Being locked out of one’s website is no fun. I’ve finally made it back in! I may or may not recap the last 18-months, but if I do, the posts will be retroactively dated.
Cheers!
Whatever
Another year older…already?!
Wow! We have a six year old! At times it’s hard to believe that this 4-foot tall child once weighed a mere five pounds and fit inside me! The more and more Logan grows, the more and more he doesn’t look a spec like me. Haha! In fact, he looks very similar to a picture of Logan’s uncle at the same age. Well, it’s obvious who’s genes took dominance in this kid!
Logan is at such a fun age! He’s still super verbose and is interested in so many different activities! As I posted earlier, one such activity is archery. So much so that Logan wanted to have a combination archery and Transformers birthday party. So, we all met up at the local range and then headed back to the house for pizza and Transformers cake.
His party was a few days before his actual birthday, which just means the celebration is prolonged. One of Logan’s favorite gifts was a new bike! Last summer Logan learned how to ride without training wheels, but also outgrew his little beginner bike. Now, he gets to relearn how to balance on a new bike that should last him through a few years of growth! We tricked out his new ride with some spoke wheels and a new bell. Along with turning six, we’ve also entered the phase of goofy faces in every just about picture.
A few days prior to his birthday, we got hit with a blizzard, which dumped two-feet of snow. Thankfully the plow came through and there was enough clear road for Logan to test out his new wheels!
Additional birthday photos can be viewed here.
Cardinals
From Bronco to Mariner to Cougar to Pirate to Gaucho to Cardinal.
A list of mascots for all the schools I’ve attended since kindergarten, with the addition of Ball State University. Now, why would I care about a mascot for David Letterman’s Alma Mater in Indiana? I’ve never even been to Indiana! Oh that’s right, because I was accepted into their graduate school!! And no, I’m not moving to Indiana!
I was accepted to the MA in Applied Behavior Analysis with emphasis in Autism program (even got my fancy acceptance letter in the mail)! In layman’s terms, I will be studying to become a behavior therapist. The program is offered entirely online, which boasts well for me since I have no desire to move to Indiana, I work full-time and have a son to raise. Whew, I already feel exhausted and my first class won’t be until August!
I’m excited and nervous for this opportunity. I haven’t been in college for 7 years – hopefully I’ll be able to quickly jump back into the swing of things! Then there are the aforementioned challenges of working full time and going to school plus spending quality time with Logan! Can’t miss out on that!
But I know that God made it possible for me to get into this program so he will make a way for me to get through it! Deep breaths! 🙂
Living with Syndromes
I’m not quite 30, and yet I have already been diagnosed with two syndromes: patellofemoral and cubital tunnel. The good news about these is that they are treatable with physical therapy and lifestyle changes.
With the patellofemoral, my kneecaps like to slide off course and grind into my femur. Sounds lovely, no? I started PT this month and have a daily regimen of various exercises to strengthen specific areas of my legs. The good part is that my legs are already quite strong from spinning, so that’s helpful. Today the therapist showed me how to tape my knee. It feels a bit awkward but it is helpful. Looks like I’ll be buying some fancy tape in the near future. The therapy is helpful, but it’s extremely slow-going. This is not going to be an overnight quick fix. But I will be ever so happy to have normal knees again! Feeling like I’m 80 with arthritis is no walk in the park (pun intended).
The other syndrome involves the ulnar nerve in my left arm getting pinched by my elbow and making a couple fingers in my hand go numb. At this point, treating this deals with lifestyle changes. I am not supposed to carry Logan (or anything heavy) with my left arm. I have mostly curbed this habit, but it takes a conscious effort as I’m right-handed and carrying items with my left arm is just natural. It also helps that Logan wants to walk everywhere, but there are times when I need to pick him up. I also need to not keep my arm bend for long periods of time: hold my Nook with my right hand, hold the steering wheel of my car towards the bottom, and move my computer keyboard from atop my desk to my lap.
This last step has proven a challenge so far. My desk is a behemoth piece of oak furniture, which has a leg opening that is narrower than my chair. I also need to remove the arms from my chair, so I an not tempted to lean on them, putting pressure on the nerve. I tried putting my keyboard on my lap, but I can’t keep my legs bent for long periods of time, and when I straightened them the keyboard would slide. Nice catch 22, no? Plus, the cords made movement a challenge. Now, I’m on the hunt for a good lap table. I have a laptop desk, which I may bring into work, and I just ordered a wireless mouse and keyboard. My work is only spending freeze, so I know there’s no way they would provide them for me. And I’m pretty sure that cubital-tunnel syndrome doesn’t qualify as a disability. 😉
If the lifestyle changes do not help the nerve, the next step would be to put my elbow in a brace to prevent it from being severely bent. That doesn’t exactly sound comfortable.
Well see how this all progresses. At least, I have a doctor’s and a therapist’s order to continue spinning. 🙂
Gobble Gobble!
Hope y’all had a good Thanksgiving! We spent the day around the block at our friends’, the Fieglands (Logan’s girlfriend’s house).
Lot’s of good food, good friends and one tired boy who refused to nap all day!
We sure are thankful for this little boy though (who is 20 months old today)!
And Humpty Dumpty Was Put Together Again
My car was supposed to be done on Wednesday. The body shop called and changed it to Thursday. Today is Saturday and I finally got my car back. I didn’t care about how long it took to fix my car. There were some issues with the tailgate and getting the right tire cover. Meh, I had a 2011 Toyota Rav4 rental that I wasn’t paying for.
There were more things I disliked than liked about the Rav. I liked it’s oomph, that it was new and that it had a large backseat. That’s about it. Nice car to drive but I wouldn’t want to buy one. Plus the rental I had was white. My truck was white. My current car is black. I prefer vehicles that aren’t the reflection of all colors. 🙂 If I have a choice, my next car probably won’t be black. A blue would be nice.
My brother-in-law was hoping my car would be totaled from the accident so I could get a new vehicle. There’s nothing bad about my current car, it’s just 11 years old and quickly creeping up on 200k miles. My truck had 286k before it was stolen, so I probably have a bit more to go before I can justify getting a new SUV.
Final damage total on the repairs was around $1800. Didn’t matter to me. I didn’t have to pay for it. Of course, though, it’s in the 30s today and raining. Just not quite cold enough for it to snow. Noah was working (shocking!) but thankfully in Boulder and was able to meet Logan and me at the body shop to help corral the kid and reinstall the car seat. Logan had a grand time standing it the back on my car watching the rain. He was bundled up and the hatch above the tailgate offered a fantastic rain shield. Logan was bummed when it was time to get back in his seat.
The Rav had a floor gear shifter and my CR-V has one on the steering column. So the first couple of days I kept hitting the wipers on the Rav out of habit. When I got my car back this morning I kept grabbing the e-brake. Oops. I am glad to have my car back that. I know the bumpers and I can once again listen to Pandora while I drive. That’s really what’s important. Plus, my car had been detailed inside and out. No more cheerios on the floor! 🙂
Japanese Butt Lift
Turns out my car will need a Japanese Butt Lift, at least that’s what I’m calling it. The guy who hit me would need a Japanese Face Lift. 🙂 My car will need: new bumper, new mudflaps, new tire cover, new muffler, new pipe under the car for the muffler (can’t think of what it’s called. But the accident shoved the muffler and the pipe forward by 2-inches), and tailgate repair/repainting (the spare tire dented the tailgate). The initial cost estimate is around $1300. The earliest appointment I can get to have the body work started is October 3rd. Until then, my car is drivable. It sounds like a rice burner, but it’s drivable.
I had also read items online that stated if you’re ever in a car accident the child’s car seat needs to be replaced. Concerned about that I talked to a child car seat expert with the state and given that my accident was minor and that Logan was not in the seat at the time, the seat itself is fine and does not need to be replaced. Whew! Turns out that information about seats needing replaced is a myth. Good to know that Logan is still safe to ride in my rice burner. 🙂
Crunch
It only took 5 years and some change, but I once again rear-ended during a commute. The last time was in Carpenteria across from the polo fields while heading to class at UCSB (and a fellow UCSB student was driving the car that hit me). That guy was probably overjoyed that I never even called my insurance about it. I had plans to, as there was damage, although minimal, but my truck was soon stolen and thus needed more than just a new bumper.
This morning I was rear-ended by someone driving a CR-V one year newer than my own, across from Boondocks (put-put golf), one my way to work in Denver. The guy that hit me was very nice and apologetic. We have the same insurance company so that should move things along nicely. In fact, he has already left me a voice mail with a claim number. Convenient. The fact that I was rear-ended by a Honda also ends my long streak of only being in accidents that involve Fords (this includes anytime I was in car that was involved in an accident, not necessarily driving).
I am a little sore, but nothing major. I saw the accident coming and semi-prepared my body for it (or at least attempted to). I am very thankful, and praised God many times already, that Logan was not in the car when the accident occurred. It was during traffic, and the guy behind me couldn’t have been going more than 20 mph, but still. Very glad that Logan was happily playing at daycare instead.
Noah has yet to look at the damage but so far I can tell I will need: a new bumper, new mudflaps, a new muffler and a new tire cover.
Thursday I’ll take my car into Boulder for the repair estimate and find out what all will need done. To be continued…
Decision Made!
I have decided to finally apply to graduate school! The prospect is both exciting and daunting – mainly due to the necessity of funding (if you’re willing to invest in my future, please don’t hesitate to send me money)! I think the timing is good. Noah’s his own boss so he can ensure he’s home when I have class and Logan goes to bed early, so I will have my nights devoted to class and studying.
So the big question you’re probably wondering is what I am going to study? Marriage and family therapy, of course! I will probably apply for fall 2011 or winter 2012. Yesterday I looked up the application process and grabbed the topics for the two essays I have to write, so I start writing those (are they even really considered essays when they’re only 1000-1500 words? ‘Cause that’s really more like a page). I have a couple of friends (one in the biz) who have already offered to help critique and edit the papers before I submit them for consideration.
I will still be able to work full-time, too, while taking classes. I’m sure I’ll be exhausted and have no life, but what else is new? Ha! I would really like to be able to finish the degree in 3 years, but depending on available finances , it may take longer (hopefully not).  Another perk about the University to which I will be applying is that I can go at my own pace. Yay!
Prayer during this process will be much appreciated – prayer for focus, guidance, acceptance, funding and ability to maintain a hectic but well-balanced life. 🙂
Back on a computer again…
After a month without a decent computer you can bet I went through withdraws, but again, like in February, I am so thankful I have a smart phone! Right after my family headed back to California my laptop went kaput. We handed it off to an uber techy friend to diagnose and try to repair the brand new hard drive. When he stated that he feared the worse, Noah and I decided to buy a new computer. Homestead needs something reliable. A computer that continued to fry hard drives – not so reliable. Yesterday the new laptop arrived (YAY!) and this morning I got final word from my friend that the motherboard on my Dell is fried. It would probably cost upwards of $600 to replace the motherboard, not worth it…especially since that’s more than the cost of a new computer! That being said, it’s a good thing we went ahead and purchased this new laptop. Plus, it’s new, faster, and fancier!  All that being said, I’m sure my readers don’t care too much about my computer woes and is more interested in learning about, who else, Logan.
Thursday, Logan turned 6-weeks old! For those that don’t have facebook, I’ve uploaded pictures of Logan to the site. Below is a sneak-peak (click on the picture below for more). We can’t believe how fast our little boy is growing! He has already out-grown the premie clothes and some newborn sizes. He’s a bit in-between sizes right now. Some newborn sizes are too small, some too big, and the same applies to 0-3 month outfits as well. Last Sunday, at a friend’s house we weighed him both on their bathroom scale and one their Wii. Both scales listed Logan as weighing upwards of 10-pounds! I didn’t believe it. I expected him to be more in the 7 to 8-pound range. So, when I had my doctor appointment on Wednesday I took Logan across the hall to his pediatrician’s office to get an accurate weight.  Any guesses? Well, the Wii was pretty darn accurate. At 6-weeks old (less a day) Logan weighs 10 pounds, 2.5oz! I’m shocked!
I am excited to celebrate my first Mother’s Day! What will make the day even more special is that tomorrow we are dedicating Logan to the Lord at church! I managed to acquire a special outfit for him to wear (that half fits due to the aforementioned size issues), I have yet to figure out what to wear. Noah’s grandparents and brother’s family, who all live locally, will be attending the dedication service and Noah’s parents have also flown out for the occasion. It should prove to be a very special day! Noah’s already arranged to have flowers delivered to me. 🙂 I’ll be sure to have someone take pictures of Logan’s dedication…hmm, I wonder if Noah has figured out what he’s going to say in the prayer.
In other news, softball season officially kicked-off last Tuesday. Due to most of the women on the team becoming moms, this summer the team switched from co-ed to the men’s league. Logan and I went to support the men at their first game, but left after the first inning and the gale-force winds made it pretty miserable weather! We did get to see Noah hit a triple his first time at bat and missed the atrocity that followed (the team lost 24-1!). I’ve set-up another page where you can follow the team’s scores.
And finally, I think, we have had several mornings in the past month where we have awaken to find white stuff on the ground. I have no idea when such days were (except for yesterday), as I am not coherent enough to write it down at 3:00 in the morning. The most that was accumulated on any of the days was probably 3/4″, but it didn’t last long; melted by 10:00am in most cases.
Well, I think that’s it for now. Just a few items from the past month. 🙂