Caitlyn Quote of the Week

Caitlyn: Mama!  Come see what the TV did to my show!

Me: Are there commercials on?

Caitlyn:  Yes!

She is so spoiled.  We haven't watched a lot of regular tv.  We usually steam something on Netflix when she watches but I've been lazy lately.  So she doesn't understand the concept of commercials and that her show will come back on within minutes. 

Holiday Fun

This year we are having so much fun getting ready for Christmas! 

We introduced our family Elf.  We read the story behind the elf and watched a tv special that I recorded on DVR.  Caitlyn decided to name him Matthew despite my attempts to name him something cute and fun.  Every night he goes back to the North Pole and reports to Santa how she was that day.  Then she has to find his new hiding spot each morning.  It's been so much fun! 

We went to the Museum downtown to see the huge Christmas tree and Santa with PaPa and Grandma Darling.  Caitlyn was all excited about seeing Santa until we were next in line.  She ended up in my lap again this year.  At least this year we sat next to him and not on the floor below him!  We also toured the museum and all the trains.  Caitlyn loves trains right now! 

We took family photo's and the kids individual photo's in front of the Christmas tree for our Christmas card.  I have so much fun picking out a fun card to use each year!  We actually got the family picture in the first sitting.  The past 2 years we've had to try 2 or 3 different times.  I love how our card turned out this year! 

Last week Caitlyn had her Christmas Program at school.  I was so excited about this!  The set up was kind of crappy so it was hard to see all the kids since I didn't get there early enough and were in the back row.  I did get a small video and a couple of pictures though.  We then helped decorate a gingerbread house in her classroom before going home. 

My Christmas shopping is all done and all the gifts are wrapped! 

Last Saturday we celebrated with Grandma Kendy's family in Seward.  Lunch and Pitch...unfortunately Caitlyn was sick with diarrhea so we didn't get to stay long after lunch. 

Last Sunday we celebrated with my immediate family.  We included Uncle Tony's new girlfriend Darcy who I just love and picked names.  We opened gifts and ate dinner.  Caitlyn got up at 6:00 that morning and has given up naps so she was pretty tired and crabby by the end of the night.  But we still had a lot of fun! 

Christmas Eve we'll go to Church and then dinner at Biaggi's with PaPa and Grandma Darling. 

Christmas Morning is just the four of us and my dad may join us for breakfast casserole!  Totally laid back and all about us!  So excited!   

I am so full of happiness and joy this year.  I can't imagine it being any better than this! 

Working Mom

Being a working mom is hard.  I'd love to be able to stay home with my kids, but for us right now it's just not possible.  So I'm making the best of the situation.  Before I left on maternity leave I started doing some career pathing stuff with my director.  I've been looking at open positions in other departments but haven't seen much that I am either qualified for or that I'm interested in.  I love the people I work with in my department now so I'm not sure I want to leave what I'm doing.  I've just been doing the same job for 8 1/2 years and I want something different.  I want more responsibility. 

I love the flexibility I have here.  Being able to come in a little late or leave early if needed is awesome!  I also have the capability to work from home if one of the kids is sick.  Most other jobs in this field aren't as flexible so I don't think I could leave the company itself.  Plus I've earned my extra week of vacation here and the cost of benefits are awesome here (the benefits themselves are a little to be desired). 

Today I did my first solo enrollment meeting.  I was so nervous I was sick to my stomach!  It ended up only being 2 employees so it was very laid back and a good way to get my feet wet!  I've done a few training meetings with employers on our website before but never a benefits enrollment meeting.  I love that I'm being given an opportunity to do more.  Hopefully they come up with other things that I can help with that is outside the box and outside my comfort zone. 

If I'm going to be working I want to set a good example for Caitlyn and Cole.  I want them to be proud of what I do.  I want to feel like I make a difference and that my work is important.  I do feel that some days when I help resolve an issue for a member.  But other days I feel like I'm just clocking in and waiting to clock out and go cuddle the kids!  I suppose most parents feel this way. 

Hopefully soon I'll find a balance between work and home.  I'm feeling very unorganized now and like we have no structure or routine.  I felt like it took 2 years to get into a routine with just Caitlyn...hopefully it doesn't take as long with 2! 

Cole's Birth Story

We had a scheduled c-section on September 6th to welcome baby Cole into our family!  We got to the hospital at 5 AM.  The c-section was scheduled for 7 AM.  Of course I didn't sleep very well the night before...not that I had been sleeping well period the last couple months of pregnancy.  Once in the operating room they administered the spinal tap and wouldn't you know the first one didn't take.  The anaesthesiologist kept asking if I could still feel things and I could...including the catheter being put in because Dr. N was ready to go.  Not a fun feeling.  And then they had to take that spinal out and start again.  Thankfully that one took.  At 7:24 AM Cole was born!  I had a lot of nausea in the operating room but didn't actually get sick this time so I was able to pay attention to what they were doing with him and made sure Jared got a lot of good pictures.

Once back in the recovery room I started getting sick and throwing up.  That lasted all morning.  I felt like total crap.  We waited to have people come see us including Beth and Josh bringing Caitlyn up because I felt so bad.   Once I started feeling better Beth and Josh brought Caitlyn up.  She was awesome with him!  We only had family visit us the first day and then friends came to visit us on Wednesday. 

I started having headaches in the hospital once I started getting up and moving around.  Thursday morning my Dr came in to check on me.  He asked me a few questions and then asked if I had any questions.  I told him I knew there was something I had wanted to ask but couldn't remember what that was.  He then asked if I was having any headaches and I said YES!  That's what I was going to ask you about!  I was having spinal headaches, spinal fluid was leaking from a hole from the spinal tap they did for the c-section.  The headaches go away when you lay flat but when you are up and moving they flare up.  We waited all day on Thursday for the anaesthesiologist to come see us and of  course the headaches seemed better by the time he came to see me so I opted at that time to not get the blood patch to fix it.  Went home Thursday night (Jared's birthday) and the headaches came back full force.  I could barely move.  Woke up Friday morning.  Took Caitlyn to daycare and Cole to the pediatrician.  I don't know how I functioned during that appointment.  Went back to the hospital where they did a blood patch through an epidural.  The relief was instant!  I felt so much better.

Overall my birth experience with Cole was tons better than with Caitlyn.  Even with the double spinal and the headaches.  I love our little guy...he fits perfectly into our family!