I'm losing track of people and I have no IRL friends here yet so update your life. Anything big coming up? What are you looking forward to in the next few months? How's your job/staying at home? Any career moves for you or H? Any more kids/pets? Anything else you want to bring up? I'm not on Facebook so I feel like I miss some things.
Things here are okay. Same jobs. No moves. Thank the Lord. Haven't shared much here but most probably know from FB, SS wound up going to YDC for 6 weeks for stealing money and vehicles multiple times from family/friends. He broke into our house while he was supposed to be in school and kicked in our bedroom door to steal some cash and he took all of our spare car keys so he could take one of our cars and runaway. Very long story short, he served some time and now has been released. I told H that I refuse to live with him anymore for my safety and the safety of the younger kids. Since his release, he has been living with Hs former stepfather, who is basically a grandfather to him. He's on probation. Since he's not in the house, we moved E into his room, which to an enormous amount of cleaning, painting, and more cleaning. That's pretty much it.
Post by somethingcleverer on Jul 28, 2016 10:59:13 GMT -5
I'm still recovering from surgery. I think I'll get my last drain out tomorrow (I hope). I'm off work until 8/23 unless I decide to go back sooner. Im thinking of looking at job opportunities and hopefully I'll find something that suits me better than my current employer. So far they've been fine but I'm not sure how I'll like the company long term. The kids are doing good. Aubrey got glasses and she refuses to wear them. They have been getting along lately which is great but I feel Like I am being double teamed with them tearing up the house and not listening. Their listening is so much worse when they are playing together. Part of me really wants to get a dog in September but I don't think we will. Plus I'll probably be doing radiation then and won't feel like a pet. Maybe a fish.
I have not been able to keep up here at all. I feel horrible about it. Things have been so crazy around here. I became a consultant for Lularoe at the end of last month and have been so busy since. It is a lot of fun, but takes a lot of time too. I am looking forward to the school year starting up for Emmett again so I will have some more time and better separation between working and family. Right now they are all mixed together. I have him home when I am trying to get work done and play with him at the same time. We are starting work to finish our basement next week, so that has been crazy too. My sister is moving back in in September, so this will give us all a bit more space when it happens, but next month will not be fun.
Post by mrsplaydoh on Jul 28, 2016 12:26:39 GMT -5
Things are going well here. Both girls are enjoying the summer and our two new rescue puppies who are so cute. Along with the 2 cats its a sweet madness I just love. maybe a mini potbelly pig next, who knows! lol Dahlia will be going back to preschool last week of August and if Juno will consistently use the toilet instead of just when it's "her idea" then she'll be able to go too. My husband is close to getting a supervisor position he's been wanting for a long time so fx on that. I know he'll be so down if he doesn't get it. We have a week vacation coming up but will probably do day trips. I have two more weeks to take by December so gotta plan something. My work is great, fun, lots of new toys coming out. I post a lot on instagram and try to get on here every other day or so but less so on the weekends. mrskberlo on there if anyone's on there I don't follow yet! Love seeing the J12 kiddos!!
Post by xanthepants on Jul 28, 2016 12:39:18 GMT -5
Work is busy. House is still 1/2 unpacked. Still have our nicer furniture at the other house (which sold). Hoping to take a break this weekend and do fun stuff and then move again next weekend. Coco has a love hate with the new daycare - her teacher is wonderful, but the kids suck (serious bullies who push, trip and hit both her and us at pick ups). I hope we get outta there before she picks up any bad habits. Even she makes comments about how "I'm the only one who listens Mommy at the new school." Um not good. Love our new digs. Haven't figured out the commute yet. Mom and sister visit in a couple of weeks to do some major painting projects which will help it feel like home! Not one single neighbor has stopped by or said hi to us. In fact I haven't seen a single soul outside yet. Bummer.
Things are well here. We are pretty well adjusted to life as a family of 4. Tommy- is his outgoing self. He has moments of being a psycho but is super sweet. He's just soooo four. He will start PreK in the fall at daycare. They have a room for kids within the city school district. Josie is the sweetest. I feel like I hit the baby lottery with her. I'm getting sad because she's moving into her 3-6 month clothes. I want time to slow down. She'll head to daycare either in September or October. Depends on H's job situation. The daycare T is at is merging with 2 other daycares so she might not be in the room I want her to be in. : ( H had a test for a new job this week. Hoping he'll get called back for an interview. It's a perfect fit for him and he needs a change! He said one guy showed up late. So he did better than him!! As for me, I had back to school in September to teach preK. I have been going in once a week to get my room together. I'm so very excited to be back with the "babies". I'm trying to lose a few lbs and put my phone down more- happier lifestyle. My house feels like it's closing in on me with "stuff" so I am going through things and trying to downsize this summer. No other big summer plans.
xanthepants, we had a similar issue at the daycare Ethan was at. He rode the daycare bus to and from school and was only there for a little while in the AM and PM but some of the kids were just so mean. Weekly, there was someone who pushed him or hit him. He is the least aggressive person I know so it makes me that much more mad. Problem was there were only 2 daycares in our school district that did school transport and the other was out of the way and quite a bit higher a week. Thankfully, they are both going to be car riders this year so we were able to pull him from the daycare. Fx you find something better soon.
Things are pretty much the same here. I took on a new coaching/facilitating opportunity at work which I hope will be fun. I don't get paid any more to do it but it was "strongly suggested" by my boss so...I will have to travel a bit for it depending upon the assignments I decide to take and honestly will look for ones that might get me a GTG with one of you ladies
The kids are good. Henry definitely caught the virus that seems to being going around called "turning 4" and Cece is just all over the place. She is more fearless than Henry...lord help me. She has become quite the character though and has me laughing constantly. She also has a flare for the dramatic which Henry never had at this age so I'm not used to that.
My H has under 2 years left of school now so that's fucking awesome and because we make good decisions we are heading to Phoenix, AZ in two weeks for 10 days forvacation to see my ILs. I am looking forward to seeing all of my friends out there though so the cloud does have a small silver lining.
Hey! So much going on around here! Cooper's doing great. One moment he's a crazy person the next he's the sweetest kid ever. I call him my sour patch kid. We took him to Diggerland in NJ for vacation and he had a blast! I think the next thing on our summer bucket list is a whale watch and camping and kayaking. Keller is doing great. He loves puppy school and has been making progress, but he's still a little asshole ; ) Harlow is annoying as ever but is a pretty good dog. H has been pretty annoying this past week or so. He's the acting manager this week and he's been worried about screwing something up. Otherwise he's been fine. I just ordered books for one class. 4 more semesters!!!! Work has been fine. I'm getting excited about the wine 5k, I even bought a new tank that says "will run for wine " just gotta get off my @$$ and start training again
I'm losing track of people and I have no IRL friends here yet so update your life. Anything big coming up? What are you looking forward to in the next few months? How's your job/staying at home? Any career moves for you or H? Any more kids/pets? Anything else you want to bring up? I'm not on Facebook so I feel like I miss some things.
Nothing too exciting here! Just been a normal, busy summer. We are going to Disney in September so really looking forward to that! We are only taking Dagny, my mom is staying with Freya. Staying at home is good? It's tiring that's for sure. Dagny is just a joy and Freya is a pistol! Summer is kinda hard though. Freya hates hates hates being contained in anything so we really stick to the house a lot. I avoid the park like the plague since all Freya wants to do is crawl in and eat the dirt. I'm hoping next summer is easier. No career moves for H but it's been busy for him gearing up for election season. No kids no pets here. All in all pretty boring.
I have an interview for a job I applied to coming up next week. Nervous and excited! After some convos with H, I feel like I would be more fulfilled working outside the house and a job opportunity that excited me came up so I applied kind of just looking to see what might happen. We haven't thought through childcare or any other logistics yet and I'm really nervous about what this kind of transition would be like for Dylan (and me, really) as I've been home with him the last 4 years. I know things will work out, but the transition period would likely be rough. But we'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it. If this opportunity doesn't work out, I'm on the look out for other jobs and grateful that I can be selective.
I have an OOT bachelorette party next weekend I'm looking forward to!
Nothing big coming up - no babies, new homes or new jobs for us, which is good since we have lived here only a little over a year. I still love staying home with the kids. While we definitely have our bad moments/days and Abby has her moments of fearsome four, we have lots of fun. She and Jack (now 2.5) play really well together most of the time and they are both silly so it can be lots of fun. We also try to keep busy with a moms group where I have actually made some friends.
My stepdad is coming to visit next week so I'm looking forward to that. His visits are pretty low key, he is an easy guest. I think he will get a real kick out of Jack - the kid is bursting with personality.
Abby starts school August 22 and I am super excited for her but also think that we are going to miss her those mornings. I am planning to run my first post injury half marathon in September and assuming I stay injury free, my plan is to run a trail marathon in March and a 50k (31 miles) in April. Then I want to do the 50 mile race I was hoping to do this year (before I got injured and couldn't) in October 2017.
Well, where do I start? Things haven't been too crazy in some ways, but in other ways they've been insane....
J and E are doing great. J went for her 4 yr checkup and came out with an Rx for Strep... so random since she felt completely fine, but the quick test came back positive. She's happy most of the time, wild nearly all of the time, and definitely defiant and sassy almost all of the time too.
E is doing really well, still uses a feeding tube and still goes to therapy for that. Just this week her therapist started "vital stimulation" on her throat (outside) and it seemed to go really well, so we're going to try that again. It's little electrodes that just stimulate the muscles and help her feel the right way to use her muscles. Hopefully this helps her develop further. She's 14 months now and making so much progress in other areas of life.... she's cruising, trying to walk, talking all the time, singing, just as happy as can be most of the time. She had tubes put in yesterday and did great with it!
As for me and H - we're doing good. I feel like we're in a decent place, although we're in a bit of a rut... which isn't helped by the fact that he's been snoring light a freight train, so he's started sleeping in the playroom/guestroom because i can't sleep when he's in our room
Work for me has been utterly insane. I've been traveling quite a bit and actually today just booked 2 more trips.... I think I'll be in Toronto, Canada almost as much as I'll be home in the month of August. We have so much work on our plates, and one of our designers just left, so we divided up her work too which means we're all swamped.... and we got notice yesterday we just won two more small projects.... fuck.
Henry is still Henry. Super sweet but gets so into what he's doing that most of the time I yell a ton or uave to get in his fac to break his concentration. Which is suoer frustrating when each meal takes an hour or more because he's pretending his fork is a rocket or jjst tapping it on stuff. Its so frustrating. He will do half day preschool in the afternoons this fall. Hes still doing speech twice a week and he's made huge progess and is much more confident now.
Logans good. Hes having a word explosion currently and some words are more clear. He will be 2 in September. Hes for sure more wild than Henry is. Getting his last 4 molars now so a little crabbier. Hes still nursing 4-5 times a day and its so cute he says "momma milk blanky" when he's tired. Currently overly obsessed with bubble guppies.
I'm still at home. Obviously some days are better than others. This weeks been kinda hard with euthanizing our cat so my MIL has been over to help but all she does is sit them infront of the tv so then they are terrible because they are bored of just sitting.
We've been trying to do tons of play dates and just getting out of the house. The boys fight and bicker so much about everything.
Speacking of being at home.... I think after the next baby (#3) is in preschool I may go back to school to be a nurse practitioner. Its just a thought at this point. We will see. I found a program online that I can have it done in 3 years. I guess I'm just burned out on being a nurse.
No current plans to move, but were always looking for a bigger house with an acreage. And as for baby #3 we will start trying when H gets called back to work. Which could be in a few months or a year in a half. So hopefully it happens soon.
I guess the biggest thing is next weekend were like 97% going to go pick up a puppy. Hes an alaskan klee kai. My husband has always wanted a dog and I think he will be a really good fit for our family. Another plus is H is off work now so he can do all the potty training!
Overall, things are going pretty well. No major changes in life. My job is going well and I'm mostly enjoying the work and the monthly day trips to NYC. H is still 'blah' about his job, but also knows he has a lot of free reign (work from home, etc), which is nice with the kids being young.
The summer has been really busy. Pretty much every weekend we've had something going on. It has been exhausting since there is no down time and also no time to get actual stuff done around the house. I'm looking forward to the fall when things finally calm down a little bit.
Kayleigh has been a nightmare since she turned four. Constant talking back, yelling, crying, whining, etc. I think some of it has to do with how crazy the summer has been. She's also been crying because she doesn't get to spend as much time with me now. I'm really working hard to carve out time for the two of us. Hopefully it helps her attitude a bit.
Andrew is almost 20 months now. He's into everything. You literally have to keep your eye on him 24/7 or he's either running away or into something he shouldn't be. He's such a happy kid in general though. He loves anything that has a motor and could care less about anything else. He still only has about 6 words, so its more than likely he will be evaluated for Birth through 3 services next month.
Overall, H and I have been into a little bit of a rut. Its hard since I'm always exhausted by 9pm. We've been trying to spend more time just the two of us. We work about 10 minutes apart, so I've also been trying to set up the occasional lunch date.
Things are going well here. I'm enjoying my summer off with the kids. They're going to camp in the mornings, which gives me a few hours to run errands and get my cleaning done. The afternoons we're spending at the pool or on outings. It's been pretty good so far, although I haven't gotten half the stuff done I was hoping.
No news with babies, moves or jobs. Everything is staying the same for the most part. We are opening a new restaurant, which I guess is pretty big news, but nothing is happening right now. It's going to be another seafood place, but more of a stall-type restaurant. Think Quincy Market. It should be interesting. Hopefully it'll open by the end of the year.
Asher has been great this summer. He's reading everything in sight. It's awesome to watch him learn. He of course has his moments- as they all do- but there's more good than bad. Amelia has been growing like a weed. She's getting her speech services over the summer and she has improved incredibly. Like the rest of our J12-ers, she has her moments with attitude & drama, but so far so good.
We're going on our big summer trip in a few weeks. Starting out in Zurich (where some friends live) then driving to the Italian coast for a few beach days and then to the French Alps. It should be fun once I get over my fear of terrorists.
When we get back from our trip I have my 6 month follow up with my endocrinologist for my neck. I'm hoping nothing has changed since my biopsy in February. Fingers crossed. Then school starts again! I'm actually looking forward to the school year. I love my job and my students are so fun.
Things are going pretty well here. I'm getting used to the area and like it overall. I wish I was better about meeting people but hopefully I can meet at least one new person soon to have play dates with. It's also hard to get motivated knowing we won't be here very long. I'm anxious to see where we will end up after this. I definitely miss having family around.
Patrick is doing well. You guys are scaring me because he hasn't been terrible. 6 months ago was bad but right now he is actually very pleasant. Some attitude. I'm waiting for the fall out. He starts pre-k in the fall. He is going to love it.
William has been a real pill lately. He will be one in a couple of weeks (!) and is just into everything. He can also throw some tantrums when he wants to. They are pretty funny but it is starting to get hard to take him anywhere. He doesn't do well just sitting anymore and can't walk yet. He had taken steps but still crawls. Still not sleeping and not sure what to do about it.
H loves his job but is unsure what to do next. Hopefully the Experience pays off and he finds something. I just had no idea it would be so hard for hmm to find a job. I miss working. I know I'm lucky that I get to stay home for a bit but overall I'm happier working. I won't work this year because of the new baby but maybe after that. We will have to see where we end up. It has been pretty hard for me to go from working to staying home. My ultimate goal would be to go back to school but that might be delayed for now.
H and I are doing fine. Hard to find time with no babysitters but when our parents visit we take full advantage. We spend the time after they go to sleep together and I try to make the most of it.
Post by sarahandeddie on Aug 7, 2016 10:32:10 GMT -5
I am way late on this post! The summer has been super busy. I'm still staying home and DH is still working insane hours. Most days I feel like a single parent. I really don't know how single moms who work do it!
Avery is doing well. She's hysterical with the things she says. She's switching to a preschool closer to our house. I'm nervous that she's going to have a hard time since she doesn't know anyone. We are considering having her do two more years of preschool since she has a late July birthday.
Chelsea starts kindergarten in a little less than two weeks. I can't believe she is going to be in school full time! She's more than ready but I'm not.
We just went to Disney in July and had a good time. I think we enjoyed our trip in December a bit more because the weather was better but it was still lots of fun. Avery asks when we are going back every day. Apparently twice in o e year wasn't enough.
We are also gearing up for Avery's birthday party this weekend. We are having it late because of DH's work schedule but the weather is supposed to be great so it may be better this way. She's having a Frozen party at home. We have a bounce house coming so the kids should have fun.
We've gotten to know lots of or neighbors this summer. There are about 4 families that hang out almost every night. The kids ride their bikes and power wheels up and down our cul de sac. It's so much fun, both for the kids and parents.
Our life is pretty hectic and eventful at the same time. Still working full time and I still love what I do and the company I work for. H is still at his same job but complains often. He welds so it gets hot and in the summer with the humidity it can get miserable. He's considered changing positions but it would be a substantial drop in pay (almost 2.50/hour).
V will turn 13 the beginning of Sep and I'm really struggling with her. She's at a tough age and we just butt heads all.the.time. she's rude or bullying sometimes to Hanna and Eliza and I've expressed my concerns with that and she has yet to change. Just tonight we had another argument and it's so frustrating that it always happens with H gone. And then she doesn't always tell the full story if he asks. She starts 7th grade this year so that should be interesting.
Hanna keeps me busy. The fournado hasn't really hit us yet so I'm waiting for that shoe to drop. She was so excited to not have any shots at her appt. She's just over 42" and 38.5 lbs. With the exception of our dental issues and breathing/snoring she's doing great. Eliza is 2.5 and really coming into her own personality. Both of them are just so fun to watch. She shows no interest in PT and we have yet to drop the paci so those are things I struggle with. Some of it I just don't want them to end to solidify that my last baby isn't a baby anymore. This is also sort of a contention with H and I. I just don't feel like I'm done with Eliza and I wish it was an option to have another one, but that decision was made for me. So I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with that or get past that.
Things are pretty uneventful over here. I had my very first summer off and it was SO amazing, lots of pool time with the girls and also golfing for me! I went back to work last week so that's been a bummer haha. I still love my job, although I don't feel super challenged. However, it's been 100% the right choice.
H and I still throw around the idea of moving to Iowa, but nothing major has really come of that. I do wish he would at least apply for another dept at the university he is at. He's too smart and too underpaid at his current position.
The girls are great! Elise is excited to start Pre K, and constantly amazes me with how bright she is. She definitely has her fournado moments thought!
Vera is a serious ball buster! She is starting to talk more but still not always super clear. She is all about doing things herself and of course has to do what her big sis does! As ornery as she is, she has a big heart and can be the biggest cuddle bug, which I of course love!
Post by summergirl1211 on Aug 11, 2016 12:07:33 GMT -5
I'm also super late to this, but it was nice catching up with everyone!
Things are pretty good here. We've been busy this summer getting some larger projects done at our new house, including a deck and some landscaping. Now we just need to get some artwork on the walls and buy some new furniture for Riley's room and the nursery. We love our house and the neighborhood is great. Mostly families with young kids, which is great for Riley.
I'm hanging in there at work, although I'm so burned out on sales and I wish I could find something different. I won't leave before the baby comes since I have great leave and benefits, but I'm considering looking elsewhere next year. My H has been at the new firm with his friend for just over a year now and it's going well. They're crazy busy and looking to hire another attorney, but don't have the office space so they'd have to move.
Riley is good. We're trying to prep her a little for the new baby but I know nothing will prepare her for when it happens. She's stubborn and so independent and has quite the attitude. I still love her to death, even though she frustrates me regularly. She's obsessed with dancing, Barbies, and Paw Patrol and can't get enough of riding her new bike around the neighborhood.
As for the baby, I'll be 20 weeks on Sunday. I can't believe I'm almost half done! We have our a/s next Friday and I'm very excited to know what we're having so we can buy the few things we need and customize the room to him or her. My new doctor has been great, and she's trying to prepare me for a RCS even though I was really hoping for a VBAC. Overall having something scheduled (especially around the holidays!) would be better, so I'm slowly getting used to that idea.
Post by barefoot84 on Aug 23, 2016 13:49:54 GMT -5
I've been lurking from my phone but not replying because it's so complicated on my old BlackBerry...
Things are good here. They were a bit crazy for a few weeks, since we had to move out because of the water damage and deal with insurance and renovation decisions, but things have settled down. We actually really like our "temporary home", we had cable TV so we could watch the olympics, and there's a pool and a trampoline in the yard, which has been awesome. It's a two bedroom appartment, and it's small, so it's not great on rainy days, but it's been great the rest of the time. Also, the condo looks better now than it did before the damage, so free upgrade to our home?
Things with H are good, and the kids have handled the change pretty well. Liam is finally starting to talk, and Tumaini, well, she just won't stop. So many questions and stories and songs...
I'll try to post more, we're moving back home next week and hopefully I'll have more free time to come post!
Then Comes Family, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising
program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.