Christmas is over

Well another Christmas has come and gone - Kate had a good day even though she is still under the weather. Her favorite presents seem to be the ponies - two plastic ones that she painted herself and the stuffed pony. Bucky - that's the new stuffed pony - came to the movies with us this morning. We took her to see The Tale of Despereau - I wasn't sure if she would really like it. The storyline is a bit complex for her but she seemed to follow well enough and liked it. She still talks when we take her to the movies but mostly she is quiet and just watches. A couple of times she asked "Where's the princess?" and "Where's Despereau?". I figure it is a rated G movie and little kids talk - what are you going to do?

Todd got his new ipod so he is very happy - it fits in the speaker system we already have from the previous ipod so we are happy about that too. I got new slippers - my old ones were pitiful. Plus a kit on learning to crochet and a book about Barack Obama.

With her stuffy nose, Kate is still having sleep issues..getting to sleep is her problem, after that she is fine. We figured out a couple of things. One, she still needs physical activity even though she is sick b/c otherwise she is not tired enough. Two, the stuffy nose keeps her from sucking her thumb and therefore from falling asleep easily. Nothing else really soothes her like thumb sucking - she is lost without it. We made a plan - extra meds at night before bed, steam her in the bath, and we bought a humidifier for her room. She took an hour to get to sleep last night but then slept very well and wasn't up until 7 am this morning. She is just a different child when she is not sleeping well. Nap is a whole other problem - the last 2 days Todd has put her in the car to get her to sleep. Yesterday we let her nap in the car, in the garage (window and door open). Today he just brought her in and put her in her bed. He said it took 8 mins in the car before she fell asleep.

We didn't take many pictures yesterday - mostly we got Christmas on video. One of these days I am going to figure out how to get it off the video tape and onto the computer so I can burn it to DVD. I plan on sending the DVD to my mom - I know she would love that.

I'm so tired!!

Not sure what else to write - the title says it all. Ever since I started working full-time again, I haven't been able to find time for the YMCA. When I don't exercise, I get very sluggish. I would like to go after work before I come home, but I feel guilty about being away from Kate any longer than I have to. I get home between 5:15 and 5:30 pm and her bath starts at 6:30 pm and lights out by 7:30 pm. If I go to the gym, I would miss family dinner. In the past, I've tried to get up and go before work but I am so NOT a morning person. Once a week on Saturday is just not enough. Thank God for the holiday this week - hopefully I can get in some more exercise.

Kate is sick - AGAIN! I could just shoot myself. She has basically had the same cold off and on since the beginning of October. Her ped says it is normal b/c of her age and being in preschool. She gets 3, maybe 4 days, of feeling well and then the runny nose starts again, becomes a stuffy nose, and then drainage that causes her to cough. I feel so bad for her.

Work is slow this week and my boss is out of town. Going to take it easier this week.

Still having Jack-in-the-box toddler at bedtime syndrome. Some nights are great - she doesn't get up at all or only once. Tonight she won't stay in bed for nothing. There is nothing we can threaten or punish her with - she cares about nothing. Her ponies are her favorite toy. I tell her "get out of bed again and I take a pony away." So what does she do? One minute later she comes to the door of her room, all 3 ponies in hand, and says "here are the ponies, you take them."

Bath time and really the whole evening ritual are mostly unpleasant - she is constantly battling us over everything. Doesn't want to get in the bathtub, doesn't want to get out of the bathtub, doesn't want to brush her teeth, doesn't want you to comb her hair, have to chase her around the room to put her lotion on and PJs - Ugh! I wonder if all two year olds are like Kate or if other parents have "better-behaved" children. You ask her a question and she ignores you. Tell her to wash her hands, take off her shoes - she pretends she doesn't hear you. Todd is better at "tricking" her into doing what we want - me, not so much.

Kate in the box toddler is up again - gotta run...

It's almost here

Very excited about Christmas this year b/c Kate makes it so fun. She sings Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. She knows 90% of the words and will sometimes combine songs to be silly, like Frosty with a shiny nose. We went to Toys R Us today, a place we rarely go, and got a couple last things for Kate. We picked up a stocking stuffer - paint and brush all in one set with 4 colors - and Goodnight Moon board-game plus Madagascar puzzle. I can hardly wait for her to open her gifts. She is also getting a "soft pony", ie Webkinz brown Arabian and Todd picked up a paint your own pony set. Oh, and Grandma got her an A to Z Zoo with 26 animals figures. I think she will love it.

We saw Yes today with Jim Carrey - a must-see, very funny movie!!

Finally a moment to breathe

Been wanting to post for a few days now but had a take-home final exam for one of my classes. It was due tonight. Turned it in a couple of hours ago so now this semester is finally finished. Only 5 more semesters to go....

Been taking lots of Airborne in the last 24 hrs...came home from work yesterday with a slight fever, sore throat, and runny nose. It is no wonder - Kate has been sick off and on (mostly on) for about 5 weeks now. It is just crazy. The poor child has a cough that won't go away. Before that it was stuffy nose. I feel so bad for her.

I like being back to work - it feels so normal to be in an office setting again. On the other hand, I am busier now and I sure do miss Kate some days. Weekends are just not long enough. I am glad for the month break until school starts again - I will have more time for her in the evenings and weekends. My company is great - nice people and laid back about things. I can connect to work from home so I can opt to work from home once in a while. My boss suggested I take off or work from home on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas. I wasn't even going to ask to be off since I am so new. She told me I should.

Sold my first Mary Kay at the office - my boss bought Satin Lips. Trying to make sure everyone at work knows I sell MK - can't hurt to get some new customers.

She's gone!

Todd and Kate dropped mom at the airport this afternoon - it was getting very stressful for me. I am glad for Kate - she loves spending time with her grandma. Still I am glad it is not too much time b/c my mom has many theories/ideas with which I do NOT agree. For starters she is prejudice and I do not want Kate exposed to that. She said to Todd, and I quote, "Obama is an evil, evil man who hates white people and his grandma". She jokingly (?) told Todd she might have to stop speaking to us b/c we voted for Obama. She snaps at me for the littlest disagreement, meaning if I don't agree with her 100%, then I am wrong and she is right. If I even suggest their are other viewpoints, she gets angry. Also, she is very rude to people at times. We took her to the YMCA as our guest to workout. The lady at the front desk asked her to sign in and she got nasty with the lady - "well, why do I have to do that? I've been here 2x before and didn't have to do that." Her tone was not nice. As Todd always reminds me, mom is mom and at this point in her life she is not going to change. Doesn't make her any less irritating.

Kate is loving Christmas time. We bought a tree, pre-lit, from Lowe's and put it up yesterday. She loves it. Also we went to Michaels and got her a kit to make her own ornaments - she, Todd, and mom made some this morning. Kate's wishes for Christmas are a hard pony (My Little Pony) and a soft pony (stuffed animal pony) plus a blue pickup truck. We have a plastic snow globe with a Santa in it and she loves it. It plays music when you push the button - it was the first thing she went to this morning. I've always liked Christmas but it is so much more fun with a child.

Very glad to have this extended break from my new job. It has been tough working so much after so long of not working. It was, however, very exciting to deposit my first 40 hour a week paycheck in over two years. Did some shopping with LLBean.com this week - got some clothes for work and some new warm pjs for Kate.

Weekly update

It has been "cold" this whole week. Poor Kate, she has been complaining about cold hands on the playground at school. We are going to get her some gloves this weekend. Her little knuckles are getting red and dry. It doesn't usually stay this cool for this long here, especially this time of year. I love it but I am out of warm clothes too, especially for work. Darn - will have to go shopping - what a shame.... :)

I finally uploaded the Halloween pictures and Kate's new "big girl" bed. Will attach to this post.

Last night Todd and I went out to dinner and bowling (have a sore arm today). Carrie, our babysitter, came over and Kate was so happy to see her. Kate actually told us to "leave now". Carrie couldn't believe the change - the last time she watched Kate about 3 months ago, Kate cried when we left. School has made a big change for her. She is much more confident about her abilities and the knowledge that Mommy and Daddy always come back.

Speaking of school, Kate has a "boyfriend". Not really, but a little guy in her class named Ty, is her favorite classmate and Ty has to hug AND kiss her before she leaves at the end of the day. He is shorter than Kate and barely speaks versus Kate's non-stop talking. It is funny. Apparently Ty talks about Kate at home too, per his mom.

Hallelujah!

Finally took the GMAT this morning - so glad that is over. Score is slightly lower than my goal but I think it is good enough for the school to officially "accept" me. They said my course grades would be the biggest deciding factor and those are both 'A's right now. December 6th is our last class session for this semester. I will be glad for the break for a month until next classes start.

First week of my new job went well. Co-workers have been friendly and nice. They set all new people up with a 'buddy'. My buddy took me out to lunch on Wed. I see extreme busyness in my future - learning like crazy. There is lots to do. So far I upgraded my computer monitor and got a different keyboard tray.

Can't believe Thanksgiving is almost here. My mom is coming to visit. She and Kate will be spending the day before together since Todd & I will both be working. That should be interesting.

On that note, Todd is getting laid-off after Thanksgiving. We sort of knew this might happen eventually. Todd has been job hunting. There will be some severance package - we are waiting for the official paperwork.

By the way, if you haven't seen Get Smart, I highly recommend it. I laughed so hard - very funny stuff.