Happy Birthday, Brian!!!
It's been a crazy year juggling my school schedule, pregnancy, job loss, overall family craziness...
Next year is sure to bring us hope, security, comfort and happiness....in addition to sleep deprivation and lots of schedule juggling. I wouldn't want to go through any of this with anyone else. Plus, despite all the stresses, we still have a lot of fun together.
Go Team! Happy Birthday! Here's to a great year ahead!
Kisses.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
A New Week
I can not believe there are only 38 days left until my Master's is complete. That is very exciting and a little nerve wracking. There is certainly no room to procrastinate at this point. Plus, if school is that close to being done, then I am that much closer to meeting the newest baby murph.
I spent my week "off" attempting to catch up on school work, but an inability to focus means I didn't get very far. I did find myself in remedial CarSeat 101 again. Seriously, I now know why 75% of car seats are not installed correctly (and if you think you are not one of them, you would likely be wrong). We had already replaced the expired infant seat for the new baby, one that we hope will get us through the first year (provided she isn't a long string bean like her sisters). Autumn's car seat was due to expire in September, but she has gotten too tall for it. So, in an effort to save money, she will get Abigail's high back booster/5 point harness until 40 pounds. Abigial will get the new RadianXT we ordered, but since she is 48 pounds you can not install it using the LATCH system anymore. If you are not a mom, you may not realize how much easier it is to install a seat with LATCH. So between all the different height limits and weight limits of each seat and the weight limit on the LATCH system and deciding between 5-point v. shoulder/lap restraint and don't forget all three need to be narrow enough to be safely installed three across in a Saturn VUE....my head is going to explode. Of course, each state has its own laws regarding how old/heavy/tall a child must be before they can graduate booster status (in VA you have to be in a booster through your 7th year, so you graduate when you turn 8). Really, it shouldn't be this hard to keep your kids safe. A little standardization would be swell.
We will upgrade Autumn to a 5-point harness that goes up to 65 pounds when she outgrows the high back booster and we aquire an income. Safety isn't cheap. And don't even get me started on the Civic Coupe which I now view as a total death trap. We will make a point of driving the kids around in that as rarely as possible. As it is, I can not safely get three car seats in it anyway.
Well, I must finish up my assignments. Brian is off to take a copy editing test in the long, drawn out efforts of trying to become gainfully employed. The hours will be very challenging paired up with my inconsistent nursing orientation schedule, but we'll get through it. Given the events that have occured in my life this past year, I can get through just about anything. It may not be ideal, but I will make the best of it and it won't be forever. Wish us luck.
I spent my week "off" attempting to catch up on school work, but an inability to focus means I didn't get very far. I did find myself in remedial CarSeat 101 again. Seriously, I now know why 75% of car seats are not installed correctly (and if you think you are not one of them, you would likely be wrong). We had already replaced the expired infant seat for the new baby, one that we hope will get us through the first year (provided she isn't a long string bean like her sisters). Autumn's car seat was due to expire in September, but she has gotten too tall for it. So, in an effort to save money, she will get Abigail's high back booster/5 point harness until 40 pounds. Abigial will get the new RadianXT we ordered, but since she is 48 pounds you can not install it using the LATCH system anymore. If you are not a mom, you may not realize how much easier it is to install a seat with LATCH. So between all the different height limits and weight limits of each seat and the weight limit on the LATCH system and deciding between 5-point v. shoulder/lap restraint and don't forget all three need to be narrow enough to be safely installed three across in a Saturn VUE....my head is going to explode. Of course, each state has its own laws regarding how old/heavy/tall a child must be before they can graduate booster status (in VA you have to be in a booster through your 7th year, so you graduate when you turn 8). Really, it shouldn't be this hard to keep your kids safe. A little standardization would be swell.
We will upgrade Autumn to a 5-point harness that goes up to 65 pounds when she outgrows the high back booster and we aquire an income. Safety isn't cheap. And don't even get me started on the Civic Coupe which I now view as a total death trap. We will make a point of driving the kids around in that as rarely as possible. As it is, I can not safely get three car seats in it anyway.
Well, I must finish up my assignments. Brian is off to take a copy editing test in the long, drawn out efforts of trying to become gainfully employed. The hours will be very challenging paired up with my inconsistent nursing orientation schedule, but we'll get through it. Given the events that have occured in my life this past year, I can get through just about anything. It may not be ideal, but I will make the best of it and it won't be forever. Wish us luck.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Bang, Bang...A Bulleted Update
Since my last post I've:
- 6/2: 6 hours of class. Apply for parking pass one day late because they don't let you apply the day before your pass expires. Go figure.
- 6/3: 12.5h clinical
- 6/4: 11 hour clinical
- 6/5: Abigail's last day of Kindergarten. So proud of her. Drive to DE for a wedding.
- 6/6: Attended a beautiful wedding and reception in DE. The weather and company couldn't have been more enjoyable. Slight snafu with the dress I brought (the ladies were bigger than I thought. Ran out one hour before departure to find a dress that fit properly).
- 6/7: Drove back home from DE.
- 6/8: 12 hour clinical
- 6/9: 6 hours of class + 9 hours of clinical
- 6/10: Appt with midwife- up 10 pounds...holy crap...already topped what I gained with either of the other girls...I blame stress, although it's more likely the new found ability to eat sugar + 9 hours of clinical. Brian had a job interview...woo hoo!
- 6/11: Finally a day "off". Day spent catching up on homework, cleaning 3 bathrooms, mopping kitchen, playing with the kids and cooking up a tray of ziti. Happy Birthday MIL!
- 6/12: Brian takes the girls away for the weekend while I immerse myself in clinical- 9 hours today. I'm so exhausted I go to bed at 7:30.
- 6/13: 12 hour clinical
- 6/14: 12 hour clinical
- 6/15: 8 hour clinical and I finally get to see my little ladies and my man. Exhausted. Cooked chicken for a casserole the next day.
- 6/16: Woke up to find chicken still cooling on the counter. Class and last minute assignment submission. Pick up more chicken on the way home and make casserole.
- 6/17: A day off, it rained and poured all day. Put away laundry, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned bedrooms, ran around town with Abigail to find father's day and birthday gifts for Brian.
- 6/18: The girls let me sleep in until 7:30, it was amazing. Played with the girls, wrote thank-you notes, completed handout to distribute for my class project, started writing assignment, finally got around to blogging. Brian did not get the job...boo hoo :(
There are many other things that I did not touch on. Just too much to address in this blog. Between finishing out the final intense weeks of the nursing program, nearing the end of my pregnancy, feeling the pressures of the horrible economy....oh, and did I mention that student loans are delayed by two months because of a new computer system they are implementing at Financial Aid. Ya, that's exactly what I need right now.
I'm going to try to enjoy my few days off. I am commitment-free until class on Tuesday and am going to try to enjoy my family and "free" time. I try to stay optimistic and believe everything will work out for us. We're smart and hard-working people. We live within our means. We have many college degrees. Those traits and a $1.00 won't even get you a cup of coffee these days.
Mood: disappointed and overwhelmed.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Car 54...Where Are You?
I always wonder if anyone even reads this blog. It's neither here nor there, as I blog more in the hopes of printing off my entries to give to the girls when they get bigger. I tried keeping a diary in high school, but my brother and his friends kept reading...typical, no? Then I did some good journaling in college, but let that fade away. I don't have the inclination to start a traditional paper journal, so I'm hoping this blog will capture my memories and mood which I can later collate into something.
I have completed 2 weeks of school. Just 9 to go. I am scrambling to get in enough clinical hours by my personal deadline of July 13th. This date will give me a couple of weeks to write my paper, compile my presentation and get me off my feet by 34 weeks. This pregnancy is decidely more uncomfortable than the last two. Be it age, be it the third time my body has been rearranged, or maybe the 12 hour shifts (adding up to about 50+ clinical hours a week some weeks, plus class, plus my day off which includes grocery shopping and laundry and running around after the princesses). Regardless, I know it could be much worse, but it does make me a little sad. I really enjoyed pregnant. I never wished for the baby to come early (and this one certainly does not have the option of an early arrival). But I think I will be a little relieved to have my body back to its mostly comfy shell.
At any rate, I'm off to cook up some meals for the week and maintain a little sanity in the chaos.
I have completed 2 weeks of school. Just 9 to go. I am scrambling to get in enough clinical hours by my personal deadline of July 13th. This date will give me a couple of weeks to write my paper, compile my presentation and get me off my feet by 34 weeks. This pregnancy is decidely more uncomfortable than the last two. Be it age, be it the third time my body has been rearranged, or maybe the 12 hour shifts (adding up to about 50+ clinical hours a week some weeks, plus class, plus my day off which includes grocery shopping and laundry and running around after the princesses). Regardless, I know it could be much worse, but it does make me a little sad. I really enjoyed pregnant. I never wished for the baby to come early (and this one certainly does not have the option of an early arrival). But I think I will be a little relieved to have my body back to its mostly comfy shell.
At any rate, I'm off to cook up some meals for the week and maintain a little sanity in the chaos.
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