Things have been progressing in regards to Baby Swan's arrival. The due date keeps getting closer and closer and while I see Kelsey's anxiety start to grow, I'm left experiencing the excitement in my own way. I try to be the calm one and keep the understanding that there is still plenty of time to do what we need to, and if something were to suddenly happen, we have done enough preparation that if need be, I could run out and get everything we absolutely need in less than an hour and a half. :-) That being said we still have a lot left we would like to do.
We had the nursery painted last week by a nice painting company called Frank's Father-In-Law Painting Services. I like the company slogan the best: "Frank will paint when Kevin is gone so Kelsey doesn't have to." It's catchy and effective. As always Frank did a great job and while we still have more painting to do in the upper level, at least the nursery can start coming together. I'm not sure why we needed to paint to get it all started, but then again I'm not the one with the eye for design. :-) In the next weeks we will be putting together Baby Swan's room and gathering everything we need for his arrival.
One thing we have to take care of are the baby classes. Tomorrow is the instructional class on introductory baby teachings. For me its not Baby 101, thanks to my sister and her kids. But really, i didn't do too much taking care of the niece and nephew, more just playing with them. So I guess this class is more like Baby 201.. an advance introductory course for first time parents. I'm trying to approach it with an interest in learning what really has to go into taking care of a baby, but really I have all the confidence in the world in Kelsey, and I know that I have the support of a great family with numerous resources. I'm not at all worried about screwing something up with the infancy stage, but I am worried about how I'm going to sit through these classes. I'm just hoping they are put together well and that they don't turn off Kelsey as an unnecessary use of our time. I will be paying attention as always, but I really would like to get some enjoyment out of them. Perhaps if anything the classes will provide a reason to be more excited about Baby Swan's arrival.
Later in the month is the family shower from the Trauscht side at the Cabin. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and of course doing all the normal cabin stuff. Otherwise all is normal on the home front from what I've heard. I've been travelling a lot this week in order to be home next week. Personally next week is my favorite week of the summer. The 3M championship golf event starts next week and I get to play in the Pro-Am with my dad! I remember watching him play in a number of them growing up and to play with him is a nice perk on an already fun event. The draw party is Tuesday and we play on Thursday. I hope I play well but I know that it will be memorable. After that golf will probably start to take a back seat because my league will wrap up and before you know it we will be in September really getting ready for anything. I'm predicting a September 28th arrival. I think it's about time we start a pool for a birth date. Should be fun!
We'll keep you posted.
Dad-to-be.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
My smile is back!
So last night I found my smile again...thanks to the daycare lady we interviewed. I should start this by saying there is no way that we will be choosing this lady, but the experience was too funny to not share. I've been researching daycare's in the area around our house for some time and Kevin has been calling and setting up interviews with providers and talking to them about our needs and what they offer. To be fair...Kevin warned me about his initial feelings about this woman, but I didn't want to discount someone by the way they sounded on the phone. Plus she is practically in our backyard and has a little longer hours than other people we've talked to. After meeting her, I'm a little afraid that she's living so close to us :)
So last night we walk over to this woman's house and upon meeting her, I give Kevin some crazy eyes...little did I know what I would see next. She showed us into her living room and immediately I wanted to burst out laughing. This woman's living room walls were covered in mounted deer heads. I get that it's her husbands hobby, but...really? Mulitple levels of deer heads on the walls of a very tiny living room. Kevin got the same feeling, but started counting the heads silently to himself for the effect of the story later. In case you're wondering...there was 26 deer heads that Kevin counted. Next she ushered us downstairs to the daycare area, in her unfinished cold, dungeon of a basement. To give her credit there was colors on the walls, letters, numbers and toys around, but the ceiling and walls were unfinished and it was cold down there. She immediately started showing us all her safety information and bombarding us with information we didn't even have a chance to ask for. When she turned to bragging about her two daughters every 2 minutes I had had enough. I couldn't even think of questions to come up with to ask her. Luckily Kevin thought of a few to ask her and enough to make us seem polite. She told us that she didn't have any questions for us, because she had us all figured out (what a scary thought). I couldn't get out of there fast enough, because I had made my mind up within the first two minutes of meeting her, there is no way I'm leaving our son in her care for any amount of time. If you've ever seen the show Big Bang Theory she is much like the female version of Sheldon. Although thinking about it, I might leave our son with someone like Sheldon before this woman.
After leaving I couldn't stop laughing and talking about her. Kevin was afraid as we were walking away that she was gawking at us through the window or that the yard was bugged to hear what we were saying. I'm sure she's great with kids, I know that her care would be EXTREMELY safe and clean, she just wasn't what we were looking for in daycare at all. We hope to find someone friendly, who allows kids to be kids, to play, laugh, giggle, make messes and just generally have fun all while learning at the same time. Luckily we have met with one daycare provider who seems to offer all of this, and we will definitely be interviewing some more.
I texted my dad upon leaving the daycare, because he appreciates this kind of stuff and as a hunter himself I thought he should know about the deer heads. When he told me "Ya, I don't think so" I knew it for sure wasn't a fit. I continued to tell him about her and at one point my dad asked, "Did she wear a coon skin hat as well?" To which I replied..."No, but she was wearing a camo shirt". That's right, she was wearing camo at our interview. John Deere maybe, camo...NO WAY!
All in all it was a great night, I found something to laugh about and get my mind thinking of other things than what's going on with work. Kevin got to see me smile again and we both learned a very valuable lesson. Go with your gut. Kevin has a great first instinct and was right about this lady from the beginning, but at least we had the opportunity to find out what a definite NO is when it comes to daycare providers. Back to the search...and maybe someday when baby swan is acting naughty we'll taunt him with who he could've been stuck with for daycare if he didn't have parents that loved him so much!
So last night we walk over to this woman's house and upon meeting her, I give Kevin some crazy eyes...little did I know what I would see next. She showed us into her living room and immediately I wanted to burst out laughing. This woman's living room walls were covered in mounted deer heads. I get that it's her husbands hobby, but...really? Mulitple levels of deer heads on the walls of a very tiny living room. Kevin got the same feeling, but started counting the heads silently to himself for the effect of the story later. In case you're wondering...there was 26 deer heads that Kevin counted. Next she ushered us downstairs to the daycare area, in her unfinished cold, dungeon of a basement. To give her credit there was colors on the walls, letters, numbers and toys around, but the ceiling and walls were unfinished and it was cold down there. She immediately started showing us all her safety information and bombarding us with information we didn't even have a chance to ask for. When she turned to bragging about her two daughters every 2 minutes I had had enough. I couldn't even think of questions to come up with to ask her. Luckily Kevin thought of a few to ask her and enough to make us seem polite. She told us that she didn't have any questions for us, because she had us all figured out (what a scary thought). I couldn't get out of there fast enough, because I had made my mind up within the first two minutes of meeting her, there is no way I'm leaving our son in her care for any amount of time. If you've ever seen the show Big Bang Theory she is much like the female version of Sheldon. Although thinking about it, I might leave our son with someone like Sheldon before this woman.
After leaving I couldn't stop laughing and talking about her. Kevin was afraid as we were walking away that she was gawking at us through the window or that the yard was bugged to hear what we were saying. I'm sure she's great with kids, I know that her care would be EXTREMELY safe and clean, she just wasn't what we were looking for in daycare at all. We hope to find someone friendly, who allows kids to be kids, to play, laugh, giggle, make messes and just generally have fun all while learning at the same time. Luckily we have met with one daycare provider who seems to offer all of this, and we will definitely be interviewing some more.
I texted my dad upon leaving the daycare, because he appreciates this kind of stuff and as a hunter himself I thought he should know about the deer heads. When he told me "Ya, I don't think so" I knew it for sure wasn't a fit. I continued to tell him about her and at one point my dad asked, "Did she wear a coon skin hat as well?" To which I replied..."No, but she was wearing a camo shirt". That's right, she was wearing camo at our interview. John Deere maybe, camo...NO WAY!
All in all it was a great night, I found something to laugh about and get my mind thinking of other things than what's going on with work. Kevin got to see me smile again and we both learned a very valuable lesson. Go with your gut. Kevin has a great first instinct and was right about this lady from the beginning, but at least we had the opportunity to find out what a definite NO is when it comes to daycare providers. Back to the search...and maybe someday when baby swan is acting naughty we'll taunt him with who he could've been stuck with for daycare if he didn't have parents that loved him so much!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
What to do next?
I've had so many blogs in the beginning of composition running through my mind, but I think the most necessary one to start with is the latest news I got yesterday. Last week I scheduled a meeting with my bosses for this week to discuss maternity leave and the plan for afterwards. It has been well known at work that I don't want to continue working full-time after baby swan makes his arrival. I made sure everyone knew this plan way back in February when we finally started telling people we were expecting. No one at work said that this would be a problem, in fact both of my bosses said they completely understood and were all for me doing what's best for our family. So Kevin and I have been planning all along that I would return to work in January only 3 days a week. We've started searching for daycares to cover 2 days a week and Bubba graciously offered to watch baby swan the third day. We thought about days, our schedules, what would work best and thought everything was set. That brings us to yesterday...I go into a meeting thinking that we are going to discuss how much time I'm taking off and what my schedule will be like when I return. Then I get slammed with the news that my position is only full-time and that dropping hours isn't possible. My bosses go on to tell me that my position wouldn't be as effective without a full-time person filling it, nor is there any other place for me to go with decreased hours. Basically I was hit with the message that I could return full-time after my maternity leave, or not return at all. They did say that things could change over the course of the next couple of months, but as of now there isn't any flexibility and no knowledge of anyone wanting to pick up hours or the ability to hire someone else on to cover my leftover hours. Of course this "meeting" only lasted about 10 minutes max and I had nothing to say at the time. I was speechless...I go from hearing no problem, do what's best for your family, we want you to stay on staff...to you can come back full-time or if you choose not to come back we understand. What a slap in the face.
I've worked hard, I've put up with a lot, I've done everything I could while I was at work. My job is emotionally draining, and often hard to go to with a smile, but I've done it for 4 years. I've gotten good at what I do. I like knowing that I go to work and help people every day. That was my goal when I left college, I wanted to try and make a difference in the lives of others. My job has given me the ability to do that. I've also met some of my closest friends in my co-workers. We have so much fun together hanging out outside of work, and they've become some of my closest confidants. I'm feeling so dejected right now. It's hard to come back to a place that I feel like 4 years of work means nothing. I've always joked about wanting to be a stay at home mom and I still think that would be the greatest job in the world. However, over the last 4 years I've also learned a lot about myself. I'm not sure that I could stay home every day, I like interacting with others, I LOVE my co-workers, and I like knowing that I'm contributing financially to our family, giving us some luxuries we'd otherwise have to go without. I thought we had figured out the perfect plan, a way for us to still have the life we're accustomed to, but also let me stay at home with our son part of the time and also get the satisfaction of working and being with great friends a few days a week. Now I'm left to figure out what to do next. Do I come back to work full-time? Do I try to find something different? Do I try to stay home full-time with our son? There are so many questions without many answers right now, which of course is driving me crazy since I'm very type A and like to plan things out!
I know that things happen for a reason, and Kevin's been encouraging me to find something different for awhile. I've been searching. Searching for something that can be fulfilling and yet at the same time lift me up emotionally. Not be so draining. The thing is I haven't found that thing. Maybe this is the time to do it. The thing is I know the economy is tough and finding a job is tougher. I've been looking and applying for awhile and haven't even gotten a phone call back. What if I don't find something different? It's crazy how much this is defining me right now. I feel like a failure. I feel like I'm not good enough to keep the job I've had for 4 years, and not really good enough to get a new one. I know this isn't the case, I know I'm totally capable of doing many different jobs, and I know that if we ultimately decide that I should stay at home, I will rock that as well. It's just hard to feel like you've devoted a good portion of life for 4 years to a company and they can just say well take it or leave it, we don't care. Maybe things will work out at work and I will be able to go part-time, maybe not. In the end I know it'll all work out how it's supposed to, I'm just struggling with the chaos of it right now. I do know though that it will get better and things with work themselves out.
Sorry for the novel, just needed to get my thoughts out somewhere and I figured where else but this blog? I'm sure someday I'll re-read this and laugh about where I was at. Until then, I'll keep looking forward to meeting our baby swan and having enough support to get through anything.
I've worked hard, I've put up with a lot, I've done everything I could while I was at work. My job is emotionally draining, and often hard to go to with a smile, but I've done it for 4 years. I've gotten good at what I do. I like knowing that I go to work and help people every day. That was my goal when I left college, I wanted to try and make a difference in the lives of others. My job has given me the ability to do that. I've also met some of my closest friends in my co-workers. We have so much fun together hanging out outside of work, and they've become some of my closest confidants. I'm feeling so dejected right now. It's hard to come back to a place that I feel like 4 years of work means nothing. I've always joked about wanting to be a stay at home mom and I still think that would be the greatest job in the world. However, over the last 4 years I've also learned a lot about myself. I'm not sure that I could stay home every day, I like interacting with others, I LOVE my co-workers, and I like knowing that I'm contributing financially to our family, giving us some luxuries we'd otherwise have to go without. I thought we had figured out the perfect plan, a way for us to still have the life we're accustomed to, but also let me stay at home with our son part of the time and also get the satisfaction of working and being with great friends a few days a week. Now I'm left to figure out what to do next. Do I come back to work full-time? Do I try to find something different? Do I try to stay home full-time with our son? There are so many questions without many answers right now, which of course is driving me crazy since I'm very type A and like to plan things out!
I know that things happen for a reason, and Kevin's been encouraging me to find something different for awhile. I've been searching. Searching for something that can be fulfilling and yet at the same time lift me up emotionally. Not be so draining. The thing is I haven't found that thing. Maybe this is the time to do it. The thing is I know the economy is tough and finding a job is tougher. I've been looking and applying for awhile and haven't even gotten a phone call back. What if I don't find something different? It's crazy how much this is defining me right now. I feel like a failure. I feel like I'm not good enough to keep the job I've had for 4 years, and not really good enough to get a new one. I know this isn't the case, I know I'm totally capable of doing many different jobs, and I know that if we ultimately decide that I should stay at home, I will rock that as well. It's just hard to feel like you've devoted a good portion of life for 4 years to a company and they can just say well take it or leave it, we don't care. Maybe things will work out at work and I will be able to go part-time, maybe not. In the end I know it'll all work out how it's supposed to, I'm just struggling with the chaos of it right now. I do know though that it will get better and things with work themselves out.
Sorry for the novel, just needed to get my thoughts out somewhere and I figured where else but this blog? I'm sure someday I'll re-read this and laugh about where I was at. Until then, I'll keep looking forward to meeting our baby swan and having enough support to get through anything.
Monday, July 19, 2010
I can do it!!
Dad's need to know how to do things. Its a rule. Ever since watching my dad take a few winters to put together our basement from the studs on up, its been my belief that Dad's need to know how to do things. Ever since buying a house I have taken the stance that while I don't know how to do a lot, I'm willing to learn. So far I've learned to build a deck, change out counter tops and install a new sink and faucet, and master the surprisingly defined art of installing a dual ceiling fan and light switch. I can now claim a new skill: Removing existing wiring from a wall switch to a light fixture while venturing into the attic to ensure proper installation. The wiring skill is fun for me because I deal with electrical work at my job day in and day out, and I know how things can go wrong. The good news is that I've got a couple of professionals to draw upon. The father-in-law Frank and my dad know more than enough to get me from beginning to end on a successful project. Knowing full well that it isn't a Kevin project unless a few bumps are encountered and an extra trip to Menards is absolutely necessary.
Luckily this time around the project wasn't too difficult to begin with. The surprises came part way through, which isn't ideal but we made it work. Baby Swan's room now has a functioning ceiling fan with a dual switch that independently operates the ceiling fan and the light switch. I suppose when you say it like that, it sounds marginally difficult. In reality, like most projects, it is very easy when you know what you are doing. This time around it was my on the job training, and the expert showing me the way was Frank. Kelsey and I started by removing the old light fixture and examining the current wiring, only to find that it was insufficient for what we had. Frank steps in with his knowledge of running new wiring and the logistics of getting the new wire to the desired location, and all the while I'm taking mental notes so I can use the knowledge next time around. Without many speed bumps, we get the wire set and all that's left is to assemble the fan. No problem. The fan is up in about 15 minutes and I can safely say that Baby Swan will not be warm if I can help it. That fan is perfect for his little room. Mission accomplished.
I'm sure the projects that are coming down the pipeline for this house are a little smaller in the grand scheme, but if there is a new house in our future, I will use what I know now, and be ready and willing to experience everything that the new house will offer to our family.
On the baby front, Mom and Baby Swan are doing rather well. The days are getting fewer and the due date is getting closer. We have some baby classes to go to, which I am REALLY excited for (funny how blogs can sometimes pick up on sarcasm) but i think Dad needs some information to do the little things like change a diaper, or other Dad things that I'll be ask to do. Gotta practice and do it right for when the little slugger arrives.
Until next time, i'll just continue to work on the projects and do the Dad stuff, whatever that is. :-)
Dad-to-be
Luckily this time around the project wasn't too difficult to begin with. The surprises came part way through, which isn't ideal but we made it work. Baby Swan's room now has a functioning ceiling fan with a dual switch that independently operates the ceiling fan and the light switch. I suppose when you say it like that, it sounds marginally difficult. In reality, like most projects, it is very easy when you know what you are doing. This time around it was my on the job training, and the expert showing me the way was Frank. Kelsey and I started by removing the old light fixture and examining the current wiring, only to find that it was insufficient for what we had. Frank steps in with his knowledge of running new wiring and the logistics of getting the new wire to the desired location, and all the while I'm taking mental notes so I can use the knowledge next time around. Without many speed bumps, we get the wire set and all that's left is to assemble the fan. No problem. The fan is up in about 15 minutes and I can safely say that Baby Swan will not be warm if I can help it. That fan is perfect for his little room. Mission accomplished.
I'm sure the projects that are coming down the pipeline for this house are a little smaller in the grand scheme, but if there is a new house in our future, I will use what I know now, and be ready and willing to experience everything that the new house will offer to our family.
On the baby front, Mom and Baby Swan are doing rather well. The days are getting fewer and the due date is getting closer. We have some baby classes to go to, which I am REALLY excited for (funny how blogs can sometimes pick up on sarcasm) but i think Dad needs some information to do the little things like change a diaper, or other Dad things that I'll be ask to do. Gotta practice and do it right for when the little slugger arrives.
Until next time, i'll just continue to work on the projects and do the Dad stuff, whatever that is. :-)
Dad-to-be
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Christmas in July!
I ordered the crib bedding last week while we were in Chicago. I have been looking at bedding forever and have continually gone back to this one bedding set, but wasn't convinced it was the perfect set. It's from the Land of Nod and while we were in Chicago for Kevin's birthday I had only one request, to go to the store and see if they had this bedding in stock so I could see it in person. Much to my dismay, they didn't have the bedding. I decided to bite the bullet and order it online in hopes that I would like it as much in person as I did online. I have a really hard time spending money on a lot of things, especially things I don't think are totally necessary, but I have expensive taste too and once I have my mind set on something it's hard to change, which always gets me in a predicament. This bedding set seemed to be perfect though, so I decided our son deserved some awesome bedding and ordered it. Ever since hitting the order button I've been anxiously awaiting it to arrive! Over the weekend while at my cabin I was constantly checking the shipping status, only to keep seeing it would arrive today. Work couldn't have gone any slower today, I was like a little kid at Christmas, waiting for my package to arrive! I got home to find the much awaited Land of Nod box on our front doorstep. After letting Kona outside, I quickly ran to open the package...it was everything I had hoped it would be, but something still didn't feel right. I wasn't as excited about it initially as I thought I would be. I took it out of the packaging and into the nursery hoping I would feel differently. This is the other thing I have a habit of doing, making some perfect in my mind and then being disappointed when it's not exactly how I thought it would be. The thing is I LOVE this bedding, it is everything I wanted in nursery bedding; it's modern, it's colorful; it's gender neutral and not babyish, so why the disappointment? In my head I had the nursery complete, all the pieces in place, and decorations on the wall. Our awesome bedding is a little less awesome without all the things I want to add to it. With an empty crib and bare neutral walls, the bedding just doesn't do everything it could. So now I'm on to the next stage...waiting to add the accessories to the nursery to make it just how I envisioned it! I think Kevin thinks I'm crazy and I can admit that I've probably taking the nursery decorating a little too seriously, but I love to try and make the vision in my head come true and this is no exception. So I continue to wait for the nursery to be complete. I ordered the crib mattress last week as well and can't wait for it to get here so I can put the bedding in the crib and start to assemble my little vision. Until then, I'll keep searching for the perfect things to add to the room.
In other baby related news, we are embarking on the search for a daycare provider. Awhile ago I compiled a list of in-home providers around our house and Kevin made phone calls about availability and general information. Thinking about leaving our son with someone we hardly know while I go to work is so sad to me that I didn't want to keep searching. It is inevitable though and luckily for us, it will only be 2 days a week. I will get to stay home 2 days a week and Bubba will be watching him the other day I'm at work. So the trek must go on and tomorrow we are meeting with the lady that Kevin and I both had the best feeling about. I'm hoping she doesn't disappoint. We have another interview scheduled with a different provider in a few weeks and if we don't find the perfect person to watch our son, we'll go back to the drawing board and find other providers to interview. It's such a scary process and makes me sad that I can't stay home all the time with him. Luckily actually putting him in daycare is still a long ways off and we have plenty of time to search for the perfect person!
There is so much more to share, but I'll save it for another post. Until then, week "get stuff done" continues at the Trauscht household. A week without heading out of town provides the perfect opportunity to get a few things checked off the to-do list before Baby Swan makes his arrival in October!
In other baby related news, we are embarking on the search for a daycare provider. Awhile ago I compiled a list of in-home providers around our house and Kevin made phone calls about availability and general information. Thinking about leaving our son with someone we hardly know while I go to work is so sad to me that I didn't want to keep searching. It is inevitable though and luckily for us, it will only be 2 days a week. I will get to stay home 2 days a week and Bubba will be watching him the other day I'm at work. So the trek must go on and tomorrow we are meeting with the lady that Kevin and I both had the best feeling about. I'm hoping she doesn't disappoint. We have another interview scheduled with a different provider in a few weeks and if we don't find the perfect person to watch our son, we'll go back to the drawing board and find other providers to interview. It's such a scary process and makes me sad that I can't stay home all the time with him. Luckily actually putting him in daycare is still a long ways off and we have plenty of time to search for the perfect person!
There is so much more to share, but I'll save it for another post. Until then, week "get stuff done" continues at the Trauscht household. A week without heading out of town provides the perfect opportunity to get a few things checked off the to-do list before Baby Swan makes his arrival in October!
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