Thanksgiving

I am way behind on writing so I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving last week. I was in charge of making the potatoes and stuffing and my In-Laws did the turkey and other side dishes. We had a nice meal that Gavin refused to eat any of. It wasn't until about 2 hours later that Gavin was hungry and wanted to try the food. He has been going through a phase of being a picky eater and seems to rebel when it's meal time. I don't force him to eat but I do get frustrated that he wants to eat at different times than we do since that makes double the work for me. In the end, as long as he eats, I'm happy.

The next day, Black Friday, I woke up at 3:00am and couldn't get back to sleep. I ended up picking my sister up at 4:00 am and driving to JC Penney's. We both got a nice sheet set that was 50% off and I got some new pillows for my new bed. Yay! Then we drove to Sears and shopped around for a bit, then Target and Mervyns, and then home before 7am. I actually walked in the door just moments before Gavin woke up. Perfect Timing. I LOVE shopping and Black Friday is usually the day I have the most fun out of the year. This year there weren't as many sales or maybe just nothing I was interested in so it wasn't as much fun as it has been in the past. I did get a Kodak Digital picture frame and some Play-Doh on sale which Gavin is thrilled about. He has been playing with his play-doh everyday since he pulled it out of the Target bag.

Today I am hoping to get a live Christmas Tree at Home Depot and I am attending a cookie exchange with some other mommies. I can't believe I actually baked over 100 pumpkin cookies! It will be really yummy to have so many different types of cookies to take home and sample. I'll let you know how they were after I gain 10 pounds and get diabetes, j/k.

Monday is Jon's 26th Birthday and I am racking my brain as to what to do for him. He is a tough one to shop for since he always says he doesn't need anything. I still have to give it some thought and try to find the time to pick up a cake for him this weekend. Have to run!

Cold Season

We've all been fighting a cold for over a week and it's driving me nuts! For some reason my left nostril is always full and congested but my right nostril is fine and I can breathe out of it. After a few days of this I feel like my entire head is lopsided due to one side being more congested than the other. Gavin's nose has been running like a leaky faucet and as soon as I run to wipe it he has already smeared it all over his hands and cheeks. I'm working on getting him to blow his nose, but so far he holds the Kleenex over his nose and then makes a loud blowing sound through his mouth. It's very cute but I hope he learns to blow his nose the correct way soon. :)

My husband is out shopping for a new mattress. Our current Queen sized mattress is awful! We bought it in Fayetteville NC, back some 5 years ago, for less than 300 dollars. It was a refurbished very shady looking store and I still question what our mattress was actually re-stuffed with. All I know is it now looks and feels like a flattened pancake, so you get what you pay for. We are upgrading (well anything would be an upgrade at this point) to a Standard King size. As I'm getting more and more pregnant and Gavin gets larger we are realizing the Queen bed just isn't big enough for our expanding family. It's going to be a pain to have to buy all new sheets but in the end it will be worth it.

Have to run now, Gavin just woke up from his nap!~

It's been a long time!

Wow it has been months since I have posted a blog. I don't have much time to fill in the gaps right now, but just wanted to say to any of you that have been wondering what happened to me... I'm still here!

I'm 35 wks pregnant- scheduled C-section December 12th. Gavin is now over 2 1/2 and doing great!

I miss the blogging world and hopefully will be back and posting in the near future.

Birthday Fun

Well my 25th Birthday was on Friday, as well as my Dad's Birthday (he turned 48), and my Brother In Law turned (46).  I seem to know a lot of September babies, but maybe that's just because I'm more aware of it.  Anyway Thursday night we celebrated a day early with carrot cake and Chinese Delivery with my In Laws.  Friday Jon took me to the mall and let me pick out something I wanted and got some chocolates at Sees.  That evening we went to my Grandmother's house and had more cake and spent time with my Father and Sister.  I got a ton of maternity clothes, some gift cards, and a new diaper bag!!  YAY!  I don't remember ever getting so much attention for my Birthday, but it was really nice.  Saturday late morning Jon took me to The Broken Yoke for brunch and we spent the day just being together.  My MIL took Gavin to Mexico on Friday so Jon and I had two nights of alone time.  We rented movies and actually slept in the same bed together!  Of course I miss Gavin and I am waiting for him to come home so I can shower him with love and kisses.. BUT it was really nice to have time alone with my husband.  All in all the past three days have been wonderfully amazing, and I feel so blessed to have such a great husband.  

The job hunting still continues...  we hope to find out tomorrow whether there is a potential job offer in Magna Utah with his old Company.  Honestly it's the best job we can get and the only one we have a shot at, so I can't stop hoping it will work out for us.  I would hate to leave San Diego, but it would mean a great job with benefits, and a larger home with less financial burdens.  Cross your fingers for us!

Bad Words on Sesame Street!

Adult humor, but no actual bad words are used.

What day is it again?

This week has gone by so quickly. Jon came down with the flu that I had had two weeks ago on Sunday night. Only now is he feeling back to normal and able to eat solid foods. I am just thankful that Gavin seemed to brush over with only minor symptoms and was healthy within 24 hrs. Tomorrow is my 24 week check up, and I'm a bit nervous since I know I'm gaining too much weight. I can tell just by looking at my chubby cheeks. I only have one more visit (28 wks) before our health insurance drops, so that also makes me worried. Hopefully I will get a letter from Medi-Cal saying that I'm covered within the next few weeks.

No luck still on the job hunt. Jon contacted a recruiter from his Company and asked if they had any out of State job openings, so we're crossing our fingers that a good opportunity will arise. I wouldn't mind moving as a temporary means (maybe a couple of years?) if it meant we had a good job with benefits, and could afford a larger home. In San Diego I just don't see us ever affording a home. In Utah, or West Virgina I have looked up housing and it is SO MUCH cheaper! I really hope something pulls through, whether at home or abroad.

I put Gavin in his Halloween pumpkin sack. He didn't want to stay in it for very long, but I got a good picture before he tore it off. I found it on EBay, used for 10 dollars (that included shipping). Yay for used costumes!

Jim's Birthday

Last Tuesday night (I know I am way late at posting), we went out to celebrate my Father In Law's Birthday. I haven't been out, without Gavin, for a nice dinner in at least a year. It's been so long that I can't remember. Anyway Jon, his parents, his older brother Josh and his Fiance went too. Great-Grandma and Grandpa on my side of the family, came over and watched Gavin for the night. Thank goodness for relatives that don't mind baby-sitting. :) They took Gavin to Chick-fil -A for about an hour jumping in the bouncy jump and having a blast. Every Tuesday night Chick-fil-A has a free bouncy jump and a person dressed in a cow costume for kids. If you purchase an adult meal you get the children's meal free and they even have an art table inside with some activities for the older children. This is our second Tuesday going and I plan on making it a regular event. He can spend hours jumping and still not be worn out.

While he was have a merry old time, we went to a local restaurant called Saskas. It was quiet and dark, and smelled like yummy garlic bread. Mmm... just remembering the food makes my stomach growl. I ordered halibut and mashed potatoes, with a crab soup. Rarely do I get to enjoy good seafood since my husband HATES it. He and the other men all ordered large slabs of steak, while we ladies ordered fish and salads. My FIL also ordered calamari, oysters, and fried zucchini. By the time we were all done eating you had to practically roll us home. I snuck away and found the waitress to ask for a slice of mud pie to surprise him.

It was a great night. I only wish we could do it more often. Maybe I'll get lucky and get to go out for my Birthday this Friday.

Sparklers

Daddy decided to show Gavin what sparklers are a few nights ago. We had gotten quite a few sparklers and fireworks in July when we were in Utah, so we pulled a few out and had a fun night. Gavin has been a real fire bug the past few months. He LOVES to blow out candles so we have gotten in a routine of lighting a few small scented candles before bed and sitting in the dark starring at them. After a few minutes Gavin blows one out and then waits a few minutes to blow out the next one (he has learned not to blow them out too quickly since that means bedtime). We are very clear about how the flame is hot and you have to be very careful around them... so far so good. My husband recalls all the little GI Joe's and household items he burned when he was a kid, I guess it's in their blood.

Sunday

It's been a long time since I've written anything so I'm way behind. Gavin may wake up any minute so I will try to keep this short. Haven't heard anything back from Medi-Cal, usually takes weeks to get any sort of response from the County. No responses from any jobs that Jon has applied for- sign that things are really bad. One more month of health care and pay checks and then we're all on our own.

In the past few weeks I have known 3 people that have gotten laid off (one of which was my husband). The reality really set in at how bad our economy is getting and how many people are looking for work. He may be forced to work at Target or some other retail type job until he can find a good job with benefits. Money is money where ever it comes from... but retail jobs really stink! (I know since I have worked them before).

I have actually asked my husband to look into relocating through his Company. I don't know if it will pan out, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to see if their are open positions paying well in other States. It would really scare me to have to move away from both our families, but if the offer was good enough, we would seriously consider it. San Diego is just so expensive when it comes to housing, food, gas..., just about everything, lol. I'm trying not to panic, but it really scares me to not have a future plan. What if Gavin gets sick and we don't have health insurance? What if another couple of months role by and we don't have money for rent or food? I know we won't really suffer since we do have the support of our families, but it's just not fun to think about.

I REALLY really really hope we get an interview or call backs this next week. There has to be some light at the end of the tunnel. :) Besides that we've been a happy little family. Gavin has now learned to say "RRR" like a pirate. We ask him what a pirate says and in a very low guttural voice he says "RRR". Funny how he gets a kick out of saying sounds like "Moo, and Boo!", but still doesn't say words (besides Momma and Dadda). I know he's heard the word "Hi" and "Bye" a million times, but he just doesn't try to say them. Sometimes I think he just doesn't want to talk. Hopefully with his little brother on the way, he will be forced into talking out of competition for our attention. The speech therapist seems to think that will be the case.

Better end this now before Gavin runs in and attacks me.

Happy Labor Day everyone! Friday is my Birthday (and my Dad's Birthday) so I'm counting down the days for CAKE! I can't believe tomorrow is September! Where did this month go?

Medi-Cal

Why oh why do I get so stressed out just saying the word Medi-cal? Well let me tell you why... I had an appointment at 7am this morning so I end up waking up at 5:30am and can't seem to get back to sleep. Gavin is still sound asleep so I creep around and get ready. I end up arriving at the County Services Office just before 6:30am and wait around in my car for about 15 minutes before realizing that people are starting to form a line in front of the place. The security guard opens the doors not too long after that and has us all go through a metal detector and show her our bags. We form another line and wait about 10 minutes for someone to start checking us in for our appointments. I am the third or fourth person in line.. not bad for arriving a half an hour early.

Then the real waiting begins... more and more families start showing up and the seats start filling up around me. I start watching the children's movie they have playing since it's the only thing to look at while I wait (The Fox and The Hound). When I checked in the woman at the front desk had given me a small packet to fill out and had told me to hold onto it when I was done and wait for my name to be called. I filled it out and waited. It wasn't until after 7:35 that the first few people were called, but I wasn't one of them (strange how we all had 7am appointments). The time continued to tick away, as my stress level rose up and up. I knew my husband was dealing with Gavin and would start to wonder where I was within the hour. As 8am rolled around I decided to double check at the front desk why my 7am appointment still hadn't been called. Now a man is at the desk and shuffles through some papers, "Oh, you weren't marked off that you were here." I was like WTF?! So I had been waiting an hour because no one knew I was there!?

Right after he types my name into the computer my name gets called. I run to the door and the worker right away asks why I am an hour late. I tell her I was waiting there since 6:30 this morning and that someone had screwed up and not checked me in. She accepts my apology and goes to her computer. Well, wouldn't you know her computer won't start up. She swears it was just working and starts to reboot it and unplug it, etc etc.. then calls someone in to try and fix why it won't show a screen. At this point I am so upset. Finally after 10 minutes she decides we need to switch rooms and find a computer that works. THANK GOD!

Now comes the paperwork. I tried to be prepared as best as I could and pull out all the IDs and pay roll, and medical paper work before she even asks for it. Then she ask for me, my husband, and Gavin's birth certificates, Social Security Cards, my Marriage Certificate, and my husbands CA ID. I was like WHAT? I am just trying to get insurance to cover my pregnancy, nothing else. Not only this but Gavin was born on Medi-Cal and I know that they had all this paper work on file from just less than two years ago. She even showed that I was on Medi-Cal back in 2007 on her computer! I tell her I didn't bring all our birth certificates or ID cards because I thought it was just for me, and that I had already done this just a year ago. She basically says, "I told you on the phone to bring EVERYTHING. Also I don't have your old file here, but if I find it then I can double check what you have... BUT until then I need to see ALL your paperwork." Immediately she pulls out the dreaded pink form and starts to list off all the things I didn't bring with me, and tells me she can't process or start my file until she receives these items... AND I only have 10 days to get them to her. On top of that she wants my husbands last pay stub, which of course I don't have yet, and PROOF OF PREGNANCY! I mean I am obviously showing as I waddled by ass in there, but she has to have a letter from my Dr. saying that I am pregnant? I am so frustrated by the end of our hour long process that as soon as I get to my car I start crying. I end up getting home by 9:30 (3 HOURS LATER!), and get to deal with my husband who is wondering where the hell I have been for so long. He doesn't like that he had to get up at 6:30am and take care of our son all morning..although after he heard the crap I went through he apologized.

Oh another random thing that upset me was before I had my appointment I was sitting watching other people going through the security check point. I noticed the security guard let a pregnant woman go around the x-ray machine and warned her not to go through it. I immediately think, what the hell? She made me go through the machine, is it something that can hurt the baby? I should have said something, but at the time I just sat there and quietly and just let it go.

Am I over reacting? I know in the end it's just their job (even though my entire family was born in San Diego, and I know they can easily see from my past file all the papers she's requiring), but it really stressed me out. My husband thinks I should complain but I wouldn't even know who to complain to. I just hope I can get all the required papers mailed ASAP and get the ball rolling.