We haven't had Internet access here at the house for a few days. Turns out the problem was our Internet router. The Internet guy our provider sent said we needed a new one. So we bought one. Then Valerie found the troubleshooting instructions and fixed the router we already had. Way to go CenturyLink!
So anyway, here's a story for you.
On Wednesday I took Jake to the dog groomer and, to give Valerie a break, I took Tessa with me. She and Jake both enjoyed riding in the van together and it was a fun time. Until we actually got there. Jake, being a sensitive dog, doesn't like going to the groomer, and being a sensible dog he resisted going into the grooming area. He was whining and resisting as much as possible. After a minute or so of this I was finally able to literally push him across the floor behind the desk. And then I turned around and saw Tessa. Her face was crumbling and she was .02 seconds from completely losing it.
Ah. Crap. Unforeseen complication. Before I was able to get a sentence out she bursts out screaming.
"Jake! Jake!"
"It's okay, honey, he's just getting his hair cut." I picked her up and headed for the van.
"No cut hair Daddy! Jake! Get Jake!"
"But honey, he needs his hair cut. That's why 'we brought him here. We'll come back and get him, Daddy promises." I also explained that I was going to get a haircut that day too. She didn't give a rat's. Shows you the pecking order.
I then began to put her in the van. Much screaming and contorting (to avoid getting into her car seat) came from Tessa, all while in front of the groomers, which happens to be next to the DMV, which happened to have a line outside the door waiting for them to open. "Sweetie," I assured her, "It's okay to leave the dog at the groomer." No dice. She still screamed and the people in line laughed. Which was kinda rude, but probably the most pleasant thing that can happen at the DMV so I let it slide.
Anyway the whole ride back to the house she was screaming at the top of her lungs, pointing back behind her, saying "That way, Daddy! That way! My Jake!"
So, the lesson here is to explain what we're going to do before we do it, or leave Tessa at home when it comes to Jake stuff. It all worked out. Jake's fur is cut and he's back home. When she saw Jake she ran up to him and hugged him. "I missed you Jake." Awww. Sweet moment.
Totally not worth the screaming.
So that was Wednesday.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Big Babies
So we had an ultrasound yesterday (well, Valerie did but you know what I mean) and they measured the babies. Keep in mind this is an estimate, but at this point the boy is 6lbs. 11 oz,. and the girl is 6lbs. 6 oz. That's over 13 pounds of baby in my wife's tummy-not to mention all the extra stuff like placentas and fluids and what not that goes along with it. No wonder the woman can't walk across the room without being short of breath.
Now, I'm carting around an extra 20-30 pounds myself these days and I can make it across the room just fine. But then to be fair, my extra weight is a little more evenly distributed. Also, it doesn't kick me.
For those of you keeping track Valerie is currently 34 weeks pregnant. The doctors want her to keep the babies in for as close to 38 weeks as possible. This is, of course, the best thing for the health and welfare of the twins. This way, we'll know that they are mature enough to come out and not be in the NICU. The only question is the health and welfare of Valerie. At this point of the pregnancy the babies are gaining about half a pond a week. Each. We could be talking 8-9 pound twins here. Talk about feeling miserable.
If she's having trouble catching her breath now, she'll need oxygen by the time these babies come out! The doctor said that shortness of breath is normal and okay. Really? Last I heard, not being able to breathe is not generally considered "okay", but what do I know? I'm not a doctor. I didn't go to Med school (Community college baby!), so I'm just operating on a goofy little thing called common sense. Which is probably why I don't understand the world most of the time.
Anyway, everything is going well with the pregnancy, and Valerie shows absolutely no signs of going into labor anytime soon. So the "Preliminary Date" for the scheduled c-section is May 17th. This can still change, but that's where we are right now.
As always, any prayers, good wishes and positive vibes you can send our way are welcome and appreciated. We'll keep y'all posted. I'll try to post something funny or ranty here next time.
For now, sleep.
Now, I'm carting around an extra 20-30 pounds myself these days and I can make it across the room just fine. But then to be fair, my extra weight is a little more evenly distributed. Also, it doesn't kick me.
For those of you keeping track Valerie is currently 34 weeks pregnant. The doctors want her to keep the babies in for as close to 38 weeks as possible. This is, of course, the best thing for the health and welfare of the twins. This way, we'll know that they are mature enough to come out and not be in the NICU. The only question is the health and welfare of Valerie. At this point of the pregnancy the babies are gaining about half a pond a week. Each. We could be talking 8-9 pound twins here. Talk about feeling miserable.
If she's having trouble catching her breath now, she'll need oxygen by the time these babies come out! The doctor said that shortness of breath is normal and okay. Really? Last I heard, not being able to breathe is not generally considered "okay", but what do I know? I'm not a doctor. I didn't go to Med school (Community college baby!), so I'm just operating on a goofy little thing called common sense. Which is probably why I don't understand the world most of the time.
Anyway, everything is going well with the pregnancy, and Valerie shows absolutely no signs of going into labor anytime soon. So the "Preliminary Date" for the scheduled c-section is May 17th. This can still change, but that's where we are right now.
As always, any prayers, good wishes and positive vibes you can send our way are welcome and appreciated. We'll keep y'all posted. I'll try to post something funny or ranty here next time.
For now, sleep.
Friday, April 16, 2010
New Neighbors
We have some new neighbors on our court. Well, actually they moved in this past winter but nobody really gets out and talks when it's cold out, so as far as I'm concerned they're new. Anyway, the other night we took our daughter Tessa out front to play and wound up in a conversation with the mom, Sophia, and four year old daughter Faith. As we talked, Faith tried to play with Tessa, but they're just a little too far apart in age to play well. Faith doesn't understand why Tessa can't talk to her very much or play her games, and Tessa sucks at Tag. I mean, she's only two so it's perfectly okay, but the girl just didn't get it.
So we decided to get out the sidewalk chalk and let the girls draw in our driveway, something they could do together. Now, at this point it should be mentioned that Faith just got a new baby brother just a few weeks ago (not sure how to spell his name but it's Aivin, I think), which is how we started up a conversation to begin with what with the wife being all preggers. So Faith decided to draw her family. She took extra care to draw in her brother.
Me: What's that picture of, Faith?
Faith: This is my brother, (draws a fairly large oval shape) and this is his penis.
Sophia turned bright red and buried her face in her hands.
Faith: And this is his pee.
She then proceeds to draw like a three foot line down my driveway. Her mom says something like "Faith, stop." To which Faith replies "Don't worry Mom, it's not really pee" and continues the line down my driveway.
And that's how we met the new neighbors!
So we decided to get out the sidewalk chalk and let the girls draw in our driveway, something they could do together. Now, at this point it should be mentioned that Faith just got a new baby brother just a few weeks ago (not sure how to spell his name but it's Aivin, I think), which is how we started up a conversation to begin with what with the wife being all preggers. So Faith decided to draw her family. She took extra care to draw in her brother.
Me: What's that picture of, Faith?
Faith: This is my brother, (draws a fairly large oval shape) and this is his penis.
Sophia turned bright red and buried her face in her hands.
Faith: And this is his pee.
She then proceeds to draw like a three foot line down my driveway. Her mom says something like "Faith, stop." To which Faith replies "Don't worry Mom, it's not really pee" and continues the line down my driveway.
And that's how we met the new neighbors!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
With Apologies To Tim Allen...
Tessa got her slide today. I had to build it. I hate building things. I get frustrated very easily and curse a lot. Which invariably makes the experience a bad one, especially if there's someone else involved who's just trying to help. Today wasn't so bad, I didn't really snap or say anything too out of line, but then my helper is amazingly pregnant...Anyway, Tessa enjoys the slide and I'm glad we could get it for her.
The thing is I'm just not wired to be a tool guy. I mean, I can use them well enough, I just don't enjoy it. If a tool is in my hand then either something is broken and I'm trying to avoid calling a guy, or the kids got a new toy. Now, some guys work on stuff around the house because they actually do enjoy it. I mean, sure, everyone wants their house to look nice but I take on projects out of necessity...these guys actually like doing that kind of stuff. I can't imagine.
And then there are some men who build stuff for fun. Not like cars or anything like that, they just make things. My father in law is like that, give the man some wood and tools to use on it and he's a happy guy. Which is fine, he does good work. There's nothing wrong with being a tool guy...I'm just not one. Now, I do like gadgets...but that's a whole other thing.
I know this goes against the conventional thinking but then conventional has never been my strong suit. It's supposed to be all manly to fix everything inside your house and out, build furniture, dig a pond, pave a path across the back yard to the combination garden shed/guesthouse you built after cutting down the trees yourself, and on and on...but I don't care. I think it's boring, tedious, and often unnecessary.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with physical labor. I did it professionally for years. What can I say, being paid helps. But I did enjoy being a maintenance professional (that's fancy talk for janitor), and there are other labor jobs that I'd consider doing if need be. Often times those types of jobs are referred to as "menial labor", mostly by people who sit in offices and have an unhealthy obsession with titles and plaques on the wall.
Well, I'm here to tell you, it ain't menial if you're the one doing it. There is a physical toll to be taken, as well as having to do a lot of problem solving (no two days are alike-you never know what's going to come up), all while dealing with special requests from clients which often make little sense, smiling and being friendly with the clients so the company looks good, and taking a whole heaping pile of sh*t via complaints about jobs that were done right (and usually messed up by the suit and tie guy doing the complaining). I did this type of job for most of my twenties and have given myself considerable damage to my back, knees and feet because of it-not to mention the lump in my lung from all the chemical exposure. It's not just the janitorial jobs either, this applies to construction, assembly lines, landscapers, etc. So when I complain about this stuff, it's not because I'm some candy-assed, lazy slacker who just can't handle doing "man's work". I've done plenty of it.
But I still don't enjoy it. I can do most projects around the house that need doing-and even if I've never done it before I can usually figure things out. I'd just rather be doing something else, like reading a good book, watching a film, playing or listening to music, writing, or venting on my blog to people who got bored about three paragraphs ago. That's all.
Have fun on the slide, Tessa. I (well, we) built it just for you. You do have to share with your siblings and cousins, but it's still your present. Daddy loves you lots. You can tell, I actually built something for you. Now, Valerie, about that cabinet...
The thing is I'm just not wired to be a tool guy. I mean, I can use them well enough, I just don't enjoy it. If a tool is in my hand then either something is broken and I'm trying to avoid calling a guy, or the kids got a new toy. Now, some guys work on stuff around the house because they actually do enjoy it. I mean, sure, everyone wants their house to look nice but I take on projects out of necessity...these guys actually like doing that kind of stuff. I can't imagine.
And then there are some men who build stuff for fun. Not like cars or anything like that, they just make things. My father in law is like that, give the man some wood and tools to use on it and he's a happy guy. Which is fine, he does good work. There's nothing wrong with being a tool guy...I'm just not one. Now, I do like gadgets...but that's a whole other thing.
I know this goes against the conventional thinking but then conventional has never been my strong suit. It's supposed to be all manly to fix everything inside your house and out, build furniture, dig a pond, pave a path across the back yard to the combination garden shed/guesthouse you built after cutting down the trees yourself, and on and on...but I don't care. I think it's boring, tedious, and often unnecessary.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with physical labor. I did it professionally for years. What can I say, being paid helps. But I did enjoy being a maintenance professional (that's fancy talk for janitor), and there are other labor jobs that I'd consider doing if need be. Often times those types of jobs are referred to as "menial labor", mostly by people who sit in offices and have an unhealthy obsession with titles and plaques on the wall.
Well, I'm here to tell you, it ain't menial if you're the one doing it. There is a physical toll to be taken, as well as having to do a lot of problem solving (no two days are alike-you never know what's going to come up), all while dealing with special requests from clients which often make little sense, smiling and being friendly with the clients so the company looks good, and taking a whole heaping pile of sh*t via complaints about jobs that were done right (and usually messed up by the suit and tie guy doing the complaining). I did this type of job for most of my twenties and have given myself considerable damage to my back, knees and feet because of it-not to mention the lump in my lung from all the chemical exposure. It's not just the janitorial jobs either, this applies to construction, assembly lines, landscapers, etc. So when I complain about this stuff, it's not because I'm some candy-assed, lazy slacker who just can't handle doing "man's work". I've done plenty of it.
But I still don't enjoy it. I can do most projects around the house that need doing-and even if I've never done it before I can usually figure things out. I'd just rather be doing something else, like reading a good book, watching a film, playing or listening to music, writing, or venting on my blog to people who got bored about three paragraphs ago. That's all.
Have fun on the slide, Tessa. I (well, we) built it just for you. You do have to share with your siblings and cousins, but it's still your present. Daddy loves you lots. You can tell, I actually built something for you. Now, Valerie, about that cabinet...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Babies And Stuff
I've been meaning to post for a while now, but I'm just so busy lately that every time I get a few minutes at night I'm too tired to bother with typing. I'm here now though, so I'll try to catch up.
There has been a lot of work done around the house in anticipation of the twins. So far we have purchased furniture (a rocking chair for their room, a new kitchen cabinet unit to make more storage space, and an awesome new couch with hide a bed), a new mini-van (2009 Town & Country, very nice, practical and powder blue. My inner punk rocker just kicked himself.), and lots of stuff. I mean, baby stuff. Clothes, diapers, room decorations, etc. So we are in the process of getting the house ready. Some days it looks a little like a disaster area, but things are moving along. Besides, with three small children the house will never be clean again, so unless there are at least four people coming over as company I'm not sweating it.
Now, with time as limited as it is, we've been feeling the crunch and been a bit overwhelmed. Up until just this past Tuesday, we were thinking we had about 3-4 weeks. However, our children are doing splendidly. They are both healthy and strong, and Valerie's health is doing just fine. She's tired a lot, but that's to be expected. So now Valerie's doctor, who is the queen of the worrriers and tends to err on the side of caution almost to a fault, has had a change of heart. She now believes that we can keep the kids in longer since everything is going so well. The timetable has shifted from 3-4 weeks to 3-6 weeks, which takes us from a target date of May 4th to May 21st. Don't worry Derek, your birthday is still safe.
Of course, this could all change. After the next ultrasound in two weeks we'll probably have a better idea. Valerie's seeing doctors weekly as is, with check-ups and non stress tests and whatever else they do with pregnant ladies. Right now the boy is bigger than the girl, which is fine, but if he gets too big or she doesn't get big enough, the doctor might take the twins out early. If, God forbid, Valerie's blood pressure gets too high or she becomes too weak or gets sick they'd probably come early too. Or Valerie could just go into labor early, as far as that goes.
The bottom line is we're not really sure when things will happen yet, but everyone wants what's best for the babies. Obviously the longer they stay in the healthier they'll be. So we're fine with the twins staying in as long as they need to. It will help them grow, it will give us a little more time to get things ready, and if I'm lucky it just might free me up to go see Pearl Jam. That's a low priority over my family of course, and is a decision that would be made close to or on the day of the concert, but it'd be cool.*
In other news, Tessa's birthday is coming up. She'll be two years old, and her entire world is about to change. That's both good and bad, so we're going to try to give her a very cool birthday this year. We've got an idea for a big gift for her which would involve yours truly putting stuff together and a toddler sized structure for the back yard. Again, that's both good and bad, but she'd love it and in another two years her siblings can share so I think it's worth it. Wow, I just realized I'm trying to hint around the gift as though she could read this-I guess I'm used to spelling it around the girl. So nobody tell her about the s-l-i-d-e. Especially if she doesn't get it, 'cause that'd just be mean.
Okay, gonna wrap this up. Talk to you later.
*About that concert, I also need to figure in that Rush is coming in August and I'm pretty sure I can make that one, so it depends on when tickets are on sale for that if I can see PJ or not...and also there's my Chicago Iron Maiden road trip...and I think I'm going to try and start some sort of continuation of the band with my brother...lots going on music-wise as well.
There has been a lot of work done around the house in anticipation of the twins. So far we have purchased furniture (a rocking chair for their room, a new kitchen cabinet unit to make more storage space, and an awesome new couch with hide a bed), a new mini-van (2009 Town & Country, very nice, practical and powder blue. My inner punk rocker just kicked himself.), and lots of stuff. I mean, baby stuff. Clothes, diapers, room decorations, etc. So we are in the process of getting the house ready. Some days it looks a little like a disaster area, but things are moving along. Besides, with three small children the house will never be clean again, so unless there are at least four people coming over as company I'm not sweating it.
Now, with time as limited as it is, we've been feeling the crunch and been a bit overwhelmed. Up until just this past Tuesday, we were thinking we had about 3-4 weeks. However, our children are doing splendidly. They are both healthy and strong, and Valerie's health is doing just fine. She's tired a lot, but that's to be expected. So now Valerie's doctor, who is the queen of the worrriers and tends to err on the side of caution almost to a fault, has had a change of heart. She now believes that we can keep the kids in longer since everything is going so well. The timetable has shifted from 3-4 weeks to 3-6 weeks, which takes us from a target date of May 4th to May 21st. Don't worry Derek, your birthday is still safe.
Of course, this could all change. After the next ultrasound in two weeks we'll probably have a better idea. Valerie's seeing doctors weekly as is, with check-ups and non stress tests and whatever else they do with pregnant ladies. Right now the boy is bigger than the girl, which is fine, but if he gets too big or she doesn't get big enough, the doctor might take the twins out early. If, God forbid, Valerie's blood pressure gets too high or she becomes too weak or gets sick they'd probably come early too. Or Valerie could just go into labor early, as far as that goes.
The bottom line is we're not really sure when things will happen yet, but everyone wants what's best for the babies. Obviously the longer they stay in the healthier they'll be. So we're fine with the twins staying in as long as they need to. It will help them grow, it will give us a little more time to get things ready, and if I'm lucky it just might free me up to go see Pearl Jam. That's a low priority over my family of course, and is a decision that would be made close to or on the day of the concert, but it'd be cool.*
In other news, Tessa's birthday is coming up. She'll be two years old, and her entire world is about to change. That's both good and bad, so we're going to try to give her a very cool birthday this year. We've got an idea for a big gift for her which would involve yours truly putting stuff together and a toddler sized structure for the back yard. Again, that's both good and bad, but she'd love it and in another two years her siblings can share so I think it's worth it. Wow, I just realized I'm trying to hint around the gift as though she could read this-I guess I'm used to spelling it around the girl. So nobody tell her about the s-l-i-d-e. Especially if she doesn't get it, 'cause that'd just be mean.
Okay, gonna wrap this up. Talk to you later.
*About that concert, I also need to figure in that Rush is coming in August and I'm pretty sure I can make that one, so it depends on when tickets are on sale for that if I can see PJ or not...and also there's my Chicago Iron Maiden road trip...and I think I'm going to try and start some sort of continuation of the band with my brother...lots going on music-wise as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)