A day on the rougher side

We had a rough day around here today. It could have been worse, but still, rough.

It started with Natalie waking up whining a little earlier than I would have liked. She has a welt on her upper inner thigh, right where the edge of her diaper hits. It was bothering her yesterday when she came into from the pool causing us to think it might be from her swim vest and swim diapers. She kept saying either pee or knee for what hurt, and that is what she woke up saying this morning. Usually, I would let her whine a little upon waking up because she often sleeps a little more or starts chattering. But, knowing that it could have been that welt hurting her, I got right up. Turns out she was fine. Pretty much every morning, Natalie doesn't go looking for Mike. But, this morning she did. I felt pretty awful about letting her wake him up at 7 when it was supposed to be his morning to sleep in. (Though when I think of it, I really shouldn't feel so bad since he got to sleep in until 830 the other morning, while I've never made it that late).

So we were both grumpy being up and Natalie couldn't decide on anything to play, but kept asking to watch TV. For a while there, I was letting her watch first thing in the morning, but its really not necessary, so we're trying not to. Then I got a text from one of my neighbors inviting us to a water park after we went to the library. Neither of us knew where it was, so I'm trying to look it up on the computer and Natalie is whining at me for not paying attention to her. It was just one of those things that drive me crazy at times. She is capable of hiccuping herself, and Mike was right there, but she is driving me crazy when I'm trying to do something. What makes it worse is that I'm trying to find out something so that she can do something fun.

So, I stop what I'm doing, and decide what we should just get ready to go outside for a walk. I've gotten us almost all the way ready when Mike brings in the mail. He had opened my letter from the DOE and tells me that my re-certification didn't go through. What had been a grumpy morning gets a lot worse. I had heard about this special ed and gifted student course that people have had to take before, but since the DOE had never contacted me about needing it, I figured my course of the same nature in undergrad counted. Well, I get this letter saying that I need to show that I've taken something that counts as this course. I haven't. The date for my license not to lapse is 8/31. Yup, the day before William is due. That gives me less than two months to take a course, if we can even find one. I'm not only a little upset about not looking into this sooner, but more so worried about what happens if I can't get this done? Will we have to repay the fees for re-certification? Will I have new guidelines, and thus new tests or course requirements, if my license lapses? (both meaning time I don't have in the near future and money I don't want to spend). This type of thing usually upsets me, but with the pregnancy hormones, I get crying and can't stop. Not sobbing, but a consistent crying I can't make go away.

Mike has been outside with Natalie and when he comes in I tell him about it. He decides to take Natalie on the walk instead and I call the DOE. After a little rudeness when I tell the woman I didn't think I had to take this course (she comes back with everyone has to since its a state mandate, and I decide not to get into my reasons), she obviously feels bad for me when I start crying again telling her I'm pregnant and can't take this course before the deadline or in the fall. After a little discussion, she tells me of a course locally that will fulfill the requirement and assures me that if my license lapses, all I have to do is take the course and submit the transcript and the re-certification will be completed. No new fees. No new requirements, whether it takes me 6 months or 2 years. I feel much better. Previous to that, I was considering a workshop that starts Monday and runs all day all week. It would mean asking pretty much everyone we know to help watch Natalie and / or Mike taking the week immediately following his vacation as working from home. Not ideal in anyway - rough for poor Natalie, crappy for Mike to have to ask his boss, and crappy for me to have to do this to everyone else and then drive two hours round trip every day to take a course I have no interest in. I'm so glad that wasn't necessary. Instead, I'm going to try to take the course in the spring. We'll decide then when we see the times and how William is whether I go in person or try on line. There is one offered this fall, but I don't think I'd be able to be away that long so earlier without possibly sabatoaging our breastfeeding, and even then, I don't know when I would find the time or energy to do the course work.

After all that was settled, I was able to calm down and snuggle with Natalie for a little bit as she watched TV. Then we headed out to the library. I decided we'd give the water park a try if we could to give Mike some more time to himself (which I'd hoped he would have gotten if I'd taken her for the walk that morning). While we were at the library, Mike's job was to move the crib into William's room and bring in her kitchen set (gotten at a yard sale and cleaned up this week) and poster I made her. Us staying out longer would give him time to do more than just that. The library went well. Turns out the water park is something put up in a park we already knew. So, my neighbor gathered up her daughter and the nieces and newphews she was watching and we headed out. But after we get there, turns out its not open until 1, and its only 1130. So, the kids play in the park. They are pretty happy with that. Natalie spends most of the time trying to do up the straps on her stroller, though she did go on the swings briefly and down the slide. There are a lot of other kids there and that got in the way of her really enjoying the slide, since they all seem to know each other and have totally taken over the slide, sitting under it and putting their shoes at the top and such. Anyway, we are supposed to go across the street to a hot dog places for lunch, so Natalie and I hang around a little long er for that. But, that place is closed as well! The other moms decide to take their kids out somewhere else for lunch, but I decide that since that place is a drive in and we will be alone in our car and that it is more than half way to our house, that we will just go home. Natalie doesn't mind and falls asleep in the car.

She a bit cranky when we get home. We want her to see her new surprise in her room, but she has just woken up and wants lunch. After lunch, though, she is very happy about her kitchen set in her room and loves her poster. We have to persuade her a bit to take her nap, but she is down by one and doesn't get up until about three. We had thought about going out for ice cream, but by 3 it was a little too late. So, we go for a walk down the block instead. My older neighbors are out at the end of the block, and we talk to them and Natalie sees their dog and flowers. We come back home, and Mike watches TV with her while I get dinner started. I decided to clean out our pantry in preparation for stocking up for William's arrival (we want to get extra food in the house so that weekly shopping isn't a priority in the early chaos).

Among other things going in the trash or being offered to others, 8 cans of really old soda and 6 cans of expired soup go down the drain. I notice a wet spot on the floor, but think I must of spilt something or splashed water. We did have a leak earlier in the week, but I feel the cabinets and it doesn't seem to be leaking out from under the sink. I dry it up with a paper towel as best I can without getting down on hands and knees. Dinner goes smoothly. We tried turnip greens from our farm share and Natalie eats a bunch of cried cranberries we were going to give away. Natalie gets up and goes and plays with her new things in her room. As I start to wash up, I notice that wet spot on the floor again. But, its been a couple hours now and it seems more wet than it should. I tell Mike its worrying me, and we look into the cabinets and find its soaked. We clean everything out and Mike eventually figures out that it is the same basic problem as before, just a little worse. The sprayer hose is leaking. He thinks he can fix it pretty easily, but we are now worried about the wood at the bottom of the cabinet. It looked bad before, but it really looks warped now. Mike says its even leaked into the basement below, but the wood doesn't feel soft at all. While replacing the cabinets will cost a lot of money and be a hassle, at least this will give us a reason to do this at some point.

The night had one final mishap. After dinner, Natalie's diaper is pretty full. We probably should have changed it earlier. But, when she poops, she starts complaining. It winds up rubbing on her welt. So, we start bath early. She doesn't want to sit in the water, just wants hugs from me and to play with the soap. We feel horrible. After bath, she is still upset about it, but calms down eventually when we agree to read Llama Llama Red Pajama over by her new poster so Brobee can hear, too. Then we read a Maisy book and a David Shannon book, which she calls no, no recognizing the style of illustrations from the David books. She asks for another book, but we say no. She then gets up into bed, but is leaning over the side looking at her poster saying good night to all the characters on it. I hear her still saying good night after we leave.

So, we had a few good things today, but I'd say a lot more down moments. Mike has two more days of vacation, and I hope those goes a bit better. Tomorrow will mostly be shopping and laundry. Then Sunday we are hoping to bring her to the zoo in Gray. There was talk of one of Mike's good friends coming to visit, but he is coming in a couple weeks instead. We also need to finalize our other plans for this month, namely when we will see HP7 and when my parents will come visit, because they will happen at the same time so they can babysit here at the house. After the baby shower, we'll have to make getting any items we need for William a priority. Getting him a dresser is also pretty important right now. I'd also like to pretty much finish Natalie's clothes shopping and most her birthday shopping (that we haven't started yet). We are still talking about how much to spend for her birthday and if we are going to get the sand and water table for her to use outside. We know of a big yard sale next weekend, and hope to maybe find a table there or even the dresser, but I don't have high hopes. It seems that these are rare commodities at yard sales and on Craig's list.