Presidential Complaints

Ever since Barrack Obama won the presidential elections I have heard bad thing after bad thing about his hopes and plans for a different kind of administration. The most common of those complaints being centered around his health care reform bid. Tell me what is so horrible about giving the big insurance companies something to compete with? The insurance that my husband gets through his job for our family takes over a quarter of his paycheck every time. If you could find the same coverage for less money wouldn't you take it?

Insurance companies these days actually have people that sit around all day looking over other peoples' insurance policies and claims trying to find a way around covering a claim! Can you believe that!?!?!?! That's their only job.

Now the war in Afghanistan I can't agree with. I don't think we should still be there. And historically we as a country have been all too eager to stick our noses into other peoples' business and never leave. I know that those men and women would all rather be home with their families, but because of their calling they will go where they are "needed" to "protect" this country. I have the utmost respect for the troops that are there or anywhere else in the world. But I think that using them to set up government in other countries is not their job.

Taliban will never stop. It's the kind of extremism that will be passed on, just like racism, it's taught early and the student soon comes to think that it's the only way of thinking. You cannot change minds like that. So much violence has been carried out in the name of whatever higher power, way of living, differing opinions what have you.

But back to the original point of this post. President Obama. Yes he is bringing a new kind of administration that many of us have never seen before. He's shaking things up on Capitol Hill. People don't like to be shaken. Many people have said to me, his changes are not for the better. In my opinion, he can do no worse than Bush did. Yes, he may be trying to change too much too soon and that may scare many Americans, but that doesn't mean that these changes aren't necessary. He's taking a new approach to foreign relations, no longer acting like America is the most powerful and losing the arrogant attitude that has plagued the White House for so long. I for one am very proud to call him my President. He is brave enough to go for the changes that this country needs most. Wise enough to keep council even with those who oppose him politically. A man like that makes a powerful leader.

Holiday Spirit

Thanksgiving is finally over. This is the first year that I did not cook a single thing. In fact my kitchen had almost the entire day off. This never happens. Ever.

Because our families live so close to us there is no way around having to split up each holiday between the two. So we spend half the day with his family and half the day with mine. This is exhausting. I'm not one for the holidays anyway. All the decorations and the scented candle things, and the endless list of stuff you have to do. However we have children, one of which is just starting to get into the whole Santa thing. It's unavoidable. There is just no way around a bouncing three year old full of Christmas cheer......unfortunately.

So, this year we (by we I mean I) will be making cookies for "Santa", putting up an ugly plastic tree, and hanging those super fragile glass ball ornament things. You know the ones, they break at the slightest bounce. Now that would be enough by itself to give me a headache. Our oldest daughter has been making me sing Christmas songs at bedtime. This brought to my attention one thing.

Before I had kids I knew every line to every lullaby and Christmas song I had ever heard. The minute we had our first child my mind went blank. It became encores of "rock-a-bye baby da da duh duh..." Because I couldn't remember the rest of the stupid song! So now I'm online looking for Christmas music because my three year old is telling me "MOM!! That's not how it goes!!" and I'm like, "Well if you know it you sing it you little Christmas Troll."

Which brings me to the last and possibly the most terrifying realization. This year I am 99% sure that my hubby and I will be woken up to sounds of "MAMA, DADDY IT'S CHRISTMAS" at the highest decible possible for three year old vocal cords. At that time I will look over at the digital alarm clock and there glowing bright and evil it will read.......4:00 am. I will then stumble my way to the kitchen half asleep and proceed to make the strongest pot of coffee known to man, grab one of those huge black trash bags and surrender to the curse that is wrapping paper and the tape that manufacturers think is necessary on every single opening point of every single toy. Did I tell you just how much I hate tape? All toys will be opened at our house by 5:00 am and while they play quietly (hey, I'm hoping here) I will consume the pot of coffee and try to be reasonably awake for the rest of the morning. Of course that's the point where we take our day and with a giant holiday butcher's knife proceed to chop the damn thing in half.

Merry Christmas, Holiday, whatever the hell they're calling it now!

Abandoning Plans

I am a planner.

I like knowing what is going on, when things are happening, and how it is all going to go. I like the security of a solid plan.

That said, when you have kids, the only solid plan you will have is that something will go wrong with the plan.

Take gremlin number 2's birthday party today. The plan was that I would be there at noon to help set up and everyone else would be there at two thirty for the party.

What actually happened is that I didn't get there till one thirty. Only a third of the people I invited showed up. My own family was two hours late (through no fault of their own). Gremlin number 2 was sick, and didn't want anything to do with her cake.

All in all, my plan failed. Not that it wasn't a good plan, it was. It was airtight. I just didn't account for temper tantrums. Gremlin number 1 taking fifteen minutes to decide which dress she was going to wear. The time it would take to finish the cake, get everyone ready (in the process forgetting I needed to get ready too!). Not to mention heated discussions with my darling hubby about helping to get everyone ready.

In his defense he wasn't feeling good to begin with. He really is a great guy and an even better father.

So I am abandoning all plans. Done. Whacked. Gone.

Changing Plans

Lance and I found out last month that we were going to have another baby. Three children! My mind is positively overwhelmed at that thought!

We told my mother, she laughed at us. We told Lance's mother, she laughed at us. We told my friend Heather, she laughed at us. I still don't know what's so darn funny about the whole situation. I never expected to be pregnant again. I didn't want to be pregnant again. I don't know how we are going to deal with three children, two of which will still be in diapers. The only thing I can hope for is that Sophie will potty train early.

Lance and I are looking into my enrolling in an EMT course and getting certified before the baby is born. Then during the time that I'm home with the baby I can apply for jobs in Berkeley and Charleston counties as well as with the private ambulance services.

If I got on with Berkeley county EMS then I would be working twenty four hour shifts like Lance does. If we could get on the same shift it would be great. We were thinking we could hire someone to come and sit the little kids while we worked. Eventually getting all our bills paid off and saving for a house. I want to be able to get one with an extra room so that the sitter will have a space of her own because we will need them for at least the next five years. Day and night.

Lance said that he would call around to see when and where the next course is being held and how much it is going to cost us. I figure I'll spend three years as an EMT and then go for my paramedic certification.

None

So much has happened since the Octoberfest. My youngest daughter Sophia had to get tubes put in both of her ears. They may have been the best thing we've ever done. She is doing so much better! I am really looking forward to when she starts walking and talking.

I have really got to get a move on getting the house cleaned. It's been neglected since this weekend which is something I normally do not do, but we have been so busy that there hasn't really been time for it.

Makayala has her first field trip today at head start. They are going to the Berkeley County Library in Moncks Corner. She was very excited this morning! I'm sure she's going to have a great time and come home talking about it!

Ok, so it's around four a.m here at Casa de Wadford. I can't sleep and obviously I'm bored.

I can't stop thinking about something my ass of a brother in law said to my husband the other night. It's common knowledge in our family that for the moment I'm a stay at home mom. So hubby said something about my doing something or another and jackass decided to fuck with him and ask him where I got any money from!! That shit just pissed me the fuck off! Fuck you, you clock punching dick. I've spent years of my life working boring as hell jobs. Sorry dude, life it too fucking short to waste it on boring shit that doesn't bring the smallest bit of satisfaction. Anyway, now that that's out of my system. (Really I feel so much better lol)

My youngest daughter has to go to an ear nose and throat specialist tomorrow (today). Her tonsils have been swollen for two freaking weeks! They have put her on two different antibiotics, neither bringing the desired results. So Monday the doctor starts talking about the possibility of having to have her tonsils taken out. I didn't even know that they could do that in a baby so young. (ten months) So I've got that to deal with later today.

Lance gets off at seven and then he's off for like the next two weeks or something. He's got Friday off from the shop and he's going to be in town helping out with the awesomeness that is our local Octoberfest!! Truly the people of St Stephen are kick ass!! And my in laws (w/ the exception of my brother in law, are awesome)

Had a really great day with M-I-L and Granny, we had a lot baking to do for the festival. We had a pretty good time with the exception that our plans with the marshmallows and the Oreo's did not go too well. Screw it, we tried. We did end up with some pretty great shit though. We are the Bake Masters (lol), I am such a dork.

My sister has been put on bedrest because of pre-eclampsia, my nephew is later this month but the medical people say that they might have to take him next week if she doesn't get any better. The bed rest is going to drive her crazy. I'll probably drop by and see her this week. I can't wait to meet my nephew, the docs keep telling Em that he's growing perfectly, there's nothing wrong with his feet (something Em was really worried about). She's going to name him Charles Sebastian, I'll just call him Charlie!! He's going to be the most beautiful baby boy!! I'm going to spoil him so bad, finally I get to send loud toys and stuff to someone ELSES house!! MuHaHaHa, I'm evil, I know.

Ok, dudes, I've got to wake up the oldest gremlin for school in like two hours and I need some more coffee. Seeing the bottom of my over sized coffee cup is never a good thing.

Motherhood

The joys (and jobs) of motherhood are endless. From diapers to school plays and everything in between. I am mother hen to two small children, both girls. Makayla Ruth Wadford 3, and Sophia Wren Wadford, 11 months. And along with all of the joys come all of the jobs, no one will ever tell you how much they just loved changing their babies' diapers, or how the highlight of their week was when their toddler started throwing up in the middle of the night. Nurse is one of a mother's many subtitles.

These past two weeks it has been my main subtitle. My two beautiful daughters both had ear infections, sinus infections and Sophie had tonsillitis. On top of all of that, she was teething! Running 103.5 fevers (like this afternoon), coughing, and runny noses have been my constant companions. Thankfully with the help of my mother, a cool bath, some baby tylenol, and some witchhazel we were able to bring her fever down. I am on watch tonight to make sure it doesn't go up again. That means I will be nursing the coffee pot all night and probably all day tomorrow. I didn't get any sleep last night either, but I'll be fine. I just want my kids to get well. When they are sick it's awful. They have been on antibiotics and c-phen drops for the last week and a half now. Sophia has to go back to the doctor on Monday so he can check her tonsils and make sure they went back down to their normal size.

Thankfully the girls are sleeping now, I went to check on them a little while ago. Sophie's fever is still down, which I am grateful for. Hopefully they will get a good nights rest and feel better in the morning.