Hello Again...

Well, things finally feel back to normal! I am now working by part time schedule again. I will be working 3 days a week on average. Which is just perfect! I really love my new job! I love the work itself, the patients, my co-workers... So that is going well.

Payton has been on iron for the last month because she has low hemoglobin. She had her blood drawn last week just to check up on it, and she is still low. I brought her in this morning to have more blood drawn. They are doing more tests this time to check it all out better. Poor baby! She actually had to have her blood taken from her arm instead of her finger. She was NOT thrilled! Hopefully this couple more months on iron will do the trick. She has had a cold and cough for a couple of weeks, the doctor says it is a virus. She just can't seem to get rid of this one! The poor kid is up coughing at night. Last night she actually slept the whole night through for the first time in a while. The good this is that she seems to not be too bothered by it in the daytime...

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy!

Well, I now have a new found respect for mom's that work full time! I am only working full time for 2 weeks and I feel that our home is in shambles! I now have a hour lunch (pretty nice for a nurse:)) and I am able to go and visit Payton at daycare. So I really don't feel too guilty on the mom front, but man this past weekend I felt that I had to do SO much to get ready for Christmas. I am working all this week too.

Payton is doing great at daycare. She is actually napping well and eating even better. She popped her 7th tooth this weekend. She as been super crabby with this teething right now. Which is totally new for her! That and we think she may be having a little growth spurt, she is eating us out of house and home! Which is, for all of you out there that have taken care of my daughter, totally new for her too! Usually she could care less about food.

Well, work is going well. I have the cold that Brian and Payton had last week, and we are almost ready for Christmas. My parents are coming out later this week. Should be a fun holiday with our crabby girl:) Happy Holidays to everyone!

I'm back

Made it back without any major incidents on Saturday. Our flight leaving Tokyo was delayed by an hour for a mechanical problem but since I wasn't catching a connecting flight it wasn't a big deal. The 747 I was on must have been the oldest aircraft I have ever been on. I'm sure it is just fine mechanically, but the inside needs some updating. I'm sure its not too cheap to gut the insides of these beasts to make them more modern. The 747 is definitely the mother of all jet airliners. The thing is huge! The new Airbus A380 which is coming out soon is similar in size to the 747 but it has two levels of seating for the whole aircraft. This will allow many more passengers of course. But I think it may be too big....the 747 is the right size for the job. Ford made the Excursion for a few years to compete with the Suburban. The Ford was a bigger hoping that would attract more customers, but they didn't come. The Excursion only lasted a few years. The A380 may suffer the same problem. The 747 does its job very well and a bigger jet may not be able to displace it as the mother of all jetliners.

Anyway, its good to be back. Payton put on her little show for me...walking for me shortly after I got home. Very exciting! Its good to be back on American food and relaxing at home. The next trip will be too soon I'm sure.

Airplanes

12/10/2005 6:00 pm CST

Here I am at 38000 feet again between Singapore and Tokyo. I'm in the exact same seat I was in last week. This flight is quite full so I have someone next to me. That's no big deal because I'm not planning on sleeping anyway. I've got to try and get back on central time.

The flight from Malaysia to Singapore was on a 777 and now I'm on an A330 again. These planes are very similar in size and capacity but there are several difference. The most obvious is the seating configuration. The 777 has 3-3-3 for 9 total across while the A330 has 2-4-2 for 8 across. Not a big deal just one more middle seat on the 777. Here's where the differences are really noticed...the seat comfort. The A330 does not have very comfortable seats. They sit very upright and don't recline as nicely as the 777. The 777 also has better legroom. Now this may be specific to whichever airline you happen to be on, but on Singapore Air, the 777 has much better legroom than on a Northwest A330. I could stretch my legs straight out on the 777 without a problem. I can't do that on the A330...my shins hit the bottom of the seat in front of me. On top of that, the control equipment for the interactive video is under each seat further reducing legroom. I didn't notice where the equipment on the 777 was located, but it wasn't under my seat. I just thought I'd mention this to anyone thinking of buying a jet and starting their own airline.

How did she do that?

Today after Payton's nap I went into her room because I could hear her "talking". She was just laying on her back sucking her thumb. I had some laundry to put away and she seemed to be still waking up so I put her laundry away and she was still laying there. That is weird for her. Usually if I let her wake up more she starts to crawl to the side of the crib and stand up. When I went to get her I noticed that her leg was through the slat of her crib up to her knee and she was just banging away smiling. She wasn't smiling long... I don't know how she got that little leg through there, but I had a hard time getting it out! She was just screaming. I had to pull the entire crib away from the wall and really wiggle and push that sucker through!! She is no worse for wear, but man, that leg was stuck!! Silly girl!

Daddy comes home tomorrow, and I think Payton will be SO happy to have him home! She has only had me to play with:) I know I will be happy!

You know you are SO lucky when...

your husband is on the other side of the globe and you recieve a HUGE bouquet of flowers from him!

Durian

du·ri·an Pronunciation: 'dur-E-&n, -E-"än also 'dyur-
noun
Etymology: Malay
1 : a large oval tasty but foul-smelling fruit with a prickly rind

That's the Merriam-Webster definition...now here's what I think.

The first thing you might notice about the durian "fruit" (and I use the term fruit loosely) is that it looks like a weapon. It probably could be used as a weapon because it is quite hard, but what would do your opponent in is the smell! The thing stinks to high heaven!! Its difficult to describe but someone said it smell like propane...I guess that's close enough. If you can tell from the picture, its made up of pods on the inside. These pull right out without resistance and is the part you eat. There's a thin membrane that hold in the "meat" which I can only describe as having the consistancy of warm sour cream. Once you bite into it it will kinda start to ooze out. I don't particularly care for creamy fruit. The flavor is also quite awful. Again, no real good way to describe it...just plain awful!! Now, your've disobeyed the warning signs: prickly rind, really smelly, weird texture, tastes bad...now one last thing. Once you eat it, you continue to burp it up for quite awhile after, depending on how much you ate. And the burps taste just as bad as when it went down. I only took two bites of this thing and I was burping for about an hour. Some of the Malaysians I was with just kept eating the stuff...they can have it!

New Acheivement...

Payton has had a busy weekend! My parents are here to keep us company and as you read in the couple previous blogs Brian left on Friday morning around 6am. He was not gone even 12 hours and Payton walked on her own! I was so happy to see it, but so sad that Brian missed it! Thank goodness mom and dad were her to share it with me! She took a couple of steps on her own while holding on to a book over her head, I think she though it was my moms hand! Then I ran and got the digital camcorder and got her walking about 3-4 feet. Same thing, with the book up over her head! I told Brian that now I just need to get her potty trained and talking before he gets home! Yeah right! I am not that crazy!

I've arrived!

Finally!!!
I am at my destination of Penang, Malaysia. I'll be here for the next five days visiting our contract manufacturer. I have various things to discuss with them as well as tour the line and hopefully visit some of their suppliers in the area. Since I'm in quality its my job to make sure they're doing things correctly. Fortunately they are very capable and willing to do just about anything we ask.
Here's how the rest of the trip went....
I arrived in Singapore around 12:30am local time. They have a transit hotel right in the terminal so you don't have to go through customs. You don't get your luggage either, but if you packed some clean undies and your toothbrush in your carryon then things will be just fine. The connecting flight diddn't leave until 11:00am so I had some time to take a shower and get some rest. Of course, resting isn't all that easy when your body thinks its 10:00 am! I managed to sleep a couple hours so today I'm not too groggy. The flight ot Penang was only a little over an hour from Singapore. Too bad it couldn't have been all in one day rather than the long layover in Singapore. Penang is hot, humid, and tropical as you might expect being about 5 degrees north of the equator. So far its not altogether unpleasant, but I've only been here a short time and haven't really seen much yet.
One of the guys we're here to see is taking us to dinner tonight, so that should be interesting. I've got a few hours before that happens so I think I'll try to rest a little.

Lots of miles

Its just after 8:00pm central time on Friday 12/2. My first flight left this morning after 10:00am...there were delays. I was supposed to leave at 9:30. Fortunately they held the connection to Tokyo in Portland. I don't imagine there are too many flights availabel if I was to miss it. I am currently at 38881 feet traveling at a ground speed of 536 mph with 2920 miles traveled and 2032 miles to go...about 4 more hours. I know this because this is a fairly new plane (Airbus A330-200) that has an interactive screen on each seat so I can get up to the minute stats on the flight.

The total flight time to Tokyo is somewhere around 10 hours. There's a brief layover then another 7 hours to Singapore...same plane, same seat. The on demand movies have helped pass the time nicely. I watched "Wallace and Gromet: Curse of the Were-Rabbit" and "The Dukes of Hazard". "Dukes" was alright, but a bit off the mark if trying to be like the tv show. I thoroughly enjoyed "Were-Rabbit" and would recommend it to people of all ages. It was a very clever movie with some great animation. The meal on the plane was quite good...chicken with redskin potatoes and green beans. It also came with shrimp cocktail, chocolate cake, and wine. They also came by with ice cream sandwiches not too long ago. The treatment isn't too bad on these international flights.
The flight isn't all that full so I dont' have anybody sitting next to me. I can get more comfortable by resting against the window and stretching across the seat next to me. I think I'm going to try and get some rest now so that I'm not a total zombie when I finally get to Malaysia. They are 14 hours ahead so it might be a difficult adjustment.

New Job!

I was officially offered the position that I recently interviewed for yesterday! Although the pay isn't as nice as the hospital, the clinic hours are unbeatable!!! They are open 8-5 Monday through Friday. I will be working in infusion therapy 5 days every 2 weeks. Payton's daycare has room for her so she will be happy to stay put! I start in December 12. The first couple of weeks I will be full time just to get all the general oreintation over with. Unfortunately I had to quit my ER job. I felt good about taking the new job (Brian and I talked about it a lot because Payton will be in daycare more and I will be making less money per hour) but I really had a great manager at the hospital and I hated to let her down! She was understanding and knew that I needed to do what is best for my family! So we won't have any more scheduling conflicts over weekends when Brian is out of town! I am really looking forward to starting!

My parents are coming down this weekend to stay with Payton and I. They initially were going to babysit for us, but since I quit yesterday(I didn't have to give them 2 weeks because officially I was still orienting) I don't have to work this weekend! They are coming anyway because I am going to be lonely! Brian leaves for Malaysia for work on Friday and he will be gone about 9 days! Jeannine I am still counting on our slumber party:) It will be an interesting trip, and I am sure Brian will Blog all about it!

We have our Christmas tree up and all our decorations! I love this time of year! Minnesota is cold, but we don't get too much snow!

When it rains, it pours...

I received a call from Payton's Pediatrician today. Her hemoglobin is a little low, 10.2. 12 is the lowest they really like it to be. So of course Payton will be having to take iron drops twice a day for 3 MONTHS! She will be having her blood drawn again in a month to see how she is doing. Looks like she is going to take after her mother (I have iron defiency anemia). Poor thing!

Here We Go Again...

I took Payton for her 1 year well baby appointment today. Turns out her right ear has an infection. Not sure if it is new, or if the infection last month never completly went away. She has been fussy at night lately which isn't like her, but other than that she seems to be fine. So I guess it was a good thing she had her appointment today. She is starting Augmentin today. Hopefully this will kick it! She grew an inch since September! She is 29 1/2 inches long which is 60% for height. She is 22 pounds and 2 ounces, which is 70% for weight. She had a couple of shots, screamed her head off, had some blood taken, screamed some more, and had some wax removed from her right ear so her doctor could see better and of course... more screaming. So all in all it was a tough morning for the little sweetie! And the best part of the morning was when her doctor told us NO MORE FORMULA NEEDED!!! I am thrilled! She has been getting mostly whole milk, but to have her doctor say that was great for me anyway! The sippy cup bottle thing is still a struggle, but we are going to do some tough love with that one! By the time she goes for her 15 month appointment there will be no more bottles!

Oh, I bought Payton her very own toothbrush today! I am sure she will be so happy to use it! Ha Ha!

We are one our way to Negaunee for Thanksgiving for the first time in 8 years on Wednesday. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Gas

Gas is now $1.99....whoo hoo, what a bargain!!!

Daddy's Weekend!

This weekend is my first Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening shifts to work! Brian is going to be spending a lot of quality time with Payton:) I have not worked evenings since she has been born so it should be interesting. Unfortunately for Daddy she is in her best moods during the day! She of course has a stuffy nose constantly these days, love daycare!! So she has been waking up a few times each night when she wants to suck her thumb and she is so stuffy it is tough to do! Poor thing! Thank goodness she seems to only want to suck her thumb at night!

Oh, the interview went well. Hopefully I will hear something soon. It is a great job, but who knows what they think about my qualifications. They were totally not giving any indications last night! But fortunately I do have a job now that I am constantly learning new things and I will hopefully only become more comfortable there. And you can't beat the daycare thing, only 1 1/2 days every 2 weeks. We'll see what happens with this new job though. It would be fantastic...

First Step?

This was taken as Payton was standing playing with us. Just as I shot it she took a step with her left foot. Brian says she was just "making an adjustment" while standing. But lets give the baby some credit:)
Here is another photo of the sweetie. Her hair is getting long as you can see!

New Job?

As you all know I have recently started working at a local Emergency Room. I have been there about 5 weeks or so. I have been seeing a doing a lot of new things, which is really good, but I am really not that happy. A couple of weeks ago I had a patient situation that was VERY difficult and I wanted to quit! I have been having a hard time with certain aspects of the job (I won't go into the details) and I am beginning to question if I can really do it. The great thing is that they are paying for me to get certain certifications that are very useful, and it is AWESOME experience. And it may be SO easy to ease into a Per Diem job. So much to think about, that and I don't have any other offers on the table.

Then... last Friday I got a call from the Owatonna Clinic (they had called me when I first started looking for a job, but they wanted a nursing supervisor full time. NOT FOR ME!). I had a phone interview about 6 weeks ago just in case something came up that they thought I may be a good fit for. Well, they now have 2 openings for RNs in their infusion therapy department! They are only open 8-5 Monday through Friday with no weekends or holidays! They do outpatient chemo and IV therapies. HELLO, HIRE ME! I love that stuff! I have an official interview tomorrow. I could work 2-3 days a week and be home every night, every weekend and every holiday. Payton is already in a great daycare so that isn't even an issue. I hope I don't screw it up! Wish me luck...

Oh, Payton is doing great. She is still fighting the sippy cup though... Any ideas moms out there?

You know you're a daddy when....

...your 12 month old daughter is eating a cracker and you think its the cutest thing ever!

Payton's First Birthday!

We had Payton's first birthday party over the weekend! She got SO many wonderful gifts. Thank you all!!! We had 15 sleeping in our house! And we all fit nicely. Thank goodness our basement was done in time. Payton enjoyed her first taste of cake. We stripped her to her diaper! You know me, has to be the easiest way to get her clean again! And you all know that I would never risk an outfit:) She was SO cute! She is walking behind her little push toy like crazy now. She also got a learning "house" from us that she seems to love. A lot of new fun stuff! Thanks again everyone. I will be sending you all the Snapfish album as soon as I can get my act together and get it done!

Almost Done

The basement is really starting to take shape. A lot of work has gone into it this week and its just about finished. The walls were painted, the trim, carpet and doors installed. All of the lights are now in which really makes a difference. I think the lighting in the family room really turned out well. We have a total of 10 recessed cans on 3 separate circuits. I'll eventually add dimmer switches for more "ambiance". The bathroom won't be quite finished for the weekend, but at least the shower works...no toilet though. We'll have plenty of room for all the guests in town for Payton's birthday party. Some will be sleeping on the floor (airmattress), but at least there's new carpeting.