Soap Opera Sunday (SOS)

I have decided, because of the great feedback I received from my last really real reality post, that I will dedicate the last Sunday of every month to all the juicy detailed drama that is my life---And it will be appropriatley called "Soap Opera Sunday" or "SOS" for short. Not to worry, I really hate negativity (yes, that is an oxymoron) and despise complaining so you won't be reading anything of that nature.

First little tidbit, Keith is almost home! JUMP FOR JOY!!!!! It has been a long 7 weeks for us, while he has been in Dallas at a review course for the step. I so admire his determination and ambition. It is a rare trait among people today. He studies so much and never complains about it...(well, hardly ever.) It will be another few weeks before he can schedule to take the exam, but we are anxiously looking forward to that day, so then we can know where we will be living for the next 2 years. Life is not fun in LimboLand, folks. But it will all be worth it in the end!

Next, an update.....Stryder and his quest to start on formula. Since my last post on this matter, I have tried to give him Soy-based formula, which he absolutely hated at first. He would spit and sputter when I tried to feed it to him, even when it was mixed with 3 parts breastmilk and only 1 part Soy. But the good news was that he did not have the reaction that he had with milk-based formula. No wheezing, no rash, no gagging, ect. So over the next few weeks, I have been mixing all of his bottles with part Soy, part breastmilk and he no longer wincing at the taste! He can drink an entire 6 oz bottle without batting an eye. YAY!!!! (This also means I'm on my way to closing my dairy department....those of you who read my last post know that this is a very happy thought for me!)

Moving on, the cutest thing happened the other day...my mom and I had just finished our daily P90X workout and Stryder was on his tummy watching us. He started imitating the push-ups that we do. He can now do push-ups on demand...He's in training to become Mr. Strongman. Here are the videos of his push-up's:

Stryder can now sit up by himself. He is learning how to keep his balance and not fall over when he sits. It is so much fun to see! He is also so so so close to crawling. He will get up on his hands and knees now and rock back and forth. He even moves backward by pushing himself and scooting along. It is only a matter of time before he figures out how to move forward--Then I must baby proof the house!

We also had a little play date with my good friend Katie and her little girl, Eden, who was born just a week before Stryder. She is so cute, with the longest eyelashed I have ever seen!  Katie and I grew up together and actually had the same due date of Easter Sunday, April 12th.  We both delivered early, but she beat me to it!  The babies actually interacted together and it was great to visit with my friend experiencing motherhood just like me.  Maybe someday, they can be boyfriend-girlfriend....Afterall, they were already holding hands! 

Another issue has developed since Styder has started to roll over. He is rolling over all the time now, but that's not the issue. He is doing it in his crib now. As soon as I put him to bed, he rolls over. If he wakes up in the night, he rolls over. In the morning, he rolls over. This is all fine and dandy, except that he buries his little head face down in the mattress when he falls back asleep. So I'll find him face down, then I freak out! To all you mothers out there: Have you experienced this?? What was your solution? I am now up at all hours during the night to check on him and turn him back onto his back after I find him face down in his crib. I don't know how I can get him to turn his head to one side. He also wakes himself up when he rolls over. Like it is a reflex or something. Maybe he does it in his sleep when he's dreaming of rolling over in his little dreamy playland. It is funny I'll see his little head bob up and down and he's just be-boppin around his crib. That is how he is waking me up each morning. I start my day with a smile when I see his little face peak up at me.

As of last week, I now have two per diem jobs. It is so great being a nurse!  I am still doing private contract work for the government giving immunizations at military bases, but I have also started with another company that does health screenings, teaching, and education for employees at professional offices. (Which is great since I love public health and community nursing!) I get an email when there is an event that needs a Registered Nurse, and I just email back when I want to work it. Each event is usually only a few hours in the morning, so my dad watches Stryder during this time. This week I have 3 events that I will be working. The pay is great too; I rack up $30/hour for each event---which helps out when we are rationing our student loans like bread during the Great Depression. (Um, I am not comparing this time in our lives to the Great Depression-it's just a metaphor, people :-)

In other nursing news, I also have been helping my mom with her nursing academics every day. She will be done with her nursing program this December. This is great news!!! We have already done about 4 papers and have a few left to complete. I forgot how challenging, demanding, difficult, and time-consuming nursing school is. She has done so great and is gaining confidence in her abilities as a nurse. I can keep current with medications and stay up on my skills by helping her, too. I plan to tutor her before she takes the NCLEX, so she can learn the test-taking strategies and critical thinking skills needed to pass the exam. My sister, Jenessa, (the newlywed) will also be done with her nursing degree in December. How funny that three of us are nurses now? I would have never guessed that in a million years! But practicality and compassion count for alot when deciding on a field of study and career. NURSES ROCK!

In the way of sports, I attended my first Badger game last Saturday with our neighbor, Annette. I didn't have any Wisconsin Badger clothing, so I got a shirt in the kids section at Wal-Mart. I think Bucky Badger would approve! Big Red ended up creaming Wofford (wherever that is) 44-14.  I even learned the words to the  "On Wisconsin" song.  The stadium was gi-normous, very loud, and saturated with brats 'n' beer.  To cornily quote and sloganize this paragraph: "When you said Wisconsin, you said it all."

Stryder and I also went to the homecoming parade on Friday in our little town here. It was kind of a family affair, as my parents went with us too.  It rained the entire time, so we watch the parade from the comfort of our own car!  Kids of all ages lined main street to watch this parade, which is basically just all the sports teams in the high school and a few other community organizations. Oh, and the marching band of course.  I remember going to this same parade when I was in 4th grade and every grade thereafter (I was in this parade every year in high school.)  The high school colors are orange and black and so I made sure Stryder was decked out and full of Panther Pride, with a paw print on his cheek!

Wrapping it up...I was recently called to serve in the Primary Presidency. I am excited to magnify this calling and work with some great women, too. The kids are so cute and my first task is to learn/remember each of their names. I am still faithfully attending my Institute class on the Book of Revelation, too. It is going well and I quite enjoy the random comments of many of the other pupils.  I am also starting to play the piano again.  It's been a while since I've played but it feels great to do it.  We had to sell the beautiful antique piano (see pic) that Keith bought me when we sold our house (tear, tear), but he has promised me that he will get me a baby grand when the time is right.  My parents have a piano here and I love to practice on it.  Some of my old sheet music is still around, too. It's my goal to learn "Malaguena" in a few months....(this is a difficult piece and will take at least this long to learn).  Oh, and something I'm really looking forward to: Photography Class!  I will start a photography class in a few days, which is taught by the teacher that I had in high school. (Gotta love small towns!)

As always, I thoroughly enjoy any of your comments and feedback!  I hope you liked my "newsy" (new word, courtesy of Jacquelle Roy) post!  Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of Sunday Soap Opera....The life of Keith, Les, and Stryder.