3 Reasons to Remember October 15th

Pregancy & Infant Loss Rememberance Day.

Our 4th Anniversary

The 3rd Anniversary of Grandpa's Death

Love You Always Grandpa. Miss You BUNCHES!

Wordless Wednesday: BAAAAAAAA

T is for...

• Thyroid....After much Google MD'ing, I am certain it is my thyroid that is messing with me. I am not a hypochondriac like my sister who claims to have every disease and ailment known to man (is it a good idea for her to be in the health industry?) But seriously. The past several weeks I have been T.I.R.E.D. like around 9:00 I am struggling to keep my eyes open. Also, the weight gain I talked about the other day is another "symptom." It's driving me crazy not knowing, so I just called the doctor's office but got the nurse v/m. Probably because it's their lunch time. UGH - why do health professionals need lunch breaks? I want to know my results!
• Tooth....as in Miles' first tooth! It's here! It's broke through the gum! And we didn't even know it! Yeah, I know. WORST.MOMMY.EVER! But seriously, he was munching on my finger on Saturday and I didn't feel anything. Then yesterday it was time for booby, but our friend stopped by for a quick visit so I had to give him something to pacify him for a minute and then CHOMP on my finger! AAAHHH! It's on the bottom in the middle, you know standard first teefies. I am nervous now because my great niece who has my great-great-nephew (I know, I am OLD - actually Dean is but that's besides the point!) is 10 days older than Miles got his first 2 teeth about a month ago and his mommy had to quit BF'ing because he was a biter! EEEEKKK! I can only imagine the pain this will cause....Any tips or tricks to keeping him from not biting? My neighbor said she would gently tap on her daugther's cheek, say no, and then if she did it again she would squeeze her cheeks and say no. Eventually she got the point and didn't bite anymore.
• Time...How does my boy know what time it is? Or what day it is for that matter? Since I have came back to work, I get up at 4:30 to nurse him before work. I don't do it on the weekends (so we can all sleep in) and he wakes up on his own anywhere from 7:15-8:30. So I decided over the weekend that starting this week, I wasn't going to do the early morning feeding anymore. And because 5:00 AM sounds SO MUCH BETTER than 4:30 AM! Monday, my alarm went off at 5:00. I pushed the button for the video on the monitor. Guess who's flipped to their back, eyes open, fingers in mouth? Yes, that would be Miles. But now that I got up 30 minutes later, I don't have time to get ready, get my crap together, and feed him too. Of course the husband is freaking because he doesn't know what to do with him for 2 hours - milk, cereal, play, what? UGH. So I scramble to get ready and have him get my pump, phone, badge, keys, and shoes together so I could squeeze in a 20 minute nursing session. WHEW - I was all discombobulated by the time I got to the office. But my question is still how come Miles sleeps late on the weekends but expects this 4:30 feeding Monday-Friday only? Makes no damn sense to me. Suffice it to say, I compromised and woke up at 4:45...

UGH - The Rain!

Not necessarily a title that goes with the post, but man I am tired of the drizzles we have been having the past week or so. Ever since it got "cold" i.e. 65 degrees outside (not like where Leah, Nikki or Nancy live!) , it's been wet and nasty. ICK.

Anyway....I didn't really "win" this award nor was I even nominated for it. But I saw it on several of my bloggy buddies' sites and Nancy even said I could have it if I wanted since she nominated nobody. So here I go:

Here are the rules:
1. you can only use one word!
2. pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers (see below)
3. alert them that you have given them this award!
4. have fun! (this is a “rule?”)


The Fun Part:

1. Where is your cell phone? charging
2. Your hair? curly
3. your mother? sweet
4. Your father? changed
5. Your favorite food? beans
6. Your dream last night? none
7. Your favorite drink? tea
8. Your dream/goal? mom
9. What room are you in? cube
10. Your hobby? cakes
11. Your fear? drowning
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? PTA
13. Where were you last night? home
14. Something that you aren't? tall
15. Muffins? pumpkin
16. Wish list item? gadgets
17. Where did you grow up? Texas
18. Last thing you did? meeting
19. What are you wearing? skechers
20. Your TV? home
21. Your pets? scared
22. Friends? great
23. Your life? super
24. Your mood? sleepy
25. Missing someone? yes
26. Vehicle? carpool
27. Something you're not wearing? earrings
28. Your favorite store? Michael’s
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When was the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? weeks
32. Your best friend? S
33. One place that I go to over and over? HEB
34. One person who emails me regularly? Pampers
35. Favorite place to eat? Gringo’s

TAGGED:
On My Mind 24/7
BrandyH2007
Melody
Rae
Nikki
PJ

Back to the Gyn's office

So I went to the gyn's office yesterday for my yearly checkup. You
would think after having her and Dr. H look at it so many times during
a 14 month span, that she would just give me a free pass...

But no. I even had to fill out all new paperwork even though I was
there in July. "everyone has to once a year," she says.

Physical check of hoohoo and milk makers are good. Pap results in a
few days. Bad news? (and I knew this) I am up over my pre-pregnancy
weight. I dropped all of my baby + IF treatment weight within like 3
weeks. I was estatic because I thought if I lost that much, that fast,
then I would be skinny-minny after 6 months of bf'ing. But no such
luck. I began to notice if I didn't eat a lot AND have snacks, then my
milk production would decrease. So I have been having more calories
but only because I have to.

Doc says that it could be my thyroid. She has seen lots of women's
thyroids act up post-partum. UGH. I thought I was through with weird
things being wrong with me that my friends don't have i.e. IF.

So the lab drew sone blood and I'll have those results soon.

Just something else to contemplate all weekend.

P.S. The van was sent an email today stating that they must start
recruiting more riders, otherwise the van will be disbanned! See, she
thinks she won by me quitting. But looks like I get the last laugh
this time!!

The D.R.A.M.A. continues...

So the van ride home yesterday was mostly silent. Then (like I knew she would) as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, she held up the keys and asked who was taking the van home because she wasn't driving anymore.
*INSERT SILENCE*
Hello - someone needs to take the van because I am not the driver anymore.
*INSERT SILENCE*
Finally someone spoke up and said that we never intended on not having her as the driver, no one made fun of her driving abilities, this was nothing personal, just a group decision to change the departure time....in so many words.

After 20 minutes of "discussion," it was determined that yes, she would still be the driver, yes we would leave at 6:00, and yes she was totally not happy with it.

As it turns out, I have my yearly PAP today so I didn't have the pleasure of riding at 6:00 this morning. I asked someone who did ride how it was and if they did leave and arrive on time. They did - she complained the entire time - and they got to work on time. VD holds grudges from here to eternity and has said as much. She hasn't spoken to a couple of ladies here in 15 years because of something that happened eons ago. I don't plan on staying in that grudge category of hers. Nor do I want the stress, tension, and DRAMA that comes with remaining on this dramatic ass, soap opera of a van.

This, hereby, is my resignation from Van #7878.

And onto another stressful front...Dean called me yesterday and said he had more bad news. The sitter told him that she recently found out that she has high blood pressure. They are going to begin treating her with drugs to try and get it down. If this doesn't work, the doctor told her that she needs to change her lifestyle to be less stressful i.e. quit keeping Miles. She said he is not stressful in any way, but just less activity. This baffles me because another reason for reducing the BP is because they are trying to have another baby. If MY baby causes you stress, why would YOUR baby not? UGH. She said if she does have to quit, it would be near the end of November - early December. Perfect time to look for a new sitter during the holidays, right?

So basically in 3 weeks, we are going to start looking again - just in case. Because it took forever last time and I don't want to not have a Plan B "in case" she does have to quit.

See - get rid of one stressful point in my life, just to have another take its place...

But isn't this all worth it?

As The Van Turns...

Today on As The Van Turns....

We have the most dramatic of all vans in our company! There is always some he said, she said, she's wearing too much perfume (me), I have allergies, why does she always get the front seat, he is always late, CRAP going on!

We have been 5-10 minutes late every day for the past 2 weeks or so. To some, this is no big deal, but we have several riders whose managers are getting onto them for missing 5-10 minutes here and there. Because look at it, and in the long run, that's a lot of missed work.

Another manager said something to someone on Monday. He even went as far to say that he needs to make up the time - during lunch or after work. Now being that we ride a van, working "over" really isn't fair to the rest of us who want to leave on time. Roger (van guy - he doesn't read my blog, I can use his IRL name) brought it up on the way home Monday afternoon that we just can't be late anymore and that he isn't missing his lunch time so something needs to happen. He suggested leaving at 6:00 instead of 6:05. Van driver (VD) said no. She doesn't like getting up and leaving any earlier than the last possible minute. This is why she arrives at 6:04 or 6:05 every day when departure time IS 6:05. Meanwhile, the riders are there anywhere from 5:50-6:00.

Another rider recently had foot surgery and in lieu of crutches, is using this knee walker AKA scooter. (They are pretty nifty if you are ever in the need, you can rent them here.) So when we are loading up, he gets in the front seat and Roger takes his scooter to the back to put it in the van. This literally only takes an extra 30-45 seconds, but since the van doesn't arrive until right on time, then we don't end up leaving until 6:06 or 6:07. Now, I know you are thinking, GEEZ, this is only an extra minute or 2 late, but in Houston traffic, this means all the difference in the world!

The van driver (VD) lives the closest to the parking lot we meet in. Literally only has 1 stop light and takes maybe 1 minute from her house. We are supposed to leave at 6:05 sharp but because we have to actually get in the van and not magically appear inside it, it takes a few minutes. VD is of course blaming the tardiness on the scooter loading. This is not true. If the van arrived early like we do, then we would have ample time to get us all in, including the scooter.

So nothing was decided Monday. Tuesday, same song, second verse. We got to our desks at 6:36. At 4:30, we were ready to leave including Scooter Boy - HA - but no Roger. He did exactly what I thought he would do. He stayed 6 minutes over since he was 6 minutes late. It's the only thing he can do to try and prove his point to VD. This morning we were only a couple minutes late, but I am sure he will do the same again. This is making everyone else mad because just like a couple minutes can make the difference in the morning traffic, same goes for evening.

So Roger, Scooter, and I were chatting today and wondered what we could do about our dilemma. Obviously talking to VD is not working because she thinks this is an anarchy and what she says goes. NOT. So I get on the Company Fleet website to read the "rules" and decided to email Fleet to get their input. Basically she said they cannot enforce anything. That is why they leave most of the "housekeeping rules" (as they call it) up to the individual vans (NOT DRIVERS) discretion. This includes departure times, waiting times, radio stations, etc. But majority rules. If all of the riders want to leave earlier, then VD must do so.

Our VD is stubborn and won't just take our word for anything. So I composed an email to everyone and included links to Fleet's pages and screenshots of the areas that indicate this "majority rule" rule. Highlighted in pink just in case you missed it. I sent it and asked for a vote. If you are in for leaving at 6:00, reply all and say Yes.

We have 8 total on the van (which is the minimum by the way. Should anyone drop, the van is history). So far, including me, we have 5 votes for YES. 1 is on maternity leave, 1 hasn't responded, and of course VD = SILENCE. I did tag a read receipt on it, so I know she read it at 11:10. I am sure she doesn't want to answer because she realizes we already have a majority and she is just going to have to suck it up and pick our asses up earlier!

Thank you for the van vent. It is so annoying!

Oh and Fleet did say if she still doesn't oblige with the majority vote, then we have to take it up with HR! If this happens, I am O.U.T.T.A there. I don't need this stupid, ridiculous, dramatic stress in my life! Look, I already wasted a post on the crap!

**UPDATED TO INCLUDE EMAIL FROM VD - sent to van riders and fleet services:

Nice coo. But to make it clear for fleet services and the other riders, I recall there were only 4 of you on the van when this was discussed on Monday. It was not a quorum nor a majority vote.

I am resigning as the ‘driver’ for the obvious reasons. I am remaining as a passenger and will if absolutely necessary be a backup driver. I have notified fleet services that another driver will need to be selected.

I have been a founding member of the Pearland vanpool which is now in its fourth year of service. I have seen many changes and personalities come and go. If you haven’t read ‘Animal Farm’ yet, I highly recommend it.

I began driving the van as a courtesy to you because no one else would drive the van. Everyone refused. I did not want to and have hated every day that I have to drive. I have suffered with complaining neighbors of my family having to park their vehicles in the street because van rules state that the van cannot be parked in the street. I have also had to endure the comments of some people on the van of my driving skills. I have taken great lengths to save YOU $120 per year by minimizing the mileage on the van. I did not have to but I did. I made sure the van was available for you when the hurricane came through last year when the previous van driver refused to take action. I make sure the van has gas, everyone is accounted for and reports sent to Metro. I have had the van at the parking lot on time. I really don’t see where you have been late to work with the exception of the last few weeks where we have had a wounded person on the van that understandably takes a bit longer to get in and out of the van and to where he is going. All you had to do was ask if I could get there a few minutes early to accommodate until he can get around better. I have sacrificed A LOT to make sure YOU made it to work, you never had to worry whether your ride was going to be there or not.

To the few people who decided to go this route, again nice one. But I will be damned if I am going to drive you anywhere.

Kim – I am forwarding your email to Fleet Services. I feel this is a threat towards me and my ability to get to work via the van pool. I don’t understand why you feel you had to include this item.

PEARLAND VAN - BE GONE!