~We failed miserably at Self Soothing 101
~He started crying, I tried to calm him but the minute I would walk away, the crying started again.
~I gave him 15 minutes to cry...I couldn't stand it anymore...went in and got him and we went to bed in my bed.
~Don't think we'll try this method again...going to look for alternatives.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
~self soothing 101~
~Guess what we are doing tonight and for the next 4-5 nights?
~Teaching Ethan to Self Soothe.
~What does that mean, you ask....
~Letting him cry for hours on end in his crib 'til he falls asleep ON HIS OWN...yep, not fun, but necessary because he (1) has not learned to fall asleep on his own (because I nurse him to sleep -oops, my fault) and (2) he wakes up crying throughout the night because I am not there.
~We saw the pediatrician this morning for immunizations. She says letting him cry is what needs to be done..sad but true. I'm not looking forward to the process, but I am looking forward to the end result - uninterrupted nights of sleep, E sleeping thru the night and longer naps too!! Did I mention that nursing will also be on the downswing? Yay!!
~Oscar's days on the airbed are over. Ethan's nights in bed w/me are over. Night feedings are over (yay for this one). It's back to the crib and I'll need to get some earplugs to maintain my sanity as I listen to my child cry his loudest as he waits for me to come to his rescue.
~Yes, I feel like a crappy mom for having committed these errors along the way. Now I must pay the price. The only consolation, I am not the only one who has done this. And, I actually had no idea that I wasn't supposed to nurse him to sleep.
~Positive news: E is officially crawling. Started 2 days ago. So cute!!
~Teaching Ethan to Self Soothe.
~What does that mean, you ask....
~Letting him cry for hours on end in his crib 'til he falls asleep ON HIS OWN...yep, not fun, but necessary because he (1) has not learned to fall asleep on his own (because I nurse him to sleep -oops, my fault) and (2) he wakes up crying throughout the night because I am not there.
~We saw the pediatrician this morning for immunizations. She says letting him cry is what needs to be done..sad but true. I'm not looking forward to the process, but I am looking forward to the end result - uninterrupted nights of sleep, E sleeping thru the night and longer naps too!! Did I mention that nursing will also be on the downswing? Yay!!
~Oscar's days on the airbed are over. Ethan's nights in bed w/me are over. Night feedings are over (yay for this one). It's back to the crib and I'll need to get some earplugs to maintain my sanity as I listen to my child cry his loudest as he waits for me to come to his rescue.
~Yes, I feel like a crappy mom for having committed these errors along the way. Now I must pay the price. The only consolation, I am not the only one who has done this. And, I actually had no idea that I wasn't supposed to nurse him to sleep.
~Positive news: E is officially crawling. Started 2 days ago. So cute!!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
~sleep~
Well, E didn't sleep thru the night, but he last got up at 12:35am when he was put in bed with me and we slept all the way 'til 8:40am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!
I realize having him in bed w/me is a bad habit, but you know what...it's one I'm willing to live with if it gets me more than 4 hours of sleep/night.
He's still doing the screaming thing after about 1 hour in bed @ night. Doc said to keep him up an hour later or so to see if that helps kick the habit...so we'll start that tonight.
PSA to future moms-filling boxes with clothes that no longer fit your little one is totally depressing.
Happy Monday...although I've been reading it's not been very happy for some...
I realize having him in bed w/me is a bad habit, but you know what...it's one I'm willing to live with if it gets me more than 4 hours of sleep/night.
He's still doing the screaming thing after about 1 hour in bed @ night. Doc said to keep him up an hour later or so to see if that helps kick the habit...so we'll start that tonight.
PSA to future moms-filling boxes with clothes that no longer fit your little one is totally depressing.
Happy Monday...although I've been reading it's not been very happy for some...
Sunday, August 17, 2008
~vent of the week~
~The Olympics: This is the last Olympics for Womens Softball...in my opinion, this couldn't be a worse decision...yet they are keeping "sports" like Kayaking, Fencing & Badminton??? Are you freakin' kidding me? That's messed up!!
~Why do foreign athletes come to live in the US to train to represent THEIR country? That's just wrong! Isn't the Olympics about what country can produce the best athletes?? If so, then those countries AREN'T producing their athletes.
~Lately @ night when I finally lay down, I am consumed with thoughts about past employment experiences (not by choice). I have realized that I truly hated working for Pepsi. I have never met so many people who felt they are due some sort of entitlement...absolutely unbelievable. Managers, hiring managers, HR folks...everyone. Truly a bunch of heartless snobs out to keep others 'down' while they move up (at any cost). There were never any team-building exercises or feelings of camaraderie...just everyone looking out for themselves. Sometimes I even want to send an email to my last mgr telling her what a shitty person she is, but I don't...although it would probably feel really good. I would tell her that if she ever gets pregnant I hope she is left jobless @ 7 months and is repeatedly discriminated against as she searches for another job. Call me spiteful, I am, towards her!!
~Those $5.95 Arby's commercials are absolutely ridiculous AND annoying.
~OK -that's all...I think that's enough. Happy Sunday!!
~Why do foreign athletes come to live in the US to train to represent THEIR country? That's just wrong! Isn't the Olympics about what country can produce the best athletes?? If so, then those countries AREN'T producing their athletes.
~Lately @ night when I finally lay down, I am consumed with thoughts about past employment experiences (not by choice). I have realized that I truly hated working for Pepsi. I have never met so many people who felt they are due some sort of entitlement...absolutely unbelievable. Managers, hiring managers, HR folks...everyone. Truly a bunch of heartless snobs out to keep others 'down' while they move up (at any cost). There were never any team-building exercises or feelings of camaraderie...just everyone looking out for themselves. Sometimes I even want to send an email to my last mgr telling her what a shitty person she is, but I don't...although it would probably feel really good. I would tell her that if she ever gets pregnant I hope she is left jobless @ 7 months and is repeatedly discriminated against as she searches for another job. Call me spiteful, I am, towards her!!
~Those $5.95 Arby's commercials are absolutely ridiculous AND annoying.
~OK -that's all...I think that's enough. Happy Sunday!!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
~getting nowhere~
~I really should be answering ChaCha questions, but I'm SO over it (that I need another word for 'over'...ok take a guess where that line came from?) I'm so tired of questions like "how does sex work" and "what's a blow job"...ugh, please people!!! Besides that, ChaCha has been really slow tonight and so what's the point? They changed the required number of searches per week to 200 down from 300, but I'm not even close to that, so I'll likely fall into the low paying ranks next week and ChaCha no more.
~Not sure if I've ever mentioned this here, but O still has his AZ driver's license because he has not been able to get one here in TN...and here's the (not-so) 'short' story why.....turns out that back in 1994 a guy with the same name AND birthdate was pulled over in New Jersey and given 6 tickets. These six tickets have yet to be paid and as a result NJ put a freeze on anyone with that name & DOB to get a DL anywhere else. Lovely! We've been working on resolving this for about a year now and have made little progress. O made numerous trips to the TN DMV which is how we discovered this marvelous situation. I've since called the NJ DMV more times than I can count, only to be passed on to the Jersey City Court people, which ironically are just as UNhelpful and useless as those @ the NJ DMV. Interesting!! And for the record, O has never been to NJ.
~The reason this is SUCH an issue is because the lovely state of TN requires both insured drivers to have TN licenses and so I've already had to change auto insurance carriers because my old carrier would not renew our policy w/o O having a TN license. I recently rec'd a note from my current carrier with the same 'threat' but miraculously they sent me a new card and I'm ok 'til February....so phew, I have another six months to work this out.
~So much of this doesn't make sense...(1) why do WE have to prove O is not the same person they ticketed...shouldn't the DMVs be able to work this out between them? We've already provided his SS#. I am thinking the NJ person was/is likely undocumented...the only info we have on him is his address (but I doubt he's still there since it was 10+ yrs ago) and his height at 5'11"...we'll O is only 5'8" so maybe that will help in proving something. Also, the tickets only list the dude's name as "Jose Lopez" - there is no "O" middle initial or a Jr. Maybe that will help? I sure hope so. Not to mention that "Jose Lopez" is pretty much equivalent to "Joe Smith"
~Anyway, I finally got a hold of a lady @ the Jersey City Court who was helping me. We filled out a bunch of stuff & sent it back to her etc. She was going to present it to the judge and call me the following week. That was 4 wks ago. I guess she fell off the face of the earth. I've left at least 5 messages and the last time I called her VM said she was out 'til 8/14, so clearly she rec'd my messages since she changed her VM message. Anyway, she listed another contact person for while she was out...guess what...called her...and guess what...haven't gotten a call back from her either. Wow - they are SO helpful!!
~My insurance guy called today. Suggested I contact the Congressman's (C-man) office here. Ok, heck I'll call just about anyone at this point. Since the C-man is actually Federal, I was referred to our State Rep, Tim Burchett. I called his office and told my story (well, O's story really) and the secretary said she will work on it and get back to me. I am SO hoping she is able to help because I'm really tired of getting nowhere with this. I'm feeling hopeful...oh wait, I better not as to avoid being let down. :-)
~Other updates:
(1) still no PT or FT job, heck not even a freakin' interview...apparently I am completely useless - at least it feels that way; my degree and 10 years of experience amount to NOTHING; I was even notified today that I was not selected for a phone interview for a position @ UT which requires fluent Spanish and someone who has lived outside the country for an extended amount of time...last time I checked, I met both of those requirements and I didn't think too many people in TN spoke fluent Spanish. WTH?
(2) no progress on the freakin' lawsuit, this one is starting to frost my a$$...we were giving a 5-day waiting period before filing suit, that 5 day wait was up last Friday. I called for an update today. My lawyer is out of town 'til Monday. His secretary doesn't know if he filed suit, which means he probably hasn't filed the suit yet. Now I get to wait even longer. This has been in progress since 6/6/08...ugh...my patience is running out and quick.
The title to this post is sooooooooooooooooooo appropriate.
~Not sure if I've ever mentioned this here, but O still has his AZ driver's license because he has not been able to get one here in TN...and here's the (not-so) 'short' story why.....turns out that back in 1994 a guy with the same name AND birthdate was pulled over in New Jersey and given 6 tickets. These six tickets have yet to be paid and as a result NJ put a freeze on anyone with that name & DOB to get a DL anywhere else. Lovely! We've been working on resolving this for about a year now and have made little progress. O made numerous trips to the TN DMV which is how we discovered this marvelous situation. I've since called the NJ DMV more times than I can count, only to be passed on to the Jersey City Court people, which ironically are just as UNhelpful and useless as those @ the NJ DMV. Interesting!! And for the record, O has never been to NJ.
~The reason this is SUCH an issue is because the lovely state of TN requires both insured drivers to have TN licenses and so I've already had to change auto insurance carriers because my old carrier would not renew our policy w/o O having a TN license. I recently rec'd a note from my current carrier with the same 'threat' but miraculously they sent me a new card and I'm ok 'til February....so phew, I have another six months to work this out.
~So much of this doesn't make sense...(1) why do WE have to prove O is not the same person they ticketed...shouldn't the DMVs be able to work this out between them? We've already provided his SS#. I am thinking the NJ person was/is likely undocumented...the only info we have on him is his address (but I doubt he's still there since it was 10+ yrs ago) and his height at 5'11"...we'll O is only 5'8" so maybe that will help in proving something. Also, the tickets only list the dude's name as "Jose Lopez" - there is no "O" middle initial or a Jr. Maybe that will help? I sure hope so. Not to mention that "Jose Lopez" is pretty much equivalent to "Joe Smith"
~Anyway, I finally got a hold of a lady @ the Jersey City Court who was helping me. We filled out a bunch of stuff & sent it back to her etc. She was going to present it to the judge and call me the following week. That was 4 wks ago. I guess she fell off the face of the earth. I've left at least 5 messages and the last time I called her VM said she was out 'til 8/14, so clearly she rec'd my messages since she changed her VM message. Anyway, she listed another contact person for while she was out...guess what...called her...and guess what...haven't gotten a call back from her either. Wow - they are SO helpful!!
~My insurance guy called today. Suggested I contact the Congressman's (C-man) office here. Ok, heck I'll call just about anyone at this point. Since the C-man is actually Federal, I was referred to our State Rep, Tim Burchett. I called his office and told my story (well, O's story really) and the secretary said she will work on it and get back to me. I am SO hoping she is able to help because I'm really tired of getting nowhere with this. I'm feeling hopeful...oh wait, I better not as to avoid being let down. :-)
~Other updates:
(1) still no PT or FT job, heck not even a freakin' interview...apparently I am completely useless - at least it feels that way; my degree and 10 years of experience amount to NOTHING; I was even notified today that I was not selected for a phone interview for a position @ UT which requires fluent Spanish and someone who has lived outside the country for an extended amount of time...last time I checked, I met both of those requirements and I didn't think too many people in TN spoke fluent Spanish. WTH?
(2) no progress on the freakin' lawsuit, this one is starting to frost my a$$...we were giving a 5-day waiting period before filing suit, that 5 day wait was up last Friday. I called for an update today. My lawyer is out of town 'til Monday. His secretary doesn't know if he filed suit, which means he probably hasn't filed the suit yet. Now I get to wait even longer. This has been in progress since 6/6/08...ugh...my patience is running out and quick.
The title to this post is sooooooooooooooooooo appropriate.
Monday, August 11, 2008
~another Monday~
~It's a miracle I even know it's Monday... I have lost count of the number of times I have completely forgotten what day we are on...I guess that's what happens when you have NO routine...or job. :-)
~Today I took Milo & Hula to the vet...always an interesting experience. Both are fine, just got their check ups. Hula's heart murmur continues but her activity and behavior remains the same, which is good as it means that she is feeling the same (and not worse). Her last EKG was 2 yrs ago and they told me her heart condition was significantly worse from the year prior and that she probably only had a couple years left. Well, I am happy to report that she is beating the odds and doing quite well. She continues to take her Atenolol every morning. I don't want to take her for another EKG as I don't want to know that her heart condition has worsened.
~Tried to send a pkg to Canada today. A lady bought 2 items from my Etsy store. I was shocked when I was told the cheapest method of shipping would still cost $18.40 WTH? That's nuts. I brought the pkg back home w/me as I'm certain she won't want to pay that much, especially since that's more than what the items cost her.
~My uncle is driving from TX to MI this week and will be in TN on Wednesday. Mom, her hubs, Ethan and I are meeting him for lunch. Haven't seen him since the wedding and he hasn't seen Ethan so it will be exciting. I can't wait!!
~Totally loving Sugarland's new album...especially the song "Keep You". It has no relevance to me or my life, I just like it and keep listening to it over and over.
~I guess that's it for now.
~Today I took Milo & Hula to the vet...always an interesting experience. Both are fine, just got their check ups. Hula's heart murmur continues but her activity and behavior remains the same, which is good as it means that she is feeling the same (and not worse). Her last EKG was 2 yrs ago and they told me her heart condition was significantly worse from the year prior and that she probably only had a couple years left. Well, I am happy to report that she is beating the odds and doing quite well. She continues to take her Atenolol every morning. I don't want to take her for another EKG as I don't want to know that her heart condition has worsened.
~Tried to send a pkg to Canada today. A lady bought 2 items from my Etsy store. I was shocked when I was told the cheapest method of shipping would still cost $18.40 WTH? That's nuts. I brought the pkg back home w/me as I'm certain she won't want to pay that much, especially since that's more than what the items cost her.
~My uncle is driving from TX to MI this week and will be in TN on Wednesday. Mom, her hubs, Ethan and I are meeting him for lunch. Haven't seen him since the wedding and he hasn't seen Ethan so it will be exciting. I can't wait!!
~Totally loving Sugarland's new album...especially the song "Keep You". It has no relevance to me or my life, I just like it and keep listening to it over and over.
~I guess that's it for now.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
~randomness~
~I'm a little 'behind' on my Chacha work lately. There is no requirement set by ChaCha, but I had set a goal of 50 questions per day for myself. I didn't do any on Friday and maybe 5-10 on Saturday. Oh well, so much for that goal. It's also getting sort of boring & monotonous (sp?).
~Chacha is also not looking so good anymore. They have decided to implement a new pay system which really stinks. Basically if you don't do 300 searches/week, then you will only be paid .10 per search for the following week. Every week this is re-evaluated but the thing is that they marketed their "Guide" job as "work when you want, as much as you want" and that is no longer the case if you have to complete 300 searches to get a decent rate. Heck, .20 only averages out to about $5-6 per hour, so there's no way I'm doing it for .10. Thankfully, I made the .20 cut this week so I'm safe for a few more days. You also have to have 95% accuracy in your responses to make the .20 rate.
~My Etsy Shop has seen some traffic over the past few days thanks to a nice little 'plug' from KC. So excited about this...I hope it keeps up.
~Last Tuesday @ the mall, I ran into a gal who was in my child birthing class. We talked for quite a while and I learned about a FREE mom/baby activity that is every other Thursday. I am soooooo excited about this - FINALLY something to do with Ethan out of the house and the chance to meet some people. The activity is called "Mother Goose" and basically we do rhymes & textures with our baby...that's the general description. This Thursday will be my first time going, so I'll find out more...and it's a Knox County sponsored activity, which means it's F.R.E.E. Oh I said that already huh? Wahoo!!
~Mary has got me into this Parking Wars game on Facebook. Please join, so I have more friends & streets to park on. It's pretty neat and not very time-demanding, which is why it works for me.
~I really want to do a overhaul on my blog....I am ready for color now. Even though my life is not how I would like it to be or how I had imagined it, the black/white colors are depressing (which is basically how I had been feeling for a long, long time) and so I want to spice it up a little. Sure, I'm not working and I have no 'fun money' but I need to feel happier than I have been, so this is a start. I also want to change the name or leave it nameless 'til I can come up with something. I tried to change the entire layout using Pyzam but it didn't workout. I'll have to see what I can come up with but the Blogger layouts are kind of boring...really would like something more fun and colorful. If anyone wants to offer their layout services....you are welcome to.
~Mom and I went to see "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" today. I loved it. We may be a bit 'old' for that movie but I absolutely loved BOTH of them. I really shed some tears in this one too!! And BONUS...we saw the Harry Potter preview...come on November!!!
~Chacha is also not looking so good anymore. They have decided to implement a new pay system which really stinks. Basically if you don't do 300 searches/week, then you will only be paid .10 per search for the following week. Every week this is re-evaluated but the thing is that they marketed their "Guide" job as "work when you want, as much as you want" and that is no longer the case if you have to complete 300 searches to get a decent rate. Heck, .20 only averages out to about $5-6 per hour, so there's no way I'm doing it for .10. Thankfully, I made the .20 cut this week so I'm safe for a few more days. You also have to have 95% accuracy in your responses to make the .20 rate.
~My Etsy Shop has seen some traffic over the past few days thanks to a nice little 'plug' from KC. So excited about this...I hope it keeps up.
~Last Tuesday @ the mall, I ran into a gal who was in my child birthing class. We talked for quite a while and I learned about a FREE mom/baby activity that is every other Thursday. I am soooooo excited about this - FINALLY something to do with Ethan out of the house and the chance to meet some people. The activity is called "Mother Goose" and basically we do rhymes & textures with our baby...that's the general description. This Thursday will be my first time going, so I'll find out more...and it's a Knox County sponsored activity, which means it's F.R.E.E. Oh I said that already huh? Wahoo!!
~Mary has got me into this Parking Wars game on Facebook. Please join, so I have more friends & streets to park on. It's pretty neat and not very time-demanding, which is why it works for me.
~I really want to do a overhaul on my blog....I am ready for color now. Even though my life is not how I would like it to be or how I had imagined it, the black/white colors are depressing (which is basically how I had been feeling for a long, long time) and so I want to spice it up a little. Sure, I'm not working and I have no 'fun money' but I need to feel happier than I have been, so this is a start. I also want to change the name or leave it nameless 'til I can come up with something. I tried to change the entire layout using Pyzam but it didn't workout. I'll have to see what I can come up with but the Blogger layouts are kind of boring...really would like something more fun and colorful. If anyone wants to offer their layout services....you are welcome to.
~Mom and I went to see "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" today. I loved it. We may be a bit 'old' for that movie but I absolutely loved BOTH of them. I really shed some tears in this one too!! And BONUS...we saw the Harry Potter preview...come on November!!!
Friday, August 08, 2008
~6 months~
~A certain someone is 6 months old today (ALREADY!)....time does fly.
~We are going for professional pictures this morning but check back later tonight for pictures in his special '6 month' onesie.
~And here they are...
~And at 6 months, Ethan:
*sits up on his own
*constantly tries to eat his toes
*loves Gerber bananas & pears
*weighs 20 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~We are going for professional pictures this morning but check back later tonight for pictures in his special '6 month' onesie.
~And here they are...
~And at 6 months, Ethan:
*sits up on his own
*constantly tries to eat his toes
*loves Gerber bananas & pears
*weighs 20 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
~take note~
~funny how when you don't have any money, your monthly bank statement goes from 3 pages to 1 page.
Monday, August 04, 2008
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