Part III - The Friends Dinner

When I say that, I can't help but think of the Friends and wonder if people think I'm referring to it. I guess that shows my age, doesn't it? Friends and Seinfeld...the ONLY must see TV NBC has ever had...

Anyway, we started preparing pretty early for Friday. Cory did all the shopping on Wednesday, getting beer, sodie, requesting the super stuffing from his dad... we cleaned and cleaned in preparation. Yes family, it's true. We cleaned for the friends, not for you. LOL

For those of you who missed it, here's the spread and the reason for the meat jokes: ham, brisket, turkey, green bean casserole, fruit salad, rolls and mashed taters. That's right. A 3-meat combo. Merry Freakin' Christmas! Everything was SO good. For dessert, we had homemade cookies, chocolate mocha trifle, buttermilk pie and a chocolate layered pudding dessert. We were all about to explode but it was soooo worth it.

Jerm & Andia got Kaia the coolest giant hippo (see separate post... the gift is NOT for the dog) from Ikea. I've actually used it for a pillow, it's so soft. Kaia has laid her head on it and squeezed it too but I haven't captured that with the camera yet...

Isaac and Kaia met and exchanged gifts. She was all over him, he was not sure what to think of this handsy little girl. Grabbing his face, taking his toys...


We got him this little safari roller which needed to be inflated. Holly started to blow it up and Cory, being the generous host, piped in, "Oh I have something I can do that with" so she gave it to him and he disappeared. For like, an eternity. Finally, I got up to see what he was doing. The "thing" he was going to blow it up with didn't work, so he was sitting quietly in the nursery... well, here ya go:





I died laughing, and was proud at the same time. Despite his crabby demeanor, my husband is really such a softy.

Everyone played Wii bowling while Diane, Paula, Holly and I oohed and aahed over the babies. Rick, Diane D. and Josh stuck around til midnight and we all played some righteous Wii tennis.

It took us three shifts of cleaning the kitchen to get it back to normal. The dishwasher is cool, but it made us lazy. We didn't want to hand wash all that shit so we filled up the tiny thing, emptied it, filled it, repeat. :)

It was a great time and no matter where we are next Christmas, we must find a way to repeat the event. I really enjoyed it and am so thankful to have such great friends, old and new. I wish one of these days we would get our shit together and take some group photos!

Best Christmas EVAH (part 2 of 3)

We woke at the normal time, 9-ish, with Kaia hungry and me barking like a seal. Stupid sickness, go away! Can’t I please leave 2008 healthy?!? Anyway, we got up and started to get ready for our day.

Family started arriving around 9:30. Cory started cooking (meat, again!) and once everyone got there we had brunch. Bellinis, breakfast casserole, southwest quiche, cinnamon rolls… man, we had quite a breakfast spread. Kaia gummed some cinnamon roll but was more interested in the bags and tissue paper around the tree.

Since this was all about her this year, we let her tackle her gifts first. She got her first pony! J A cute little red ryder pony and she squealed like we’d never heard her squeal before when she started bouncing on it. Too cute. She was pretty much giddy all day, like she knew it was Christmas. Just wait kid, it only gets better!

We put Kaia's party outfit on her again so the Cheney clan could see it. She looked just as cute in it the second time around, minus the tights because they were covered in dog hair from the night before. :) Thanks to Aunt Candice by the way for providing the tights and shiny shoes.

What I wish I had record of is Cory's dad laughing his ass off and playing Wii golf. I've never heard the man laugh like that. In fact, I don't know that I've ever heard him really laugh before, at least nothing more than a short chuckle at someone else's expense. It was good to hear and kind of cool to see the two of them doing something together and enjoying it...I think babies just bring out the best in everyone.

My sister's new boyfriend

I gotta hippopotamus for Christmas...

but my dog won't let me at it...

Watchin for Santa...

Best Christmas EVAH! (part 1 of 3)

It really is true, kids make Christmas. Kaia doesn't even have a clue that it's Christmas yet somehow she was extra giddy and didn't want to go to sleep on Christmas Eve. :)

We spent Eve with my mom at my sister's house. We got her all dressed up in her party dress and headed over. It was Kaia's first attempt at opening Christmas presents. She of course was mesmerized by the paper. We had to take it away from her because she kept sucking on it, getting ink everywhere.
























She got some great books and a beautiful stuffed care bear from Grandma Jane. I used to love the care bears when I was little, and used to draw them obsessively (along with Garfield). Anyway, she gave the bear a big hug to welcome him to the family.

More later, I smell a poopy diaper...

Kaia's First Christmas

I can't wait to post details and pictures. Check back soon. ;)

Nobody Tagged Me, I Stole It

8 TV shows I watch:

1. Survivor
2. Sarah Connor Chronicles
3. What Not to Wear
4. Lost (when it's back)
5. Um... Cory? Help me here. What do we DVR?!?

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. El tapatio
2. On the Border
3. Blue Heaven, Key West, FL
4. Los Cabos!
This is sad. I can't come up with 8 that I like enough to be on a list, yet we eat out all the time. Also, am I from Mexico? is that all i eat? good grief!! and I wonder why I can't lose the baby weight...

8 things that happened today:
1. I went to work and did nothing. Just like the past month.
2. I drove a dirty crockpot to my sister's so I could use the garbage disposal.
3. I took Kaia to daycare, then stopped at Sheperd's for a sodie.
4. I surfed.
5. I panicked about being unemployed.
6. I hugged my daughter.
7. I went out to dinner with my Mom, hubby, Kaia and sister.
8. I went to Pier 1 when I was supposed to be at work. See #1.

8 things I look forward to:
1. The new year
2. Watching Kaia play with Christmas wrapping
3. Dinner with friends
4. Christmas Eve with my family
5. Christmas morning with my family
6. Getting a new job
7. Getting a new house
8. Cory someday liking his job.

8 things I wish for:
1. I wish girls wouldn't go through the "loser phase" of dating
2. I wish for Kaia to be happy and healthy
3. I wish for Cory to someday like his job. :D See #8 above.
4. I wish I could find a kick-ass job in a really cool place. Preferably in 2009.
5. I wish for all my friends and family to find happiness.
6. I wish Fletcher would stop his incessant whining.
7. I wish for us long and healthy lives, not long and riddled with disease in old age. I want to die fast when my time comes.
8. Would wishing for a million dollars be too cliche and shallow? Oh well, who cares, I wish for it anyway.

Job outlook

I applied for this today:

A day in the life of an RN or CHES/Clinical Health Advocate may include:

The Clinical Health Advocate is co-located at the client’s onsite clinic in Garland, TX, serving as a key member of the health improvement team. The Clinical Health Advocate will work with the assigned CIGNA account management and medical management teams to analyze the population risk profile, design a package of health promotion and wellness programs that meet those needs, oversee the delivery of those programs and ultimately shift toward a culture of health within the organization. Additionally, the Clinical Health Advocate will assess the client’s environment and organizational policies, and work closely with the client to establish the appropriate setting to impact successful health improvement programs. The qualified candidate will develop relationships within the local community of non-profit organizations, vendors and network wellness partners that will result in the right mix of resources to facilitate the delivery of diverse programs to diverse populations.

Literally minutes after submitting my resume, I received this:

Hello Stephanie!

Thank you for your application. Your resume looks great- I will give you a call on Monday to talk further. In the meantime, would you mind doing an online application for me?

You can go to www.cigna.com and look for the careers section...

Have a great weekend and we'll chat Monday!

Jen

Sniff

This is doodlebug getting her first breathing treatment, while playing with the new tag toy Mommy bought her. The little bugger has bronchiolitis.

She's been coughing as you know, so this morning Cory called and got her an appointment and I took her in at two. We just wanted to check her lungs and make sure everything was clear from the sinus/ear infection round. Doctor C was a little afraid it was RSV, the viral stuff we got her shots for last year when she came home from the 'spital. They did a nasal swab and all clear, no RSV. BUT she does have bronchiolitis, which is viral so nothing we can do but wait it out and help her breathe easier.

I have to say, breathing treatment kind of freaks me out. I know they've been doing this sort of thing in hospitals for years, but I worry about giving a kid asthma medicine when they don't have asthma. It's one of those things, along with autism, that has really increased over the past 20 years so I can't help but wonder if we aren't giving our kids these diseases with some of the treatments we use for other things. I haven't done any research but I know I didn't take any breathing treatments when I was a kid. And I'm sure I had an infection or two. The older I get, the more paranoid I am about healthcare, medicines and the like.

Of course, it doesn't help that I have been reading, off and on, a book called "healing the new childhood epidemics: autism, asthma, allergies and ADHD." It basically says a combination of poor nutrition, toxic nutrition, actually, and an onslaught of vaccinations are causing new childhood diseases to take the place of chicken pox and all the things we all had as kids. It's interesting reading, but I'm not about to not vaccinate Kaia.

Yesterday or whenever I put up that last post I was feeling all hopeful about a job and in a short amount of time, I've gone to being scared that I'm not going to find anything, anywhere, and we will lose the house, the car, our credit standing... it's freaky shit to worry about. I imagine it's normal to hit all areas of the spectrum, I just wish I wouldn't go from one end of it to the other end. Somewhere in the middle would be nice...

possibilities

so far, I have possibilities in OKC, Denver and here. I haven't heard anything "real" from anyone, but was told to "expect a call soon" for one in Denver, I met some people in OKC at a conference last week for jobs there and at the same conference heard the health department here is trying to un-freeze a position so they can hire me. things are looking up on the job front. I am hoping I get multiple offers and have to pick the best one. Can you imagine that scenario? it sure would be nice. I am not holding my breath, but I do feel hopeful.

Kaia is doing great. She still has a worrisome cough but is not phased by it. She's cruising around now, according to Cory (I haven't seen it!) cautiously making her way along the "fence" generously supplied by the Bloyds. We can actually sit and relax in our living room now instead of chasing her all around, telling her not to get into this or that. She still doesn't eat worth a crap but... at least she drinks her milk. I forgot to mention in my last post that she finally hit 15 pounds! woohoo! She wears somewhere in between 6 and 9 month clothing. We have some 9 month PJs and they still swallow her but the 3 to 6 month stuff is finally too small. Still size 2 diapers though. I think she'll be in them forever. (by the way... we don't like swaddlers anymore, for you aunties who buy diapers).

I'm not ready for Christmas. Haven't shopped. Haven't cleaned. Haven't thought about what to fix for the par-tay. And by the way, if you are reading this, you are invited. Don't wait for us to send a card or something because we're not that organized. :)

My throat hurts. Boo.

Well November Was Good...

Kaia didn't get sick one time in November. So we're making up for it by starting December off with a bang. We've all been home together since Friday. We put off going to the doctor until Sunday, figuredwe can't take her in every time she gets a fever, right? But Saturday night, her fever hit a record 102.5 so Sunday we took her to the walk-in clinic. She's been coughing, snotty and her eyes... her beautiful smiling eyes... have been runny and bloodshot with snot coming out of them. :( I was afraid she had pink eye on top of everything else.

Anyway, she's got an ear infection AND a sinus infection. The coughing is the worst though. Her eyes are red because she coughs so hard she bursts the vessels in her eyes. Doc says it will fade on its own and not a big deal but she looks SO sad. The smile is gone from her eyes even when her mouth is smiling. :( It's heart-breaking. She just moans and mumbles when she has a fever, like a little crazy person.

So, to make me and everyone else feel better, here's some pre-sickess pictures to enjoy.

I got her little hat and mittens at Penneys. Why are sleeping babies so dang cute?! I must have a million pictures of her sound asleep.

She has started putting her feet up on the tray of the high chair, so I took it off. She just put her feet up on the chair itself instead. LOL.

We put up the tree last night. I'm not quite done yet but as soon as I am I'll post pics. We're trying to figure out how to keep her from trying to pull up on the tree...

Dangit

I forgot to post a couple things about the weekend... I get all in Kaia mode and forget everything else!

My brother's house is awesome. I don't know how many square feet it is but the thing's got 5 bathrooms. FIVE! One of which is in the 3-car garage, which also houses two little office rooms. Amazing. I'm proud of my brother. He has worked for the same company since he graduated from college. can you imagine that?? Actually, before that because he worked a semester and would go to school for a semester. Anyway, he's a great dad. His boys are very lucky.

Matthew, the oldest, goes to a science magnet school and has a girlfriend named Amber. He's growing up so fast. Stephen was working on his science project where he hypothesized that a pulley system would be the fastest way to get up a tree, versus climbing up a slide or regular tree-climbing. My brother built the pulley and went to test it out. Fell out of it and landed on his back. Couldn't move so well the rest of the vacation. Ouch. Ben is a little OCD and currently obsessed with Star Wars Clone Wars. He is very sweet and read a story to Kaia.

There is a path behind their house that led to a park where we took Kaia swinging. She seemed to like it, especially more than she liked sliding down the slide with Mommy. Mommy got stuck on the slide so it wasn't that fun at the end. Came to a complete stop. Note to Mommy: LOSE THE WEIGHT.

Also while we were at the park, I was getting all crazy pushing Matthew and Ben in a tire swing. I got them going so fast, they were laughing so hard, it was so fun. So I decided I would up the ante a little and really got to spinning and pushing them. I was holding onto the chain and was running in circles and when I let go, I lost my balance and went careening the opposite direction. I flipped foot over head and landed on my back, my head bouncing off the ground pretty forcefully. It made me realize something. I am too old to act like a 10 year old. :)

They have a Wii and we played outdoor adventures... OMG it was so fun. We had it on advanced and I thought we were all going to die by the end. Talk about a workout! Stomping more than 65 moles in a minute (or two?) is hard work, and it left us all breathless. Even Cory. He held the record for mole stomping but it wore him out too. It was so much fun. I want one. I didn't realize how expensive they were though. Sheesh!

My sister informed me Friday night that we were all going to get pedicures the next day and she was paying for me to go. It was awesome. Talk about a girlie day! My mom got her hair done and then she, Paula, my sis-in-law and I went for pedicures.

I've found lots of jobs to apply for... OKC, Tulsa, Denver, McKinney and Allen, TX. I hope something comes through but I also hope that I don't really find anything until March. I'd really like to enjoy having a severance so I can stay home with Kaia for a month. She'll be one year old next month. Blows my freaking mind. I think we've done a good job of enjoying each moment though. I don't think we've been so busy with other things that we've missed out on her first year.

My First Thanksgiving

I was great in the car. But I don't want to do that again anytime soon.

I read stories with my cousins!

I tasted tortilla chips!

I clapped!

I swinged!

I rode in a little blue wagon!

I learned I can crawl really fast on carpet!

I did higher math!

I wore myself out.

I got to see Uncle Greg & Aunt Kathie, my cousins Matthew, Stephen and Ben, Aunt Paula, Grandma Jane, Grandma Cathy & Grampa Ward and Uncle Mark. It was a full weekend!

What She's Been Doing

The past week to two weeks has been amazing for Kaia. She has grown SO much in that short amount of time. I swear, I bet she grew an inch and gained 2 pounds!

She is eating really well right now, I hope I don't jinx us by talking about it here. She seems to love her Yo Baby yogurt (Diane and Holly are beaming with pride right now because it's organic) and she also is doing pretty well with a stage 2 concoction called chicken and apples. She'll take a few bites of it at least, which is an improvement over most things. Tonight at Texas Roadhouse, she took a little bite of my roll whereas before she would have had nothing to do with it. Granted, she gummed it around and spit it back out, but trust me, the taking of a bite is huge.

She also likes to drink out of big people's cups. She doesn't really get the whole sippy cup thing but if you hold your cup to her mouth she will drink and it is SO damn cute... I don't really know how to explain what she does but it's adorable. I think she thinks she still needs to suck even though there's no nipple or something... she kind of opens and closes her mouth at the rim of the cup. Anyway, too cute.

She is really starting to fall into a better routine at night too...instead of us fighting her for an hour to get to sleep, she really starts to get sleepy around the same time every night. Still not as early as I'd like but we're getting there.

Tonight, our waitress was in love with her. She kept talking about how precious she was and how great her smile is... when she went to take the bill to the computer, she asked if Kaia could come with her. I thought Cory was going to have a heart attack but like a big boy he let her (the register was right behind our table so we could see her and she could see us the whole time). She is mesmerized by computers. It's so neat when someone says hi to her and she smiles real big at them... it makes the person feel so good when she does it, we can't help but beam with pride. I know at some point she will hit a shy stage and back away from strangers but it's awesome that she reaches out for her aunts and her "friends" at school.

Oh yeah, and she's crawling everywhere. She's not that good at it yet but man, she is fast. A couple times Cory has gone to check on her in bed and when she sees him she takes off after him. She loves him so much, it's so sweet to see the way she looks up at him. :)

She was playing in the floor last night, and we love to just sit and watch her. She concentrates so hard on things. She has a wooden puzzle (an airplane, uncle mark) and she had one piece stuck under the puzzle board itself, so she muscled it off so she could reach the piece underneath. Just seeing her little brain figure out things like that is amazing to us.

Still no teefies but that's ok, I love her toothless grin and I'll take it as long as I can get it. :)

Friday Morning

My teddy bear coat

My daddy loves me. He's the best.

Hey, I have feet! With daisies on them!

Better than a kick in the crotch

Well, I'm safe through the end of January, and I will get 5 weeks severance. In the meantime, they are keeping their eyes open for something for me. Ideally, I could just stay with SMC for a little longer, until Cory or I find something fabulous in another state, but if not, I think this will give me enough time to either a)find something that I don't hate as a band-aid or b) stay home with Kaia for awhile and draw unemployment.

Either way, I feel more hopeful today than I have in the past six weeks of wondering. Something great will come up, I feel it.

About Right

Well, 2008 has been the best and worst year to date. Kaia was born, we accrued $18,000 in medical debt and I am losing my job. The two bad things are related to my employment with SMC. Hmmm... maybe getting outta there is a good thing.

More details tomorrow but most likely I will have a job until the end of the year but not beyond. I'm going to try to push for January instead but we'll see. I'm meeting with my boss and the HR guy so he can answer questions about insurance, unemployment, etc. I am doubting there will be any severance but I can always hope.

:)

Naptime with Daddy is the best

Carrie Made Me Do It

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be? I've been betrayed, it didn't bode well for the betrayer. Worked out for me though, cuz it helped me weed out the losers.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be? Wow, I would have an entirely different answer a year ago, but now, my dream is that I do not screw up my daughter's life

3. Whose butt would you like to kick? Oh please. Next.

4. Why do you blog? Because I'm so anti-social these days no one would know what is going on in my head without it! And comments. :)

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend? I already did.

6. Which is more blessed: loving someone or being loved by someone? I'd say loving yourself is the biggest and hardest one of all.

7. How long do you intend to wait for someone you love? I'm too old for this question.

8. If the person you secretly like is attached, what will you do? Ditto.

9. If you could root for one social cause, what would it be? child abuse prevention

10. What takes you down the fastest? lack of sleep, lack of food.

11. What resurrects you the fastest? Cory can bring me out of the depths of anywhere in record time. And also queso.

12. What’s your fear? being a bad mom

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is? I don't know her very well but I like her enough to fill one of these things out so that's more than most people get ;) LOL

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married and poor? Hmmm... rich, single and happy about being single would be pretty incredible, but most single people just want to be attached so I think married and poor is the best bet. I do hate poor though. It causes me stresses. :(

15. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Look over at Kaia and smile!

16. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously who will you pick? The right one. There is always the right one. (This has never happened to me but I like Carrie's answer)

17. Would you give all in a relationship? I try to

18. Would you forgive and forget someone no matter how horrible a thing he has done? Yes, I think so

19. Do you prefer being single or in a relationship? I like being married. It feels like home.

Bath Time

One for the Wall

I love this picture. My two favorite people ready for game day. :)

good god almighty

I've never been so sick. I've been more sick in a brief period of time, but never this bad for this long. I haven't eaten "for real" since Wednesday night. I've had a half cup applesauce here and there, some pasta, Cory made me some brown rice and went today and got me a bagel. That's not a lot of food for almost a week. Esp. for those of you who know how I likes me some food!

Anyway, as it turns out, I have developed an abundance of bad bacteria called c difficile. Remember that ear infection I had a couple weekends ago? Well, they put me on an antibiotic and apparently, I had this as a reaction to it. My gut is fucked UP, people. I can't eat anything right now without it coming out the other end immediately. I've lost almost 10 pounds. That isn't a good thing, cuz it's 10 pounds of water and muscle shooting out the a-hole. (lol, I'm so graphic. Sorry for that visual).

Luckily, Kaia is doing great. I bet she gained a pound over the weekend, she ate so much. YAY! She even ate some applesauce on top of all that formula. We are excited. :) If we can keep her well for at least a stretch of a couple weeks, I think she can really put on a few pounds. That would make for a nice Christmas. :)

Mwrraarrr!

Follow. But. Follow only if ye be men of valour, for the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with it and lived. Bones of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth.

Happy Halloween.

Depression

i think i've got the blues. this isn't good for someone who is already on anti-depressants. the job stress really has me worried. i was looking at the medical bills today, i've been trying desperately to keep current on all of them, and i thought, 'oh god. what if i lose my job?' In this economy, I don't know how easy it would be for me to find a job FAST. I'd be overqualified for much of what is in Stillwater, but also, I just don't know if I have the energy to do the 8-5 thing again. i've been so spoiled by working in a gym, then setting my own hours, that it would/will be major upheaval to go back to a "normal" schedule, "normal" work attire, "normal" boss breathing down my neck. UGH. the mere thought of it has me terrified.

My boss told me of a job coming up but I don't think I want it. I fluctuate between being angry and wanting to quit because how dare they not thing my job is important? and being desperate and wanting to plead to keep it. I have imaginary conversations with members of the board where I basically tell them to stick it. the reality of course is that we can't afford for me to tell anyone to stick it.

I'm open to working elsewhere, but if I'm able to stay with SMC it's better for my retirement. I'll be fully vested at seven years, which is only about 18 months from now.

Anyway, I'm just depressed and stressed and still not feeling 100%. We came home from Kaia's doc appointment today and snuggled into the guest bed and took a two-hour nap.

Oh the suckage

Let me recap the past 8 days or so.

After finding out I'm probably going to be unemployed, I took a couple days off. Woke up with ear pain, went to Tulsa anyway and was in tears by the time I was driving home. Had an infected ear drum and ear canal. excruciating pain. Got drugs and drops, the pain went away but it's still clogged and I can't hear a damn thing.

Thursday morning, Kaia woke up puking all over Cory. Over and over. She was fine through the day, then puked on me that night, over and over. Woke up Friday with more of the same. It is heartbreaking when a baby throws up like that. There's just nothing you can do to make it better. We took her to the walk-in clinic to make sure she wasn't dehydrated and to see if there was anything we could give her. Nope. Just ride it out. So we did.

Saturday, she woke up in a good mood and didn't have any more trouble. by the time we got home from tulsa on Saturday, I wasn't feeling so well. In fact, as I was getting out of the car, i told Cory I felt woozy. 'bout two hours later, I was puking my guts up over and over. and over. i'm better today, though still half-deaf, and Cory is feeling woozy.

I feel like we can't get a break.

The Pickens Plan

A 2005 Stanford University study found that there is enough wind power worldwide to satisfy global demand 7 times over — even if only 20% of wind power could be captured. Building wind facilities in the corridor that stretches from the Texas panhandle to North Dakota could produce 20% of the electricity for the United States at a cost of $1 trillion. It would take another $200 billion to build the capacity to transmit that energy to cities and towns. That's a lot of money, but it's a one-time cost. And compared to the $700 billion we spend on foreign oil every year, it's a bargain.

I joined the community for the Pickens Plan. Like the man or not, he has enough money to actually make a change in the way things are done. If you're interested, visit the site and read about his plan. I honestly believe we've got to stop sitting around waiting for other people to do something about our world.

I've never been one to tout "Oh, I can't imagine bringing a baby into this world..." but honestly, having Kaia has made me think more about the future more than I ever did before. If there is something we can do, we should do it.

New

Things she's doing now:

• coming up on all 4s. crawling is imminent!
• eating solids, though still not very well. but she tried chicken tonight for the first time. Ick. Cory called it chicken pudding.
• babbling non-stop!
• having fun with bathtime. and we haven't even introduced toys yet!
• gets totally excited when we go to pick her up at daycare
• laughing! finally! we went for a walk with her in the backpack the other day and she just giggled the whole time. it was awesome!

Say it ain't so

Today goes down as one of the worst days in recent history. Don't fret, the little one is great. Sound asleep in her little pack n play, and she ate great today, too. Anyway, my bad day was all work-related.

Monday, I was supposed to meet with my boss's boss but I went home sick. After all day in the wind on Sunday and all morning in the rain at the farmers' market, my body revolted. So anyway, the meeting was rescheduled for Wednesday, then rescheduled again for this morning at 9. I heard from my immediate boss that the VP in question was leaving, or was asked to leave, and not to put too much stock into what he had to say because he was bitter. I thought that a bit odd. Why would he want to meet with me then, just to bash SMC? Whatever. I figured he was going to tell me in person he was leaving, and to tell me that he had a job opening at the new place that I might be interested in. See how full of myself I am? It's a sickness. :) Anyway, I go in this morning and sit down. He starts by asking how I'm feeling, then gets right to the point...

"I can't in good conscience leave here without telling you what all is going on."

uh-oh. This doesn't sound good.

In a nutshell, he says my job is in question (not as to my quality of work but as to whether or not they can afford it) and that it is a topic of discussion at the board of directors retreat coming up in November. It's budget time, you see, and the board has to approve everything. Anyway, he goes on to tell me that it was also up in the air last year, but my immediate boss fought tooth and nail for me to keep it, as did he, so I survived. Thank goodness, else I would have been pregnant and jobless. Stress much?

He tells me that if it was him, he would get out fast because without any more commitment to my program than that, why bother? Do I really want to go through this year after year? My boss, though a little more positive that I'd survive any cuts, said I should keep my eyes and ears open for other opportunities and if something came up that I was interested in to go for it. She thinks this will blow over just as it did last time, but I'm a little with the VP on this one. Do I really want to stay in a job that is first on the cutting block every time the budget's in a pinch? The economy is in the shitter (thank you George Bush, thank you 9-11, thank you greedy, rich white bastards, thank you) and it will likely get worse before it gets better.

Thing is, it's probably about time for me to move on, get a better paying job with more responsibilities. But I don't want to. I like working 30 hours a week. I like my job. I like planning these events and working with kids and coordinating with the schools. I like my autonomy. There are jobs out there for a lot more money that I am qualified to do. But do I really want to get one? Maybe before Kaia, I was more driven to climb a ladder, make money, get power. But now? No. I like laid back. I like easy. I don't however enjoy being broke.

I guess it's time to grow up. Boo on that.

oh my gosh

Does anyone have a contact with the Burt's Bees people? Cuz I think a Burts Bees Baby campaign is in order...

New Pics Etc.

Aunt Candice came to see me and she bought me presents!

I know I've said it before but we are so in love. My favorite thing in this picture is the smile on Cory's face. :)

We discovered she loves playing with blocks. I especially love these blocks because they belonged to my nephews. :)

ROFL...

Got this message in my work inbox today after attempting to reply to Jeannine's email...

eTrust SCM for SMTP Outbound Email Quarantine Notice
Your email, To: jeannine.rochon-burkart@tvguide.com, Sent: Fri, Sep 26 2008 10:53:58 -0500
exceeded maximum profanity score for: List Profanity [10]: bugger [4] , shit [3] , crap [2] , boob [1]
SMC EMail Admin

I must have laughed for 20 minutes. The absurdity!

Kaia

I promise to return the blog to its intended topic after this weekend... I'm hoping to get some good pictures to post and write a good entry about how she's doing and what she's been up to lately.

I went to a consignment sale today at the fairgrounds. Bought stuff that I don't really have the money for but what the hell. Baby needs warm clothes! :)

The week has been incredibly exhausting and stressful, I'm looking forward to the weekend. Of course we have lots going on but nothing stress-inducing like work.

I taught cycling Wednesday night. It actually felt good to teach again but I miss my old gang. There was only three people in there, counting Cory, and though they were my old regulars, so many familiar faces are missing. It's just not as fun as it was when the class was full of friends. but anyway, it did feel good to be working that hard. The new instructor is good, Cory & I might start making it at least once a week on a regular basis. It'd be good for us.

That's all for now, I've got to get to bed. Just wanted to let you know there will be cuteness coming... :)

Thanks Sis (and David)

...in case you don't understand how things work...I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."
* Grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human
Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress and many others, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.
* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.
* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

The Hatred is A-Brewin'

Seriously folks. She sucks. And because she sucks, McCain's people suck because they started all this crap by picking her. UGH! Canada, here I come!

March for Babies

Thanks to everyone who donated on Kaia's behalf. I am hoping to participate in this every year, so just plan a donation into your annual budgets cuz I'll be coming for you. :)

The impending rain moved the walk indoors, even though it still hasn't so much as sprinkled. Better safe than sorry I suppose. Anyway, we were in the student union and walked a few silly laps and then ate a hot dog. Kaia and other preemies started off the walk by participating in a "Preemie Parade" where they received a March of Dimes medal. It was presented by the OSU pom squad, she was pretty interested in their sparkly uniforms but didn't smile much. She just wanted to touch everything. ;) Here are some photos from tonight's adventure. Enjoy!

bahbahbababa

Kaia has discovered her "b" and "d" consonants. In fact, just two days ago. We are pretty sure she said "da da" this morning. Of course Cory wasn't even in the room with her but she said it!! Now we just need to put sounds with people so she can understand what she's saying... :)

Anyway, it was so cute this morning. She sometimes sits on our bed while we get dressed, surrounded by pillows "just in case" and she just sat there all giddy, babbling away. I think she gets as excited as we do when she makes a new sound.

I am trying really hard to get to the point where she is in her own space to sleep but I am going to miss her so much. I think we are going to put the pack & play back in our bedroom and go from our bed to there to her crib. And yes, all these baby steps are for us, not her. I don't think she cares where she sleeps once she's out.

Anyway, I was reading Isaac's Mom's blog earlier and I realized I hadn't been posting much about her lately either. Pictures now and then and illness updates but not all the wonderful things she is doing now so here's a list:

• She is attempting solids but she really, really wants to do it herself. It's messy but it's fun. So far, like her mama, sweet potatoes are her favorite.
  
  
• She can now hold a bottle and feed herself, but it's hard if it's an 8-ouncer. It's hilarious to watch her get all excited to shove that nipple in her mouth. It usually hits her in the nose first.
• 
  
• She sits up by herself, which you saw in the recent picture. She's a little wobbly so I still stay close in case she flops over. She did just that at my office yesterday and bonked her head. She'll start to cry and if it's not a big deal, I'll tell her she's ok and kiss her and she stops immediately. THIS is a great thing. My mom was able to shut us up with a look. I hope I have that gift. It will come in handy later on.
  
  
• One of the best things is that she reaches for me when I go to pick her up. :)
  
  
• She has decided that bath time is not so bad afterall. Now that she can sit up, she has fun kicking her feet wildly, and I mean wildly, and splashing. Mostly kicking. And staring into the water at her feet kicking. She also likes to hold onto her toes now. I keep waiting to see her foot go into her mouth, but not yet.

Still no teefies, which means we get to enjoy that wonderful toothless grin for just a little bit longer.

I'm an addict

Come to mama

sigh

All the good karma I put out into the world and this is how I'm repaid. My iPod was stolen AGAIN, along with this, which I used to teach my class in the schools. This is like my 4th iPod, for those of you who are counting. My last one was stolen, too, so my boss bought me a new one. Don't think she's going to make that offer again. Esp. since this time it seems to have been lifted while my car was in my damn driveway. Or Paula's driveway. Either way, stupid me never locks the doors. I honestly don't normally leave my iPod in the car, so I'm a little surprised that I did but unless it turns up somewhere in this pig sty house, it's a goner. I taught cycling Friday night and that's the last time I've seen it. :(

Fuckers.

more cuteness for this dreary monday