August 30, 2007
I have officially started Christmas shopping. I bought a present for my uncle earlier this week. It is really early to start thinking about Christmas shopping, I know, but I thought if I spread it out, starting early, our checkbook would much appreciate it. So, my Christmas shopping has begun!
I am looking forward to this Christmas. Andrew and Pamela are coming home for the holidays, Ethan is a little older. The only bummer-I am pretty sure I will have to work this Christmas. I can’t complain. Somehow I have avoided it the last 4 years. I am lucky. And probably better to work this year than next. My family mostly celebrates Christmas Eve anyway. It will probably be a tough day to be at work, though (other than it’s time and a half, as is Monday-woohoo!).
August 26, 2007
We had a thunderstorm this morning. In southern California. Doesn’t happen often. I loved it. Ethan was a little scared by all of the “rumbling.” It didn’t last too long, but it made me think of fall and how much I am looking forward to it. It won’t be long.
Shane and I just got home from a 2 day getaway to a Bed and Breakfast called The Heritage Park Inn in Old Town. it was wonderful. We left Wednesday evening and arrived down there around 5. We stayed in the Queen Anne room (the only room that could accommodate a pack and play). The place was very charming and homey. We ate at Old Town the first night and walked around a bit. We returned to our room (where Tegan did not sleep so well) and read and read and read. It was so nice to be able to read so much-in a row. We woke up the next morning and got ready for breakfast at 8:30. I had wanted to sleep in-didn’t happen (because of Tegan, not the breakfast). The staff were so very friendly and make killer breakfasts for us. The food was beautiful and delicious and we were served on the front veranda. It was beautiful.
We were off to the Zoo (felt a little guilty going without Ethan). We walked around and saw various animals. It was nice to just relax and do as we pleased. We drove from there to North Park, where my grandpa and his family once lived. We saw the newly renovated theater that my great-great uncle helped build and saw his old house. I love craftsmen style houses and they are all over in North Park. We then went to Seaport Village for an overpriced lunch, but ate with a view of the harbor. The day was beautiful-clear but not too hot. Back the our room to read and nap a bit (Tegan and I), then downtown for dinner. Indecisive me, we drove around for quite some time before settling on Star of India. We had delicious spicy curry dishes and nan and it was very good. After that, back to Old Town to meet a coworker of Shane’s and his wife. Shane talks to the guy online all of the time, so being face to face to hang out was cool and it was so nice to meet them. They were both very nice and it is too bad we don’t live closer. Hopefully we will get to hang out more. Then, this morning, another delicious breakfast and back home to get Ethan. Tegan was awesome through the whole trip and did great. We had a great time just being away and being mellow. Ethan had a great time with his grandparents and already wants to go back. I hope we can do it again soon.
August 16, 2007
After 8 months of thinking he could not get out of bed without one of us being in the room, Ethan has finally figured it out. It is kind of funny and I am shocked that he stayed in bed as long as he did, but it is getting old real quick. Bedtime has been a challenge lately aside from the getting out of bed part. He wants to wear the warmest jammies possible-in 90 degree weather. He wants one more song. He needs more water. He cries and cries and cries and it drives me insane. Why can’t he just go to sleep?? Last night was the first night he attempted it, creeping out into the hallway a few times, being ushered back into his room and disciplined. Tonight, I walked by and he had the light on. Shane went in. He was reading some books. Same thing at naptime, but he dumped out some toys as well. And then, the crying. He just cries and screams and I don’t know what to do about it. We have gone in, we have tried to ignore it, it just keeps happening and I am ready for him to get over it.
The main thing I was going to write about here before I got off on the getting out of bed thing was that he has started taking this canvas painting with a truck and his name on it off of the wall and has been sleeping with it. Weird? We have taken it away a few times and it is back in the morning and he is playing with it. I found him sleeping with it the other night. I think we have nipped this one in the bud but it was just kind of funny.
Oh, the boy is giving me a run for my money.
August 8, 2007
I am feeling a little bit guilty. I mentioned to Shane that Tegan is 5 months old today and he reminded me that she would be 5 months old tomorrow, the ninth. I then recalled that earlier in the week, I was kicking myself for thinking her birthday was the 7th of March, when it was in fact the 8th. I had it wrong twice. I forgot when my baby’s birthday was. Twice. March 9th. March 9th…may I never forget again.
Speaking of Tegan, because shey was not born in the hospital, I had to go and apply for a social security card for her. I have to say, the social security office is up there with the DMV. It may be worse, in fact. I didn’t like being there. First, a security guard signs you in and has you fill out the appropriate paperwork, then hands you a number. Then you sit and sit until they call your number. Everyone ahead of you is wondering where their social security check is or why they aren’t getting it anymore and they are all real high class people. It was very seedy and uncomfortable and I was very happy when my turn came. One month, she said, to get the card in the mail. It has now been three months.
A few weeks ago, I called social security. They have an automated menu. I hate these menus. The voice recognition never works and maybe it is only me, but I end up in the wrong place and very frustrated and it just never works out. I finally figured out how I could talk to a real person and the wait was too long so they hung up on me. Tried again later and waited 20 minutes on the phone until it was my turn. The automated voice wanted me to do all these things while I was waiting to help make things easier when I spoke with a real person, like enter the social security number of the person you are calling for (I DON”T HAVE IT). It asked me a million times.”I am sorry, maybe you don’t understand the question. A social security number is a 9 digit number that is located on your card. Please enter it now.” (I STILL DON’T HAVE ONE). It was finally my turn and I explained my situation and that I had been waiting for my daughter’s card for 2 months. She said there was no way for her to check to see if it had been issued or if she was in their system, etc. WHAT?? Type her name into your computer and see if she’s in there. She offered to send me the paperwork to reapply for a card. I asked if I should reapply if I had already applied once. Her response was that it was probably just taking longer than they said it would and if I wanted to check the status, I would have to go down and sit in the office again with all of the seedy people. No thanks. I will just continue to wait. So weird. I was very put off by all of it and my opinion of the social security department is not very high at this point. I am just hoping that card comes and I don’t have to go back.
The moral of the story: Have your baby at the hospital. It will save you a lot of trouble in many different ways.
August 5, 2007
It’s 84 degrees inside and I am drinking hot tea. I have felt a little bit blah today and as of an hour ago, the blah feeling has turned into a sore throat. I hope it is just allergies and that I am not getting sick. So, I am sitting in front of a fan, drinking hot tea.
I tried for about 5 minutes tonight to put Tegan in her crib in Ethan’s room. I tried to prepare him for it throughout the day, talking about it and how he would need to be quiet and if she cried, just stay in bed and go back to sleep and mom would come get her. Yea, it lasted 5 minutes. She usually falls asleep nursing, which didn’t happen. So, she was wide awake in her crib. We read a book, a bible story, sang some songs and Ethan starts fussing and crying because he doesn’t want to go to bed. Tegan starts fussing and doesn’t look like she will be falling asleep. She is back in the pack and play in the office. I chickened out. Does anyone have any encouragement or tips on how to do this? Ethan, unfortunately, is a light sleeper. I could probably sneak her in there now, but I am sure he would wake up and I kind of don’t want to deal with that. Especially if she wakes up at 2 AM, which she will. The office is not working either. Especially when Shane is working till 2 AM and she is in there and the light from the computer is in her face. She wakes up often and I am freaking out each time, even more so on the nights when I have to work the next day. I just don’t know what to do…how to transition them. Should I wait until Tegan is sleeping better through the night? Should I just do it?? I hate the pack and play, too, because she is rolling onto her tummy to sleep now and the pad is all uneven and lumpy and I am afraid of her sleeping on it. Any advice?
August 1, 2007
It has been toasty here lately and it is guaranteed to get toastier. And, as I have complained in the past, our house is an oven. It is always hotter inside in the summer than outside and we can’t seem to get a breeze. We have a million fans and do our best to stay cool, but it is just hot. We have no insulation in the walls or in the ceiling and we are situated in a hole on our street-every house is up higher than us. Last year, we tried a portable air conditioner and it didn’t help. Our last ditch effort was a hole house fan. We have thought a lot about it and yesterday, a guy came out to check it out. His opinion-it wouldn’t be worth it for various reasons. Not enough attic space, not enough installation space, etc. it wouldn’t work, it wouldn’t help. Bummer. August and September are ahead of us and we are just going to have to hang out in our diapers clinging to ice cubes while standing in front of fans. My opinion, as much as I like our little house and it’s personality and the backyard, is to fix it up a little bit more and put it on the market in the fall when it is not so hot. I have mentioned, things are tight here and we could use some more space. We’ll see. We are making less money than we were when we bought this place, so it is hard to imagine being able to buy anything bigger. And we do need a little bigger. All I can do is hope and pray (in front of a fan) and we will see what happens.
