37 Week Appointment and Hospital Stay

Tuesday we went in for our normal prenatal appointment and as always, they first get me hooked up to the fetal monitor and take my blood pressure. Now, since becoming pregnant my blood pressure has been on the high side, but I have had every lab test done and even done a 24 hour urine collection and all has come back that I just have maternal hypertension and I'll be fine. Well, my blood pressure was through the roof both times they checked it, so the doctor told me she wanted me to go right to the hospital and be admitted for a 24 hour observation and also do another 24 hour urine collection to rule out the possibility of me having preeclampsia. They kept asking me if I had a headache or blurred vision or felt bad, but I felt fine. I was more worried about baby then myself, but they assured me that he was fine, it was me that they were concerned about, and if there was any health risks to me, they would take the baby right away.

So basically, I sat in the hospital for 24 hours, collecting my pee, just for them to tell me last night around 10pm that everything came back fine and I was free to go home right then and just go to my regular prenatal visit next week. In a way, I know it was best for me to be in there because if there was a problem then things about be done, but I truly felt like I could have been taking my blood pressure at home and peeing in a bucket at home where I would have been comfortable. I guess a lot of it is because since I was already in the hospital, I just wanted John to be able to be delivered, because I am at the point where I am just uncomfortable and ready for him to come out. Plus, when the did an ultrasound on him, he is already at 8 1/2 pounds!!! But they say his lungs may still need to be developed a little more, so once I heard that, I felt better about making sure he stays in here at least another week or so. But more then likely they are going to schedule the c-section for next week.

So now I am home and taking it easy. We are moving this weekend and have so much to do around here, and I keep feeling the need to grab some boxes and just start packing and cleaning, but I am having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions when I do too much, which they said is normal, and plus with my blood pressure I know I have to take it easy and just let Phil handle everything. The best news today though is that my doctor's office just called and they are faxing a note to my work letting them know I missed work yesterday because I was in the hospital, and that I am on restricted activity and will not be able to return to work through the remainder of my pregnancy, so I am officially on maternity leave!! Another thing I don't have to worry about, just as long as we can get through this move and then bring this baby into the world and home where he belongs.

Stubborn Baby

Last Tuesday, at our 36 week prenatal appointment, they checked the baby's fluid and we discovered that John is still in the breech position, his head is up, right above my belly button, and in fact every time he turns his head from side to side (which he does a lot), the whole top of my belly moves. As cute as that is, the doctor gave us about a 5 percent chance that he is going to turn on his own, which means it looks like I am going to end up having a scheduled c-section. To be honest, as much as I would love to have a regular delivery, there has always been something in my head that made me think I was going to end up having the c-section, and I wasn't even upset when the doctor told me this. Disappointed, yes, but not upset, because whatever we need to do to deliver him safely is what I care about, and if it means surgery, then I am for it. So Tuesday we go for his growth ultrasound and we will see what they said then. I doubt very much he is going to turn on his own, because he is still in the same position, and I think he is just comfy there. My main worries and concerns are after the c-section, such as my healing time, which they say will be longer for me because I am unable to walk, and what it will be like for me when I have to transfer from my chair to the car or my bed, and such. But those things are for me to deal with, and I will with no complaints, because it means that my son came into this world safely and is happy and healthy. As a mother, you have to put your needs aside for the well-being of your child, and I would go through this a thousand times over just to be able to have him here with us.

As for everything else, I feel like I am living in chaos as our move is coming up on the 18th and our house is just a mess. Moving is such a pain, trying to pack up everything, and weed through things you haven't used since you first moved in. And I am really no help at all because I can no longer bend over easily, or lift anything, and anything I do just wears me out, so Phil has to be the one who does this whole thing. I try to help out with what I can, but mostly I just supervise. Then, once we get moved next weekend, that place will be a mess, and we have a very short time to get it somewhat organized and get John's room ready before his arrival. Of course, this is not the best time to move when your nine months pregnant and could go into labor at anytime, but our lease is up and we couldn't pass up on the amazing deal with were able to get on a two bedroom, plus John needed his own room. Luckily, my aunt Kelly, uncle Rick, and cousin J are helping Phil with the move, so I don't feel so bad about just sitting back and directing where the boxes go, as that is about all anyone will let me do.

And lastly, it looks like I am going to be taking my maternity leave 2 weeks earlier then I had planned. Work is just getting to be really tough on me, I can't sit in my chair for very long because my back hurts all the time and my feet and ankles get so swollen, and the bigger I get the more tired I am, and trying to work for 8 hours is miserable. So tonight I work a 4 hour shift, and the same with Monday, and then on Tuesday I am having the doctor write me a note saying I am taking my leave now. They have me starting my leave as of my due date, Nov. 5th, but with scheduling a c-section he is more then likely going to be here before that, and I really could just use this time to rest, get his nursery ready at the new place, and have a little Kimbo time before it all becomes John time.

Back up and running!

I finally had the Internet fixed around here, so I am able to be back online again full time, which means more time for blogging!! I just need to get a wireless router now so I can use my laptop here at home again, but I have to send it out to Dell to get fixed because the screen lid decided to break.

Well, October is upon us and this is going to be one busy month around the Fry household. We are going to be moving on the 18th to the other side of our complex to a two-bedroom that we were able to score an amazing deal on, $30 less then what we are paying for now, and it is really a good thing we were able to get the two-bedroom because as we start buying things for the baby, like his travel system (stroller and car seat combo) and people start giving us gifts like lots of clothes and a baby bath, we soon realized that for such a little guy, his things are big and taking up a lot of space. Plus, my mom is throwing me a baby shower that same week, so things are going to be pretty busy. Not to mention that once we move, we have about two weeks before my due date, so my mom said that she will come over and help me get things settled in, so our house is somewhat organized when John comes.

Speaking of John, things are going well, we will be at 35 weeks tomorrow. He is still as active as ever, and at the doctor they have been hooking me up to a fetal monitor to check his heartbeat and the doctor says he seems pretty happy in here. I had to cancel my appointment for yesterday due to Phil and I having a cold (which he is better because he can take some good medicine for it, I am toughing it out with no meds), so we go on Friday and should have another growth ultrasound. I am interested to see how big he is now, he was 4.8 pounds about 3 weeks ago, and I am also hoping he cooperates and lets us get a good 3D picture of his face this time.

So much to do....

I really hate moving. Your whole life has to be packed up, then unpacked at a new place. You have to find a place to put everything and when your working all the time, there just isn't time to do it. We still have a bunch of stuff over at the house to bring over, the majority of our things are here, but our bedroom there still has clothes and boxes that contain everything that goes on our bookshelves in the living room. I have been working most days, and having only one or two days off and like today, I am just so tired and trying to get some energy so I can work the next four days in a row. The actual work isn't stressful, but I can get flare-ups just by doing too much, so when I do have a day to myself I have been trying to take it as easy as possible.

Phil headed over to the house a bit ago to get what he can, but he was injured at work the other night and can't lift anything big. He was unloading a truck and the guy helping him took a box from the bottom of a big pile, and a box of irons fell on Phil, landing on his right thumb and taking it down with it. He ended up going to the doctor his work sent him to, and they said he didn't break the thumb, but he has either broken the ligaments or stretched them really bad. He is wearing a cast right now as he can barely move it and its so swollen and he has an appointment on Thursday with a hand specialist they are sending him to. They will be able to do more tests to see whether the ligaments are torn or broken, and if they are broken he is going to most likely needing surgery. So I might have to find someone who can help us move out anything heavy or bulky in the house because I don't want him injuring his thumb anymore.

I've been having a lot of trouble with my right ankle ever since I had to have my chair go in for repairs. My chair shorted out of me about two weeks ago, and I actually had to call in to work because I didn't trust the chair to run since it would run a bit, then it would just flash its lights at me and would stop moving. I found a place in Gilbert that could not only fix my chair, but also could give me a rental chair, since Medicare covers a month rental of a chair. Well, this chair is very different from mine, the seat is shorter, which makes keeping my feet and butt on the seat hard, and it is putting a lot of strain on my right ankle, which is my bad one. It is locking up on me and causing me so much pain that at times I think it must be broken because I won't be able to move it. It has also been very swollen and something sitting at work for even a few hours has just been unbearable because it hurts so bad, but then I come home and put it up with some heat or ice, take a few Tylenol, and it will start to relax. They said my chair should be ready this week and I can't wait!! Because I am so uncomfortable in this chair, I haven't been able to do anything here, and because this chair doesn't lift up like mine does, I haven't been able to do dishes or really cook well because everything is so high here and I can't reach. Phil has been a sweetheart doing dishes for me and helping out, but I feel so bad complaining all the time about how much my ankle hurts and such. He is so understanding, I just hate sounding like a whiner.

So, as soon as I get my chair back I know I am going to feel a lot better, and with being able to raise the chair up, I'll be able to really get in the kitchen and get things put away and go back to cooking like a normal person. I'll also have the ability to start unpacking more things and getting this place looking like home.

As soon as I get everything settled in around here, I'll take pictures so you can see our new home. I was going to take pictures before we got things moved in, but silly me packed the camera!

Getting settled in

I'm back online! Phil and I finally moved into our new apartment on Sunday, and although we still have things left at the house to bring over, and lots of unpacking and settling in to do, it is nice to be back on our own again.

This apartment is so nice, first off, it is brand new, no one has ever lived in here before. The entire apartment has hardwood floors except for the bedroom, which has Berber carpet. The cabinetry is like a dark sort of cherry wood and there is black granite counter tops and brand new whirlpool appliances and Moen sinks and fixtures. It is so nice, I just love it here, and we plan to stay here for awhile, so it is going to be so nice to get settled in and know we are going anywhere for awhile.

The Walmart job is going well, they have me work my first night shift last night, from 2pm-10pm, which I didn't like because I rather get up in the morning and get work over with and have the night to myself. But I have so many stories from working there, being a greeter is a people watchers dream. I think I am going to have to start blogging some of these great stories..but alas, I must use my day off wisely and try to get settled into our new home.

Hard Workin Girl

I've completed my first full week at Wal-Mart, and I have to say the job really isn't that bad.

Orientation was on the 25th, with just me and two other people who were hired on as cashiers. We watched movies about the company, surprisingly with a lot of references to the fact that union workers try to get Wal-Mart to join a union, and how Wal-Mart is against that. I never realized what a problem they had with people trying to unionize them, but I suppose since the unions are losing money, getting a big company like Wal-Mart in and having every employee pay dues would help a lot. I am glad they are against that though, I don't need some union guy speaking for me over everything.

The next day I came in and spent the entire money on the computer doing computer based learning, such as how to clean up a chemical spill, and other policy stuff. I finished those around lunchtime and after lunch they sent me out on the floor for the first time. They put me with another greeter, a really nice man, who showed me the ropes, and then the next day, I was out there by myself manning the door.

The job really isn't hard at all, and didn't take long to learn. Basically, people come in and you welcome them, people leave and you say goodbye, if someone has a return you scan their item and give them their printed receipt to take to customer service, if someone has items underneath their cart you need to look at their receipt to make sure it is on there, and then make sure the area is clean. I do this for 8 hrs a day, from 7am-4pm. But after this next week my hours will be from 7am-3pm.

The best part of my job is giving out stickers to the little ones. They are so cute and their face lights up when you ask if they would like a sticker. The bad part is that is can get boring, especially in the mornings. They have me at what they call the general merchandise door, because the other door is for the grocery side. That side is always the busiest, my side isn't, but it is a bigger area, and the radio to call for a supervisor or for carts is right at my level because they have another guy in a chair who works nights. It is just easier for me to get around over there, because on the grocery side I would be bumping into people, especially if I need to stop someone to look at their receipt. Also, it gets so cold on my side, with the big fans blowing cool air all day long, so I bring a sweater, but I am just hoping I am not getting a cold, because I feel that way, but it also might be allergies.

I've also made some nice friends there, and the job isn't that stressful for, just more mentally tiring since sitting there saying hello and have a good day gets repetitive. But it is a good job and I am having fun with it, and it is bringing in the extra money we need, so that's great.

We've also decided, due to our schedules and the fact that I won't be getting my first real check from them until the 16th, that we push the move in date for getting into our new apartment for the 19th. This way we have extra time to pack, because things are still all over the place, and it will allows us to have the money we need to get settled in. We were supposed to move this Sunday, which would have meant spending these past two days off packing up all these odds and ends, but now I can just relax since I am still getting used to working.

Well, that's about all the news I have on this front. I definitely deal with some very interesting customers during the day, I might have to blog about some of the people I have seen come through the store.

Working Kimbo

So I've officially started working my new Wal-Mart job, and today is my first day off.

Thursday was orientation, which meant me made up our name badges, filled out paperwork, watched movies all about the company, and even played a game. There was only three of us, two were going to be cashiers, and then me, the people greeter.

The next day I started my new schedule of working 7am-4pm. I figured out though, that by working a 32 hour a week schedule, it would put me over the $940 a month that I have to stay under or else I will lose my benefits with disability. I spoke to my manager about it, and she said she totally understood because she has a few other associates who are also on disability and need they work 30 hours a week, so I will start that after this coming week, so she wouldn't have to change my schedule.

The first part of my Friday was sitting on a computer in the training room, doing computer based learning, where you watch videos and slideshows of different things, like how to clean up chemical spills and such, and you have to take an online skill assessment after each lesson, and pass with an 80% or better. I had 18 to watch, and it took all morning until my lunch. After my lunch, I was finally able to go out on the floor and learn my job, because I had to pass the lessons first.

The job itself it not very hard. There are two doors, grocery side, and general merchandise. The grocery door is the side that is the most busy. Basically, when people walk in, you said hi, or good morning/afternoon/evening, and pass out smilie stickers to the little ones. Also, you have to check customers reciepts when the leave if they have anything under their cart, or have anything is their cart, such as electronics. Also, when someone comes in with a return, you scan the item and it will print out a sticker you place on the item, then direct them to customer service. Plus, you get asked questions about where things are in the store, and other misc. stuff. we also have radios that we can use to contact supervisors and managers if we need assistance with a customer, or need to alert them of something. Yesterday was my first full day on the floor, and it really was quite easy, just getting used to working long days like that again. Plus the job is pretty much unsupervised. They come over to tell us when to take our breaks, because you can't have a door unattended, but other then that the supervisors are busy at the front with the cashiers. I know they check on us, but the job is pretty simple, so it doesn't require much supervisors, which is nice because you can just focus on welcoming customers.

Today is my day off, and then I will also have Thursday and Friday off. Phil also has today off, so we have to spend most of the day packing, since we are moving a week from today into our new apartment, and we really havent' had time to do a whole lot of packing. The good thing is I was able to quit doing the rebate job, since I make so much at Wal-Mart. Doing rebates would push me over the $940 a month to make. And with Wal-Mart I am just about there.

I have a cute picture my mom took of us in our wal-mart dress attire, since Phil works at another store doing instock (which is recieving) and will now be the one in charge of assembling bikes and furntiure. I will have to upload it from my camera, we are a wal-mart family, or at least until he finishes school or something else comes along in his field.

Wish me luck packing!

Been awhile...

Since I last blogged huh?

Life has been so busy around here, mainly with me working on these rebates all the time. I really thought this was going to be a job that could help make some good side money, but I am only making about $66 a week, and when payday comes around, the entire check I get goes directly into the gas tank, which makes me angry. Right now I am processing 330 rebates twice a week, I go in Tuesday and pick up mail, which has to be turned in electronically by midnight on Thursday, then I go back into the office on Friday and pick up more mail, which needs to be turned in electronically by midnight on Sunday. So the reason I haven't been online much is because this really takes up a lot of my time.

So..seeing as this job wasn't making much, I decided to put my resume out there and see if something hit, and I also re-applied for Wal-Mart for the greeter position. Well, Thursday afternoon Wal-Mart called and asked if I was still interested in the position and now I have an interview with them on Tuesday at 9am. This is the job that I have been wanting, because when we move into our new apartment I just need to go across this little street and I am right then in the parking lot, so no need to worry about someone taking me to work. And it will be a part time position, so I can still do the rebate job to help supplement our income.

Speaking of apartments, Phil and I will be moving into our new apartment on Oct. 4th. We thought we were going to have to wait until Nov. 1st before we moved but the lady at the complex called yesterday and said they are now offering more incentives which helps lower our move in cost. So now on top of doing this rebate job and hopefully getting this Wal-Mart job, we have to start packing. Luckily, a lot of our things are still packed up and in the garage, so that will make it a lot easier, since there is a lot of stuff in our room that I believe we can toss or give away since we haven't used them in over a year, such as clothes. This should be our last move for awhile, seeing as this will be our third move in a year. The apartment is really nice, it is one of those new apartments with all sorts of fancy features, like hardwood floors in the kitchen and Berber carpet, and huge soaking tubs. When we first saw the place I was really thinking we wouldn't be able to afford it because it was so nice and I figured the prices would be outrageous, but they really are reasonable. I am excited about us having our own space again, and I know that Brandi dog will love being able to roam free like she used to.

Well, this little Kimbo sure is tired, but I wanted to at least check in with my blog friends and let you I am still here, just been busy.

Happy Labor Day!

I hope you all had a safe and happy Labor Day, and that you were one of the lucky ones to have the day off.

As for me, this weekend was spent moving into our new apartment. Saturday morning, while Phil was out dove hunting, I packed up the rest of the stuff that was out and then spent the rest of the time moving things from out of my room into the living room to make it easier to pick up things and load them in the truck. Once Phil got home I went over to Cindy's and picked up the kids and brought them back and then it was time to load the cars. It was very hot, but the kids worked hard and so did Phil. It is thirty miles from my house to my parents house, one way, and we made about 3 trips, so that was a lot of driving! Around 7pm we finished unloading the truck and stopped to pick up some dinner for the kids before taking them home. We then picked up dinner for us and came home, ate, and fell asleep.

Sunday morning, I was up early, thinking of all the things we needed to get done, and Phil was up early too, so we headed back over to my parents house to take a few more loads of stuff. This time, we didn't have the kids, so Phil was left to move everything from the house or garage, and into the truck. It was another very hot and miserable day, and after the second load, we headed over the grocery store, as we had no food whatsoever, and did some shopping for the week, and headed over to the $.99 store where we were able to pick up a lot of stuff we needed. Its amazing how much good stuff they have in a store like that. We took the truck back to my parents house and talked to them for a bit, then headed home. It was after 10pm when we got back to this side of town, so we picked up some sandwiches and again ate and went to sleep.

This morning, I was up around 8am and decided to get started on some laundry, and putting away all the groceries that we bought the night before. I was able to get everything into the pantry we have and get it organized, and also unpacked our silverware and dishes and ran them through a dishwasher cycle. Then we headed back over to my parents and took two more loads of stuff, plus stopped by his storage to get some of his kitchen things. We got the truck back around 7pm and since neither of us felt like cooking when we got home around 9pm, we had some pizza delivered. Now, we're just sitting here, relaxing. Its been a long ass weekend and we are both wiped out.

My grandma's are coming over tomorrow, they offered to help me unpack and get my kitchen organized, and I am very happy for any help that I can get. So I will be up again early, but this time I don't have to make any long trips back and forth, I can stay here and start getting this place cleaned up. There is just boxes and bags everywhere and seeing as it is just a 720 sq.ft apartment, its pretty crammed in here. But despite the size, it is actually very nice and spacious, and cozy. We really haven't had a chance to sit back and really enjoy our new place, and we haven't even been able to cook a real meal here yet, but its our place, and its so nice to have a home I can call my own.

Moving Day

When Phil came home from work yesterday, we hopped in the car and drove over to the new apartment and signed the lease and got the keys. It felt good, and it felt right that we were going to be living there. I haven't been to the complex since just the first visit, so this time I was able to look around. The whole place, once you drive in, looks like you are in the mountains, very rustic looking, very cute. The apartment is very nice, albeit on the small side, but it is just the two of us. And the whole area around us is residential, so it is very quiet.

When we got home, we ate a quick dinner, and then I decided to tackle the rest of the packing. Mostly everything is packed, but it just seems that everywhere I look, there is crap that needs to go into a box. And no matter how much stuff I put into a box, there seems to be more crap lurking somewhere else. I am at the point now where I am just throwing whatever is out in a box to deal with later, as now it is just odds and ends. My hope was to get it all done last night, but around 10pm Phil looked at me and said get in this bed and let's get some sleep.

So today is the big day, moving day. I'm showered and dressed and it isn't even 7:30am yet, although I have been up since 4am. Today is the first day of dove hunting season, something that Phil waits for all year, and he had to be at his friend's house by 5am, as they were heading down to Casa Grande. Of course, I started thinking about everything that needed to get done this morning, and couldn't go back to sleep. Frankly, I would have much rather he stayed here today and helped me finish the rest of this packing, and then pick up the boys early from Cindy's and start moving so we can avoid doing a lot of this stuff in the heat of the afternoon, seeing as they are forecasting it to be a high of 113 today. With an extra pair of hands, I wouldn't have to scramble around getting everything done. But then, if I didn't let him go today, then I would have to deal with a crabby man all day and since moving is never fun to begin with, I'd rather him be happy with me then pissed off. Plus he's been waiting for this day all year, and he can only hunt until 10am I believe, so he'll be home early enough (hopefully).

My plan this morning is to finish getting everything into the few empty boxes I have left, unplug all the computer equipment, and get a little box together of all the things we will need tonight and tomorrow morning, like our toothbrushes and shampoo and soap. Then I will go pick up the boys and once back here, load up both cars with as many boxes as we can, and head over to the apartment. Once we get back here, hopefully Phil will be home and he can start loading furniture. Phew, just thinking about everything that needs to be done today has me tired.

Speaking of which, I better get a move on. My mom came home from work not too long ago and is taking a nap, so when she gets up I want to be all ready to head out and pick up the boys. I am hoping that I will be able to pick up a WiFi signal at the apartment tonight, so I can at least come online, since we won't have cable until tomorrow afternoon. If I can't though, then I won't be back online until sometime tomorrow afternoon. So wish me luck and next time I blog to you, I'll be blogging from Chandler!

Almost ready to move!

Its been a few days since I last blogged, but I have just been so busy packing and getting ready to move this weekend. Most of my bedroom is now packed up, and yesterday my mom went through her kitchen and gave me a ton of stuff that she hasn't used forever, so she was very happy to give it to me, and I was very willing to take it, seeing as I am starting out with practically nothing. So all the kitchen stuff and dishes got packed up today. Tomorrow I will do a final go through of the house, seeing if I have anything left that I haven't packed, and get a box together for loose odds and ends.

For Saturday I was able to get my friend Cindy's two oldest boys to help Phil with moving furniture and boxes, which will make the day go a lot smoother. We first have to go sign the lease and get the keys. I have the electricity being turned on as of tomorrow, and Sunday afternoon the cable guy is coming to set up the cable, phone, and Internet, meaning unless I can pick up a wireless signal from a neighboring apartment, I won't have Internet until Sunday afternoon. So you know I will be going crazy, and as soon as the cable guy leaves and I get the modem set up, I will be up and running, ready to blog about our moving adventures.

So I am very excited about moving, even though it will be sad. But I found that last week, as sad as I was about leaving, I have come to terms with me and it is going to be such a great change for me, and it really is about time for me to be get out on my own, and for Phil and I to start our life together in our own place. So wish me luck with the move, and I will be back here on Sunday!