My Poor Baby is Sick!

Hunter has been battling a stuffy nose for over a week, that was until Monday. He suddenly developed a really bad cough, along with congestion and even began to wheeze. So on Tuesday I called the doctor and they told me to bring him up to the office because they wanted to check him out since he is only 4 months old. I was afraid we would go all the way there and then he would be all smiles and not even show a sign of hacking at all. Luckily he laid it all out for the doctor. He coughed non-stop, even thru in some sneezes all while wheezing every time he took a breath. His diagnoses = Bronchiolitis (RSV) AND croup!!!! WTF! Good thing I took him there when I did. So while we were at the doctor's office we gave him a breathing treatment to see if it helped with the wheezing (and it did) and then he was given a steroid shot for his heart and lungs so he doesn't go into respiratory distress...which is scary to think about. We were then sent home with a breathing machine of our own. We are to give him 4 treatments a day and to continue the humidifier and Vicks.

I stayed home with him on Wednesday. And let me tell you, he was really testing my patients. Nothing seemed to soothe him. He seemed most content when he was in his swing. So that is where he stayed and slept most of the day. Whatever works...right? That evening he began to run a fever. Nothing too high, so I have been giving him Tylenol to keep it down. This seems to work.

My mom watched him yesterday as well as today. And this morning he seems to be doing better and in a much better mood. Thank goodness. So hopefully he has turned a corner. It is hard when a baby is that young and sick because they can't tell you what is wrong and you are very limited on what you can do for them (as in medications).

I am off of work on Monday for Presidents day, so hopefully Hunter will be better and could return to daycare come Tuesday!

Shopping Trip Recap!

This past Saturday is when I went to Springfield to go to some used baby clothes stores. Boy am I glad I did! I loaded up on baby clothes. I found so many things that were 12mo-18mo. Everything was practically brand new and dirt cheap. My only complaint is that I couldn’t find any 9 month clothes. Someone must have shown up just before me and bought everything out. Darn it! I ended up buying 38 articles of clothing. Everything from shirts, pants, shorts, hats and shoes and spent around $100 bucks! Not bad at all! Afterwards I couldn’t resist going to Gordman’s. I went to the baby section and quickly decided I wouldn’t be buying anything from them. I couldn’t spend $16 on an outfit when I was just paying $3 at the used stores! I did buy a shirt for me as well as some diffusers.

All is all it was a successful trip, that I will be doing again in a couple of months.

Here We Go Again!

ABB to announce 90 jobs cuts next week.

Monday, February 09, 2009 at 5:29 p.m.

JEFFERSON CITY -- The ABB plant in Jefferson City is laying off more workers. Second-shift employees found out late Monday afternoon that 90 employees will be out of a job in two weeks. ABB management said the individuals affected won't be named until next week. Of the 90 cuts, 75 will be hourly employees and 15 will be salaried positions. Most will get severance pay, along with 90 days of paid health insurance, ABB management told KRCG News.ABB makes electrical distribution transformers used in new construction. The company says orders have been on a steady decrease in last fall. ABB has already laid off 120 workers earlier this year, and will still employ 640 even after the latest cuts.


Luckily, Andy isn't being laid off. But they have spoke of reducing the plant to only 2 shifts. This would more than likely push Andy to working 2nd shift (3:30pm-11:30pm). All that matters is that Andy still has a job, but it sucks that Hunter and I will hardly ever get to see him. It will make those times we are together even more special.

Its Finally Friday!

The weekdays seem to slowly creep by anymore and of course the weekends go by super fast. With the temperature being over 60 degrees today I am eager to get the hell out of here. Crazy thing is, since I have come back from maternity leave they are making me work in Rolla 4 days a week now (like I am today), but because of the shortage of people in Vienna I am still on their Friday night rotations. So I have to leave Rolla early to get back to Vienna to work the drive-up with Tina until 5:30pm. While I think it is ignorant, I look forward to anytime they let me work in Vienna even if that means starting off the day in Rolla first.

As far as I know I don’t have any plans for this evening. Andy wants to go to a gun auction, which I rather him not do because he has enough guns and we could spend the money elsewhere. But he is afraid of what Obama is going to do about gun control. Andy heard that they may increase gun taxes as much as 500%. That is crazy! But I don’t want him going out and stock piling guns he is never going to use. But he is a man and loves his toys!

Saturday I am heading to Springfield. I am really addicted to the used baby shops and they have tons of them down there. Why pay full price for baby clothes or toys when you can buy them practically brand new for pennies on the dollar. I have mapped out all the baby stores I plan on hitting up, and if time allows…Gordman’s here I come!

Sunday I hope to do some scrapbooking. After years of stuff piling up, I finally am excited to get back up and going. I find myself to be a perfectionist which can be very time consuming. But I am learning to design my layouts in advance so all I have to do is practically cut and paste. No more of the…”should it go here or there.”

Anyway, everyone have an excellent weekend!

Hunter's 4 Month Appt

On Monday I took Hunter to his 4 month check up. He weighed in at 16lbs exactly and was 25 inches long. I asked about what we could do to help with his spit-up and she said since he doesn’t do it all the time then it sounds as if he is just a spitter. It is never projectile or anything like that, it is just an annoyance more than anything. She said he should grow out of it within the next few months.

He also got more shots. Boo! He did really good! It was a complete delayed reaction from when they poked him to when he started crying. But as soon as I picked him up he was over it. Then he pretty well slept the rest of the day. The picture to the left is of his battle wounds. You can see the band-aids on each leg.

She did say we could go ahead and start giving him cereal. I have held off doing this for some time even though a lot of parents have told me they started when their kid was just a few weeks old. That just didn’t feel right to me. Every parent is different.

So that evening we fed Hunter his first taste of cereal. He didn’t seem to care for it by the reaction on his face. But as we kept going he began to really enjoy chewing on the spoon.

Hey…whatever works!

I'M BACK!

Or at least I am going to try!!! Wow, I don’t even know where to begin. I haven’t posted anything in four months. And obviously there has been a lot going on. I gave birth to my first child nearly 3 weeks early in September, which was an overwhelming experience in itself. I don’t think there is anything that can prepare you for the emotional roller coaster. Having a child is the most amazing challenge I have ever faced and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Time has flown by so fast. Starting off at 5 lbs 7oz (dipping down to as small as 4 lbs 14 oz), Hunter has flourished and caught up with where he should be…at 16 lbs. The first day we brought him home, I remember holding him thinking, “Wow…I’m a Mom! This little baby is mine and he is dependent on me to survive.” I took off 3 months of work to stay home with him. And I have to say; returning to work was a lot harder than I could have known. It just didn’t seem right to pay someone to watch my child while I went to work, even though the lady is excellent. But after a few tears, I knew in the end, the best interest for him is to spend time with other kids. I want him to be social able. I don’t want him to be a complete mama’s boy!

Hunter has had so many of his “First.” First smile, laugh, rolling over, Halloween, Deer Shack party, Thanksgiving, Christmas, trip across the Missouri border to Nebraska and Iowa, and his first trip to HuHots! Of course there are a lot more, but it is just crazy to see how many things I have already filled-in in his baby book. Before I know it, he is going to be heading to Kindergarten and meeting his first girlfriend who may/or may not become his future wife. Am I jumping too far ahead?

Also, seeing Andy as a father was everything I expected and more. He loves his little boy! His evenings now consist of playing of the floor with Hunter making funny faces and stupid noises in hopes of getting a smile and/or giggle. All up until Hunter is completely beat and then Andy will rock him to sleep. Andy is ready for Hunter to be big enough for him to take him on the farm. But I tell him this will be here soon enough.

All in all becoming a parent is wonderful and breathtaking despite all of the chaos and sacrifices it entails. It is crazy to think that I am no longer just Kelly- Andy’s wife...I am Kelly- Hunter’s mom.

More Pictures of Hunter!

Our Newest Addition!

Our Baby Boy!!

Hunter Theodore Schwartze

Born September 25, 2008

5lbs 7oz 18 inches long

Me and Hunter are still in the hospital but we should be home soon!!

Nursery Pictures!

36 Week Appointment!

Last Wednesday I had another doctor’s appointment. I really enjoyed this appointment, because usually the nurse takes care of ¾ the appointment and then the doctor comes in to finish it off. But on this occasion, the nurse had been on hold on the phone for a long time, so Dr. Lynn came in to perform the whole appointment. His heart rate was good at 134bpm. She measured my stomach and determined me to be 3cm small for my stage of the pregnancy. Which could mean he is not growing, or that the amniotic fluid is low, or just that he has dropped really low. In result, she ordered me another ultrasound. I am anxious to find out how big he is at this point and to get another sneak peak of him. She asked me if I wanted to be checked again and I said yes since I had a busy weekend, I was curious to see if all the dancing I did at Tommy and Alissa’s wedding paid off. And…It did! I am now dilated between 2.5 and 3cm and 70% effaced! Sweet!

Weekend Recap!

Friday: Andy and I headed over to Darryl and Paula’s for a fish fry. We hadn’t been to one of them in awhile, so it was good to get my fix.

Saturday: Andy and I attended our Childbirth Preparation Class offered by the hospital. It was an all day ordeal, but it was very informative and kept our attention. I think Andy learned a lot, which is what I was really wanting. I didn’t want him to go into the delivery room completely blind-sided and I think going to this class really helped.

After being dismissed from class, Andy and I headed to Columbia to go to Sam’s. This was a last attempt a stocking up the pantry before Hunter’s arrival. We spent a ton of money, and I don’t feel like we really got anything. We did get enough bleach, razors, batteries, etc to last us a year. But what we didn’t walk away with a lot of was food. While they had things there that we needed, I didn’t find it necessary to buy a gallon tub of Ranch dressing. Maybe next time! Sam’s is going to be very handy when it comes to diapers, wipes and formula!

After spending practically all of our money, we spent the rest of it at HuHots! It was a bad weekend to be in Columbia because of the football and game (plus it was parent’s weekend). So everywhere was packed. But like always, it was worth the wait at HuHots!

Sunday: I cleaned around the house for most of the day while watching Dr. 90210 off and on. Kelly and Aubrey came by for a visit while Andy and Kevin were out hunting.

Tour of Missouri

On Friday, the Tour of Missouri made its way through our little town of Vienna. I had never seen anything like it, but it turned out to be pretty neat. I avoided the huge crowds in Vienna and made my way out of town closer to my house to get a better view of the cyclist. Here are a few of the pictures I took of the race. If you want more details on the Tour of Missouri, here is a link!

Here is the first group coming through. You may notice all the cars that follow them. They are their sponsers and pit crew!

This is the second group making their way around the corner. There was nearly 100 of them in this group.

This is the second group again.

This rider had to have a tire changed. It was neat to watch!

Prenatal Message!

Last night I cashed in my gift certificate for a one hour message (compliments of Donnie & Shanda for my birthday) at River Stone Therapeutic Message in Vienna. All I can say is…Damn! I walked out of there needing a cigarette! It was wonderful! I have never had a professional message before, so I was pretty nervous on what to expect. But once she got started, I didn’t have a care in the world.

Being pregnant puts a damper on the experience, because you are limited on how you can lay down on the table as well as where she can message because there are parts on the body that if rubbed can actually cause contractions. So we didn’t want that to happen.

My favorite part had to be the hot stones. It was a weird burning sensation without the pain. All in all, it was a wonderful experience that went by way too fast. I plan to go back after the baby is born so I can enjoy the whole experience. I defiantly recommend anyone to go give it a try!

THANK YOU DONNIE & SHANDA!

SPECIAL REPORT!

KRCG IS BACK ON

DISH NETWORK!

35 Week Appointment!

Yesterday I had my 35 week doctor’s appointment. All went well as usual, but I have officially hit the 30lb weight gain! YUCK! While I there they ran the Group B Strep test (this is routine), which I should get the results of those at my next appointment. If I test positive for this, it just means that when I am in labor they will hook me up to an IV to run antibiotics through it, so the baby doesn’t catch anything as he is being born.

She also checked me, and found that he is head down and “very low.” I am also dilated 1.5cm and I am 50% effaced. WOW! I wasn’t expecting that with still a month to go! I will take any progress now, than having to wait for it while I am in labor.

I told Andy all of this when I got home, and I think I officially scared the crap out of him. His has been on me for the last few weeks about getting my bags packed for the hospital, and I have just blown him off. But this new news has just fueled his fire on getting me to start packing.

Here is a more skin-exposed 35 week prego picture!

ABB is at it AGAIN!

Andy has been working at ABB for nearly ten years, but the latest layoffs in the past few months has really got me scared. While the layoffs are chosen in order of seniority, they keep inching closer and closer to Andy losing his job! The next round may be all it takes for us to be living with one income. It has got me so nervous and scared about what our future holds. Not only would the income loss be a problem, but we are reliant on his health insurance.

I pray that the economy will make a turn around for the sake of all the ABB employees and their families. This election year could be a huge deciding factor for many factories around the country.

Here a an article that the New Tribune published about the current layoff at ABB:


ABB Inc. will lay off 75-80 employees at its
Jefferson City facility, effective Sept. 19.

“Overall the company is doing well,” said Human Resource Manager Matt Boyle. “It's just that the items we make at this facility are so dependent on the housing market and it's continuing to struggle.”

He added: “When housing starts decrease, you don't see the small commercial development take place. We're talking about strip malls, restaurants and gas stations being built. The distribution transformers we make are for these type of developments.”

In June, the company laid off 47 workers at the plant, citing a slow economy as the reason for that move.

“The economic conditions haven't improved enough since that time,” said Boyle. “Non-residential construction starts continue to decline. We don't expect things to recover in the near term.

”With this latest move, the Jefferson City plant will go down to a total work force of around 730. At the start of the year, more than 900 people worked at the plant.

Boyle said the company has contacted the Missouri Department of Economic Development' Division of Workforce Development to try and help the workers who will be affected.
“They have a Rapid Response Team who will be holding meetings with the workers to help them in their job searches.

”Under the collective bargaining agreement with the UAW Local 2379 in Jefferson City, which represents the workers at the plant, employees have re-hire rights for five years.

Union officials issued a statement saying, “The union is sorry to see our valued members laid off. We hope the economy will improve soon and all members will be called back to work.”

Boyle has said that the areas ABB is seeing growth in is in the wind power business and large construction sector.

Emotional Roller Coaster!

I have always thought of myself as a semi-emotional person. I always cry at stupid things such as movies, commercials or someone winning a lot of money on Deal or No Deal. What can I say; I have a soft heart that is eager to tear up! I even cry when I get really mad, which completely ruins my ability to win a fight when I am wiping tears and gasping for air as I try to vent.

So I figured being pregnant was going to completely throw me over the edge. But to my surprise, I have been pretty mellow. That was until lately I can’t seem to cope with any bump in the road. Everything has me on edge and ready to cry. I think too much about things, care too much about what people think, and worry too much about not pleasing everyone. These are all juvenile issues that I vow to GET OVER and put my attention to what matters most….My husband and son!

There is light at the end of the tunnel, so maybe these hormones will balance themselves out before I make a complete ass of myself. Which wouldn’t be the first time!
Wink*Wink*

Weekend Recap!

Friday Night: Andy and I went over and raided Kevin and Kelly’s house. We got a lot of play time in with Aubrey. She is so cute and extremely fun to play with at this age. I found myself watching Andy play with her, and it always reminds me of what a great father he is going to be. We ended up watching the movie, What Happens in Vegas. It was really funny and cute. After leaving there, Andy and I headed to Koeltztown to pick up the car that he accidently left there. (Long, boring story that is not worth telling)

Saturday: I asked Kelly to go along with me to a trip to the Lake of the Ozarks. There were some last minute things I needed to buy prior to Hunter being born (aka nursing bras and supplies). And since she is recently experienced in this department, I knew she would be able to help me and answer all of my questions. First of all, nursing supplies is EXPENSIVE! Who knew an additional clasp on a bra or shirt could cause the price to sky rocket! Oh well, the price you have to pay for convenience!

While we were at the Motherhood store, they measured me to get the correct bra size. And while I was aware of my increasing bust, I was unaware of the actual bra size I now was. 36D!!!!!! HOLY SHIT!!!!! That’s right…..”D” as in Damn! I am still shock if you can’t tell! Anyway, I spent a lot of money, but I believe I am prepared to feed my child!

Saturday Night: We went over to Sean’s house for a fish fry. It was good to hang out with him and Paula since we don’t get to see them very much. After stuffing ourselves, we headed over to Kevin and Kelly’s for a card party. The men were downstairs, the women upstairs and the children ran frantic around the whole house. All in all, it was a successful party.

Sunday: I did a lot of chores around the house. Laundry, dishes, organizing…I even cleaned the inside of the Jeep out. I hope this productive “nesting” stage I have got going on continues quite a bit longer, I like coming home to an already clean house! To finish off the day, I cooked a roast with potatoes and onions and a side of corn. I know the meal is good when Andy fills his plate three times! Dinner was a success!

Wee Wee Toppers?????

Squirt Stoppers?

Pee Pee Covers?

Who thinks of this stuff? Someone has actually created a cloth "cone" to place over a little boy's "package" while you are changing them so you don't get rained on during the process. Whatever happened to just throwing a cloth or wipe over it. People actually pay money for this?

I don't even know how I came across these, but they stopped me in my tracks. I found them on one of my new favorite websites, http://www.etsy.com/. It is similiar to E-Bay, but it consist of crafts and homemade items. You should check it out sometime!

Busy Weekend Recap!

Thursday Evening: Andy and I went to the fair for him to pull his tractor. We got it all loaded and took it to the fair grounds for us to find out that he didn’t qualify to pull. Apparently there was a whole list of rules and regulations (that were not listed on the online list) that prevented Andy from pulling. So pretty well all the local people that brought out their tractors to pull “for fun,” weren’t allowed to even try. Oh well, it has just sparked a fire for people to bring back the tractor pull in Argyle. The festivities at the fair ended pretty early because of a huge thunderstorm that came thru at around. 9pm.

Friday Evening: We were out at the fair again. This was the night for the regular truck and tractor pull, and there seemed to be a huge crowd compared to the night before. It was great to see people I haven’t seen in a long time. I always go to the fair to socialize rather than pay attention to the trucks pulling the sled down the track. We didn’t make it home until after 1am and I still had to go to work that next/same morning. This was really late for a fat pregnant lady like myself who depends on her sleep. I am sure it would have ended earlier if there wasn’t a delay on starting the pull because of them repairing the track from the storm the night before. Why they (the fairboard) hadn’t taken care of it during the day was the question that was running thru everyone’s minds as we sat there for a couple hours watching them push the mud around.

Saturday: As I woke up after only a few hours of sleep, I looked down to find that I no longer had ankles. They had swelled to the point of being “cankles!” The late few nights of constant standing had officially caught up with me. I made my way to work where we finished our float for the parade. Have I mentioned the theme was “Git-R-Done” How stupid is that! Way to make Vienna/Maries County sound like a big redneck community. I think they should let the community vote on the theme, because the ones the fairboard had chosen the last couple of years have sucked! We closed the bank an hour early so we could head down town and watch the parade. It was the longest parade we have had in awhile, but it is a major election year so there were a lot of political advertisements.

After the parade, we headed to Andy’s uncle’s house in town for lunch. We all sat around in lawn chairs, stuffed our faces and chatted. Soon thereafter, we went down to my Uncle Larry’s lake house for another dinner. We were so full when we got there, that I just went straight for the dessert. At this point in the day, the swelling in my ankles had spread to my toes to where I was no longer able to bend them. So I told Andy to take me home. As soon as I walked in the door, I plopped on the couch and propped up my feet and took a much needed two hour nap! I woke up feeling refreshed, and while my ankles were still swollen, I was able to freely move my toes! Ah, the pleasures of being pregnant during the summer!!!!

That evening……Surprise……We went back to the fair for the last night. This was when the Demo Derby took place. There is nothing more exciting than watching a bunch of cars smash into each other for fun! The Derby ended pretty early, but we all stuck around for a little while to hang out.

Sunday: We headed down the Osage River. Since the water was really low, we didn’t have a float trip like usual. We all just hung out and ate some BBQ. Andy and I left from the river to go down to Argyle to play some volleyball. Well, Andy played and I was the “line judge.”

Monday (AKA Labor Day): I barely lifted a finger all day. I did some laundry and a few small chores, but other than that I took it easy and enjoyed the day off of work.