Week 17: April 28-May 4 A little of this and a little of that.

Last week was a crazy, fantastic week on many levels, but we also have a little sadness mixed in.

To start with, baby's doing great! Kicking my butt, though! To say that I've been exausted is an understatement. Some days, I feel like I'm walking through the day in a tranze. Baby is 17 weeks old today. According to thenestbaby.com, baby is the size of a vidalia onion this week- 5.1" and weighs 5.9oz. Baby is starting to get that wonderful layer of baby fat and his/her skeleton is hardening. Yeah! Maybe I'll feel that kicking soon! We've seen my belly jiggling around when I'm laying flat, but haven't felt or seen much else. OH! And baby now has its very own fingerprints!

We recieved some sad news this weekend. Greg's Aunt Ruth died after a battle against breast cancer. The visitation and memorial are tomorrow afternoon and evening. Lots of love and support go out to Greg's dad, Rick, as well as Greg's grandparents during this tough time.

The last week was fantastic. We had Evan last week from Sunday-Tuesday and had fun with getting him ready for school each morning. I got to spend Monday evening with him after work, taking him to karate with my mom and then out to his favorite restaurant-- Old McDonald's. (blah). Then of course we had bathtime and read a big brother book. Bathtime and book time are two of my favorite times with him. He decided he had to use his bubble bath that Grandma V got him for Easter and played for a good 45 minutes in the tub before bedtime. Then we read a book about babies their brothers. We talked for quite a while, between pages and at the end of the book. There were some great questions-- his current favorite is "why does the baby grow in your belly?" and "how will I help with the baby?" We're loving answering the questions and helping to prepare him for the changes that are going to be happening over the next year.

Friday, we picked up Evan and went straight up to Toledo to Sam's Club to get the usual "stuff" that we needed. We went to Mancino's for dinner. Yum! We got home, read a "big brother" book that came in at the library and then Evan went to bed. Greg and I posted a TON of Grandma Refsell's stuff that evening. If anyone is interested, our eBay username is iawlpoisonfan. Check out our sales!

Saturday morning, we got up relatively early and started our day with the usual-- donuts at Stimmel's. Evan loves that tradition. It's not one we'll ever give up! After that, we went to the rental to find a box and to visit with Papa V. We then went to Wolfe's Greenhouse to get a beautiful hanging basket for Mom for her birthday. I LOVE this place. If you're ever looking for a great hanging basket or potted plant, this is the place to go! I also love Joseph's greenhouse on Housekeeper Rd. I'll be going out their to get my plants to make my pots in a few weeks.

After Evan's naptime, the three of us went to the ART!walk in downtown Bowling Green. It was VERY cool. I'm hoping that next year, we'll have more time to enjoy this event. There was an open house for the Masonic Temple in BG. This place was incredible. Both creepy and intriguing at the same time. We also got Evan's fingerprinting done, and a safety ID kit, as well.

Finally, we went to Mom's 58th birthday party. Em and I worked our butts off to make sure that she had a fantastic birthday. Em made potatoes and green beans, and I made 7-layer salad, garlic bread and a chocolate cake. The kids all paid lots of attention to Grandma and each other and had tons of fun in general. She recieved lots of flowers from us, too! Peterson's came over, and thanks to Barb, Mom managed to have a fantastically, giggly good time. It was great. lol! I think Greg has seen a whole new side of her that he didn't realize exsisted. I'm hoping that we get together with my folks and Peterson's so that Greg can learn how to play Twos-up.

Sunday, we went to breakfast at BG Cafe with Greg's folks. I now know why I don't go to that restaurant very often. Blech. But we had a good time visiting with G's folks and giving Evan an opportunity to spend more time with them as well. He adores them, and I think the feeling is mutual, so it was good that we were able to get them together for just a little bit on a crazy-busy weekend. Baby will be so lucky to have both sets of grandparents so close by, and unlimited in the amount of time baby spends with either.

After breakfast, we headed to Findlay for Evan's KARATE TOURNAMENT! Woo hoo. It was an interesting learning experience and very, very amusing, to say the least. Evan was quite the ham. He managed to get 2nd place for his cata (basic series of karate movements). Of course, there were only 2 kids in his group. The other kid clearly practiced on a regular basis and paid attention. Evan, not so much. His steps were way to big, and I swear he makes up half of it. But he's cute and amusing, so he gets away with it. lol. He also earned 1st place for his age group in the sparring competition. Granted, he was the only kid in his age group and everyone he competed against got a 1st place medal, too. Afterwards, we went out with Evan and his mom, Dani, for ice cream at Dietches'. Poor Evan was SO tired and worn out. He told Dani that he wanted chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. So Dani ordered it in a dish. Evan heard that and had a meltdown. He wanted it in a cone. Greg and I had already ordered our ice cream, and of course, to make matters worse, ours were in cones. We picked a seat and Evan continued his meltdown, refusing to even try to eat his. I offered to let him try my cone, and well, he took it over. lol. But, meltdown was ended, and I ate chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles in a dish. (BLECH, by the way).

We left Findlay around 4pm, and went up to Toledo AGAIN and bought a new video camera, since the one we have wasn't doing so well. The new one is probably about 1/4 the size of our old one, and weights a lot less, too. G had to work last night, so I did somethings at home and just hung out. It was early bed for me.

Work continues to be FANTASTIC. I signed my first 24-hour client. Soon, I'll have that monthly bonus. Woo-hoo. yeah, me. I'm hoping that once I hit that first tier of bonuses (almost there!), Greg will quit at Movie Gallery. We'll see what happens, though. Busy week, plus I'm on-call next weekend.

I think we're going to work on Evan's room next weekend-- putting up the loft and starting to make room for the baby.

Loving you all!

jenn

Week 16: April 20-27th: Doctor's appt on 4/23

Hey everyone!

I know we've had a lot of posts this week, but I just wanted to let you all know about my doctor's appointment yesterday!

It went very well, and I'm progressing along exactly as I should be. Yeah me! Yeah baby! Baby's heartbeat is around 140bpm. Perfect and right on target! It was nice and strong and she found it pretty quickly. I should have Greg bring a small tape recorder with him next time so I can record that beautiful sound. I LOVE it.

Anyway! The BIG ultrasound is scheduled for the 29th of May. We'll know at that time if its a boy or a girl! YEAH!!! Evan & Mom will be there, which just makes the day that much more exciting. Afterwards, Evan, Greg and I are going up and starting the baby registry.

Anyway! That's all the news for now.

Love ya!
Jenn (& Greg & Evan, too!)

Week 16: April 20-27th continued... Response to my dear husband & my own fears.

Dear Greg, (and everyone else)

I think that you'll continue to be a fantastic father and that while, yes, this will be challenging, I have faith that you'll be able to balance your time and love between both children.

Who cares what Dani thinks. It's all about you, me and the family that WE build and what we think is best for OUR family. She's always going to come from that "only-child" mentality and bias-ness that we both know she's famous for. It's always going to come down to what's best for her and what's best for Evan. It's never going to be what's best for Evan and his sibling. We've talked about this a few times, and I think I've shown you that we can work together and make sure that both baby and Evan get the time they need from you, from us and from each other.

We've discussed holidays and how I believe that our little family celebrations will happen when we can be together, if their the day before, the day after or the week after (most specifically, Christmas). A holiday is only a holiday when it happens as a family.

As far as addressing Evan's reactions to why baby has to stay with us instead of going and staying with him, I think that's a discussion that you and Dani will have to have together with him, maybe even with his counselor. It may be something to even email and ask the counselor about. At his age, I think he's too young to really grasp the concept that "mommy and daddy were married and now daddy is married to Jenn". I fear he will resent me without ever understanding the true situation... I took his daddy away from his mommy, even though I wasn't even a thought in your mind when the divorce happened.

When it comes to spending time with one child over the other, it's going to happen. There's nothing you can do about that. I think the fear is of neglecting Evan, if I'm not mistaken. Unfortunately, life is not going to stop in our home just because Evan is with his mother. Just like his life doesn't stop when we're apart. He will get to do all sorts of fun things with his mother that our baby won't get to do with Evan-- like his annual Florida trips. And I think that rightfully, Baby will get to do things with us that Evan doesn't get to do. You have to keep these things in perspective.

We'll get to the house eventually. And this new position for me is the first step in getting there.
Don't worry about sleeping through the baby crying to be changed or fed in the middle of the night. I'll be pushing your behind out of bed without hesitation to go and take care of the baby. Besides, I've seen you jolted from a dead sleep several times when Evan has woken up crying--whether its a dream, a wet bed, or because he's sick. I'm not too worried.

My fear is that you'll be critical of me and comparing my mothering skills to your ex at every turn. My fear is that you'll tell me how to do everything because you've been there before, instead of simply letting me be a first time mother and become a mother on my own without the influence of your ex. We've already had run-ins with this already-- with discussing what I'd like to register for... Like the swing! In my opinion, a swing could be a life-saver, but you seem to think otherwise, based on your experience. But on the other hand, you've proven that you will make concessions-- like the ultrasound to find out the baby's sex.

Oh, and when it comes to the getting old and falling apart.. I hear that the hearing clinic at BGSU offers free hearing clinics. But yeah, you are getting old.

Anyway. I love you truely.

(And everyone else that reads this, too!)

love, jenn

Greg's take on this whole thing

So this blog has been up for about two months now, and except for the occasional "that's not a nickname...that's a legume!!!" complaint, I have remained pretty quiet about the whole baby thing.

That's because I just don't know what to say. I've thought about writing something, but I can't think of anything except the negative stuff. Not THAT kind of negative stuff. Just fears.

I'm excited to have do-over at this intact family thing, but that's part of my fear for the future. It's never going to be a completely intact family. There is always going to be Evan, who is definitely part of this family, but I'm afraid that I will have to continually fight to make him an important and involved part.

I'm afraid of being accused by either Jenn or Dani that I'm not paying enough attention to one child or another and showing preference for one over the other. How do I balance that? How do I deal with that? How do I give my all to both without the other child getting mad at me because I'm spending more time with the other.

I'm more afraid of Evan's reaction to that because I don't want to have to answer the "why does Baby Buddha (if you don't like the nickname come up with a better one that ISN'T a fruit or vegetable!!!!) live with you all of the time and I don't. Why can't I spend that much time with you?"

Evan's mom and I got divorced when he was 1. This kind of "Wednesdays and every other weekend with daddy" schedule is all he knows. He doesn't know what it means to wake up every morning with mommy and daddy there. Maybe I'll make her explain it to him.

I'm afraid that we are going to be stuck in this mobile home for longer than I want to be. Trailer park living isn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I would LOVE to have a home to grow into, and allow the kids to play in our own yard, and turn half the basement into a shop, half the basement into a play room for the kids, and half of the basement into a rock and roll play land for the drums, guitars, rock and roll posters, and whatever other instruments we acquire throughout the years, let the kids have their own bedrooms, and turn one room into a library/study.

But with the economy and the housing market like it is, and the bills we owe, it's going to be a long time till we get there.

I'm afraid that I'm going to let Jenn down. I can sleep through my own alarm. She's going to have to kick me out of bed to get me to feed and change diapers in the middle of the night.

We have lots to do before the baby comes. We have a dishwasher to install, a shed to move (maybe), a deck to tear down, redesign and rebuild, a living room to rearrange so we can bring some of the stuff in the kids' bedroom out to make room for baby furniture, and lots of baby furniture to buy and set up.

Jenn has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and we'll be scheduling the "big 3-D ultrasound" tomorrow. So I'm sure there will be an update to follow.

This week, I get my first cavity filled. 33 and my first cavity. I was driving home from a meeting tonight and had Kiss cranked up on my Zune. I hit "Heaven's on Fire" and tried to turn it up more to rock out, and realized that crap...my stereo was already turned up all the way.

Apparently, I hit 33 and I'm falling apart. That kind of scares me, too, with a new baby on the way.

After all of that, you probably think I'm an absolute mess and not ready to be a full-time dad again. But be assured, I am very much looking forward to meeting this little baby and teaching him or her how to talk and walk and use manners and make the "rock on" hand gesture, and teach him or her about 80s hair bands, back when rock and roll was kick-ass.

In other business, as Jenn has mentioned, we sent Evan to a new school. I got the following e-mail from my dad today (April 22). It has been cut down and the name of the school has been changed to prevent any slander, even though I absolutely believe it is true. The information came from a woman (who I will call April), who inspects schools and makes sure they follow the state curriculum mandates. She sent her child (who I will call Bobby), to the the same day care company, but in a different city than Evan went. We thought when Evan was still going there that he had been labeled as the "bad kid," and that he could never make his teacher happy, no matter what he did.

Now that I've belabored the crap out of that introduction, here's what my dad wrote:

I was told that Evan's former teacher has now targeted another child who does not meet her standards. It seems that her background was at a Montessori school and she expects them to act, react and behave like 8-10 year olds and they have advised her that the curriculum is not as structured and she should relax her methods a bit.

Also dealing with the internal structure of (the school)... Bobby has been 'written up" for biting and other improper behavior. On Thursday, April received a voice mail that Bobby had bitten someone again. The only problem was that Bobby had been suspended for the week on Tuesday and April's mom had been watching him. Seems the teacher didn't seem to know one kid from the other and there is only one Bobby in any of the (company's) schools.

So yeah for me and Dani for correctly choosing to get him out of there!!!! Thanks to Heidi, Mom and Dad Bruns and my mom and dad for ensuring me that we weren't crazy for thinking he was being singled out ... even though I probably am, and my ex wife definitely is!!!

TTFN,
- An excited but worried daddy

Week 16: April 20-27th: Geocaching and enjoying the outdoors!

Well, tomorrow begins Week 16. Hard to believe, isn't it? Wednesday is our 16 week doctor's appointment. I believe we'll be scheduling THE BIG ultrasound. EXCITING!!!! Greg has finally relented, and we're going to find out if it is a boy or a girl.. SO, we'll know within the next month. We're bringing Evan and our mothers (possibly his mom if we can talk her into it!!) to it, so that'll be fun. Evan had to look at the picture from his ultrasound a couple of times last weekend.

As of today, we have 172 days left. According to thenest.com, baby is about the size of an avacoado. S/he is roughly 4.6" long and weighs about 3 1/2 oz. Our little one is growing! Baby can also hear us talking now, and is growing eyebrows, lashes and hair! I hope baby has my hair and not Greg's course hair! (sorry, G! LOL!)

Mom and Dad bought our dishwasher for us today. Yeah!!!! Now we just need to get it installed. Hmmm. I can't wait to get that installed so I don't have to wash so many dishes by hand anymore. I LOATH washing dishes!!

We have Evan for the next two days. His maternal grandma is having surgery, and his mom wants to be with her (rightfully so!) SO, we'll have Evan for the next couple of days. FUN!! We picked up up today in Attica. He was in a good mood, despite not having a nap. Tomorrow, my mom and I are taking him to Karate! Woo hoo. Greg has a meeting and won't be able to go. Mom's really looking forward to seeing him in action. I have a feeling she'll be surprised! He's pretty amusing to watch, especially when he's sparring.

Let's see... what else has been going on....

We went Geocaching this weekend. Managed to find 12/13 caches. Yeah for us! We went to this really cool spot on River Road between Pemberville and New Rochester very close to the Eagle's nest is as. Both eagles were there, and must have an egg. Very cool. It was an old rail road crossing. We didn't find the cache, but we did see a snake and a goofy goose sitting on her nest under the bridge on one of the supports. We also hit 6 caches on the way to Attica today, and managed to find all of them. We hiked a bit yesterday. I was EXAUSTED after our first couple of caches. I think I'm still feeling the last of the effects from the pneumonia... I was out of breath and worn out. BUT, I'm determined to keep up with the walking and biking! The more active that I keep myself, the better laber is going to be.

I'm still loving my job. The driving is crazy, but I'm okay with it. I have my books on CD and I'm good to go. Visiting folks is the best part, though. I love meeting new people and just sitting and chit-chatting with people, especially when its someone who doesn't get visitors very often and loves to chat. I have a few "problem clients" who are very needy, with lots of issues, but they're the ones that make it interesting, and keep me on my toes.

Greg's got lots of meetings this week, so it's going to be another one of those week! Bah. Maybe you'll hear from me mid-week.

*hugs to everyone*
love, jenn

April 13, 2008: Week 15 Evan's Going to be a Big Brother!

Well, it's week 15! Only 25 more weeks and 178 days to go! Hard to believe. It's going so fast!

We told Evan on Friday night after a "pizza picnic" that we had some exciting news for him-- that he's going to be a Big Brother! He had all sorts of questions for us-- when, how, where was the baby... We read him a book called "Special Something" about a little girl who's mommy had a special something in her tummy. Evan seemed to really enjoy it. We also watched a picture movie that Greg made from Evan's first moments and first days, which helped, too. I would imagine that we'll watch that quite a few times before the baby is born.

We asked Evan for some ideas of what to call the baby. His answers all depend upon what is going on in the moment. They included names like "Rainbow" right after we saw a rainbow, and "Peanut butter and jelly" at breakfast this morning as he was eating his toast and jelly. This was along with his latest phase of making up names and words. I couldn't even begin to tell or spell what those names were.

It's funny, too, how a four-year-old's mind works... We'd remind him to share his big news, he'd ask what it was-- we'd tell him, and then he'd say "OH YEAH!! And I have to tell them about bowling, too!!" I suppose the excitement will come in time. He did have to talk to the baby last night and tell him good night. It was very sweet.

We also made a calendar for him with every birthday, anniversary, visit between Dani's and our house, etc. It's called "Evan's Baby Count Down". Be sure to ask him about it when you see him. He makes X's on the date every day. It'll travel between the two houses so he has some continuity and it'll give him an idea of just how long it'll be and all of the birthdays that he needs to see before we get to the due date.

We do plan to bring him with us for the ultrasound in a few weeks. I think this'll be a great way to make the pregnancy more concrete, too.

In other news..... I'm loving my new career more and more every day! Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I started visiting clients. I drove 160 miles on Friday alone! BUT, I'm LOVING it. I get to drive all over NW Ohio and visit with clients, making sure that things are going well from them, and that our CAREGivers are doing a good job. It's fantastic, and I'm loving every single second of it-- even the paperwork part of it. I'm finding myself losing track of time at the end of the day-- The other day I looked up and the next thing I knew, it was almost 5pm! I'm supposed to leave at 4:30.

On another note, I found out that Brookeside, the place that let me go last month, is no longer in existance. The company was forced to close their doors on Thursday. I guess the owner finally got what was coming to him. The only people I feel sorry for are the drivers, who made minimum wage and really depended on that money.

Greg's been working a lot lately-- seems like he's either at Movie Gallery or a meeting every single night. It hasn't been fun. It's kindof sucked, really. I hope that he can cut down sometime soon at Movie Gallery.

In baby news, according to the website, the baby is now roughly the size of a navel orange-- 4 inches and weighing roughly 2.5 oz. Arm and leg joints are fully functioning and Baby should be squirming around like crazy. If I lay on my back very still, my tummy jiggles a little. Greg saw it last night-- if he or I put our hand on my stomach where its moving, it stills and you can't feel it move any more. It's rather amusing. I really can't feel it moving quite yet, though. Soon, I hope!

Anyhoo. That's about it for now! Life is great. We're having a baby, I've found a job that I love and adore and we're doing fantastic!

Week 14: April 6th Work and Pneumonia continues

Hello everyone!

I started my new job on Wednesday- I LOVE it! It's exactly what I have always wanted to do. I guess when God closes one door, he really does open a window. All that I've done this past week with work is straighten up the office, going through patient files and making sure they're back in order. They were a MESS! I'll get my company car and phone on Tuesday. I'm VERY excited about that! My first night on call is Thursday, which I'm nervous about, but I think I'll be okay. =-)

The pneumonia is kicking my butt- Fortunately, the worst of it is over. The part that's keeping me down is the cough. It's a killer! The worst part is trying to get to sleep at night. The first hour of laying down is my lungs trying to re-adjust and me hacking-- hard! It's awful. Greg has taken to coming to bed about an hour after me, just because there's no point in him trying to fall asleep before then. I have a robutussin with codeine that I take just before bed and usually I wake up about 4 hours later needing a little more. I also have an inhaler that I use during the day- I've cut back quite a bit on that, but sometimes, I just need it!

LOVED the weather this weekend. Friday, we went to see "The Odd Couple", which was put on by the Black Swamp Players. It was okay--not really my type of show, but Greg loved it. =-) Saturday, we slept in (VERY NICE) and then spent the day getting all of the fun yard stuff out-- All of our lawn furniture, the mower and other equipment. Then, G talked me into taking a bike ride. With my lungs right now, that was probably a huge mistake. But, we rode all the way down to Grounds for Thought, our favorite hangout, had a quick drink and then came back. I hacked the rest of the night, REALLY hard. Today (Sunday) we went to breakfast as usual. After that, we went to Foodways at the mall. That was INSANE. I think everyone in Wood County showed up. G and Dad went up to see about a dishwasher (which fell through- no big deal). We came home and I took a nice long, very necessary nap. G spent the afternoon snoozing and reading in the swing.

Greg had a nice week this past week, no nights at movie gallery and I think he had only one or two meetings last week, if I remember correctly. Work seems to be going well for him, No major issues that I can recall. This next week isn't going to be so pretty-- he has meetings or works at movie gallery every night. Ugh! Maybe I'll get some scrapbooking done, then.

Evan started his new school on Monday. OH my gosh, he's a completely different child. When we would pick him up from the old school, he was always exausted, grouchy and had usually been in some sort of trouble through the day. His teachers always had something to complain about. Now, he's all smiles, happy, has had a nap, and talks non-stop about his day at school. He's SO much happier. We couldn't be more thrilled. Greg and Dani did a great job picking this place out.

On another Evan note, we are telling Evan about the big news this weekend. We've created a giant calendar with EVERYONE's birthdays on it, now through October, along with any other important events (days with Mommy/Daddy-Jenn, anniversaries, holidays, etc). The calendar will travel between the two houses and he can mark the days off. It gives him a timeline for the pregnancy. We're also going to take him with us to the next ultrasound so he can see the baby, too. We want to make sure that he's as included and excited about this as he can possibly be.

I *think* I felt the baby move the other day. I'm not really sure, though-- it felt like something pushing out just below my belly button. I haven't felt it since, though. This week, according to thenestbaby.com, baby is roughly the size of a lemon-- 3.4" long! She's getting bigger! She's also probably passing the time by sucking her thumb and wiggling her toesies! I bought some GREAT clothes on eBay the other day-- about 17 different pieces of clothes. They came yesterday in the mail. Every single item FITS! I did a little happy dance over that! I've had such a hard time finding maternity clothes that look right!

Anyway! Baby, Greg, Evan and I are doing great! Now, if only I can get over this hacking! Keep dry this week! It's going to be extra rainy!!!! Happy April!!!!

Week 13, April 1st, 2008- Pneumonia, work and other things.

Happy April Fool's Day!!

SO, its 2 days into week 13, and I have been diagnosed with Pneumonia. Lucky-Ducky me. Something started brewing on Friday- I figured it was the flu. By evening, it hit me like a freight train. I had a fever and just felt like crap. It was more of the same on Saturday and Sunday, though I was able to function through the day. It never got really bad, nor did fevers start until after 5pm. Wierd, huh?. Monday, I tried getting in with my doctor, but apparently everyone in the world is sick, too.

So, I waited for urgent care to open at 6. I saw Dr Stephanie, who, in addition to being a pediatrician, has training in adult medical care. On a side note, I love her. I fully intend to establish our baby with her when the time comes. I saw her in action the several times that I have taken Sami to the doctor, as well as in the hospital when my friend Gretchen's son was in admitted. She SO good with kids.

Anyway, She diagnosed me with pneumonia almost right off the bat, based on my symptom descriptions alone. As soon as she listed to my lungs, she knew that was exactly what was wrong. Pneumonia. The tricky part is how to treat this monster. Almost very drug necessary has been tested in animal trials, but not in human trials for pregnancy. The Z-pak (yeah for Zithromycine!!!) is fine to take-- It's a class B drug, but the rest of them are class "C". I have an inhaler, prednisone and robotussin with codine. She said that one or two doses until I hear back from the doctor isn't going to hurt the baby. Its when they're taken for long periods of time that they can cause effects. So just before I started this email, I called and left a message for Dr Bass. On a side note, as I was typing this, the doctor's office called (that's amazing! Like 15 minutes after I called.) to get the list of medications that were prescribed. I asked her for a different medication to control the cough. The tussin wasn't doing much for it. SO, hopefully, they'll call back again soon.

We got the scripts filled last night, and we walked around Walmart while we waited. Let me tell you, it was the longest walk around Wal-mart EVER! I got about halfway through the store, and gave up. I left Greg in the toy section and went up front to find out how much longer it was going to be. It was still going to be another 5 minutes, so I collapsed on a bench and just sat there in a daze. By the end of the day, I'm so exausted its just not funny. And yet, I could NOT fall asleep when we got home. And what's even more obnoxious, I'm SO hungry, but when I eat, the food doesn't taste good at all, and I'm not at all hungry anymore. 20 minutes later, I want to eat again. It's really frustrating.

On a brighter note! I haven't mentioned anything because I just didn't want to get my hopes up, but last week, I received a phone call from a company called "Home Instead Senior Care" asking me to come in for an interview. I had sent them my resume not long after I was laid off in response to an ad for a Client Care Coordinator. Well, I met up in Findlay with the owner, Bill, for the first time on Tuesday. The interview lasted for an hour and a half. He was intriged by my gerontology background. He asked me back for the second interview at the end of the first interview! That was set for Thursday. Then on Thursday, he called me and asked to postpone to Friday. It was KILLING me. SO on Friday, I trekked down to Findlay again and spent another hour and a half with him. At the end of the interview, he gave me a copy of the Business Statement and said that he wanted to see me on Monday and I had to have the statement memorized! The statement was as follows:

"Home Instead Senior Care" is a non-medical provider of Companionship,
meal preparation, light housekeeping, medication reminders, errands
and incidental transportation. Our CAREGivers
encourage, assist and support our clients in a varity of daily
activities that increase their quality of life and help them maintain their
independence. All of these services all a senior to stay HOME INSTEAD for a
longer period of time."

Whew! With Greg's help, I managed to get it memorized and could do it half asleep. At the interview, I stumbled a little, just because it's intimidating and I have horrific stage fright. But, he said that the other girl that he was interviewing bombed it. The job was mine. I had to repeat it one more time for him an hour and a half later. I am incredibly excited about this job, though a little worried about starting a job with pneumonia!! I'll be a client care coordinator for the region between Perrysburg and Lima. I get a company car, salary, and monthly bonuses. I get the best of both worlds, working with clients, families, and staff! It really is my dream job! I can't wait to tell you all more about it.

Dr. Bass called me back. She wants to see me in the office at 1040-- about 1/2 an hour from now. SO, I guess I'd better get cracking on over to that appointment. I will definately write more later to update y'all!

***Update***
So I went to the doctor. Everything looks okay, and she said I can keep taking the medications, that they'll be okay. She wants to see me again on Thursday. SO, we'll see what happens.

On a BABY update, since this is our baby blog, baby seems to be doing great. No feelings of movement yet, but that probably won't happen until between 16-22 week. According to thenestbaby.com, Baby is the size of a peach-- A very small one-- 2.9 inches and .81oz. Still searching for a nick-name. Greg veto'd "monkey", Em. Evan was also monkey. He says it would be like naming the baby Evan. Whatever. lol! MORE suggestions, everyone! I hate Buddha!

Love ya!
Jenn