Time to Guess!

OK, I'm looking for guesses for my baby pool. The game name is Flipper, in case you need it. The prize is going to be a $10 gift card to somewhere (possibly Kwik Trip). The winner can pick some place as long as I can get to it fairly easily. The deadline to sign up is this Friday, June 19 at 8 p.m. Good luck!

Heading down the home stretch

Well, no baby news to report yet from us, but a couple pictures and an update so here we go.

First picture is from Dana Paul's baby shower. Dana (left) is married to Nate's best friend Ryan. Her due date was two weeks before mine but as you see in the next picture they beat us by quite a bit! The other preggo there is the wife of Nate's other good friend, Terra. She is due in early September.

Dana and Ryan's little boy came a little early on May 20. Hank Brian was 6 pounds, 8 ounces so pretty good size for more than three weeks early.

He's the world's cutest newborn, at least until mine gets here. ;)

I'm doing pretty well, taking my blood pressure meds and trying to eat a little better with the gall bladder thing. Pretty much I'm either nauseous or having heartburn most of the time, but at least the abdominal pains haven't bothered me much. I'm hoping this just goes away after the baby is born. Annoying, yes, but I don't feel like I'm miserable enough to need the thing taken out. My blood pressure had a little episode a few weeks back and went up over the 140/90 mark. I spent a few hours at the OB wing at the hospital. Some rest and TV and it went back down on its own. I think it had a lot to do with not sleeping well the night before (once again, nausea and heartburn did that in...) I've been trying to put more emphasis on getting enough rest since and my BPs have been lower, 120s and 130s over 60s and 70s.

I got checked the first time last week and was pretty surprised to find out I'm starting to dilate. The baby is still very, very high, I haven't been having much for contractions and nothing else is happening in that department so I don't think it will happen anytime in the next week or so. I got checked again today and there was no change, so I got clearance to head to Cumberland this weekend for a wedding, about 2 hours away. Only thing she said was "Don't over do it." It'll be a nice little getaway.

Other than that, not much new to report. Jacob spent a long Memorial Day weekend visiting Grandma Debbie and the gang down south. We finished all the planting on Memorial Day so that's a great feeling. Nate's been cutting hay this week and the chopper is ready to go so that should start tomorrow. The cows are milking pretty well right now, but like always, the better the cows milk the worse the milk price is. That's not going to stop me from doing a little car shopping tomorrow while Nate's truck is getting its oil changed at the dealership. We've completely outgrown the Grand Am and, well, after six years and 167,000 miles, I think it's paid its dues. Plus, we might have a buyer for it but I'm not getting rid of it before I have something else lined up, so better not wait too long.

I'll try to post some more frequent updates since we're into the last month. Most days I'm OK with being pregnant, but on some I just want this thing to be over with!

A look back

Cindy and I were chatting about a woman in the Twin Cities who is going to document her entire pregnancy online AND (and this is the kicker) allow a live web cast of the birth. Don't think I'll be doing that. No video and no cameras pointed in my direction in my delivery room.

But, I will do this again. Here's the most pregnant I was with Jacob, taken a little over 12 hours before his birth. 40 weeks and 5 days. Yes, I was eating baby carrots because I was hungry, they were in the fridge, I knew it might be a while before I got to eat again (it was almost 24 hours) and I figured they wouldn't be all that bad to throw up later if I needed to (I didn't). That's a 8 pound 15.2 ounce baby in there and I don't think I'm anywhere near that big now, so either I'm going to have a smaller baby or I'm really going to explode in the next six weeks.

Monthly post

Since it's the last day of April, I guess it's time for the April summary. Hope I can remember back that far...

Sometime at the end of March I found out one of my best friends, Jen, and her husband Chris are expecting their first in November! I had a feeling that before I was done being pregnant, she would be.

We spent Easter with Nate's family in Eau Claire. Jacob got royally spoiled by the Easter Bunny once again. Thank God he'll have a little brother or sister to split the booty with next year. We still have candy in the house.

I had a wonderful bout with a cold/allergies in mid-April. Missed a little work and felt pretty much like crap for about a week and a half. Nate ended up with it too and Jacob had some sniffles. I'm glad to be past it.

I had three doctor's visits this month, two scheduled and one not. At my early April one I gained too much weight in my opinion (doctor didn't say anything) and my blood pressure creeped up more to 136/81. At the second visit, I did the glucose tolerance test to check for gestational diabetes, and as predicted, I digest sugar like a pro. I also lost two pounds between visits (again, no comment from the doc) and my blood pressure actually fell, a lot. It was 98/62. I asked the nurse if that was right.

Then comes the fun stuff. This past Sunday I started having low back pain and in the afternoon it became a sharp pain in my side. I thought here we go again, since with Jacob I had to spend the night in the hospital for a kidney infection. I wasn't running a temp at all, so I waited to call the doc until Monday morning and they had me come in right away. First I did a screening for a UTI, which came back all normal so no kidney infection. After feeling around my right side and checking my blood pressure which was even higher again at 140/81, my doc said it was probably one of two things. The first was HELLP syndrome, a serious liver condition which would require immediate delivery of the baby. (&*$!@#^&*). It made it more possible because high BP makes pregnant women more likely to get it. All the needed to confirm it was a little blood. The second was a gall bladder disorder which could be diagnosed with an ultrasound and how to treat it would depend on how bad it was, but basically surgery is the only cure for that.

So I did the blood test and worried about having an infant 10 weeks premature in a NICU. About half an hour later, the tests came back that it didn't seem to be HELLP so I was not having a baby that day. I went in for the gall bladder ultrasound Tuesday and got the results this morning. Meanwhile, the pain is now nearly gone and I'm feeling lots better. It turns out I don't have any gall stones, but the test showed the walls were thickened meaning I do have an irritated and inflamed gall bladder. Basically, that means pain control when I need it with hopefully just tylenol and try to cut as much fatty food out of my diet as possible. If it gets worse or I get a stone, then I might have surgery. If it doesn't go away after the baby is born, we'll talk about having it removed.

So that's pretty much all the excitement for the month. In May I'm hoping to do a little traveling and visit some friends before I can't go too far for a while. Plus I'd like to recruit some help to get some plants in the ground and my flower beds looking nice before I get too huge to move. Two months to go!

Ultrasound and more

Nate and I went in for the "big" ultrasound last week Friday. We let the tech know we weren't going to find out the sex right away, so she didn't even take a peek because she didn't want to accidently spill the beans either. Watching an ultrasound is like one of those magic pictures, I think. You are staring at screen really not knowing what you are looking at, then the trained eye starts pointing out what things are and by the end you can actually tell it's a baby and it has 10 fingers, 10 toes, and all the other necessary parts.

Since we're keeping the gender a surprise, there weren't any huge revelations, but we did learn a few things. As of last Friday, the baby weighed about 1 pound, 7 ounces, and the ultrasound measured a due date of June 30 plus or minus 10 days. Since that's a little off from my original July 13th day. My doctor's office called this week and let me know it is officially changing to June 30. I don't particularly enjoy being pregnant (although the outcome is definitely worth the means) so knowing I have two less weeks of it is good! We also found out I have an anterior placenta, meaning the baby is attached in the front. This explains why I haven't felt a ton of movement even with such a big baby already. I am noticing the last day or two that I'm feeling less little pokes and more big movements like Flipper's rolling around in there. Still no painful kicks so I'll take these as long as I can have them!

I also had a regular visit after the ultrasound for weight, labs, BP, etc. Everything is still good, and my blood pressure even went down a little to 130/76. The little brown pills must be working. I'm still not down to normal (my first visit was 116/60) but it's below the 140 danger zone. I asked my doctor what the prognosis for pregnancy-induced hypertension is and she said my BP is likely to go up again later in pregnancy, so they'll be keeping an eye on it more closely as I go along. I also asked if it was possible that it was actually chronic high BP, and she seemed to thing that was pretty unlikely, although she won't know for sure until after the baby is born. Next visit is the first week in April.

Kaitlyn came to visit last weekend and helped me paint the office/baby's room. The office is kind of small and I don't see why Jacob can't share a room, boy or girl, but for the first few months I wanted to have the baby separate so Jacob can sleep. We painted it a pale yet somewhat brighter green. I think the color was called Melon something. We also got paint for the backdoor entry way where Nate comes it. Kaitlyn is home for spring break starting yesterday so she came home to help me finish it. We painted that area a greyish brown called Coffeehouse. It reminds me of a cup of coffee with cream in it.

Kaitlyn took Jacob today to spend the week with Grandma Debbie and Grandpa Jerry. Whenever he goes I always feel a little bad for a few days, then I start to enjoy the quiet house where things stay where I put them. I requested a vacation day next Friday, so I plan to head down there Friday morning to spend the weekend with my family, then come back with Jacob Sunday morning. Who knows if I'll have the time and permission from my doc to drive 3 1/2 hours away later this spring, so I wanted to get at least one visit in.

Time to get something done!

P.S. In the pic, Flipper has his/her hands over their ears. If I had to make a guess, I'd say boy!

An update

Well, I don't really have too much to write about, but it's been two weeks since an update so I better come up with something.

Let's see... NAte spent the weekend ice fishing with the guys Feb. 20-22, so I took the chance for a little getaway with Jacob to Eau Claire to see my college friends, Jen and Cindy, their husbands and Cindy's now two-month old baby, Baby Nathan (they called my guy Baby Jacob for at least two years so I get to do the same now.:) We met for an early dinner, then headed to an arcade place called Action City for some games. Jacob's getting a lot better at them now that we've been there three times, so he had a blast. Baby Nathan has gotten a lot bigger since I saw him six weeks before! He's getting to be a little chunk and growing out of his scrawny newborn-ness. Jacob also gets a kick out of seeing him since we don't really get to see little babies too often. Guess that will change in a few months!

I'm starting to think Jacob will actually make a pretty good big brother, though having to share attention is probably going to be a shock to his system. He seems to understand Mom has a baby in her tummy and will sometimes give my belly kisses. "I'm kissing the baby!" he said. Melts my heart. Flipper is moving around more now, though maybe not as much as I want. I feel little nudges mostly in the very top or bottom, which makes me wonder if I have an anterior placenta because I don't feel anything in the middle. I'll find out Friday at the big (and possibly only) ultrasound. We won't find out if Flipper's a boy or a girl, but I'll be happy to get some pictures and reassurance that he/she is healthy. Since my hypertension diagnosis that's a thought that's been bothering me quite a bit. I also have a regular OB appointment after the ultrasound, so I'm hoping my BP is in the normal range and no protein!! I haven't gained a lot of weight in the last few weeks, may a pound or two, but that's find with me. I wanted to lose a few pounds before getting pregnant, so I'm home to stay closer to the normal 25 pounds instead of the 48 I gained with Jacob.

In other news, Nate did the outhouse race again this year. His team came in 3rd overall out of 15 teams and they took home a trophy (special roll of toilet paper) for 2nd in the under 39 teams. They changed the course a little this year, and Nate wasn't so beat to hell when they got done like last year. I'll post pictures when I have high speed sometime. My pictures just don't load with dial-up!

This and that

Here's a few things since last time.

––Pregnancy is going OK, not great, but OK. I've developed high blood pressure so I just started meds for it this week. I've been having annoying back pain, and I've had to switch to maternity clothes for most things. However, I will be at 20 weeks next Monday, so here's to being halfway!!

––Nate and I took Jacob ice fishing twice. We caught a grand total of two fish. Actually, we didn't catch any because Nate's borther caught one and Nate's mom caught the other. I've got ice fishing out of my system for the year.

--Nate got me a beautiful bouquet of roses of Valentine's Day. He surprised me at work Friday. I was a little ticked though when I accidently found the recipe when doing laundry last weekend. Oh well, it made my month.

That's about all I know today, and I didn't have much time to write but I figured it was time for an update!

The Big News

Well, lots of people know this by now, so might as well make an official announcement: Nate and I are expecting a new addition to our family in July.

Here's the details if you want to know more. We found out around Halloween, but were able to keep it quiet for the most part. My due date is July 13th, also my little brother's birthday, but I told him not to plan on it. I think only about 6 percent of babies are born on their due date. We told our families at Christmas and have been telling other friends and family since. A few found out before, like the group we went to Vegas with. Hard to hide something's up when you're turning down free drinks. There seems to be quite a baby boom this year and lots of people we know are also expecting babies between now and the end of summer.

I've been feeling a lot better lately. For a long time I was queasy all the time, then the puking starting. I was so sensitive to smells, but mold and sour stuff seemed to be the worst. I had a real tough time trying to clean the fridge after we got home from Vegas, and I've been a little reluctant to work on it since so if you come over, don't look there. I had a bit of a cold the weekend after new years, and I hit the magic number of 13 weeks about the same time, so I've been feeling a lot better since then.

Nate and I went for my second appointment last week and got to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I've gained about 5 pounds so far (trying to avoid the 45 pound gain I had with Jacob), and everything looks good so far. The baby was really active that day when the doctor was chasing him (I'm saying he or him instead of it) so Nate's nicknamed him Flipper.

Unlike Jacob, we decided to keep the gender a surprise until he or she is born. Now I have to resist the temptation to ask! I want to know more than Nate does, but I promised I'd let this one be a surprise this time. I've got a few girl names in mind, but I'm stumped on boy names. Oh well, we've got another six months or so to figure it out.

Jacob seems to be taking the news in stride. I think it's more than his three year old brain can handle right now. He does say he wants a little sister. I've been trying to teach him that "Mommy has a baby in her tummy" so he doesn't jump on me when he's goofing around. It's only working so-so. If you ask him what mommy has in her tummy, you'll likely get this answer: "A baby puppy!"

December update

Well, it's almost been a month, so time for another update.

Jacob spent a few hours in school early this month getting his speech re-evaluated. He made 10 months of progress in a six month span, so the good news is he's catching up. The bad news is he's only speech at an age level of 2 years, 10 months, so we're going to be working with him a little more intensely. He'll be visiting with the speech therapist at school once per months to see how he's doing and get new assignments to work on.

One thing that is maturing is his attitude. He thinks he's the boss and is learning how to talk back. It's gotten him sent to bed early on more than one occasion.

Nate and I left December 12 and spent a few days in Las Vegas with Nate's college roommate, his wife Crystal, Scott's brother Joe, and a few of their friends from Michigan State. It was a nice trip and even though I lost a little bit, Nate broke even and probably came out a little ahead when you figure in he was paying tips and bought a few drinks with his winnings. We stayed at the MGM Grand for 3 nights and the Golden Nugget for one. We saw Bill Engvall at TI and went to an adult show at Luxor. Crystal and I were both a little nervous, but it was actually very good. In addition to the boobies, they had a really good singer and a guy that came out for comedy relief between dance numbers. I'd recommend it to anyone over 21. I swear, you don't even notice the dancers are topless after a while. It was cool out there, windy Saturday and it snowed a little Monday. We left before the big snow hit. The only thing I was disappointed with is they didn't have the giant screen on Fremont Street playing and the Christmas tree there wasn't lit because it was raining Monday. Wimps!

We returned to snowplows and a traffic jam on 494 Tuesday night. I had the rest of the week off of work, so I used it to do some Christmas shopping and spend time with Nate and Jacob. It was tough to go back to work on the 22nd!

Christmas isn't over yet for us, but here's what we did so far. We went to the Christmas eve service at Nate's church. The Lutheran school kids did a program for the service, so it was more like going to a Christmas concert than church. It only lasted 45 minutes so I didn't mind. Jacob got a giant treat bag on the way out, so he filled up on goodies on the trip home. Nate's mom, dad and brother came over to our house for Christmas eve and we exchanged gifts. Jacob got a toy Craftsman tool bench and a giant fire truck, among other things. The funniest moment was when he opened up his Bob the Builder underwear from Nate's aunt. He brought it over to me to open, and when I showed them to him, he dropped his pants, undies and all, stripped down and put them on right there. Just a warning for any of you thinking about giving him underwear anytime soon.

On Christmas Day, Jacob awoke to find more presents and that Santa had put together his tool bench. We opened a few more presents, then headed to Nate's parents for their celebration with relatives from both his mom and dad's sides. Jacob and I left there at about 9 p.m. because we had to get home and finish wrapping presents for my family and do laundry before we head south today.

I woke up this morning to a fun combination of drifting snow and freezing mist. Nate called and told me to take the truck today. He didn't think the car would make it out of the driveway. I almost turned around when I was going down 97 and felt like I was either going to get stuck in the middle of the road or go in the ditch, but luckily once I crossed the county line they had plowed it. I would had stayed home today except the news editor is on vacation and we have a short week because of the holidays.

Wish us luck and good roads as we head south today. Merry Christmas!!

Making plans

I'm neglecting this again. Oh well. Nate and I have been busy making plans for a December trip to Las Vegas with a few friends. We picked December because #1, it's a slower time for the farm, and #2, the prices are cheaper.

We're going to leave Dec. 12 and come back Dec. 16. We're spending three nights at the MGM Grand and one at the Golden Nugget downtown. I bought tickets to see Bill Engvall at TI Friday night, but other than that we're looking for ideas of things to do. If you've got a suggestion of a place to see or eat at, let me know!

Other than that, not much going on. Trying to get started with my Christmas shopping. We had house guests last week. Scott and Crystal were here Monday night, and Nate's cousin Chris and her husband Jeff stayed with us Wednesday and Thursday night. 'Tis the season for visitors.

Better get supper in the oven!

Another Halloween come and gone

Not much new to report. My pictures from Halloween are on my work computer so I won't be able to upload any photos right now. If you're on facebook, you can see one on my profile picture. Jacob went as a puppy for Halloween, complete with the barking and panting. We did a little trick-o-treating and I doubled it up with some work assignments. It was a great night for it. Nate was too tired to go out that night and I don't usually get into the dressing up stuff anyway. We had a grand total of three trick-o-treaters, but probably would have had more had we been home before 8 p.m.

The election day was hectic at work. Nate started combining corn this past weekend and has been rushing around trying to get some done before it rained and snowed this weekend. We're also having the Scanlan/Nelson thanksgiving this Saturday, so that is one good thing about the rain: Nate won't be missing much at home.

That's all. Told you it wouldn't be much.

Daggone varmints!

We had a visitor to the corn silage bags a few weeks ago: a northern Wisconsin black bear. Judging by the size of its claw marks and pictures from a neighbor's deer camera, he's probably about 300 pounds. He was definitely going for the corn silage, but luckily the damage wasn't as bad as it could have been. He clawed open a hole about three feet from the end we were feeding out of (stupid bear, why didn't he just dig in the opening? Then he bumbled past a covered pile of haylage and a bag of haylage to rip open the end of another corn silage bag. We will be able to salvage most of the corn silage, but if he had tore into the middle of the bag it would have been a different story.

The DNR came out that day and set up two traps. Basically, they are culverts with a screen and coffee can of bait (cookies and other sweet goodies) one one end. When the bait pail is pulled on the door on the other end drops. Apparently the bear didn't find anything yummy enough to stick around for. He hasn't been back to the bags since, but he has been messing the the neighbor's deer camera on a regular basis. If we catch him, I'll post more pictures.

Sad, I know

Another month has passed before I could get a post in, as Cindy has pointed out to me. I'm not writing a weekly column anymore so that puts a crimp in my blog posts. Now I actually have to write something original.

Let see. I've been working at the Star News now for about a month, give or take. My official title is reporter which is pretty accurate. It's been a bumpier transition that I thought it would be, but that's a whole other conversation. I also help with special sections at both offices, but that's part of my job description, not my title. I got a new camera just like the one I used in Abby, a Canon Rebel XSi, expect this one came with a 70-300mm lens for $50 less than what it sold for a few months ago. I really like it so if you are looking for a decent SLR and a price that's not crazy high, I suggest this one.

We've had a few changes on the home front too. The parlor is DONE!!!!! We milked in it for the first time Sept. 30, a day short of two months past the original completion date. Six weeks behind schedule with the concrete work this spring is what screwed that up. The first week we used it I helped milk cows in the morning, went to work until 5 p.m., then came home and went back into the barn. I was exhausted, and I don't know how anyone can work full-time and dairy farm without going nuts.

So far, everyone seems to really like the parlor. Our best milking time is about 1 hour 20 minutes for about 75 cows right now, which is on track with what it should be. The cows have adapted well and so have the people for the most part. Wish the cows would milk more, but that's more to blame on the 2007 corn crop. There's a few more finishing touches on the way. Rubber mats for the pit floor and teat dip foamers, to name a few. The final price tag came in earlier this week and it was right on budget, so that's good too. Stop in a see it sometime if you get the chance.

Jacob had his three-year old check up a few weeks back. He's still big for his age, but proportionate. He was at the 95th percentile for height for his age and 88 percent for weight. His doctor said he's as tall as the average 4 year old right now. He's decided to be a puppy for Halloween so bought fleece that is white with black spots to make him a costume. I'll post pictures when I get it done.

Other than that, all is well. We're going to a wedding in Ripon this weekend of some college friends. Vicki is one of my sorority sisters and Matt is a fraternity brother of Nate's so it should be a good time. Also coming up in December is a trip to Vegas which we need to finish planning. I definitely need a vacation!

Has it been a month?

Sorry for no putting up any updates. The truth is I haven't been writing a regular column since the new guy started the end of August. I've been busy training him and trying to figure out what all my "new job" entails. So far it has been babysitting the new guy, still doing cops and courts and covering a few meetings, a little bit of sports photos, working on some special sections and covering for vacation.

I had my first day at the SN learning the ropes of their cops and courts. I'll be there Tuesday and Wednesday this week filling a vacation hole.

Speaking of vacation, I did use a few days of my own. Here's my last column on my vacation:

What I did on my summer vacation
When people announce they are “going on vacation,” that can mean many different things, depending on the person. Some people spend their days off catching up on the yard work or chasing after their children. Others go camping and brave the outdoors. Some go on exotic vacations to Mexico, Africa or Canada (OK, “exotic” might be stretching that last one) or to NASCAR races or to watch their favorite college or pro team play. Others visit relatives or old friends. One person in our office spent his vacation at a jazz camp for adult students.

I spent my vacation at the county fair.

For the past several years I have taken vacation to go to the fair. It’s become a tradition now, so I won’t be able to back out at least until my little brother outgrows 4-H in five years. I do usually take just two days of vacation for the whole affair. I don’t think I could handle any more “fun” than that. Anyone who participates in a county fair on the large scale like my family knows it can be a stressful time. There’s cattle to teach to lead, wash and clip before they can go on the trailer. Dairy cattle numbers from our farm have ranged from one or two to a dozen or more throughout the years. This year we had eight entered. Six made it to the fair.

We have cut back on the animal front, though. At one time throughout our 4-H careers at least one of us kids has shown beef steers, market lambs, chickens, geese, turkeys, rabbits, dogs, cats and horses. Over the years I think my parents have gotten smarter. We’ve cut back to just dairy.

But the animals are only half of it. There’s also all the fairhouse projects. As a kid I can remember making quilts, canning chicken, gluing cutout letters to posters, arranging flowers, selecting garden vegetables, tracking down the best bale of hay on the farm, framing photos and art, and others I’ve long forgotten. We’ve cut back on that too. Most of my brother and sister’s projects are limited to summer-long projects: flowers, crops, vegetables, art, photography, etc. It saves on the last-minute poster making rush.

That’s not to say there isn’t a rush. Kaitlyn put the finishing touches on flower arrangements as we hurried to the fair Wednesday morning. Kristopher put his hay samples in the required clear plastic bags as we were loading the truck. Then there’s the cattle. Getting six in tip-top condition is a little easier than a dozen or so, but it can still wear on a person. They sure know how to make a mess in the few hours they have to themselves between midnight and 4 a.m.

But I will go back, year after year, until Kristopher is done with 4-H. Then, I plan to enroll Jacob.

Career as an event planner? I don't think so

Sometimes I wonder what I’d be doing if I hadn’t discovered journalism. I think my sister Kirsten thinks of me as her own personal travel agent. Every time she’s needed to fly home, I’ve been the one scouring the Internet for flight deals to find the cheapest way to bring her home. It’s a challenge and a game to be played with the airlines since the prices are constantly changing. I like to travel and explore new places so I think it would be fun to advise and arrange trips and vacations for travelers. It’s a hobby though, not something I want to make into a career. This past week at a meeting, Gary Leichtman jokingly told me I should have been a police officer. One of my college roommates became a sheriff’s deputy and really enjoys it. Maybe I should have looked into it a little.

I’ve had a few friends from college who at one time wanted to be event planners: conferences, weddings, etc. That’s one area that’s never appealed to me. Too many details to worry about, too many things that can go wrong and too many people involved. This past weekend I got a little taste of what that career would be like in planning Jacob’s third birthday party.

For the kid’s first and second birthdays we just had small family gatherings, usually just for cake, ice cream and a few gifts. After encouragement from a few others and attending a kiddie birthday party earlier this summer, I decided it would be fun to finally host one. Plus, it would give people who haven’t had an excuse to visit yet a chance to see our house.

Events tend to snowball, I think. It starts innocently enough: picking a date, a guest list, designing and mailing invitations, menu planning, etc. It doesn’t take too long to get somewhat out of control. Looking at the calendar, there were only two open weekends that would possibly work in July and August. I crossed off one because Nate’s mom would be on vacation in South Carolina. That left August 9. The first full week of the month tends to be my busiest week because I usually have both a city council and a village board meeting. Throw a referendum meeting in there and that eats up the first three days of the week.

Thursday morning I surveyed the house and wondered what I was thinking. The island was piled full of mail. The lawn was four days past when it should have been mowed. The fridge was piled full of uneaten leftovers. To top it all off, Jacob’s toys were littered about most of the house. I made a list of what needed to be done on what days to make this work by 2 p.m. on Satuday. Somehow, it all came together. Jacob even helped a little (I bribed him with fruit snacks to pick up his toys). My mother-in-law washed windows and my mom helped with the food. By 1 p.m. Saturday, most of it was pulled together and I was finally able to relax as the guests arrived.

Tuesday I visited the friends and family picnic at Continental Manor. As I talked to one of the employees, Becky, we were in awe of how well organized the event was despite having what looked like several hundred people to feed and entertain. I could barely handle 30 guests. No, event planning is not for me. I’ll stick with newspapers.

Jacob's birthday: Part I

**We also did a part for him Saturday. Here's the summary from Aug. 3-4. I'll get something up about this past weekend later.

What do you get a little boy who already has too much stuff for his third birthday? A trip to Lambeau Field of course. A few months back I received a press release announcing the Green Bay Packers Family Night at the stadium. It landed on Aug. 3, the day after Jacob’s birthday, so it seemed like perfect timing for a family getaway.

Last year I started something which I hope to make into a family tradition. Instead of buying Jacob more toys, we took him to a wildlife park near Minocqua as his birthday treat. He was going through an animal-loving phase at the time so he had a blast. This year Jacob’s tastes have moved a little more toward sports and things that go: big trucks, trains, airplanes, etc. dmittedly, he’s more into baseball and watching dad play softball right now, but I’m sure his taste in sports will morph with the seasons.

I had never been to Packers Family Night, but it got excellent reviews from those I talked to about it. First of all, it’s a bargain.Tickets for all seats are $8, parking at the stadium is $5 (or free on the street if you don’t mind the walk) and there’s a picnic lunch where everything from brats to watermelon to ice cream is just $1 each. My original plan was for us to spend an entire weekend, Saturday through Monday, in Green Bay. Due to Curtiss Days for me and second crop for Nate, we cut back to just one night. We left Sunday late morning and headed east. The hotel I booked was on the east side of Green Bay, so we took the scenic route and got a good view of the bay before checking in. Even though our hotel was a little out of the way from the main tourist attraction, I picked it for its pool area. The kiddie pool with giant froggy slide was the perfect place for Jacob. Dad caught a short nap while I attempted to burn some energy off Jacob.

We headed to Lambeau only to be greeted by dark clouds and spectacular flashes of lightning. We headed to a fast food restaurant for supper and shelter, hoping the event wouldn’t be cancelled. It stopped raining so we headed back to the field. Due to the lightning they still couldn’t allow spectators onto the bleachers. We visited the Hall of Fame while people huddled in all corners of the stadium concourse waiting for news. The storm did clear up in time, and it turned out to be a fantastic night. The fireworks at the end, shot off to music from all around the top of the field, were worth the entire trip.

The next day was more swimming, then a visit to the National Railroad Museum. Jacob was in awe the entire time, from his first sight of the giant locomotive, Big Boy, to the ride around the grounds. We could barely peel him away from the glass case of the model trains and the life-size ones left him speechless. We came back Monday afternoon in time to make it to the city council meeting. I shoved two days worth of work into Tuesday, but the trip was worth it. Anyone on a dairy farm knows family vacations are a rarity, but a little getaway can be enough. Now I have to figure out what to do for next year. Judging by Jacob’s excitement over Grandma Bubble’s birthday gift of a “fishing hat,” next year’s trip might have to be to the lake.

Construction blues (7/30 column)

Ka-bang! That was the sound that jolted me awake Monday morning at about quarter after six.
Maybe it was just a car back-firing. We do hear that kind of stuff living on a state highway.
Ka-bang! There it was again. That was no car. It sounded more like a gun shot.
Ka-bang! I looked over at Nate and Jacob, who had crawled into bed with us sometime around 5 a.m. Neither of them had moved from their mouths-wide-open sleeping positions. It would take a nuclear blast to wake those guys up.
After a few more blasts I heard the buzz of a saw and the low mumbles of men’s voices coming from the other side of the driveway. It wasn’t terrorists. It was construction workers.
Our milking parlor project first got underway in late May, but lately it’s stepped into high gear. After a several week delay waiting for the concrete crew to work their way back to our site, the blue Melvin Companies trucks rolled back in and we were in business.
Last week the first lumber hit the site as the walls of the building started going up. Roof joists were placed Friday and Monday, windows have been framed out and the first plastic layer hit the walls Tuesday.
Monday night Jacob and I took a self-guided tour of the progress. When just the concrete was down, I had worried it wouldn’t be big enough. Now with the building taking shape, it’s turning out to be a lot larger than I thought.
Originally we had hoped it would be completed by Aug. 1. With the cool spring and delay in concrete, we’re now shooting for around Sept. 1.
I’m starting to wonder how the cows are going to react. According to people who have put in parlors, we’re going to hate it for the first couple weeks as we try to acclimate the cows to their new settings. Anyone who works around cows know they are creatures of routine. Anything out of place confuses them, whether it’s a strange person in the barn or a slight change in their diet.
Once we get over that hump, I think it’s going to be a great addition to the farm.
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This past weekend we traveled down to my parents’ farm for my sister’s graduation party. My Air Force sister also came up from the St. Louis area to visit, but I think what she really wanted to do was pick up her new car.
Kirsten has been without a car since she left for basic training a year ago the end of August. Now that she’s done with technical school and at a more permanent base, she decided it was time to buy.
My mom did the shopping and found her a 2006 Chevy Impala at a reasonable price. Nate and I took Kirsten Saturday morning to sign the papers and pick up her shiny new black car.
I have to admit I am jealous because I was thinking about buying an Impala myself once my own car bites the dust.
Monday afternoon when I went to leave for work, my car chimed: “Service Engine Soon” displayed in amber on the dash. Time to step up the shopping.
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My dad’s birthday is today, but bad daughter as I sometimes am, I forgot to send a card.
So, instead of a $3 card you get this message printed almost 3,000 times for everyone to read: Happy Birthday Dad!

A rather strange feeling

Well, I've been kind of quiet on this because I'm waiting to see how it all works out. The pieces are falling into place so I should probably get this off my chest.

Within the next few months, I will no longer be working on the Tribune-Phonograph anymore. At least exclusively.

Basically since the former editor left and I took over his job as an interim editor, I've not really been comfortable with my job. Long hours, little appreciation and feeling like I never was doing quite as good as I should be will wear on a person. I asked the GM to post for an editor. It took a couple weeks before we even got a reply and then they were weak.

But, along came the perfect candidate. I helped interview him, which was a rather strange feeling in itself. But, if I were him, I would be glad to hear about the job from the person working in it, rather than what management thinks I do. It seemed more like a sales pitch to me than an interview. Please take my job.

Guess I should be in sales. As of today, a new editor has accepted the job and is coming in tomorrow afternoon to go over some things and look for a place to live.

So, on to the next step. What about me?

That's still to be determined. In the short term, we're going to run a three person outfit so the new guy gets off to a good start. After that, I'll likely be working at the Star News as a reporter filling in for the guy that left there last week until they decide what to do with that job.

After that, I'm not really sure. I have some ideas for a special sections and marketing position, and I think management might see me as a daytime reporter at SN. Mainly, I need to cut back on working evenings as much as possible. It's been a point of contention between Nate and I, and it's not really something I enjoy that much anyway.

My long term goal is to be a stay-at-home mom/help on the farm/putz with photography/freelance writer, but that is quite a ways down the road yet. In the mean time, this is a step in the right direction.

Restricted to corrective lenses (7/23 column)

Last week I was looking through birthday cards for my brother-in-law and came across one that struck me. To paraphrase, it said birthdays are like a slap in the face from Father Time. I’m here to say birthdays aren’t the only wake up call that screams, “Hey, you are getting old!”

Very soon it will be one year since Nate and I moved into our house, but last week I finally got around to updating the address on my driver’s license. This was something I’d actually planned to attempt several times, but either ran out of time that day or just plain forgot. For whatever reason Thursday morning, I remembered it was DMV day in Abby. I took a slightly early lunch in order to tackle the job. Everytime I’ve been to the DMV in the past, whether it was in southern Wisconsin, River Falls or here, I found myself waiting around and spending at least an hour there. It’s not my favorite place to be. For some reason, many of the DMV workers I’ve come across have this way of striking fear into their customers. No matter what you do, like filling out the forms or standing in front of the screen for a picture, you just can’t seem to get it right. I always walk in with the fear I’m going to screw up and they won’t give me my license back.

So Thursday I walked into the DMV with the intention of getting an address change. As it turns out an address change now costs $14 (I think it used to be $4). Since my license also expires next spring, I found out I could just renew it for $34. It was a no-brainer. However, the drawback to renewing my license is I had to take a vision test. No problem. I’d passed it before, right?

I do have glasses, although I wear them so infrequently it sometimes startles people when I put them on. I just don’t really like the feeling of having them on my face. I got my first pair of glasses when I was a sophomore in high school. I was struggling in chemistry and noticed I was having a hard time reading the chalkboard. I took a trip to the optometrist and found out my vision was slightly near-sighted. Enough that glasses could help me see the board but I wouldn’t need them to drive. Unfortunately, it didn’t really help my chemistry grade much either.

When my license came up to renew when I was 19, I passed the DMV vision test again without any trouble. My vision was about 20/40, which is right at what the DMV’s minimum standard is to drive without glasses. Two years ago I went in to get new glasses. I’m not really a “once-a-year” kind of person when it comes to visiting the eye doctor. Normally I avoid it until I break or lose my glasses. The eye doctor then told my vision was closer to 20/50, but that the DMV allowed you to squint so I should still be able to pass their test.

Apparently my vision has gotten worse since then. On Thursday I looked into the DMV’s little machine and froze. It was nothing but blurs. I couldn’t even guess what the letters were. I looked up and told the guy behind the counter, “I think I need to use my glasses.” I put them on and looked again. This time they were almost perfectly clear. I rattled them off with no problems. I took the dreaded picture and got my new license. As he handed it to me, he said, “Now, you know you’re restricted to corrective lenses, right?”

“Yes,” I said, slightly annoyed by both the man looking down at me and the idea that I now must wear my glasses whenever I drive. It might be time for contacts.

OK, I know a lot of people aren't going to agree with this...

Since the end of last season, Packer fans have had one question on their minds: Is Brett coming back or isn’t he? In March we thought we had the answer. A tearful Favre sat in front of the media and declared his career over. We mourned, and we got over it. So did the Packers. But, Favre never filed his official retirement with the NFL. Now, if I’m head coach Mike McCarthy, that right there should have told me something was amiss.

News came out last week that Brett not only wanted to come back, he was also asking to be released from the Packers. Fans understandably felt betrayed by the news. Favre was called a traitor and much worse in some circles of fans. I admit that was my first reaction was well. But digging deeper into the issue brings up a whole other side of the story. Favre appeared Monday and Tuesday nights in a Fox News interview taped Monday afternoon. I caught Monday’s segment but not Tuesday, so my impressions are mainly coming from that part.

The interview was in a simple format. Brett, looking and speaking passionately about the game he loves, pleaded his case. As always he was genuine, wearing his football-shaped heart on his sleeve. According the Favre, he felt pressured into giving an answer in March and gave the best one he could at the time, that he didn’t feel like he could commit to the upcoming season. No one in the world could understand the pressure he was under except Brett Favre. How would you like to be the speculation of every sports broadcaster and bar conversation nationwide? Do you think you might crack under the pressure a little too? Yes, Favre made a mistake, but hasn’t everyone? The game of football isn’t about the mistakes but how you recover from them. Favre is trying to do that.

Favre admits he screwed up, and on June 20 when he called the Packers to confess it, he was told they had moved on. At the same time, Favre says he was told the Packers couldn’t see him playing for anyone else either. I think that’s a cop out on the Packers part for both a contract and a relationship. Favre is still under contract by the Packers, and that goes both ways. The Packers should decide soon to honor it and let him play, to trade him or to release him. They’ve already announced releasing him is not an option. I will fault Favre for one thing: his disdain at the thought of playing back-up to Aaron Rodgers. Because of the position he has put himself in, he should take what he can get at this point if he is serious about playing. While I don’t doubt Aaron Rodgers’ talent, I do have concerns about his resiliency. Rodgers may begin the season as the starting quarterback, but who will finish it is another question. It could be Favre.

Favre is an inspiration to the team, and that quality can’t be overlooked. Starting or benchwarming, Favre is an asset on the field and off. I have a proposition that I think is the most fair way to decide the fate of Favre and the Packers. Bring Favre back, but make him earn the starting spot if he wants it. Make Favre and Rodgers duke it out, and may the best quarterback win.
The people most hurt in all this controversy are the fans. Packer Nation is becoming a divided one: some taking the team’s side and some taking Favre’s side. It’s no way to start a season.