March 15, 2010

They Say It’s Spring

It was a beautiful day in Wisconsin.  The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the temperatures were in the high 50s.  As my father-in-law would say, “It’s a bluebird day.”

It didn’t exactly start out on the right foot, however.  We forgot about daylight savings time and woke up at 9:00 a.m. thinking we had over an hour to make it to church on time.  It wasn’t until I checked e-mails and noticed my laptop clock had the new time adjusted.  I ran to the shower and started hollering at Doug to get his butt up and ready.  I knew I’d need helping getting Owen and Dawson ready, too.

We made it to Mass at 10:30 on the dot and resigned to sitting at the very back.  Not a single pew was available so we sat in the gathering space (a fancy term for foyer, I imagine) and could barely hear Father speaking.  All the more reason to be quiet and listen intently.  I managed to catch most of the homily.

Post worship we took both cars to the gas station for refueling because we had a grocery store perk card that would give us 80 cents off per gallon.  I love saving money!  Two vehicles full of gas for under $40 is amazing.

Back home I fed Owen and then Dawson found a Star Wars marathon on Spike TV.  He was dead to the world, glued to the TV.  I had to drag him outside to ride his bike while I pushed Owen in the jogging stroller.  We walked to the park and took the hiking path down to the Little Plover River.  Owen loved being outside and fell asleep half way to the playground.

Once we returned home I played soccer in the backyard with Dawson.  He loves to dribble the ball and shoot it into the net I got him for his birthday last September.  He’s getting really good with his soccer skills.  He starts spring soccer at the YMCA next month.  I’m so glad it will be warmer this time around.  Fall soccer was so cold last season.

Here are some fave photos from today:

It was a beautiful Sunday!  I love Spring!

March 2, 2010

Tuesday Without Mommy

I have so much to do.  I’ve been accepted into the Health Unit Coordinator program at our local technical college and now I must complete some informational sessions and online webinars before registration day in April.  I’m going to attend classes in the evenings and some online, so I imagine they are using a combination of in-person meetings and online media to get these pre-admission things out of the way.

Once I complete this year long program (beginning this fall) I will then be working towards an Associates Degree/Bachelors Degree combo.  I’ll be in school for at least 3-4 years depending on how heavy my work load is.  This depends on what I can handle while still working part-time and being a mom of two.  I’m starting to wonder what I’m getting myself into, but I am super excited to finish my degree.

I took a lot of detours throughout my life.  I wouldn’t change a thing because this path has led me to being married to a wonderful guy and having two adorable sons, but I sometimes kick myself for not completing my education a decade ago. I’m only slightly worried about juggling it all.  I’m definitely not Super Woman.

This morning my husband is off work and he has generously offered to hang out with the children while I get things done.  I’m finally using a gift certificate for a massage that I’ve had for a few months, and then I’m going to spend some quiet time at the library, reading and completing some online things I’ve had on the back burner for over a week.

I think Doug feels guilty for leaving me last weekend.  I’m milking it for all it’s worth.

I’m going to have some free time today!  I can hardly contain my excitement!  I hope the boys can survive a Tuesday without Mommy!

February 22, 2010

Laughter and Tears

Saturday, Owen’s cold was so awful that he had a fever of 103.1 degrees.  I panicked, of course, and called my mother for advice.

Since my younger sister and brother still live at home with my parents, they often answer the telephone.  One of them looked at the Caller ID, saw my phone number and gave the phone to Dawson who was staying with my parents for the weekend.

The phone rang once and I heard my sister say, “Dawson, it’s for you.”  She passed the cordless to him.

“Hello?”  Dawson said.

“Hi Dawson, it’s Mom.  Can I talk to Grandma, please?” I asked.

My little boy, funny child that he is, yelled at his aunt, “It’s not for me! It’s for Grandma, you twit!”

I laughed and laughed until my mother got on the phone, and she was laughing, too.  The two of us were in tears over the situation.

“Where did he learn the word ‘twit’?” I asked.

“Probably from Auntie Rachel!” Mom howled.

My mother then told me that she was talking to my brother earlier in the day, and Frankie was giving her a hard time about his curfew.  She told him if he didn’t like the rules he was more than welcome to move out and pay rent.

“I told Frankie he had no room to talk when he’s living here rent-free, and Dawson said, ‘Grandma, he has a room!’” she said, laughing.

After the laughter subsided, I asked my mom what to do about the fever and she suggested infant Tylenol and a cold washcloth on his forehead to keep him from overheating.  I had already given him a dose of the infant medicine but had not considered the washcloth.  She told me to try that and to call the weekend care phone number at the clinic.

The nurse suggested the same things my mother had, and it’s nice to know that I can still rely on my mom, even when I’m in panic mode.  It’s been a long time since Dawson has had a fever, so I’m not surprised I had forgotten all the remedies.

Thankfully, Owen’s fever dropped down to 100.5 two hours later and he was feeling much better.  Good thing Dawson had his comedy down, I needed the laughter through the tears!

February 20, 2010

Is Winter Over Yet?

Last week I had some meetings with an admissions counselor at the college I will be attending beginning in June.  I’ve been accepted into school to finish my degree in Business Administration/Health Care Management.  Since my husband was working, I took Owen and Dawson to our former daycare provider while I attended my first appointment.

Dawson was happy to see his old pals once again.  Owen adjusted well but he refused the bottle and our daycare person was concerned.  I’m still nursing Owen, and he prefers breastfeeding over bottle feeding.  He refuses the bottle when my husband tries to feed him, too.  I’m sure with more practice he’ll learn quickly.

The boys were only at daycare two days last week and now this week Owen has caught his first cold.  It’s a miserable cold, too.  His eyes are watering, he sneezes and coughs often and his poor little nose is running all the time.  I am so upset that he got sick.  I can just picture all the other kids touching him and coughing on him.  Ick.

Owen’s 4-month well baby visit was scheduled for yesterday, and I kept the appointment so that our pediatrician could make sure the cold wasn’t something worse, like RSV.  I’ve been hearing a lot about that virus and how awful it is for infants who catch it.  Dr. Reed said his lungs sound fine, not at all like RSV.  She explained that catching a bug will just help his immune system.  I’m still sad he is suffering through this.

Even when he’s feeling sick he tries to crack a smile for his mother.  It’s so sweet.  He’s nursing more often now, which will help him stay hydrated.  Our doctor suggested a small amount of pedialyte just to be safe.  Owen isn’t a fan of the orange flavor but he did take a little bit of it down.

Dawson seems to only have a few sniffles.  He’s spending the weekend at my parents’ house because my father promised to take him sledding.  Dawson loves hanging out with Grandpa Frank.  I’m happy for the relief.  With Owen not feeling well I’ve spent most of my time feeding and rocking him.  The housework is piling up, but hopefully I can find a few moments to tackle the laundry today.

I’m trying to get a jump start on Spring  cleaning.  I’m sick of looking at all the things that need to be done!  I can’t wait for winter to be over!