Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off to Cali We Go…

Up at like 5 am for the airport.

No fun travelling when your nose is running like MAD!!

Pouring rain when we were leaving. That’s alright—I knew I was heading into sunshine & heat.

We had the rudest United Airlines ticket agent. First off, the flight to Denver was pretty full. We’d originally booked our tickets through Air Canada, but because it was linked with UAL, we had to go to the United ticket counter. Didn’t realize that their baggage rules overrode our itinerary, which said 2 pieces. The rude lady wanted to charge us for 1 bag (UAL rules are 1 free bag, 2nd piece = $25). We were at the airport on time, and near the back of the line. But they only had 2 people working. At the last minute, they got a third agent. By the time we got to the front, they were already boarding the plane, and we still had to go through customs. So the agent was stressed because her people were rushing her (ha ha!). She weighed our bags, (Sherwin was with us too), and proceeded to tell us that she’s gonna charge us for 3. We weren’t impressed, but didn’t take too much time to argue or anything. She was straight-up rude with her attitude though. As she’s trying to print out luggage tags & boarding passes & charge the credit card, her computer freezes. LOL. Plus, the customs people kept radioing her, as well as the person at the gate, wondering what the hold up was. She was so rude, and stressed, that while her co-worker was dealing with a customer, she proceeded to waltz up and try to use her computer terminal. Then caught herself “oh, were you using this?”. Umm…DUH! That nice agent was only serving a customer. In the end, she had to get her friend to help her tag and print things. She also only charged us for 2 bags. Oh, she’s also gotten mad at Sherwin & I because we were discussing the fact that UAL had poor customer service. Nothing directed to her, no yelling, no cussing, not even bitterness or worry that we’d miss our flight. Just disappointment that they’re gonna charge us for something when our itinerary clearly says another.

We were the last people to board. Flew through customs without any questions at all though, which was cool.

Stuck in Denver for 4 hrs. Good thing the airport terminal was pretty big.

Welcome to sunny California. Yay—heat!! Jono picked up the rental. Toyota Sienna. Great way to test drive a minivan.

Went to our accommodations for week 1. A condo on the Loma Linda University campus. Sounds like it’s a place where they let recovering surgery patients stay. Cute place. No central air though, just A/C wall units. One was just off the dining room. The other was in our bedroom. My parents suffered a bit. Mind you, they at least had a patio, complete with sliding door.

I Feel Like Doing A Duet With Céline Dion

**ahem** All by myself….Don’t wanna be….All by myself….Anymore….

LOL. If I thought I was a bit lonely before, it’s sure doesn’t compare to when Hubby goes out of town. He left Sat nite on some church business. He’s flying back first thing (well, first thing on that airline) Monday morning, and heading straight to work. Lucky for me, I have a doctor’s appointment that day, so I’ll get to see him before evening. I also have a wedding reception to attend later, so that’ll break up the day nicely. Ooh, adult interaction…should be fun. Baby will be staying home with Aunties.

I got my official insurance letter stating that my accident from 3 weeks ago wasn’t my fault and I don’t have to pay the deductible to get my repairs done. So yay! But yet, this same company is batty. I did file an injury claim, which is treated separately from the accident claim. The injury lady, however, has yet to actually chat with me. First, she started calling for me at my parents’ house. Hello?! I don’t live there–haven’t in years. Why is it that the other people in your office know where to find me, by you don’t?!?! Then, she mailed something out to me. Actually, not me, but to my parents’ house once again. Thankfully, I’m on good terms with the parentals and they pass on these messages and errant mail to me. The first line of the letter though made me wanna tap someone upside the head. Something about how they’ve been unable to reach my phone. Well, duh!–you haven’t been calling me, which is why you haven’t reached me! Anyhow, I’ve left a few messages for her. She’s got early office hours though, making our connections challenging. But I’ll press on.

Ultrasound was this past Thursday. Baby looks good. Unfortunately, I have no clue what gender Dookie actually is. That’s highly annoying right now, only because I’m trying to make plans. Specifically, clothing plans. I have a gazillion girls clothes. I’m also headed to the US in a couple weeks, with plenty of affordable shopping potential (hello, Ontario Mills!!!!). If it’s a boy, I’d like my son to be dressed handsomely for church. Boys clothes here tend to suck. If it’s a girl, then I really won’t need to spend much at all. There’s also the little detail a name. As fun as it is to design 2 names, it’s much easier to just pick the one. And, I just wanna know. Is that too much to ask??? Gender aside, Dookie is a mover. Moved throughout the entire ultrasound session. It was fun times to watch, let me tell you. Looks healthy (and big) thus far. Hopefully not too big. The size of my growing belly is worrying me though. I was not this big with Jamayia until like week 30 it seems. LOL. I’m currently at week 20 with this one. Yikes!

I’ve temporarily got my babysitter back. Uncle Sherwy is once again available in the afternoons to help me watch Pookie while I’m at work. Yay! They love each other so much–it’s so neat to watch.

The house is coming along. We had a nice visit with the designer at the builder’s design studio. It really wasn’t as expensively difficult as people made it out to be. It was all about making wise choices that worked for us. We came home and compared a few prices online. For example, the sink fixtures really didn’t add up to be heaps cheaper to DIY versus letting a pro handle it. Plus, we didn’t choose a truck-load of unnecessary upgrades either, which helped. Can’t wait to see the finished product though. Oh to be completed on time.

Ahhhhh

My co-worker is leaving. She’s going to work for the family business; something she’d always planned to do with her life. Congrats for you! With that being said, there are p-l-e-n-t-y of hours available for working at my place. Apply away.

I’ve been very impressed with myself the past few days. I’ve managed to organize myself in such a way that I’m leaving the house at my targeted times without being in a tizzy. Sometimes (and you reader moms know what I mean), you try your best, but it just doesn’t happen. Sure, with a little extra pedal power, you arrive at your destination on time, but your heart is racing and your blood pressure’s up from the hurry. No need to hurry so. The past few weeks, for my Thursday shifts, Jono would drive to work, then come home early, and I’d head out. The point being that Jamayia was then able to take her afternoon nap uninterrupted. But it’s such a hassle for him to do all that back and forth too. So today, we did things the old way. He bussed to work, and I left home to pick him up, cutting nap time short. I actually left early and therefore got to work early too. It was such a pleasant change.

Now if only I could leave work in such a non-hurriedly and unfrazzle manner, things would be a slice!

Welcome Back, Sundays

I no longer have to work Sundays. I used to work Sundays & Thursday evenings. Now it’s just Tuesday & Thursday evenings, with my Sundays free. The store has adjusted their hours for the summer, and they’re now closed on Sundays. By the way, they’re hiring big time. So, if you’re job hunting, talk to me…

So, there was a bit of damage to my car. About $450 worth. They’ll have to remove the back bumper and clean up the scratches. There’s also a slight chance that the repair people might find more damage. We’ll see what happens.

I also got a library card today. I haven’t had one since I was in elementary school. Remember the days when the cards were paper, and yellow and the entire library system was practically manual?? LOL…yeah, that long ago. But, since I don’t really have any book purchasing funds, nor much room to store purchased books, why not borrow?? Smart plan, right?! So, I took out two books, and now have 3 weeks to either read or renew them. Should be the start of fun times. I also realized that my new card means that a whole new world is opened to me. I have the chance to read all kinds of books, not just the inspirational/religious fiction stuff that I enjoy. I can learn more about improving my blog, about working from home, about parenting, about anything I want. Hmm…the possibilities are endless.

But, I’m quite pooped after a busy day. We also stopped in to see Jono at work, and even went for a quick bite to eat. I also finally got the meet the one guy who had interviewed Jono for this job. It’s been just over 2 yrs since my guy’s been there, but I’ve never met the dude across the hall. Guess I need to make more spur of the moment visits… So tomorrow? Prolly nothing but chillin at home…

Have You Read My New Bumper Sticker?

Apparently I have a bumper sticker. Oh, and it’s invisible. It says “Please, rear-end me today”. That’s exactly what happened to me this afternoon.

I was leaving the Superstore on Regent. I stopped at the 4-way stop sign, awaiting my turn. The bus was going first, then me. But apparently the dude behind me had no patience, because he tried to nudge me on my way. I was not impressed. People, it’s not cool to have any kind of vehicular collison with a pregnant woman and her young child. Not cool whatsoever!! So, we pulled over and exchanged particulars. He did admit to it being his fault. That’s nice, since it was his fault.

I’m just glad that no one was seriously hurt. My back’s hurting a bit. I did open up an injury claim for it. I’m praying that it’ll just subside on its own though. Jamayia was fine. Thank God that I’m not a panicky person. I didn’t flip or cuss or anything when the guy hit me. I just pulled over and got his info. Remained calm, even when I was outside the car talking to him.

So, we visit MPI tomorrow. To my naked eye, there doesn’t seem to be any damage, which is nice. But I’ll still let them check. Last time I was rear-ended years ago, what appeared to be a minor dent was actually a whole bunch of damage drama that was visible to the naked eye and was close to $1000 then.

We’ll see what happens tomorrow.

She’s Actually Learning From Us

I watched my darling Jamayia do the most absolutely c-u-t-e-s-t thing tonite–she prayed by herself!!! All together now “awwwww”…

All of us were upstairs, catching jokes at the “What Not to Wear” marathon. Jamayia grabbed my hand, and dragged me to the kitchen, looking for a snack. I poured some little fruit puffs into her cup, and set it by the fireplace hearth for her. She knelt down (as she often does to snack there, since it’s raised) and started eating. After a couple puffs, she caught herself.

She then folded her hands, said something in Jamayia-talk and ended with “Amen”.

Gotta love seeing your parenting efforts in action.

Hello May!

May…as in the month. So, a quick snapshot of what’s up with us….

Jamayia was sick for a few days, but is obviously quite back to her old self. What it was? Don’t exactly know. She wasn’t completely down & out. She did run a fever, but no tummy issues or head cold. There was wee bit of sniffling & coughing, but nothing stuck out. She was a shade more sedate than usual and had troubles sleeping through the nights she wasn’t her regular self. Thank God she’s doing wayyyy better now. Yippee. Growing like a weed, that girl. Loving life, loving discovery, and just plain loving! Daily, we’re getting more words out of her too.

Jono is mad busy with work, but doing well. He was great, waking up with Jamayia during her sick nights. He’s snoring away right now, though. Can’t blame him–he’s had a long week. Lots of customer demands at work. He’ll get a long weekend in 3 weeks, which will help a bit. Oh, and 2 wks off in June!!

Me is alright. Week 17 of fetal incubation. My tummy’s huge–compared to last time, anyways. Jamayia stayed tucked away so cutely last time. It’s quite obvious to the naked eye that I’m pregnant this time around. I see the Dr tomorrow, so I’ll have more of an update about Dookie then. Things are moving along with the house–yeah. We’re going to pick out some interior design stuff next week. It’d sure be nice to get this house earlier than their estimated date. Work’s going well for me too. A great sales nite today–yippee! Thankfully it slowed down towards the end of my shift. I needed to just take a seat for a moment and breathe.

So, we’re umbrella-folding stroller shopping right now. We’re also trying to figure out what to do for Mother’s Day. I can’t just sit and let Hubby take care of everything. It’s only because I have a Mom who’s deserving of some good Mom’s Day stuff too, so gotta think of something for at least her.

Sleepy time…

Random Scribbles

Today’s post title is borrowed for another blog I read. The following will just be a whole pile of random scribblage. I’m so backlogged in the blogging thing that I don’t even know where to begin. So, I figure let me just spit out whatever pops into my head.

  • New Baby: Things are progressing nicely on this front. We’re currently in week 16. It’s fantastic to have some energy back. This time around, though, things have been tougher physically. With #1, pregnancy seemed to be a breeze. But life was also different for me back then. Now I’m busy keeping up with Jamayia, and she only moves in fast forward mode it seems. One super cool thing (sorta) is that my previous maternity wear doesn’t fit. It’s all too big!! Imagine that. Since proper fit is important (Thanks, Stacy & Clinton), I’ve had to do a bit of shopping for myself. Can’t roll into Cali naked after all. No names yet for this one. She/He has earned the nickname of “Dookie” though. Why? Well, Jamayia was “Pookie” and Jono thought that Dookie would work, since we can’t use Pookie anymore. Isn’t he cute??
  • New House: Things here are slowly plodding ahead. We have an appointment with the design studio in a couple weeks to pick some interior stuff for the house. We also have the “pleasure” of going appliance & furniture shopping. I wish we also had the pleasure of an unlimited bank account too, right now! But alas, we’ll take things one day at a time and try not to get carried away.
  • Current Work: Life at the Baby Bin Boutique is going good. I’m having fun. Lots of fantastic product in store right now too. There are big plans ahead for BBB. Stay tuned to the website for more details.
  • Future Work: **sigh** This point, I don’t know too much about. My mom has generously offered to retire and help take care of the kids. Believe it or not, she is old enough to retire. She’s been working at her place for 35 yrs (yikes!!!) and she’s earned some much needed R&R. Although, caring for 2 kids full time isn’t exactly what I’d call R&R…LOL. Mom’s big concern is that we have the necessary finance to not be struggling. It’s not so much that she’s trying to force me back into the workforce, but she just wants us to be comfortable. She also wants to ensure that I have time out for myself and doing something that I’d enjoy. But, this is where I’m stuck. What do I enjoy doing?? I’d really love to work from home. I’d love to have flexibility to choose my own hours from week to week. I have no deep, dark desire to see my little creation grow into some massive international conglomerate with me as CEO. Back to the most important question though–what do I enjoy doing?? I don’t really have an answer right now. I’ll have to keep thinking and praying about it.

And in a large nutshell, that’s what’s up over here. Still laughing at how life is turning out. I’m just glad I’m not the One in control of all this. I’m quite content to be buckled in for the ride.

So Much To Say, So Little Time

Clearly it’s wayyyyyy too early in the morning to be awake. There are plenty things I’d love to blog about, but I need sleep.

I hope these pics will appease the masses…

Good morning, Mommy!!

Food first, pics later!

Always pointing out something…

She loves to sit at the computer, and play with the scroll mouse

Rather than help fold, she just sat in the basket….

Almost a smile…

…ahh! There it is!

Ha Ha–It’s Been Longer Than I Thought

Wow…I knew it had been a while since my last post, but not this long. That was the beginning of March already. Time sure does fly.

Lots has been going on with us…. Like, we have an estimated date of when we’re finally leaving the basement. Looking at late summer, early fall. Yay! Translation=we have a house!!

The new baby also arrives in early fall. Translation=I’m pregnant!

We’ve been healthy–praise the Lord! We’ve been doing well. The car’s a little testy, but nothing over the top. Although, it’s agreed that we’re going to need something bigger with 2 kids now. **sigh**…anyone giving away F-R-E-E vans?? LOL. Doesn’t hurt to ask, right? The worst you can tell me is no.

Alrighty, and that’s all I have time for in this edition of update. I’m trying to get back on the blogging track. I’ve missed posting as much as you’ve missed reading.