Orlando or Bust!!

So last time I wrote, David had phone interviewed with a company that seemed fairly promising. Over the last year, we've learned not to get our hopes up after such an event because we had endured so many rejections. It felt like 3 a month on average. Sometimes it was a rejection after two interviews and a design test. Sometimes they would take more than a month just to get around to sending a rejection email-- a month of high hopes only to be crushed with those painful words "We regret to inform you..." or whatever clever way they had of telling us that David wasn't the right man for the job. This was especially hard each time the interviews went so well and it was a position David really wanted.

The same day I wrote last, they called and emailed to ask David to come to Orlando for an on-site interview. This was the first time anyone wanted to meet him in person! What an exciting feeling!! They had to set the interview ten days out because of Thanksgiving. That was the LONGEST ten days ever, having to just pass the time until the much anticipated trip. I helped David pull all of his travel documents together, and even helped him pack. He was so nervous that he hardly wanted to think about the logistics of getting down there, so I did all that I could so that he could just focus on impressing them.

Thanksgiving came and went with much gratitude in our hearts for the opportunity that God had given us. All we could do was pray that they liked him and wanted him to be a part of their team! Finally the day came for him to leave, and he went to interview. I was amazed at how calm David was the day before his interview. It was so unlike him for him to feel so peaceful before such a huge event. Usually he is so totally nervous and beside himself that it makes him sick. Even the morning of the interview he was calm. It was truly amazing. He went and interviewed and they kept him from 9am to 2:30pm. He met just about everyone that was in the office that day. What a crazy day for him! He called me as soon as he left the interview and he was so nervous! He told me he wasn't sure how it went and he was nervous about the impression he had made on them. If he had told me all the things they had talked about that day, I would have told him that were going to hire him! I am still discovering more things that they talked about that he never mentioned. They talked to him insurance options, cities that are nice to live in, what time their workday begins and ends, and a lot of other details about working there that they would never share with someone that they didn't intend to hire.

They didn't even let 3 hours go by after he left the interview before letting him know that they wanted to hire him! What a blessing for David's nerves (and mine!) for them to be so speedy about letting us know! I literally squealed and jumped up and down when David told me the news! It took days for the good news to sink in. We finally got a job!!! Oh my goodness, I could hardly believe it! I kept asking myself, "Am I dreaming? Is this for real?" I can't even tell you what a huge relief it is to think about having our independence again and being able to pay our own bills and to be able to put food on our own table. And to have our own place. And to be able to start paying off our student loans and get out of debt! What an amazing thought it is!

It is overwhelming to think about all the things that have to happen in such a short time in order to get us and all of our stuff moved down to Orlando, but I am not about to complain about it! We have waited for SO LONG for this change! It really is a miracle. He is so talented, we've just been waiting for the right company to come along and recognize the amazing talent that he has been blessed with. I know that this job will be just right for him and the location and the timing will be perfect for our family. My heart is so full of gratitude!!

And an update on Jackson--


Jackson got his second tooth on his 8 month birthday! He also slept through the night for the THIRD TIME!

He has started army crawling, but only when he REALLY wants something. He'll usually book it for my cup so he can knock it over, or when he spots the cord to the lamp, or his sippy cup. He really likes paper too. It's so fun to see the things that excite him!

He is REALLY good at walking around the kitchen in his walker. He likes to follow people around in the kitchen, and it really hurts when he runs into your toes or your heel!

Generally, he is a very happy baby. I feel like I am FINALLY beginning to figure him out a little bit. I can tell when he is tired enough for a nap, and when he isn't. I have finally figured out how to help him sleep better at night. Or maybe he is just maturing more in that department. Either way, I am glad for the longer stretches of sleep!

Summary of July-November...

Wow, mid-November already! Aye!

Please forgive my lack of blogging the last few months. Not only have I been busy being a mommy to the cutest little boy on the planet, I have been without my beloved computer for a couple of months now. I have our iPad that I can use to check my email and facebook on, but I don't really like typing a lot on the touch screen. So, things like blogging don't happen.

So since I haven't written since July, I have a lot to catch up on!

At the beginning of August, David and I went on a lovely vacation with David's family. We flew into Salt Lake City and toured Utah a bit. I got to see some good friends that I hadn't seen in a while and I got to visit with some family that I don't get to see as often as I'd like.

We got to see my friend Rita and her husband Mathoni. Rita was about to pop with their first baby, baby Jimmy. While we were in Provo, we visited with my siblings, Adam, Camille, and Heidi. There was some drama with rental cars, but once we got that straightened out, we were off to lunch with my aunt Gayela and cousin Angela!

My uncle Tom and aunt Karen were totally awesome and let us stay at their place for a couple of nights so I could go to my best friend Alex's wedding. It was a beautiful sealing ceremony in the Logan temple. I'm so glad I was able to go!

After our escapades in Utah, we met up with David's family and headed up to Yellowstone. We spent a couple of days touring the park and then drove back down to Salt Lake City to fly back home. All in all, it was awesome to get out and see some new things.

After we arrived back to Texas, David decided to look into going back to school since he had still been unable to find a job. We talked it over and decided to move to Ohio and go to school there. Through his job-searching, we had seen too many job openings that he would qualify for, except that he does not have a bachelor's in computer science. So, by the end of September, we were all moved to Ohio!

We feel that Ohio is where God wants us right now, and we have peace with where we are and what we're doing. David has continued to apply for jobs, but still no luck. In two more weeks, we will have hit our year mark (Nov 29) of unemployment. We are hoping that he will get a job before he goes back to school in January. We can hope, right?

On another note, Jackson is growing up so fast! Once we moved here, I feel like he has hit milestone after milestone! We moved here just before his 6 month birthday. Two weeks later, he slept through the night for the first (and second) time! He has yet to do it again, but that's okay. Two weeks after that, he finally mastered rolling over! And two weeks after that, he cut his first tooth! Slow down! He is also scooting like crazy, and he is trying to figure out how to stand up to furniture. Not to mention zooming around in his walker and grabbing everything within reach. He will lunge himself towards something interesting! He makes the cutest little noises, goo-ing and gah-ing and dada-ing, and mah-ing. I love it! Right now he has a pair of shoes and he is playing with the shoelaces. I sure love that kid!

It's amazing how much joy motherhood brings me. Even though I honestly don't know how in the world I am surviving, I am happier than ever. I've got a loving husband who is trying so hard, and a beautiful goofy little boy to keep me laughing.

JUST SLEEP!!

Tonight I have a lot of emotions.

Bitterness, frustration, anger, fatigue, and even a bit despondent. 

I am having a really hard time not blaming my child's sleep problems on our life circumstances.

If only we had a job and our own place, and money so I could have bought books to prepare more fully for having an infant.

But then again, I didn't even think to buy baby sleep books before he was born. So even if we had had money for them, I probably wouldn't have known to buy and read them.

But since I have been reading them, if we had our own place, I wouldn't have to worry about the temperature of the room, whether my mom would hear my baby cry and judge my parenting choices, and maybe consistency wouldn't be such a struggle for me.

If only my baby didn't have reflux and didn't cry so much when he was so little then I wouldn't have developed such "bad habits" regarding his sleep. I can't control that one, but what if?

If only my husband had a job and our lives were more structured, then having a consistent and predictable schedule would be easier. 

Are sleep associations really that bad? Is it normal for my baby to be waking up every 2-3 hours at this age? 

JUSTICE!

After EIGHT LONG months, we finally got David's wages in the mail!

We are especially grateful to the state of Texas for chasing after David's former boss and strong arming him into paying us the money he owed us. 

David and I are SO GLAD to have this chapter of our lives CLOSED. It has been nothing but a nightmare. Literally. It was a learning experience that I hope we never face again.

The Latest in Our World

Wow, it has been almost a month since I last blogged!

Let's see, what's been going on the last month?

My world has been consumed by motherhood, and as busy (and utterly exhausted) as that makes me, it doesn't seem like there is much to say!

Jackson went to the doctor yesterday for a little cough and congestion that ended up just being allergies, and he weighed in at 17 lb 8 oz!! My chunky little baby! Or as the doctor called it, "healthy." haha

He also rolled over from his tummy to his back-- but he's only done it once! I can't get him to do it again! BUT, he has been practicing rolling from his back to his side, and he loves the freedom that it gives him. I find him ending up in new positions and not in the same place I set him down. He is finding mobility (even in the smallest degree) so fun and exciting!

He loves to suck and chew on his fingers, wrist, or fist while he plays. He loves to put his hands together and hold them. It's so cute :)

Daddy loves to put Jackson on his shoulders, and Jackson loves to use David's ears as handle bars!

He loves to bat at things that hang above him, and he loves to be kissed on his jaw-- it makes him smile and sometimes even giggle!

Jackson loves to use his voice! He is saying "words" like ah-goo, gah, ooohh, gah-gah. And he has figured out how to scream. I've even heard the "m" sound out of him a few times. It's so fun to watch them discover new things!

Jackson has also discovered his feet! He loves to try and grab them, and sometimes he actually gets them!

About a week ago I noticed that he rubs his eyes when he is tired. So cute!

David is so excited to take Jackson fishing at Yellowstone in a couple of weeks, he couldn't resist showing Jackson the fish at the Rainforest Cafe at Grapevine Mills!

Jackson likes to watch youtube videos with his daddy. Mommy isn't crazy about this practice, but sometimes it gives her a break so she can do crazy things like, oh ya know, take a shower or eat a snack because she hasn't eaten anything all day except a bowl of cereal.

Jackson is still not the greatest sleeper, he still wakes up at least 2 times a night. His longest stretch of sleep so far was 6.5 hours, but from 8pm- 2:30am. That was a good night! The early morning hours are still rough. He usually wakes up around 5 or 5:30, and then sleeps for another hour or so and is usually up for the day around 6:30. I usually end up taking him to bed with me just to milk the most sleep out of the morning as possible. Sometimes I get lucky enough to stay in bed until 8.

I have been trying hard to get him on some sort of an eating/sleeping schedule, but it seems like there is always something that gets in the way. Sometimes it's just my sheer exhaustion. I like to think that Jackson is a harder baby than most. It makes me feel better about being so tired and feeling so out of control. It will get easier, I hope.

Parenting Advice?

As I've entered the realm of parenthood, I've realized quickly that the world is SOO ready to give you advice on how to raise your child.

While I was pregnant, I was so consumed in preparing for giving birth, stressing about money/unemployment/moving that I didn't even want to think about what I would do once the baby actually arrived. I had picked up Dr. Sears' "The Baby Book" and thought I had everything I needed. Everything I read in The Baby Book seemed just fine and in line with how I wanted to parent.
No one had mentioned or recommended any other books at all, so I was flying blindly once Jackson actually came!

This is probably because I was very resistant to any mention of the impending sleep deprivation as I perceived these comments as pessimistic. (I still do!) I knew it was likely what my future held, but I didn't want to think about it. No one had offered any tips at all until after I dared to complain to the internet about how tired I was.

After the recommendations started coming, I sent David all over Plano going to the different libraries with a long list of books to pick up for me. I soon realized that EVERYONE has an opinion about parenting, and they range the gamut from extreme attachment parenting, to crying it out and everywhere in between. Everyone has an opinion on co-sleeping, self-soothing, baby wearing, rocking your baby to sleep, demand feeding, parent-directed feeding, scheduled feeding, swings, etc. And these are only BABY ISSUES!

So the confusion began. I really wanted one book to just tell me how to get my baby to sleep better! Where is my book of solutions?! Which book is RIGHT? Which book is WRONG? I wanted a step-by-step, day-by-day, what-to-do-in-this-situation kind of book that had all the answers that pertained to MY child. A book that allowed me to do all the things with my child that I wanted, and avoid all the things that I would never dream of using for my child.

No such book exists. At least not for me!

After at least a month of reading several books, many of which repeated many of the same tactics for getting babies to sleep better, I finally decided that:

1. It is a WONDERFUL idea to read books for educational purposes.
2. I can't follow everyone's advice at once. (As much as I'd like to.)
3. It is MY child, so I will do what I feel MY child needs at this time in their life, and what I'm comfortable with.
4. I will try ideas that appeal to me, and keep what works, and forget what doesn't!
5. If I do all that I can to make my baby comfortable and happy, he will sleep longer stretches when he is ready to! 

Now, lest you think that I've given up and resigned myself to sleepless nights, I haven't! We have come a long way and although I am still very tired and have to drag myself out of bed every morning, things have changed SO much since we brought Jackson home from the hospital.

At about 10 days old, Jackson "woke up" and realized he was hurting! For about two weeks, we tried everything for hours at a time to calm down our SCREAMING baby. I was lucky to get ONE three-hour stretch out of him at night, while he woke every one or two hours the rest of the night. Not to mention that it took him 30+ minutes to eat. I didn't get a lot of sleep. 

Then we discovered that he has reflux AND a milk protein sensitivity. 

He is a totally different baby now. He still fusses and cries on occasion, but he coos and laughs and lays happily looking around. And his cries do not communicate pain. Actually, he doesn't even usually cry to get my attention, he just squawks. If I ignore his squawks long enough, he will get to a full-blown cry. His wailing from pain early on was so hard on me emotionally... It is so hard to see your baby in pain. 

Considering where we came from, I am more than grateful for the nights when Jackson only wakes up 3 times. At least I'm able to get in a couple of full REM cycles in every night, even if I'm waking up in between them.

I went through a phase where I felt like it was my fault that he doesn't sleep well, and that I was doing something wrong because my NEWBORN doesn't sleep longer than 4 hours at a time. He is gradually able to sleep longer, and as he matures it will continue to get better. I am happy, my baby is happy, and that is all that matters!

June 4th: Our First Anniversary!

David and I had a wonderful day together for our first anniversary. For one day, we allowed ourselves to forget our troubles and celebrate our joyous union and to reminisce on the good memories that we've shared together in our first year as a married couple, and how we were brought together.

Honeymooners at Disneyworld

We're pregnant!!

We thought of all our many blessings-- that David was brought to Texas, that we had callings that brought us together, and that we were both humble enough to listen when God was urging us to date. We were so blessed to have the means to have a beautiful wedding, and loving family and friends who helped in every way to make it all that we hoped for. We were blessed that David had a job for the first six months of our marriage, and we were so blessed to be able to start our family right away. We were blessed to have loving parents on both sides of our family that have been so willing to help us through the hard times with unemployment, pregnancy, moving, and finally a new baby.

In our first year, we had nothing, yet we had everything.

We had no money, we had no job, but we had everything that matters. We had our God, we had our love, and we had each other. And thanks to the government and our parents, we had a roof over our head and food to eat!

My mother offered to watch Jackson so that David and I could get out and celebrate for a few hours.

So excited to be going out!

We decided to eat lunch at Rudy's BBQ, which is where we had our very first date two years ago. It was so wonderful to put our worries aside and enjoy a day to celebrate.

Yummy Brisket, Creamed Corn and Beans!

I even wore the same shirt that I wore on our first date!

Then we went to Northpark and to Tiffany & Co. to get my ring cleaned. We looked around and daydreamed about the day when we would be able to buy other things from Tiffany & Co. and not just come to get my ring cleaned. We can only hope that we'll see good enough days in the future for that to become a reality.

When David and I bought the Ring: Nov 5, 2010

After Northpark, we hurried home to our baby because my mom had somewhere to be. We got Jackson to sleep, and David went and picked up some chinese from Little Sichuan, which is where we went on our SECOND first date, and then enjoyed a piece of our wedding cake that we had diligently kept in the freezer for the last year. It was delicious then, and it is delicious now! I only had a small piece since I am working to keep dairy out of my diet for Jackson. It was really good though :-)

Mmm Cumin Beef and Chicken Lo Mein!

Looks pretty good for being a year old!

Our first year of marriage was really tough. We encountered a lot of hardships that I don't care to repeat ever again, let alone all within the same 12 months. We took our anniversary as an opportunity to put the last year behind us and to hope for a better year to come. Nothing about our circumstances has changed-- we are still unemployed with a new baby and living with my parents-- but we are glad to have our first year behind us!! Here's to many more to come, for better or for worse!