TMI Tuesday: I Want My Playroom Back!

When we first started this round of renovations we tried to hold off on disturbing our son’s playroom for as long as possible. As work progressed that was no longer a possibility and our son was not happy about it. Obviously, as the doors were being worked on, even the door in the playroom, we were able to keep things relatively normal but as the flooring got underway the toy boxes began to vanish and the bookshelves disappeared.

It was tough for a few days as our regular routine was completely out the window as the carpet came up and the subfloor shown throughout the first floor. Thankfully we do have a playroom upstairs but it simply isn’t the same and our son let us know about it. While he was at “camp” during the day, when my wife brought him home he wasn’t quite sure what to make of the chaos that permeated the house. And with everything in disarray we had to further throw him off by making sure that he had his shoes on and carrying him from one spot to the next more than we usually do.

Even meal times we a bit of a challenge as he would stop every once in a while, point to the floor, and let us know that something just wasn’t right. Toward the end, the babbles were more along the lines of “when the heck is this going to be done already?” But, somehow, we managed to make it through the tantrums and the screaming and now our son is getting reacquainted with his playroom… the same as it was before but also a little different.

So far our son really enjoys the new door at the end of his playroom as it is much clearer and brings a lot more light into the room. The carpet is something that he seems to like as the different colors and softer feel are rather interesting at times. The hardwood floors are, by far, the biggest adjustment but he does seem to enjoy running around from room to room with seemingly more confidence than when he was running from one surface to another and back again. But, most of this doesn’t matter as all of his toys and, more importantly, books are back in the room and he can, once again, spend better quality time with mommy and daddy now that the work is done. That being said, the next round of renovations should be interesting.

TMI Tuesday: Long Weekend

When I got the call from my wife on Thursday afternoon it seemed like everything was under control, worrisome but under control. As the end of the day approached, we knew that the situation wasn’t as clear cut as we once thought and so, as I previously wrote, I made the arrangements to hand everything off at lodge and made my way home as soon as possible. That was only the beginning. It has been a long few days with little sleep at night and too many hours of worrying during the day.

On Thursday, my wife arrived at the daycare to pick up our son not knowing what she was walking into. Almost immediately, the staff pulled her aside to show he some hives that had popped up on our son’s back and diaper area. Without hesitation, my wife called the pediatrician and had an appointment for early that evening. It didn’t look to be serious (reaction to the medication he was on) during the checkup and, instructions and new prescription in hand, she brought our son home to get some rest. By the time I walked in the door, things had progressively gotten worse but in so much as was to be expected based on the information she was given.

When we checked on him that night we knew that something was definitely wrong and we weren’t about to wait until the morning to see a doctor so we took him to the emergency room at three in the morning. A few hours later we had a slightly different plan in place to get everything under control and, after putting our son down for a nap, I headed off to work for the day. I was able to spend some time with my son when I got home but he was soon in bed trying to fight whatever was causing his issues. While there was some progress during the day something was still off by the time the sun went down.

Again, we checked on him around midnight and, after consulting with the pediatrician’s office over the phone, brought him back to the emergency room where his treatment was adjusted. By this point the medical chaos was taking a toll on all of us and we headed back to see the doctor on Saturday morning to have our son checked again. Having slept for most of the day, we were surprised when our son willingly went to bed at his usual time on Saturday night and while the evening was by no means normal, we did avoid a third trip to the hospital.

By Sunday morning, our son was no longer himself at all. He was definitely still uncomfortable from the hives/rash and now, as he began to swell, we could tell that he was in pain and wasn’t able to move around normally. With these changes we once again sought the advice of the pediatrician with little change to his treatment. By the time we woke him up that evening we knew that it was going to be another long night in the emergency room.

Thankfully, we got the information that we needed and the right routine put in place after hours upon hours of waiting and numerous tests performed on our poor baby. In the end, it is nothing that will impact him long term but the recovery is going to be much longer than we originally anticipated... around 6 weeks. This is definitely something that will require some adjustment over the next several weeks but it was certainly a relief that there is an end to this illness.

While we have had some trying times since our son’s birth dealing with minor health occurrences, this experience was really the first time when I felt the full range of emotions. There were moments when I was angry, scared, exhausted, and happy but the most prevalent feeling was that of helplessness. I pleaded and prayed on countless occasions that this wouldn’t be anything serious and that our baby boy would feel better. I couldn’t do anything but try to comfort him and be there for my family… it just didn’t seem like I was doing enough no matter what I did.

We are all recovering now but it is a weekend that is etched in my mind. While I know that it is unavoidable and that I have to come to terms with the fact that I can’t control certain situations I hope that our son never has to be in that situation again and I hope that my wife and I never have to feel so helpless again. But, for now, we are going to focus on recovering and making sure that our son continues to know that we are always there for him.

TMI Tuesday: Throwing Up (And Down)

Well, this is one of those inevitable things that we expected to encounter with our son. In fact, we were anticipating that this would happen more often than we are currently seeing. With that said, the throwing up is still something that happens and sometimes it is at some pretty interesting times.

Usually, the spew flows after a feeding but it is not always the case. These are the moments when he is usually half asleep and it just kind of bubbles to the surface… like in the opening credits of the Beverly Hillbillies. These are the moments happen before we have a chance to burp him and when you just grab a wipe and make sure you get it all off of his face and neck.

Of course, there are also the occasions when there is a little more force behind the projectile. Most of the time this is when my wife picks him up just after his feeding and during the transition she gets a little shower on her shirt. For some reason my wife can deal with the poop and pee but the puke takes her back a bit. When home, I am frequently reaching for a wipe at this point.

When it comes to burping this is one of the reasons why I prefer to put him on my knee. Having him slightly bent over makes it much easier to clean up when the regurgitation occurs with only a small bit on the hand and around his mouth requiring some attention. Anything more and the floor takes the brunt of the punishment. I would rather him throw down than throw up.

In addition to the feeding related emanations, there are also the times when, for one reason or another, our son gets a little too excited or worked up and the fountain is turned on. There are times when he cries and this is a little exclamation point and there are also instances when the opposite happens and the milk streams through a wide smile. And there are some moments when what little remaining burp bubble carries some luggage with it hours after eating.

All of these moments are pretty minor even during some of the moments when there is greater volume and force than usual. They are moments that can quickly be addressed and, as was stated before, come with the daily baby routine. Of course, just like we will encounter on the other end, we are still not looking forward to the escalation that happens with the introduction of other foods.

Returning To Normal

The last couple of month have been a little odd at the lodge with a rather testy meeting taking place in February and a postponement of the stated meeting in March. Thursday was a welcomed return to normalcy even if I was still running a little behind schedule in my duties… most notably in getting the monthly notice in the mail which I would much rather have sent off a week prior rather than a few days before.

Of course, I wasn’t sure if this would be the case as I was rather pointed in my message this month in the notice. It wasn’t about calling anyone out, it was simply a means to try and get everyone back on the same page so that we work together as a lodge rather each person pulling the rope in a different direction. Sometimes things need to be said and thankfully, as it turns out, it was received in the way that it was intended.

The meeting itself ran smoothly with the agenda run through quickly and the discussions limited to updates and information. There weren’t any of the unpleasant tones that existed in previous meetings. Progress is being made on most fronts and the projects that at one point looked like they might be stymied, are once again moving forward.

However, there is one area where we seemed to have stalled. With no petitions having been received so far this year, we will not be having an extra meeting until September at the earliest. This is the complete opposite of last year when the petitions were plentiful and the extra meetings frequently consisted of multiple candidates. Not a good time to hit a lull but it happens.

Thankfully, the new brothers that have made up the most recent wave are continuing to remain active and we are continuing to move forward with award applications for those first year masons. While I may not have been able to make it to the lodge every week, each one of them has been present and has learned both from one another and from the more experienced masons that join them for the evening. While the petitions may not be flowing in like they once were, the quality of the new brothers that have joined us is outstanding and their continued involvement is exactly what every lodge wants to see.

Now that we have returned to the quick and uneventful, it is time to prepare for next month as I refuse to fall behind once again. We expect a packed lodge due to it being both our official visitation as well as first responders night. It is a lot of work but, as was proven last year, it is well worth the effort and a meeting that I have been looking forward to for months. I guess I could say the same thing about most meetings.

The Times They Are A Changing…

Hello... is it me your looking for? 

We are now getting to the point in the pregnancy when there is nothing that can really make my wife comfortable and, therefore, there is no way that I am going to be comfortable. Sleep is sporadic at best and the smallest amount of stress (completely unavoidable at this point) cause the occasional contraction. While that may be worrisome to many, we are at the point when this is a completely normal irregular thing to happen. It’s when they become regular that we have to considering hauling to the hospital.

We still have some things that we need to take care of around the house but, overall, everything seems to be under control. With that said, there seem to be things that will come about every other day that just throw all of our plans out the door (where they are stomped on and lit on fire). I guess that is just another way to prepare us for having a baby in our life… you really have to take things as they come once he arrives.

The doctor appointments are now every week with the mad rush out of the office becoming more and more difficult but still completely manageable. And so far, with the exception of a few times when we have had to wait a little longer than usual or reschedule due to weather, everything has checked out and our son is happy, healthy, and active to the point that even the nurses are surprised. The doctor actually considers our son’s development completely normal… I guess he shouldn’t get used to being described that way given the family around him.

It’s funny that many of the conversations that I’ve had with people they all expect me to be nervous and ‘not ready yet’ but, above all else, I am excited to see and hold our son. As each day passes the anticipation grows and the nerves subside ever so slightly. I don’t expect this to be easy but I am looking forward to his arrival probably more than anything else that I have waited for in my life.

I wish that was the only thing that was going on in our lives right now but nothing in life is ever easy no matter how smoothly things may seem to be progressing at times. We have to take the bad with the good no matter how hard it is to handle. With everything that surrounds us and occupies our days, I can’t wait for that moment when I can hold our baby and forget about everything else that is going on in the world (even if he decides to poop on me).

Office Meetings And Decisions

Every once in a while we have a client come to our office to meet with the team that works on their account. More often than not, we travel to the client’s office but today we welcomed them to our little space for the first time. Needless to say, my day was dominated by the meeting and other internal sessions before his arrival.

While I have worked with many clients that I honestly dreaded whenever they were in the area and would hope that they would either somehow forget where our office was or not have the time to stop by, today was the complete opposite of that scenario. I thoroughly enjoy working for this client and we always have a great conversation whenever we are either on the phone or happen to meet face to face. That simple fact makes it very easy to work hard for the company.

Of course, when such a relationship is in place there are always conversations, brief as they may be, that have nothing to do with the company or work in general. It is those interesting times when we catch up about family, vacations, and even the random discussion that have previously popped up earlier in the day like your top ten movies that everyone should watch (he definitely got some bonus points for thinking of Hot Fuzz and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and putting them on his list). All in good fun and even better since we all share a similarly dry sense of humor.

So, while I usually detest meetings that dominate my day, this one I didn’t mind at all and the meeting moved along rather quickly. In fact, time was moving so fast that I nearly forgot that I had an appointment early in the evening to check and see if the baby is still normal (surprisingly, more so than its parents still). So, while I hauled bottom to make the appointment on time, the rest of them headed north for a nice long night. Those are the best kinds of meetings when everyone is happy/content and the work day is done and I wish I had the time to go but family comes first and I am not going to start missing my child’s events this early in their life.

While I am sure there will be times now and again when I will miss something I will do my best to avoid those instances. I don’t need Harry Chapin rising from the grave saying “I told you so!”. I guess I have already started to change… even if it’s just a little bit… and preparing for the inevitable. With that said, don’t expect everything to change!

Back To The Monday Routine

After the craziness last week it was nice to the usual Monday routine. Come to think of it, we haven’t had a ‘normal’ Monday for some time now as we have been jumping from one project to another which pushed back our usual slate of Monday internal meetings to later in the week. While things are still as busy as ever, the lineup of meetings seems to have returned to their usual timing.

However, heading into this week I feel as though I am finally returning to normal and the deteriorated PR skills from my extended time away from the industry are beginning to regenerate. They have been there from the time I started this current job in one form or another but now there is marked growth with a return to my former productivity and efficiency within reach. It is hard to explain but I think the best analogy, and a clichéd one at that, is that if you let a car sit for a year it is going to take some time before you getting working efficiently again like it’s supposed to. Sure it will probably run as soon as you turn it on but there is going to be a lot of things wrong with it that you are going to have to address one by one. Eventually everything is fixed and things begin running smoothly again, like they should be.

Awkward analogy, part of one. Awkward analogy, part of one. Your blog post is ready.

After the success of last week now in the past, it is time to work on the other projects that have been put off or passed off over the last couple of weeks. With that said, there are still many opportunities that have come about from the work done and the meetings held last week with will be in addition to what is usually in the growing pile on the desk. But now there is a schedule that I can rely on until it is drastically changed over and over again. Hey, that is the business and industry in which I strive and what keeps things interesting during the week.

So, the routine survived today which is not bad. Sometimes you have to have a predictable day that allows you to cope with the insanity of the ‘normal’ schedule. I don’t know how long this planned out week will last but until the schedule falls apart I am going to enjoy the predictability for as long as it can hold out (or until we can’t take it anymore). Hey, we are a unique group of people, those in the PR industry, and sometimes we are at our best when the schedule goes to pot so when things are calm for too long we have to switch it up to maximize our productivity. I never said we were a normal bunch.