Life...

COUNTDOWN: TEN DAYS TO CLOSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



My eyes are so sore, so I hope I am up to looking at a computer screen for a while. I have a lot to say tonight, just random goodness of course. Today has been a good day, and a bad day, all rolled up into one...

I am on a mission to fill my new house. ONLY TEN MORE DAYS UNTIL WE CLOSE AND CAN START MOVING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, people, you have no idea how good it feels! I have dreamed of owning our own home for all my life, and it is finally a dream realized. It feels wonderful! I wish we had our belongings here instead of having them in Germany, but I am coping. Fortunately, I have had a lot of help, and am slowly accumulating items to put into our house. I have been looking in the papers for some things that we still do not have, have went to garage sales, looked around for bargains, etc. Most things I don't mind doing without, I can make do. However, I am in desperate search of a living room sofa (I would like to fill it, ya know...like with tables too?, but just a sofa would be sufficient at this point!), and a dining room table...oh, and a mattress and box spring for Kyle's full size bed. Those are my main concerns at this point. (ANYONE LOOKING TO GET RID OF ANY OF THESE ITEMS, SHOOT ME A MESSAGE, OKAY???)Once I find these items, I am sure I will move onto more items that we need, but these are the major things we are still without. We have family coming to visit in August, and I sure do not want to have an empty house! LOL I am not picky, I am not looking for brand new items by any means. We have new furniture in Germany that I LOVE!!! Jamie and I busted our butts to save money for new furniture, and I love it!!! Oh well, I am going to have to suck it up for now, right? I thought I could just go and find some stuff at garage sales, but it is all so dirty looking...and so expensive! I may just be watching tv from the floor; I'll throw down some pillows or something! HAHA At least Rowan will have fun, and it will allow for more room for his TOYS!!! HAHA
I really need to go and see the house again...I miss it! LOL Truly, it is an amazing house!!! I absolutely love it, and I can't wait to make it HOME!!! It feels so wonderful to know that Rowan has a HOME, a place he will remember growing up in. It's a dream come true for us. There is not a whole lot that I want to change, but I do want to get my hands dirty and do some painting! WOOHOO I have the colors picked out, just need to go get it and get started.
I also want to get up to Target and get a few necessities: trash cans, cleaning supplies, shower curtain, things like that. Lord, I am getting heartburn thinking about it.............honestly, stresses me out! Because the Army is still paying for our house in Germany, our house payment, taxes, insurance and utilities will be coming out of Jamie's paycheck...we struggle as it is, so I am very stressed about making it work. Oh, and then add to it that Jamie got demoted...God is good though, and I know that we will make it work. Am I rambling? I believe that I am!

So, to prevent me from having a heart attack, let's change the subject. Tomorrow is Autumn's reception in Peoria!!! I am anxious to see everyone. I have NO clean clothes, so I am currently doing laundry. I don't know what time we will leave here tomorrow, pry early afternoon, which is right at Ro's nap time...YIKES!!! Could get ugly folks. I should be getting things ready for tomorrow. Ro is in bed, but not asleep. I need a shower. Do I complain a lot? SOmetimes I feel like I do. Yeah, I am totally rambling now!

So, Jamie called yesterday. I won't get to talk to him for quite a while, and that bums me out. He is on some mission or something, I don't know really. I worry about him a lot. He is the love of my life, so I guess I should worry, right?

Uhm, what else! Well, I will get to see my Kyle bug soon!!! I haven't seen him since March, so I am overdue for some Kyle time! He's such a good boy; I am very blessed.

As far as today, I went to a few garage sales, found a few little things for the house. I also filled Ro's pool and let him play outside in it for the afternoon. We had FUN!

I haven't heard anything more about Uncle Ron's services. I have had a few moments today that I got pretty bummed about it. It's life, it's what happens, but it still hurts when it does. When i lose someone, I can't help but think of life. I mean, there are so many people that are so important to me, and I cannot imagine life for a single second without them. Okay, I am starting to cry, and my eyes already hurt...I can't talk about this yet. But, let me say this...I really miss my Deeva. It is going to be really weird to move into our house without her. I keep thinking this over and over and over................

GOOD NIGHT

Sad night

Last night I went to the second class and learned all about first aid. It covered a LOT of different situations, so it was very informative!!! I feel very enlightened.
When I got home, I saw that I had missed a call from my cousin, Catie. I called her back, and expected to hear some kind of update on our Uncle Ron. He was hospitalized the other day; he's been fighting cancer and putting up one heck of a fight. Catie informed me that he had passed away, and I really was shocked. I did not expect to hear that news. I guess the first thought that went through my head was just empathy for his family. His wife, our Aunt Toshiko, has been right there by his side, supporting him every step of the way. I can't image the loss for her. They have two grown children, Emi and Ryan, and Emi has two small children, Keiko and Curtis. My heart aches for all of them.
The second thought was a little difficult to handle. Uncle Ron is the first aunt/uncle on either side of my family that has passed away. It is hard, I won't even lie. To think that they are my parents generation, that hurts!!! I am just praying for all of the loved ones he leaves behind. Last night I made several phone calls to family, and although I tried not to, I couldn't help but cry. I don't know what the funeral and burial plans are at this point.......

Anyway, it is Friday, and I will write more later.

I am certified!

I am officially a certified "rescue responder"!!! I went to the infant and child CPR class last night at the Red Cross from 6-10 PM, wayyyy past my bedtime! I feel good though; I learned a lot, and I am certainly more prepared for an emergency now. They taught a LOT of neat information, way beyond simple CPR, and it was nice to learn. Tomorrow I go back for the first aid class, and next month I am taking the adult CPR class, it covers more of the basic information. To all the moms, dads, caregivers, I HIGHLY recommend this training to you. You never know when an emergency may arise, and it is best to be able to handle any situation with confidence...just the ability to stay more "calm" will really help me.
Rowan goes to the specialist next Tuesday, so I am anxious to see what happens with that!!! I'll keep you all posted!

Nice day!

Today was really nice. We had a few things to do, starting this morning. I took Rowan to our new house to see what he thought, and he must have felt right at home! I took him in his new room, though it is still occupied by a 13 month old little girl, and he just wanted to lie on the floor with the dog and take everything off of her shelves! LOL He ran around a lot! I had some contractors in there to do some measurements, order a new back door and check the inspector's to-do list. It all looks good, and they gave me some pointers and advice on the kitchen floor (it needs leveled). I may have them do it, and I may wait until Jamie gets home...depends on how much they want to charge me! LOL
I had errands to run afterwords, but Rowan had other plans. He wanted a NAP! So, we came home and he got a snooze. He didn't sleep too awfully long, but I did have a bit to get myself together, get some thoughts down on paper, and make a shopping list. Yep, my LIST! LOL
So, when he woke up we played for a bit, and then I got him ready to go shopping. I had to hit the grocery store for a few staple items: milk, bread, juice, eggs, pickles, cereal...ya know, the likes! LOL Moms, you get me, right? Since Ro is such a big boy now, I am attempting to not carry him so much. I let him walk from the car to the grocery store, holding my hand of course, and he did REALLY well; I was pleasantly surprised! I wiped down one of the car carts with sanitary wipes (hey those things are COVERED with nasty germs!!!), and Ro rode in the "car cart"!!! He loved it, and was such a pleasant little man! He waved at everyone that went by us and squealed in absolute delight! It was really cute.
Home Depot just happens to be right next door to the grocery store, so I decided to stop in and look at a few things. I picked out some paint for Ro's room, Kyle's room, the master bedroom, bath and kitchen! I love bold colors, I can't help myself. Also, I looked at ceiling fans and a light for the hallway. I was really enjoying myself, but Rowan started to get really cranky!!! :-( Upon leaving, I decided I needed a caffeine kick. SOOO, I got an iced mocha, that's right!
Rowan has been up a bit past bedtime, but that's okay. We have been watching "Jon and Kate plus 8", yeah Ro LOVES that show! And God bless Jon and Kate...how do they do it??? Troopers, I tell ya!
So yes, Ro is in bed, and I am headed that way!

Loves and smiles

IMAGE BY DESIGN, CONSUMER REPORT: Springfield, Illinois salon

Hi folks! This was sent to me by my sister-in-law, and I feel compelled to show it to the world. Having years of experience in customer service, I just cannot imagine anyone treating a client as such. Please read and take heed, also, if you would, please inform others. I think it is just appauling!!!

In My Opinion! Horrible experiencewith this establishment (Image by Design) and I WON'T EVER GO BACK!Today I am sending this email out because I am so appalled by how I was treated by Angeline Severens, the owner of this business. I felt it was worth passing the information along as a warning and a punishment for her poor behavior!
I received a $50 gift certificate over the Christmas holidays from a friend who's mother frequents this salon and recommended their services... Well after what I've been through I can honestly say that Ms. Severens couldn't have been recommended based on her couth or customer service skills! I made an appointment back in March to utilize my gift certificate for a pedicure for a late Saturday afternoon.
I had a prior commitment that morning and I set out very early so that I could complete that task well before my pedicure appointment that day... But somehow the project proved to be too large and time ran over. I suddenly realized that I was not going to be able to get all the way back to Springfield in time for my 1pm appointment. I was totally caught off guard by this fact, and was desperate to alert the salon.
I quickly telephoned Image by Design and explained that I was too far away in Glenarm, that my morning appointment had taken over and prohibited me from getting to my pedicure appointment. I apologized profusely and told the girl that I would like to reschedule if possible. She replied, noproblem, asked if I wanted to pick a new time now. I explained to her that I was not in front of my calendar and that I would have to call back on Monday. She replied that would be fine and we hung up the phone. It was not two minutes later when my cell phone rang back and I could see that the number was from the Image by Design Salon. I answered only to immediately be barked at by the owner of the salon, Angeline Severens. She was very nasty, belligerent and informed me that I had completely inconvenienced her by canceling my appointment... That she had brought on extra staff that day just to take care of this pedicure. I told her how sorry I was that my situation was out of my control and that I didn't flippantly disregard the importance of my appointment to her business day, but that I really wanted to reschedule?
That is when she said it was too bad because now the gift certificate was void! I audibly uttered WHAT, are you kidding me... I didn't even get to use it? I explained to her that the giftcertificate was given to me by an individual who's mother did Image by Design's bookkeeping and that he was going to be so upset when he heard she wasn't honoring the $50 gift card. She said she didn't care, that was her policy. I explained to her that it was not written anywhere on the card about cancellations and voided the dollar amount. She said at the bare minimum, it would be missing half of it's value. I exclaimed that she sure was making a terrible first impression on someone who had never frequented her salon before and that I had even been looking for a new place to get my hair done, but now I was certain I didn't even want to step into her salon.I told her that I was going to have to hang up the phone now before I said something I might regret!

...now 3 months later, I have looked and looked at this gift card in my wallet and thought what a shame my friend had to lose his hard earned money over her ferous nastiness! It was just yesterday, when I had a little time to spare in my busy schedule, that I decided to give the place one last try. I knew I would have to pay for half of the pedicure, but at least the whole gift would not be a waste. So I called up and asked if they had an opening at 5:30pm. I recognized the owners voice on the phone, she replied yes they did and began to take my information. Now I did not proceed to remind her of the nasty altercation, however I did not hide any of my personal information. She asked if I had ever been there before and I replied no, she took all of my personal info as I had given it before, home address, work numbers, even what I did for a living. When she got to the part of how I heard about Image by Design I informed her that my friends mother recommended it and she even did the bookkeeping for the establishment.
She exclaimed that was all she needed and she would see me at 5:30. I got there, checked in with the owner herself. She left the counter. I exclaimed to the girl that I would be paying part with a gift card and part with a debit. She asked if I wanted to check out and I told her nobecause I may want to purchase product when I was through. I was shown back to the pedicure chair and the process began WHEN all of a sudden the owner appears hurriedly around the corner and shouts out 'WHERE DID YOU GET THIS GIFT CERTIFICATE'... She totally startled the crap out of me... I informed her that my friend (gave his name) had given it to me for Christmas. Shespouted out that is so and so's son! She turned to her worker and exclaimed 'THIS PEDICURE IS OVER... THAT GIFT CERTIFICATE WAS USED UP MONTHS AGO!' I was in complete shock. She said 'I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR ARE TRYING TO PULL HERE...BUT YOU ARE OUT.. GET OUT!' My mouth was just dropped open in total shock. I had never been treated so poorly in all my life! I asked if she was kidding – that I already knew that I would be paying for half of the pedicure and she said you won't be paying for anything because there will be no pedicure NOW GET OUT! She turned on her heal and stormed back around the corner just like that!
The poor girl who had been working on my little toes, turned sheepishly to me and said in a low whisper 'I am so sorry'... I said SO AM I! I proceeded to push my pant legs back down and return my half polished toes to my sandals and I stormed out into the main hair salon. I confronted her and told her I thought she was incredibly rude, that I couldn't believe that she served thepublic in the customer service industry and that I didn't know how she had managed to stay in business. I informed her that I would NEVER be back, that I would tell everyone how horrible she was and she spouted back 'Well I'm sure they will consider the source!'
Oh My God! Now I totally understand if an establishment, especially appointment based has a cancellation policy. But let me tell you it was NO WHERE listed on my gift card nor was it kindly explained to me back in March! My real beef here is not that I missed out on her crappy $60pedicure – what a crock! But that she was SO rude, belligerent and downright distasteful! I was appalled and embarrassed in front of all the other patrons – treated like a criminal for christ's sake!
I CHALLENGE EACH and everyone one of you to forward this on to as many people in your email address book as possible. And I totally warn you against spending any time or money with this horrid woman in this establishment! And if you do... I suggest you haveher print off the 50 page rule and stipulation book that goes along with obtaining services and not losing your money!!!

It's Father's Day

Hi all,

Here it is Father's Day, and I am desperately missing my husband. I wish he were here to celebrate with. What kind of day is is for us, when we are such a distant apart? It sucks, just to be honest. As hard as it is for me, I hate to think of how Jamie must be feeling to be apart from his babies.

Please, get off the internet and go hug your husbands and daddies. Spend the time with them that we WISH we had! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

Update on Ro

First, thanks to you all for your concern for Rowan. Your prayers are much appreciated and must be working!!! Today we have spoken to the doctor twice. She has been wonderful and wanted to know how Rowan was doing, something most doctors wouldn't take the time to concern themselves with!!!
As of early this morning, Rowan was doing really well. He slept fairly well last night. He went to sleep around 11, and I put him in his crib. At 2 he woke up and I gave him some Pedialyte, and he woke up again at 7. I put him in bed with me, gave him a drink, and he was off to sleepy land again until 9ish. His temp was way down, and he seemed to be doing fine. By 10:30, he was ready for a nap though, which in not normal for him.
His temp came back this afternoon when he woke up, and the diarrhea also reemerged! The doc called, and I let her know what was going on. I am still NOT to give him any milk or sugar for another week, and he is to only eat small doses of toast, unsalted crackers, whole grain cereal or ice chips. He can have 2 ounces of Pedialyte per hour now as well. I am to call her back on Monday to give her an update, and if he has ANY signs of dehydration, we are to go straight to the ER. He hasn't wanted anything to drink, so I am getting ready to give him some Pedialyte via a medicine syringe thingy. He did eat a piece of toast and some crackers!

Rotavirus

I called the doctor back this evening when Rowan's fever spiked to 103, and he was overly lethargic in my opinion. When he got up to try to walk, he would seem disoriented and fall down. Literally ONE OUNCE of Pedialyte was making him have the runs. When he would drink one ounce, he would lose about 5 ounces in his diapers.
The nurse on call was very nice and very helpful. She instructed me to not give him anything for the temperature, and to reduce fluids to one teaspoon every 15 minutes for two hours. If he continued to have diarrhea or was vomiting, I was to call her back immediately. She also gave me some warning signs for dehydration, and if any of these happened I was to take him to the ER immediately. Basically, I was looking for: no wet diapers (she told me to put a Kleenex in the front of his diaper to see if he was wetting), dry mouth, dry lips or hazy eyes. I have been keeping a CLOSE eye on him for the last few hours, and cut his liquids as I was told to do. He takes the Pedialyte great, and wants more, but I cannot give him more! This has been very difficult to do. Also, I have been monitoring his temperature, which as of 15 minutes ago has gone down to 100.4.
I have him in my bed tonight; he is sound asleep for now! I am hoping that he does well through the night, and I am really hoping for a wet diaper by the time I lie down for bed tonight. Please say a prayer for our little guy tonight!!! Also, if you are wondering about the Rota virus, please see this site:

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/rotavirus.html

My poor baby~!!!!

Okay, so Rowan woke up this morning still running a temp. of 102. I decided, after a MASSIVE diarrhea diaper, to call Dr. Milbrandt, Rowan's pediatrician. She told me that he had five red flags for an ear infection: not sleeping for more than 45 minutes at a time, tugging on his ears, not wanting to eat or drink, diarrhea and a temperature. Because his temp was over 99, which is average for teething and/or ear infection, she was a little concerned and wanted me to bring him in today.
So, when we got there, we hadn't even made it to the elevator yet, and Rowan projectile vomited all over himself and the floor. I rushed him up to get checked in, and the nurse took him to clean him up. She brought me rags, towels and a blanket to wrap him up in. While we were waiting to get him weighed, Rowan started to have diarrhea again...and I knew because of what sounded like a freight train near his rear end. AND LORD, did it ever SMELL! Between the puke and the diarrhea, it was almost unbearable! Well, they weighed him and checked his temp, which had come down to 99.8. I had given him two doses of Tylenol since talking to the doc this morning!
The doc came in and asked lots of questions, then picked him up...and he threw up again! She said he had some viral infection of the GI tract, or something like that. She is concerned about him staying hydrated mostly, and she gave him some Pedialyte right then...I am to ONLY give him Pedialyte, one ounce every two hours, NO FOOD for 36 hours and NO MILK for ONE WEEK!!!!!! I don't know how he will handle this, but I will follow her orders to keep him hydrated, whatever it takes!!! :-) We went by Walgreen's to get him some Tylenol and Pedialyte...he threw up again, and had more diarrhea. We have been home for 45 minutes, and I have already changed two diapers. I am hoping we don't end up in the hospital tonight for dehydration. Dr. Milbrandt said his mouth and lips were a little dryer than she would like, so I am to keep close eye on it through the night. Also, I am to call her tomorrow and let her know how he is doing.

I asked her about his gag reflex, and she said she didn't feel comfortable dealing with the issue, but that his choking is a concern b/c it happens so often. By Monday we will have an appointment with an eating specialist at Koke Mill who will administer food and see what he does, hopefully we will know what is causing his choking!

Productive day, and I am ready for some answers!

Loves and hugs!!!

Red Cross

Today I called the Red Cross to sign up for first aid classes. I am going to take two classes next week: the first one is called Infant & child CPR, and it deals with the Heimlich maneuver and CPR, as well as all things first aid for children and infants. The second is basic first aid, which covers just about everything: bandages, burns, broken bones, seizures, allergies, administering medicines, strokes, you name it! They are next Tuesday and Thursday from 6-9 PM, and I am very excited to get started on them!!! I want to feel well-equipped and ready for anything...moms out there you know that with children, we truly do need to be "ready for anything at any time"!!! Being alone, raising our son on my own for now, I need to know what to do in case of an emergency. With Rowan's gag reflex, and choking, I think I will really benefit from these two classes! It is $25 for the first class, and $5 for the second. At this point, I would pay 10 times this for peace of mind!!!