Week from Hell

Ok so I'm hoping not to rant and rave on the first post I've done in 3 weeks but maybe that's what I'll do. This week has been hell and it isn't getting any better.

This week I've worked 3 consecutive doubles, had a sinus headache for 2 consecutive days as well as a sore throat, missed the Sate of the Union address (because of the head ache), spent an hour tracking down a missing textbook, went to the dreaded dentist, and taken Lizzy to the doctor's office 4 times in the last 8 days.

On a good note, I've started my classes and I think the only thing that is really going to take some time is the terminology. I have a quiz every week in it and its tough. I have assignments due every Wednesday but on Fridays I go over everything with my Preceptor so I'm always 4 days ahead of everything. I've taken 4 quizzes and I have 2 - 100's and 2 - 95's so far. I'm hoping everything will continue to go this smoothly but we will see. Of course, all my hopes of everything going smoothly were crushed when I spent an hour tracking down a lost textbook. I hate UPS.

With the bipolar mechanisms of weather over the last 2 weeks my allergies as well as John's have decided to throw us in a ping-pong like battle over who gets to own the box of Kleenex for the day and go to bed early for the night. We have both decided to get allergy tested in the near future. Of course my night to go to bed early was Tuesday evening. I figured it was a good idea when I realized that 30 minutes into the State of the Union address that I thought Bush's tie had changed colors. Come on! He's worn the same damn tie in every nationally televised speech since he became president.

Of course the hunt for a receptionist at work goes on and on and with everyone back in classes it's even tougher to cover shifts in both departments. I'm begging for help but the problem is everyone right now is getting overtime and working doubles and there is no slack unfortunately. In fact my boss called me today while John was at work to ask if I could come in. I'll see how Saturday went when I go in tomorrow.

I also did something this week that I absolutely hate. I went to the dentist and got a cleaning and consultation. And for the most part he didn't tell me anything I did not already know. So in the next few weeks I will be making an appointment to see an oral surgeon and get my wisdom teeth taken out and my permanent retainer reevaluated and potentially removed. Of course this doesn't help my sanity any seeing as I have a very irrational fear of dentists and just making the appointment makes my hands go clammy and I have an almost overwhelmingly urge to burst into tears. So pass the box of Kleenex.

And the load of all news to tell. Lizzy has reached a milestone in her life. She has her 3rd ear infection since November. Ok so not exactly the best milestone but it sequeway's into the whole 4 doctor's visits in 8 days. Last Friday we took her to the doctor because she had a cold and we needed to get a flu shot booster and lo and behold she had an ear infection - no shock there. She went on a medication to help with the cough as well as an antibiotic for her ears and that was a blast. Saturday night she was up vomiting and on Sunday she started having diarrhea and reddish orange stools. Slightly alarming since the tugging at her ears wasn't getting any better. We after doing some research one of the side effects of the antibiotic - which is Omnicef btw - when given with iron enriched formula causes the stool to change to the reddish color we were seeing but also 9 out of 10 kids have mild diarrhea. Ok not such a big deal until we couldn't get her to really play with us for 2 days in a row which is so not like her so I called the Dr's office and spoke to a nurse that recommended that I try and give the antibiotic in bananas instead to help with the diarrhea or put her on a probiotic to replenish good bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. After explaining that she was only addressing one of my concerns she decided to speak to the doctor and call me back. Of course he wouldn't just switch antibiotics so I had to take her in this past Thursday and he recommended doing antibiotic shots for 3 consecutive days (which explains the 4 visits total) I know I kinda pushed into the topic but I talked her pediatrician into referring her out to an ENT (ears, nose, and throat) specialist for potential tubes in her ears. Seeing as cold and flu season still have 4 more months and she's already had 3 infections I asked what the likelyhood of her getting another one was and he caved. Oh the persuasive mother I am. So we will be following up this infection with a visit to the ENT and hopefully we can resume sanity in the house.

A few other topics of interest: My sister is moving back to the US in October. They are moving to somewhere in Kansas. Closer to home for my Dad's sake but not so close that I'm obligated to visit often. And if you have not already visited the site John has posted new pictures up for everyone to see.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GABBYGIRL!

IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE YOU ARE 4 ALREADY.

HOPE IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR YOU!

In The New Year

Today is January 3rd 2007. At this time I have currently worked 23 hours in the new year. I've started the paperwork going for my Veterinary Technician Program and I've helped John with end-of-year financial overlook. So what have I learned from 2006 and what do I plan to do with 2007? Well here goes...

In 2006 I learned that....
....a 3-day weekend for a cousin-in-law's wedding does not constitute a vacation (especially if the grandparents-in-laws go too)
....funerals suck.
....I have 2 gaurdian angels watching out for us.
.....giving birth isn't hard as long as you have an epidural.
....coming home with the newborn is hard.
.....going back to work after spending 9 weeks with your baby is one of the hardest things to do.
.....along with the additional money a promotion doubles your work load.
....cleaning one thing a night is sufficient to keep your sanity.
.....24 hours is just not enough hours in one day.

In 2007 I will.....
.....visit my family more.
.....make more time for me.
.....try and get together with my friends more.
.....cook more.
.....take the time to have alone time with my family and make more special time for them.
.....shave the cats - okay so that's just to see if you were paying attention.

I vowed a long time ago that I wouldn't make a New Year's Resolution - I can never keep them so why let myself be faced with disappointment. These aren't resolutions...they're promises.

I look back at the last year and realized that this year has been one of the worst and one of the best years of my life. It has been hard but we survived and we are doing well.

Things we have planned to do in 2007:
1. Continue to build up retirement savings and Lizzy's college fund.
2. Start looking for a house - we don't expect to have one until 2008 but we can start looking.
3. Continue to pay off debt - we still have $66k in student loans and car - but all the credit cards are paid off WOOT!

I wish everyone well in the New Year and I hope you all have goals to achieve over the next several months.