Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Exhaustion, My Old Nemesis
Today we are taking a break from parenting.
I know, you are rolling your eyes.
We haven't been full time parents since July 9th. But I think it's been harder this way.
Working 40 hours, grabbing dinner, and then finding something to do with a 2 year old until his bedtime is exhausting enough when you are at home. Add the complication that you can't take him home and have to do other things and then drop him off with family to sleep....
So tonight we are taking a break from 3 weeks of non-stop moving.
Two more nights after tonight
Just two more nights.
Then I can bring my baby home.
I know, you are rolling your eyes.
We haven't been full time parents since July 9th. But I think it's been harder this way.
Working 40 hours, grabbing dinner, and then finding something to do with a 2 year old until his bedtime is exhausting enough when you are at home. Add the complication that you can't take him home and have to do other things and then drop him off with family to sleep....
So tonight we are taking a break from 3 weeks of non-stop moving.
Two more nights after tonight
Just two more nights.
Then I can bring my baby home.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Never Ever Say You Have A Plan
We are still without carpet. Which means that James is not home with us.
The weekends have meant time at a hotel so that I can spend every moment with him. This has lead to swimming and play time at the mall and a dip into co-sleeping.
He has loved every moment of snuggling with me. I sleep well with him next to me. Overall it is a win.
Before we move on after our flooding we have to deal with how life is deviating from our plans.
The husband missed work for a week because of the flood. Then he managed to catch a bug from James, and had to miss one more night.
By this point we had moved back in to concrete floors, so we moved his equipment back in so he could work from home.
And his work phone broke.
So he called in and explained the situation. They said something about their attendance policy and asked him to submit a resignation letter rather than firing him outright.
With that our lives with 2 incomes came to an abrupt end.
The positive take away: we are out of debt again. No outstanding bills over our heads, so we are just back on a budget.
Add to that a friend who manages a store in the mall who has been asking my husband to apply and help out 2-3 days a week, part-time.
Which leads to his job interview in 1 hour with her and hopefully him starting work again soon.
So, I'm not saying we have a plan anymore. Every time we say that out loud then all hell breaks loose apparently.
Right now we have a direction. An idea. A glimmer.
And Friday we will have carpets and my son will come home.
The weekends have meant time at a hotel so that I can spend every moment with him. This has lead to swimming and play time at the mall and a dip into co-sleeping.
He has loved every moment of snuggling with me. I sleep well with him next to me. Overall it is a win.
Before we move on after our flooding we have to deal with how life is deviating from our plans.
The husband missed work for a week because of the flood. Then he managed to catch a bug from James, and had to miss one more night.
By this point we had moved back in to concrete floors, so we moved his equipment back in so he could work from home.
And his work phone broke.
So he called in and explained the situation. They said something about their attendance policy and asked him to submit a resignation letter rather than firing him outright.
With that our lives with 2 incomes came to an abrupt end.
The positive take away: we are out of debt again. No outstanding bills over our heads, so we are just back on a budget.
Add to that a friend who manages a store in the mall who has been asking my husband to apply and help out 2-3 days a week, part-time.
Which leads to his job interview in 1 hour with her and hopefully him starting work again soon.
So, I'm not saying we have a plan anymore. Every time we say that out loud then all hell breaks loose apparently.
Right now we have a direction. An idea. A glimmer.
And Friday we will have carpets and my son will come home.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
I Actually Envy Noah
When the great flood happened in the Bible, Noah received advanced warning, and so had his belongings, family, and all those animals all set to go.
There was not rush or worry about what would happen to their belongings.
Especially not their electronics.
Last Wednesday there was some flooding in Roanoke, and our apartment was a part of it.
Enough so that the carpeting in our bedroom could be seen FLOATING in the center where there were no carpet tacks holding it to the ground or padding.
Once more, even in the worst scenario, we lucked out.
James was in his crib - supposed to be napping, but not really doing that - and we were all home. We saw it in the living room, so I called the landlord/property guy, and he said he would be over within the hour.
And here is where timing is our friend.
Working from home, I'm normally in shorts and shirt or a nightgown. That day was nightgown day, so I had to go back to our room - the 1 room in the place exposed to the outside on more than 1 wall - to get some clothes on before we had anyone come in.
The carpet was wet. Really wet. And I yelled for my husband.
The next 90 minutes was a blur. Great grandparents were called for James, all electronics were unplugged and moved to higher ground, and my niece was getting her things up and then moving to James' room to get all his things up off the ground.
I don't know how, but we are only losing 5 pieces of furniture: 1 bookcase, a nightstand, 2 dressers, and my husband's desk. Nothing else was lost or ruined. I think that's the fastest we have ever moved.
Working from home has helped us both in the last 3 years, but Wednesday would have been an even bigger disaster if we had not been there. A typical workday would have meant another 2 hours before either of us was home to see the damage.
We spent 3 nights in a hotel, and tonight will be our 3rd with my MIL. James has spent all but 2 nights with his great grandparents. He actually seems upset to leave their house when we have taken him.
This was the first morning that I haven't had to run around and move things or drive people or take care of anyone.
I slept 11 hours last night because of that knowledge.
Work begins again tomorrow. I was supposed to be on vacation and at Myrtle Beach with James, but life happened as it always does, and so a real vacation is on hold.
Noah had a plan and was lucky.
Right now I just want to sleep for another 12 hours if that's okay.
There was not rush or worry about what would happen to their belongings.
Especially not their electronics.
Last Wednesday there was some flooding in Roanoke, and our apartment was a part of it.
Enough so that the carpeting in our bedroom could be seen FLOATING in the center where there were no carpet tacks holding it to the ground or padding.
Once more, even in the worst scenario, we lucked out.
James was in his crib - supposed to be napping, but not really doing that - and we were all home. We saw it in the living room, so I called the landlord/property guy, and he said he would be over within the hour.
And here is where timing is our friend.
Working from home, I'm normally in shorts and shirt or a nightgown. That day was nightgown day, so I had to go back to our room - the 1 room in the place exposed to the outside on more than 1 wall - to get some clothes on before we had anyone come in.
The carpet was wet. Really wet. And I yelled for my husband.
The next 90 minutes was a blur. Great grandparents were called for James, all electronics were unplugged and moved to higher ground, and my niece was getting her things up and then moving to James' room to get all his things up off the ground.
I don't know how, but we are only losing 5 pieces of furniture: 1 bookcase, a nightstand, 2 dressers, and my husband's desk. Nothing else was lost or ruined. I think that's the fastest we have ever moved.
Working from home has helped us both in the last 3 years, but Wednesday would have been an even bigger disaster if we had not been there. A typical workday would have meant another 2 hours before either of us was home to see the damage.
We spent 3 nights in a hotel, and tonight will be our 3rd with my MIL. James has spent all but 2 nights with his great grandparents. He actually seems upset to leave their house when we have taken him.
This was the first morning that I haven't had to run around and move things or drive people or take care of anyone.
I slept 11 hours last night because of that knowledge.
Work begins again tomorrow. I was supposed to be on vacation and at Myrtle Beach with James, but life happened as it always does, and so a real vacation is on hold.
Noah had a plan and was lucky.
Right now I just want to sleep for another 12 hours if that's okay.
Monday, July 8, 2013
3 Minutes of Honest Reflection
The day we picked up the keys to our new place in February I learned that my closest friend in CA was expecting her 2nd child.
I believe my exact words were "I am so jealous of you right now."
The husband was not thrilled.
Fast forward 3 weeks and we were in the middle of a pregnancy watch. Which was never really a pregnancy watch, just the stress of the move and irregular pill taking, and eating bad food.
I remember the sadness over not having gotten that positive test result. While it's not what we both wanted at that moment, I just had hoped that maybe it would happen.
Last month I had a surge in appetite and extreme sleepiness. My niece asked if I was pregnant or something, so we bought the home test and I peed on the stick.
We couldn't tell if it was in imperfection in the plastic or a faint line, so I called the doctor, had blood drawn, and eventually confirmed another negative.
This time, the result didn't depress me. James is at a point where we see potty training as a possibility. We have 2 incomes and are comfortable for a change. We have a plan!
I think I've mentioned this all before.
Since there was still no cycle this week, I picked up a test on Saturday just to make sure.
That was the longest 3 minutes of my life.
I've gone from wishing we could have at least one more to hoping that our family of 3 stays like that.
Everything I need is here. Everything I want I have.
That negative result made me so happy that I think I was dancing the rest of the day without realizing it.
I believe my exact words were "I am so jealous of you right now."
The husband was not thrilled.
Fast forward 3 weeks and we were in the middle of a pregnancy watch. Which was never really a pregnancy watch, just the stress of the move and irregular pill taking, and eating bad food.
I remember the sadness over not having gotten that positive test result. While it's not what we both wanted at that moment, I just had hoped that maybe it would happen.
Last month I had a surge in appetite and extreme sleepiness. My niece asked if I was pregnant or something, so we bought the home test and I peed on the stick.
We couldn't tell if it was in imperfection in the plastic or a faint line, so I called the doctor, had blood drawn, and eventually confirmed another negative.
This time, the result didn't depress me. James is at a point where we see potty training as a possibility. We have 2 incomes and are comfortable for a change. We have a plan!
I think I've mentioned this all before.
Since there was still no cycle this week, I picked up a test on Saturday just to make sure.
That was the longest 3 minutes of my life.
I've gone from wishing we could have at least one more to hoping that our family of 3 stays like that.
Everything I need is here. Everything I want I have.
That negative result made me so happy that I think I was dancing the rest of the day without realizing it.
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