Kitchen Makeover

We got granite - and a new sink - and a new faucet.  They are lovely.  Being without countertops, a sink, and the dishwasher for multiple days was not-so-lovely - but it was worth it.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Quick. What's a stronger word for frustrated?

I'm frustrated.  That's an understatement.

I went to the doctor about 3 weeks ago for a physical.  I figured I hadn't been since I went off to college in '98 so maybe before going back to college I should go again.  I assumed I would need some immunizations for school so my doctor asked for my records to see what I would probably need.  His staff told him that my records had been destroyed.  He was pretty miffed since I was only 17 last time I had seen him.  He gave me the DTaP since we knew I needed that one and told me to check and see if my parents have copies of my immunization records.

The parents had some - but not my Hepatitis B records.  Doh.  I checked with my high school.  They destroy records after 2 years.  I checked with my college.  They destroy records 10 years after they receive them.

By this time, I've received the official paperwork I need to fill out and return to the school by May 1st.  I need to get a varicella titer (shows that I have the antibodies to fight off varicella, aka chicken pox) and TB test.  I call the office to schedule those.  I get there and the nurse says she can only do TB tests on Mondays and Wednesdays.  It's a Thursday.  So why did they schedule me for a Wednesday?  Frustration is mounting.  I go ahead and have the blood drawn for the varicella titer and make an appointment to come in Monday for my TB test.  Later that day I realize that I can probably just get a Hepatitis B titer also.  I call the office and ask to speak with the lab.  They have me leave a message and tell me they'll give me a call later.  No call.  I call the next day and they have me leave another message and they tell me they'll give me a call back.  Now it's Friday at 4:00pm and still no call back.  I call again.  This time the receptionist calls the nurse who gives some non-answer like, "I assume it was done."

Monday morning I go in for my TB test and am told that the lab was able to do both varicella and Hep B titers with my blood draw.  Yay!  So I go back today to get my TB test results (negative) and my titer results.  I'm told that my doctor pulled my labwork and is looking over it and they will call me when he's done with it so I still don't have proof of my Hep B vaccine or that I've had chicken pox.  I get home and tell my mom what's going on and she calls my dad to see if he has any additional information.  Dad and my doctor are good friends and because the office was giving me so much grief I had asked my dad to make sure the doctor knew what was going on.  Dad says that my Hep B titer came back negative and my doctor is checking to see if the lab work was done properly.

AHHHH!!!  I know I had the Hep B vaccine because in psychology class my senior year of high school we had to write in a journal.  I stumbled across that a few days ago and read through it.  In an entry dated April 10, 1998, I wrote that I had the last round of my Hepatitis B vaccine the previous day.  So either something was wrong with the vaccine, something was wrong with the titer, or my body doesn't build anitbodies to Hep B.  This can't be happening.

Meanwhile, I got an email last week stating that I need to get a white coat from a specific uniform store in town.  I email the shop and ask what information they need from me for this coat.  They tell me that they need me to verify my name as it will be embroidered on the coat and they need my size.  They also tell me that I am welcome to come in to the store to try on so I am sure to get the right size and gave me their store hours.

I went in Saturday and was told they were completely sold out and they should have a shipment come in Tuesday.  Great.  I decide that since it is close to my doctor's office, I will go in today.  Still no shipment.  She says it should come in today.

Did I mention that my doctor's office and the uniform shop are a good 20-30 minutes away from my house?  And that doing these things with two two-year olds is difficult to say the least.  Okay.  End rant.

A Week in Facebook Statuses

Tuesday:  No nap for the girls again today. This resulted in a very frustrated momma and Julia full out crashing in the car at 7:00pm.

Thursday:  Lesson of the week: Make sure you keep a copy of all your immunization records because doctors offices and schools like to destroy them.

Friday:  Amelia threw a 5 minute tantrum because she DIDN'T want the pretzles I offered her for a snack. Seriously, kid, a simple "no thanks" will suffice.

Sunday:  My kids can finally say their own names. Woohoo!

Monday: My children have an abnormal affection for our minivan. They don't stop at just hugging it regularly, they also accompany it with an "Awww."

Pitching the Paci

I wrote yesterday about how we had started paci weaning.  Well last night was a big night.  We had two pacifiers left.  We brought a trashcan into the girls' room and showed each of them that their paci was broken.  We then asked them to throw their last remaining pacis away.  Both girls happily followed directions.  Amelia asked for it once when I was kissing her goodnight.  I reminded her that it was broken and she threw it away and told her that we didn't have anymore.  She seemed satisfied with this answer.

We kissed the girls goodnight at 8:30pm.  It's now 7:20am and I still haven't heard a peep from their room.  Maybe, just maybe, this won't be as hard as I thought it would be.

In other "Big Girl" news, Amelia has stopped calling me Mommy and has instead shortened it to Mom.  That was one milestone I wasn't looking forward to.

Julia showing some serious paci love at 20 months.

Amelia at her 2nd birthday party.

Edit:  The girls woke up about 7:30.  The latest they have in probably a week.  Amelia greeted me with an enthusiastic, "Mommy!".  Julia has already looked in the trashcan for her pacis.  Fortunately I was smart enough to move them to the big trashcan with the lid.   There were no fits.  She just needed to be reminded that they are gone.

Things that Make Me Laugh

The girls now sing their own special rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle.

Julia:  Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, star

Both Girls:  How are you?  How are you?

Amelia:  Up above the world so high. (while Julia sings gibberish)

Both Girls:  *Gibberish to the appropriate tune*

It's awesome.

A beetle crawled across the hallway this morning.  Both girls start panicking and saying, "Bug, bug!" - repeatedly.  This is especially funny to me because while Julia was "helping" me plant flowers on Sunday she played with a baby worm.  I guess worms are okay, but beetles are just icky.

Last night we were driving in the car when I hear, "7, 8, 9, 10."  This morning Julia counted four pacifiers.  Apparently my children can count, but choose not to do so when I ask them to.

I've been weaning the girls from their pacifiers this week.  One day I cut a horizontal line across the tip.  The next day, I cut a vertical line across the tip.  Today, I cut a little bit of the tip off.  Julia brought me four pacifiers and told me they were broken.  It was naptime, so I told her we would have to throw them away later.  She thought right then was a better time and chunked them into the trash can.  She laid happily down in bed without one and I haven't heard a word from her since.  I hope it will really be that easy with her, but I'm not holding my breath.

Mom, don't panic.  We know it's a mess, but doesn't our cuteness make up for it just a little?

Where Have You Been, Young Lady?

I know.  I've been pretty neglectful of posting lately.  I've been studying for a test that I have to take today.

Amelia's really been staying on top of me to get my work done. The girl is tough.

Julia has been singing me some hymns to help me relax a little. They sound a little funny when sung upside down.

Okay.  Maybe these were taken a couple months ago and I just wanted an excuse to share them.  Isn't it fantastic that wearing Potato Head glasses is timeless.  My daughter wears them as did her mother before her.  If you had a Mr. Potato Head you probably did it too.

Office Update and Bulletin Board Makeover

Hubby and I painted the office.  Nothing exciting since we plan to sell the house shortly after I graduate school.  This room used to have nicks and scuffs all over the yellowish walls.  The furniture was haphazardly squeezed into the room wherever there was space for it at the time.  When we cleared out the furniture, we moved the treadmill into our bedroom and when I moved the furniture back in, I added a couple of club chairs and the girls' easel.  I didn't snap a before shot, but here's the after.

Love the new "reading nook".  Ignore the boxes under the chairs.  They'll be gone when I clean out the closet.

Notice the new bulletin board.  It used to be a plain cork bulletin board with a white frame.

I covered the cork with paper and painter's tape and spray painted the frame.  Then I cut a piece of super cool fabric the size of the cork and sprayed the back of it with adhesive spray.  Then I just layed it on the cork, smoothed it out and here's the close-up!

I love it so much that I almost don't want to put anything on it.

Their 3rd Easter

The girls are more afraid of the Easter bunny this year than last, but they had fun collecting their eggs and asking me to "ope" them so they could eat the hidden treats.  The bunny brought them sidewalk chalk this year, which they think is fantastic.  They've been hard at working transforming our back patio into a work of art.  I might be having fun helping.

Amelia (left) and Julia (right)