02/14/07

I had to be in the office this morning at 7 AM. We didn't go to bed last night until nearly 11. Imagine my happy surprise when I opened my office door to see two dozen gorgeous red roses on my desk with a HUGE bag of my favorite candy!

I went up to tell Dusty thank you and he told me to look in Kaitlyn's room. On her nightstand he put a beautiful purple orchid to surprise her when she woke up! He stuck some monkey stickers and candy in the pot. She was so excited.

Isn't he the absolute greatest?

I had my doctor's appointment this morning and we did another u/s sound!

02/13/07

Children are absolutely amazing.

There is nothing more special in life than sharing a meaningful bond with a child. Knowing that a child recognizes who you are, trusts you and looks forward to seeing you.

Yesterday, I heard a story on the radio about women who are freezing their eggs and waiting until they are established in their careers before having children. These women were waiting until their very late thirties to mid forties and beyond. I wonder if they realize what it means to be a mommy?

I do not believe there is a career or a bank statement in this world worth trading children for. It is absolutely amazing to watch this person who you give birth to at a tender 7 pounds turn into a 30 pound toddler experiancing the world, knowing that every day they get bigger, older, smarter and have a greater understanding because of your role in it?

I wonder if those same women realize that there is never a right time to have a child. You will always want a bigger home, more room, more money, more security, more time, more everything.

When it comes down to it, children do not need a lot. They need love, which will come so naturally in such an abundance it'll scare you. They need to be nutured, which is something you will enjoy doing so intently that you'll deeply miss it when they no longer want your kisses or need you to feed them. They need a happy home. This does not equal a mansion on acres and acres of land, that can be just as cold as a snowy winter night, a home can be a shack for all they care as long as it is warmed with love and inviting to them.

Sure, it seems like children are expensive, but really they aren't. When they arrive you no longer feel that same desire to buy, buy, buy for yourself. Instead, you spend that money on them (except for those days when your loved ones insist you buy for you). Yes, children are work, but it's such an enjoyable work that it doesn't feel like work at all.

I am in no way saying that you should run out, find the first guy "that'll do" and have babies. But, if you are waiting for the right time, it'll never come. Instead, you'll miss out on the joys of having a child while still young enough to enjoy them.

I'm also not saying that all women should have children. There are far too many that probably shouldn't reproduce (Paris Hilton anyone?), but again, for those that know they want children but chose to freeze their eggs until the right time, please reconsider.

Then again, maybe it's the hormones talking.

Well, I'm pregnant!

It came as a complete surpise to both of us. We both want more children, and we both wanted to start trying this summer, but we were actively avoiding pregnancy.

However, it seems there were other plans for us! So, my Valentine's day is the arrow cupid struck right in my uterus!

It turns out I am about 7 1/2 weeks pregnant. We obviously do not know the sex yet, but we should know in about 12 weeks.

Thursday is our first pre-natel appointment with the pre-natel nurse. Our first doctor's appointment will be scheduled at that time. We're excited, happy and glad that Kaitlyn will be a big sister!

01/08/07

Back from the Dentist
Current mood: nauseated

Last week, I went to Urgent care for some pain in my jaw and ear. I was given antibiotics for a gum infection and told to see my dentist.

I did that this morning. I saw my dentist. I was not excited, but anxious to get this road behind me. I had my x-rays done and was left to watch one of those disgusting movies that shows what could happen if you don't brush. I became naseuated. I worried about losing my teeth.

I expected to hear the words root canal, cavity, small infection. What I did not expect was gum surgery. I had my wisdom teeth removed when I was 17. I was always suprised that the holes never closed up. Well, one decided to. One actually got so excited at the thought of closing up that it grew too much. It grew over my other teeth. I needed to have immediate surgery to stop the pain and to save the teeth.

The dentist told me I was lucky, the periodontist just happened to be there now. So, I signed consent forms, moved rooms and prepared for gum surgery.

I received no fewer than 15 painful shots of novacaine throughout my mouth. It hurt like crazy. I then waited for 5 minutes while I became numb. Then, with a pick, some scissors and pliers they removed tissue the size of a marble. The clipped away at my gums, they sucked up what felt like gallons and gallons of blood. Then they grabbed the sewing needle and thread and began suturing. I tried to paid attention to her knots so I could practice them on Kaitlyn's pageant outfits, but I was trying not to look.

The novacaine is now wearing off. It hurts like hell. I want to go to bed for the next 3 weeks, until the sutures are removed. And to think, I thought I had just bit the inside of my cheek.

01/04/07

So, for the past 3 or so days, I've had an awful pain in my mouth. It's along my jaw line in the back on the right hand side. At first it felt like I had bit my cheek and it was taking a while to heal. By last night it had radiated to my right ear and I could barely talk.

So, today I decided had to be seen by the doctor. I got all my work affairs in order and at 1:00 PM I headed out the door.

My doctor's office told me they didn't have a single appointment with anyone so I had to go downtown to Urgent Care. Joy. I got to Urgent Care at 1:45 and got all checked in.

At about 3:00 I was seen by the triage nurse. That took all of 5 minutes. At about 3:30 a woman came in. She was in her mid-fifties or so and very well dressed and composed. She began to check her adult daughter in to be seen. The receptionist gave her the warning that it would be a while. Oh my what happened next better belongs on daytime TV.

The woman began sobbing hysterically, her daughter was dying. She was so sick and dehydrated she wasn't going to make it. The whole way there she was talking to God and walking to the light. She had to be seen immediatly. The receptionist didn't miss a beat, ignored the water works and asked for her insurance card. The dramatics worsened. This woman began to tell the nurse that she had to save her daughter, that she would give her anything money, car her kidneys anything at all she had to be seen right then.

The nurse walked up and asked what was going on. The water works continued. The nurse decided to bring them back to triage IMMEDIATLY! I looked at the adult daughter, dressed in designers full make-up, not a hair undone sipping on gaterade walk back into triage as though she owned the world.

They put the girl into a room while her now well composed mother finished the paperwork. She didn't say a thank you, she didn't breath a word of her daughter's illness again. She actually got on her cell phone and began to speak about something else while the receptionist was talking to her. The triage nurse came back to the receptionist and the mother inquired about her daughter. The triage nurse explained it was a stomach virus. There wasn't a fever and no signs of dehydration.

Because I didn't pull out what I learned in Sophomore drama, I wasn't seen until 5:00 PM, go figure.

12/27/06

New Year's Resolutions

Typically, the end of one year and the beginning of another is a time for self reflection. It is the time that we list our faults and resolve to repair those faults prior to the end of the following year. Gym memberships, nicorette gum, and AA meetings all benefit for the first months of the new year, then decline again until the following January.

For the last few weeks, I've been thinking about my resolutions. What about me do I want to change? What about me do I not like?

There are of course some easy things: I would like to gain weight, I would like to travel more. But in actuality, those are resolutions, they are goals. I have already resolved to gain weight with minimal sucess regardless of the thousands of calories I consume daily.

When it comes down to it, I like me. I used to be obsessed and worried about how the world saw me. I would change who I was, I would bite my tongue, and I would deal with a lot of unnecessary "crap" so that I could be liked. This past year, I learned something. I made a realization. Those that I am trying to make like me are ones that think they know me. They believe they have me all figured out and I'm a royal bitch. Do you know what I learned? Those that think they know me typically know the least about me. Instead, they are part of a group that decides what people are like ahead of time and them contort every situation to mold that person into their perception. I do not need people like that to like me, so I gave up. I figure, I fill my time with enough, why add to it. And, I've continued that philosophy with new people in my life as well as old throughout the entire year. Life is a lot less stressful this way.

There are so many things about myself that I learned this year. I may not be perfect, but I enjoy working my way to that point. I have an amazing husband who I love more and more every day. I have the great joy and honor of being the mommy to an incredible little girl who makes me giggle all throughout the day. I am surrounded by family and friends that are always there for me. I learned that I do nice things because I like too, it brings me joy. I like being busy. I enjoy a challenge. My favorite times invlove being surrounded my the people I lvoe. I don't have to go out everyday. I enjoy hot chocolate as much as a hard drink. And Barney just might not be the devil, he just doesn't have to be my friend too lol!

When it comes down to it, I don't have any regrets this year. I'm happy, healthy and so is my family. What more could I ask for? I know that if I were told I had a terminal disease and had 30 days to live, there isn't much I would do differently. I think I am living my life how it was meant to be lived and I am happy.

I will say this, without the love, support, and friendship of those in my lives, I don't know that I would be able to say the same. Thank you so much for all that you have done and said.


This New Years, I resolve to be me. I resolve to not change anything, however I do goal myself o gain 20 or so pounds ;)

12/21/06

There are aspects of my job that I love. I love meeting new people, I love getting to know the people who live here, I love the opportunity to shape our own community and I love the flexibility of it all.

There are things I don't mind doing. I don't mind dealing with most tenant disputes. I think its good practice for real life to diffuse "ugly" situations. I don't mind doing the grounds. Kaitlyn rides along on her bike or in her wagon and I get a great deal of satisfaction out of it. Plus, we get to be outside. I don't mind doing move-out paperwork, I enjoy the satisfaction of either charging the hell out of someone who trashed an apartment or giving back an entire deposit to someone who worked hard to clean their unit. I don't mind the tediousness of move-in paperwork. It's so repetitive it's nearly relaxing.

There are things I don't like doing. I don't like wearing a pager all the time. I don't like explaining that "No, having 1 of your 8 bathroom light bulbs is not a major emergency, I don't care if you can't apply your make-up, it's after 11 PM." Or the "Well, you were told for 6 months to remove the trash from your balcony, you were specifically told a day and time it would be removed for you, you were told and watched while it was hauled away so No, I'm not responsible for replacing your 1991 Jane Fonda Work out tape."

Then there are things I HATE. I HATE cleaning the laundry room. A laundry room is a place where you take something dirty and make it CLEAN. So then, why do you insist on a DAILY basis to trash it? Why do people live like that? It's as though they are in the middle of doing laundry, have the door propped open with the garbage can (after complaining that the washers were stolen you continue to leave the door open all hours of the night) 2.4 feet away from them and think that is much to far to walk. I should toss my opened bottle of detergent with remnants in it and when it not only splatters everywhere, but the bottle doesn't even make it to the trash, let's shrug our shoulders and say "it isn't my job" and continue to be a slob. I also HATE realizing what kind of trash and demise people will live in. You learn this quick after your first lock out eviction. The last unit hadn't had power in MONTHS yet had dairy products in the fridge. Yummy that smelled good. And of course the eggs that were smashed into the carpet were a lovely touch. What I really enjoyed though was the hole they left in the wall in an attempt to splice into electricity outside. Ugh, what a disgusting society we must live in.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great job. I am incredibly lucky to be able to stay at home with my princess. There are enough lulls in the day where we can have a lot of mommy and me time and I have no problem putting up the "Closed" sign and locking the office up if we need more. We get to spend all of our time together playing, learning and creating memories. I just do not understand people!!!

So, in a nice venting list, here are the five worst things I've seen/dealt with:

5. Hypodermic needles hidden in a "Parenting" magazine after move-out. They were not diabetic.
4. A living room whose floor looked like a dumpster, wrappers and maggots included
3. The tenant who explained that it wasn't his fault he hadn't paid the rent, his church was supposed to pay since they knew he spent all his money on crack
2. The woman living in her VAN with her maybe 1 year old son, SHOOTING UP in the parking lot.
1. Our door on fire.

However, here are the 5 nicest things I've seen here:

5. A tenant collecting at least 2 trucks filled with toys for charity.
4. A collection taken for a young mother on hard times to pay her rent.
3. Lots and Lots of yummy treats, cards and thank you for the work I put in J
2. A tenant helping her elderly neighbor for HOURS a day for pure satisfaction and joy.
1. The sweetest couple who daily thank god and every American they see for the opportunity to be in such a great county. (These are actually one of my favorite tenants, they are incredibly sweet)