Morning Snuggles

Ever since our little girl was teeny tiny, she'd wake up fairly early in the morning, around 5 or 6 AM. Since this was before we had to get up, I'd slip in to give her the pacifier and she'd go back to sleep for a little while. The last couple of weeks, well probably more like a month or more, she'd be standing up waiting for me to come in. The pacifier didn't do the trick anymore, so now she comes into bed with us until it's time to get up. This is okay as long as we are close to getting up, but it doesn't work very well when it happens at 3 or 3:30 in the morning! Little girl is a bed HOG.

We figured out that most of the time when she wakes up super early, something is bothering her, usually her teeth. A little TLC and a lullaby or two and she'll go back to bed.

The 6 AM wake ups, don't bother me too much because I enjoy getting to snuggle with her for the 30 minutes or so before hubby is out of the shower and ready to take over. Little girl doesn't want to snuggle with Mommy too much during the day anymore.

A little frustrated

I'm a little frustrated/worn out right now. Since about 2006, I have been a sounding board for my Mom. It started with my the process of my grandfather moving into the apartment at my parents house. First it was the stress of an independent 80+ man figuring out how to live in a new place basically with his child. Then it was the issues around diagnosing his ALS and following treatment, hospice care, and death in 2007. Since then it's been one thing after another... we'll go weeks without anything, then we'll have weeks where there is something everyday.

I know she needs someone to talk to and I don't mind being there for her. But, sometimes it feels like I am being taken advantage of. When she calls, she asks what I'm doing, but it doesn't matter if I am busy or not - she just keeps going. I don't know what to do.

Holiday Stress

Everyone has stress this time of year. Everything from cooking the Thanksgiving feast, to hosting parties, and finding the perfect gift that doesn't break the bank. What methods do you use to combat holiday stress.

For me, it's starting early. I shop early and often, but not to excess. I head out (or online) as we get ideas for different family members. This lets me do my research and shop a little bit at a time. I also start my holiday baking early and freeze items until they are needed. Wrapping gifts seems to get put off a little bit, but then it is easier to get everything out at once and just go for it.

When to Potty Train

Our daughter is 20 months old and we have spent the last 3 weeks trying to potty train. She caught on to holding it pretty quickly, but never seemed to get the idea of telling me she needed to pee. We tried the timer method and that was wearing me out, but we weren't having too many accidents. The we tried the 3 day method and LG seemed to get the idea of keeping her panties dry and holding it, but still wouldn't tell me she needed to go.

Frustration is starting to set in, so we decided to postpone things and try again in a few months. What is your experience in starting potty training? What is the ideal age and methods that work for you?

What is weathly?

There has been a lot of talk by politicians in the past year or two about helping the "middle class" and having the "wealthy" paying their "fair" share. These discussions are disquieting for several reasons...

1) Making the "wealthy" pay their "fair share" to help other Americans seems very socialist and goes against the grain of what I think made and makes our country great. To me one of the core American ideals has been that if you work hard, anything is possible. Some of the tax payer funded social systems in place already undercut this ideal (welfare), but as a society, we do have a responsibility to help the less fortunate. Why should we punish someone for doing what it takes to achieve a certain level of success and the income that goes with it?

2) The way "wealthy" is defined. The number I've heard thrown around most defines wealthy as anyone who makes $250,000 or more per year. Wealth is a relative concept.... A single person making $250,000 may truly be wealthy and able to pay extra taxes. But, what about a family where the gross income is $250,000? Depending on where they live, they may just barely making ends meet by the time they make mortgage, tax, and day care payments then also address the basic needs of the family.

We barely squeak into the 6 figure category some years and I know we don't feel wealthy! But, there are people in different parts of the country would feel rich if they were suddenly making the equivalent income.

Once we set a threshold of "wealth" it is a slippery slope to gradually lower that number. I honestly think a better approach would be to revise and simplify our tax system. There are lots of loop holes both for corporations and individuals that drain a lot of potential income from the treasury. There is also a lot of waste in our system (medicare and welfare) that could be addressed.

How many computers?

We say my SIL and her family over the weekend. One of our nephews had a Lego catalog with him and was showing me things that he wants for Christmas. As he was showing me, my BIL came up and was talking about how they are thinking about getting BOTH of our nephews their own laptop - that would be TWO refurbished Apple laptops - for Christmas and if they do that, they are hoping other family members would chip in also. Each of the boys would also be expected to chip in some of their own money.

Hubby and I were talking about this after and we were both flabbergasted that they would consider getting each of the boys (who are 9 and 12) their own laptop. One question that came up is "how many computers does one house really need?" They already have 3 in the house... Both SIL and BIL have laptops that they use partly for their jobs, but also for their personal use. Then there is a "family" computer that the boys mainly use.

I think part of the logic is that 1) the boys don't share well and 2) the older of the boys is having a lot of computer based homework and is expected to check Blackboard every day regarding homework assignments.

I guess if the boys are having that much trouble sharing, a second family computer might make sense, but two more computers???? The other thing that seems sad to me is that it seems to take the joy of Christmas away.... Christmas isn't about money (even though we all probably spend too much on gifts) and by having everyone chip in for the computer(s) they make it about money.

Ebay

We recently sold a more expensive item on Ebay. We listed with a 10 day auction and had watchers and questions from day 1, but no bids until the last couple of hours. I learned one thing in the process.... Listing first thing in the morning isn't the best idea. Evening would have been better. I did have one giant frustration during this entire process... questions. I don't mind people asking questions about the item, but I do mind the persistent, nagging questions. We had one interested party who asked between 10 t0 15 questions, including asking if they could pay a full week after the auction ended. This got more and more frustrating as the auction went one, but peaked when I discovered that this interested individual couldn't be bothered to place a bid!

E-mail

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people ask you for information via e-mail... you provide the information and then they NEVER acknowledge that they received it. E-mail arriving at it's intended destination isn't a given, so it would just be polite to let people know you received what you asked for!

Busy Week

It's been a long week around here between doctor appointments and DAR meetings. So far everything has gone well, but I am worn out today. I really should have worked out today, but decided to catch up on TV instead.

Calm before the storm

Today is going to be a pretty quiet day here at home and I'm looking forward to it because tomorrow will be busy and next week is going to be down right crazy with something almost every day. Pediatrician appointments, hair appointments, DAR meetings, and park district classes will be filling next week and among all that, I need to work on getting laundry done and keeping the house clean!

Burr...

Sunday was a warm and beautiful day, but it's down right chilly now! It seems like we didn't have much of a summer, so I'm not really ready for fall and winter to get here.

Bell's acting up

After several months of things being quiet, my Bell's Palsy is acting up again. The last couple of days has had me with a very sore, tired face. I'm currently debating if I should call the doctor or not... not sure if they could do anything even if I did call.

How to dress

This time of year can be so confusing! Technically, it's fall, but the weather can't seem to decide. It's chilly and cloudy one day then sunny and warmer the next day. My little one is 18 months old, is it still okay for me to let her wear some of her summer clothes that are sleeveless? Or, should I try to keep her in pants more often? I don't worry about it too much on the days we stay home, but I worry when we go out and about.

Faith

I am really struggling with my faith today. I really don't understand why God makes the most innocent suffer. Why must a young woman who found out she has cancer and pregnant virtually at the same time then have to have MORE problems right after her precious baby was born? I just don't understand! Why do children have to suffer the loss of a parent before they even get to know them? Why does a merciful God do that?

Change of Scene helps

The routine changes that I introduced in the last couple of weeks have paid dividends. Since the changes, my daughter has become much more affectionate and has been adding a lot more words to her vocabulary.

A Change of Scene

Just for something different, I have tweaked our afternoon routine a little bit. We still come down into the family room after Emma eats her lunch. She gets to watch PBS while I eat my lunch and get caught up on e-mail, etc. It used to be, that we'd stay down in the family room until time for Emma's afternoon nap, but now the TV gets turned off between 1 & 1:30 PM and we play. We usually start playing in the family room, but we eventually migrate upstairs to the living room.
This simple change has made a huge difference for both of us. I think we are both a lot more relaxed now. We'll have to keep this up and see what comes from it.

Mommy Time

I'm sure all the other Mom's out there feel the same way - like we never get anytime for ourselves. And even when we do get a little time, we worry about the kids even when we know they are in good hands.
I've been struggling with resentment issues lately. Why does hubby get to go on a "guys night" to a football game while I stay on "baby duty?" Why does his family think spending $100 to go to the game is okay for him, but I'm frivolous for going to run a few errands (getting things we need at home and using coupons) then making a surprise visit to see them?
Little comments that have been made when we are all together just make things worse. I know I need to get over it, but I just can't help being sad and frustrated. I even have gift cards for a massage and facial and can't seem to find time to use them!

Being Fair.... and Disappointed

I come from a blended family and I know my parents (Dad and step mom) have always worked at being very fair to my step sister and I, but it's still frustrating to know that no matter how much they try.... it just doesn't happen.
I don't want to sound like I'm doing the whole poor me thing because my parents have always been very generous, but there are still a few things that bother me.

When my sister was pregnant with her youngest, my Mom made a big deal about telling me about things they did for her family (buying a new dishwasher and helping her buy maternity clothes). When I was pregnant, I was at their house and my Mom made a big deal about saying she wanted to take me shopping for maternity clothes... But, I was home for a funeral, so it didn't happen. She commented that she would send me a check, well, the check never came.
My family just got back from a vacation at my parents house. All summer when we've talked about coming for this trip and for a trip over the holidays, my Mom has been saying that they want to pay for my daughter's flight. Well, that never happened either.

I know I just need to get over it, because my parents do a ton of little things for us that I know all add up. It's just hard to get over broken promises.....

Social Security and Congress

I received this e-mail the other day and thought it was worth sharing. It seems like I keep hearing stories about how Congress has set asides for itself that are vastly different from programs that they are proposing for the American people. If we really expect them to make decisions that are best for us, shouldn't they have to abide by the same programs and laws???

Here is the original message I received:
Propose this in 2009:

START A BILL TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOCIAL SECURITY
SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.

Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of
course, they do not collect from it.

You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their
rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for
themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.

In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it.
After all, it is a great plan.

For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments...


For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect
to draw $7, 800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand
Dollars), with their 2 wives drawing $275, 000..00 during the last years of
their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two
Dignitaries..

Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more
during the rest of their lives.

Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA!!! ZILCH!!!

This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I
pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan
come directly from the General Funds;

"OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK"!

From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid)
into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our
employer), We can expect to get an average of
$1,000 per month after retirement.

Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly
benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley's
benefits!

Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.

That change would be to

Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and
Congressmen.. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us

Then sit back....

And see how fast they would fix it!

If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted
and maybe good changes will evolve.

Harry Potter

We went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince yesterday and were VERY disappointed in the movie. We were okay with some of the early departures from the book because we knew they were for time and they stayed true to the basics of the story. About halfway through the movie, I got very annoyed because a scene that is NOT in the book was inserted into the movie. This extra scene did nothing to advance the story line and actually destroyed a key local for the 7th movie. We were also very disappointed with the way the movie ended; a lot of the more interesting scenes from the book were actually left out and the movie just fell kind of flat because of the omissions. Up until now, I have been really pleased with all of the Harry Potter movies and they have all been pretty consistent with the books (a few changes for time, etc can be forgiven), but this movie just didn't measure up to the others. I don't think I will be getting this one on DVD.

Trip with the inlaws

We just got back from a weekend visit to Michigan. Hubby's family (parents, sister, etc) are there for the week and we went up for a long weekend. It was actually a good trip - and yes, I am surprised!
There were potential problem moments, but everything went well. I think we were smart to not try to stay for the entire week. The house rented just wasn't big enough for 9 people for a week... I think the 4 days we were there was plenty.

Books

Books are on the brain lately........ I had gotten a Barnes and Nobel gift card for Christmas and finally used it. I got the Blood brothers trilogy by Nora Roberts and they were all very good stories. I'm not sure there is anything of her's that I don't really like.
Books are also a daily challenge around here.... Little Girl LOVES to go over to our book case and pull some of the books off the shelves. What's funny is that she always goes for the dog related books and for the Nancy Drew books....

Avon Walk

I survived the Avon Walk last weekend, but I didn't make it the whole marathon and a half. I ended up with bad blisters on my toes, so I only walked 16.3 miles on Saturday. I did complete the whole 13.1 mile walk on Sunday and paid for it because the blisters on my toes got really bad.

Big walk coming up

This weekend is the big walk and I'm getting nervous! My longest walk to date is only 15 miles and I'm supposed to walk 26 on Saturday. I'm really hoping that I will be able to do it!!!

Misc Notes

Last week was tough! Little girl ended up with a runny nose on Monday and has been on kids Zyrtec since and it seems to be helping. My own nose started running on Tuesday and I felt yucky all week. I finally gave up on Saturday and went to the urgent care clinic and received a prescription for a nasal spray and Zyrtec D. I'm still not 100%, but I am getting better.
Feeling so yucky last week made it hard for me to walk. I did log 8.5 miles yesterday, but I really should have been closer to 18 miles this weekend. The big walk is coming up and I am a little concerned about being able to make the whole 40 miles.

Worried

I'm a little over 3 weeks away from the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer - Chicago and I'm a little worried about meeting my fund raising goal. I'm still $440 away and I don't know if I'll get there. There are lots of people who I was sure would help, but haven't and I don't know what else to do! I started a raffle on May 1 and publicized it on Facebook and Linkedin, but all of those efforts have resulted in 1 entry.

Sorry....

Sorry I've been such a horrible blogger, it just seems that I have been swamped lately. Training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer takes a lot more time than i really expected it too. We are gone for 1:30 to 2:30 hours for weekday training walks, all depending on where we walk. When we get home from walking, there is all the normal house and baby stuff to take care of. I'm glad that I have taken on the challenge of the walk, but I will be glad when the process is over.
I think once everything is done, I will continue to walk, but not with nearly as much intensity.

Rude Drivers

I am getting really irritated with rude drivers! Since I'm training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and have a 1 year old for a training buddy, I end up at the mall a lot for weekday training walks. I make a big effort to get to the mall as close to 8 AM as possible so that I can try to finish the distance I need to walk before the mall opens at 10 AM. This means I am usually leaving the mall shortly after most of the stores have opened and that I have a decent parking spot. Twice after training walks (and once just after a shopping trip) drivers arriving at the mall saw me approach my car and decided to wait for me to back out so they could take my spot.
If it was just me, this wouldn't bother me. I mean it doesn't take THAT long for one person to deposit their bags, get in the car, and go. But, it's not just me. I have my one year old daughter and her stroller to get in the car.
All I know is that these people must not have children or remember what it's like to try to get a wiggly little person buckled into a car seat... It's not a fast process.
Yesterday's experience took the cake! I was leaving the mall shortly after 10 AM and an arriving driver spotted me before I even got to the car, so they decided to wait. Another car pulled up behind them and someone started honking while I was getting my daughter into her seat. After the third honk, I lost my temper and yelled at the lady that I was going as fast as I could.
I wish people would just go around when they see someone with a baby trying to get their child in the car. It's nerve wracking to have someone waiting to pounce....

Training, training, and more training

As of today I have walked 126 miles to get ready for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. The 5 and 6 mile walks are getting easier and easier. My longest individual walk is 10 miles. I've done 10 mile walks twice, the last one was significantly faster then the other. I walked 10 miles in 3 hours, which is under the 20 minute mile pace I need for walk weekend.
I need to get longer walks in, I'm hoping for at least 11 miles on this Saturday's walk.

Pictures from elizabeth

22 pictures
View Album at Shutterfly

Training continues

I have now completed 5 weeks of training for the Avon 3 day and have walked a total of 90.5 miles. I longest one time walk so far is 10 miles, so I still have a lot of work to do. Next week will be challenging because it will be the first week where I walk 4 days out of the week. I've really been amazed at how much time the training really takes up, especially when the weather is bad and we have to drive to walk at the mall.

We survived

We made it through birthday party weekend. Barely, but we made it! We talked before the party about how this would be the only big party until Emma is old enough to have her own little friends and this weekend just confirmed that.

Birthday Countdown

Little Girl's birthday is this week and her party is this coming Saturday. I need to be working on getting the house ready, etc, but have spent today walking and playing with my little girl. It's a beautiful day outside, so we have the windows open to air out the house. I love the fresh air!!

Week 1 of Training is DONE

I complete my First week of training for the Avon 3 day this morning. I walked 3 days and completed 3.5, 5, and 6 mile walks. One thing I have discovered is that I was letting myself get real dehydrated. I was suspecting this, but yesterday I ended up with a crick in my neck for no reason! I drank almost an entire bottle of water between 9 and 11 PM last night and really didn't need to use the restroom that badly this morning, so I think dehydration may have really been an issue.
I took water with me on this mornings walk and finished it during the walk....... I need to make sure i take water with me from now on.

Training has started

I started training for the Avon 3 day yesterday. Little Girl and I went to the local mall and walked 3.5 miles of the 5 miles I was supposed to walk. I discovered that mall walking isn't the greatest idea for long distances. Both Little Girl and I got a little bored.

Open Windows

Today was our first really warn day of 2009. It was absolutely wonderful! After getting home from the grocery store, I opened up our larger windows and patio door to let some fresh air into the house. After Little Girl woke up from her nap, I also ran our whole house fan.
We have to be careful running the whole house fan because my husband and I both have bad allergies and the fan has been a culprit in pulling allergens up into the bedrooms. We've had good luck with the fan though as long as we have time between running the fan and going to bed.
I also FINALLY got around to re potting my poor ivy plant. I'm glad i did because in the process I found out that I really haven't been watering the plant enough, All of the roots were very shallow, so that's a good wake up call.

A nice walk

Yesterday, Little Girl and I took advantage of the slightly warmer weather and we took a walk into town. It was about a three mile walk round trip and it felt REALLY nice to get out and get the exercise. Training for the 3 day starts next week, so I really appreciated the walk. The energy boost from yesterday, has also carried over to today. Yippee!!!!

Worried

Tonight I go to yet another doctor for my Bell's Palsy... I'm a little worried about this one. This is the doctor we are going to talk with about using Botox to break the sykenisis I have going on. I'm concerned about the side effects and the fact that Botox is a toxin...

Over committed

I think when I agreed to be the vice regent for my DAR chapter for the next two years (starting in May) I may have over committed myself. Our current Vice Regent had to resign due to personal issues, so I have been the de-facto Vice regent since the nominating committee put my name on the ballot. I had really hoped to take a break from the executive board for the next two years, but it doesn't look like that will happen and I'm not sure I want to new job!

Pain in the neck

We've all used the phrase "Pain in the Neck" usually to complain about someone or something, but last night I had (and still have) a literal pain in the neck. Little Girl and I met hubby at Sweet Tomatoes for dinner and then we all went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to see if we could find a new mirror for our bathroom fix up project. When we left BBB, I was trying to get Little girl in the car quickly because it was so cold and windy, when I felt something pop and had a horrible pain. We made it home and got the little one to bed, then hubby was sweet and rubbed my shoulder and neck, but it didn't help much. Needless to say, I didn't sleep real great and ended up coming down into our family room around 3 AM. I spent the rest of the night down on the couch with a heating pad and slept a little bit better. This morning, hubby was nice to rub my shoulder/neck again this time with tiger balm. That helped enough that I have been able to move around more and it feels a lot better this morning. I'm sure the Ibuprofen I took helped too!

A little frustrated

My Mom called this morning.... (she does most mornings at some point) and asked if I had a minute. I didn't REALLY, but wasn't doing anything that couldn't wait a few minutes. Well, it was almost an hour later when we got off the phone. My toast, which I had been eating when she called, was now cold and I hadn't worked out yet. I wasn't sure how much longer the baby would nap because she went down a little before my Mom called, but I decided to try to get a least a little workout in. Thankfully, my precious little girl took a long nap this morning, so I was able to get my 30 Wii Fit credits, even if it wasn't the yoga work out I really wanted.
The frustrating part is that it wouldn't have mattered if I told my Mom I was eating or about to work out, she would have kept talking anyway!

Driving Scare

Yesterday afternoon, hubby called to let me know that his parent's dog was FINALLY being released from the animal hospital where he's been since being hit by a car on Feb 6. Someone needed to go stay with my Father-in-law (who was also hurt in the accident) while Mother-in-law went to get the dog and get him settled at sister-in-law's house. I headed over as soon as the baby was up from her nap and fed and hubby met me there as soon as he got out of work for the day. We had dinner there and hung out until about 7:30 PM when the baby started getting tired. Hubby went out to the car with us and helped get the baby buckled into her seat and off she and I went for the short ride home.
Not long after I left my in-laws neighborhood, I thought I saw the car behind me flash their bright lights. So, I checked my dash to see if any of my idiot lights were on... they weren't. The car behind me kept flashing their brights... I thought maybe they wanted to pass me because I was going the speed limit, so I got over to the right as soon as I could (the road had a bike lane), but they didn't want to pass, they tried to pull up along side me at a stop sign. I kept going and made sure my doors were locked, but I was getting very scared. When we got to the first major intersection, I turned to go onto the major street instead of continuing on the residential street. Once I made the turn, the other car continued going straight. I called my hubby and we decided that I would return to my in-law's house to wait for him to be able to come home with me.
The more we talked about what happened, we figured that the person flashing their lights at me could have been someone who knows someone who also drives a car like mine (it's a common make and color) and that they were just trying to get m attention. But, there is a slim chance that they were up to no good, so we played it safe.... especially with the baby in the car.

Illinois Senate Seat - part 2

Our Junior senator, Roland Burris, should never have accepted is appointment from Gov. Blagoviech. Based on his record of public office and attempts to gain additional offices, I get the feeling that Mr. Burris' personal desire for glory and/or importance overshadowed his desire to do right by the people of Illinois.
It's bad enough that one of our former Governor's is in jail, his successor has been impeached while under federal indictment, but now our junior senator has a cloud hanging over his head too. How in these difficult times, are we supposed to have the representation we need if there are constantly questions about if the man is telling the truth or not?
The writing was on the wall regarding Blago's impeachment, so I'm not sure what Mr. Burris was thinking when he accepted the appointment......

Busy weekend

We've had our typical busy weekend. FIL came home from the rehab center on Friday, so we have honestly spent a big chuck of our weekend over there. I can't say that I really enjoy the time, but I understand why we do it... They are family.
The dog gets to come home soon too........

ENT Update

I went to the ENT on Tuesday....
Basically, I get to go to another doctor. Frustration is running rampant for me right now.

Bells and the ENT

I go to a new doctor tomorrow, hopefully to get help with my Bell's Palsy. I'm really hoping that the ENT I'm going to see can help me. The pain is getting really annoying to the point where I am having to take Ibuprofen at least once a day and taking Tylenol sleep almost every night. I don't want to be addicted to pain killers for the rest of my life. The cross wiring of my face is also getting really irritating because it is making it difficult for me to play with my little girl.

The Dog is Paralyzed

We found out last night that my Father-in-law's dog is paralyzed in his hind legs and the chances are that he won't recover. He is currently being fitted for a little cart that will allow him to "walk"
The last figures I heard for the cost of his care to date was north of $10,000... I really hope that the driver who hit him is held responsible and pays the bills.
My FIL was just out for a walk with his dog, he shouldn't have to suffer the expense of someone else being reckless.

Who's to blame

There is some frustration in the family over FIL's accident on Friday. The young man driving the car that hit FIL received a citation and only a citation because he called the police. His punishment for hitting a man walking his dog with his 2000 pound car is a ticket and the difficulty he'll have getting car insurance in the future. That just doesn't seem fair because my father-in-law will be dealing with his injuries for months to come. And let's not forget the dog, he's not out of the woods yet. There is speculation that he still might have to be put down. If he does survive, he has months of recovery ahead of him too.
And what about the people who didn't clear the snow, which turned to ice, off of their sidewalk? They are the reason the FIL was walking the dog in the street in the first place. Aren't they at fault too? We found a village ordinance that says you can't clear snow so that you impede pedestrian traffic. That means you can't dump snow into the sidewalk when you clear your driveway. But, doesn't failing to clear the sidewalk impede pedestrian traffic?

We survived the weekend

We spent the weekend going back and forth to the hospital. FIL is doing much better, but will be in the hospital for a while yet.
I didn't really feel like I did much to help. I spent most of Friday taking care of the kids and all I really did on Saturday was make dinner for everyone. Hubby says it was helpful... I hope so.

Downers Grove Police

The Downers Grove police ROCK!!!
This morning, my father-in-law was walking his black lab mix, Buddy, in their neighborhood. He was walking along the sidewalk until he reached an area that hadn't ever been cleared of the latest snow and was now icy, so they were walking along the curb until they cleared the obstacle when they were hit from behind by a car.
Thankfully, the driver did the right thing and called 911. The police responded and called the ambulance. My FIL was taken to the hospital, one officer went to get my MIL, and THREE squad cars took Buddy to the ER vet.
As of tonight, the driver has a citation. FIL is in critical care with a broken ankle, broken fibula, broken ribs, broken scapula, and various bumps and bruises. Surgery to fix the ankle is tomorrow. Buddy, is still at the vet and is resting. He has temporarily lost the use of his hind legs, but tests show no spinal cord damage, just trauma. The vet believes he will recover.
We are all very grateful to the Downers Police for the help and kindness during the situation.

Doctor Frustration

I had a neurologist appointment yesterday and left extremely frustrated. Nothing that was said in that appointment couldn't have been said over the phone and I got the feeling during the whole appointment that the doctor couldn't wait to get us out of her office so she could move on to the next thing.
I understand that doctors need to get paid, but as a patient it is really annoying to feel like they care more about the paycheck than your well being. I wish there was a way to have "phone appointments" with a doctor so that they could get paid. It's a waste of every one's time to have an office appointment just to have a conversation, especially when the doctor is telling you that test results are fine and they can't help you anymore.

Nominee Tax Issues

On today's news, it was reported that two more nominees for positions is President Obama's cabinet have withdrawn their names from consideration due to tax issues. This is after our new Treasury Secretary was confirmed after paying back taxes.
This makes me wonder what on Earth is going on in Washington D.C. - I can understand one person making a mistake on their taxes. To be honest, I can understand 3 average people making mistakes on their taxes, our tax code isn't simple. But, these aren't average people. I'm wiling to bet that these people have people do their taxes FOR them. It makes me wonder if there is an unwritten rule in Washington that it's okay to not pay your taxes.

OUCH

Today I went for the second of three appointments to replace a crown. The whole appointment was supposed to take 40 minutes, but the dentist had a hard time getting things numb enough that I didn't feel a lot of what he was doing, so we spent the first hour giving me anesthetic and testing then giving more anesthetic. We finally got everything numb and were able to get the needed impression made, but now that I'm not numb anymore, my jaw is really hurting.
I still think Dr. McGuire is great, but I really hope that once I get this crown, I'll be done for a long time.

Our Govenor

I had the news on this afternoon and saw the live coverage of Blago's speech to the IL senate. He is such a cry baby! His main argument was that issues brought before the senate were from his first term and that the trial rules were unfair. He did nothing to dispute most of the charges against him, he just railed about his background and how he has always tried to do what's best for the people.
If he was really trying to do what's best for the people of IL, why doesn't he spend more time in Springfield, the state capital? Shouldn't the leader of a state government actually spend time in the same city where the state congress meets?

Open Air MRI

Now that I've had two MRIs, I have to say that I like the Open Air version MUCH better. The facility at Ogden and Rt 83 in Westmont is very nice. My technician today was Erin and she was fabulous.
The open air machine is a lot less noisy than the closed machine at the hospital and Erin did a great job of communicating with me about what was happening next and how long each shot would take. She even did a really good job of injecting the dye into my arm.

We have a good dentist

I had to go to the dentist today to begin the process to have a crown replaced. I've had crowns for a long time and have had 3 dentists prior to today work on my teeth. The dentist I have now is the best! His name is Dr. McGuire in Downers Grove and he is very patient and observant. He noticed that the one shot on anesthetic didn't work and gave me additional shots until I no longer felt anything.
Another thing he does that I like; he splits the crown replacement into 3 appointments to minimize the stress and to get the best fit for the crown. If anyone needs a dentist in the Western suburbs, I'd definitely recommend this guy!

GE Money Bank

If any of you out there are customers of GE Money bank (you are if you have JC Penny or Lowes credit cards), I hope you NEVER need anything from them above basic customer service.
My poor Mom has had to call them twice in the past week regarding accounts that aren't hers, but are showing up on her credit report. She's not doing ANYTHING wrong, she's just trying to let them know that there is a reporting issue so that it can get fixed. Well, both time she has called the employees of the GE Money bank fraud department have been rude, but the lady today takes the cake. She YELLED at my Mom over the phone and accused my Mom of committing fraud by calling them. The lady was so terrible rude, she had Mom in tears and worried that she has done something wrong......
We currently don't have any accounts with GE Money Bank and we never will if we can help it.

Ebay

I am amazed at what people will bid on in an Ebay auction. My husband had currency left over from a trip to Europe that is obsolete because of the conversion to the Euro. He wanted to throw it away, but I told him we should but it out on Ebay hoping to get just a few dollars for it.... The last time I checked, the bidding was up to $18.
Getting stuff out on ebay and dealing with the shipping, etc can be a big pain, but it can pay off big sometimes.

Pediatrician Visit

Today was a well baby visit for our little girl and she did great... right up until it was time for her to get poked. Poor kid had 4 sticks.... one in her finger to test for anemia, one in her arm to test for TB, and one in each leg for vaccines. I felt terrible because after getting her calmed down from the vaccines, I had to lay her back down on the table to get her pants on and she didn't like that. I think she expected more shots.

Our New President

We watched the inauguration today, a big chunk of it anyway. I turned the coverage off after President Obama gave his speech and the Bushes left the Capitol. I was very impressed with the grace with which everyone involved handled themselves during the ceremony. It will be interesting to see how history judges President Bush and how long President Obama's honeymoon period lasts. Right now, the media and most of our country is in love with our new President. I hope that he is able to do all of the things he is saying he would like to do, but it's hard to tell what will happen.

A doctor shouldn't laugh

I went to my alternative therapies doctor on Friday. After I left I decided that was my first, last, and only treatment session with him. During the course of our treatment session I was concerned that he was focused on everything but the Bell's Palsy. At the end of our session, I was asking questions and when I showed him the things I was most concerned about (again) he laughed at me. One of the hardest things about having Bell's Palsy is the emotional impact of not being able to use your face, being in pain, etc. Having a doctor who is supposed to help you laugh at you is really hard... and unacceptable.

Finding a babysitter

Up until now, my MIL has been our primary baby sitter. But, I am getting ready to start physical therapy again and she is scheduled to have another knee replacement in mid February. I may need to find a back up sitter, but I have no idea of where to start looking.
I go back to the doctor tomorrow (that's the current plan anyway) to find out what the treatment plan is, so I'll have more information then as to how often I need a sitter.

Little Miracles

I was looking out our patio door this morning and noticed little miracles out in the snow. We had several cardinals flying around in our backyard. It seemed like there were 5 or 6 of them...I saw at least 3 bright red males and a couple of females. They must be sturdy little birds to brave the freezing temperatures. I hope they have a warm place to nest!

Cold Weather Coming

It looks like little girl and I will be spending a lot of time at home this coming week. Tomorrow (Monday) is supposed to be the warmest day of the next 5 and the high is going to be 30 degrees. There a couple of days this week that are supposed to be in the single digits. That's just too cold to take a baby out in, especially now that she's out grown the infant carrier.
I shouldn't complain though, I'm lucky that I have the option of staying home with her. There are plenty of Moms out there that don't have a choice. They will be packing their cute little ones up in their snow suits and heading off in the bitter cold each morning.

Scary History Essays

I spent the day reading history essays written by 8th graders about the Gettysburg address. Lets just say that I was less than impressed with some of the discussions about the ideals contained within President Lincoln's address and how those ideals impact us today. Most of these students have been taught that the civil war was strictly about slavery and many students tried to make correlations between the civil war and the conflicts the US is involved in today. It was just really disheartening to think this is what our children are being taught about our history.

Bell's Palsy Update

It's been 9 1/2 months since my Bell's Palsy started and I'm still struggling with recovery. My face LOOKS normal when it's at rest, but my mouth isn't really right yet. Also, in the research I've done, I've figured out that I have synkensis. Synkensis is a problem for people who have had long recoveries from Bell's... Basically, what happens with Synkensis is the nerve fibers connect to the wrong muscles and incorrect movements happen along with correct movements. For me, that means my mouth moves when I raise my eyebrows.
I've done some research and have found exercises to try, so I'm going to start there. I would also like to find a physical therapist who specializes in Bell's and the residual impacts, but I don't know where to start.

Sore from the Wii

I received a Wii fit for Christmas and have been trying to do that on a regular basis. So far this week, I've used it to exercise for about 30 minutes each morning and I am feeling it in my hips and waist. I'm really surprised at how much work that little "toy" can make you do.

Illinois Senate Seat

Our crooked Governor decided to appoint Roland Burres to the IL Senate seat vacated by the president elect. Since the governor hasn't been convicted of anything (yet) and Mr. Burres has only been accused of bad judgement for accepting the appointment, he should have been able to take the oath of office with the other new senators today, but he was denied his seat.
I really think that the Senate leadership is making a mistake by trying to deny Mr. Burres his seat. Our country is faced with numerous issues at the moment and this issue is taking much needed attention away from those other, greater, concerns.

Distressed

My Mom called today to find out if I'd gotten test results back and the conversation came around to when and if hubby and I were thinking about trying for baby number 2. I mentioned that we were thinking about starting to try before our little girl turns 2. She was a little negative about the idea...talking about how difficult it can be if the first baby isn't potty trained when the second is born. Considering that I just turned 30 and hubby is 35, I was surprised about how negative she was about the idea of us having kids who would be 2 1/2 to 3 years apart in age.

Lost Wedding Ring

We were at a New Year's Eve party and my husband realized he didn't have his wedding ring on. He really thought he'd put it on before we left for the party, so we looked high and low to see if he could find it. It wasn't anywhere at the party or in the car, so we had to wait until we got home to look more. When we got home, we found hubby's ring, right where he left it on his dresser.