Over 1000 hits!

I'm a geek, so I got really excited to see that I finally had more than 1000 hits on my blog. So if you're reading this, thank you!

Recovery

All of us seem to be on the mend today. Carter slept from 7pm-6:30am. (Yay!) It is so nice to get a full night of sleep.
Tim is off to an interview this morning. I still have mixed feelings on this position because of the location. The positives are that we would be able to afford a pretty nice house for around the same price we paid for our town house. I'm talking 4 bedrooms, two bath, and an attached two car garage, not needing a whole lot of work. And I also checked on MOPS groups. There is one 12 miles away and another closer to 20. Both would be do-able. (And a good way of meeting new people)

Sick :(

Tim has been sick with a cold for the past two days. He actually called in sick to work, which I can't remember him ever doing in the time that I've known him. I started coming down with a cold too last night, so we've been taking it really easy today. I'm actually still in my pjs. (And it feels so wonderful!)

Carter must not be feeling great either because he is currently has been napping for 90 minutes, which is probably one of the longer naps he's ever taken. It's making me paranoid, so I keep going in to check if he's breathing.

Blogs

As I wrote in an earlier post, I have recently became addicted to blogs. I would have to say my favorite would have to be oneprettything.com. They have links to so many amazing crafting ideas. I have been so inspired lately! Check it out if you're a crafter or even if you're not. I'll have to post pictures of what I've made based from ideas from that site. So far valentine's cards and I think I'm going to start on some oven mitts tomorrow.

What's new

Time seems to be going by so fast these days. I can't remember the last time Carter slept through the night. And believe me I miss it! He keeps wanting to go to bed around 6pm and get up at 7am. (With 1-3 breaks in the middle of the night) In other Carter news, he is getting so close to crawling. Tim and I are excited/scared over this new development. We need to do a lot more childproofing!
My classes are going well so far, but are a lot of work. I'm having a hard time finding enough time to work on them.
We still know nothing about the fate of Tim's job. I guess at this point, no news is good news. Also there is potential in one of the jobs he is interviewing for. He made it to the top 13 out of more than 100 applicants. He has an interview Thursday to see if he makes it into the top 3 to be backgrounded. Although this wouldn't be my first choice for places to move to, it definitely wouldn't be the worst either. And one of the officers Tim would be working with is the father in law of one of his friends. He and his wife seem really nice. (His wife even offered to watch Carter if we end up there! I'm trying to keep an open mind at this point.

Things are looking up (atleast in some ways)

Things have been kind of crazy this week so far with Tim working his odd hours. I so thankful that he has been able to pick up these hours. I think he will only end up 4 hours short for the week, which is not so bad.
I've been job searching like crazy and trying to find other small ways to make a little bit of money. So far I've been doing ChaCha and ebaying things we don't need. One of the nesties helped me get hooked up with doing some childcare for a U of M event. I'm excited to have something to get out of the house and it pays well. I feel like it could lead to other good things.
Carter is just getting over a cold. He isn't too bad during the day, but at night he has been a beast. His humidifier seems to be helping alot.
I'm addicted to blogs lately. I've found some great craft ones that I'll have to post links to. It's really inspiring to see all of the cool things people have been doing. I think I might have to start posting pictures of some of the stuff I'm working on. Right now I'm making Carter a shopping cart seat cover. Before being a parent I thought these were only for germophobe parents. Now that Carter is big enough to sit in the seat, I understand that these are a great idea. The last time we went to Target I spent most of the trip trying to keep Carter from licking and chewing on everything. So gross!

Update: And it gets worse

I haven't had the heart to post until today. I think part of the reason I've avoided blogging is because I haven't really wnated to deal with my feelings/fears yet. Friday, Tim got the word that his job site was being closed down on 6pm that night. We knew it was coming, but just not this soon. On the brightside (atleast for our family), Tim will most likely be placed at another site once his company does some layoffs in another couple weeks. Unoffically, he has been told that he is not on the layoff list.

We are trying not to let this give us a false sense of security and have made our tight budget even tighter. We pretty much only buy groceries and diapers. Even those items have been cut. We stopped buying pop a few months ago and also most junk food. We only buy diapers on sale and with a coupon.
I'm trying to be positive now because the worrying is just making me sick. We are lucky to have each other, a healthy little boy, and friends and family who love and support us. And we only have 8 more car payments on my car and 6 more on Tim's car. That will such a big weight off our shoulders.
I've found a bunch of part time jobs to apply to, but not many full time. For what I've been reading on the recession, the experts are saying that it could take up to 2 years or more for the economy to recover. At this point, I'm willing to take pretty much any part job if it will help us survive.

Carter food Update

We've finally found a food that Carter doesn't like. Carrots. For a while there, I thought he would like pretty much anything we set in front of him. Which is actually fairly surprising since I'm a very fussy eater. I first tried the carrots plain with no success. Then I added some rice cereal, thinking that it might make the carrot taste less strong. There was no fooling Carter. I even tried mixing it with it his other food with no luck. He is just not a fan of carrots. He was very polite about it though. He would just spit it out and smile at me. The experts say it can take up to 8 exposure for a child to like something, so I guess we'll just have to try it again.

Frustrations

I'm not a fan of cliches, but I can't think of any better way to say this. When it rains, it pours. Right now we are going through a very rough finacial patch.
First of all, we knew that we would have to be replacing the tires in my car soon, but we were hoping to put it off until next fall. Last week, after almost having my car spin, my car began to make funny noises. We thought that if we replaced the tires that would hopefully fix them problem. Not so much. After getting the tires fixed it started getting harder to keep the back wheels in control. We need bearings for both of the back tires and the alignment is still screwed up, so they're going to have to take it apart more to figure out what else is wrong. So far we're looking at at least $800 of repairs that we don't have the money to pay for.
On top of this, we have tons of medical bills to pay from Carter being born, Tim's surgery, and some dental work that I had to have done.
I'm frantically trying to find a part time job, but so far have had no luck. It seems that either places are not hiring or that they feel that I am over qualified and might quit if I find something better. If any one has any job leads for me, I would be grateful!
I am trying to keep my faith, but it's hard when it seems that everything that could go wrong pretty much has.
I know Tim and I (and Carter too) can manage to survive this together. I'm just not sure how yet.

My friend Stef recently tagged me in her post of random things. Basically, what you do is just write a bunch of random things (that people may or may not) know about you. You can be completely serious, absolutely hilarious and 100% open. Feel free to share as much (or as little!) as you want! When you're done making your list, go ahead and tag some of your own friends that you want to learn more about!
1. I'm having a hard time believing that Carter is 6 months old already. That just seems so old!
2. If money was not a factor, I would continue to be home with Carter part time and go to school part time to get my masters in school psychology.
3. I'm a Gilmore Girls junkie. I love it when there is some obscure cultural reference that I understand because of it.
4. I love trivia and get very excited about it.
5. I am very competitive at any games, but hate sports.
6. I love to start sewing projects, but never seem to find the time to finish them.
7. Tim does a large percentage of the cooking because touching raw meat freaks out.
8. I hate calling people I don't know.
9. Doing dishes is my least favorite chore ever. (and I do 1-2 loads a day with all the bottles)
10. I love Ebay
11. I'm hoping that Carter's eyes stay blue like mine.
12. I love bargain shopping and will go into different stores than normal to find a good deal.
13. I'm addicted to taking baths.
14. We started planning to go to Disney World when Carter is 4 or 5 before Carter was even born.

Nothing really new

We've had kind of a boring weekend. On Thursday morning Tim had 6 cysts removed from his head. Luckily none of them were anything serious and it could just be an in office appointment. Carter and I went to our MOPS meeting as normal so Tim could have some peace and quiet to recuperate. Carter loves playing with the other babies in the nursery. Next we had Carter's 6th month appointment. (I can't believe he's 6 month old already!) He's now 18 pounds 9 oz (75%) and 26.5 inches tall (75%). The doctor is thinking that his weight is going to level out because he is so active now! (He's only gained 9oz in the last month. Before he was gaining almost two pounds a month)
The rest of the weekend we pretty much just took it easy. Tim wasn't feeling too great with his head healing and I think Carter and I are getting over a bug.

101 things in 1001 Days

Creating your own 1001 Day ProjectThe Mission:Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.The Criteria:Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part). Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.Some common goal setting tips:1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

My 101 Things in 1001 Days:
Me
1. Try 20 new recipes
2. Start a cooking blog with the new recipes
3. Get a pedicure
4. Blog atleast once a week (0/140)
5. Paint my toenails and finger nails once a month (0/33)
6. Keep a notebook of favorite quotes and lyrics
7. Cook every day for a week, five times (0/5)
8. identify 25 things I like about myself [0/25]
9. Read the entire Bible
10. Have a "girls' night" 10 times [0/10]
11. Get a massage
Others
12. Donate 100 items to Charity (0/100)
13. Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice (1500/1,000,000)
14. Get back in touch with someone I've lost contact with
15. Make cookies for someone just because.
16. Give 5 homemade gifts or cards [0/5]
17. All Goals not completed by Wednesday, October 5, 2011 will cost me $3 to be donated to charity.
18. Make a new friend

Hobbies
19. Rent and watch 5 classic movies (0/5)
20. Finish 5 already started sewing projects (0/5)
21. Read one book a month (0/33)
22. Host a dinner party
23. Watch 101 movies in one year.
24. Use our crock pot 10 times
25. Create a recipe book of family recipes
26. Listen to 100 songs/pieces of music by a singer/band/composer I've never heard before. (0/100)
27. Rewatch all Gilmore Girls Episodes
28. Rewatch Sex in the City Episodes
29. Take a cake decorating class
30. Make 2 quilts
31. Take a cooking class
32. Sell something on etsy
33. Finish wedding scrapbook

Health
34. Lose ten pounds (0/10)
35. Do 100 sit ups every other day for a month.
36. Run a 5K.
37. Drink only water (96 oz) and milk (3 glasses)-no juice or pop-for one month (0/30)
38. Take a multivitamin every day for 30 days (0/30)
39. No eating after 8pm for 2 weeks
40. Learn CPR
41. Get my eyes checked
Tim
42. Go to a drive in movie
43. Have a date night once a month (0/33)
44. Play Mini-Golf
45. Have a romantic Valentine’s dinner–in or out!
46. Go camping
47. Go on a bike ride
48. Have a picnic
Carter
49. Get Carter on a nap schedule
50. Do a home “photo session” every other month (0/16)
51. Get up to date on his scrapbook
52. Read 1001 books to him. (3/1001)
53. Get him a passport
54. Build a sand castle.
55. Build a snowman
56. Take pictures with said snowman
57. Frame a picture of Carter
58. Use our new bike carrier 5 times (0/5)
Family
59. Spend one day a week with my grandparents (0/140)
60. Send one card a month to an older relative (0/33)
61. Host a holiday
62. Take a family picture
Home
63. Clean out my closet
64. Find a new shower curtain for the bathroom
65. Organize all of my craft supplies
66. Have a garage sale
67. Organize photos properly
68. Touch up paint in our bedroom
69. Save up for closing cost for a new house
Work
70. Apply for 100 jobs (or until I find one) (3/100)
71. Revise my resume
Environment
72. Make natural cleaning products
73. Switch all of our Christmas lights to LED
Other
74. Visit the Mill City Museum
75. Visit the Minnesota History Museum
76. Take a roadtrip
77. Get something from Etsy
78. Go back to Mexico
79. Pay off both cars
80. Remember to bring my camera to at least 5 occasions (0/5).
81. New tires for my car
82. Sell 100 items on ebay
83. Go to the Como Zoo 3 times (0/3)
84. Watch a sunrise
85. Watch a sunset
86. Giveaway any book that I won’t read again
87. Sing karaoke
88. Make $500 on ChaCha
89. Write 101 comments on other people’s blog
90. Post updates on the blog every week tracking my progress
91. Make a will
92. Have 500 dollars in the bank by end date
93. Go to Minnehaha Falls
94. Go to a water park.
95. Go to the Minneapolis Institute of Art
96. Visit the Bell Musuem
97. Go to a live comedy show
98. Buy a swimsuit
99. Go on a boat
100. Improve my scores on the GRE
101. Go to a Ballet

Funeral

The funeral on Sunday went really well. We thought that there would maybe be 100-200 people there. Instead the church was packed with 450+ people. The service was beautiful.
Carter decided that he wasn't up for the service in the first 5 minutes by letting out a huge scream. Tim took him out so that he could kick and play, but they were still able to hear the service.
The funniest part of the entire day involves my cousin Joe who is 4. He was sitting with his Grandma Judy. When they were in the communion line, she told him that he needed to give his other grandma a big hug because she was sad. So Joe runs up to grandma and gives her a hug. He then says to his Grandma Judy "That was my best hug ever. She really liked it." He then goes through the communion line and sees and takes the bread and goes "Oh bread!" The rest of the relatives in the first and second pews were laughing so hard.
At the dinner afterwards at my grandparents house, Carter worked the crowd. Normally, I don't let him get passed around like that, but he was being so smiley and friendly to everyone.

My nephew was born!

Nathan Robert was born around midnight on January 2nd. He was 9 pounds 3 oz and 21 inches long. We went to visit him this morning. He's a big guy! He barely looks like an infant being that big! Mommy and baby are doing great and his three older brothers love him already.
Carter never seems to know what to think when Tim or I am holding other babies. He almost seems to get jealous. He's going to have to get used to it though because he's not going to be a only child forever. (Although the idea of having another anytime soon still scares me.)
In other news, we have the memorial service for my uncle tonight and the funeral tomorrow afternoon. I think the memorial service will be kind of fun because the plan is for all of his close friends and family to share stories (and with Mark I'm sure they'll be some good ones!)