I Am NOT Sick!

It is the mantra I keep repeating in my head.

I am not sick. I can't be sick. I have to work all weekend and Cade is finally starting to feel better. So, I am not sick. I can't be sick. I don't want to be sick. Therefore, I am not sick. This pressure in my ears, the pain in my throat, congestion in my head...all a figment of my imagination. I am fine.

Today was a crazy day at work. Flu shots...stupid coupons for a $30 gift card with a new or transferred prescription. The greatest tech in the world on vacation. And just plain busy. Glad it is over.

Tomorrow I am going to get 6 free boxes of Cheese Nips. Isn't that great? Gotta love Coupon Sense. What? You want to know what I will do with them? You mean not everyone has six boxes of Cheese Nips in their pantry? Hmmmm... Don't worry. I will donate them to food bank. I will keep one for personal enjoyment.

Have a good day!

A Little Comic Relief

It has been a long day.

Cade is still obviously not feeling himself. Nor is he acting like himself. Apparently a long nights sleep did not cure his croup or his orneriness. But, we all made it through the day. The doctor said the first four days are the worst, so we must be passing that by now. Let's hope so!

I got online tonight and went to read Dooce's new post. I totally didn't get the blog post with the poster in it. But, after following Dooce's blog for a while, I have realized that I might not understand everything she says and that is okay. So I scrolled down a little to read the post entitled, "Keep_it_to_the_knees_please". I was immediately fascinated by the thought that a college would have posters around campus regarding grooming and modesty. Seriously? In college? I know there are dress codes in elementary school...and high school...but college? To reduce the risk of offending anyone, I will stop my commentary here. But you really need to check out some of these posters. Totally unbelievable!

The Cruddy Croup

It feels like it has been forever since I have posted.

Okay.

Maybe it has been a few days.

But I have a good excuse.

Cade has the croup. As I am typing this he is coughing in his sleep. It started a few days ago, but it has gotten progressively worse the last two days. We went to see the doctor today. Cade kind of started to panic as the nurse was checking his vitals--I am assuming he was remembering that only last week he got four shots as part of his 15 month check-up. So, I held him and promised him that today the doctor was just going to look at him. No shots today, I promised.

You should never make a promise to your child about something that is really not in your control. He ended up getting a steroid shot that will help reduce the inflammation in his throat and chest. It was exactly what he needed, but unfortunately it was in an injectable form. Here I had promised my baby that he wouldn't have to get a shot, and then he ended up getting one anyway. Poor Cade. He survived the shot...and we survived the resulting ornery boy.

After his appointment and lunch, Cade had a two hour afternoon nap--you would think that would make him feel better, but he woke up from the nap as irritable as could be. NOTHING would make him happy. Believe me, we tried everything. It was not fun, but at least we knew that his attitude was because of the shot and the fact that he really doesn't feel well. Makes you appreciate what a happy pleasant child he is most of the time.

Hopefully he will feel much better in the morning!

The Christmas Season Begins!

It is only November 24 and I already have 95% of my Christmas shopping done.

Are you impressed? I mean, it is barely past Thanksgiving. I still have leftover turkey in my fridge! I seriously have maybe 5 more presents to buy. AND, that covers all of my present buying for December and January birthdays as well...which there are a TON! I mean, my Halloween candy isn't even gone yet and I only have 5 more presents to buy! To make things even better, I already picked out and ordered my photo Christmas cards. And they are ready to be picked up! Our Christmas tree is up and all that is left as far as decorating goes is hanging our outside lights. Sometimes I amaze myself.

As we hung the decorations on the tree, we smartly put the breakable ornaments up higher and the unbreakable ones on the bottom. We also put a Superyard XT Play Yard around the tree. Jim and I decided we didn't want to be telling Cade, "No! Don't touch the tree" for the next month or so. This just makes everything a little safer. However, we both apparently underestimated Cade's height. This morning Cade reached over the play yard and touched the ornaments. Then this evening he pulled one off the tree and brought it to Jim to show him. I guess we need to move some ornaments a few more branches up!

Thanks Mom and Dad for helping us get our decorations up! Couldn't have done it without you! And Mom and Angel thanks for being my shopping partners!

The Magnet

They have a toddler size shirt at Walgreen's that says "Babe Magnet".

I should totally get it for Cade. He somehow in his quiet, adorable, chubby cheeked way attracts everyone--not just women to him. It is amazing. At my parents party, I was sitting next to him outside while he was in his highchair enjoying dinner. Eating dinner that night took him probably 30-45 minutes because he was interrupted so many times by people stopping by to talk to him, pinch his cheeks, rub his arms, pretend to eat the little plastic Pilgrim Duck he had gotten from Nana. Since he was the only one there under like the age of twenty he had the attention of everyone. Even when it was way past his bedtime, he didn't want to leave. He was having too much fun being the center of attention.

Not that Cade is really a party animal. He is much more of an observer. He will stare down every new person that talks to him. He really loves to watch people and things going on around him...and participate only once he is comfortable. He will put up with strangers touching him, but will generally not respond with a smile or a giggle. But, even with his initial aloof behavior, he is still a people magnet.

On a side note, I was not going to post until tomorrow night. But, today my sister-in-law informed me that she reads this blog everyday (Hi Alisha!) I just didn't want to disappoint her and not have a new post up. Now I must go finish my shopping list and prepare for Black Friday! Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Turkey Day

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.

Albert Schweitzer

Today is only Tuesday. I know Thanksgiving isn't until Thursday, but let's be honest...I have so much to do between now and then that I won't have time to blog to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Tomorrow Cade has his 15 month check-up. Another round of shots. Wish us luck. He usually does just fine and they are over so quick the nurse is usually done before he realizes it hurt a little and he should cry. So, he barely cries at all. A little Tylenol after that and we should be golden.

Tomorrow night my parents are having their annual Thanksgiving Eve Party. I asked my mom if I could help, so I am making one of the appetizers. She apparently gave me the gross one to make. Not that the appetizer is gross, just the making of it. And I am not saying which one I am making because if someone who goes to the party reads this, I don't want them to know which one I made and have them not like it. I am crazy, I know.

Then of course, I have to have time to organize Black Friday shopping. I have to go through what I have already purchased for friends and family and decide what else I need. Then we have to go through the ads and make our plan of attack for shopping. I think we will totally skip Kohl's this year since the last two years the lines there have been hours long--and they have been out of what we were looking for anyway.

But, I don't want to ignore the true purpose of Thanksgiving. It is a time to give thanks. So I am going to make a list of the top five things I am thankful for. I encourage anyone who reads this to do the same...and if you can, post it in my comments so others can see it, too. Happy Thanksgiving!

Top Five Things I am Thankful For:

1. My Family and Friends and everyone that has ever lit the flame within me.

2. Being employed (not that I love to work, but I am grateful for the fact that Jim and I are both able to work and have jobs)

3. Having Bills to pay (not that I love to pay the bills, but it means that I have a home to pay for)

4. Having laundry to do (not that I love to do laundry, but it means that I have people I care about living with me and that they have clothes to wear)

5. Having dishes to wash (not that I love to do dishes, but that means we have food to eat)

6. Having to change dirty diapers (not that I love to do that, but that means I have a healthy, beautiful baby)

Okay...so I got to six. Please remember to post your comments.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What Should I Be Worried About?

Yesterday was our anniversary.

Jim and I have been married for seven years. To celebrate, we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We absolutely love the food there, but due to the price, we reserve our visits there for special occasions. We have gone to Ruth's Chris every anniversary. Sometimes I wonder if that is why Jim stays married to me...so he gets at least one meal there a year?! Hmmm...

My mother and father-in-law were kind enough to baby-sit Cade so we could enjoy a nice dinner together. We ordered the "Meal for Two" which comes with everything from the salad to the dessert. Jim and I both ordered Caesar salads. However, apparently they ran out of Caesar salads after we ordered. Our waiter discovered this after we waited for our salads for 10-15 minutes. I wasn't really paying attention. I was enjoying my martini and the bread. We really were not overly concerned. When our waiter told us, we picked a different salad--no big deal. Our waiter apologized, the manager came and apologized... They ended up comping us my martini and giving us a free dessert. Well, a dessert came with our meal, and they gave us another free dessert since it was our anniversary. We got THREE desserts. We ate one there and took two cheesecakes home with us. We gave one to Jim's Mom to enjoy as a thank you for baby-sitting.

On the way home from Ruth's Chris (I was driving since Jim is technically still under doctor orders for no driving--which unfortunately slightly limited the amount I could drink at dinner since Jim is usually my DD) Jim said kind of randomly that I could have the aisle seat on the way to Hawaii since Cade will be in the middle and not take up a lot of room. I was kind of shocked. This is what he was thinking about? This was our conversation:

Me: "That is what you are worried about? Where we will sit on the plane on our way to Hawaii in FOUR months?!"

Him: "Well, what should I be worried about?"

In my head I run through a list about a mile long of things I think about and worry about but I am too dumbfounded to say anything to him. So, I say nothing...

Don't get me wrong, I am totally excited about the trip to Hawaii. Now that we have bought our airline tickets, it feels even more real. However, there is A LOT going on between now and then and thinking about the logistics of that trip with have to wait!

See the Resemblance?

Jim and I watched Shrek the Third tonight.

It was the first time we had seen it, however Cade has been in love with the Shrek babies since we found them in Build-a-Bear. Now every time we see anything Shrek, Cade points and says "Uh Uh Uh" to get your attention because if he sees it, everyone else has to see it. It is kind of cute...in a slightly exasperating, "Yes, Caden, there is another Shrek" kind of way.

So, at the end of the movie you finally get to see the Shrek Babies. I smile at Jim and remark about how cute they are and I jokingly say that I want an ogre baby. They just have these cute cheeks. Then, I look a little closer at the TV and realize that Cade has the same exact cheeks. Maybe he is an ogre baby in disguise. What do you think?

I totally think he could be an ogre baby. Here is a cute picture of Cade asleep in the car with one of his Shrek Babies!

Welcome to My Life...

I was advised to check out this post.

http://swistle.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html

Check out the November 11, 2007 post entitled "Sunday Timeline".

A good friend said it I would enjoy it--and totally get it. Boy did I ever. Now, I only have one child and this woman in the blog has five. But, the situations are relatively the same. Mine just tend to be on a smaller scale with fewer kids to take care of. But, I could see myself in a few years with a few more kids having the same exact interations with Jim as she does with her husband. (Or doesn't have depending on how you look at it.) All the way down to the retail therapy at Target at the end of the post.

Now don't take what I am saying in the wrong way. I love my husband and he is a great father. But, he is a man. And that is all that needs to be said for Swistle says it all...

Today It Was Bird Poop

I figured the title of this post would get your attention if nothing else.

The other day I mentioned that Cade had eaten some fertilizer (a.k.a. manure) out of the grass that had been recently over seeded. Well, since the grass has been over seeded we have had a LOT of birds in our yard. The birds apparently feast in our grass then walk onto our patio to poop before they leave.

Cade and I went out back to play this morning after breakfast. I noticed that there was a lot of bird poop on our patio, so ran in to grab the broom to sweep it away. I contemplated bring Cade inside with me, but I knew he was physically safe where he was--especially since finding the broom would only take a matter of seconds. I knew if I pulled him inside, he would scream and cry and his sleeping, recovering from surgery Daddy would not be too happy. So I left him for like two seconds.

Have you ever seen the public service announcements about drowning? The ones that say "It Only Takes a Second!" Don't worry. Cade didn't drown or even get anywhere near water to drown in. I told you I knew he was physically safe when I left him for the one millionth of the second that I did. But, when I came back, I noticed that he was chewing and swallowing something and that there was brown drool on his face. I am pretty sure he picked up some bird poop off of the patio and ate it. I was so grossed out. For some reason, in my mind, eating bird poop is much worse than eating fertilizer which is in essence cow poop.

BOYS! They are soooo gross!

As an update on Jim, he is recovering very well. Especially since I hunted down Guitar Hero III for him to play. It only took 8 phone calls and trips to three different stores. YIKES!

The Road Ahead

Jim had his surgery today.

Everything went really well. The surgery only took like 20 minutes. We were home about 2 hours after the surgery began. No surprises in the operating room, which is as good as it can get. I am keeping Jim loaded up on pain meds and pushing the "clear liquid" diet he has been restricted to for today. But no matter how hungry you are, there is a limit to the amount of soup broth and jello you can eat. Tomorrow he can resume his regular diet. That should improve his mood a little!

When Jim first went for his consultation with the surgeon, Dr. M. totally played down the surgery and led Jim to believe that recovery time was 2-3 days. We thought that was great. No big deal...a few days off from work and back to normal by this upcoming Monday. What he really meant was no driving or lifting anything over 5 pounds for TWO WEEKS. Ummm...so since we didn't find that out until after the surgery, our schedules for the next two weeks do not currently cater to those instructions. For example, Jim goes back to work on Monday. I can drive him, but I can't stand eight hours for him at work--especially since I have my own shift to work that day. Also, in case you couldn't tell from his pictures, Cade weighs a little over 5 pounds. Like 22 pounds over. So, that means for the next two weeks Jim can't lift Cade. Apparently that means that the two of them can't be home alone together. Cade is now able to walk, but still requires to be lifted in and out of his crib, highchair, and changing table.

Don't get me wrong. The surgery was relatively simple...and Jim is recovering very well so far. And that is really all that matters. It will just be a tougher next two weeks than I thought it would be! Keep us in your prayers!

My Son ate Manure and Other Things that Happened Today

We had a busy day today. And strange things happened!

Busy Day:

• Wake up
• Eat Breakfast
• Dishes
• Laundry
• Play Outside
• Nap
• Lunch at Olive Garden
• Deliver Baby Present #1 to expecting Mom #1
• Nap
• Snack
• Deliver Baby Present #2 and meet new baby Brielle
• Dinner with girlfriends
• Coupon Sense Shopping with another girlfriend

Strange Things

• While we played outside, Cade ate manure from our recently over seeded and fertilized grass. GROSS!
• As we drove up to the Olive Garden, we saw a lady laying on the ground. As we parked an ambulance and fire truck pulled in to help!
• I gave 2 baby presents out in one day! You would think it was spring time or something! I also mailed another one last week!
• I met baby Brielle. She is not strange...she is an absolutely beautiful teeny, tiny baby girl. However, she is the one I posted about earlier with the Trisomy 18 chromosomal disorder. But, at just a week old, she is defying odds and breathing and eating all on her own!
• I took a friend Coupon Sense shopping. At one store she got: (3) Betty Crocker Cookie Mixes, (3) boxes Betty Crocker Potatoes, (1) can of Betty Crocker Frosting, (3) boxes of Farmland Sausage, (1) can of Grands Biscuits, and (2) 3-pack Dial Soap Bars. After coupons, her total was $0.40. Yes. FORTY CENTS! My friend was afraid to leave the store. I think she was afraid she was stealing...

Well, that was my day in a nutshell. Hope you had a good day, too! Happy Veteran's Day!

By the way...Jim is having his hernia surgery tomorrow. Please send happy thoughts and prayers!

Anyone Missing Their Insoles?

I work in a pharmacy.

To deal with any patient confidential information, you must be HIPAA trained. That means we understand that we can't go blabbing any patient's personal information. DUH! But, of course some stupid person somewhere screwed up and made the government have to make a law... Anyway. That is not the point of my story.

I work in a grocery store. It is convenient for a lot of people to get their prescriptions filled while they shop. However, that means some people either forget to come back and pick up their prescription, or they somehow leave it in their cart. When they leave it in their cart, the prescription comes back to the pharmacy so we, who are HIPAA trained, can call the patient and hold it until they come back for it. Doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen.

On Saturday, a bagger that works up front brought me a bag and said that he was told to give it to me. It was a prescription bag. But, there was no label on it...or a receipt. I asked the bagger what was in it and he said he was told not to look in the bag. I took the bag. Just feeling through the bag I could tell that there were not prescriptions in there. I opened the bag and found...

INSOLES.

You know the kind of plastic/gel inserts you can put in your shoes?! And these were not new insoles in a package. It was like someone bought new ones, took the old ones out and put them in a pharmacy bag. How these disgusting, used, smelly insoles ended up in a pharmacy bag I don't know. But I do know that HIPAA trained or not, you could tell that there was most definitely NOT a prescription in the bag or any personal health information at risk.

So what did I do with them? I left them in their bag...on the counter...for my partner to find in the morning. It is a little funny!

Didn't know?!

There are some things that I have learned recently that I didn't previously know...or really even ever contemplate.

For example:

There is a correct way to put the toilet paper roll on the rod.

I didn't know there was a right or wrong way. I have NEVER paid attention to which way it rolls. Up or down. I don't care as long as it isn't all gone when I need it.

There is a correct way to put lunch meat--specifically turkey--on a sandwich.

It should not just be laid flat. It should be "scrunched".

I didn't know that meat could be scrunched. And flat or not, you still eat it...and it tastes the same.

There are more verses to the song "I'm a Little Teapot".

Who knew? Who wanted to know?
The extra verses are:

I'm a tube of toothpaste on the shelf
I get so lonely all by myself
When it comes to night time, hear me shout,
Flip my lid and squeeze me out

AND

I'm a little robot short and square
I've got no teeth , I've got no hair
But if you need an answer to a sum,
Just press my nose and out it comes

As you can tell, not much is going on here. Hence this post. Enjoy anyway!

A Moment of Silence

Confession.

There is a part in our church service for confession. The pastor gives us a moment of silence in which we are supposed to confess our sins to God. I had a girlfriend tell me the other day that she doesn't always have anything to confess in that moment of silence. I looked at her in awe. NOTHING to pray or confess about? I have always thought that the time we are given to confess is way to short! My list of sins are so lengthy, I need more like an hour of silence for confession instead of the minute I get.

So what is the difference between us? This friend is a sweet, loving, generous person who would do ANYTHING you needed her to. But it is her faith and love for God that makes her so wonderfully different. She is a true believer--and a true example of a Christian living a Christian life. She says she tries very hard to live her life so that people will see her and want to have the same relationship with God that she has. She never wants to do anything that would make her a hypocrite or turn someone away from God based on her actions.

She is amazing to me. I have a difficult time sharing with people what I believe. I have a harder time living what I believe. Oh, I can do the actions. I can "talk the talk". But I have a much harder time when it comes down to "walking the walk". In a way I am almost jealous of my friend and her ability to let go and let God. She is so calm and so at peace. It is something to be in awe of. But jealousy is a sin. Great...add it to my list for Sunday!

Teething is the Pits

Poor Cade has molars coming in.

Teething is pretty horrible to begin with. Add to that the fact that he has FOUR molars coming in (one in each quadrant of the mouth) at the same time and you have one unhappy toddler. Add to that the fact that he also has a cold and you have a miserable toddler and a miserable Mommy. Add to that the fact that Daddy is sick, too, and you have an unhappy family. It has been a rough past couple of weeks.

The good news is three of the four teeth have pretty much come in. And judging by the screaming we had this morning, I am pretty sure the fourth one is pushing its way through. At least that is what I am assuming the crying fit was about. It is so hard at this age. When he cries, I am not sure why he is crying (unless I just told him no about something). Makes it so hard to know if you are doing the right things for your child or not.

Everyone has said it is hard being a parent. But, boy, is it hard being a parent!

Thanks for Being My Lean-To's

“The journey of the human spirit has tiring searches, long stretches of grief and letting go, dark-hearted things that steal the energy from our spirits. At these times we need lean-tos. Our lean-tos can be anyone or anything that brings us a sense of hope, a pause from pain, a bit of strength to sustain us, a little vision for guidance, a touch of happiness.

We have a wonderful lean-to in God whose heart always welcomes us and provides refuge for us. We often have people who stand by us and offer warmth, support and refuge. Little comforts and glimmers of hope that we do not notice when we are strong become very significant for us when we are weak: a smile, a song, a sunrise, a bird’s chirp, a phone call or a letter. In all these we rest our woes and our weariness and draw strength for our recovery.”

-Author Unknown

This was in an email from the Bishop of our church. He has recently undergone major surgery and by the grace of God is well on his way to full recovery. In this email, he was thanking his friends and family for being his support system. For being his "lean-to's".

It is in time of need when we most clearly see who our true supporters are. And it is usually in the time of need when we make most of our requests for support to God. However, God, our family, and our friends are always there whether or not there is a "need". So at this point--when I am happy to report that we currently have no "needs"-- I want to thank God, my family, and my friends for being my lean-to's...Thanks for always being my support system. You are the best!