So today I paid a visit to Dr. Siegert, it was my first visit to the dentist in TWO years. My dental hygiene has never been a major area of concern, no cavities for this girl over the last 26 years of life. That all changed today, I was delivered the blow by my husband, which makes it even worse. After reviewing my x-rays, Jake came in to the exam room to tell me that there were "a few areas of concern." Mind you, this was my first experience seeing Jake in his professional setting, so I couldn't be sure if he had a note of sarcasm in his voice or not. He found.....not 1......not 2......but 3 cavities in my mouth. I was pretty certain that I had one, but was utterly shocked to hear that I had THREE.
This comes after years of Jake giving me crap about my lack of flossing. My clean record always served as a good defense for taking the lazy road; a good old fashioned tooth brush and Listerine! So needless to say I had to "eat crow," as the saying goes.
I was so distraught by the news, I found myself needing a late afternoon pick-me-up and headed to T.J. Maxx. I spent 15 to 20 minutes browsing purses and ended up taking a lap around the store with two different bags in my hands. I like to take things for a test drive before purchasing, and I decided that a new bag for fall would be just the ticket to lift my spirits. I ended up leaving the store empty-handed, there was not much to pull me from my despair!
I know I sound a bit mellow dramatic, but I took an extreme amount of pleasure in announcing to people that I had never had a cavity. My level of satisfaction was multiplied when my husband became a dentist; however now I feel like a big fraud! Unfortunately I will be walking around with the three holes in my mouth until next Tuesday, when I am scheduled to get things straightened out with the Doc.
In fact, teeth have been causing a lot of distress in the Siegert Household. I was up with James MULTIPLE times last night. I finally caved and gave him a dose of Tylenol at 3 a.m., praying that it would buy me just a few hours of sleep. No such luck, he was up at 5 a.m., but the miracle of all miracles did occur......Jake got up with him and I stayed in bed.......at least until 6 a..m. when we tag-teamed it and Jake decided to hit the snooze button a little longer and I woke up to brew a big pot of coffee.....knowing that I would need several doses of it throughout the day!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
Playing Catch-Up
I spent the beginning of the work week traveling in Chicago with our company's CEO from Germany. We had two days full of architect calls, meetings with current customers, and field visits to some of our builder's new communities. At the end of the day Tuesday, I started my long journey home to Rochester. I ended up pulling into the driveway at 11:30 p.m. Utterly exhausted, I made a bee-line to my bed where I immediately passed out cold.
Waking up the next morning, I found my head spinning. It was only 8 a.m. and I was already working on "the list." Usually I complete the list every night before bed. Our laundry hampers were overflowing, toys were strewn about the living room, and we had NO milk in the fridge. I had to get things in order, or there was no way the remainder of my week would have been productive.
The past few days have been filled with cleaning, errand running, nose-wiping, diaper changing, cooking, washing and folding laundry, e-mail responding, and gift buying (both wedding and birthday); all this was done in-between my work obligations.
I am happy that Friday is finally here! I am only slightly irritated with the fact that the upstairs of our split-level is hovering at the 85 degree mark. Of course our air stops working the moment the weather starts to warm up, and the air feels like a wet blanket! James is sleeping soundly in his pack'n'play in the walk-in closet in our room (which is downstairs). We have a professional coming to look at in the morning, only because I had to call and make threats to our landlord (which has been an on-going theme in my relationship with her). Tomorrow I will be having a pedicure with my Mother and Sister In-Law, followed by an afternoon of lunch and shopping!
On the more exciting front.......Jake told me I could start planning a warm weather vacation for February! He suggested Tahiti, Bora Bora, or Costa Rica..........so I will probably spend the rest of the night looking at resorts!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Waking up the next morning, I found my head spinning. It was only 8 a.m. and I was already working on "the list." Usually I complete the list every night before bed. Our laundry hampers were overflowing, toys were strewn about the living room, and we had NO milk in the fridge. I had to get things in order, or there was no way the remainder of my week would have been productive.
The past few days have been filled with cleaning, errand running, nose-wiping, diaper changing, cooking, washing and folding laundry, e-mail responding, and gift buying (both wedding and birthday); all this was done in-between my work obligations.
I am happy that Friday is finally here! I am only slightly irritated with the fact that the upstairs of our split-level is hovering at the 85 degree mark. Of course our air stops working the moment the weather starts to warm up, and the air feels like a wet blanket! James is sleeping soundly in his pack'n'play in the walk-in closet in our room (which is downstairs). We have a professional coming to look at in the morning, only because I had to call and make threats to our landlord (which has been an on-going theme in my relationship with her). Tomorrow I will be having a pedicure with my Mother and Sister In-Law, followed by an afternoon of lunch and shopping!
On the more exciting front.......Jake told me I could start planning a warm weather vacation for February! He suggested Tahiti, Bora Bora, or Costa Rica..........so I will probably spend the rest of the night looking at resorts!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Sunday.....The Day of UNrest!
So Jake and I had a wedding to attend in our hometown of Onalaska last night, congrats Matt and Heidi! It was a beautiful ceremony, and I was so happy we were able to be there on your big day! Jake's Mom offered to come to Rochester, and stay with James while we attended the wedding. I had a very uneasy feeling leaving him, especially since he wasn't feeling 100%. I decided that we would drive home after the reception. So with coffee and hand and a snoring husband in the passenger seat, we were on our way home by 11:30. We rolled into the driveway by 12:45 a.m., but I was able to sleep knowing my pumpkin head was snoozing away in his crib.
James slept well, and woke up bright and early at 6 a.m. We began our normal morning routine, breakfast, coffee, and discussing James' night with Grandma. He started eating his breakfast and immediately started coughing, I of course went into action mode immediately (as I thought he was choking). I scooped the waffle out of his mouth, and threw him over my knee to ensure he coughed up anything that was blocking his airway. Turns out he was not choking, but coughing so hard that he was unable to breathe. His lips started turning purple, and I SCREAMED for Jake to call 911 (as he was still in deep slumber). I have never been more scared in my life. I tried to keep James' calm, and he eventually was able to catch his breathe. I decided that a trip to the Urgent Care center was in order, as I was afraid that his cold may have become a respiratory issue.
We were greeted by a nurse that was about as friendly as a pit bull, she took James' vitals and griped about how squirmy he was the whole time. If I hadn't been so exhausted she would have experienced the "wrath of Kathryn." The doctor came in and listened to his lungs, and proceeded to ask me if James was teething. Yes, he is teething; No, that is not the cause of his discomfort. I was getting very irritated at this point. After a quick listen to his lungs, he ordered a blood draw and an x-ray. The blood draw was horrible, as Jake had to practically lay on James to keep him from squirming off the table. I was shocked that they had to use a syringe to draw the blood. I was expecting a finger prick (similar to when they test for lead). James was screaming, I was crying, and Jake felt like the worlds worst Dad. Then on to X-Rays, which were much easier then the blood draw. The doctor came in to report that....................James HAS...................the common cold. He went on to say that he exhibited all the symptoms of a nasty cold..........thank you captain obvious. I left the hospital feeling as though the nurses and doctors (with the exception of our X-Ray tech) were looking at me as the paranoid mother that should have known my child was just sick with a cold.
This Sunday was not restful...........it was stressful. I am exhausted, and don't even want to think about everything that needs to be accomplished this week. Just going to take it one day at a time, priority #1 is getting my pumpkin head healthy!
James slept well, and woke up bright and early at 6 a.m. We began our normal morning routine, breakfast, coffee, and discussing James' night with Grandma. He started eating his breakfast and immediately started coughing, I of course went into action mode immediately (as I thought he was choking). I scooped the waffle out of his mouth, and threw him over my knee to ensure he coughed up anything that was blocking his airway. Turns out he was not choking, but coughing so hard that he was unable to breathe. His lips started turning purple, and I SCREAMED for Jake to call 911 (as he was still in deep slumber). I have never been more scared in my life. I tried to keep James' calm, and he eventually was able to catch his breathe. I decided that a trip to the Urgent Care center was in order, as I was afraid that his cold may have become a respiratory issue.
We were greeted by a nurse that was about as friendly as a pit bull, she took James' vitals and griped about how squirmy he was the whole time. If I hadn't been so exhausted she would have experienced the "wrath of Kathryn." The doctor came in and listened to his lungs, and proceeded to ask me if James was teething. Yes, he is teething; No, that is not the cause of his discomfort. I was getting very irritated at this point. After a quick listen to his lungs, he ordered a blood draw and an x-ray. The blood draw was horrible, as Jake had to practically lay on James to keep him from squirming off the table. I was shocked that they had to use a syringe to draw the blood. I was expecting a finger prick (similar to when they test for lead). James was screaming, I was crying, and Jake felt like the worlds worst Dad. Then on to X-Rays, which were much easier then the blood draw. The doctor came in to report that....................James HAS...................the common cold. He went on to say that he exhibited all the symptoms of a nasty cold..........thank you captain obvious. I left the hospital feeling as though the nurses and doctors (with the exception of our X-Ray tech) were looking at me as the paranoid mother that should have known my child was just sick with a cold.
This Sunday was not restful...........it was stressful. I am exhausted, and don't even want to think about everything that needs to be accomplished this week. Just going to take it one day at a time, priority #1 is getting my pumpkin head healthy!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Date Night Dilemma
Thursdays are usually James' day with Grandma, he is so blessed to have all of his grandparents within a 60 minute car ride! Grandma Sheri (AKA "Cha Cha") comes every Thursday in lieu of James going to school while I work. Some Thursdays she offers to stay the night, enabling Jake and I to sneak out for the occasional date night. However, we realize that we cannot expect our families to travel 60 miles just so we get a night on the town. This is when the search for a sitter began, and I turned to the ever reliable care.com!
While Jake was finishing school, date night came about but once a month. At the time, it was all we could afford (both time-wise and monetarily). Now that we are both working and raising a very busy and spirited Toddler, we realized how very important that alone time is for us. Even if it just means sneaking out to hit a bucket of golf balls for an hour, hitting an early movie, or book browsing at Barnes (only adding to the list that is growing at a pace that I cannot keep up with....due to my lack of energy at the end of the day). We don't need to go for a fancy 4-course meal, just something simple that allows us good conversation OR some peace and quiet. I have a very hard time relaxing at home, for the exact same reason I have a hard time working out at home. There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. I HAVE to go to the gym to get a good workout in; otherwise the distractions are endless (laundry to be folded, dishes to be loaded/unloaded, e-mails to be answered. So Jake and I decided that we need to be better about picking a date night every week.
I interviewed a few different girls, and we found some OUTSTANDING sitters. All of them came with excellent references, and a tremendous amount of experience. So we now have a great network of caregivers; 2 teachers. a dental hygienist student, and a NICU nurse. We plan to have our first date night over labor day weekend, when we will meet some new friends out for dinner.
I am hoping this is one thing we follow through on, at least until hunting season commences.
While Jake was finishing school, date night came about but once a month. At the time, it was all we could afford (both time-wise and monetarily). Now that we are both working and raising a very busy and spirited Toddler, we realized how very important that alone time is for us. Even if it just means sneaking out to hit a bucket of golf balls for an hour, hitting an early movie, or book browsing at Barnes (only adding to the list that is growing at a pace that I cannot keep up with....due to my lack of energy at the end of the day). We don't need to go for a fancy 4-course meal, just something simple that allows us good conversation OR some peace and quiet. I have a very hard time relaxing at home, for the exact same reason I have a hard time working out at home. There is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. I HAVE to go to the gym to get a good workout in; otherwise the distractions are endless (laundry to be folded, dishes to be loaded/unloaded, e-mails to be answered. So Jake and I decided that we need to be better about picking a date night every week.
I interviewed a few different girls, and we found some OUTSTANDING sitters. All of them came with excellent references, and a tremendous amount of experience. So we now have a great network of caregivers; 2 teachers. a dental hygienist student, and a NICU nurse. We plan to have our first date night over labor day weekend, when we will meet some new friends out for dinner.
I am hoping this is one thing we follow through on, at least until hunting season commences.
Monday, August 8, 2011
The Hitter
Today I received some startling news. As I headed outside to the playground to pick up James, I was approached by his aide. My first instinct was that she was going to say he was crabby and not himself, since he is at the tail end of this horrible cold (that I am now experiencing). Instead, she lowered the "boom" and said James has been hitting. This is NOT like him at all, he can be a stinker (to get attention from Jake or I) but he does NOT hit other children. Just yesterday, I witnessed him sharing his Teddy Grahams with a fellow tot at church. And believe me when I say, for James to share his FOOD......BIG DEAL! I now have to except the fact that I am the mother of the class bully. When I asked if it was an isolated incident, she told me he had done it throughout the day and for no reason.
So instead of spending my evening watching mindless T.V., I have been online trying to research Toddlers and Hitting. Help ME, John Rosemond! This has NOT helped my headache.
I am hoping that this was a result of him not feeling well, and that he was simply trying to get some extra attention. I will go in early tomorrow to discuss the hitting with his teacher. If it continues, I will have to spend some time in his classroom to observe the behavior myself.
I am now going to see if I can find a tablet or two of NyQuil, so I can knock myself into a night of peaceful slumber.
So instead of spending my evening watching mindless T.V., I have been online trying to research Toddlers and Hitting. Help ME, John Rosemond! This has NOT helped my headache.
I am hoping that this was a result of him not feeling well, and that he was simply trying to get some extra attention. I will go in early tomorrow to discuss the hitting with his teacher. If it continues, I will have to spend some time in his classroom to observe the behavior myself.
I am now going to see if I can find a tablet or two of NyQuil, so I can knock myself into a night of peaceful slumber.
There's a Pounding in My Head
Straight from the lines of Katy Perry's new song; however my pounding is not from a night filled with fun! I woke up with a horrible headache and terrible sore throat. I had just planned on working in the office today, THANK GOODNESS!
I contracted this horrible cold from James, I am still baffled as to how he was so chipper this morning? I debated taking him to school today, but he appeared to be in good spirits and didn't put up a fuss when I dropped him off.
I came home, completed all of my office work, and have been horizontal on the couch all afternoon. Every time I try to sit up, my head pounds even more. The timing could not be worse, I have to prepare for an upcoming ride-along with my company's CEO (straight from Germany). Not to mention, we have a wedding to attend this weekend and I am putting on a small graduation celebration for Jake next weekend.
Now, it is time to think about what I am going to put together for dinner (AH!- this makes my head hurt even worse). I hope there is some mindless T.V.to be watched tonight, I don't think this headache would enable me to read even a page of my novel.
I contracted this horrible cold from James, I am still baffled as to how he was so chipper this morning? I debated taking him to school today, but he appeared to be in good spirits and didn't put up a fuss when I dropped him off.
I came home, completed all of my office work, and have been horizontal on the couch all afternoon. Every time I try to sit up, my head pounds even more. The timing could not be worse, I have to prepare for an upcoming ride-along with my company's CEO (straight from Germany). Not to mention, we have a wedding to attend this weekend and I am putting on a small graduation celebration for Jake next weekend.
Now, it is time to think about what I am going to put together for dinner (AH!- this makes my head hurt even worse). I hope there is some mindless T.V.to be watched tonight, I don't think this headache would enable me to read even a page of my novel.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Changes
I have taken a much needed hiatus from blogging. We have had a CRAZY summer thus far, and it doesn't look as though that will be changing anytime in the coming weeks. Our weekends have been consumed with weddings, bachelor or bachelorette parties, camping trips, visits from friends and family, and our anniversary celebration!
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July brought about numerous changes in our families lives. Jake started his new job in July, and James started going to day care (I refer to it as school, seeing as it is much more of a classroom atmosphere). Jake is truly enjoying his work, which is such a blessing as he worked so hard to get to this point. The first few weeks for James were somewhat difficult. After the second week, I truly thought I was going to quite my job. James was overly tired, not napping well at school which in turn meant that his nightly sleep was extremely poor. I was up with him several times throughout the night (it felt as though I was living the newborn days all over), and just getting him to bed at night was a struggle Inevitably, he caught a HORRIBLE summer cold. I was exhausted and barely able to make it through the day without full pot of coffee. Jake and I both agreed that if we didn't see an improvement after a month, that I would quit my job. We did not want all of our family time to be plagued with terrible fits from a crabby and overly tired toddler. Luckily, things turned around quickly as his naps gradually got longer. It is such a blessing to have him get excited when I say it is time to go to school! No more feelings of "mommy guilt."
Now there is such a tremendous level of balance in our household, that Jake and I have actually discussed the idea of Baby # 2! I don't think I am ready quite yet, but I can see it being a possibility in the not-to-distant future.
We are continuing to settle-in to our new home, and meet new people in the community. Just this morning, we attended mass at a new church and I think this one felt like a good fit! I continue to miss all of my friends in Milwaukee, but I can slowly see our new lives taking form in Rochester. It feels good to put down some "roots."
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July brought about numerous changes in our families lives. Jake started his new job in July, and James started going to day care (I refer to it as school, seeing as it is much more of a classroom atmosphere). Jake is truly enjoying his work, which is such a blessing as he worked so hard to get to this point. The first few weeks for James were somewhat difficult. After the second week, I truly thought I was going to quite my job. James was overly tired, not napping well at school which in turn meant that his nightly sleep was extremely poor. I was up with him several times throughout the night (it felt as though I was living the newborn days all over), and just getting him to bed at night was a struggle Inevitably, he caught a HORRIBLE summer cold. I was exhausted and barely able to make it through the day without full pot of coffee. Jake and I both agreed that if we didn't see an improvement after a month, that I would quit my job. We did not want all of our family time to be plagued with terrible fits from a crabby and overly tired toddler. Luckily, things turned around quickly as his naps gradually got longer. It is such a blessing to have him get excited when I say it is time to go to school! No more feelings of "mommy guilt."
Now there is such a tremendous level of balance in our household, that Jake and I have actually discussed the idea of Baby # 2! I don't think I am ready quite yet, but I can see it being a possibility in the not-to-distant future.
We are continuing to settle-in to our new home, and meet new people in the community. Just this morning, we attended mass at a new church and I think this one felt like a good fit! I continue to miss all of my friends in Milwaukee, but I can slowly see our new lives taking form in Rochester. It feels good to put down some "roots."
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