Hamlin

Moving

2011-05-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

I am blending my two blogs!

Please follow me over to:

www.deliasknittedthings.blogspot.com

Thanks!

Wanted

2011-05-06T13:13:00.000-04:00

This afternoon while Owen slumbered peacefully in his bed I went outside to ~~murderously uproot a family of green growing things~~ transfer some plants from one spot in front of my house to another spot. Part of the issue is some of them are growing where I can't see them and they are really pretty and the other issue was some of them were growing under the house.

I added some bricks around the garden to differentiate what is lawn/driveway and what is garden. It's lopsided and uneven, but I like it!

While I was out ~~killing the plants~~ transferring what I think are tulips and lilys I realized I need a few things.

Something to hide the dirt and kill off some grass

Some of that dark stuff to grow pretty stuff in

A leaf transportation vehicle and a leaf gathering apparatus

A manicure on a daily basis or something to protect my digits

{This Moment}

2011-05-06T08:36:00.000-04:00

This Moment} A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

~via SouleMama

Seven Months

2011-05-04T13:34:00.003-04:00

Two more teeth nearly in, I expect to see them fully soon
He can sit for a few moments by himself without falling backwards and when he does tip over he doesn't cry, just continues playing
Love to pull toys out of buckets
Transfers an object from one hand to the other
Attempts to put small objects into his mouth and sometimes succeeds
Eats crackers
Uses hands to pull himself forward
Can jump/bounce when he is holding someones hands (instead of someone holding him at his arm pits)

More Pictures click here

Before and After

2011-05-04T13:01:00.001-04:00

I was very excited when I put a load of laundry in the washer and looked in my bathroom....
No LAUNDRY!

Then I recalled the pile of sheets that Vinnie (the dog) has been sleeping on upstairs in our bedroom. So, to make sure I do my chores I put three sets of sheets, pillow cases, a blanket, and some towels on my kitchen floor so that I wouldn't forget.

I put Owen down for a nap and looked at the week of mess in our livingroom.

So I cleaned it up.

My work is not done, but I'm getting there. It's one in the afternoon I've been up since 10 this morning (Owen and I took a nap after his morning bottle at 8) and I haven't showered, but I feel accomplished!

Epiphany

2011-05-02T23:24:00.001-04:00

Tomato Forest
2010

Jason took me away this week-end and driving through the country side and sitting on top of Mount Battie gave us a more broader view of our world. We lamented how some of the "old ways" are lost, the slower ways, the quieter ways, the quality of time.

Last year we had a modest garden that got a little lost in the shuffle with the birth of our son (see this post for an explanation) but this year we want to do better. We want to have more variety (not a tomato forest), do better at harvesting, improve our canning/freezing/storing, and spend more time tending to our little plot of land.

There was some discussion on possibly adding a chicken or two, some for eggs some for meat, and a small little desire for a milk goat. The goal is to live more off our own half acre of paradise and less off the store, and to eat and live more healthy.

We are planning on planting:

5 Roma Tomato Plants
5 Slicing Tomato Plants
2 Cherry Tomato Plants
3 Zucchini
3 Summer Squash
4 Green Beans
6 Green Peppers
20 Red Potatoes
20 Russet Potatoes
6 Sweet Potatoes (maybe)
6 Onions
Carrots
Parsnips
Garlic
4 Cabbage
4 Spinach
6 Cucumbers
Beets
Broccoli (maybe)
Edible Pea Pod Peas
Herbs: basil, bay, mint, rosemary (I have to look into these)
Pumpkins

Squash (Acorn & Butternut)

Today Owen and I went outside to the garden to take a look at things. We found lots of little blue flowers flox/flocks (--spelling?) is what I think they are called. The daffodils are also coming up which makes me very happy. This year when they die back I'm going to move them over to the dying apple tree where some other stuff I planted last year is hopefully getting ready to grow.

I found some Rhubarb sprouting up, and also some weeds. So, while Owen ate dirt and leaves I dug around and uprooted some unwanted greenery. I think that Owen is going to be a big help in the garden this year.

I found a worm and thought about showing it to him, but changed my mind. If you would like to see more pictures of Owen playing in the dirt check out my facebook link (you don't need an account to look).

Quick Week-end Escape (click the photos to see them larger)

2011-05-02T23:05:00.003-04:00

Rockland & the Reception

We have been planning on attending a wedding in Rockland over the week-end. The plan was to drop Owen off Saturday morning, drive the 2 or so hours to the town that the wedding was in, walk around for a bit, go to the wedding, stay long enough to eat at the reception, then hightail it home, sleep, and pick Owen up before church Sunday morning. Jason's parents and several of his co-workers were planning on staying in the Rockland Area Friday night and Saturday night, but we couldn't afford it.

Mount Battie, Camden, Maine

Reception

I had Owen all packed up and ready to go Friday morning before our bi-weekly grocery shopping trip. I didn't want to pack sleepy either that night or the next morning for fear that I'd forget something. We decided that since we were already going to be in town, why not stop by my Mom's and have supper to and why not leave Owen?

Saturday morning I wake up and Jason says "I have a surprise for you."
"What is it?" I ask
"I can't tell you it's a surprise."
"Where is it?"
"I can't tell you that either. Get up and go downstairs and shower."
"Is it downstairs?"
"No. Well. Sort of. It's outside."
Sleep-addled I take a shower.
In the shower I wake up.
"Are we staying down there?"
"Yes!" he says beaming, "And I've already packed!"

Mount Battie
(this is not Owen)

We went to Rockland for a few days. It was a lot of fun. We went to the breakwater and walked the 7/10ths of a mile to the lighthouse, we attended a very beautiful wedding, got to view the gorgeous Maine coastline. And then collasped into a hotel bed for the night. In the morning we went up Mount Battie (by car), walked around Rockland, and headed for home to see our boy (who we missed very much!).

It was great to get away, but I am happy to be home!

For More photos check out my Facebook Album (no need for a profile/account to view them)

{This Moment}

2011-04-29T21:22:00.001-04:00

This Moment} A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

~via SouleMama

Strawberry Bread Pudding

2011-04-28T20:43:00.000-04:00

At our house when we get to the end of a loaf of bread and all we have left is ends we save them. We pop them in the freezer in whatever bag they were in and there they sit. Every week or so when another loaf is polished off we add it to the others on the door of the freezer. When we have enough of these unwanted pieces of bread we know it is time to make some Bread Pudding. We toast the bread in the oven until it is dry, that way it will soak up all the milk and eggs, but not browned.

My Grandmother Blidberg made her Bread Pudding with raisins, but since Jason doesn't like rasins I'm trying it a little different today.

Fruit Bread Pudding:

12-20 slices of bread dried in the oven but not toasted.
3 cups of milk
3/4 cup of sugar
6 eggs
1tsp vanilla
1tsp cinnamon
1 cup of sliced fruit (try peaches, blue berries, strawberries, apples) or 1/2 cup raisins

Break up bread into chunks and put in 9x13 pan.
In a big bowl combine milk and eggs and beat with whisk.
Add remaining ingredients and stir. Dump over the top of bread and stir, making sure all the bread is sopping wet.
Bake 350degrees for 45mins or until top springs back when lightly tapped.
Serve hot with milk, maple syrup, whipped cream, ice cream, and/or strawberry sauce

Strawberry Sauce:

1/2 cup whole strawberries
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
2Tbs water
2Tbs sugar
1Tbs maple sugar

Simmer for 45mins or until thick while Bread Pudding bakes.

I hope to post pictures, if it lasts long enough for me to buy some batteries.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T15:08:00.003-04:00

Easter morning Owen and I (Delia) got up as early as we could managed and tried really hard to make it for SonRose (8pm) service at church. We didn't make it. We did make it to breakfast and we ate with Grammie Kay, Grandpa Tom, Auntie, Uncle Zack, and cousin Isabella. Then we went upstairs to watch the new Easter VeggieTale and Owen fell asleep. Grandma sang in the Easter Cantata and that was a real treat for us since she hasn't done that since I was a kid.

Once home we started some prep work for Easter Dinner and waited for everyone to come over so that we could get the rest of dinner ready. After our work was done we played some Head and Foot with Teams. Grandma and I won (Auntie and Uncle Zack lost).

Easter Night we had the Hamlins and the Blidbergs over for dinner. Jason and his Mom (Mimi) had to work until 6, so we decided to eat late and eat with everyone! We had 13 people at the table and Owen in his high chair. There were a lot of laughs, I'm not even sure what we were laughing about!

There was a huge scramble at dessert time, "Me, me, give me some, I want some of that, don't forget me!"

Owen went to bed right after opening his basket from Mimi, he had all he could take of the busy day. In addition to the basket from Mimi he got a new shirt, vest, and shoes to grow into from Grandma and a new Easter outfit from us.

The Table is Set for Easter Dinner.
(See Friday's post for all of us at the table)

Opening his basket from Mimi. The basket is the one that Papa
used to use when he was little!

Watcha doing with my new binks Mimi?

So many binks, so few mouths

Blueberry cake, single serving apple pie, one scoop of ice cream,
banana muffin extraordinaire, and one slice of pistachio pie

Handsome Baby Boy

{This Moment}

2011-04-22T09:54:00.001-04:00

{This Moment} A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.
~via SouleMama

No Wheels, No Problem

2011-04-17T00:48:00.001-04:00

We are with out a vehicle at the moment. No Impala (how I miss that car!), no truck, not even a bike, or a train, or a bus, nothing.

We now travel at the mercy of family.

I am thankful, grateful, and blessed by and for our family!

I am so thankful that God blessed us with loving parents and relatives and extended church family who will let us borrow their wheels or scoop us up or bring us back when we need them.

~~With any luck~~ By God's grace and mercy the truck will not be broken too bad and it will be an easy and cheap fix. And if it is not an easy or cheap fix then I know that God has something planned. He knows the balance in the checkbook and where we need to go each week, it will all work out.

4/15/2011

Truck is fixed. It took $200 and the garage owner said we can pay him when we have the money.

Thank you God!

{This Moment}

2011-04-17T00:36:00.003-04:00

{This Moment} A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

-via SouleMama

Spring is Here!

2011-04-12T18:48:00.000-04:00

Today we got Owen outside for a little while. Mumma dug around in the dirt and the leaves to find some little shoots sprouting! This spring and summer we hope to do a lot of gardening together. I have a few small things I want to do around the house. Mostly weed killing this year so that next year I can plant flowers.

This spring I hope to move around a few bulbs (hopefully I won't kill them) since they are sort of growing under the front of the house right now. As soon as the garden dries Jason is going to do some tilling to get ready for ~~another tomato forrest~~ a new potato patch.

Owen played in his Jumparoo while Mumma and Papa worked. Then Papa took us out out supper at Country Delight for some Boondock Burgers. Yum! I don't think Owen's taste-buds work. Today he had a pickle and some ketchup and didn't make a face.

Jumping

Owen's View

Little Growing Things

Six Month Check-Up

2011-04-10T22:39:00.001-04:00

Sixth Month Check Up:

Weight: 19 pounds naked (50lbs fully dressed)

Height: 27 1/2 inches

Percentile: 75% for both .. perfectly Proportionate!

New Feats!

Chewing Semi-Solid Foods
Spitting Out Strained Foods
Practicing Sitting and Falling
Nearly Crawling (just backwards for now)
Gets on Hands and Knees
Love Affair with Jumping (either in his Jumparoo or in your lap)
Just Beginning to Attempt to Put Small Objects (like food) into his mouth
Becomes Very Angry When We Eat and Don't Offer Him Anything
Eats Whatever We Put in His Mouth (cauliflower, broccoli, brussel-sprouts, green peppers...)
Rolls Over from Back to Front
Is Learning "NO" every times he gets a Diaper Change and Tries to Roll Over Back to Front
Blows Raspberry's and Spits and makes Other Strange Lip Noises (thank you Mimi!)
Likes his Mamma the Bestest Out of All the Wonderful People in His Life
Gets Scared (this is new TODAY!)
Sleeps in His Own Room
Sometimes Sleeps All Night
Wakes up at 3am and cries and cries and cries and cries
Sometimes Sleeps in Until 8am (usually after waking up at 3 and crying)

AND THE MOST WONDERFUL THING EVER THAT HE DOES!

The Bink stays IN! (thanks to his two teeth!)

and comes out
and goes back in sideways
and comes out
and goes in backwards
and comes out
and goes too far in so that his bottom lip is over the top of the bottom half of the bink
and comes out
and gets a stern talking to by Owen
and then gets used as a chew toy
and comes out
and gets tossed on the floor
and then he cries
and Mamma picks it up and gives it back
and it goes back in his mouth
and he sucks on it thoughtfully for a few minutes
and then .. well you get the idea

In his Bed

2011-04-05T11:24:00.000-04:00

Right before the week-end we decided that Owen needed to get into his own bed.
He had been waking up a lot during the night and just crying. We would bring him into our bed and he'd sleep fitfully but Mumma got no sleep. A sleep depraved Mumma is never a good thing so into his room he went.

We had one night where he cried in the middle of the night for like an hour, but since then we have had no problems. If he does wake up in the middle of the night I re-bink him (put his pacifier back in) and leave again. In the morning he wakes up happy and cheerful, which is exactly how his Mumma feels after a full nights sleep.

The only issue we have however, is that I put him in his bed fairly close to the middle and this is how I find him every morning. Sometimes with out any covers on.

Calling Auntie

2011-04-05T11:19:00.000-04:00

Trying to call Auntie, or at least text her!

Six Months!

2011-03-29T12:33:00.001-04:00

I apologize for the lack of photos. I hope this makes up for it! No photo's were taken last month, we were sick for most of it.

Enjoy!

Playing With Izzy

2011-03-29T12:27:00.000-04:00

Valentines Day

2011-03-29T12:21:00.000-04:00

Super Bowl Sunday

2011-03-29T12:19:00.000-04:00

Four Months a Month Late

2011-03-13T19:44:00.001-04:00

Now I have two teeth!
I like to eat foods out of a little mesh feeder.
I have eaten: carrots, apple, pear, peas, green beans, pineapple.
Mamma also lets me chew on raw peppers when she is cooking.

Mamma thinks I weigh over 20lbs!

?? Pictures ??

2011-03-11T21:35:00.001-05:00

More pictures of Owen are coming soon. Monday at the latest.

3 Months

2011-01-10T19:01:00.001-05:00

Three Months Old!

Look how big he is!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T18:45:00.000-05:00

Having Fun

2010-12-22T17:52:00.000-05:00

We are having so much fun being parents. Owen is getting bigger and more interactive every day! He is starting to settle into a sort of schedule which is nice, my day is a bit predictable now. Christmas quickly approaches and we are looking forward to the festivities and busyness of the year. We have had several Christmas parties already (one each Saturday of December) and Owen has done great with them. He is usually very sleepy the next day since he misses his two hour nap in the afternoon while we are gone.

Owen loves to play with his toys. He reaches and bats at them with his little fist. He has excellent head control and loves using his Bumbo (pictured on the left) with a toy "rainbow" (as I call it). I hope to upload a video soon of him using his toys.

He surprised me at his two month check up and rolled over! His doctor put him on his belly to check out his head control and said "Look, he is going to roll over!" sure enough he rolled right over! He prefers to nap on his belly (where I anxiously check him every five mins to ensure that he is breathing) and I relent because he naps better on his belly than on his back. I think, perhaps, all his belly napping time is why he is a head with his head control?

Owen loves faces. He will study and stare at a new face for the longest time as if to say "Hey, I don't know you. Let me take 5 minutes and memorize your every feature so I will remember you next time." He loves to talk and smile and is becoming ticklish.

Bullet using the Bumbo

The dogs have done fine with Owen. Izzy (the lab) gives him kisses whenever she can. Vinnie (the pom) doesn't seem to have any opinion about him at all. The cats like his crib (he doesn't use it yet) and his Bumbo and will cuddle with Owen as long as Owen is in my arms.

I guess that's it for now.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Last Check-Up

2010-12-22T17:24:00.000-05:00

Owen had a check-up at the end of November. His stats:

Owen 2months Old

Weight: 12lbs 13oz
Height: 23 1/2 inches

Development:
Controls Head Well
Rolls Over
Smiles
Coos
Laughs
Follows Object
Reaches for Faces/Toys

We couldn't be any prouder of our little boy!

Christmas Pictures

2010-12-22T17:19:00.000-05:00

Getting Bigger Every Day

2010-11-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

Amazing

2010-11-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

I didn't think it was possible, but Owen slept through the night two nights in a row! I'm hoping for a third night!

We are doing good as we enter our second month as a family.
I am finding it very difficult to be a "single mom" on the week-ends that Jason work 3days. I usually cry sometime Saturday Night. Babies are oh so very demanding (no kidding, right!) and sometimes it is more than a little rough. Thankfully I have a wonderful Mom and Mom-in-Law who don't mind me crashing at their house just so I won't be alone. Of course the fact that I have their grandson as incentive has nothing to do with their willingness!

Jason and I have gone on two dates! Yes two! It helps a lot to get away with out the boy.

I'm hoping to start blogging a little more.

More to come!

Owen Johnathan

2010-10-19T22:15:00.000-04:00

Owen Johnathan
Born September 29th @ 2:19pm
Weight: 7lbs 14.7oz
Length: 19.5inches

Adoption Story Begins

2010-09-12T19:54:00.002-04:00

My husband and I had a God bomb dropped on us on Friday, September 3, 2010. An aunt called and said she just met a woman who didn't want her baby. Did we want to meet her and possibly adopt the baby?

To which we answered: Yes!

Long story short we met the woman and spent several hours with her (part of it in the hospital while she went through some false labor) and she agreed to let us adopt her son.

Her due date is September 25th. Sometime between now and then we will be parents.

WOW!

Jason and I are just in utter and total shock. We didn't go looking for this, weren't expecting this, and never dreamed of adopting an infant right from the hospital. Sometimes we just look at each other and say: "We're going to be parents." with this voice of shock and awe.

We cannot wait.

The baby is a boy (his name is a secret) and from what we can tell looks healthy.

We've hired a lawyer and he's drawing up paperwork for the mother to sign when our son is born. We will take him home from the hospital.

It is just amazing, and it's all God.

I have been taking the mother to her doctor appointments, because she has no family and no way to get to them. I wouldn't call us friends, but friendly. It's very weird for me to be this woman's friend. I feel sad for her and happy for me. At our Foster Training they had an exercise for us to do involving loss and grief and part of it was what sort of loss or grief does an adoptive parent go through. I couldn't imagine any, adopting had to be the most wonderful thing, what was there to be sad about? Now I understand. I grieve for my son, because he will never get a chance to know his birth mother and I grieve for this woman because she will never be his Mom.

Though I am a little sad, I am mostly beside myself with excitement. I am going to be a MOM!!!

Baby Hamlin

2010-09-04T00:24:00.000-04:00

Well, it looks like Jason and I will be adopting a newborn baby boy in the next month! As soon as he's ours I'll let you know his birth store. Stay tuned for more details!

More Handy Me Downs

2010-08-19T01:30:00.000-04:00

One of the parents from the daycare I work at gave me a few more items this week. I have now added:

swing (it folds up small)
walker
clothes for a pre-school boy

The spare bedroom is becoming quite full! I am going to need to buckle down and get it cleaned out fast!

Update

2010-08-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

A lot of people have been asking me how things are going with the Foster Parenting and so here it is.

We have completed our class work (24 hours worth) and completed our homework. I hope to pop the homework in the mail tomorrow.

We have completed our Home Study (which is incorrectly named) and the Fire Marshal has visited the house.

Left to do:

Install two egress windows (one in each bedroom)
Install hard wired fire alarms (four of them)
fix the handrail
create a handrail
get finger printed

If everything goes smoothly I think we should have a little one by mid-October.
The Home Study lady told us that infants are few and far between but I don't believe her. We are going to start with infants and work our way up to older kids (at least that is the plan for now).

About Adoption:
Should we take in a child/infant that becomes available for adoption we have the choice to go ahead and adopt. Or (if we decide to go this route) we can look through their book of available children and start the process that way. For now we are just going to do Fostering and see where it leads.

Gathering Items

2010-08-11T14:59:00.001-04:00

I have been busy collecting items for our future Foster Children.
Mostly I have been collecting baby items.

I have only spent $90.00
We have:

highchair
stroller/carseat combo
most of a wardrobe for a girl from the ages 0 - 6
all of a wardrobe for a girl from the ages 6-18 months
crib (no mattress)
bassinet
johnny jump-up
seat for in the tub

Most of the things are handy me downs. The things that Jason and I purchased were the furniture.

My Mom said to me: "I wonder if this means that you're going to get a baby girl?"
I said: "I feel bad for the baby boy if that is what we get."

Boy or girl we will love them!

I am selling some of my knitted things (Delia's Knitted Things) in hopes to get enough money to buy an Ergo Baby Carrier. I like the carrier over a sling or other back pack because of the way that it protects a babies hips. Also it is easier to have a grandparent use than the sling. I may still get a sling to try it out, we'll see.

Changing My Mind

2010-06-13T13:44:00.002-04:00

Wednesday after class we received in the mail two bios on two sets of brothers who are available for adoption.

My heart melted and my mind changed.

I am more than willing to adopt.

Not yet. Not until I am done with work.

Adoption Worries

2010-06-07T12:21:00.003-04:00

We have now had two Foster Care classes.

After the first class Jason told me that he'd like to adopt. That his goal of Foster Care was to find a child to adopt. I'm on the fence.

Why am I on the fence to adopt?

I've been trying for the past few weeks to figure out what is going on inside my head.

I think I'm worried about bonding. It is likely that we could have a child in our home who is old enough to remember their birth mother. They will always and forever be comparing me to her, and wanting to be with her (no matter how horrible she was to them the Foster Care Teacher keeps telling us). I can't compete with that. I know it's not a competition of who is the better mother, but it will feel like it is.

I still have this fantasy of having my own child and what that will be like .. Jason and I have names picked out for them .. and I'm not giving up that dream just yet. I just sort of feel that saying "Yes" to adoption somehow means I'm saying "No" to having biological children. I know that anything can happen. I know that letting go of my fantasy and letting God do His will that it will all be all right.

I just can't get my heart to agree.

Cruise

2010-05-23T18:44:00.000-04:00

Day 1

Depart from Boston

We headed to Boston first thing in the morning. Jenna rode with us and Allen and Daniele rode with Randy and Tara. We had to turn around to get Jason's meds and to get something I left at my Mom's that I couldn't live with out. We met up with the other car at IHOP in Portland. We ate a very filling breakfast and continued our journey. Jason and I switched drivers at the rest stop in Mass and I led the way into Boston. We made it to the dock without getting lost (though we did have to stop and ask a cop where to park) dropped the luggage and most of the people off near the boarding line and Tara and I parked the two cars. Then we got in the impossibly long line to get rid of our luggage. The dock where the boat comes to is under construction. Baggage Men with trolleys like the kind they use in hotels take your luggage away on them and bring them to the boat. No conveyer belt. Then into the terminal where we had to fill out form saying we weren't sick, and if we were we could go see the ship doc for free! Randy, Tara, and Jenna (RTJ) found out that as suite owners they are VIP's and get a few priviledges. The first being that they get to get into their room before everyone else! We were led to the VIP waiting room wich is a roped off area in the terminal with some folding chairs. A smallish man with white hair (but not because he was old) and a British (sort of) accent greeted us and told us he'd be with us in a moment. He was very friendly and huggy and very happy to see us. We were wearing match t-shirts and Randy and Tara's said Dad and Mom. A cop chatted Randy up and asked if he could be adopted so he could go on the cruise. Then the man came over and introduced himself to us. He said his name was Bruce and it was his job to make sure that we all had a good time on the ship. He said that someone would take us all to RTJ's suite and he'd be by later to say "Hi".

RTJ's suite is very nice. Just big enough for all 7 of us to sit and watch some TV. They had a love seat, two chairs, four kitchen chairs and a little table, a balcony out over the back on the ship, a king size bed, two sinks, a toilet with it's own little room, a shower, and a jacuzzi tub. The room also came with a shared butler (he butlered several other suites) to fetch RTJ movies and food when they needed it during his working hours. We all spent some time there before Jason and I and Allen and Daniele headed to our rooms to see if our stuff had arrived. Our room was cozy. The bed was queen sized (two twins pushed together) and there was a little desk and chair, an arm chair (that we used to hold some clothes), and a bathroom. We waited in our room until the mandatory safety drill. The drill was a joke. More of a joke then the ones you get on a plane. This is a life vest, this is how you use a life vest.. it took longer to organize everyone into the proper groups for the stewards to count us then the actual drill. Then we explored some of the ship as we watched it pull away from Boston. We checked out the pool which was salt water and the four Hot Tubs, saw the kiddie pool and the kiddie waterslide and the kiddie Hot Tub (it was nice not having kids in the Hot Tubs), many of the bars, some drunk people--ok a lot of drunk people. We got a bite to eat in one of the dininghalls called Windows Dining. The diningroom is at the back of the ship and has two story windows in the back.. beautiful! I had lamb, I had never had lamb before, it was very tender and yummy. My dessert was a chocolate thing with a little fleck of gold on it! We did a bit of shopping, Jason bought some cigars --his favorite brand. Then we went and hung out with RTJ for a little while before heading to The Garden dininghall to eat again! The menu was the same, which was fine. I had the dessert with the gold on it. Jenna and I played some Monopoly Deal while Jason went up to the top deck to smoke.

After our game we headed back to our own rooms to sleep.

Day 2

At Sea

Woke up to the ship rocking early in the morning. Didn't feel too bad as long as we were laying down. Ordered Room service the night before and it arrived around 10. They had soy milk which made me happy. Walked around the ship checking things out for a little while, hung out in RTJ's suite for a little while before they went to lunch. Randy was feeling very sea sick. We stayed for a little bit and watched TV. I was feeling a little green so we went back to our room and took a nap. Woke up and visited the buffet, but there wasn't much to eat they were between lunch and supper. Walked around for a little bit then headed back to our room to get ready for the evening. We dressed "fancy". Jason wore a tie and I wore a black dress. We met up with the family in front of the theater. The theater is built a little like a movie theater, but where the screen ought to be was a stage. Randy didn't stay to watch the show, he left to puke and never came back. He hoped that by dinner (9:30) he would be feeling well enough to join us. The show was a bunch of different Broadway Musical numbers. Some of them I recognized, but most of them I didn't. I think that Jason and I will try and see Wicked! It looks really good. After the show Jason and I went to where they were taking pictures in the lobby.

The lobby has two broad stair cases that lead up to the balcony shopping areas. In between the two stair cases in a fountain, behind the foutain three glass elevators, and in front of the foutain is a grand piano. Jason and I had our pictures taken on the stair case and in front of the piano. They came out really great and we eventually bought one and a port hole frame.

Then we met the family in front of the restaurant. Teppanki (Japanese) Randy was there and was going to try and make it through the meal. The waitress/hostess sat us down around the grill and gave us our appetizers. We had: endemae (we had to ask how to eat it "Just put it in your mouth and pull out the seeds, don't eat the outside"), some soup (Randy had to leave and puke--he claimed it was the tofu), and seaweed salad with ginger dressing (which was actually really yummy). Then the chef came out pushing a trolley of food (Randy was back to try and eat again). Before our eyes he chopped veggies and cooked eggs and made the rice into fried rice and cooked the meat and served us and flung food into our plates from his giant spatuala as he made our entrees. He also gave us some veggies (summer squash, zuccini, carrots) to dip. Then dessert. Some people tried the "ice cream", but I had the fruit with dipping sauce. It was amazing!

Jason and I made plans with Jenna for breakfast and then we went to bed.

Day 3

Arrive in Bermuda

Had breakfast with Jenna at the Windows. We were told that we would be docking at 11 and it would take a couple of hours before customs cleared us to get off the ship. We ate, changed into our swim suits, and sat in the Hot Tub. As we approached the tub I noticed someones leg sitting in a deck chair. We climbed up into the Hot Tub with a one legged woman. We got to talking and she was from Mass, she had lived in Las Vegas for some time, but her hubby didn't like it there and so they had to move back. We talked a long time with her while the boat docked. Allen came and found us a little after 11 and told us that people were getting off the ship. We got out of the tub to go to Bermuda! We packed our camera and our swim stuff and met the family to leave the boat.

I was so jittery getting off the boat. Jittery enough that as I was putting my keycard (the only way to get back on the boat) in my purse, so that I didn't loose it, that I couldn't catch it when it jumped out of my hand! The keycard landed in the water before I even got off the boat. Jason and I turned back around to tell the man who was swiping cards and he told us to go back to reception to get a new one. I felt so foolish! (When I told my family that I had to get a new keycard while on the boat they immediately stopped me and said, "Did you flush it?"). We aimlessly walked around for little bit until we saw a sign "Snorkel Park". We zeroed in on that sign and walked to the beach. Allen was the only one with a snorkel. Tara had lots of goggles for us, but no snorkels. We looked for fish, gasping for breath every now and again, I didn't see very much. My fear of being swept out to sea kept me from relaxing. When I got chilly I went to shore while the rest of the family looked at the fish in the rocks. They all saw some brightly colored ones. After a little while everyone came in and changed. Most of us were starving to death. We went back to the boat to change and get a bite to eat. We were a little bit on a dead line. There was a show we wanted to catch at 7:15 (husband and wife acrobats) and we had reservations for the Italian Restaurant on the ship for 9:30.

Jason and I decided that we would do some exploring around the Dockyard/Kings Warf before the show. We did some shopping and found a pharmacy. We found goggles and snorkles at a resonable price so that we could go snorkeling someplace cool the next day and a floppy hat for me to keep the sun off my face and neck. I had decided that I wanted two things out of this trip 1: to Relax 2: to Not Burn. My mom had a scare with skin cancer and I and bound and determined to keep my skin safe! We wandered into the Dockyard Glass works and sat and watched some people blow glass. We also tested and bought some Rum Cake .. Yummy! We wandered around the mall and walked up to the old prision where we discovered that chickens (domestic type) and domestic cats run free in Bermuda. The cats aren't mean just not friendly. We headed back to the ship to wash up and change to something a little dressy for our evening out.

While we were out checking out our surroundings Randy, Tara, Jenna, Allen, and Daniele had taken the 20min ferry over to Hamilton and then a harrowing 1 hour bus ride back.

We sat in the VIP balcony. Bruce told RTJ that because they were VIP's then the rest of their family was too! The balcony had comfy arm chairs that swiveled, instead of the theater style, and little tables for our drinks. The show was great. It is amazing what the human body, when conditioned, can endure! The husband hung from his hands using only some silk sheets and blananced his wife on his feet!! Amazing!

The Italian Restuarant was .. well .. interesting. It was very dark. The lights were dimmed. Allen, Jason, and Randy were using the pretend candles (fake orange flames) as flashlights to read the menu. Allen even got out an actual flashlight so he could see his food. The food was tastey. I had pesto and "chicken butts" tortellini. Tara had the best though it was a milk and cheese sauce, very tastey. The bread and bruchetta was very good too. The canoli's I had for dessert was also amazing.

We headed to bed as soon as supper was done, because we had a big day of snorkeling planned for the next day!

Day 4

Bermuda

Woke up at 7. Breakfast Buffet. Ate way too much bacon then what is healthy to eat, but hey we're on Vacation! Met the family outside by the big map of Bermuda. Rode the trolley the short distance to the ferry. Jason and I sat on the top to watch the coast line, the rest of the family sat inside. As we were pulling away from the dock we saw another cruise ship coming in to the Dockyard. It took an hour on the ferry to get to St. George. Our big plan for the day is to go snorkling in Tobacco Bay, which is in St. George, and go to the aquarium. None of us are wearing our swim suits so we are hoping that there is at least a porta-potty near the beach.

St George is a quaint old town. The side streets are cobbled. The town crier greets us as we exit the ferry, he's dressed like in Colonial Days. We did a bit of shopping while some of us pee. We ask a shopkeeper how to get to Tobacco Bay. "Up the hill, you can't miss it." Oh goodie.."Up the hill." The hill is as daunting as can be imagined. Most of us are carrying backpacks and none of us are used to exertion in the heat and humidity (a local proudly tells us, "Oh this is nothing, wait till summer!"). The street is narrow and the sidewalk half the size as the ones in the states. We walk single file most of the time. When we aren't walking single file the person in the back yells "SINGLE FILE!" whenever a car is heading up the hill. Just like yellow taxi's in NYC, the cars don't slow, swerve, move aside, or stop for people. There is literaly inches between us and the speeding cars! We hike up most of the hill and pause at a church called "The Unfinished Church". It was started way back in 1870. Construction was halted when the church congeration split. Then started and stopped when the sister church had a fire. Then started again and even had a roof on but stopped after a hurricane wiped the other church almost out and destroyed the unfinished one. No one ever came back to finish it. It's really beautiful even if the jungle is taking it over again.

Not too far from the church a guy on a bike stopped us and said: "Did you know that if it wasn't for Bermudan's you wouldn't have won your war?" This was news to us. Apparently George Washington was anchored outside of St. George. Some Bermudan's snuck out 100 barrels of gun powder to the waiting George. And this is why Bermuda and the USA have such great relations!

We finished our hike and FINALLY made it to Tobacco Bay. However, there was a ton of trash on the beach that someone was cleaning up. The garbage truck lady stopped and spoke with us for a little while. No where in St George (that she knew of) was there public restrooms (other than in St. George where we had just hiked from) for us to change in. A bar/restaurant was near the beach and Jason and Jenna talked to the people renevating. They could have changed, but not all seven of us. The owner told them where another bar was that they could try and the garbage lady told the rest of us the same thing. On we hiked! We found the bar, but it was closed. A fort stood by so we climbed up another hill to check it out. The fort was called St Catherine's and it cost $7.00 to get in. I asked if we bought tickets could we come back after we swam and change. She said yes. We spent some time walking around the fort and looking at the guns. The view from the top was amazing! We could even see our ship and the other cruise ship from the top (way on the other side of the island!). We changed and went swimming from the beach near the fort.

I stood in the sandy water, with my goggles and snorkel on, and sunk in the sand a little. Got a little scared. The water got really deep really fast. I'm a scared of deep water, even in lakes and rivers. Plus I'm scared of being washed out to sea. I watched Jason swim around with his face in the water to see if he'd get swept out to sea. Confident that he wasn't floating away I braved the ocean and got my face in the water. It is so nice to swim around and float. I saw a lot of fish! Mostly hand sized ones that were the color of the sand and had some black spots. Where we started snorkeling was mostly open water with some seaweed covered rocks. Not really a good place for fish. Unfortunately (for me) the really colorful ones everyone saw after I left the water (I got cold) when they were swimming over the rocks by the fort. I think that Jason would have swum back to the boat following the rocks if he could have, he didn't want to leave.

We packed up our stuff to go and swim in Tobacco Bay. We hoofed it back over to the bay only to read a sign "Warning! Portuguse Man of War in water!". The big ones can kill a man, the smallish ones can kill if you don't go to the hopsital, and the little ones sting like bees. We didn't go swimming. We could see dead fish and birds in the water that the "Men of War" had killed. That was enough to keep us out of the water. Still in our wet bathing suits we walked back up the hill (yes up hill both ways!) to St. George to change. We stopped into some stores and tried some Ginger Beer (soda) it's really amazing. It's a little like strong Ginger Tea with more sugar and carbination. (I'm hoping that we can get some shipped here!)We changed and on our way to the bus stop to go to the aquarium we walked past a cigar shop. Jason has wanted to try a Cuban Cigar. What better time to try one then now? We said good-bye to the rest of the family and stayed in St. George.

Jason bought his cigar and we walked around town for a little while. We stopped at St. Peter's the church that kept trying to build the church now known as "the Unfinished Church". In their cemetery is a US Solider from like 1912 or something with a huge plaque thingy over his grave site. We rode the ferry back to the ship to take a rest and a shower before heading out to Hamilton to go to the restuarnt Hog Penny.

The bus ride was interesting. The streets are just wide enough for two buses to pass each other so that their mirrors don't smack together. Any slight deviation would break their mirrors. Some bus stops have shelters. Many others are a pole (pink for heading to Hamilton, blue for heading out) stuck in the bushes. The roads wind around the coastline some of them are sharp enough that the driver gives a little toot of his horn to warn people that he's near-by. Their turn base is tight they can whip those buses around tight corners and around parked cars with only inches to spare. When they are driving behind someone you can peer into the other cars back seat and read the other cars speedometer! We got to see some of the island on the bus though. They use such beautiful colors on their houses. I told Jason I wanted to stucco our house and paint it a bright blue. He told me I couldn't do that. It took a little over an hour to get to Hamliton. Hamilton is Bermuda's Captial. It is the only place where I saw tall buildings that were modern

At the restuarnt Jason ordered Beef and Kidney Pie (yes cow kidney's) and I had Beef Pouitaine. Mine was delicious Jason's less than delicious, but he ate the whole thing! Then we walked down to the ferry and sat near the water. We had an hour before the ferry so Jason smoked his cigar. He said it had amazing flavor. We rode the 20min ferry back to the boat. We hung out with the family a little bit and then headed back to our room.

Day 5

Last Day in Bermuda

Woke up at 7 and fell back asleep. Tara called at 730 and rewoke us (we were supposed to call them). Hurried to dress and went to the buffet. The bagels are really good. They aren't like the bagels we have here that are heavy, dense, and a little hard. These ones are crunchy on the outside and more like light toast on the inside. Very yummy.

Rushed to get outside to meet RTJ only to go and wait for 20mins in the queing line to ride the Ferry out to St. George. The days plan is this: Ride the 1 hr ferry to St. George, then the 15 min bus to the caves, enjoy the caves, back on the bus to hit one maybe two beaches to find some pink sand, snorkel at the last beach we go to, ride the bus to the Dockyard and do some shopping, and then back on the boat by 3:30 because the boat was leaving at 5.

This is what happened. We rode the ferry as planned to St. George. I mailed out all our postcards (Jenna's too) while RTJ did some shopping. Then Jason and I caught up with them and did a bit of shopping before we caught the bus.

We rode the bus to the caves.

Allen and Daniele found us there (They were island exploring on their own). The Caves are amazing. I had never been in a cave before. We visited Fantasy Cave first, which was the second cave system to be found. The Cave had 100% humidity inside which made for some different formations. The "straws" form chandieliers instead of the usual stalagtights/mites?. Because it is so hot down there the drops of lime/minerals (I think it's limie) fuse before they can travel any further down. There were even some that looked like sheets of paper hanging down. The water in the cave is sea water that travels about 1/4 of a mile underground into the caves. Because fresh water and salt water don't mix the fresh water acts like a magnifying glass and the formations under the water look much closer than they really are. The water looked about 5 feet deep and it was 20-30! I asked our guide if they are ever allowed to swim in it and he said yes about once a year. Jason wanted to go climbing, but the threat of 5 years in prision and a fine kept him on the path. We went back up the 80 some odd steps back into the fresh air (I wore the backpack out of the cave you can see in the pics how great I felt at the end..wow what a work out!). While we were waiting for our tour to continue I sat and watched one of the many feral cats. I said to Jason "Do you think the cats eat the chicks?". I could hear the rooster, the hen, and the chicks making a racket near-by (Chickens run around in the ultimate free-range). Jason shrugged his shoulders as we watched the cat slink off into the bushes. Not even two minutes later and the cat is back with something cheeping in it's mouth. I tell Jason, "quick take a picture!" . He took a video.

Allen and Daniele left (they had already done both caves by this point) and we went into the second cave. The second cave was called Crystal Cave. The story is this. Two boys in 1905 were playing Cricket one day when they lost their ball down a hole. They went and investigated the hole and judged it (by throwing rocks down it) to not be that deep. The boys said to each other: Go get as much rope as you can find and we will go down there and find our ball. They climbed down the hole and landed in water! With nothing but a little kerosene lamp they swam around the cave admiring the beauty of the stalagtights and other formations while they searched for another way out. After 3 hrs of swimming they climbed back out about 130 feet up their rope. They told their Dad's ... around 1912 the Cave was opened to visitors. People took unguided boat tours of the caves up until the 1920's. Some people took back souviners of the stalagtights. That's right they brought down their saw and sawed off the ends! We went to the far end of the cave and our guide shut off the lights so that we could expereience what the boys did when they first fell/jumped into the water.

Back to the bus. We decided (after hearing from another tourist) to only go to Horseshoe Beach because the sand was pink there. We walked down, down, down, the hill to the beach. At the bottom was a man with the van that said "Ride to the Top!" for $2 a person! We were sold! The sand was disappointing. Apparently winter time is the best time to see pink sand (it's actually coral) because that is when the coral does it's thing (whatever that is) that makes it pink. We thought about snorkeling, but the seas were rough. Jason took a few pictures with our under water camera, but they aren't developed yet. We rode the van to the top and waited at the bus stop. And waited. And waited. These good looking girls (18-20 yrs old) were waiting with us from Canada. This guy on a moped/motor bike stops by to chat them up. At one point in the converstaion he admits to be like 33 or something Jason makes some comment like "...hitting on some girls." hoping that the guy would get the point and ride away, but he didn't. Not until the bus almost ran him over. But we didn't get on that bus, or the bus after that, oh no we got to have our own special tourist bus. 50 people got on a bus made for 40. Oh, ya, good times! It was the worst 30 mins on the island. The bus went fast around the corners, and we were standing, holding on to the handles for our lives! And then the bus screeches to a halt with out warning and we almost go flying into the person in front of us. I got carsick, didn't puke, and did my best to keep my eye on the horizon --at least it was a good view! We arrived back in the Dockyard. The driver stopped someplace random to let one person out. The bus just about emptied in two minues as people shoved and pushed their way out! We did our shopping and headed to the boat for a lunch and a nap.

We slept for 4 hours and woke up with the ship out at sea, Bermuda a distant memory on the horizon.

We got a quick bite at the buffet because at 10:45 we were to meet Bruce to get into the Choclate Buffet early (it didn't start for the rest of the boat until 11) with the rest of the VIP's. We (Tara, Jenna, Jason and I) were late by 5 mins (10:50) and people were already headed in! We said, "oh well, we'll just wait". Then up came Bruce his hands on his hips, "There you are! You weren't hear and I came looking!" he marched us past the line that snaked down a set of stairs and a hallway to the other side of the very big room right to the begining of the buffet. I didn't make eye contact with anyone behind us, they were mad! Later Allen told us that there were people camped out at the door when he and Daniele got there (on time). They only had a few minutes to gawk before Bruce told them to get some food because they were opening the doors early.

I heaped my plate up with some of everything. I think I had 5-6 slices of cake (all different kinds) on my plate. The favorite thing I ate was blackberries in a little chocolate cup with some chocolate drizzled over the top. And no, I did not clean my plate I left quite a bit. Randy didn't join us for the buffet. He was up in his room trying not to puke.

Day 6

At Sea

Woke up early and felt a little woozy from the rocking ship. I took a Dramamine and went back to bed. I woke up again around 9:30 and watched "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" while Jason slept. When the movie was over I took a nap. Woke up again close to noon and woke Jason up. We visisted the buffet and caught up with Jenna, Tara, and Randy to see what their plans were. Randy didn't feel too hot, but he was up and around. We decided to go watch the people "Second City" because R, T, & J had seen them the night before and they were really good. This time they were going to do improv like on "Who's Line is it Anyway" . Come to find out the people who created "Who's Line" started out with "Second City". The show was clean because children were present and really funny. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes! Then Jenna and Tara said they were headed to the Hot Tub and Randy upstairs. I made plans with Jenna to play games with her when she was done in the Hot Tub. Jason and I were sort of lost as to what to do next. Jason suggested that we go visit the spa. I hemmed and hawwed he went and checked it out. It was decided that I get a hair and scalp treatment I'd been thinking about and Jason would get a hand and foot massage. While we were in the spa/salon we could see out into the hall and across it to where we play cards sometimes. Jason saw Tara walk by several times and tried the family whistel, she looked around for him, nearly looked right at him, but didtn' see him! I guess she didn't think that her son could be found in the spa! We enjoyed our treatments and then caught up to RTJ in the Hot Tub. Jenna got out to play a game with us in the crowded "Card Room".

Jason's famous quote/song of the day "On top of ole smokey, I lost my meatball, it rolled down the mountain and I chased it with my fork and napkin, glory glory hallelujah.”

We went to watch "Elements" which was dancing, magic, and acrobatics. Some parts were odd, others were amazing! Allen, Daniele, Jason, and I had to sit down in the regular seats because the VIP ones were crowded.

When the show was done all 7 of us went and ate at Windows. Allen and I had to add butter, gravy, and pepper to our mashed potato's --they did something wierd to the potato-- the chicken was tastey and the little tiny squash interesting.

We had a good time laughing and being silly together.

Day 7

Still At Sea

Woke up before 9 and went to the buffet.

I have no idea what they did to the pancakes but they were gross, and the syrup wan't right. The bacon and danish was amazing as usual!

Jason schedulaed a massage for himself so he walked me up to Randy, Tara, and Jenna's suite because Jenna and I were going to play some more Monopoly Deal. When we got there Allen and Daniele were finishing up the movie "Prince Caspian" so I watched that with them while Jason went to his appointment.

The fog started rolling in.

When the movie was over Jenna and I finished our game of Monopoly Deal (I won again!) and Jason returned.

We ordered room service for Tara, Jenna, Jason, and I (and some cheesecake for Randy) this is what we ordered: 3 BLT's, 2 grilled cheese, 3 Border Salads, 3 cheesecakes (one of which Randy dropped on the floor), and 3 chocolate cakes.

While we waited for lunch to arrive we did some shopping. Jason and I got t-shirts for my family and the two Sloma's helping us out back home. When we got back to the suite lunch still hadn't arrived yet so we played some games with Jenna.

Randy put in the movie "Fools Gold" and lunch arrived. After Lunch Jason and I headed back to our room for a nap.

We napped for about 2 hours then woke up and hit the buffet.

The fog when we woke up was so thick that you could just barely see the water out the windows. The captain kept blowing fog horn, it was a little eerie.

We went and played games with Randy, Tara, and Jenna. Jason successfully lost checkers to Randy a dozen times (or so) and Jenna beat the pants of Tara and I in Rumikub.

Then we watched the "Crew Variety Show" from the VIP balcony.

After the show Jason and I packed and went to get some seats for "The Second City" improv show.

When we got to the lounge "Galaxy of the Stars" where they were going to perform there was a game show there called "The Quest". The announcers catch phrase was "What people won't do for a buck and a beer." The people playing had 10 seconds to retrieve whatever it was that the host asked for (2 pairs of men's pants, a bra, ect). It is amazing what drunk people will do! Then "Second City" came on. They were halarious I laughed till my sides hurt!

Then to bed our last night at se

Day 8

Boston 9:00 AM

Woke up at 7 and looked out the window. Boston!

Breakfast arrived: Froot Loops and milk (soy milk for Delia).

We arrived far to early to where the VIP's were to meet and sat and watched some news from Britian.

The rest of the family arrived, as did Bruce, and we were escourted off the ship.

Tara and I left the rest of the family and the luggage in front of the building and went to go get the cars. Apparently the cops in the area where the boat was docked are allowed to text on their phone and smoke while working. The man managing traffic had a cigarret smoldering in his mouth.

We managed to not get lost (I almost went the wrong way) out of the parking garage and drove to where we left the family.

It was a mad house where we left the family. There were cars, cops, limo's, and people getting in everyone's way. We loaded the cars as fast as we could then jumped in and drove off!

We stopped at Chili's for lunch.

On the way out of Chili's .. mishap!! Tara fell. She was walking along and suddenly there wasn't any ground (because there was a step) and down she went. The Chili's people freaked out! Jason, Randy, and Daniele helped Tara to her feet while Jenna and I waited inside. The Chili's hostest kept saying "Should I call 911. Do you want me to call 911. I'll call 911." I said, "If they need 911 they'll send someone in. I think she'll be all right." Tara limped back inside and Jenna and Daniele helped her clean up. She has a good sized scrape on her arm and many bruises!

We all made it back to Strong. Then we went home to see our babies!

It is so good to be home!

Cruise Pictures

2010-05-23T18:38:00.001-04:00

Fire Marshal

2010-04-02T11:01:00.002-04:00

The Fire Marshal stopped by last week to inspect us. We need to change a window in the bedroom, install some hard wired smoke detectors, and put up a handrail.

I've really been surprised at how fast DHHS has been working. All the people we put in for references received their paper work the Friday of the week that we sent our application in.

We start out 24hr of Foster Care training on May 25th.

I think that by (or before) September we should have a munchkin living with us!

Foster Care Meeting

2010-03-09T17:19:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is our first of many meetings/classes to become Foster Parents. We are so excited! A friend told us that they are very negative, probably so that you have a true sense of what it is like.

I just finished reading Another Place at the Table. Its an autobiography of a Foster Mom and she doesn't pull any punches. She tells it just like it happened to her in all it's gritty truth. It was a good read and a page turner. Even despite all the awful things she experience being a Foster Mom and all the horrible things she exposed her kids to inadvertently she remains positive.

Jason is going to read it next.

Round 5 with Clomid

2010-03-08T23:39:00.002-05:00

Taking an ovulation predictor kit this time around.

Maybe I'll ovulate?

Foster Care

2010-02-13T00:41:00.003-05:00

Awhile ago, back before we had officially started trying a friend of ours said: "You two should consider Foster Care, you'd be great at it." To which my hubby replied: "No, because the first time I had to hand a kid over to their scum bag parent I'd have issues."

I didn't push him on it because I could tell that he had made his mind up and wasn't going to budge on this issue.

Thursday we were in the bank and ran into the same friend who had just finished adoption on her second Foster Child and reiterated her statement to Jason to which Jason replied: "No, because the first time that I saw the scum bag parent in the facility...."

There we are sitting in the bank trying to see if we can get a credit card for 9.9% instead of the one we have now at like 300% ... and the bank lady leaves for a moment and he turns to me and says: "Let's do it. Let's try Foster Care."

Such a turd my hubby.

I was feeling rather hopeless. We don't have the money to go much further then we are with fertility treatments (I'm assuming this I haven't researched it much yet, kind of afraid too), and I just can't take the continuing disappointment without a glimmer of hope! Now I feel relief that if the next two rounds of Clomid don't work then there is an avenue left open to us (in our current price range) to be parents.

The Joys of a House

2010-01-31T19:19:00.004-05:00

We have been living in our new house for a little over two months.

Here is a few things I have learned.

1. Oil is expensive

2. Turning down the hot water tank will save on propane

3. 60 people will fit in my house

4. There is no insulation in the walls

5. The neighbor is friendly enough to pick me up off the side of the street and take me home when I am broken down

6. The pellet stove won't quite heat the whole house.

7. Buying pellets for the stove cost 1/2 as much as oil.

8. I can live and be happy in a chilly house

9. I love having a house

10. The power company charges you twice for electricity!

We will be going to Bermuda on a cruise in April! Jason's mother bought us all (there are 7 of us) cruise tickets! Can't wait!

No news on the baby front. We'll be going to the next dose of Clomid soon. After these next two rounds if I'm not pregnant then we will be saving up some pennies for some tests...

New House

2010-01-06T18:10:00.002-05:00

On November 23, 2009 Jason and I became home owners!

We more than doubled our living space! Since moving I have had a dinner party, a brunch, and a birthday party here! We have been having so much fun!

Round 4 with Clomid

2010-01-06T18:06:00.001-05:00

I'm feeling a little frustrated. I'm feeling a little worried that it's not going to work. I'm worried that if the clomid doesn't work that we won't be able to afford other treatments.

Pregnant?

2009-12-10T17:18:00.003-05:00

I think I'm seeing a pregnant "sign" ...

So far no positive pregnancy tests yet. I'm going to try again in the morning and if it's still negative I'm calling the dr to get a blood test done.

Very frustrated right now.

If not this month then next, right?

Odd Signs in Northeastern Maine

2009-11-12T19:42:00.003-05:00

If the Bad Little falls in, what happens to the good little?

We were stumped, even after following the "Handicap Route", which were road signs... what does that mean "Handicap Route"?? ? ???? ???

Are people who are disabled supposed to follow this route and this route alone, that seems discrimatory to us.

Calais, ME

2009-11-12T19:30:00.003-05:00

Jason and I took a trip to visit my brother, Ben, at college. We had a really go time up there in the middle of nowhere. We stayed at a crappy hotel. They advertised that they had a pool, but guess what? The pool has been broken since 2007! I was not happy! Jason and I didn't get much sleep, but we have since recovered.

On Saturday we took a trip to nowhere and found some interesting things. We went to Eastport, the Easternmost "city" in the USA. "City" is a metaphor I think, there isn't anything there. The locals gave us funny looks so we went to Machias to find some food. We had a lot of fun being silly.

I miss my brother, but had a blast with him!

Calais, ME

2009-11-12T19:25:00.001-05:00

Maybe it Worked?

2009-11-12T18:31:00.003-05:00

I have a good feeling about this month.

We'll see.

I took a test this morning, but it was negative, but I'm most likely too early anyway. I had a random vomiting episode very early Wednesday night and it seems like I can't eat dairy or tomato's anymore... maybe someone is screwing with my system?

Center Hill

2009-10-24T14:58:00.002-04:00

I went with work to a field trip to Center Hill in Weld, ME. These pictures are of the surrounding mountains of Mount Blue State Park

Clomid Round 3

2009-10-24T14:50:00.002-04:00

I had a period this month, with out taking period pills, it was very exciting!

I started round 3 with a little more hope than the past rounds. My dose is twice as much as before and so far I've only had one day when I was really crabby because of it. I was also a bit nauseous too from the meds, but otherwise I've been doing great.

The house buying is an uphill battle. We are so close and yet so far! The cesspool needs an inspection and that will be on Tuesday then a survey of the land needs to be done. We are hoping to be in the new house before Thanksgiving which so happens to be my birthday!

Round 2 with Clomid

2009-09-17T21:55:00.003-04:00

Started taking Clomid again today. I'm going to try and be real dilligent about taking it at the same time every day. I'm shooting for noon when I take my other pills.

House

Jason and I think we've found a house! If all goes well the closing date is Oct 28th!

A house for Hamlins?

2009-09-03T19:03:00.004-04:00

We put an offer on a house today. This is the second time we are putting an offer on this house. The first time someone else beat us to the punch. That offer fell apart and now we are getting a turn!

We are hoping that it goes through easy. The house is closer to Jason's parents than mine, but that's all right. It is also 45mins from work for me, I'm going to have to commute for the first time in ..... gosh .... 8 years! I worked it out with my "boss" that I will work Mon, Wed, Fri so that we can get the preschoolers to preschool.

Yes, we are taking our daycare kids to preschool. We are so crazy. We are the ONLY daycare in our area that takes the kids to preschool. Here is the logic. These 4 four year olds have been together since before they could talk. Come next year when they go to Kindergarten they are going to have a SHOCK. We thought this might be a nice lead in for them. Apparently the parents agreed because they are paying for preschool in ADDITION to the normal daycare rates (we aren't giving them any discount). We'll see how it goes with all this carting around.

We are very excited. We are hoping that this is IT!. We have looked at 20 or so houses in a couple of months. I think we have seen everything in our price range with in an hours travel! I'll be so happy when that is done.

Keep those fingers and toes crossed!!

My Pregnant Best Friend

2009-08-30T14:32:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures of my best friend. She had the baby on August 25th at 11pm. The baby was 6lbs 13.5oz and 21 inches long. They named her Adriana Nicolasa.
She is beautiful!

TTC

2009-08-30T14:22:00.002-04:00

Still not pregnant.

Going to start another round of meds soon.

People keep telling me "Practicing is the fun part." I used to believe this, but, it's not true. The "fun part" would be having the baby, or being pregnant. It almost sounds like: "Enjoy sex now while you can, because once you succeed your life is over!" or that having a baby is a bad thing.

Here is another: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again!"

What I want to hear sounds more like this: "It will happen, in God's timing."

But I suppose that at this point no matter what people tell me, I'll still feel frustrated.

My Best Friends Belly

2009-08-16T23:30:00.002-04:00

Is it weird that I am in love with this picture? I don't know if it's jealousy or longing, but I love this picture and what it captures.

I am doing a "photo shoot" with her some time this week. I'm looking forward to it.

Pregnant Best Friend

2009-08-16T17:55:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures of my best friend Nicki. She is due September 5th. She doesn't look very big, but she tells me that the baby is crammed up in her rib cage.

The last picture is her opening up the hat I knit for her. See my blog to get a clearer picture of it.

Still No News

2009-08-16T17:46:00.001-04:00

I'm wrapping up my first month of TTC with Clomid. I'm going test on Thursday the 27th, that'll be 35days since my period.

I started a new blog about all the things I've been knitting. There's only a few things posted.

Sunset...

2009-07-22T23:46:00.000-04:00

Look What We Found...

2009-07-22T23:45:00.000-04:00

Just for Fun....

2009-07-22T23:44:00.000-04:00

Part 3 of Vaca Pics

2009-07-22T23:42:00.001-04:00

Part 2 of Vaca Pics

2009-07-22T23:29:00.001-04:00

Part 1 of Vaca Pics

2009-07-22T23:09:00.001-04:00

Multiple Briths with Clomid

2009-07-17T22:50:00.002-04:00

So I just did some research on Clomid and this is what I came up with..

The frequency of twins occurring in women who conceive while taking clomiphene or letrozole has been reported to be as high as 10%. Triplets may occur as frequently as 1 in 400 births, and quadruplets in 1 in 800 births.

Jason is almost excited as I am to be seriously trying now. While we were on vacation he looked at my cousins baby and said "I want one more now."

"More than before?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Why?"

"I saw J with his daughter and I want that."

I smiled, "Good."

He is going to be a good Dad. Despite what he thinks. Today I sort of tossed one of the daycare infants who happened to be eating a bottle at the time at him and had him feed the kid. He was bewildered, but he handle himself and the baby just fine. I'm so proud of him. I love him so very much!

The Hamlins went to the Dr and the Dr Said..

2009-07-17T22:26:00.002-04:00

Thursday was our first visit to the fertility doc in our area. All I wanted out of her was Clomid because everything I've been reading has told me that the "magic" formula is progesterone (to have a period), clomid (to make eggs), and Metformin to "hedge the bet". The problem was only a fertility doc can write scripts for Clomid and so we have been waiting and waiting and waiting.

But the wait is over. We now have clomid.

I'll keep you posted as to how it will effect me. I have heard some horror stories of the emotional roller coaster it puts you on :( . Oh, and here are the super fun side effects...

hot flashes

nausea

vomiting

breast tenderness

dizziness

lightheadedness

headache

mood changes

Oh, and did I forget to tell you??

Using this medicine may result in multiple pregnancy (twins, etc.)

Today I was texting my cousin who has traveled this road before to find out that it wasn't possible for her and her hubby to have kids (they both have issues) and said that triplets are more common than twins. I'm going to check this out tonight. I don't want three at a time!!

3, 2, or 1 I'll take what God will give me!

Couins! 2

2009-07-13T09:16:00.001-04:00

Cousins!

2009-07-13T09:01:00.001-04:00

Anniversary Trip 2009

2009-06-01T20:28:00.003-04:00

For our Anniversary we went to Six Flags in MA. I had asked Jason last year to take me someplace where I could go on a roller coaster but we did not have time/money to go. This year Jason and I were going to go to Fun town in Maine, but at last minute Jason changed his mind and took me to where the BIG coasters are! He booked a hotel (The Econo) that had a whirlpool tub in the room so that I could have a soak (500 sq feet of apartment and no tub!) at a reasonable price and we were off!

We took the "long way" to MA. We went by way of VT and drove through some mountains on the very senic route 2.

It was great to have him all to myself in the car. We chatted about nothing and enjoyed each others company.

On Monday we went to Six Flags. We had so much fun. We only went on 4 rides but we were there all day. The sun just cooked all the energy out of us.

Bizzaro was by far my favorite ride. Jason bravely joined me on the very tall ride (he's not a fan of heights). It was fast and awesome and scary! I could have rode it a hundred times if I thought I could walk the next day.

I bet you are wondering about the odd picture at the beginning of this post. We were walking around in the park and Jason turns to me and says: "Since the first anniversary is the Paper Anniversary I thought we'd get one of those drawings done since it's done on paper."

Isn't he a genius? I love my hubby!

Update

2009-06-01T20:13:00.002-04:00

Dieting:

So the eating style is coming around good. I haven't weighed myself yet so I don't know what my starting weight even is! I plan on doing that tomorrow. My mom was telling me that she can't eat carbs because of the "let down" when the carbs/sugar leaves the system. I believed her but didn't think much of it.

Last week I ate a steak bomb which was surrounded in bread and smothered in cheese. That night I was very cranky. I don't eat carbs anymore because of what it does to me. That make "dieting" much easier.

I put a bag of almonds by the computer so I would snack on them insted of junk food like chips or prezles or cereal. That is helping too because I get full. Jason has been really great about getting on board with this eating plan. He has been very supportive!

Debt:

Instead of getting out of debt, Jason and I decided to buy a car. *lol* However, the loan in 3.38% for 2.5 years so as far as loans go itsn't not horrible.

The new car is a 2005 Chevy Impala and I LOVE it! It drives and rides like a dream!

TTC:

I just found out that a couple who were married on the same day as us are pregnant. That makes the count 4. Jason and I are holding off on testing or anything because I just can't take it anymore. I need a break. August will make a year and then we will be calling a Doc.

Vinnie Before and After

2009-06-01T20:05:00.001-04:00

Every year Vinnie gets a hair cut. Here is why.
1. Vinnie is a "low rider" he is very low to the ground and sometimes the grass gets very high. The first thing in the morning when he goes outside to potty or say we are at camp he gets very wet and unhappy.
2. He often gets bits of twigs, leaves, and burrs from bushes stuck in his fluff
3. He hates to get brushed and so he gets mats that I have to cut out.
4. Sometimes his "poo" gets stuck in his fur and I have to cut it out. :(
5. He gets very hot in the sun at camp
6. It's easier to find ticks without so much hair
7. He just looks so handsome!

Piper in a Box

2009-05-24T21:25:00.001-04:00

I was sitting at the computer typing in my last blog when I heard this noise coming from the kitchen. I think to myself what have the cats got into now? I peek in and Piper is in the Coke box.
Here is the thing. Earlier when I had just finished emptying the boxes, Cali had tried to get in, but she is too fat! Apparently, you have to be a kitten to truly enjoy a Coke box.

Weight

2009-05-24T20:56:00.003-04:00

For a long time I have known that my fertility issues could and probably are linked to my weight issues. I have been lost though where to start. Do I try a gimmick to loose the weight only to bounce back into a bad weight once I got preggo? Do I try a fad diet or a service like Jenny Craig?

We all know that the key to loosing weight and keeping it off is to have good eating habits and exercise. In both categories I lack, big time.

However, I really want to get preggo and we are coming up on a year here....

My mom has started a new "eating style" (not a diet, I refuse to call it as such). That she got out of a book she got from a friend. I can't remember the name perhaps something like "The Paleo Diet". Paleo refers to prehistoric man and how they ate (yes, we laugh all the time about it to). There is this bunch of nonsense about monkeys deciding to eat meat and became man....yada yada yada. The gist is this. Grains as we know them today are not all that great for us. Back before we refined all the goodness out of them and they were these hard crusty things they might have been all right, but as we eat them today not so good. (I am paraphrasing off of what Mom has told me, I haven't read the book)

What we should be eating is lean meats, fish, and fresh fruits & veggies. No starches, no potatoes (though I don't quite understand why Paleo Man didn't have potatoes), no bread, no cereal, no dairy, you get the idea.

But the stuff you can have, you can have all you want. If you want to sit down to a meal of 3 pork chops and a bowl of strawberries then go for it! There is no starving yourself, no counting anything, no growling tummy at 3am in the morning.

My mom, my dad, my sister, and my brother have all lost inches on this "eating style". When Ben showed me that his pants were too big that sold me on it. Jason and I are now going to try to eat this way.

We'll see how it goes.

I'll keep you posted.

Dandelion

2009-05-14T21:25:00.001-04:00

Why are children fascinated with dandelions? I remember as a child picking them by the handful and giving them to my mom with pride. Even after I knew that they would barely last a day in a vase, I still would pick some and lovingly put them in a vase for her to enjoy.

Why don't dandelions last in a vase? Why do they wither up and die? They survive the lawn mower and sometimes the weed whacker, but not being plucked....

The daycare kids are always trying to give me the tops of tiny flowers and I thank them and put them in my pocket. Sometimes I say "Oh that is really pretty, but I don't want it. You can save it and give it to Mommy."

I like looking at dandelions, I don't mind at all when the lawn is yellow because of them.

I am very thankful that spring is here and summer is chasing it's heels.

House

2009-05-13T19:05:00.006-04:00

We went and talked to the lady that owns the house we want. She doesn't sound very interested in the whole idea. I think she's interested in her head at the idea of not having it to worry about, but in her heart she doesn't want to move. Plus before we could buy it all her projects would need to be finished and I think the task is too daunting for her to imagine it ever completed.

So, on to plan B.

Jason and I will be looking for a different house to buy. It would be so nice to have a bigger place this winter. Winters in this tiny apartment are rough. When we have a disagreement or discussion or just need to be alone, we can't do that. There are no interior walls in our home.

We went to the bank and were pre-approved for a loan. I didn't think we'd get approved. I was certain that we'd have to clean up our credit some. I am hoping that sometime this summer we will be in a new place!!

My Back

2009-05-13T18:56:00.008-04:00

Went to see the chiropractor and he adjusted me. Apparently I "twisted" a rib. Funny, I didn't think ribs twisted....

I'm much better. I can move, it still hurts, but not stabbing-shooting-can't breathe, pain.

Aging?

2009-05-08T22:29:00.001-04:00

I wrenched my back today and it wasn't my fault. I wasn't even doing anything foolish! All of a sudden it was like "BAM" my back hurts. I called the doc and she ordered me some muscle relaxants. It is better but not up to par!

I hope that this is not a sign of things to come. I find it so hard to believe that I will be 30 at the end of this year!

Piper

2009-05-07T10:44:00.001-04:00

I told Jason that until he "knocks me up" he has to get me a kitten every spring.

Say "Hello" to Piper!
She is four weeks old and oh-so-cute!

Bangor Trip

2009-05-07T10:03:00.005-04:00

Jason decided that we didn't need to be totally "responsible" with our federal tax return for 2008 and decided that we needed some R & R. We picked some place coastal and nearby, set a date, got some hotel reservations, and headed to Bangor, Maine!

The weather wasn't all that great (did I mention coast in the spring?) but the clouds did appear long enough for us to take a stroll in downtown Bangor, Maine. We did some window shopping, ate some food, and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

We had our lunch at Paddy Murphy's Irish Pub. The food was good and the ambiance relaxing. We tried a new kind of fried food there. Have you ever had Pickle Chips? As in battered and fried dill pickle slices? I'm still not certain if I like them, but I'd have them again.

We took a short walk around the park near the river so Jason could enjoy one of the few cigars he smokes in a year. We would have liked to have walked longer but it was very windy and chilly (coast in the spring, what were we thinking?)

We went back to our hotel for a dip in the pool and some rest. Later that evening we tried our hand at pool (neither of us is very good) and then tried our hardest to find some place to eat. There is just nothing open at 9 o'clock at night on a Sunday in Bangor, or hardly nothing. We found a 99 that was open.

The next day we checked out and headed to Bar Harbor to check it out. I have gone to Bar Harbor four times (twice on business) and thought that Jason would enjoy walking in the town. There are a lot of little shops and some fantastic restaurants, not to mention there is a state park nearby and lots of stuff to look at. Anyway, we got there and found some food. I couldn't tell you the name of the restaurant. It was an odd name from like Brazil, but the food was American (go figure). I had tuna. Not the canned kind, real tuna. Which is amazing since I don't like fish. The food was awesome but I'm not certain if I'd return. The place is a little "stuck up". We had a good time walking around and going down the the pier. Sadly, not much was open since it was the off season. We are hoping that next summer we can return and enjoy the area a little better. I want to take him to the park, because it is pretty fantastic up there.

Some Good Stuff

2009-05-04T14:05:00.003-04:00

So, I've been feeling a little negative lately about not being pregnant and all that.

(Current pregnant count: 3)

Plus I'm menstruating and that always brings me down. All day yesterday (when I wasn't sleeping) I just felt like crying for no reason. Being a woman can really blow sometimes!

I wanted to take a moment to refocus myself on some good things in my life. It can be so easy to point out all the bad. Anyway...here is a list of all the great things in my life right now (I'm sure there is more...)

1. Loving Husband
2. Loving God
3. Happy Home
4. Roof Over My Head
5. Food in my belly
6. Smallville in my DVD player
7. $750 in debt .. and that is it!!!
8. Mostly working car
9. Jason has a job
10. Jason got the shift he wanted
11. I have a job
12. We added 4 kids for the summer to the daycare which will help a lot with the budget
13. I have a new kitten!! (I told Jason that until he knocks me up he has to get me a kitten every spring)
14. Brand new LCD monitor should be here tomorrow.
15. Clothes to wear
16. SHOES!
17. Awesome siblings
18. Fantastic Boss
19. Furry Animals to love in my home
20. A backyard to hang out in to enjoy the sunshine
21. Goats to watch be dumb (have you ever noticed that our food animals are real stupid? --cows, pigs, chickens, fish, ect--do you think there's a reason for that?)
22. Books to read.

Well, that's good for now, maybe I'll add more later.

A House for Hamlins?

2009-04-29T18:17:00.002-04:00

(Click on the pics to see them better)

Yesterday Jason and I went to look at a house. It is not the most beautiful house, it is not the newest house, it is not the most intelligently constructed house but it has two things that our current apartment lacks: 1)space and 2) 6.5 acres of land!!!

First let me tell you about the house's history. As Jason has this to say about the short man who put the house together: "It is hard to build a house with only one hand." No, the man was not a victim of some unfortunate accident or birth defect, we are talking beer in one hand and a hammer in the other. Yes, a drunk man built his house upon the dirt. Well, it started out as a camp and then morphed into this odd shaped, multiple roofed, unique structure. None of the roofs really match up, none of the floors match up, the walls are less than straight, and the ceiling fairly low.

My Dad is currently in the process of putting on a singular metal roof on the house. The project is nearly complete and once finished the snow will slide right off it instead of stay and step up house for the winter. My Dad is also putting in a closet near the kitchen for coats and a pantry.

We talked for sometime with the owner and she assures us that although the house leaks heat it stays more than enough warm inside with the wood stove pumping out a serious amount of BTU's. She also has a monitor heater (soon to be two monitor heaters) to make up the difference when no one is at home and the fire goes out. As far as renovating she has completed: removing a whole room (it was badly constructed) and adding a deck in it's place (so that she could sit out and watch her horses); replacing the washer, dryer, fridge and hot water tank; added a monitor heater; added a closet; put in an arch between the kitchen and the laundry "tunnel" room/space to let in more light; and some basic pain touch ups.

The house's most strangest room would be the second bedroom which barely has a window. The window looks out over an entry way in the back of the house. The second strangest room would be the laundry area. It is only as wide as the washer and stretches nearly the length of the house on that side. I have no idea what the original intent was when the drunk (or the crazy mean man that owned it after the drunk) put that section on to the house.

Now you are wondering why Delia, why would you want such an odd house? .... 6.5 acres of land!!! Jason and I walked some of the property and it has GREAT potential. There is a cleared off, nearly level area where a house could go. A real house. A nice house. Not some Alice in Wonderland house. We wouldn't have to CLEAR any trees like we would if we were to build on my parents land, we wouldn't have to pay to dig a well or to get electricity in or to make a driveway because it is already done!

I am so in love with the land there. There is a little stream and some woods and I can just envision children playing in it and having so much fun. There is a nice barn and a shed for Jason to do his "man stuff" in or get goats for pets or get me a runner duck....

The downside is that her brother(s) are living on the property in a trailer. It's a nice trailer (at least on the outside) and she's letting them stay there and in return they are supposed to help her out with the house. They haven't helped and there is more work than she is able to do on her own so that is why she wants OUT of her mortgage and out of the house. Jason and I would probably get a lease with the brother(s) that they'd have to be out in 2 months after we bought the place. There are also some crudely built add-ons to a fairly decent shed that will need to go. Plus there is the usual stock pile of junk that old places get: random pieces of tin, machinery, wood, concrete, ect. I don't think that we'd be biting off more than we could chew.

As far as the funny little house goes. Well I have some plans. Dad tells me that since the roof is now supported on the outer walls that we could move some walls around. The first thing would be a major bathroom renovation. It is wayyyy too small. So the weird entry way in the back would go and the bathroom would fill it's place. I think that the 2nd bedroom walls should be moved so that it could be a real room with real windows and possibly retain an exit to the back for the dogs to use so that I don't have to chase them every morning.

The house isn't some down-on-it's-luck fixer-upper. It's just odd. Everything works in it. Nothing leaks or is in bad disrepair, it's just really really really odd.

The goal would be that in 5 or so years to refinance and get some more money and build a REAL house or get a modular house of some sort.

On May 6th we are talking to a loan agent to see if we can get pre-approved or at least find out what we need to do to improve our credit score.......

OH!! that reminds me.

Jason and I are with-in $750 of being DEBT FREE!!! With our income tax return & the vacation pay Jason got from Franklin County we paid off a credit card, Jason's school loan (from the whole month he attended), half of another credit card, and the whopping $78.00 we still owed on the car

If you can't tell I'm super excited. Maybe, just maybe in 6month I'll be in a house!!!

( All drawings were done by Delia and are not in any shape or form close to being accurate in size or proportion, they are all a rough estimate of the fact )

Feeling Frustrated

2009-04-08T13:40:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I really don't like my body.

I just wish that I could get on a normal cycle. I really, really, really thought I ovulated, but maybe I didn't. I'm on like week 6 of my cycle and I've taken 3 prego tests and they are all negative. I just wish that if I wasn't prego that I'd at least bleed. That'd give me a drop of hope that in the future I could get prego.

There is a mom at the daycare I run and she means well, but every week she asks me about my cycle. When I told her that I was on week six she said "I'm buying you a test." I said: "Thanks, but I have one that I'm taking on Sunday and it will be my third." She shut-up. She said that when she wasn't even trying and she'd be late and take a test and it be negative that she'd cry. I told her that I've been crying every third. Which was an improvement from every time.

August will mark a year that we've been trying and that's when we'll get "aggressive" with trying. Also in August Jason will have been at his new job for several months and will be "settled".

*sigh*

On a positive note it looks like (if all goes according to plan--I know, I know I can hear God laughing too) we will be out of debt by no later than the first of June. Including credit cards and Jason's college bill (he went for a WHOLE month! lol before deciding that college was not for him).

I'm hanging in there and remembering that God's got the whole world in his hands!

Got The Job

2009-03-23T21:47:00.001-04:00

Yay!

Jason starts his new job on April 6th!!

God worked so fast! He just amazes me.

Hormonal

2009-03-23T21:45:00.002-04:00

I must be going to have my period soon because I am so moody. I am not very adaptable at this moment and all I really want to do is kill something or break something or just break down in tears.........

Being a woman sometimes really sucks.

2009-03-22T22:08:00.003-04:00

So I was browsing some other blogs and found this gem.

check out this blog http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/page/3/

Getting Ahead of Myself

2009-03-19T19:41:00.001-04:00

I know that I am just getting geared up to be sad but...

Pretty certain that on the 12th I ovulated (if the amazing pain I felt in my uterus area was what that was) and today the 19th I'm all crampy which could be nesting....

so I'm excited for the 28th when I can test...

I know that most likely I'm not prego, but, I'm still hopeful.....

Might have Ovulated

2009-03-13T21:41:00.003-04:00

Jason and I had agreed to not "aggressively try" for the next few months until he knows what is going on with his job. BUT. I think I've ovulated so I want to chart it so bad to see when to test (I'm going to test at the end of the month anyway)...I'm just super excited. Excited that here is the first "real" chance we have had to get pregnant and excited that my body could possibly be on board with this whole menstral cylce thing! Yea!

The friend that was recently pregnant told me today that they went for an ultrasound and there was no heartbeat :( She sounds pretty upbeat, more upbeat than I would be, but it wasn't all that recent so maybe she's gone through her grieving proccess. Poor girl.

More on the Job

2009-03-13T21:39:00.002-04:00

I really hope that I'm not getting my hopes too high just to have them dashed upon a rock, but...

Jason's Mom (who is also a corrections officer where Jason works and has also applied at the new jail) to him that the hiring guy said: "So you'll come in for your exam on Tuesday and on Friday I will tell you that you have the job."

Hmmm...

If he gets this job it's almost "too easy". Thank you God!

Cute Kids

2009-03-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Wanna see the cute kids of my daycare?

http://www.blueheronkids.blogspot.com

Optimistic

2009-03-11T18:46:00.002-04:00

I hope I'm not counting my chickens before they hatch but I am 95% certain that Jason will have a new job on the 20th of March!!!

Yes, you read that right.

He went in for a "security interview" at another jail in the next county over (45mins away from us) and the man said, "I can't tell you that you have the job...{awkward pause}...you still have to go through the oral exam." Then later he said, "My sheriff talked to your sheriff and they agreed that the people coming from your jail should have preference over the other applicants."

So, it sounds good. I'm just hoping and praying! And, if he doesn't get a job now they will be hiring again in another couple of months. It would be so awesome if he got this job, so perfect. But, again, I'm not God maybe he has other plans......

Not a good night again

2009-03-07T09:53:00.003-05:00

I'm just wondering how long it will take before I stop sounding like a broken record.
Will the pain ever get easier? Will my heart ever hurt less?

I just found out that my best friend is pregnant. I know this is not nice, but out of all the people I know she and her hubby are in the worst position to have a baby. What is God thinking?!?!?

My head is totally in the game and totally understands that everything is in God's control and in His plan and He has the right ideas about things. He can see the big picture and right now in His big picture me being pregnant is not in the cards. It's not the right time according to Him. I know He knows what is best for me and Jason, I get that.

Me of all people know that sometimes waiting is better. I had to wait ten years for my hubby, because he wasn't legal to marry when I thought I was ready to marry. :)

I'm just sort of stuck on this: "Why not God, why not?"

So my question is, will this ever get easier? Will it ever get easier when I hear someone is pregnant? Will I ever not hate them when I hear their good news? Will I ever not have to mask my first thoughts when I hear: "I'm pregnant!"? How long will it take me to get there? My heart can only take so much.

BTW the fall baby count is 2.

Job Prospects

2009-03-04T15:57:00.004-05:00

Jason went and checked out another detention center today. He liked the place and how it was run. They are hiring 5 more correction officers. He and some other correction officers are putting in their applications. Problem is so are a lot of other correction officers.

When the right job comes around I know he'll get it. Waiting for that one is a real pain though...

Not TTC

2009-03-03T17:43:00.003-05:00

There is a possibility that Jason is going to loose his job sometime after July. The detention center he is working in is turning into a 72 hr holding facility starting July 1, 2009. Well, they are going to start turning it into one on July 1, 2009 so who knows how long he will keep his job? It will take at least a couple of months to switch it over so he might be able to keep his job until fall or winter.

Because of the uncertainty we are holding off on "aggressive" getting pregnant. Which means that I will not be calling any fertility doctors or trying to see a gyno so that I can be put on clomid. Also means no charting or doing any OPK's. It does not mean though that I am going to be put on birth control.

In the words of my hubby we'll be "just practicing". :)

There was something I wanted to say...

2009-02-25T21:55:00.003-05:00

I got on here with a "purpose" but now I don't remember what it was. I know there was something I wanted to say but for the life of me I can't remember what it was....

Oh, there is this:

The car broke.
But God had things worked out in an odd way, so I don't know why we were worried.

It broke LAST Wednesday (on a day it was dark and stormy--I kid you not) but we managed to limp home and then get it to the Car Doc. Called the Car Doc on Thursday.

Jason leaves a message at the Car Doc on Wednesday: "I dropped my car off. We've been having troubles with it overheating, we think the thermostat might be shot. Could you look at it and call me back."

Thursday morning after Jason has called them (Why are they like that at the Car Doc?)

Doc: "Your radiator is shot. And the one you need has to be special ordered because you have a limited edition vehicle and they only made parts for your vehicle for TWO MONTHS so it will be 4 times as much as normal"

(Gee thanks)

Me: "Um. Well. We don't have the money until my husband gets paid next Thursday."
Car Doc: "I don't do credit."
Me thinking: Great now what?

So Jason and I borrow $300 from his parents in hopes that the car will be ready by Monday. Because, if not for bad luck I'd have no luck at all, the Car Doc is closed on Friday anyway so we'll have to wait until Monday anyway.

Monday & Tuesday Car Doc says: "Part is not in" (which is a lie because later we find out that they had the part but some bozo dropped the NEW radiator and BROKE it!!!! So then they had to get another one!)

Wednesday finally the car part arrives around lunch time and they tell us that it will be ready by closing.

Jason and I get to the Car Doc at 5:25 (after closing to see if it is waiting for us in the yard). And yay it's there ready! Jason pays the bill. The Car Doc fires up the car in hopes of getting the coolant to flush through the system. I am turning the car around as I see Jason walking towards me and I can tell by the way he is walking that he is NOT happy.

Jason: "Ya, so when I asked them to look at the car I thought they'd LOOK at the car. Ya. The thermostat is gone."
Me thinking: Hmmm. Tomorrow is Pay day. We didn't even need to have bothered to borrow money because the car was never going to be ready before Thursday anyway. Cool.

See, God DOES have a plan we just can't ever see it!

*sigh*

If all goes according to plan the car will be ready tomorrow.
And yes, the radiator really did need to be replaced, it had a hole in it.

That wasn't what I was going to tell you, maybe I'll remember it later.

Not a good night

2009-02-24T22:15:00.003-05:00

I learned today that one of my friends is 7 weeks pregnant.

It has put me in such a slump.

I was doing good.

I know that God has good plans for us and that His timing is so much better than mine. In fact not being pregnant is probably a good thing right now because the jail is shutting down in July 1st which means that Jason is out of a job and we are with out benefits. My head is so on top of this not being pregnant is a good thing.

My heart though hurts so much!
I keep telling God that I can't take much more of this, but He seems to think different. Who am I to argue?

It still hurts....

Remembered

2009-02-20T14:00:00.003-05:00

I was just looking through some of my old posts and I was reminded of something.

Jason and I thought that we might be able to buy his dying aunts house when she goes, but that is not going to be a possibility. The aunt decided to will the house to the previous owners because the piece of property that her house sits on used to (long ago) belong to that family and the family (who she is friends with) would like to have the house back. Not that the aunt HAS to give it back, she just wants to. She also, and as far as I know I'm quoting here: "Doesn't want Tara and Betsy to profit from the sale of her house." why she feels this way is any one's guess. The lady is not right in the head.

Big bummer.

I was reminded though at church recently that sometimes God says no because His plan is much better than what we can imagine. Which is true. I am baffled that Jason and I are together, because who would have imagined us married? Only God could have seen the possibility and said those two, those two will be perfect together.

(Jason is in the gray t-shirt and I am the teenager standing next to him!)

TTC

2009-02-18T20:07:00.002-05:00

Did it, finally. I called the Dr today and I am being put back on some meds.

Keep your fingers crossed!