this from the first two, but I'm sure its part of the blocking bad memories so our species will survive.

My in-laws brought us a housewarming present yesterday....a Keurig single cup brewing machine. We've decided to put it in the master bathroom as our bedroom is upstairs and the kitchen is downstairs. We have something similar at work, so I'm already spoiled, but having a coffee bar in our master suite has me all a flutter.

Still much, much, much work to do on the house, but we're very slowly getting it punched out. The builder has dropped off the radar, which is ok with us because now it is all in our control and nagging him to get things finished wasn't working very well. Hubby is insisting on laying sod himself and I've tried to convince him of the folly of his idea. I replayed the story of him insisting to move our possessions into storage and the many treatments required by the chiropractor to fix him. He insists laying sod will not screw up his back. I insist he's not 16 anymore as he was when he worked as a landscaper and that I need his help more inside to prepare for the baby!!!! Approximately 9 more weeks until our life is completely turned upside down again.

Crossing

School started back today. The kids really had a hard time getting up and going, which is understandable since the last two weeks have been late nights followed by late and lazy mornings. I'm fairly certain I didn't get out of my pajamas before noon (sometimes 5 pm) except one or two days. Today is also the first day the boy has been a walker. The girl and I walked him the 2 houses down and across the street the school. Also had a quick chat with the crossing guard. This is what we've spent the last nearly two years dreaming about!

Nano

Moving stinks. Boxes seem to multiply when placed in the house. And none will magically empty themselves.

I've been more tired than usual. Doctor's office just called to tell me that I am anemic.

We still don't have grass. This is especially fun with a dog.

I received an IPod Nano for my present from hubby. My seven year old is teaching me how to use it. This could take awhile.

A Christmas poem

Twas the night before Christmas, when my son finally asked.
Mom, there is a secret I really need to know.
Some kids at school say it is their mom and their dad
who leave all the gifts, it's all just a show.
Others say Santa is true and they just don't know.
I am really confused and don't know what to believe.

I answer with a question, surprised it has taken this long-
Are you sure you want to know?
A quick nod of the head from the boy and I answer, yes it is me.
I knew it he says with a cheer.
So soon you will leave to buy gifts for sister and me?

No honey, I will not leave, all the gifts are already here.
Now that you know, from your sister this secret we'll keep
and we'll all still believe in the magic in this time of year.

Wednesday, December 19, 2008

The official move in. The kids were so excited it was nearly 10 pm before they fell asleep. The dog didn't know quite what to think and was pacing nervously around the house. Hubby and I spent the majority of the evening unpacking to make sure we knew where all the essentials were for the morning- towels, soap, shampoo, coffee maker, filters and mugs.... When my head first hit the pillow in my long anticipated wait for my pillow top king sized mattress, I had to let out a sigh of relief. Home sweet home.

CO

I didn't want to post anything until it was official, lest I ask for additional problems. Now I can safely say that we passed the electrical and plumbing final on Friday, and the mechanical and building final today. Which means.....the city will issue us the certificate of occupancy!!!!

Cursed

Yep, I'm fairly certain our new house is cursed. Another day, another two failed inspections. We finally unwrapped the 50" plasma and it looks like it was shattered by a baseball. Over half of our brand new appliances have dents or scratches. And of course, no one wants to take responsibility. Sure, why not us? Although none of this is our fault, we keep paying through the nose. Fair? Who cares! Screw the little guy.

Gone

I've often wondered what the other side of sanity would look like. I've walked the line between sane and insane before. I was fairly certain I'd know when I got to the other side. What I am finding out is that it is actually a fine line and stepping over it is not obvious.

Here is just a small sample of the things I have done lately. Saturday evening, I stopped at a red light like it was a stop sign and then started proceeding into the intersection. Fortunately, I slammed on the brakes when I realized what I was doing.

This morning, I showed up at my dentist's office for my appointment. It seemed like I had just been there, but hey, it was on my calendar. I signed in, sat down and alarms went off right when the receptionist was about to tell me I wasn't scheduled for that day. It then dawned on me that Dr. Teller is my dermatologist, not my dentist. Teller/Janik- one can see how I would get those confused.

Monday, I called for the gas meter to be installed. Again. First time the guy came out, and he made a list of all the reasons why we weren't ready. Something about lines not being installed yet. Second time, he put the meter on, and it started twirling around. Everything should have been capped off or connnected. Well, there was one line at the oven that was not capped. So, the plumber fixed all and I called again. Now the lady tells me we have to get an inspection first. She was not sure why the order went through the first two times. We can't move in until we get gas (i.e. heat and hot water). I cried. I threw things around in my office.

Did I mention that I ran my checkbook through the wash? You know- the one we're using for building the house and has the record of what we've paid to the subs.

Quite frankly, I am afraid I am a danger to myself and others. I find myself pulling incredibly stupid maneuvers in the car, flying off the handle at the slightest issue, and crying when something doesn't work out the way I think it should. And somebody help me if my husband doesn't do exactly what I want him to do. Like when the glass people installed a mirror in my powder room, even though they were not supposed to as I have a decorative mirror to hang there. I told him to make sure they remove it. He said it looked nice and we should just leave it. He got an earful of expletives and finally complied. Just for good measure, I left a nice message for the builder that was saturated with sarcasm. Even people at work are starting to fear me.

None of this is good for my health or the health of the baby and I have never had blood pressure issues until the last few weeks. Everyone is telling me to rest. Hah. I need to get away. Far, far away.

Move in

I've started and restarted this post four times. The house (or lack thereof) has been weighing on me heavily and I have not been in the best of moods. I am seriously lacking the confidence that the house will ever be finished. Tiler #4 has failed to show up for a week straight. There's only about a day's worth of work left. The HVAC guy won't return my builder's phone calls. Each day brings a new problem, issue, disappointment. I know this will all pass and hopefully one day we'll look back on this and laugh, but right now, it is all consuming and extremely anxiety inducing.

Even though nothing is finished, all is about 90% there, we are planning moving in our belongings Wednesday. I do not know when we will be able to follow. If a small miracle happens, and we actually can get gas and electricity connected, we may be able to follow suite. But nothing, I repeat nothing will be finished.

But here are some pictures......

Playoffs

I have mentioned the boy's baseball team this season. They are the number one seed and we are in the middle of the playoffs. They lost the first game of the playoffs on Saturday and it was a nail biter. The other team really stepped up and ours played worse than they had ever played before. Luckily, it is a two game elimination, so we moved into the losers bracket after the game Saturday.

Instead of playing Saturday, Thursday, and the following Saturday to win the championship, our schedule is Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. We won last night's game, so it is the next round this evening. The kids are nervous and hopefully last night renewed their confidence. The parents are holding their breath the entire game. Go Riverdogs!!

Butterfly princess and the ninja

One of those days

You know the kind of day that the only thing pulling you through is the thought of a huge glass of wine at the end of it? That was my day today, only I can't use my usual crutch, so the only thing pulling me through was that it would eventually end.

The day started off innocently enough. The kids were in a good mood this morning when I was trying to light a fire under them so they wouldn't be late for school. I started in on my work and was happily minding my own business when I was notified that my project had been shelved. Then I sent out an innocent email about working from home tomorrow and shortly received a mass email from my new 'I'm stuck in my ways and don't care how the world operates these days because I am 182 days away from retirement' boss that is trying to micro manage.

Help me out here. If he doesn't need to know what I am working on every day that I am in the office and my anticipated accomplishments for the day, why does he need to know the gory details when I am working from home? If I am not a trust worthy employee then I shouldn't be working there in the first place. But don't worry, I sent a snarky reply that met all of his requirements while letting him know what I think of his demands. I'm sure Monday will be pleasant when I return to the office when I receive my reprimand.

Oh yes, back to the rest of my day. Several in my department headed across town to check out the venue for our holiday party. The traffic was horrible on the way home and I made a panicked call to my mom to get the kids before they closed. Then I remembered I still had to pay the boy's after school care, so I rushed to his school to drop off the check. And the director wanted to talk to me about the boy's behavior. After stressing to get there by the time they closed, fighting traffic for two hours, getting my job canceled, and my boss irritating the ever living you know what out of me, I told her it would have to wait until tomorrow. I was afraid she'd lose her head if it didn't.

So, please. I am begging you. Someone drink a large glass of wine for me!

Gifting

Since I don't have control over much in my life, I love to take charge of the things I can control. Like holiday shopping. I am halfway through my list with either items I know I will purchase or ones I already have. I even have a few of the hard ones out of the way. I do have a dilema with my neices and nephew. Their ages are 5, 3, and 1. They don't have as much family around like my kids do, but I do know they are not hurting in the toy department. I might be projected my own feelings onto those of my bro-in-law and sis-in-law, but I know that it makes me sick to think of all the money wasted on toys my kids will never use.

So, should I buy one big gift for all the kids, something that they will use? Hard to know what that range of age could all use though. Or should I buy them all savings bonds? Not exciting for them to open, but quite useful (although not nearly as much with the dollar as weak as it is now). I know I should discuss with the parents, but we still have not caught up with them to drop off the 3 year olds birthday present from four weeks ago.