Kolbie - 2 Months

Kolbie turned 2 months old yesterday!! Wow!! I can't believe it... I really can't. Time goes by too fast when you have babies. Today was her 2 month check-up. She weighed 12 lb. 8 oz. and was 23 inches long. That's 5 lbs. and 3.5 inches growth from birth! Amazing!! There's something very satisfying knowing that I alone am providing everything she needs to grow big and strong and healthy.

I love my girls so much :)

Moving Forward

I've been searching for a new job/career for 9 months now and have realized I'm getting no where. I was all gung ho at first and didn't think it would be that hard with the holidays approaching to find something. I was wrong. During the holidays all I was really finding was temporary jobs and that's not what I was looking for. After the holidays I was just too pregnant to care about getting a new job. During this time I've had exactly 3 call backs that have lead to exactly 2 interviews. One was at 32-ish weeks pregnant. I'll never know if that was the reason for not hiring me and that's okay. It turned out that if I had been hired Kolbie would have been born before I even finished my training there. The second interview was this week. It went well, until I realized that the job wouldn't be worth it. It pays $10.36/hr, guaranteed 40 hrs/week. Sounds good enough... but the shift is 2:15-11:15. Dean works 3rd shift and we have 2 babies. And it's not *really* a place I want to work that badly. So I'm declining anything further from them. It just won't work for us.

That lead us to where we are now. I am going back to school, hopefully this fall. I've decided on becoming a Surgical Tech and as long as I can find a pre-requisite class I need to take this summer, I will hopefully be able to start the program in August. I've got enough credits already to get an Associates in Applied Science as opposed to just a certificate which is pretty great. If I can get in this fall I'll hopefully be done next Spring already. I really hope it all works out. We can't really afford for me to have to wait until Fall 2011.

Wish me luck whatever happens!

Looking back

Dean said something the other day that got me thinking. He mentioned everything I've accomplished in my 20's - and that there's still 1 year left.

I turned 20 living in a new place, with new people, at a new summer job. A few friends had come to visit and we sat overlooking Lake Michigan drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade. My Grandpa Hyde had had a stroke 2 weeks prior. My mom left for South Dakota the same day I left for Mackinaw City and I was just sitting waiting for news. None came that weekend. It wasn't until late Sunday when I talked to my sister that I got the news that he had passed away on my birthday. No one wanted to call and tell me because it was my day and they knew I had friends visiting me. What was worse was when we couldn't figure out how to get me to his funeral later that week. I still get upset about that and I probably will forever. I wrapped up my 20th year by doing silly things and hurting a few people, but ultimately found the man who was to be the love of my life. When I met him that summer had you told me that, I would have laughed and not in a nice way I'm sorry to admit. He was too quiet. Too shy. And too interested in someone else - as was I. It's amazing what time can do. Six months later we were together.

My 21st birthday was fun - as they should be, right? My 22nd birthday was spent on the beach at Martha's Vineyard. What a FANTASTIC way to spend a birthday! Great friends, fresh seafood, and tasty martinis - okay, not so tasty, but it was worth a shot! The beers later were better. I turned 23 two weeks after I moved in with Dean and starting a new job. I got married 3 months after turning 24. I turned 25 with very little ceremony. I'm pretty sure I worked that day. The friends I had I worked with and we didn't socialize much. Some, but not much. We moved that year to Illinois/Iowa.

My 26th birthday was one of the best by far. One week before we found out we were having our first baby. We had dinner to celebrate the new life we were embarking on. We were moving to a great new apartment. Dean had a wonderful job. My job was going well. Life was fantastic!

The year I turned 27 was pretty great too. We bought a house! And new cars! And I got a promotion! And we decided we were ready to have another baby. Then 2009 happened. That was a rough year. We lost a baby in March. I was 5 weeks pregnant and had felt "off" the entire week between the positive test and losing that baby. That was hard. Very hard. We decided to jump right back in. If we weren't sure about having another baby before that, we certainly were after.

And then I turned 28. I had a stressful summer at work and that made conceiving difficult. Once the stress was over in July, I finally got that positive test again! And I felt so different. I just knew everything was fine and that we were definitely having a baby, due Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010. One year and five days after our loss. How ironic... In August I lost my job. I still don't really understand what happened, but apparently you shouldn't tell your spouse a co-worker's last name. At least that's what I've gathered from the situation. I was 8 weeks pregnant and sick everyday. I think of the situation as a blessing in disguise. I got to be home with Kaija as she was learning the most. I got to puke in my own bathroom and nap on my couch when I was having a crappy pregnancy day. It has been rough since we do need me to have an income. But we've made do. We're happy and healthy. And at the end of it all, Kolbie was born on March 26th - a year after I accepted that a pregnancy was over nearly before it had really began. God is funny that way sometimes.

And now I'm 29. What can I accomplish this year? I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out.

A New Start

Once upon a time we started a blog for Kaija. It lasted exactly 2 months or so. I've been wanting to start a new one for a while now and I decided that today, my 29th birthday, will be the day. I'd like to say I'll update daily until my 30th birthday, but that's unlikely. But I do hope that it lasts more than 2 months!

Right now, Kolbie is sleeping peacefully on my chest. I don't dare move her because she's finally calm and out. We're comfortable, that's what matters! Kaija is running around wearing nothing but her p.j. shirt and slippers. We're potty training... and that really just means she pees on the couch daily. But she does also make it to her potty at least once a day as well. It's a work in progress! Currently she's taken her potty apart and reassembled it backwards to sit on it. If she pees on her potty at least once a day all week she will be getting a surprise at the end of the week. Dean is sleeping, he's only been home a few hours. When he gets up this afternoon we'll probably head to the park again. He works hard for his girls. We all appreciate everything he does!

As I said, it's my 29th birthday. There are no big plans for today but I can't wait for Dean and Kaija to make my giant cookie covered in chocolate frosting and sprinkles! (Kaija tells me she'll be using red sprinkles...) Is that going to be good for us? Not a chance. But will it be fun? You bet!!