Let it snow..

We got about 17" of snow starting Friday night and ending late Saturday night. Our street has yet to be plowed, so we just hung out by the fire and relaxed and played. It has been FUN! Here are some photos of the snow and my boys:

Neighbors were just out walking in the snow today... really pretty.

Cole - reminding me of "A Christmas Story" (I can't move my arms!)

Samuel liked eating the snow... which is weird since he doesn't generally like cold food (no ice cream)!

Daddy & Cole getting ready to go for Cole's first sleigh ride

Right down the street..

Cole really liked it and gave Darin a big hug at the bottom of the hill - CUTE

Our family

Cole making a dent in the snow...

That's it for now. My Mom got some shots of Samuel sledding - I don't have any - but as soon as I can get her photos, I'll post them.

Alex Convertito

Most of you know the story of my cousin Alex Convertito...

The short version is this:

He's 22 years old and over labor day weekend was in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. Alex was thrown from his vehicle (which had turned over a few times first), and landed in the right lane of the highway. He remained conscious but has severe spinal cord injuries as a result of his T7 shattering.

In addition to his many physical obstacles, the cost of his care (his insurance topped out oh - probably in his first few days at the hospital), has been a huge issue. In the end, my uncle was able to get insurance for him which enabled him to go to Shepherd Center last week (a rehab center in Atlanta). There have been many fundraisers/benefits - in fact they are having a dinner dance to benefit him on Friday night this week (in CT). Below is information from the flyer for the benefit on Friday night:

In one blink of an eye, life can change. On September 6, 2009 shortly before 9:00 pm Alex Convertito, 22, was hit by another driver on Route 8. Now, some weeks later, Alex still lies in serious condition in St. Vincent’s Hospital. Alex has severe spinal cord damage and is paralyzed from his waist down. Alex is a student and works for Stop and Shop part-time but his insurance will only cover a very small portion of his present medical expenses and none of his rehabilitation expenses.
Alex’s friends from Fletcher Thompson have organized a benefit dinner-dance. The proceeds from this event will help defray the cost of Alex’s medical and rehabilitaion expenses.
We are accepting monetary donations or goods or services to be auctioned and raffled off.
For more information call Amber Lynn Trojanowski at 203-258-5061 or email
dancingforalex@yahoo.com

To read his whole story, see the following site (my Dad set this one up for donations, but you can also read his blog by clicking the links tab at the bottom of the page).

http://www.giveforward.org/Alex/

The gifts of your support and prayers has been huge - thank you!

Our Big Boy, Samuel, is 4!

We had Samuel's birthday party yesterday, though he won't actually be 4 until tomorrow.

He requested a pirate party with pizza and cake, so Pirates, Pizza, and Cake are what he got (it's good to have simple requests!).

I was so busy with work during the week that I asked Darin to help me prepare. I did the grocery shopping for the food, and Darin took care of ordering the cake. I had big plans to make the cake on my own then decided that it would end up being a headache (since it's not something that I enjoy) and that I'd probably end up frantically finishing it at 2 or 3 in the am. So my wise husband said, "just order one.". Darin took one of the pirate plates up to the grocery store and asked that baker to be creative. She said, "don't worry, I'll make it look good.". And she did! And it WAS NOT expensive either (gotta love that!). Ahh, so I'm off the hook on cakes and I don't even have to feel guilty for spending the $$! OK, so enough about the cake...

We had Samuel's buddies Evan and Mitchell over and my nephews Joshua and Michael. The weather was so nice the kids got to play outside. It's funny actually - last year in Houston it was in the 50s and SO windy that our outside party was moved indoors. This year, in Maryland, it was in the low 70s and sunny. Go figure... We had a great day.

When I figure out how to get video on here without locking up my computer I'll give it a shot. Samuel was so fun and excited while opening his gifts... he's going to be a blast on Christmas morning!

The kids singing happy birthday to Samuel. Darin and I got him with Silly string at the end, but I don't have any pics of that... maybe someone else does.

Samuel got a scooter - can't wait to try it out!

And some new pirate accessories... which he wore ALL day

Aaarrrgghhh!

Nora (Evan's little sister), the only girl there... isn't she a beauty!

Halloween and some other photos...

Some Fall Photos

(The Halloween photos are at the end of this post)

LOVES the remote... it's a man thing

These guys love dressing in costumes

Mom took the boys to Valley View Farms

They had a maze the kids could walk through and a HUGE pumpkin

Samuel's School Trip to Harman's Farm

Dad took him (my Dad)

The big night:

Halloween!

My Husband, Don King, and my boys:

Spiderman & Monkey

Sam by the caterpillar he made with Grandma

Trying to get these guys (OK, Cole) to stand still for a photo...

Let's just say everyone was frustrated and ready to just go get

some candy!

I carved this pumpking before trick or treating, and Sam watched...

and talked.... the ENTIRE TIME...

While we were out trick or treating it rained, so we were soaked when we

got home. Cole walked around in his Monkey pants for a while...

After we checked Sam's bag for candy with nuts, he dug in - couldn't wait!

He talked on the phone with Pops but could barely concentrate

the sugar had already taken it's effect!

We had a fun night - even with the rain. The good thing about the guys being little is they're satisfied with 6 or 7 houses...

and it's MORE than enough candy.

Finished my first 2 weeks of full time work

And I can say lots of things:

I've always given full time working Moms lots of credit, but full time working Dads with wives that work full time need some credit too. There is way more to do at home than I could ever accomplish on my own. I know I could never get it all done without Darin's help. OK, so honestly it's never really ALL done, but we prioritize. We've done this before (I've worked full time at times since Samuel was born), and Darin and I usually get a pretty good system going. I have no idea how single parents do it...

I'd be a big fat liar if I said that it's not tough. It's pretty challenging to know that someone else is basically raising our kids. For those who know my control freak nature - you'll understand when I say that I struggle with that. It was never part of our plan, but reality being what it is - we'll just have to adjust - and we will. But I have my moments. So, when I get home I pretty much don't get on the phone or computer (sorry). I play with my guys until dinner then from dinner to bedtime and enjoy the time we do have together. I don't want to lose touch with them - or just be the lady they see on the weekend who walks in and acts like she's in charge. :) When I kiss them goodnight we say prayers and we talk. I have started asking Samuel what his favorite and least favorite parts of the day were. His responses are hysterical, and sometimes it makes for interesting conversation and actually some teachable moments. It has been like a knife in my heart a few times when Samuel says, "Mom, will you be here tomorrow? I really wish you could be with me tomorrow?". Then when he had a Fall party at school and his class was going to sing, he said, "I really want you to come to school tomorrow to see me sing."... and I explained that I couldn't go. He said, "But Mom, parents can go!". Wow. I had to hold back the tears until I got out of the room, but I told him that Grandma was going to go see his "show" and take video, so we could watch it together when I got home from work. Hmmm. Does that part EVER get easier? When Samuel asked why I have to work so much I explained in terms he would understand. He is so looking forward to getting his toys out of storage and into a house, so I told him that Mommy and Daddy are working really hard, so we can find our own place to live... and get our stuff out of storage. He understood... but every night he still says, "Mom, I wish you didn't have to go tomorrow.". The love little boys have for their Moms... it's a beautiful thing!

As for the positives - My job is pretty interesting. I wear many hats and the role really is not well defined, so I am creating it as I go. Missing my boys goes without saying, but it IS nice to put nice clothes on and go to work. Driving in the car ALONE and in the QUIET is refreshing. If I choose music - it's MY music instead of the Backyardigans which is the usual request of both Samuel & Cole. I enjoy working with students and other nurses, and for the first time in my 13 year career I have my OWN desk. They gave me a catalog and said to order supplies for my desk... I wasn't even really sure of what I needed! Now, I'm not in an office. My desk is actually in a corner of the lab supply room - no windows - but hey, you have to start somewhere, right? Creating systems and figuring out how to get all of my duties accomplished is making the days go quickly - though 8 hour days tend to go quickly for me (used to 12 hours). Everyone I work with has been very kind and they even say they are excited to be having another baby around (a relief since I was concerned they wouldn't be too happy about hiring a pregnant lady). It feels good to be contributing toward our financial goals and it feels GREAT to see the light at the end of the tunnel (getting back out on our own).

So, it's hard right now - adjustments always are - but lots of families make it work, and we will too.

I'm so excited!

I am now an official International Board Certified Lactation Consultant!

Woooooooo HOOOOOO! I passed my board exam (that I took in July).. just got the result today.

Might not sound like a big deal to you, but I have been working toward taking the exam for a couple of years. I spent time and $ taking classes to qualify to sit for the exam and logged 1000 clinical hours providing lactation assistance (to qualify to sit for the exam). The exam was HARD. This morning before leaving for clinical I looked up my result on the Internet.... and I passed!

The latest

OK, so the last month has been very eventful - both VERY sad and VERY happy..

My cousin Alex remains in critical condition after being hit by a drunk driver and thrown from his vehicle on Labor Day weekend. He is 22 years old and is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of the accident. He has had one surgery to stabilize his spine but the remaining surgeries must wait at this point until he is more stable. He has had pneumonia and has been septic. He is still dependent on a ventilator though he does now have a trach instead of an et tube (tube down his throat). He was in CT scan the other day and they found a pneumothorax (collapsed lung), so it was back in with the chest tube, and what they were planning to do at that point, they couldn't. It seems like things keep getting put off. Alex's hospital bills are insane, and his insurance maxed out weeks ago. He has been awake, is now fully aware of what happened, and is dealing with all of this as you would expect - not well.

Below is a link to the latest in Alex's story.

http://www.connpost.com/ci_13505912?IADID=Search-www.connpost.com-www.connpost.com

My Grandpa, Alexander Convertito, 91 died on September 23, after a few months of at home care. He had cancer among other ailments and towards the end was in a lot of pain. We went to CT on Labor Day weekend to visit him, and he didn't look well then. It has been very sad for myself and my family, but I do find peace knowing that he is no longer in pain. My Uncle Mark gave a eulogy that I know would have made Grandpa proud, and because of Grandpa's service in the U.S. Army there were military honors at the cemetery.

Since that weekend we have been trying to get back to "normal"...

The only news with us is that I accepted a full time job. I am the official skills lab coordinator at Carroll Community College in Westminster, MD. I will be involved with inventory and ordering supplies, helping with skills lab practice, validations, and remediation - among other tasks. I'm looking forward to it and am hopeful that the schedule will work out better for our family. I will be working M-F 8-4 but will have the benefit of the lovely school schedule (off on weekends and holidays and from 6/15-8/15). After 13 years of nursing in the hospital setting, I'm not sure I'll know how to act working during the day, having off on weekends, not having to beg borrow and steel to be off on Christmas.... but somehow I think I'll get used to it. Of course I plan to pick up time at GBMC in lactation during those school breaks to help our income and to continue in that field (I absolutely LOVE my work in lactation but have been unable to find full time work in that area).

Now that I finally have a full time job, we can look for a place to live. The search is officially on. We are fully aware that to find something within our budget in this area we're going to have to find a dump that needs a lot of work... Could be a good thing... could make us crazy... We'll see what happens. We want to take our time and get the right place for us, but we're balancing that with our need to get back out on our own - especially before Williams #3 arrives! Yes, I'm having that nesting thing that makes me want to be settled and organized. OK, that probably has more to do with my personality in general, but pregnancy is magnifying it. Yes, the thought of having to bring a new baby back to my parents' house then move while on maternity leave makes me feel both claustrophobic and freaked out. Again, my parents have been incredible... it's just time for us to be in our own space and for them to have their space back.

It will all work out - always does.

The kids are good, and so is Darin. Will post more soon.

Updates

No new photos at the moment, but here's the latest:

Samuel started preschool, and he likes it so far. He has yet to remember the names of any of the kids he plays with, but he tells me that he plays with the police car each day. He is able to identify his name on his cubbie and for his attendance card and is starting to ask about addition ("Mom, if I have 5 on this hand and 3 on this hand what does that make?"). I'm pretty proud of him! We bought his Halloween costume because I wanted to be sure to get his size, and he already wears it almost every day. Hope the costume still looks good for Halloween! Samuel asks a lot of questions about the baby but mostly he wants to know if we know "what kind of baby is it?". He says that he'd like a sister, but I keep telling him that we have to wait until the baby is born to find out and that it will be such a neat surprise!

Cole is good. He walks everywhere - no more crawling. He seems to be growing up quickly - which my friends of more than one child tell me happens when there is more than one kid. It's funny - he's clingy one minute then squirming to get down and explore the next. I'm amazed at how much Cole understands though he doesn't have the words to talk for himself yet. We say, "OK, Cole, are you ready for bed?", and he'll put down whatever he's working on and walk toward the stairs. He steps right up on the stool in the bathroom and tries to brush his own teeth. He is starting to talk more and more - seems like a new word every day.

Darin is good. He has decided to run another marathon this November with his friend Bubba. This one will be in Virginia. It's awesome that he enjoys it, and I think it's perfect right now as a stress reliever. Though jobs are going well, we remain pretty frustrated with our situation. We feel stuck. Because we are. This market is much more expensive than where we were in TX and in TN, but we've found that salaries aren't better here in an effort to compensate for that difference. We really thought we'd be on our own by now, and it's getting to both of us. My parents have been wonderful and have made living here very comfortable and easy. It IS very nice to just get up and go to work without having to worry about packing up the kids and taking them somewhere, and my parents do so much to help us out. But come on now - we're supposed to be grown ups - on our own with our own family. It just feels yucky. Not to mention the logistics of having all of our stuff in storage and trying to keep up with what we have at the house. We are so grateful for all of the blessings in our lives - we're just frustrated with this part.

I just started teaching nursing clinical in obstetrics at Carroll Community College in Westminster, MD. It's about a 45 minute drive for me, but I had my first day on Friday, and I loved it! I had 4 nursing students, and we had a great day (albeit a long day). I have interviewed for the lab skills coordinator position at the same college which is a full time position - WEEKDAYS, no holidays, no weekends (I'm not sure what that's like, but I think I'd love it after 13 years of nights/weekends/holidays). And I'd run on the school calendar, so whenever they're off I'd get to be off. Nice! The position is based in the nursing skills lab (where the students go to practice skills before going to the hospital and performing skills on real patients). It's everything from taking a temperature, to central line dressing changes, labor and delivery, etc. I'd be there to inventory equipment, have it ready for skills lab, help teach skills, and check off students when they are ready to test out. I was called back for a second interview, so we'll see what happens. Of course I'm still working as needed at GBMC in the lactation department which I absolutely LOVE and wish more than you know that they had a need for full time, but they don't. Even if I am offered the full time position at the college, I'll keep the as needed hours in lactation. I have worked hard toward my certification, and I love the work.

The baby is growing well. Darin and I went for the big ultrasound on Thursday afternoon (who can believe it's already 19 weeks??), and all is well. All of the vital parts are present and accounted for and are functional. We are BLESSED! The ultrasonographer DID check to see if this baby is a boy or girl (to make sure everything is developing properly) but did not tell us and did not disclose it in the records to my physician either. My belly is getting larger, and I've been feeling those first tiny movements for a couple of weeks now. That's always so neat - like - ah, you are in there...

My cousin is still not doing well - pneumonia, infections, etc. Please keep him in your prayers.

OK, the natives are restless... and someone stinks (I hope it's Cole!). Will update more later.

Photo updates

These are some photos from earlier this Spring.

Sam with a cute smile (no tongue out or super squinty eyes..)

Curious Cole...

And Sam found a couple of frogs while helping Grandma garden

This was funny. I turned around and found Cole with a piece of bread from the pantry... this guy hates to be hungry, so I guess he took advantage of his new crawling skills and got himself something to eat.

Busted

This was on our trip to CT in June. My cousin Michael holding his son Nico. Nico and Cole are 3 months apart, and there is a definite resemblance. I'm not sure how that happned since I think Cole looks like Darin, but it's funny. Around the eyes especially - well I guess that makes sense since Cole does have my eyes. Funny though - similar coloring, etc.

Cole tackling Sam

Cole walking in the backyard today

Sam warming up to hit some balls

Cole & I sat down to blow some bubbles... he likes taking his hat off and throwing it :)

Singing Happy Birthday to Cole on his actual birthday

Cole's birthday party (the day after his birthday)


That's all for now, folks. I'd do more, but they're bugging me to come up to eat... can't they do anything without me?? I miss the days when no one cared where I was.