Friday, October 31, 2008
Blankie from Great-Grammys
Audrey received a blanket hand-made by her 91-year-old Great-Grammy Cain.
Part-Time Job
Mid-October, I decided to apply for a part-time job nights and weekends. I figured Countryside Mall would be the best place to look since it's so close to home and I could look at several jobs in one location. I was determined not to leave until I had filled out at least five applications but on my second application (at Victoria's Secret) I got an offer for an interview the next day, so I figured I could call it quits.
I honestly didn't think I'd get the job because I have no retail experience whatsoever but I did. I think it's working out pretty well.
I went to a mandatory meeting just two days after my initial training and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was going home with two of the bras that were in focus for the month, a pair of panties and a bottle of the newest fragrance - all for free! One of the bras has already become my absolute favorite! I can see why they give the associates a free one. It makes it easy to sell when we experience it personally. I was really surprised at how much I like the perfume, too. Normally, I don't wear perfume because I don't like strong scents but it's a light fragrance and I love it!
The job does require a lot of standing for long periods of time and it's taking some getting used to. My back is not used to so much demand.
I honestly didn't think I'd get the job because I have no retail experience whatsoever but I did. I think it's working out pretty well.
I went to a mandatory meeting just two days after my initial training and was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was going home with two of the bras that were in focus for the month, a pair of panties and a bottle of the newest fragrance - all for free! One of the bras has already become my absolute favorite! I can see why they give the associates a free one. It makes it easy to sell when we experience it personally. I was really surprised at how much I like the perfume, too. Normally, I don't wear perfume because I don't like strong scents but it's a light fragrance and I love it!
The job does require a lot of standing for long periods of time and it's taking some getting used to. My back is not used to so much demand.
Family Visiting
Chris' older sister Amy came down to Florida with her kids for a visit. Her oldest, Ryann, was our flower girl seven and a half years ago. Now she's a teenager. Sophie, RJ and Sidney came later. Sidney's actually just a little younger than Audrey.
Hannah and Sophie hit it off right away and love each other. Sidney and Audrey are sure to be good friends when they grow up too. They look like they could be sisters instead of cousins.
Hannah and Sophie hit it off right away and love each other. Sidney and Audrey are sure to be good friends when they grow up too. They look like they could be sisters instead of cousins.
Baby Shower & Diaper Cake
Our friend Raneasha is expecting a little girl in November and I was glad to be able to attend her baby shower to help her celebrate the upcoming arrival. Mommy-to-be is healthy and happy. 
I made a "Diaper Cake" for the occasion. For those who have never heard of one, a diaper cake is a decorative gift made up of diapers to look like a tiered cake and then decorated with baby care items.
For those who have heard of one and want to know how to make one...
Two round, cylinder-shaped items need to be used as the center. These could be a bottle, baby powder, formula, or any number of things. I have in the past used bottles, a Johnson & Johnson bath gift set that happened to be cylindrical in shape and rolled up receiving blankets.
Once you have the center of the bottom tier, place diapers overlapping in a circle around the object creating one layer. I've found that a large rubber band helps to hold them in place and then you can tie curling ribbon around to secure them in place. Then repeat to create the second layer, tie curling ribbon to secure in place and keep repeating for 4-10 layers, depending on the size you desire. You may use burp clothes or receiving blankets as a layer. On the last layer, leave extra ribbon for curling.
Place the second round, cylinder-shaped object on top of the bottom center object. Repeat the layering around the top object for 2-6 layers.
Then place the baby care items (accented with more curling ribbon) around the cake - in between diaper layers, wedged in under ribbon, or tied onto the ribbon. I like to use a rubber duckie for the center top but you can put a bow or toy on the top. It's a good idea to wrap the final product in either celephane wrap, lace or tulle material tied with a bow at the top in case any items fall off the cake.
Graduation
In September, I went to the graduation that would have been mine. My maternity leave with Audrey delayed my internship, which delayed my graduation so my classmates all graduated September 27th but I won't graduate until around next February. But I went to show support for my classmates and their hard work to get to that diploma. Scott Evans was the class valedictorian.
Externship
In September, I started a new externship site. I finally have a full time site Monday-Thursday every week. I'm placed at Community Hospital of New Port Richey, which is only 30 minutes north of where we live. I'm getting lots of experience and finally making progress toward graduation.
48 Hours at All Children's
One day late August, Kyle was acting really lethargic and kept just falling down and falling asleep where he fell. He didn't really have a fever but I was worried so I brought him to All Children's just to be sure he was okay.
My brother Caleb came to be with me to help out. My mom took Hannah to my grandmother's new apartment to hang out for the evening.
They did all the usual tests - chest x-ray, echocardiogram, blood cultures, etc. and found that his white blood cell count was high (which means he was fighting some kind of infection) and he was dehydrated.
They started him on general antibiotics (since they didn't know what kind of infection he was fighting) and IV fluids and kept him 48 hours to be sure he was okay before discharging him.
Caleb stayed with him part of the time, and Chris and I spent part of the time with him. By the time he was discharged he was his usually bubbly self and it seemed like he had bonded with his Uncle Caleb. When Caleb started to leave our place, Kyle tried to follow him.
My brother Caleb came to be with me to help out. My mom took Hannah to my grandmother's new apartment to hang out for the evening.
They did all the usual tests - chest x-ray, echocardiogram, blood cultures, etc. and found that his white blood cell count was high (which means he was fighting some kind of infection) and he was dehydrated.
They started him on general antibiotics (since they didn't know what kind of infection he was fighting) and IV fluids and kept him 48 hours to be sure he was okay before discharging him.
Caleb stayed with him part of the time, and Chris and I spent part of the time with him. By the time he was discharged he was his usually bubbly self and it seemed like he had bonded with his Uncle Caleb. When Caleb started to leave our place, Kyle tried to follow him.
The Big Three-Oh
August 20th was Chris' 30th birthday. One of his high school friends, Debra Macking, was also born August 20th, also at Bayfront Hospital, only about 30 minutes later than him.
Debra contacted us to see if we'd like to do a joint 30th birthday party and try to get all their old high school friends to come as well as new friends. It was going to be at Fort Desoto but rain threatened and so we moved it to Debra's house.
Friends that Chris hadn't seen since high school arrived and talked of the "old days". Almost everyone had a funny story to share and a fun time was had by all. I especially liked searching through the photo albums and middle school yearbooks for pictures of Chris before I met him.
Debra contacted us to see if we'd like to do a joint 30th birthday party and try to get all their old high school friends to come as well as new friends. It was going to be at Fort Desoto but rain threatened and so we moved it to Debra's house.
Friends that Chris hadn't seen since high school arrived and talked of the "old days". Almost everyone had a funny story to share and a fun time was had by all. I especially liked searching through the photo albums and middle school yearbooks for pictures of Chris before I met him.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
VPK
Hannah started Pre-K at Educare of Palm Harbor on August 15th and couldn't have been more proud of herself.
As ridiculous as it might sound coming from a girl who was homeschooled from kindergarten thru high school graduation, I'm pretty much just sending her to Pre-K for the social aspect. She's been learning her basics for education already at home with my mom. She already knows her alphabet, can recognize and write her letters and identify their sounds. She can also write her own name and family member names and more. But I felt that she needed to be able to get out of the house and spend time with other children her age. Especially since so much revolves around Kyle - his therapies and doctor's appointments, etc. - I wanted her to have something of her own.
Our condo complex is not very child-friendly. No playing with balls on premesis, no bikes on premesis, no chalk marks on the precious property grounds, etc., so Hannah ends up couped up in the house almost constantly. Now that she's in Pre-K, she gets to play with other kids her age and have friends and run around on a playground and learn some Spanish and sign language in addition to basics of education.
I do think that the governmental leaders did not think this thing through thoroughly (shocked!) because the voluntary Pre-K program, funded by the government only covers 3 hours a day and does not include classroom supply fees or registration fees. It almost seems to be a conspiracy to get kids who would normally stay home until kindergarten into a daycare. The majority of parents who sign up for the VPK (Voluntary Pre-K) program end up enrolling them for "wrap-around" care at an additional fee. I don't blame them. I would too if I could afford it. It's a pain in the neck to pack her up, bring her to school, and drop her off just to do the same thing in reverse three hours later - especially when it means packing up Kyle and Audrey too.
As ridiculous as it might sound coming from a girl who was homeschooled from kindergarten thru high school graduation, I'm pretty much just sending her to Pre-K for the social aspect. She's been learning her basics for education already at home with my mom. She already knows her alphabet, can recognize and write her letters and identify their sounds. She can also write her own name and family member names and more. But I felt that she needed to be able to get out of the house and spend time with other children her age. Especially since so much revolves around Kyle - his therapies and doctor's appointments, etc. - I wanted her to have something of her own.
Our condo complex is not very child-friendly. No playing with balls on premesis, no bikes on premesis, no chalk marks on the precious property grounds, etc., so Hannah ends up couped up in the house almost constantly. Now that she's in Pre-K, she gets to play with other kids her age and have friends and run around on a playground and learn some Spanish and sign language in addition to basics of education.
I do think that the governmental leaders did not think this thing through thoroughly (shocked!) because the voluntary Pre-K program, funded by the government only covers 3 hours a day and does not include classroom supply fees or registration fees. It almost seems to be a conspiracy to get kids who would normally stay home until kindergarten into a daycare. The majority of parents who sign up for the VPK (Voluntary Pre-K) program end up enrolling them for "wrap-around" care at an additional fee. I don't blame them. I would too if I could afford it. It's a pain in the neck to pack her up, bring her to school, and drop her off just to do the same thing in reverse three hours later - especially when it means packing up Kyle and Audrey too.
Health Fair
Before Hannah could start Pre-K, she needed to have a school physical but she's not currently on insurance. I called the pediatrician's office to find out how much a simple school physical would cost without insurance and found out that it would be $100! I figured that the Health Department might have a cheaper way so I called them just in time to find out about the School Health Fair.
Not only was the Health Fair free, but it was on a Saturday afternoon and included fun activities for the kids and free haircuts! Hannah passed her school physical but they said she may need eye glasses. Hannah won a bike helmet in a raffle and got her face painted, and Hannah and Kyle both had haircuts and got to go on a real fire truck!
Visiting Family
We spent the weekend after the visit with Great-Grammy Cain in Winter Haven with my Aunt Marilyn & Uncle Frank and cousins. Audrey got in the pool for the first time and loved it! She also had some bonding time with her second cousin (my cousin's daughter), Kayleigh. Hannah, as usual, had a blast with her foster second cousins and swam like a fish and Kyle had a blast with everyone - especially "Pretty Desi". (That's what he calls Destiny every single time.)
Sing-A-Long With Great-Grammy
My mom and I brought the kids up to see their Great-Grammy Cain (and the family rocking horse, "Calgon") August 1st. My grandmother lives with my Aunt Candy and Uncle Lee in Wesley Chapel so we don't get to see her very often. The kids loved playing with my Aunt's dog, a rather large labrador named Riley, rocking on the huge rocking horse named Calgon and singing "Horace, the Horse" while my grandmother played it on the piano. My dad's side of the family has always been very big into the old-fashioned sing-along and have spent many hours gathered around my grandmother playing the piano, singing songs most people have never even heard.
Horace, the horse on the merry-go-round,
For those who have not had the pleasure of hearing "Horace, the Horse" belted out by a large family over enthusiastic piano accompaniment, here's how it goes...
Horace, the horse on the merry-go-round,Goes up and down, 'round and 'round,
He's so sad since the day he found,
He's the very last horse on the merry-go-round.
The music began and away they go,
High and low, to and fro,
Poor old Horace would always say
"I'm the very last horse again today."
Horace tried and tried and tried,
But he just never could win.
Horace cried and cried and cried
Cause all the other horses were ahead of him
Then came the day on the merry-go-round
When Horace turned, looked around
Then said "Gosh oh gee --
I'm the very first horse on the merry-go-round,
All the others are following me!"
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