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4 Molars and a Baby

Surprise, surprise, she's got teeth.

My little girl, Abigail woke up SCREAMING Saturday night. We knew she was acting odd, cranky and what not, but Saturday night was impossible. SOMETHING was wrong. After a while, I checked her mouth and sure enough, there were not 1 ... not 2 ... not 3 ... but FOUR emerging molars. OUCH. No wonder she was not our happy lil' peanut.

That night we gave her Motrin and she slept well the rest of the night. Sunday came and she was acting in pain again. No words, of course, but screaming and restlessness. We gave her more Motrin and off to church we went. Afterwards, she crashed for her afternoon nap. We woke her up - to our demise - at 630pm so she could still get to bed on time. Bedtime rolls around and she is dead-tired, but is not settling down! Uh, oh. What gives?? We had given her Motrin before bed ... ooooooooh, crap ... we gave her Motrin. We didn't realize until close to midnight after fighting with her to go to bed ("let her cry," "try a bottle," "is she changed?" "is she feverish?" "should we let her play longer?" on and on and on). Clearly, on the box it says, not only may it cause drowsiness, but Motrin may cause excitability. WHAT?!!

Her screaming had been resonating on and off for hours at this point - no one was sleeping. We had tried prayer, blessings, everything. Once we had this epiphany, we knew we were doomed. We gave her the Motrin at 8pm or so. The dose lasts about 4-6 hours. Worst case scenario, we wouldn't sleep until 230am. Poor girl. It was horrible for her. She was acting so zombie-like, but determined to play with everything for only a second until she moved onto other things. I've never seen her so hyper! It was hilarious as much as it was devastating for my sleep. I was really worried about her, let alone my first day "officially" at work (post training). Finally, we tried for a last time. Her zombie zone-outs were lasting for a couple minutes at a time now. We thought it a good time to try bedtime again. IT WORKED! YIPPEE.

I was ready to call everyone I know to hunt the number down for my cousin Lena, homeopathic medicine queen to get advice - what to do??? After prayer failed, what was the point? What lesson here did we need to learn (other than DON'T give this chick Motrin)? Argh.

New developments

Interesting, the development of children.

Dylan, my five year old son, started a new trend the other day of .... dare I say - STEALING. What!!!? Where in the world ... I know it is a normal development, but I am still not ok with it. It is the same development stage as lying, kids trying to push the lines, want what others have and think taking is ok. I know, I know.

Friday we picked up the kids from the sitter and took the family to Cafe Rio! Yum. As we were eating, a toy fell out of Dylan's pocket. I'm so grateful I have fostered an open line of communication with my son. I asked him what, whose and where. He told me he took it from the sitter's house, it was her boy's toy and he took it because he wanted it for himself, "so no one would play with it, but him." We had the discussion of stealing and that it was wrong. He didn't get to play with it because we wanted to reinforce that it was not ok to steal.

Thinking the issue was taken care of, we went about our business. Today, at 830am, we went to a Relief Society (a sisterhood of women in our neighborhood sponsored by our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) breakfast. Dylan woke up with me and wanted to go. Just Dylan and me went, it was fun! At the end we started putting the nursery toys away. As we were headed out Dylan was fiddling with his pockets. I told him to go put away whatever he had. He got upset and marched back to the toys and threw them in. At that point, we had another discussion about stealing.

Once we got into the car he said, "I'm never having fun with you again!" I told him that was his choice but it did make me sad. He said it made him sad too. I took the opportunity to enlighten him that the choice was his for happiness and etc. Then I told him about trust and making wrong choices would teach me not to trust him. I used the story of him stealing to help him understand. Lastly, I explained to him if he stole, the police could come and put him in jail! This was a scare tactic I had heard other parents use in the past and figured it would help since the first time didn't. At this point, he said, "I would rather not go to jail." I loved it. It was hilarious and so hard not to laugh. I said I would rather he didn't either so let's stick with good choices. He agreed and now ... the future will tell.

How interesting that children do not need to be taught how to lie, steal, be selfish and self-centered, manipulate and get what the want. It comes naturally. It really makes me think of the age-old question - "Is man naturally good and have to learn to be evil or is man naturally evil and have to learn good?" Nature vs. Nurture, I guess? Still a forever-long discussion, I guess.

Twilight Zone

This experience was a little freaky for me. All at the same time I was anxious, felt my own vulnerability, was humbled by technology and wanted to sleep. It didn't help that there was LOUD whirrrrrring and obscure snap-shot sounds in my ear next to the sound of classic rock. I felt like I had entered a dimension between sci-fi movies and, well, sci-fi movies. Surrounded in a tube of white plastic ... hmmm, the many references I can think of.

I had to get an MRI today. Yes, it has been confirmed - I have a brain - WAHOO. However, what my brain is doing and how my brain is functioning is the question. It isn't drastic or anything, just a thyroid problem, as odd as that sounds for me - one who seems to have endless energy and virtually no weight problems. I went after work. Not the greatest idea I've ever had. Training this week has been the worst. It has been just about as fun as sitting on the lawn watching my grass grow; however, that might be more fun being outside and all. Training has consisted of nothing but wasted time and endless review and repetition. There is only so many times you can do the SAME scenario over and over before you just want to end your own misery. But I digress. Walking into the Neuroscience Center tired as a dog, I plan on sleeping through the process. Little did I know, there would be no opportunity.

I lay down on the MRI bed after they stick me several times with a needle CLAIMING my vain moved and the missed - it's possible, I guess. Then they tell me to listen to music to drown out the noise. Bummer. Next they prepare me for the noise, the process and the absolute need for me to be incredibly still. Uh, oh! I've been so bored all day, I'm ready to run a marathon - this is not going to be easy. I snuggle up on their head rest so I am nice and snug with ear phones on my head. They close the "cage" (yes, it really is a cage - I felt like someone from a horror show like Hannibal being caged up and put away). They push the button and in I slide. I keep my eyes closed because I'm freaked out that I'll suddenly become clausterphobic. Once inside I peek - bad idea. I close my eyes and start concentrating on the music while remembering to breath as the machine starts its whirring and obscure snap-shots. At each pause I don't know what to expect so I listen and it starts howling again. Dang it! I go back to my music.

After a couple breaks to see how I am and twenty minutes later, I realize I haven't moved a muscle, my muscles have been intermittently and involuntarily started twitching in random places for a couple minutes, my right arm has gone numb from the tension I've put on it and my left arm has gone numb, my butt cheeks are falling asleep and there is something sharp poking at the back of my skull. Think, think! "I deserve to eat dinner at The Pie tonight!" "Hmm, how to talk my husband into that one." "Well, at least I can talk him into Wendy's." "Never heard this song before." "Rarrrr, I'm Hannibal." "Ok, freaky, moving on."

Ugh, finally, thirty or so minutes later and we're done! Appartenly, stiffening my entire body trying not to hyperventilate or pass out from NOT breathing, and concentrating on staying motionless, I did "GREAT." I get off the table, move a few muscles and dizzily stumble my way to change. Glad that is over!

What a feeling! Completely surrounded by advanced technology using magnetic and radio waves - so much so the nurses have to be a room away - and yet, trapped all at the same time. I am definately a lay-man. I know nothing about modern science and the advances of the day. Incredible. Though, I never want to do that again!

Easter, working mom and illness

All the topics to come ...

It's amazing how much can happen in one week. For starters, I LOVE being a working mom. Having the satisfaction of a productive day is fulfilling for me. It is a different productive than at-home momminess. On the flip side, I'm so bummed, my kids go to bed too quickly after I get home - after all, they need their sleep to wake up so early nowaday (8am). All in all, I think we can pull this off. My working for our family was necessary (I have the majority of the student loans anyway). I'm excited to also build my career. Even if I am building it slowly, sporatically, starting late and from a different direction than most others, I'm happy. I blame it on the way I grew up, in a single-parent home who had a successful career. The difference is, I am blessed with an incredible husband and an understandable, patient companion. Evenings are fun, too. We get to be together as a family, have dinner, play together until bed and call it a day. I love balance and think I might have found it, for now. Unfortunately, we also have to worry about sick time. That realization came all too quickly for a new beginning at a new job.

Monday morning our new babysitter called and said her boy was sick. I could bring the kids over if I was ok with them getting sick. Well, what choice did I have? First day of TRAINING, not something you can just skip. So, I went to work, kids went to daycare. Tuesday the babysitters daughter got sick, Wednesday my son got sick, Friday I got sick and today my daughter got sick. All who is left is my husband. Oh, boy! He has to teach this Sunday, no way I want to take that responsibility. Hehehe. Hopefully, he'll be just fine. The blessing of it all is that it is only a 24 hr stomach flu. Could be worse.

As for Easter, I completely spaced writing about it. It was one of the more successful holidays our little family has had so far. We did something a little different this year to keep the meaning of the holiday alive and to help our son understand the holiday in a more meaningful context outside of bunnies and eggs. We hid the eggs around the house - the kind you open to find goodies inside. Half of the eggs were filled with candy, a quarter of the eggs were filled with slips of paper and candy and the last quarter with both candy and paper. The paper had scripture references, games, discussion questions, videos to watch. It was fun. My son was excited to open each one, read the questions, do the fun things (pin the egg on the bunny, egg races, etc.). I think we even got the who, why and what of Easter figured out. After we went to church, where my husband and I teach Primary (6-7 year olds). I was ready to give up after we were given the other 6-7 year old class - which combined is such a terror and a haphazard class. Most of the time I wonder what the point is when the kids aren't listening, not sitting, all the like and if the spirit is even teaching. It is difficult to stick with it. Then I realized, each Sunday we struggle and each Sunday, as soon as we are done (the same minute), everything floats away and we forget what we just went through. We go home, have dinner and life continues until the next Sunday when we remember, as soon as we get into opening exercises. What a blessing that is. The Lord is looking out for us to such a tiny degree that the overwhelmingness of teaching other people's children is not so overwhelming. This Sunday in particular was the most difficult so far. After opening exercises two of the three biggest challenges booked it down the hall in separate directions while my husband was struggling with an overly tired daughter and a line of other children in our class getting mish-mashed on the way to sharing time. What a disaster. Is there no concern for the kids that other teachers would help each other by looking after their own class or helping other children stick with their class. Having twelve bored, active children to two worn out adults with a screaming child just doesn't seem fair. We got the kids sat down in Sharing Time and I abandoned my husband. They seem to do better in Sharing Time than in class or opening exercises. Also, there is a line of Primary workers that sit in the back and look for ways to help teachers - I LOVE that. So I knew my husband could handle it. I set up our classroom since it was going to be full of different activites and we were watching a clip. By the time I got into Sharing Time again, the kids were getting out of control. I stepped in, we finished Sharing Time and headed to class. That is when my testimony of the Lord's help in our calling grew exponentially. As soon as we got into class, silence! I had prayed so many times, this lesson was so important to me. I felt the strength of the Lord so strongly and His help in that room with each sweet child. It was amazing. My husband had to take our daughter out of the room because SHE was being the distracting basket case. The lesson was awesome. We watched part of an LDS DVD where not a word was spoken. Not a sound was made. We had pictures, scriptures, chalkboard lessons, coloring pictures. It was amazing. In the end, to recap, I did the egg idea in class as we did with our family earlier that morning. Each child opened an egg, read the question, we discussed or just answered the slip. I filled their egg with jelly beans and asked a child to give the closing prayer after we colored our lesson pictures. The most amazing thing, happened then. One of the harder children in the class has Ausbergers. He isn't hard at all, unfortunately, he has been labeled that way by former teachers and so upon the induction of new teachers, the label continues. Anyway, when I asked one of the children to give the prayer, this special child got down on his knees in the most humble, natural of ways. I was so touched, I followed his lead. At which point, all of us were on our knees listening to the sweetest prayer I have ever heard given in our class before. The spirit was truly there. I gave all my thanks that moment and held back tears of joy and of gratefulness. How amazing. To "be as a child" is our goal, but to see their example is our joy!!

The rest of the day was pleasant. Ham dinner with family, the arrival of visiting family from out of town and the perfect way to start a new chapter in our crazy lives.

Pride and Loyalty

Loyalty and patriotism is interesting. From infancy we are taught to take pride in ourselves, our work and in what we do. From self worth and self respect to love and adoration for our country we are taught that it is right, neigh, your duty to be loyal to your country. Employers seek the same loyalty in their employees. Brands seek the same loyalty in their consumers. Institutions seek the same loyalty in their students and affiliates. Why? I understand the drive for profit, money, you know, is the root of all - good choices! Yeah, that's it.

I have to admit, I am a sucker for loyalty and for pride in ... any and all things I can feel loyal about. Take for example, this new job. The first day is all about HR ick and all about the history of the company and ada, ada, ada, ada. Well, I hate that stuff. I hate the in-your-face marketing, the selling of your employees and all that. However, I just CAN'T stop myself. It is so easy to listen to the propaganda and think - Yeah! I'm excited about that, too! I am so proud of the heritage, too. The history is so amazing, this company has come so far ... on and on. I can't help it. What is it that creates such a ... can we call it a connection? or a sense of loyalty? Is it the need for human beings to belong to something? If it's that, wow! I could go on and on about that need in me. Whew! Don't get me started!

Either way, I'm excited for this new job. I'm excited to be part of this company and I'm excited to offer anyone else the opportunity to come work for such a great place. Where they "really care about their employees" - we've heard that one before? Well, here, they really do. I'm impressed. So - if anyone out there wants a job, a career change, something to do - let me know. ;)

World Phenomenons

Of all the world phenomenons out there, high school is the most interesting. It has been almost ten years since I graduated from high school and only few memories intice a feeling of longing to go back. Those few; however, don't compare to the massive millions of other memories that make me feel naseous at the thought of being forced to go through the awkwardness, pressure and boredom of high school. Why then do so many people hang on to those few, and seemingly insignificant, in the grand scheme of life, moments that happened in high school. Is it the played up idea of "firsts," because I could so live without those. Is it the played up idea of "freedom," because I can tell you, there was none. Is it the played up idea of no responsibilities, because I can certainly tell you there were too many. Of course, these are just my experiences. Most of the time I think back on high school and just get embarrassed. With so much drama at home and chaos in my schedule and finding the pressure of success intolerable and the "need" for that perfect grade insignificant, (not to mention the tests, the papers, the quizzes, the participation, blah, blah, blah), I would just rather go back and erase those three years or go back and re-do them to my satisfaction - without the embarrassing moments, the boyfriends, the vulnerabilities, the this, the that and the other.

For others that were graced with the freedom, the no responsibilities and the favorable firsts, I can see a desire to hang on to the past. However, even for those so fortunate, there is so much more that are better firsts and so many other responsibilities or lack there of to relish in. There are so many other facades of freedom that rank higher than high school "freedom." So what is it really that keeps us going back to high school and wishing or wanting or pondering? It can't be the cafeteria food! ICK. It can't be the smell of the finally-opened-from-a-long-night-of-being-locked-up, dusty gym. Nasty!

Why am I bringing this up? Because I logged onto my Facebook account, one which I hardly remember is there, and find someone I don't know asking to be my virtual "friend." I don't remember this person and I wonder if she really remembers me. I don't mind meeting again the people I once knew way back when. Instead, it was more of a question of why do people search after those acquaintances that for a lot of people they really aren't "friends" or were not "friends" back when and have no intention of being "friends" once you click "add." One theory I hear of is the idea of popularity - "See, I have you as a friend so you must think I'm cool." Or is that validation? Another theory I hear of is, "we're all friends, that was all in the past," must be the, "they knew I was joking" theory. For those friends I have added, I actually have a history with. They were friends. They were people I conversed with on a daily basis, looked up to, hung out with, shared neat experiences with or shared horrible experiences with which we don't bring up. :) For people who have added me, they add me and then never again is there a line of communication, regardless of any feeble attempts. (See above for theories as to why).

Anyway, I digress. So for this person who wanted to add me. I hadn't heard of her before. She was a year younger than me. Married. No maiden name listed, so I didn't know who she was from Adam. So, I took a stroll through my yearbook. Curiousity really got the best of me. Man, was that a long stroll. As I was flipping through the pages, memories came back and the aforementioned longing and feelings of going back to relive those memories started creeping in. I don't mind, but still, wonder why. Why not wish for elementary again? Middle school anyone? Well, I find it interesting. Other world phenomena seem to have scientific explanations. What about this one?

Thank Heaven for small favors

Of all the random things that can happen, they will and to my husband. During his racquetball class, he, like all other students put their belongings outside the ball court; however, of all the students, just my lucky husband was the one to have his rolled up clothing STOLEN. Who in all that is glorious, would steal used, stinky-man clothing? I don't care that it was actually stolen, in the sense that we don't have it anymore, just the annoying fact that it was stolen. The most annoying part was the underwear, why? Omi, why? The only comfort, if you could call it that, to gain any amount of sense of a senseless and random act was that among his clothing was his wallet. The theifers must have thought - hmm, clothes ... sports ... wallet in clothes ... money. Lucky for us, since my husband loses his wallet and keys every couple months, he no longer carries cash, cards or other important, financial-related documents. In addition to that, I have to assume that was our saving grace!

The day of, my husband called all those that could or might have something to do with the process: police, custodial, deans, locksmiths, etc. That evening when he got off work, we scowered the building and the surrounding buildings, the trash, the lockers, the halls, the stairwells - no such luck; nothing was found or recovered. Two days later - a pleasant surprise. The belongings were recovered by custodial who found them under a stairwell, tucked away with everything in its place. Now, we don't have to worry about running all over town to replace driver's licenses, ID cards, bus passes, etc.

Through all of that, the worst-case scenarios going through my thoughts, I wonder, do I just not have any faith or hope? Or is it normal? Something I must work on I suppose!

Ah, the Simple but CRAZY life

Spending a week at Grandma and Grandpa's, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's really did us in. We have spent the last two weeks getting our baby girl back on a schedule. It hasn't helped AT ALL that the day we flew back in Grandma (a different one than above) flew in and we hosted her for a week. This means, lots of driving to do various errands for Grandma on top of back-to-life-from-vacation errands for our family and me keeping the appointments I already made (one for each day) with professionals in the field I am trying to get into, not to mention the horrible weather we came back to - drizzly and rainy/snowy all week and sooo cold. The week after (this week - thank heaven it's over) we have had nothing but more errands by way of doctor appointments to do. Lucky to report - everyone is in good health, growing and strong.


Apparently, babies are now able to eat peanut butter, eggs, honey and fish a lot earlier than I remeber - 9 mos to a year! Now our girl has a lot of catching up to do. My son, funny enough, is in the fifth percentile for height and weight - yup, all, he is still short and skinny! I promise he eats - like a horse, too!!! He's on a jelly belly kick, we limit his in take, otherwise he'd eat the whole five pounds in the same day. My husband's knee still hurts - yay for knee braces and my thyroid is all jacked up - I'm so pissed I have to take meds now! Lame!! Other than that, all doc appts are done and no more for another year! Made the week crazy, but so worth it.

On top of doc appts, library visits, swimming pool play and playdates this week, I squeezed in an interview for a big girl job. Today I was offered the position. We are so happy and excited. It will be such a great addition to our family. Especially with my degrees - I can actually earn the money I can (to start) to pay off those pesky student loans. A big girl job, to boot! So excited. It is perfect, too because of pay and hours. Can't wait to start. I have come to the realization, some moms are meant to be moms. I've always known that and have respected those mothers who devote their lives to mommihood. I; however, am not one of them. I love working for Uncle Sam, I love socializing with other adults, I love to play with my kids, have routines and watch my kids grow, but I also love to feel like I'm helping others and working for something - part of a different bigger picture.

With that said, the end of this post will include the last of the pics from our trip: