Why blog?

It's therapeutic... specially for dorks like me who communicate better when they have the chance to process their thoughts, select their words, and write precisely what they want to say. As much as I'm a "talker", I stumble, stutter, and don't always say things right. English as a second language might have something to do with that (unfortunately, I don't think I could blog in Spanish... I lost my grammar in that language). I like to pour out my thoughts and leave it out there in the cosmos (or the world wide web) for other people to mull over...

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

What to do when you're bored?

Oh my gosh... the days are blurring together. It gets dark so early that by 6pm I want to put the kids and myself to bed - only to realize what time it is. The days are long and quite frankly, boring. There's only so much I have the chance to do and the rest of the day is spent at home in the living room. I guess this is where major crafting projects would come into play. I want to scrap book, specially since I don't have a single hard copy of any of our pictures since I got married. But with a new baby came a huge adjustment to our budget and ... well does anyone have stuff to donate? For me to do? I can't clean (I still have 2 and a half weeks to go before I can operate a vacuum cleaner) - but I'll glue stuff for you! ;)

Paul had a great time at "Learn to Return" and he came back w/ a hat to show his achievement. He spent Monday training for crash landings on land, and that included a 4 mile hike with one boot in the snow (part of his "lot", in case he would lose a shoe in the wilderness... better than his partner, who lost an eye and an arm!). Then on Tuesday he spent the day training for crash landings in water. I am so proud of him! He aced getting out of a fuselage under water (holding his breath) in a "helicopter" and in an "airplane" - and he also voluntarily aced doing it blindfolded. They tried to make it challenging for him too - they dropped him w/o giving him a chance to take a deep breath, and they spun his "plane" around... gave him as much vertigo as they could under water. He still did excellent - which is great, because now we know that if he survives the actual crash, he'll make it home. Something to be thankful for since he'll be traveling a lot via little itty-bitty planes out into the bush for the majority of his job - even more so as he's certified.

Now Paul has an ear ache and a fever. But he never gets sick. I'm sure the nap and the tylenol and he'll be back up here, WOWing with me before we know it!

Brielle has been unusually whiny. She cries for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And everything in between. To the point of giving us all migraines and being sent to her room so that we don't explode. And yet she has every reason in the world to be happy!

I'm actually "tired" of the kids. I wish I could say that I rested and recovered from major surgery after a tubal ligation and a repeat c-section, but the truth is that the kids really didn't let me. Paul and Vanessa helped, definitely, but by now I'm weary of being at home with them. I need to do something more, I need to get out of the house. I've applied for part-time jobs and volunteer positions... something to bring a little extra cash for breathing room, give me a break from being MOMMY (some people LOVE it, I need a break) all the time, and to help me gain references/experience while I'm here in Anchorage. I applied to be a dog groomer because I really enjoyed that in Oklahoma City and it's part-time, and all the work stays at work - I can come home and BE home. I also applied for Americorps, which is volunteer work but they pay you for child-care assistance when you are out, and they give you food stamps and a stipend for your time. Vanessa and I are headed over to First National this week to apply there too, although for an office job I prefer part time so I can still spend a big time of the day at home w/ the kids.

Another thing I need to consider is how I'll feel being home all day when it's dark all 24 hours. It might drive me crazy! Or get me seriously depressed. And the kids! They'll be sick and tired of being "snowed in" all day. They would enjoy spending a few hours a day at day care, playing with other kids (except maybe Caleb, who isn't social enough yet to particularly care for that, but coming home to a happy mommy would be good for him too).

Today we were headed over to the bank, completely forgetting that they were closed for Veteran's day. Before we left Paul told me that we got an URGENT email from the pediatrician regarding some of Caleb's lab results. Without a phone, we just stopped by the hospital on the way back. He was examined naked and weighed. The jaundice was gone (woo hoo! Now he's my peanut and not my pumpkin). And he weighed in a 8 lbs 3 oz, which is better than the 7lbs 5 oz he weighed last Friday. I was ecstatic - all he pumping, nursing, and formula is paying off! I've been a 24 hour feeding machine with only 4 hours of sleep during the night, but it's paying off!

However, the Dr said that his urine culture came back with a very dangerous bacteria colony. This bacteria could be life-threatening if left untreated. And it builds a very quick resistance to antibiotics, so it's a one-shot deal to get it taken care of. The Doctor told me that the specimen could've been contaminated at the lab. All other test results for Caleb came back good. So we did another cath-urine test and based on that one we'll see... He may have gotten rid of any bacteria on his own, or he may have less bacteria than last time, which then a shot of a strong antibiotic should do it. If the bacteria comes back the same or worse, he's going to have to be hospitalized and treated with IV... which could cause hearing loss as a side-effect.

I'm trusting God entirely. Whether we end up at the hospital or not, Caleb belongs to the Lord and His plans first and foremost - more than he belongs to me. God brought him here for a reason beyond my understanding, and I'm fully aware of that. And I trust God for a clean culture too. Either way I know God will be glorified!

That's my prayer request right there... and for our personal issues (finances, marriage, parenting, etc... things I always pray for to cover our base). Then I pray for my family members and my friends. I'm praying for a lot of people to find jobs - with more urgency than I want one myself. My dad, Vanessa, Angela, David... everyone I know that is unemployed and searching. I'm praying for God to become obvious in the lives of those who don't know Him personally. And I'm praying for my church. We are small but faithful, and I've seen God bring growth and life since Paul and I showed up Memorial Day weekend. I know the Lord is going to do something great there if we all follow on Pastor's preaching (from Haggai) and be about the Lord's temple.

No comments:

Post a Comment