LB woke up at 4:45am this morning. Yes, that's am. And I was not happy.
Why don't kids realize how good sleep is? They have all the time in the world to get a good night's rest, and they wake up at the crack of dawn. Meanwhile, adults who have responsibilities and things to do always seem to be lacking in sleep. A little ironic, huh?
5/12/09
5/9/09
5:20am... Seriously???
LB woke up around 5am this morning. I prayed that he would fall back asleep, and he did, but only until 5:20. I am totally a zombie right now. Everyone keeps asking me why I'm so tired, but nobody is awake with me at the crack of dawn. I'll bet if they had to get up this early, they'd be tired and cranky, too.
Has anyone used black-out blinds or something to that effect? I'm considering buying them, since LB wakes up at dawn no matter what time he goes to bed.
Has anyone used black-out blinds or something to that effect? I'm considering buying them, since LB wakes up at dawn no matter what time he goes to bed.
5/7/09
RIP G-pa... March 24, 1919 - May 1, 2009
Well, I was scheduled to fly back to HI yesterday. I am currently not en route. I had to change my plans due to something I had hoped would never happen. But, of course, these things eventually do...
My mom got a call in the morning from her sister. It's strange for my aunt to call so early, but I already felt deep down in my heart that I knew the reason she was calling as soon as the phone rang. My grandfather passed away that morning. Watching my mom take the news was one of the worst things I have ever witnessed.
Even worse was watching my grandmother when she saw him in the coffin. It brought everyone in the room to tears, and I don't mean a tiny trickle down the face. Everyone was sobbing listening to what she was saying and how she sounded. It was the sound of someone's heart being ripped from their chest. Truly awful.
Since my family is catholic, we had a very catholic wake, mass & funeral, and internment. Also, since my Gpa was in the Army during WWII, there were several Army guys on hand at the internment to play taps and fold the flag to present it to my Gma. LB and I missed the internment- he had to nap- but I heard it was touching. During the mass, my sister and I were asked to play "We Have Been Told". She sang and I played the piano. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it, but strangely sitting in front of the piano was the only time during the entire mass that I wasn't constantly crying (I blame the preggo hormones). It was the perfect gift that we could have given him.
When I was 10 (this isn't a side-note... I have a point), my other grandfather (my dad's dad) died of a heart attack. I remember going to the funeral and being truly sad about it, but after the funeral, I remember thinking that if my other grandfather (my mom's dad) died, it would be very traumatic to the family. Gpa was the head of the family- he was the foundation that brought us all together, even after he died. And it was even worse than what I imagined at 10.
It was a rare week. My family decided to drive to SC from NH, taking two days. The roadtrip was stressful, but fun. LB cut another molar, and I was just plain old exhausted and cranky and stiff from sitting for hours. It took awhile, stopping to change LB and to get food. But it was a fun time, probably one of the few times we'll all take a roadtrip together. Also, this was the first time in many years that the entire family was brought together. Someone was always missing for a wedding or reunion or party, but this time every cousin and every uncle and every aunt were there.
My oldest cousin gave the eulogy at the funeral, and she took the words out of my mouth. Since I don't remember word for word, here's the gist. Gpa wasn't just a pharmacist or a soldier- he was a grandpa, a father, and a husband. He always made sure he had a special bond with everyone in the family. We had a lot of good memories together with Gpa- the butterscotch candies he always had for the grandkids, the good italian food (especially the homemade sauce), the way your glass was always cleaned and dried and put away before you've even finished your drink, walking on his back as kids, calling everyone "Charlie!" and calling Gma "Butch!", and always saying before every meal "Thank you, God, for bringing us all together."
I love you, Gpa, and I will miss you terribly.
My mom got a call in the morning from her sister. It's strange for my aunt to call so early, but I already felt deep down in my heart that I knew the reason she was calling as soon as the phone rang. My grandfather passed away that morning. Watching my mom take the news was one of the worst things I have ever witnessed.
Even worse was watching my grandmother when she saw him in the coffin. It brought everyone in the room to tears, and I don't mean a tiny trickle down the face. Everyone was sobbing listening to what she was saying and how she sounded. It was the sound of someone's heart being ripped from their chest. Truly awful.
Since my family is catholic, we had a very catholic wake, mass & funeral, and internment. Also, since my Gpa was in the Army during WWII, there were several Army guys on hand at the internment to play taps and fold the flag to present it to my Gma. LB and I missed the internment- he had to nap- but I heard it was touching. During the mass, my sister and I were asked to play "We Have Been Told". She sang and I played the piano. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it, but strangely sitting in front of the piano was the only time during the entire mass that I wasn't constantly crying (I blame the preggo hormones). It was the perfect gift that we could have given him.
When I was 10 (this isn't a side-note... I have a point), my other grandfather (my dad's dad) died of a heart attack. I remember going to the funeral and being truly sad about it, but after the funeral, I remember thinking that if my other grandfather (my mom's dad) died, it would be very traumatic to the family. Gpa was the head of the family- he was the foundation that brought us all together, even after he died. And it was even worse than what I imagined at 10.
It was a rare week. My family decided to drive to SC from NH, taking two days. The roadtrip was stressful, but fun. LB cut another molar, and I was just plain old exhausted and cranky and stiff from sitting for hours. It took awhile, stopping to change LB and to get food. But it was a fun time, probably one of the few times we'll all take a roadtrip together. Also, this was the first time in many years that the entire family was brought together. Someone was always missing for a wedding or reunion or party, but this time every cousin and every uncle and every aunt were there.
My oldest cousin gave the eulogy at the funeral, and she took the words out of my mouth. Since I don't remember word for word, here's the gist. Gpa wasn't just a pharmacist or a soldier- he was a grandpa, a father, and a husband. He always made sure he had a special bond with everyone in the family. We had a lot of good memories together with Gpa- the butterscotch candies he always had for the grandkids, the good italian food (especially the homemade sauce), the way your glass was always cleaned and dried and put away before you've even finished your drink, walking on his back as kids, calling everyone "Charlie!" and calling Gma "Butch!", and always saying before every meal "Thank you, God, for bringing us all together."
I love you, Gpa, and I will miss you terribly.
4/30/09
A cold? I meant, a bug.
I mentioned yesterday that LB had come down with a cold. Which is true- he has a runny nose and is stuffy and cranky. But I didn't think he'd also come down with a stomach virus!
All day yesterday, LB went through diaper after diaper. There was one point where I had changed him three times in less than 30 minutes. And no matter what I did, he still got a nasty diaper rash, poor kid. But I wasn't truly prepared for last night.
LB woke up crying at around 11:45pm. I was already asleep and when I woke up, I thought I'd give him a few minutes to see if he'd cry it out. He didn't, and then I smelled the nasty diaper smell that assaulted my olfactory glands earlier that day. I really didn't want to get him out of bed, but I had to change him, so I did.
My parents were on their way to bed, so thankfully he didn't wake them up, but they came to check on us to see if everything was okay. Being hugely pregnant and standing around in a tank top (sans bra) and underwear was rather embarassing, but I wasn't expecting to see my parents during the night.
Anyway, I was glad they were up. My mom went downstairs to get him a bottle of Pedialyte, since we thought he might be getting dehydrated. I sat in the rocker in our room and tried to give him some. Then, it happened.
LB threw up all over the place. It was on me, him, the chair, the carpet, everywhere. If I was by myself, I wouldn't know where to start, but my dad quickly got a towel, my mom helped me get him into the bathtub, and my dad started scrubbing the carpet. I called the doc and they said to give him some Pedialyte and try putting him back to sleep. Luckily, he fell right asleep- he must have needed to get that out! But it was gross and stressful and surprising to have him puke on me!
So that was our first sick experience. LB was freaking out right before he puked- it must have been scary for him, since he hardly ever even spit up as an infant. This morning, he seemed much better, but we're still just feeding him applesauce and rice puffs. No milk or yogurt until Saturday.
Whew.
All day yesterday, LB went through diaper after diaper. There was one point where I had changed him three times in less than 30 minutes. And no matter what I did, he still got a nasty diaper rash, poor kid. But I wasn't truly prepared for last night.
LB woke up crying at around 11:45pm. I was already asleep and when I woke up, I thought I'd give him a few minutes to see if he'd cry it out. He didn't, and then I smelled the nasty diaper smell that assaulted my olfactory glands earlier that day. I really didn't want to get him out of bed, but I had to change him, so I did.
My parents were on their way to bed, so thankfully he didn't wake them up, but they came to check on us to see if everything was okay. Being hugely pregnant and standing around in a tank top (sans bra) and underwear was rather embarassing, but I wasn't expecting to see my parents during the night.
Anyway, I was glad they were up. My mom went downstairs to get him a bottle of Pedialyte, since we thought he might be getting dehydrated. I sat in the rocker in our room and tried to give him some. Then, it happened.
LB threw up all over the place. It was on me, him, the chair, the carpet, everywhere. If I was by myself, I wouldn't know where to start, but my dad quickly got a towel, my mom helped me get him into the bathtub, and my dad started scrubbing the carpet. I called the doc and they said to give him some Pedialyte and try putting him back to sleep. Luckily, he fell right asleep- he must have needed to get that out! But it was gross and stressful and surprising to have him puke on me!
So that was our first sick experience. LB was freaking out right before he puked- it must have been scary for him, since he hardly ever even spit up as an infant. This morning, he seemed much better, but we're still just feeding him applesauce and rice puffs. No milk or yogurt until Saturday.
Whew.
4/29/09
One week left
Booooooo! I have only one more week left here in NH before I head back to HI.
HI's not bad. I miss Puppy, and I miss all the ladies there from the boat (minus the Parenting Genius). I like that the weather is consistent, even if it is hot all the time. And it will be nice to go back to my OB there, since the one I saw here SUCKED. PS- her name was Sandra Nagler... steer clear!
But I will definitely miss seeing my family and friends here, the food, the way I feel like I can take a deep breath outside, the smells of the Atlantic, the people, watching the seasons change, etc. There are just a lot of things here that are familiar to me.
I don't think I have too much planned for the remaining week. I'm going up to see Grace Adler tomorrow and her new house (YAY!), probably sans LB since he caught a little bit of a cold. This weekend, I'll be going out on my dad's boat with the fam. This will be LB's first time on a boat! We bought him a cute little infant life jacket- so adorable. :)
The only thing I'm concerned about going back to HI is this swine flu stuff. And is it just me, or is "swine" a nasty sounding word? Why couldn't they have named it "piggy" flu or "oink" flu? Anyway, we're laying over in a state with a bunch of cases of the flu, so I'm freaking out a little bit, especially since a toddler in the US just died from it. *sigh* Maybe the worst will have blown over by next week? Let's hope so.
This may be my last entry until I get back. Who knows. It depends on how exciting my last week is! :)
HI's not bad. I miss Puppy, and I miss all the ladies there from the boat (minus the Parenting Genius). I like that the weather is consistent, even if it is hot all the time. And it will be nice to go back to my OB there, since the one I saw here SUCKED. PS- her name was Sandra Nagler... steer clear!
But I will definitely miss seeing my family and friends here, the food, the way I feel like I can take a deep breath outside, the smells of the Atlantic, the people, watching the seasons change, etc. There are just a lot of things here that are familiar to me.
I don't think I have too much planned for the remaining week. I'm going up to see Grace Adler tomorrow and her new house (YAY!), probably sans LB since he caught a little bit of a cold. This weekend, I'll be going out on my dad's boat with the fam. This will be LB's first time on a boat! We bought him a cute little infant life jacket- so adorable. :)
The only thing I'm concerned about going back to HI is this swine flu stuff. And is it just me, or is "swine" a nasty sounding word? Why couldn't they have named it "piggy" flu or "oink" flu? Anyway, we're laying over in a state with a bunch of cases of the flu, so I'm freaking out a little bit, especially since a toddler in the US just died from it. *sigh* Maybe the worst will have blown over by next week? Let's hope so.
This may be my last entry until I get back. Who knows. It depends on how exciting my last week is! :)
4/21/09
20A Coventry Rd. Atkinson, NH
Well well, tonight was the hearing regarding renumbering my parents' street. The residents of 20A are citing issues with emergency response and mail and delivery. On the Eagle Tribune's website, there was an article about the meeting, and several responses have posted, including Dave Hammond, the resident of 20A.
He says that he is scared that having a letter will cause confusion. I think the real issue is that the guy is a dickhead and doesn't want a letter part of his address. Here is why:
Mr. Hammond purchased 20 Coventry dirt cheap from a woman whose husband dropped dead and left her with four kids (hello, the poor woman didn't realize he was robbing her). After buying the house, he split the property, increasing the value by $200K. Yeah, it's a money thing, but I feel like he first cheated the previous owner, then increased the value. And the way he did it was a little sleazy, too.
The town requires 200 ft of street frontage to build on a lot. Mr. Hammond used a cul de sac that previously existed to get the 200 ft, and needed a variance just to get it passed. Once the lot was split and the cul de sac taken out, that left much less than the necessary 200 ft street frontage, leaving it a flag lot. But Mr. Hammond still built a new house on the new lot and sold the existing house on the old lot.
Mr. Hammond claims the town of Atkinson is responsible for the "confusion", when it is in fact his own doing. He lived on the land before it was subdivided. He split the land. He built the new house. Of course he knew that his house would be labeled 20A, and if he had a problem with it, then he didn't need to build on that flag lot.
Now he is asking the town to renumber the rest of the street, so that he's not the only one with a letter after his number. This affects nearly 50 houses. My parents have been here for 16 years, way longer than Mr. Hammond. I think it is so selfish to ask everyone to change their addresses, when this "confusion" really only affects him. He doesn't want things delivered to the wrong house, but think about all that goes into changing addresses for the whole street. There will be wrong deliveries for a long time! Plus, no one is perfect, and there are already wrong deliveries.
The emergency issue shouldn't be relevent. Recently a girl broke her femur right in front of my mom's house. When she called 911, the dispatcher stayed on the line the whole time until the ambulance showed up. If the ambulance was lost, she could have given directions. Plus, if they're calling 911, I'd think that they'd be out the house, waiting for the ambulance, like my mom's neighbor did.
Oh man, I'm actually so fired up, I can't really talk straight. Plus, I'm a little distracted by the tv right now.
He says that he is scared that having a letter will cause confusion. I think the real issue is that the guy is a dickhead and doesn't want a letter part of his address. Here is why:
Mr. Hammond purchased 20 Coventry dirt cheap from a woman whose husband dropped dead and left her with four kids (hello, the poor woman didn't realize he was robbing her). After buying the house, he split the property, increasing the value by $200K. Yeah, it's a money thing, but I feel like he first cheated the previous owner, then increased the value. And the way he did it was a little sleazy, too.
The town requires 200 ft of street frontage to build on a lot. Mr. Hammond used a cul de sac that previously existed to get the 200 ft, and needed a variance just to get it passed. Once the lot was split and the cul de sac taken out, that left much less than the necessary 200 ft street frontage, leaving it a flag lot. But Mr. Hammond still built a new house on the new lot and sold the existing house on the old lot.
Mr. Hammond claims the town of Atkinson is responsible for the "confusion", when it is in fact his own doing. He lived on the land before it was subdivided. He split the land. He built the new house. Of course he knew that his house would be labeled 20A, and if he had a problem with it, then he didn't need to build on that flag lot.
Now he is asking the town to renumber the rest of the street, so that he's not the only one with a letter after his number. This affects nearly 50 houses. My parents have been here for 16 years, way longer than Mr. Hammond. I think it is so selfish to ask everyone to change their addresses, when this "confusion" really only affects him. He doesn't want things delivered to the wrong house, but think about all that goes into changing addresses for the whole street. There will be wrong deliveries for a long time! Plus, no one is perfect, and there are already wrong deliveries.
The emergency issue shouldn't be relevent. Recently a girl broke her femur right in front of my mom's house. When she called 911, the dispatcher stayed on the line the whole time until the ambulance showed up. If the ambulance was lost, she could have given directions. Plus, if they're calling 911, I'd think that they'd be out the house, waiting for the ambulance, like my mom's neighbor did.
Oh man, I'm actually so fired up, I can't really talk straight. Plus, I'm a little distracted by the tv right now.
4/16/09
Byte me, Microsoft
Well, they say anything bad that will happen, happens on deployment. That's the truth. While here in NH, my computer's hard drive crashed! I took it to Geek Squad, who said I lost everything and wanted to charge me a butt ton. I said no thanks, and took it to my friend D. He's a whiz with computers and has fixed them for my fam before.
Turns out, the hard drive really was busted, so I had to buy a new one. Luckily he managed to save all my documents. I called up Norton and they remotely reinstalled the antivirus stuff we had. Super easy. So I thought I'd call up Microsoft and see if they could do the same with Office. After all, we'd paid for it and it would be nice to be able to use it.
The website was so confusing. There weren't any answers that were applicable, so I clicked on the link to contact them to ask them a question. One simple question. Over email. Do you know what the website told me?
"That'll be $49.00, please."
Are they out of their freaking minds??? They wanted to charge nearly $50 just so I could ask one question over email (same charge is for calling, too)! Ridiculous!!! So obviously, I didn't complete the email or make the call. I'll just have to suck it up until I get back to HI to reinstall the applications.
Wow. What the hell happened to Microsoft?? They used to have customer service, albeit not very good, but at least it was there. For free. Unbelievable.....
Turns out, the hard drive really was busted, so I had to buy a new one. Luckily he managed to save all my documents. I called up Norton and they remotely reinstalled the antivirus stuff we had. Super easy. So I thought I'd call up Microsoft and see if they could do the same with Office. After all, we'd paid for it and it would be nice to be able to use it.
The website was so confusing. There weren't any answers that were applicable, so I clicked on the link to contact them to ask them a question. One simple question. Over email. Do you know what the website told me?
"That'll be $49.00, please."
Are they out of their freaking minds??? They wanted to charge nearly $50 just so I could ask one question over email (same charge is for calling, too)! Ridiculous!!! So obviously, I didn't complete the email or make the call. I'll just have to suck it up until I get back to HI to reinstall the applications.
Wow. What the hell happened to Microsoft?? They used to have customer service, albeit not very good, but at least it was there. For free. Unbelievable.....
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