Blogging...I blame Polaroid

Well, it looks as if this blogging thing is becoming a dying art form. First the DoDo bird, then chivalry, and now blogging. Revision: chivalry, DoDo bird, then blogging. And in case you're wondering, the DoDo bird was an art form. It's excrement was Jackson Pollock's inspiration.

I can't imagine waiting a month or more for the response to a handwritten letter. Now Twitter will inform me of the mindless wanderings of a third string linebacker on my favorite football team, every 15 seconds, if he's that prolific with his tweets. Seriously, people actually "follow" third string linebackers. Something is fundamentally wrong with this picture. Instead of reading a book a smart person wrote, the masses have turned to the 140 character masterpieces of guys that read on a 5th grade level and chew horse roids like they're sticks of Juicy Fruit. Perhaps, (I was going to use "maybe" here but perhaps just sounds smarter) it's not a coincidence that Twitter's logo is feathered like Farrah Fawcett's bangs.

Back to School

Lately, I've been considering a return to school, a la Rodney Dangerfield, but I don't plan on joining the dive team. It's always been a personal goal of mine to return for an MBA, but for both personal and financial reasons, I haven't felt ready for a return. That is, until recently.

It has been six years since I've graduated from Shepherd. In that span, I have assumed the personal roles of husband, homeowner and father, which are and will always be more important than any job title. Professionally, I have had the good fortune to fall into a career that I enjoy as a procurement officer. This position has given me the opportunity to interact with the gamut of internal staff, from bookkeepers to Superintendents. Also, I've been able to collaborate with every major department within the organization during the procurement process. As a function area of the finance department, procurement consists of two staff members, me, the supervisor and a purchasing specialist. This staffing situation, while sometimes challenging during peak seasons, has further afforded me the opportunity to oversee the procurement of most major purchasing categories. To name a few, office supplies, group health insurance, and financial advisory services. I've also been able to work on the development of a public/private partnership (PPP) that resulted in the construction of an elementary school and am currently working on another PPP for a county-wide transportation facility.

With this experience, I now feel equipped to attend B-school. The program I attend will need to be a part-time program, because of my aforementioned personal roles and the fact that quitting a good job in this economy would be very un-businesslike, in my opinion. I've looked into a few local schools, Shepherd and Shenandoah, along with a few nearby major universities. Of course the smaller, local schools are more affordable, but the larger institutions carry a little more clout and a larger network of both alumni and recruiters.

Which gets me to the question that probably every prospective MBA student has asked, "What is the return on my investment?" Which, I guess, is a great question to ask, and sounds very "MBAish". It is true that the job market in the U.S. is currently in the doldrums and the once very real prospect of stepping out of b-school and into a $100k position is unlikely. But is that the real reason to return to school? Certainly, I'd like to be able to earn a decent wage to support my family and retire comfortably, but I argue that the non-monetary rewards of advancing your education outweigh the monetary. One university that I've researched says their program is geared to prepare principled leaders for the world of practical affairs. And isn't that the point? Don't we need more of those?

Why am I writing this, you might ask? Simply practicing for the analytical writing assessment, which is a part of the GMAT exam. So, if I haven't bored you to death with this post, stay tuned...

It's Scary...

I have recently been paying close attention to my oldest princess. When I look at her and look at Lauren, I can't believe how incredibly fast it goes by! It seems like I was just cradling her in my arms and laying her down in the crib. Now, she dresses herself, buckles herself, and so much more. I know that once you become a parent you are always a parent...until the day you die. In fact, I still rely on my mom for advice and help often. I know they will always need me in one way or another, but in a way I want them to stay little forever. I try and remind myself (even when I want to scream)that these moments are fleeting and I need to cherish every one. I see sooo much of myself in Layla that it's scary. She thinks like me, talks like me, reacts like me, loves like me. It's really put me in check on how I influence her. It's our similarities and more that I hope will bond us forever. I love my babies more than I could ever express. May I never take these blessings for granted...ever.

Ready For Spring

Today we went to the park to fly kites and hunt eggs! Layla was beside herself with joy after filling up her bag. But she was most excited about Grandma Kate flying the kite with her! That's what she raved about all the way home "It was so nice of Grandma Kate to fly kites with me mama." So this is for you the bestest dang Grandma in the whole wide world.

Are Your Kidney's OK??

This was our 3rd annual World Kidney Day and it was great! I posted last year about the community health screen we held at the hospital. Yet another success! Kidney disease is often silent until the latest stages, which is why early detection is soo key. So if you have risk factors get yourselves check out! The National Kidney Foundation is a wealth of information and the site is very user friendly. Maybe I'll see you all next year.

ps the baby's not a faker, she had yet another temp today at daycare 102.1. took her to the pediatrician.... just a virus so I must rescind that last blog entry. although she's had no more fever's again in my presence...hmmmm very interesting

Faker!!

I was at work yesterday when I got the call..."Hi Lane this is Trena, (daycare director)" "Hi Trena is everything OK?" (they never call unless something is wrong) "Well Lauren has a temp that's just about 101 and we wanted to let you know" "Does that mean I need to come get her?" "Well yes it's a licensing regulation for anything above 101." "OK, let me see what I can do." So I was calling the available people I thought might be able to pick her up, but there was no luck. Josh was stuck at work. So I called everybody in my work directory that might come in and relieve me. No luck! I finally found someone to cover and I rushed over to get her. She was sound asleep, and felt only a little warm when I picked her up. They said she had been fussy and I can relate she woke me three times the previous night. They handed me her activity sheet temp was 100.9 so we said goodbye and headed home. On the way home (I grabbed Layla too) Layla was making her crack up! I mean gut-busting laughs. I'm thinkin' this kid isn't acting very sick. We get home, I check the temp. NO FEVER! and she's as content as can be. OK, maybe the fever broke. I check her temp about a hundred times the rest of the day.... NO FEVER! I was feeling frustrated to say the least. I had now just depleted what little paid leave I had earned back from maternity leave and left my BUSY unit for nothing. Oh well, better safe than sorry and if it gave me more time with my precious angel so be it. I ask you though, does this baby look sick?? I didn't think so either.

1st Haircut

My little baby is almost 3 1/2 years 0ld and I have never cut her hair. Beautiful brown curls flow down her back, but get tangled every time I turn around. So, today we went together to the salon cut her hair for the first time. She was a little shy, but looked so adorable sitting there in the chair. She even got a little certificate with a lock of hair to keep. I am beside myself. It seems as though every time I turn around she's getting older. How do we stop time from slipping away? Before you know it she'll be starting kindergarten, then driving and off to college. If you have children cherish every moment, they grow up so fast.

Feelin' Productive!

Lately I have been battling this annoying cold that zapped a good portion of my energy. But, I'm now on the tail end of it and picking up momentum. My husband and I have finally agreed to paint the interior of the house ourselves and it has motivated me to get some other projects done. Today I was feeling particularly ambitious and even added an ab workout to my list of chores. I hope I'm able to keep it up, but if not I'm sure I can always do some crack to pick myself back up.....hahaha, just kidding.

Little White Lies

So the other night, while I was preoccupied with the baby, I noticed it was awfully quite downstairs. I called down to Layla and asked her what she was doing. "I'm looking at the computer." was her reply. However, when I came downstairs I found a barstool strategically placed near the kitchen counter, and a bowel out next to the now 2 remaining powdered donuts. When I called Layla into the room, the evidence was all around her mouth. A white powdered ring of guilt. She smiled at me and said, "what mom?" After questioning the accused, she confessed to the crime. My mom tells me that toddlers/pre-schoolers are good practice for teens. At this rate, I'm going to need a lot of it.

If There Were Only More Hours In The Day

Lately, I've been feeling like I need more time in the day to accomplish what I need to accomplish. Things like, cleaning, cooking, changing diapers, laundry, grocery shopping, etc seem to take up a lot of my time!! Don't get me wrong I'm so grateful for a home to clean, food to cook, diapers to change, laundry to wash, and groceries to put away. But, I also want to lose myself in photography, the novel I'm reading, a long hot bath, an uninterrupted nap. By the time I finish what has to be done, I have no energy to do what I want to get done. I guess these are the blessings and burdens that come with being a wife and mother. And now I hear an angel calling so I must go. Oh well, tomorrow will be a little longer.....sigh.

Poser

So my AWESOME husband bought me what I've been dying for.... a new camera. It's awesome with so may cool bells and whistles it's a little overwhelming. I am spending any free time I have now learning about it and photography! I really want to take a class so that I can establish some sort of baseline to work with. But, for now I'll have to settle for "Digital SLR Cameras For Dummies," the internet, and my owners manual. I guess now I will have to cave in to the kayak request. You have my blessing honey! Here's one of my first shots.

Remember She's Watching

Today was beautiful like 65 degrees in the middle of December! So we decided to spend some much needed time outside. For her 3rd birthday, Layla got a Barbie Jeep. She loves it, but is still learning how to drive it. Anyway, after a frustrating ride down the street, we took it to the back yard. At this age Layla is really starting to do "pretend play." So she informed me that she needed gas and was going to the store (a tree in the yard). I laughed and told her to buckle up and she waved goodbye. She drove a few yards, stopped and got out to pump her gas. Then got back in to head to the store. As she was "parking" I heard her say "Whoa, you're not getting my spot lady!" then she got out and strutted up to "the store." I almost fell out. I guess I need to be more aware of what comes out of my mouth at all times. Dang that Pastor Tim.

I Need A Medic Alert Bracelett

Ok, those of you who know me, know that I'm not always graceful and today was certainly not a graceful day. After feeling good about getting my hair trimmed, I was prancing around Martins picking up a few things for dinner when it happened. As I was strolling down the dairy isle, and as i approached the butter case, my foot slid out in front of me, causing me to fall into the butter and grip the side of the case to avoid going all the way down. Well all the way down I went. Ok, stay calm. There were only 3 other people in the isle and two had their backs turned. However, the one lady, who only saw me out of her peripheral vision, just had to say it "Are you OK?" Yes, I'm OK,-- but I would be even better if you would just pretend you didn't see that. Thankfully that was the last item on my list, so I could hurry out and be done. Be done? Not done falling!! I get home and as I am unloading the baby (in her car seat) I head into the garage only to trip up again. The car seat flies out of my arms, bounces off the lawnmower and lands (safely right side up) on the ground just as I am falling ( in what seems to be slow motion), down hard!!! I have now rolled my right ankle and am rolling around on the garage floor (forgive me Lord) using profanity about the searing pain in my foot. Now all I need is for my neighbors to pull into their driveway and see this action. Fortunately I managed to get up hobble into the house, check the baby ( who's eyes are the size of saucers) and nurse my foot and my pride. I am now done for the day! I should have never made fun of that old lady on TV....

Facebookin'

Well, I must confess that I am addicted. When my sister Kara told me that my mom had a facebook page, I went to check it out. The problem is you can't check it out unless you join. Well that was my mistake. I joined and was almost instantly connected with a ton of friends (some I haven't seen or talked to in years) and became hooked. It's like a form of crack, I check it about 10 times a day to see if anyone's written on my wall, or to see who's online to chat with. I love it!! It's so easy to use and fun too. So for all of you who haven't tried it (KIRSTEN) please check it out. Yes I'm peer pressuring you ....all the cool kids are doing it, you will be so popular if you do.......

Pooptastrophe

You forget how something so small can make something so massive. Today I took Layla to spend her b-day money from Pap Pap in Toys R Us. We get there and the baby's fussy. So the three of us squeeze into one of the child-sized changing rooms so I can nurse her. As I'm sitting there praying no one opens the door and sees my goods hangin' out, it happened. Red-faced and working hard, she rips one (Lauren) and a few seconds later another. Great now I will have to strip off her snuggly and all the layers and change her. I'm trying not to fall over Layla and the car seat on the floor and then I saw it. Poop city. The biggest poo ever. It was all the way through to her snuggly, but fortunately I had a change of clothes. However now how was she going to stay warm. I thought briefly of using a wipe and swiping off as much as possibly and wrapping her back up. (What, it was on the back no one would see) Then I realized that was a bad idea. So I changed her clothes and wrapped her up in the blanket as best I could. I tried to ignore the "I can't believe she doesn't have a coat or hat on that baby" looks but I know they were there. Oh well ya just gotta do what ya just gotta poo, I mean do.

Happy Halloween!!

Last night we had "the Fam" over for our 3rd year of halloween at the Higdon house. It's such a blast eating pizza, handing out candy, trick or treating, and just hanging out. The best part is watching the enthusiasm of the little guys as they race up and down each driveway. Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and making memories is what it's all about. Here are a couple of pics to show how we've grown over the last year.

Daddy's Little Girl

The other night my family and I were in the rec room watching TV when my husband asked Layla to get him a beer. She walked over to the fridge, grabbed him a beer then without being asked, grabbed the opener from the ping-pong table. She walked over to her Daddy, and handed him his treasure. He was beaming with pride. In fact, I think I even saw a tear in his eye. If ever we needed any affirmation that she is in fact, a "freakin' genius" there it was! Layla, you've set the expectation bar so high for your sister.

Our Girls

The much anticipated arrival of our newest addition has finally come. She was born at 10:57pm on Thursday night and was all we'd hoped for. The delivery went pretty smoothly and we avoided a trip to NICU this time. We're all home now recovering nicely. Josh and I are beginning to learn how to manage 2. Layla is my super big helper and loves holding her sister.

If you're wondering where the name Lauren came from, we actually decided on it only just before she arrived....literally. It suits her well though. We are all lovin' life right now and Josh and I can't wait to see how alike or different these two girls will be. For more pics, check out www.grandmakate.smugmug.com.

Really, Really Ready!!

OK, my last post confessed that I am not the model pregnant woman. In fact, there are only a few things about it that I do like, the best is the being over part. Yesterday my mom and sisters hosted a baby shower for me. This is a plus!! There is nothing better than being surrounded by women who know exactly what you're feeling. There also good at making you feel like you're not a whiny cry-baby for being uncomfortable. There also just good company.

Friday night, we had a little excitement. I was at work and a few hours after lunch, I started having contractions. Nothing painful, but frequent enough to make me wonder. After much encouragement from my co-workers, I ended up upstairs to get checked out. I peed in a cup and they put me on the monitor. Then the pain started. I was super uncomfortable and the nurse came back and said you are really dehydrated (apparently this can trigger contractions). So they put in an IV and pumped me full of fluid. I finally went home around 10 and have been in the loving care of my husband since. This experience I claim as bittersweet; too bad this isn't over and we're now lovin' on a new baby, but sweet because, I'm still not ready!! I didn't have a bag packed, the carseat hasn't been washed, and most importantly we still don't have a name. Oh well this is pushing me to get ready faster!!!

Ready To Be Done!!

If you've visited my blog before, you've seen the ticker counting down the days until the arrival of our little one. I've decided that if you check it daily, it becomes really annoying. However, if you go several days without checking it, it's awesome. I have officially reached the miserable part of pregnancy. In the last few weeks, I have become increasingly more uncomfortable each day. Sleep, ha, how do you sleep when you have to change positions about 80 times a night. Or, you have to stop all liquids by about 7 so that you don't have to get up to pee. Or, you can't walk any distance without feeling like the baby is going to fall out. Now don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for the wonderful gift of being able to carry a baby, but I wish Eve hadn't wrecked it for all of us. I also know the end result and how all that misery is forgotten when you look down at that little angel face. As I held my sister's baby for the first time, it all melted away. So I guess I shouldn't complain, but dang it feels good to vent.