Christmas time

Our first Christmas season with Caleb has arrived! I remember last year when we were still wondering when we would travel, or what it would be like to have him here. We've been having fun decorating the house, watching Christmas movies, and looking at lights. Today we went to my mom's house for our annual cookie baking day, which he happily participated in.
This season has also taken another especially happy turn for us: Russ accepted a position with our public school system in their facilities design department. It's a great blend of what his last job was (site work, crawling in ceilings, etc) and what he has been working toward in his graduate studies (planning, zoning, mapping, etc). He will begin working there next week after the preliminary stuff is done. For those who have been following this journey and praying for him, we want to say thanks. A difficult journey can be so much more bearable with friends who care.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus our Lord, we are very grateful for you all! Merry Christmas everyone!

Why is there a tree in our living room?



Trying eggnog for the first time

Learning to sing "Deck the Halls"--Falalalala is the best part!


"Decorating" cookies at grandma's



The finished product, courtesy of cousin Maesa (every red-hot available was used)

2 Year Old Beagle: Free to Good Home

Or, at least that's what has been going through my mind lately. Ok, so I'm not 100% ready to let the little beast go (we are talking about Owen here), but he really is getting on my nerves. Recently, Caleb was given a wonderful little farm set, a belated birthday present from his uncle Matt and aunt Michelle. The kid loves anything having to do with farms, which is great since he has easy access to one in our family. Matt and Michelle gave him a little tractor that plays "Old McDonald" and various animal noises, and comes complete with a pig, sheep, cow, horse, and a farmer to drive. Caleb loved it:

So, I have a child who loves farms. I also have a beagle who loves to chew. He will chew almost anything he can get his paws around. Ok, maybe not absolutely everything, he has refrained from gnawing on table legs, but most anything else has to be monitored. If I turn my back for one minute, any small, preferably plastic or cloth item becomes the next victim. After putting Caleb to bed tonight, I got busy working on a newsletter on the computer and wasn't paying attention, until, well, enter Exhibit A:

In case you can't tell, the one on the left is the remains of the pig and the brown one on the right was a horse. I'm sure they can still ride in the wagon, but it won't be the same. I'm fairly certain Caleb will notice when he wakes up tomorrow.
Why does Owen have to be such a menace at times? Am I a poor dog owner or is he just being a beagle? We recently took him to a new place to have his nails cut--something I put off as long as possible normally because he is a freak about it. We took him to the same place where he has been boarded before, just never groomed. I warned them that the last nail clipping at the vet required him to be muzzled. I just didn't want anyone to get bitten, that's all. As they carried him gently away, the tech referred to him as simply being "toenail sensitive". So maybe he really wants to be coddled and it's my fault for not paying enough attention to him, I don't know. All I do know is that we are going to have to figure something out soon or all of Caleb's toys will slowly be consumed, piece by piece.

It's our last day of good weather for the year, I think. 70 degrees today and 40-something tomorrow. Caleb and I just came inside from a brisk walk to the post office. We had headed next door to Ace Hardware where they had mums on sale for $1 at end of the year clearance, but they were just too heavy to carry back while trying to manage a 2 year old near the street at the same time. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow.

Further changes have ensued around here. What I believed was "settling in" for our family was really only some type of notion in my head. We have no one to blame, though, except ourselves. I believe we really are trying to make good decisions, at least it seems that way at the time, anyway. I have officially changed jobs again. What is with me anyway? Ok, to tell the truth, working in an office (at least the one I was employed at) was dull. Bear with my cynicism here for just a moment, but I was witness to several "crisis" events that took place that sent people scattering to find the crash cart: quick! we have a life to save! Only, in my head, I wouldn't call them emergencies at all. I feel as if I've seen some real emergencies, and these weren't it. I was afraid that if I continued to work there (or in other non-critical care settings), I would become complacent, accepting of the mundane, and I would turn into one of those freak-out people who don't know how to use an oxygen mask. I'm just not ready to go there yet. (For anyone reading this who works in another sector of nursing that I have just deemed boring by my standards, I'm sorry. It's just me, that's all). I resigned from that office, and the people there were great about it. They were all very supportive of my choice to leave, stating that I'm going back to where I used to work because "it's what I do". Anyway, I'm returning to NICU. Not the fantastic schedule I have enjoyed for the past year, but I guess it's more important to me to do something I am challenged by, something I feel really good about.

Change #2 in our home: Russ is officially done with his job at Windstream. He is currently still looking for a job and continuing with his master's degree. The jobs he has applied for have run the gamut from professional to blue collar/permanent to transitional-until-he-graduates jobs. Who knew the Dow would have the biggest drop in recent history mere weeks after deciding to quit? It probably doesn't seem so smart to be looking for a job right now, what with our economy so poor, but I really think something will come through. It's really only been 2 weeks since his last job ended: we're not worried at this point, but we would appreciate the prayers for him to find the right place. Hey, maybe with the election finally over, we can see some immediate benefits and change??! Who knows.

With all of this going on, we're happy to enjoy life and our other moments of family and just simply having a good time. There are quite a few things going on around here this time of year, and it's been fun to watch Caleb discovering new things (Halloween candy, for instance).

Caleb dressed up as an Indian brave for Halloween and Russ and I decided to be pilgrims.

A visit from cousins Madisen and Thadd.

Saturday at Fallbrook fall festival. They had one of those huge inflatable jumping castles. Caleb is not quite sure about the whole thing.




Then, after a trip down the slide, he decided it was a lot of fun!


Downtown at the train station


Playing around with cousin Maesa. Exactly how many kids can you fit into a diaper box?

Updates on just about everybody

Here we begin my favorite month of the year: October!  I love it around here when the leaves are changing and the weather is cooling off.  After so much busyness and a month of not posting, I'm finally trying to update.

Russ:  as of late October, will be done with his job at Windstream.  A strange thought, considering he has been there 13 years--I've never known him to work anywhere else.  There have been continued changes in their system, and I think he has been unhappy there for quite a while.  Add that to the fact that he is getting close to his Master's degree, and it made sense for him to try to go elsewhere, at least in the short term.  He has applied at several places and is still waiting to hear back from some.  It will be interesting to see where he ends up in all of this.  Just when it seems like things are starting to slow down....

Caleb: 2 years and 1 month old these days.  I am aware more and more every day how he is simply a great kid.  He's doing well at daycare and spends a day during the week at home with me when I have a day off.  Aside from going home sick this week with 102 degree temperature, he has been healthy and happy.  A speech therapist from the public school system, Sharla, has been coming to our house every couple of weeks and working on words with him.  Between signing and vocalizing, he really does try to say a lot of things.  Sharla has said several times, "he really is just a very vocal child!"  and I would agree with that wholeheartedly.  Quiet and serene he is not.  He is constantly chattering away about something, even if it only makes sense to him.  

Owen: one word: naughty.  I thought the addition of Zeus to the family would shape him up a bit, but instead, he seems to be trying to turn Zeus to the dark side.  We have been continuing to work with him on obedience and discipline, but sometimes, I really think it is a lost cause.  If he isn't in a structured environment, he can really get out of control.  A couple of days ago, we had a neighbor who complained about his howling.  I felt bad, because who knows how long they have noticed it and not said anything?  Once again, he is wearing a bark collar--a training method for any other dog, but a permanent fixture for him.  He knows when it is off and will resume his bark/howl as soon as possible.  Sigh.

Zeus:  a little less well-behaved than when he first came home.  He is, at times, quite needy and will push everyone out of the way (including knocking Caleb to the ground at times) in his quest for attention.  But, he is not beyond hope of being well behaved.  He, too, has a bark collar that only needs to be worn occasionally, because he actually learns and retains knowledge, unlike certain other beagles in our home.  If he gets his regular walk and exercise, he does well.  Both dogs' behavior reminds me of that of a young child, so it is like having 3 toddlers in the house--only 2 of them probably won't be growing out of this stage!

Me: what can I say?  Working, being a mom/wife, taking care of 2 dogs, church, friends, etc.  My job is....well, I won't go there much today.  Let's just say that I am very aware that I used to have a very technical, challenging job (before the school nurse gig) and now I don't.  And that isn't the greatest thing because I feel overqualified for this job.  Which could be fine, but it gets dull.  I do really enjoy the people and the doctors that I work for, though.  I think that, at least in nursing, jobs are a toss-up: you either work at a job you love and are passionate about but with less-than-great hours, or you take a boring job with the greatest schedule ever.  Ok, maybe that is only in my case, I don't know.  I'm not complaining, I'm just...thinking, that's all.

2!!

Ladies and gentlemen, we now officially have a 2 year old in the house! Caleb's birthday was Saturday, August 30. We had several family members and friends over to celebrate. I keep remembering his 1st birthday, which we also celebrated, even though he was not living with us at that time. It's interesting how much things have changed in a year! We had a great time celebrating. My parents came over a little early and my mom helped me make sweet and sour pork, garlic chicken, mongolian beef, fried rice, potstickers, and egg rolls (the last two items being from a box). We wanted to keep a Chinese element with the food, simply to remember his country. Except dessert. The kid is so into cars and tractors that I couldn't resist making a tractor cake. Before I was a nurse, I worked as a cake decorator for several years, so this was fun for me:

It may have been a lot of red and black frosting, but who cares? He's only going to turn 2 once!

He received a lot of nice gifts from everyone, although the concept of opening presents seemed new to him. He didn't quite know what to do at first, but then I think he realized that the gifts were for him and he took over playing with certain ones--there was one car in particular that made noise and music when the wheels turned, which we listened to for the rest of the night until he went to bed!

Yesterday, we went to the State Fair for a few hours in the afternoon. It was the usual hot, crowded, overpriced experience that it has been in past years. But Caleb loved it. It's a great place to see farm animals and tractors up close and ride some small rides at the midway. We skipped the pizza on a stick and the deep-fried Oreos and Twinkies this year. Fair food doesn't quite have the appeal that it did when I was eleven years old.

We are enjoying this 3 day Labor Day weekend. Russ and Caleb are currently rebuilding our front step together. Russ started classes last week after having the summer off. He is in one class that meets on Wednesdays, and the other is independent study, so he has some flexibility. He is progressing along well and may be starting his thesis in a few more months! Caleb is doing well at daycare, and we're getting good reports. Except that there is a biter in the crowd and he has already been bitten twice! It doesn't seem to phase him, though. He comes home happy, and seems to be learning more about sharing and patience (at a 2 year old level, at least). I am battling a cold that I am blaming on an exposure to something at my job. Oh well, it's part of working with sick kids and not having the immunity yet. It comes with the territory. I am, otherwise, really liking my job, after being there for 3 weeks. I really enjoying seeing the patients and meeting the regular families, and I've already been learning a lot. And, I'm enjoying the schedule--it's Labor Day and I'm home with my family--so now I'm off to enjoy them!

08.08.08

Well, we feel so excited that the Olympic games are starting today in Beijing! How amazing that we were there ourselves almost 5 months ago. Today, Caleb is wearing his Olympic T-shirt that we bought for him while we were there. It says: Beijing 2008 WELCOME TO YOU on it. Russ and I have both been thinking about China a lot lately, and I'm sure it is somewhat because of the recent spotlight. We can't wait to go back someday and visit and take Caleb with us to see his home country. Pictured above is the "bird's nest" stadium of the Olympic games, still under construction as we saw it in March.

This has been my last week home full time with Caleb. I'm starting my new job on Monday. I will be working at a pediatric doctor's office, part time, in Omaha. I'm looking forward to this, as it will probably be more interesting than school nursing, but not as critical as NICU. That's fine by me. I also am happy to have a more permanent position, as this past year with the schools was a one year contract. It was difficult to spend the year not knowing if I would return again or be forced to find something else at the end of the school year. In the end, the school system did offer me another position, which I declined. While it is not easy to start another new job in a year and it add more change to our already busy lives, I couldn't continue in the job. This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering my attitude expressed toward it in previous posts. So, that's where I'll be: working for Children's Hospital Physicians, seeing kids, helping the pediatrician in the office, and probably giving many flu shots and immunizations.

Caleb and I have been keeping up this week with different activities: we've been to the zoo and rode the train, went swimming with my friend Jane, and went to Omaha with my sister. His attitude and spirit are pretty much back to what he was pre-surgery. We had a couple weeks there, with pain/bleeding/feedings that really made him quite grumpy. I was beginning to wonder where my happy little guy went to. Now he's back. He will start daycare next week. It's an in-home daycare where my niece goes, so he will be with his cousin, Maesa. And, this gal is also an adoptive mom: they brought home their daughter from Korea almost 6 years ago. So, I'm happy for Caleb to have some interaction with other kids during the day. And after this event-filled past 6 months, I'm ready to get into some type of routine. I think we're all ready for that.

Zeus and other updates

We're now 2 weeks into the arm restraints at home. The good news: Caleb has really taken to them. Sometimes, he doesn't even want to take them off for a skin/circulation check. He has even accepted being fed his meals. The bad news: we found out yesterday that he has to wear them an extra week.

Saturday morning, we woke up and he was bleeding out of his mouth and nose. It was strange to me because, at the time, he was 10 days post surgery. If he was going to bleed, wouldn't it have been sooner? All kinds of thoughts were racing through my brain as I contacted the surgeon on-call. Maybe he'll have to go to the hospital? Maybe go back into surgery? His first surgery is totally ruined and we have to start over? We ended up taking him to the ER, where he was diagnosed with "oozing" from his stitches. Then we came home. Since then, it's back to the liquid diet, eat cold foods, and call if it gets worse. It has since happened again on Monday, but nothing since. Yesterday, we went to our post-op check up with the surgeon. I was expecting a few more answers. He looked in Caleb's mouth. I told him about the bleeding. He didn't know that it happened, but it's no big deal. I told him about food still coming out of his nose sometimes. He said that happens sometimes, but it's no big deal. How much longer until he can go back to a soft diet? A couple more days. Then, he told us we needed to come back in two more weeks for another check and he has to wear his arm restraints until then (making it an extra week). Then, my five minutes were up, and he was gone. Well, as most everything else is in life, we're still at a "wait and see". Fortunately, aside from everything I have mentioned, he really is doing well.

In the midst of everything else, we also decided to get another dog. When we were considering it, the responses to this idea ranged anywhere from "that's a great idea" (only heard once) to "you are insane" (heard a little more frequently). It would seem that we have our hands full, and getting another dog would only add to the stress. But, actually, that wasn't my theory. I do love dogs, and, not that I want a house full of them, two are not that bad. Also, when I go back to work in August, Owen will be home alone for long periods of time, so we wanted a friend for him. Does that mean I coddle Owen too much? Oh well, maybe I do. We wanted to make sure that we found the "right" dog, and we certainly did! His name is Zeus, and he is a rottweiler/beagle mix who we adopted from the humane society. He is such a good dog! He's four years old, so he's a little more calm and quiet. It's a great influence on Owen, actually. He never barks, he recalls to his name very quickly, he sits/lays down/shakes/heels/stays on command. Since Owen is our first dog, we really didn't have anyone to compare him to. He is, many times, very naughty, but we love him. But we are so happy to have Zeus because he keeps Owen in line a little more. So, maybe we are insane, but I don't care. I think he's worth it.

Palate repaired

Caleb's palate surgery was on Wednesday this week and he's home again and happy. Ok, he's home. Happy will come later I'm sure. We went in very early on Wednesday morning. The hospital is about an hour drive from our home, so arriving there at 5:30 am was a little daunting. They took him back for surgery at about 7 am and it was supposed to take 2 hours. A little after 10 am, the surgeon finally came to our room to tell us it was done. I guess it took longer than they planned because his mouth is so small and it was difficult to work in. After his recovery, they brought him and he was so sleepy. His mouth was quite bruised and puffy, plus he had some bruising around the corners of his mouth. I can only imagine it was from trying to open his mouth as much as possible to see what they were doing. He did so well, though. He slept most of the day and was up and about again on Thursday. We got home yesterday and he's doing fine. I knew he was resilient: he's been handling it all so well.
For now, he is on a full liquid diet and wearing arm restraints. These will last for three weeks, and, sorry to say, I am counting the days. The restraints stretch from his shoulder to the middle of his hand and prevent him from bending at the elbow. This keeps him from putting anything at all in his mouth and ruining the work that has been done. I'm impressed by his attitude toward them: for all he knows, they are a permanent fixture in his life. He manages to play and get around quite well. We have been feeding him, though, something he is still adjusting to. He wants to be independent and feed himself, and so far, as long as we've known him, that's what he's done. So, sitting back and waiting for the spoon is a frustrating thing for him. Also, we've been teaching him some signs and gestures so that he is better able to communicate. These, too, I thought would be pretty much on hold, but I've now noticed that he has modified them and he still gets his point across.
We are glad to be home. Russ and I both stayed at the hospital the whole time, and, as anybody knows, it's not the most restful place. It made me reminiscent of our China days when we were still trying to figure out the schedule and staying in one room. Although, there were no nurses then, coming in at all hours. It really made me think about my work and how it affects people. Speaking of work, I have accepted a job to start in August, but I'll talk more about that later. For now, we are recovering at home and Caleb is getting back to his usual self (a slightly modified version).

Like a Champ

Up and running around the next day.

Back at home.