The "Anti-touch"

Some days you're on, others your off. Usually I have the ability to do anything. Former co workers have even said I have "the touch". When ever I worked on something that someone else couldn't get to work, it works for me. Fatherhood has been no exception..... Until today. 

No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, Trey and I aren't clicking. We all went out today, and sure enough in Target, Trey gets fussy. I pick him up to try to calm him, but he only gets louder. So wifey says, "give him to me."  Within two minutes he calms down. And now, no more than five minutes ago, he was fussy again. After a while I pick him up to calm him and he screams bloody murder. So wifey took him again. He's a quiet as a mouse now. 

Guess he's in a mommy mood. 

Zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sleep is a rare commodity in my house right now. With nursing and pumping it takes about 90 minutes to feed Trey. And then before you know it, BOOM!!! Time to feed him again. At least wifey is tryin to sleep when the baby sleeps. Hopefully it gets better sooner rather than later. And thank goodness for family. Wifeys sister is kind enough to let her and the baby stay there while I'm at school.

Yup, school. I'm tired. But I can't do like I did in high school and lay my head down. Back then there were 30 kids in the classroom and I could hide. Today, only three students. Maybe I should get a camel pack and fill it with coffee. :)

Baby!!

Ok, so I am a day late on posting this, but I have an excuse. I've only slept 2-3 hours in the last 40 hours. Wifey gave birth on 11-7-13, 8:10 pm. 6lbs 12oz. Michael Patrick Lamm III. He is beautiful. And he bonded with me quickly. Whenever I pick him up he calms down. Hope he doesn't get spoiled. But even through all this, I was able to get through my first chapter in my Windows Server class. Talk about a dull dry read. 

Just a quickie post tonite. See ya soon!!

The carpet between my toes feels so good!

I've been living in my house for over 10 years and we finally decided to get carpet. See, when we moved in the carpet was so nasty it wasn't worth saving so we pulled it up and lived with hardwood floors ever since. But now that the baby is almost here I thought it would be a good idea to get some sort of padding. And it feels soooooooooo good. Its been too long since I was able to go barefoot comfortably. Plus I won't freeze my feet off this winter in the morning!! Winning!!!

Speaking of baby, hes almost here. But tomorrow is going to be difficult. Go to school until 2, rush home, get to the doctor by 3, admit wifey by 4, rush home to eat dinner and change, work by 6, then after work shower and finally rush BACK to the hospital to stay the night. And to top it all off, the medication they are going to give her can put her into labor anywhere from 15 minutes to 24 hours. So I may have to drop everything as soon as I get back to town to go right back to the hospital. DAMN!! Pray for my sanity!! But at least she and the baby are all I have to worry about now. I aced my final for Security+. Two classes to go and I graduate!!!! Winning!!!

I'm in a weird mood tonite. Tired, but excited. Overwhelmed, but still hungry. I am mentally and somewhat physically exhausted, but I want and am ready for more. Is this weird? I am excited over the whole having a kid thing, but I just want the build-up to be over with.........  I know, weird.

Damn time change

I hate this time of year, but only for two days. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that it gets darker earlier, but I feel like I am up an hour later than normal. I'm just not used to going to work when the sun is setting. And speaking of work I've been bad this year. 

I promised myself after taking a part time job at Domino's I wouldn't gorge myself on the pizza. Sadly I failed at that. I'm still at my lard ass weight, but I haven't gained anymore either. I am certainly glad I am a "glass half full" kind of guy or I would just extremely depressed right now. I keep making excuses in my head about it too. "I'm busy, school and work, preggo wife." I really need to stop doing that. I really need a better job. I really need to get away from Domino's. 

Hopefully that'll happen soon. My instructor mentioned he wants to start a work study program at the school. Have the IT students run the IT at the school, under his supervision of course. 20 hours a week at $10 an hour. I'll take it! It'll get me work experience and help me build my confidence. 

As I am writing this, Domino's just called. One of my deliveries handed me a counterfeit $20 bill. Luckily I had very few cash deliveries tonite so I knew exactly who it was. The cops are at the store right now and they needed a description of the people in the home. I hope they get their asses arrested. They had their kid hand me the money. He couldn't have been more than 7 years old. And they're probably gonna say well the kid gave him the money, not our fault, the driver should've known. Scumbags. There is a special place in hell for people who use kids to do illegal things. 

Dude, do you even BLOG?!

Hi all! Its been way too long, but I think I have enough time to come back on a regular basis to keep in contact with all 7 of you. Well, hopefully still 7. I would love to hear how you been doing, but I'll start with me. First, recent news, wifey is about to pop. That's right, four more days until the baby arrives. I am very excited and scared at the same time. I know I'll be fine and I know I shouldn't worry so much, but I can't help it. It also doesn't help when I am not getting much sleep, but that's a different story. See, wifey has been in and out of the hospital for three weeks. Not by her choice either. Let me tell you those fold out beds in L & D aren't very comfortable. But I suppose they make em that way to keep the daddys alert, too. Shes doing fine, so that's good. They were just precautionary stays.

Once the baby is here I will have two more months of school left. I am STOKED!! I have learned so much from that school and my instructors, I am very grateful. I've already gotten one certification under my belt. TestOut PC Pro. It's a new certification, but its more hands on than A+. Next up for me, however, will be A+. I plan and hope to take it before I graduate. Why? I need a job!!!! No one will hire a green IT Professional with no experience. But if I earn my A+ that should get my foot in the door, at least. And speaking of which, I have a final tomorrow. Security+. I feel good about this one.

That's all I can think of right now. I know 5 months of events can't be summed up in two paragraphs, so I'm not going to try. Plus I'm not used to this time change. I'll keep y'all updated!!

00101100

My brain hurts. So many ones and zeros. So many acronyms. TCP/IP, SONET, DSL, subnet masks, and 802.11a/b/g/n, just to name a few. The wonderful big world of NET+. It is difficult, about as hard as I expected, but I know I will succeed. It'll just take time. It took me months to get into the groove of being a warehouse manager, so I suspect the same will be true as an IT professional. I did get some good news from school. I made the deans list last month. Yay me!! Lets see how long I can keep this up. 

Ever since I found out wifey was pregnant I've been bustin my ass getting the house fixed up. We're now at about the half way point. All walls, except for the bedrooms are painted. Kitchen and dining room done, except for the flooring. It's been keeping me busy, but it's all worth it. Wifey keeps joking that she should've gotten pregnant sooner, because all this work would've been done sooner. So I just give her my evil look and she says, "Lovvvvvve youuuuuu!"

Another benefit of her being pregnant is that she has had no choice but to eat healthy, which by default, means I eat healthier. Sorry, but I'm not going to have Ben and Jerry's ice cream when she can't eat it. That's just cruel. So we've been controlling portion size, cutting a lot of carbs, eating mostly proteins. Although I do sneak in the occasional piece of chocolate. And since I've been laid off, I've worked part time at dominos again. I have barely touched the pizza there. MAYBE 2 slices in two months while working. That's an achievement for me. I maxed out this winter at 228. Damn. I'm back down to 221. I need to keep this going. Not for me. Not for wifey. But for the child growing inside her. My dad had his first heart attack at 36. I'm 34. I don't want that life. 

Enjoy your day, 7 peeps!! I may have to work tonite, but no school on Fridays, so Carpe Diem!! And I don't want to lose any readers this weekend either, so have a safe Memorial Day!!

First Final

Today is finals day for my first class. Nervous. Did my traditional study method too. Hope it works!!!


......update.

Aced it!!!

First month

It's been almost a month since I started school, and I am loving it. I have learned so much in such a short period of time it's amazing. Although I really could have used this knowledge of Microsoft Office Suites at my last job, it's better late than never. Some nights my brain does turn to mush, but that's ok. It means I'm learning.

Thank you all for your response. I guess the consensus on raising a kid and knowing what it needs is just to wing it. Go on instinct. My instinct with older kids is pretty solid, but babies..... I guess I'm just afraid I'm gonna break em. Then again, an old friend told me that's tough to do, that they bounce right back. I hope she's right, but I don't think I'll test that theory.

Speaking of old friends, these past few weeks have been an adventure in the past. Three old friends have come out of the woodwork to say hi. It was very exciting to speak with them again. We shared so many great memories, awkward looks, inside jokes, and OMG moments. Just catching up and hearing everything they've done over the last 10+ years is worth the wait. I just don't want to let another ten years go by again without them in my life.

Next, the housing project is going smooth again. Kitchen was torn up on Saturday, and I thought it was going to be a one day job. NOPE!! Didn't get done till Sunday afternoon. But it's done right!! There is a funny story about the cooktop, but I'll get into that later. And another funny story about how I tried to electrocute myself too. I can be dangerous at times. I am tired, but I am not doing all this for me. I am doing it for my child. They deserve a home worthy of living in.

Finally, I teared up yesterday. Wifey went for another sonogram and the office made a DVD of it, since I couldn't be there. Her first trimester is almost over, and some features are becoming visible. But what brought me to my knees was what I saw. I saw the baby move. I almost lost it. There will soon be a little version of me running around the world.


.........my friends should be frightened.

Amazing

Not sure if anyone notices or cares, but I have been working like a DOG! No, I haven't found a job yet.... Full time anyway... But between working part time, school full time, and renovating the house... I needed a day off. I was so very glad to hear my helper couldn't make it today. Two bathrooms, hall, living and dining room, and kitchen have new coats of paint. New toilets and sinks in the bathrooms. New counter tops and sink go into the kitchen Sunday. Its amazing what news of a baby on the way will do. This fire under me is burning hot!!!

School is going ok, for the most part. Lets just say Microsoft Access ISN'T my friend. And I can't say I'm never gonna use it, because I don't know if I will or not. But I think I could handle everything.... If it wasn't for the slow pace. I understand that people learn at different paces, but this class is going so damn slow that we are still behind. I have a midterm on Monday that covers some material we haven't touched yet. I have sympathy for the slow learners, but this is an accelerated course, fellas. P.S., does anyone have a copy of Access I can borrow?  ;)

Wifey had her second appointment last week, and we both got to hear the heartbeat. This is becoming more real everyday. But I have these constant worries... How will I know WHAT the baby wants based on a cry? Hungry? Gassy? Change me? Hold me? I dunno!!! Maybe I should do all of it until the baby stops crying. Am I worrying too much too soon? Wifey isn't due until November. Should we buy a bunch of stuff now so we don't have to later? No, maybe not.. AARRRRGGGHHHH!!!!!! Any, and I mean ANY advice anyone can offer would be helpful.

But I think I should stop focusing on the things I cannot control.... We both got to hear the heartbeat last week.


.......... We both got to hear the heartbeat last week.

Happy

Ok, so for those that don't see me on Facebook, big news. Wifey is pregnant with our first child!!! I am so excited!! We have been trying since about 2005, so this is welcome news. I don't care if I am laid off, I will pick up cans if I have to. I'm just very happy right now.

So my unemployment application was accepted, but I can't do anything about it until April 1st. Why? Because I'm still technically employed. Frekkin furlough. But on the bright side I have an appointment with WorkSource on the 2nd. Maybe I can get a grant to go to school for IT. It is a high demand job, and according to them still growing. Crossing my fingers.

I also can't touch my 401k until after the 31st, but I am thinking of saving that until we have the baby. Ugh. I am really starting to hate what TSS is doing to us.

All this free time I have had lately has really helped me to open my eyes to a lot of things. So many things can be done with a few hours a day. I am actually enjoying this a little right now. I know I won't when bill time comes around again, but for now I am in a happy place.

Nobody gonna break a my stride

It's easy to get depressed. It's easy to give up. Sometimes it just takes over. I still haven't lost the weight I want to. Still haven't completed those project I wanted to. And to top it off, I got laid off. As of the 31st, I will be unemployed. For the first time in 18 years, I will wake up with no job to go to. Technically I haven't worked since the 11th, but I was on furlough. Technically still had a job, just no work. It'll be official on the 31st.

I have mostly good memories of my time at The Scooter Store. Mostly. There were a couple of bad, deceitful things going on for a short period of time. But they have a way of correcting themselves. I will miss everyone from that office. I will miss all the customers. I had the privilege of working both in the office and in the field. I got the best of both worlds.

But my biggest worry is about the customers. TSS laid of 1500 people. Only 300 people work for them nation wide. Where will they get service when their chairs and scooters break down? Who can they call? Most cannot afford repairs out of pocket, and no sane DME company will touch TSS equipment with Medicare not reimbursing. Very sad.

So what to do? Anything I want. I was always told to go to work by my dad. Bills had to be paid. Unfortunately, because I did that, I have no education outside high school. That will soon change. I have decided to go to school to enter the IT field. It's something I have wanted to do for years but was just too busy. I'm not doing much anything now, so I got time.

I feel relief that I no longer have to worry about ordering inventory, or cycle counting the 86 location, but a small part of me wishes I did. I will miss DME, but I must close that that chapter of my life. I'm not gettin any younger!!!

Signs

Everywhere there's signs. Hell, they even made a song about it. So why can't people read them? Seriously. Where I work it states clearly on the front door, "No Soliciting". But three days this week we have had people in teams of two come to our door and try to sell us something. Insurance, phones, it's getting annoying. I understand the though economy thanks to King Obama, but we are struggling too. I don't have much disposable income, so please, stop soliciting!!!

Quickie

I want to gripe real quick before I go on. Why is it that the Town Center is so popular that it is packed every weekend but no one will increase the areas 3G capacity? Ugh.....

I feel I am going backwards on some things, forward on others. I am starting to get insomnia again. Half the time I am in bed at 8:30, the rest of the time I can't sleep until 3am. I know it's stress. Work, family, friends, marriage. When it rains it pours. My gut tells me it's the time of year. For those who don't live in Florida, it's been a real dreary winter. Not much sun. I thrive on it. And with out it, it is a proven fact that it can depress people. I think that's what's happening to me, hence the weight regain and insomnia. Can't wait till spring.

On the positive side, my doctor has taken me off my meds. I've been in remission for four years, and odds are it will stay that way with or with out meds. So with the doctors blessing, I am free of a very expensive medication. I'm not cured, so I still have to watch my diet.

Like this pic? Taken on a cell phone. See y'all soon!!!

Been a while

Six months go by quick. My dear seven readers, I hope I haven't lost you. Many things going on, so lets start.

So as y'all know, my boss got fired. I was thinking of applying for the job, but I decided that, after thinking about it, realized that the other drivers probably wouldn't respect or listen to me. The office needed leadership. And that was a good choice. Our new boss is excellent. He actually WORKS!! Not like the last one. I don't have to do the boss's job anymore!! Lol.

Everything also worked out well for school. After six long months, I finally had a chance to test for certification. Well if y'all already didn't know, I did pass. I am now a RESNA certified ATP. now I just need to find a job where I can use it.

That's the good news, now on to he not so good. I did join a gym, but quit in November. Too busy with life. Ten+ hour work days were just killing me. That and the holidays approaching with out my father and internal family issues was depressing me.

What am I trying to say? I'm saying I didn't lose any weight. Oh I stayed busy in 2012. But the weight I lost I ended up gaining back in the last two months if the year. It's easy I get depressed and say fudge it. But no, I will take the information I gathered last year and apply it to this year. I WILL lose the weight. It'll just take longer than I expect.

I have more to update, but I don't want to spill all the beans in one post. You'll just have to keep checking back.

Love you all!!!