This is Real Life...

Just in fast forward today. We had one heck of a day! Our A/C was having problems yesterday so we had to shut it off. The house was at 86 last night, 84 degrees this morning when we got up (before 6 a.m., it's not like it was 10 a.m.). My stomach wasn't feeling great and Eliza was up crying half of the night because her throat has been really sore for a day or two, mostly only at night though. Well this morning her voice was different because her tonsils were so swollen she sounded like she had a bubble in her throat she couldn't get out. We took Nathaniel to school and when we got home I called the guy that put in our A/C. To make a long story shorter I ended up really frustrated with him because he said that it wasn't under warranty because I had another contractor work on it since he put it in. What made me so mad is that he had told me to call the other guys to begin with. He told me that it was the contractor's (Scott's) problem and that he should take care of it. So since I had Scott come out and fix it he said that his warranty was now void. I got really mad and gave him a piece of my mind to say the least. I have never yelled at anyone like that over the phone. I was able to say everything I wanted to and don't regret a word of it. Strangely enough, my stomach started feeling much better after that. (I swear I am going to get an ulcer, if I don't have one already, from all of this stress in our life right now.) I got in touch with Scott and he said he would come out between 12 and 2. Well, Eliza was quickly getting worse so I called the doctor and got a 3 o'clock appointment for her. By 1:30 I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to do both the doctor and be here for the A/C repair so I had to call Nathaniel out of his studying to come and be here at the house. I sat in the waiting room for 1 1/2 hours with Eliza (thankfully just her) and as we sat her fever started to get really bad. I was trying to be patient because there was some kind of emergency at the office, but I hadn't brought medicine since I didn't think we were going to be there that long. I asked the receptionist if they had any samples I could have for Liza and she said no but that she would have a nurse come and take her temp. The nurse came out and took her temp...104.6! Surprisingly enough, medicine came from somewhere in the back! I called Nathaniel and the A/C guy still hadn't shown up yet. It was 4:30. No big deal. It was just 90 and rising. (I get really cranky at anything above 83 just for the record. I was proud of myself for being bearable today. I carried around a spray bottle and kept the kids wet so they could at least keep cooler with the breeze of the fans.)
Liza and I finally get back to a room and she wants to lay down on the bed so I give her my hooter hider to use as a pillow. The nurse gave her a paper-type blanket and Eliza lights up and says, "This is the best day EVER!" I started laughing so hard. Here she is sicker than a dog, with a crazy high fever, she's been sitting in a furnace all day, and then she has just been stuck in the waiting room forever, but somehow today made it to the top of her list. Not my favorite day by ANY means, but hey, give a kid a giant paper towel and you've made their day! It turns out she does have strep and the doctor told me not to let her have any solid foods until the swelling in her tonsils goes down. She gets to have things like pudding, jello, yogurt, applesauce, etc. She thinks that is so great.
We start heading home since it will take a good 2 hours for her prescription to be filled at Walmart. We get home and the A/C guys still haven't shown up and the house is at 93. I have documentation below to prove it. Tanner was starving so I run to put something away in my room before I feed him. As I walk past the girls bedroom I see Nathan and Kate playing together with the tea set. They are both soaked and so are the bedroom, hall, and bathroom floors. I called Nathaniel to have him help me and then I look to see Nathan go to the bathroom for a refill...FROM THE TOILET!!! So not only was it soaked, but everything needed to be sanitized. Nathaniel took over that project while I fed the baby. It was frustrating and yet humorous and the same time. It would have just been hilarious if it was someone else's kids. I guess strep isn't the only thing I have to worry about the kids getting now. Lucky me! Then, since the kids were naked I told Kate to go get dressed. I was going to get clothes for Nathan in a few minutes, but he came out holding a pink shirt. He got it on all by himself and was so proud. Kate says to him, "Nathan, let me show you where my pants are." He came out wearing the outfit below. I thought it was SO funny. Nathaniel not so much. The A/C guy of course, showed up before we could change him and Nathaniel was very embarrassed. The problem with the A/C was so frustrating. They had come 2 weeks ago and put freon in since it was low. Well, he put in too much and that was the problem today. So, they took out 1/2 a pound and now I get to call and talk to Scott tomorrow about that issue.
Later, Kate, Tanner, and I went to Walmart to pick up the prescription and before we had even pulled out of the driveway Kate says, "Mom, can you get me a blanket?" Seriously?!? It is blazin' hot in the house, outside, and even worse in the car (for the first few minutes anyway). What a joke!
I had put Eliza in the recliner in the family room by herself with the gate up so the other kids couldn't join her. I want to keep this as contained as possible. I told Nathan and Kate that Eliza needs to be alone until she is better. Eliza says, "This is the best weekday ever! I get to be all by myself!" It was so funny because when we showed up at the doctor's office Eliza said, "Mommy, I miss Daddy and Nathan. It's not the same without them. I like it better when they are here instead of just you and me." I told her I like it when we all get to be together too. That's why it is so great that Daddy and I got married in the temple so we can be together forever and that makes me happy. So even though it was a hard, HOT day, there were still a few highlights I enjoyed. He's going to hate me for this when he's older. Like I said, he needs his baby brother to grow up and bail him out of the dress up and girly things.
Breezer and Matt, this picture is for you. Doesn't it just make you sick?

Stronger

Last night I was talking to Nathaniel about what next month's goal should be for me. This month my goal is to get in 50 miles. I have 3 miles left. I know it isn't much, but it's a start and you have to start somewhere. I really want to get into good exercise habits so I figured this goal would get me out there and doing something in the right direction. It has. Nancy and I ran together 4 days while I was in Yuma. I have been running at 6 a.m. with a friend or two every Mon, Wed, and Fri for the past couple of weeks here.
So, back to last night. I was debating between my goal being 55 or 60 miles. Then I thought I shouldn't do a total mileage goal but an endurance goal. I decided that I wanted to get back up to 6 miles by July 16th. I was going to try to push myself to 4 miles starting today.
This morning as I was getting my shoes on I got a text from my friend saying she wasn't going to be able to run with me. I have always loved running with friends because I enjoy it so much more and I don't get bored as quickly. It makes jogging more than exercise, it becomes a social and emotional outlet. We talk and laugh and vent to each other and walk away feeling physically and emotionally refreshed. It's a fantastic way to spend time together. Very productive. I decided I was still going running, of course, and that I would still try to go for 4 miles rather than the 3 I normally do. I started running with only one earbud in so that I would be able to hear things going on around me (you know, safety first). It was really killing my run though. I happened to be listening to the song "Stronger" by Brittney Spears (laugh all you want ladies, I know I'm not the only one out there to listen to that song while working out!). As soon as I put the other earbud in I felt this surge of energy. I was now in "the zone" and I thought, I can do this today! I could do 6 miles. I feel it. And I did! Looks like I need a different goal for next month.

Mr. Clean

The kid gets a shower or bath probably 2 -3 times a day. He rarely leaves the dinner table without heading straight for the tub. I think he intentionally makes himself a filthy mess just to get one.

Sleep...I Remember You!

Aren't sleeping babies the most beautiful sight? This week I have decided it is time to start getting more sleep. Tanner has been doing 8 and 9 hour stretches between feedings at night since he was about 2 and 1/2 months old so I know he can do it. Lately though he has been waking up 3 times a night just because he wants to be plugged back in or he wants to eat more. I have allowed it since he is, after all, my baby. I remember when Eliza was 4 and 1/2 months old the doctor told me to stop feeding her at night at let her cry it out and then we could both be getting the sleep we needed. I did and after 3 nights of long, hard crying (on both of our parts) it was done and she was an excellent sleeper.
I figure if I feed him before I go to bed he won't have to go more than 8 hours for sure. The first night I had to plug him in twice. The first time he was fine with that and went right back to sleep. The second time he was mad when I plugged him in and walked away. He cried for a while and then fell asleep. The second night I had to put his pacifier in once and he was quiet by the time I got back to my room. (I moved him into the pop-up crib in the family room so Nathaniel could sleep and not hear him as well. No reason for both of us to be up, right? His sleep is more important right now to keep his mind sharp. We haven't paid all of this money to have him fail the bar due to sleep deprivation.) The third and fourth night I fed him before I went to bed and I SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!!!! Two nights in a row of sleep. I fed him at 5:30 before I went out jogging one morning and the other at 6:30 when I got up. What a difference sleep makes. Last night he woke up once, but I couldn't blame him. It was 85 degrees in the house. I didn't swaddle his legs in the blanket since our A/C wasn't working and I didn't want him to be too hot. He had wiggled his way out of his blanket altogether and then his hands had knocked out his "fire". He went right back down once I plugged him in and swaddled him properly. I'm lovin' it!
This morning he took a 4 hour and 40 min nap. I had to run Nathaniel up to school and I had just put Tanner down so I called Lilian (our elderly neighbor) and had her sneak over to listen for him while we were gone. She said she saw me loading up all of the kids once just to bring Nathaniel to school and that I should just have her watch them while I was gone. I didn't laugh in her presence at the thought of her alone with my four rascals. I couldn't do that. They would eat her alive! Plus, it isn't hard to load them all up. We do it all of the time. I did decide to take her up on it for just a sleeping baby. After all, you NEVER WAKE A SLEEPING BABY...even if it means you have to call in the neighbor for back-up. You do whatever it takes to get your kid into good sleep habits early.