Here is a long overdue, but abbreviated account of what has been going on here. Blake finished work last Friday and has been here ever since. We are now all reunited for good. And, if that wasn't enough good news -- our house is under contract and closing date is Monday! So, if all continues to go well, we don't have to worry about the house or keep making trips back to St. Louis.
Blake is in between his jobs this week, so we've been doing more to get the new place set up. Buying furniture, decor, etc. Lots of this we were just getting around to at the old place, so we want to start out right here and be comfortable. Blake is now VERY comfortable, since he bought a La-Z-Boy and a new TV. The TV is pretty impressive -- he researched for a long time to find it. A month ago, we had staticky ABC only on the 19" TV in the kitchen. Now, we have a 52" HDTV, more cable channels than I can count, and a PS3 with Blu-Ray. Last night, Larry and Debbie had James overnight, and we didn't even leave the house. We started watching Mad Men. And Bridezillas (they have GOT to be acting, right?). Blake keeps saying, "look at that HD, baby!" He's very happy.
While he is between jobs, insurance is a problem. His old employer, who I like less and less as time goes by, cut off insurance on his last day of work (I guess to save a few bucks on that last week of coverage). I've never experienced this -- everywhere I'd worked continued it to the end of the month. When he gave them 2 MONTHS notice that he was leaving, they wouldn't file the paperwork that would keep the insurance coverage, in case he changed his mind about leaving. And, when they finally did, it was too late -- they have to have the papers sent to our new address, we fill it out, send it back, and after a couple of days, coverage would kick in. We still haven't received the paperwork. We are thinking of sending a letter to the company about how lousy he was treated on this, which I'm sure will do no good at all. Fortunately, his new employer was understanding and moved his coverage date up a few days, so it will start tomorrow. So, of course, today James is limping. We've been trying to be so careful, but he did hurt himself yesterday. Nothing is swollen, and he doesn't seem to be in pain, but we're keeping an eye on it. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Blake's new job also got him some really good new equipment and software and they really seem to go out of their way to make things good. So, I am happy he seems to have found someone to treat him better.
We are really enjoying everything we've done here, as well as our apartment. Once we get the pictures on the walls, I will post pics.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
But, I didn't have my camera!
It was such a fun weekend for us. Blake left early enough on Friday to be here before James went to bed. Then we kept him up really late going out for Pizza. Pappi's Pizza was so fun! It is an old place, with lots of fun places for kids to run around, and it was really empty when we got there, so he could play while we talked and watched from more of a distance. Apparently they are busier during the week. Works for us. There was also a park with a playground next door, where we started.
The sad part was realizing just how much James misses Blake and is confused about the move. All week long, he keeps asking, "Where's Daddy?" and I tell him that Daddy is in St. Louis working and that we'll see him on Saturday. When he asks again, I ask him the question and he is able to give me the correct answer and seems happier. Well, when we left the pizza place, Blake was in a different car. James immediately started asking where Daddy was. So I told him Daddy was behind us in his car and that we'd see him at home in a few minutes. Over and over. When I asked James to tell me where Daddy was, he had an almost panicked voice, saying "I DON'T KNOW!" Later, when I tried it again, he said, "Daddy's gone". It was the most heartbreaking 10 minute car ride ever. But, once we all got home, we had a great weekend.
On Saturday, we went for breakfast at the coffee shop, then for a long (2 1/2 hour) walk on the trail by the lake. That was so much fun, but exhausting. Blake kept saying it was just a little way more to the rest stop with the water fountain. Finally, he realized that he'd never walked the trail, always used his bike, and that it's much faster on a bike. We did finally get to the spot to rest and refill our waters. And we took a shortcut back to the car.
Lunch was at Planet Sub, and it was really good. Then on to visit with Blake's grandparents. This may have been the only time we've been there without EVERYONE else in his family being there, too, since we are usually only there for major holidays. It was fun, and they always get out good toys for James to play with.
We stopped at the store, got some food to grill, and headed to the pool. James had a great time, and wants to go back again today. However, Blake informs me that I need to relax a little, that he always has James, and that James will be fine. I should point out now that I need to stop reading articles and watching shows about kids who have extremely rare accidents or illnesses. If I haven't heard of it before that article, this particular malady is not going to happen to my child. So, I am relaxing now. Sort of.
Today was more laid back. We went to Barnes and Noble so James could play with the trains. Then we had lunch at 54th Street Bar and Grill. We've always liked this place, but not this particular restaurant, and not today. Oh well, at least the rest of the weekend was good.
Blake left during nap time, and James slept well, since he knew Daddy would be gone and he didn't need to wake up early. Two more people have seen our house, and the first ones liked it. We don't know about the second. We're really hoping for good news on that soon. The people who liked it last week apparently didn't have good enough credit.
One more week and Blake will be done with work and up here for good. We Can't Wait!!! And, since I kept forgetting to take the camera to all of the fun things we did this weekend, it's nice to know that we will be able to do them all again soon. Except 54th Street Bar and Grill.
The sad part was realizing just how much James misses Blake and is confused about the move. All week long, he keeps asking, "Where's Daddy?" and I tell him that Daddy is in St. Louis working and that we'll see him on Saturday. When he asks again, I ask him the question and he is able to give me the correct answer and seems happier. Well, when we left the pizza place, Blake was in a different car. James immediately started asking where Daddy was. So I told him Daddy was behind us in his car and that we'd see him at home in a few minutes. Over and over. When I asked James to tell me where Daddy was, he had an almost panicked voice, saying "I DON'T KNOW!" Later, when I tried it again, he said, "Daddy's gone". It was the most heartbreaking 10 minute car ride ever. But, once we all got home, we had a great weekend.
On Saturday, we went for breakfast at the coffee shop, then for a long (2 1/2 hour) walk on the trail by the lake. That was so much fun, but exhausting. Blake kept saying it was just a little way more to the rest stop with the water fountain. Finally, he realized that he'd never walked the trail, always used his bike, and that it's much faster on a bike. We did finally get to the spot to rest and refill our waters. And we took a shortcut back to the car.
Lunch was at Planet Sub, and it was really good. Then on to visit with Blake's grandparents. This may have been the only time we've been there without EVERYONE else in his family being there, too, since we are usually only there for major holidays. It was fun, and they always get out good toys for James to play with.
We stopped at the store, got some food to grill, and headed to the pool. James had a great time, and wants to go back again today. However, Blake informs me that I need to relax a little, that he always has James, and that James will be fine. I should point out now that I need to stop reading articles and watching shows about kids who have extremely rare accidents or illnesses. If I haven't heard of it before that article, this particular malady is not going to happen to my child. So, I am relaxing now. Sort of.
Today was more laid back. We went to Barnes and Noble so James could play with the trains. Then we had lunch at 54th Street Bar and Grill. We've always liked this place, but not this particular restaurant, and not today. Oh well, at least the rest of the weekend was good.
Blake left during nap time, and James slept well, since he knew Daddy would be gone and he didn't need to wake up early. Two more people have seen our house, and the first ones liked it. We don't know about the second. We're really hoping for good news on that soon. The people who liked it last week apparently didn't have good enough credit.
One more week and Blake will be done with work and up here for good. We Can't Wait!!! And, since I kept forgetting to take the camera to all of the fun things we did this weekend, it's nice to know that we will be able to do them all again soon. Except 54th Street Bar and Grill.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Oh, I forgot . . .
In an earlier post, I listed pros and cons of apartment life. I neglected to mention one of the biggest perks -- NO YARD WORK. Sure, there's no yard, either, but Blake and I aren't exactly into landscaping. So, I felt this was important enough to mention.
Also, I found where I can take the recycling. Hopefully I can make a trip a week and not kill the environment so much. It is sad, still, though. In O'Fallon, we could recycle just about everything, and it was single stream. Here, everything has to be sorted (I count 9 different containers I need) but at least it can be done. And people at the Super Target (LOVE having one of these now) don't seem to mind me bringing in the reusable grocery bags from Super WalMart.
I should also mention my new CVS addiction. This place is amazing. And it's just 1/4 mile down the street. With coupons and extracare bucks, I spent $4.61 last Sunday, and bought a newspaper, 3 deodorants for Blake, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 2 2-liter bottles of diet Coke, a box of tissues, and a 3-pack of store brand paper towels. And earned $6 in extra care bucks. Today, I spent $34.01 on a 4x6 Kodak photo book, a 6x8 photo book, 2 Arizona teas, a bottle of water, cookies for a fussy 2 year old for putting up with shopping, another deodorant, 2 L'Oreal infallible lipsticks/glosses, Blistex, and a Neutrogena mascara. And I earned $18 in extra care bucks for next time. For those of you without CVS, the extra care bucks are basically the same as cash that can be used on a future trip to the store. I feel like the coupon queen when I go there. I see people on web sites who actually make money going there, but they seem to abuse the system. I'm happy getting some great deals and having someplace close to get things I need. Especially the way Blake goes through deodorant (but he smells great).
Also, I found where I can take the recycling. Hopefully I can make a trip a week and not kill the environment so much. It is sad, still, though. In O'Fallon, we could recycle just about everything, and it was single stream. Here, everything has to be sorted (I count 9 different containers I need) but at least it can be done. And people at the Super Target (LOVE having one of these now) don't seem to mind me bringing in the reusable grocery bags from Super WalMart.
I should also mention my new CVS addiction. This place is amazing. And it's just 1/4 mile down the street. With coupons and extracare bucks, I spent $4.61 last Sunday, and bought a newspaper, 3 deodorants for Blake, 2 tubes of toothpaste, 2 2-liter bottles of diet Coke, a box of tissues, and a 3-pack of store brand paper towels. And earned $6 in extra care bucks. Today, I spent $34.01 on a 4x6 Kodak photo book, a 6x8 photo book, 2 Arizona teas, a bottle of water, cookies for a fussy 2 year old for putting up with shopping, another deodorant, 2 L'Oreal infallible lipsticks/glosses, Blistex, and a Neutrogena mascara. And I earned $18 in extra care bucks for next time. For those of you without CVS, the extra care bucks are basically the same as cash that can be used on a future trip to the store. I feel like the coupon queen when I go there. I see people on web sites who actually make money going there, but they seem to abuse the system. I'm happy getting some great deals and having someplace close to get things I need. Especially the way Blake goes through deodorant (but he smells great).
Fun Times as we explore
My mom came for a visit this week, which has been really nice for us. We went out and saw a lot, and I'm now exhausted! Before she came, we had already been out exploring new places, including the playground at the school down the street. James had lots of fun there, and it is so close that we can go frequently.
With Mom here, we made a couple of trips to Archiver's (for the adults) and quite a few places for James. We took turns watching James, so we could each take the acrylic album class they had. I liked the album and learned quite a few things, too.
We took James to the T-Rex restaurant at the Legends shopping center. By took, I mean we dragged him in, crying and saying "nonononononono". I know that won't win me any mother of the year awards, but it worked out as I'd hoped. He was scared of the loud dinosaurs and everything moving around for a few minutes, then started to enjoy it. The enjoyment seemed to coincide with the arrival of some chocolate milk. He liked the lights and the tentacles of the octopus (?) that were moving.
We went to a play area at the mall, too. He had a great time, but we didn't. It was way too big and open for our comfort. It would have been so easy to lose him there. I am nervous enough without that, so we probably won't go there too often.
Much better was Paradise Park. They have everything there, and I'm sure we will get a year-long pass soon, because it is perfect for him. There is so much to do, but on this trip, he played in the slides, ball pit, block station, and with the water toys, which were by far his favorite.
The visit with Mom was made even better for me by the fact that I actually got to talk with an adult, in person, on a daily basis! She left this morning, but Blake comes tonight. And, next weekend he should be here for good! Our little family will be reunited at last. 
One last photo of water fun!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Finally Online (aka "my love/hate/really hate relationship with Time Warner)
We are moved in! At least James and I are. Poor Blake is still back in St. Louis working and getting the house ready to sell. It goes on the market tomorrow. Please keep your fingers crossed for us.
Our new apartment is very nice. It actually seemed bigger after our stuff got here (my first 2 days were just me and an air mattress). It is only about 200 square feet (and a big 2 car garage) smaller than our house was, and since we also got a storage facility, it is very comfortable here. I'll post pictures another day. After I get pictures up on the wall. Really, that is all that is left to do, but being short, I think I'll wait until my mom is here next week to help. She has a better eye for these things than I do, anyway.
Here are a couple of lists, before I start in on Time Warner.
What is worse about an apartment:
1. No recycling
2. Have to walk a fair way to get the mail
3. Have to walk almost that far to take out the trash (and up a hill)
4. Our "view" is a parking lot -- if we were on the other side of the building it would be towards the lake.
5. For some reason, in this apartment, they thought a sealed concrete floor would be nice. We have some of it covered in carpet squares now, but not done with the main areas yet. Clumsy 2 year old had his first fall on it today. He has a bump on the back of his head, but is otherwise quite happy -- I think he enjoyed the extra attention and hugs he got after the fall. And the extra snack.
6. No covered parking.
7. I miss my old dishwasher. Despite apartment brochures always advertising their "Whirlpool appliance packages", they always get the cheapest possible models.
What is better about our apartment:
1. Nice location -- there is a coffee shop, a subway, a CVS, and soon a restaurant down the block.
2. More updated than our house was, and for less money than a newer house would be.
3. One of the cupboard shelves was broken, and I didn't have to pay anyone to fix it -- just call the office.
4. Pool.
5. Nice big bathrooms!
6. Outlets and cable hookups everywhere.
7. Fitness Center.
Overall, I am very happy here. And people everywhere I have gone (ok, just various stores and McDonald's) have been SO NICE! I mean, ridiculously nice for people working at grocery stores, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and McDonald's. And James is having so much fun with his granparents, aunt, uncle and cousins.
The people at Time Warner are nice, too. But, you do need more than nice. I was supposed to get internet, cable and dvr last Saturday. When they didn't show up, I called, and was told that they had to unschedule me because the previous tenants hadn't cancelled their service. Thanks for telling me. The good news is that the guy personally came out and hooked up the 2 tvs to regular cable, no charge, and gave us a free month. The bad news is no internet until Wednesday. (By the way, I was seriously needing to get online to check our bank balance, because we are hemmorhaging money during this move and by getting home repairs -- hence the importance of #3 in the second list.) So, Wednesday, it all gets set up, I can record Yo Gabba Gabba, Blues Clues and Dora as much as James wants, and I can access the internet in time to see that I need to asap transfer money from savings to checking. But, I can't access my new email account. That took a 30 minute phone call this morning and a 50 minute phone call this afternoon. I know it is not politically correct to say so, but it really is frustrating to be talking to someone in India for that long and not getting anywhere. And being called Hee-ther.
Anyway, I have more accounts to update!
Our new apartment is very nice. It actually seemed bigger after our stuff got here (my first 2 days were just me and an air mattress). It is only about 200 square feet (and a big 2 car garage) smaller than our house was, and since we also got a storage facility, it is very comfortable here. I'll post pictures another day. After I get pictures up on the wall. Really, that is all that is left to do, but being short, I think I'll wait until my mom is here next week to help. She has a better eye for these things than I do, anyway.
Here are a couple of lists, before I start in on Time Warner.
What is worse about an apartment:
1. No recycling
2. Have to walk a fair way to get the mail
3. Have to walk almost that far to take out the trash (and up a hill)
4. Our "view" is a parking lot -- if we were on the other side of the building it would be towards the lake.
5. For some reason, in this apartment, they thought a sealed concrete floor would be nice. We have some of it covered in carpet squares now, but not done with the main areas yet. Clumsy 2 year old had his first fall on it today. He has a bump on the back of his head, but is otherwise quite happy -- I think he enjoyed the extra attention and hugs he got after the fall. And the extra snack.
6. No covered parking.
7. I miss my old dishwasher. Despite apartment brochures always advertising their "Whirlpool appliance packages", they always get the cheapest possible models.
What is better about our apartment:
1. Nice location -- there is a coffee shop, a subway, a CVS, and soon a restaurant down the block.
2. More updated than our house was, and for less money than a newer house would be.
3. One of the cupboard shelves was broken, and I didn't have to pay anyone to fix it -- just call the office.
4. Pool.
5. Nice big bathrooms!
6. Outlets and cable hookups everywhere.
7. Fitness Center.
Overall, I am very happy here. And people everywhere I have gone (ok, just various stores and McDonald's) have been SO NICE! I mean, ridiculously nice for people working at grocery stores, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and McDonald's. And James is having so much fun with his granparents, aunt, uncle and cousins.
The people at Time Warner are nice, too. But, you do need more than nice. I was supposed to get internet, cable and dvr last Saturday. When they didn't show up, I called, and was told that they had to unschedule me because the previous tenants hadn't cancelled their service. Thanks for telling me. The good news is that the guy personally came out and hooked up the 2 tvs to regular cable, no charge, and gave us a free month. The bad news is no internet until Wednesday. (By the way, I was seriously needing to get online to check our bank balance, because we are hemmorhaging money during this move and by getting home repairs -- hence the importance of #3 in the second list.) So, Wednesday, it all gets set up, I can record Yo Gabba Gabba, Blues Clues and Dora as much as James wants, and I can access the internet in time to see that I need to asap transfer money from savings to checking. But, I can't access my new email account. That took a 30 minute phone call this morning and a 50 minute phone call this afternoon. I know it is not politically correct to say so, but it really is frustrating to be talking to someone in India for that long and not getting anywhere. And being called Hee-ther.
Anyway, I have more accounts to update!
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